Chapter 121 : Politely Declining
Chapter 121: Politely Declining
There comes a moment in company life when you receive unexpected attention.
Like right now.
“...Is that ranking for real?”
“Isn’t that the song Deputy Dongyoon pushed for back then and totally flopped with...?”
“Quiet.”
“What even happened all of a sudden?”
A B-side from an album released over a year ago.
That song had begun to climb the charts again.
Maron Chart
15th:<ElectricParty>–Bellis▲new
It was an album we were too busy trying to hush up to even promote.
Just another flop, one of the countless that appear and vanish in a day.
That song had been no different, until Blackhole’s one performance turned it into a hot topic.
SNS, online communities—
They were all talking about it.
Today’s HiddenGem: ElectricParty
You gotta listen to the DJ mixing version (video link)
↳ That’s completely different from what I remember?
↳ What is DJ mixing?
↳↳ It’s when a DJ rearranges and performs the song at a club.
↳ Is Bellis finally blowing up? ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
↳↳ That’s not happening lol
↳ But who is that guy? Doesn’t look like a member?
↳↳ He’s a DJ called Blackhole.
↳ Wow... How do I download this versionㅠㅠ
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What’supwithElectricParty?Why’sitsogood?
↳ The original was meh.
↳↳ No, no ㅠㅠ It’s actually good when you listen again ㅠㅠ
↳ That’s not the kind of DJ I was expecting?
↳↳ fr, isn’t that DJ a total punk?
↳ (link) His other tracks slap too ㄷㄷㄷㄷ
↳ lol tbh the original’s not that great.
↳↳ More like... ahead of its time?
↳↳↳ Let’s be real lol it’s kinda chaotic lol
No matter the internal drama or backstory.
A song proves itself with charts—nothing else.
A flop from a flop idol group climbs the charts again? That’s a chance.
Whether it’s getting them on a variety show or blasting out press releases—
You get the defibrillator ready and prep for revival.
And at the center of all this planning? Of course, it’s Deputy Seo Dongyoon.
Bringing in Stay wasn’t enough.
Now, he's in and out of meetings with the higher-ups.
Even that one major blemish—a flop idol—was now reversing course and rising again.
Everyone had different expressions, but they were all thinking the same thing.
‘Lucky bastard.’
‘He’s clearly on the up and up.’
‘What if he becomes a team leader before I do?!’
This was it—every office worker’s dream, the miracle of the common employee, their secret ambition come true.
So it was no wonder all this sudden attention toward Dongyoon had been inevitable.
“As expected of Deputy Seo—what an ear you’ve got.”
“I had my doubts, but man, this really blew up.”
“I knew from the beginning it’d chart again!”
“Huh? That’s weird. Weren’t you the one who said even almighty Seo Dongyoon has off days...?”
“Come on now, when did I ever say that? Ahem.”
Everyone showed their admiration in their own way.
And then Dongyoon showed up.
“Oh? Deputy’s here! Deputy!”
“Good morni...ng?”
Even the staff who were nonchalantly typing away.
Even the ones pretending to sip coffee but actually eavesdropping.
One by one, they gathered around Dongyoon and bombarded him with questions.
“You saw the chart? Electric Party’s ranking?”
“Did you ask Blackhole for a favor?”
“Last I heard, you got rejected when you tried to scout him... wasn’t that it?”
“Wow, are you gonna land Blackhole in a contract now too?”
As if he had anticipated all this attention, Dongyoon answered calmly.
“Ah, yes. I saw it too.”
Team Leader Bang Hyunwoo, who’d been watching the situation unfold, stepped in and patted Dongyoon on the back.
“Wow, now I gotta stay on your good side, huh? That mix totally brought the song to life.”
“It really did.”
Hmm? Hold on.
Team Leader Bang looked closely at Dongyoon.
This guy... what’s his deal?
Why does he look so zen?
Normally, he’d be waving his hands, going “No way, not at all,” or cheekily boasting, “Well, that’s just how good I am, ahem.”
But his reaction was... lukewarm?
‘...Is he thinking something else?’
Nah, no way.
He has no reason to. And he shouldn’t either.
He’s got a bright future ahead, success in sight.
We’ve still got a lot to do together.
Team Leader Bang forced a smile, pushing down the unease.
“They’ve got braised pollack at the cafeteria today. You don’t like fish, right? Let’s eat out for once. I got a few things to ask you.”
“Yes, sounds good.”
See? See?
He’s acting weird, right?
There was a weight there that hadn’t been there before.
No—more than weight, it felt... distant.
Bang Hyunwoo stared at Seo Dongyoon’s back for a long while.
Tae Junggi had changed.
No more breathing down employees’ necks, no pointless meetings, no lurking around the cafeteria for gossip, not even asking if people were free after work... He was even going home early.
Was it because of what changed between him and Taeshi?
He used to be all about the job.
The fact that someone like that was heading home meant he’d realized something—something he’d forgotten.
Noticing the shift in CEO Tae Junggi, Han Ji-hyuk suddenly had a thought.
Rustle, rustle.
Only the sound of papers turning filled the CEO’s office.
After reviewing everything, CEO Tae Junggi finally spoke.
“‘ASHes’ concept... not bad.”
“It’s coherent overall. And it suits Taeshi’s image well.”
“Stay designed all of it, right?”
“Yes. We only adjusted minor details. The big picture still follows Stay’s tone.”
“Hm...”
Tae Junggi stroked his chin and flipped back through the documents.
Then, his gaze fixed on a page, and a satisfied smile tugged at his lips.
Thud.
He set the papers down and muttered.
“Especially this. It’s good.”
At the end of his gaze was the stage concept portfolio.
Han Ji-hyuk’s eyes widened.
That plan was the heart of Taeshi’s album—what Stay had emphasized most.
‘...I was worried, but thank god.’
<ASHes> could easily come off as cliché.
Techno rock from the early 2000s.
No matter how much trends circle back, for younger listeners, it was bound to feel like an outdated fad.
In most cases like this, people usually disguise it under the name of ‘retro.’
Even if it feels a little old, even if it looks familiar.
The moment you call it retro—
The tackiness turns into nostalgia and gets a free pass.
But <ASHes> was different.
It outright rejected retro.
It didn’t mimic the past.
It was a stage designed thoroughly for the here and now.
Just like the song’s title.
She was truly rebuilding her own time atop the ashes.
“I thought they'd go for retro.”
“It turned the expectations completely upside down. That’s part of Stay’s charm.”
“When you come out this confidently, people have no choice but to recognize it as a genre.”
“That’s how new trends are born.”
Tap.
Tae Junggi tilted his head a few times and fixed his gaze on Han Ji-hyuk.
He knew better than anyone that Director Han was the type to weigh every word carefully.
And yet, for someone like him to speak with such certainty—
It was quite intriguing.
“Trend?”
“Yes. Just like Stay said, maybe ‘Hard Singing’ will really take over the market instead of ‘Easy Listening.’”
“That’s interesting.”
“And the start of that will be Taeshi—or rather, Tae Sihyun.”
At Han Ji-hyuk’s words, Tae Junggi nodded.
They were people who usually only looked at and trusted numbers.
But just this once, they decided to take a gamble called “intuition.”
When it came to Stay, the answer was practically already set.
“He’s really something else.”
“He’s good. His genre boundaries are wide too. I don’t even know how he managed to pull that kind of charm from Sihyun…”
“Not that.”
Tae Junggi paused briefly before continuing.
“Changing an artist’s mind with a single song—that’s no easy feat.”
Ah, this is about Sihyun.
At this point, Han Ji-hyuk only nodded silently.
Both Tae Junggi and Taeshi—
They had noticeably become more relaxed.
These awkward people were slowly narrowing the distance between them.
Clumsy, but sincere.
Slow, but certain.
They were finding their way back to the name “father and daughter.”
And for that reason—
Tae Junggi was preparing a surprise gift for Taeyoon.
Something no one could ever imagine.
“Oh, and the thing I asked you to look into?”
“Yes. It’s possible.”
“Think she’ll like it?”
“You should’ve asked Sihyun. They’re around the same age, aren’t they?”
Tae Junggi snapped his fingers and answered.
“I did ask, actually. She said it was totally lame.”
“...Excuse me?”
“Isn’t that actually a good sign though?”
“How so.”
“It means it fits our tastes.”
This guy... I can't exactly smack the CEO in the head now, can I?
Han Ji-hyuk’s expression clearly said as much.
Seriously, why would you give something an uncle likes to a composer in her early twenties?
Did that thought show on his face?
Tae Junggi chuckled heartily and made his own assumption.
“If you ask me, Writer Stay is something else.”
“Well, everyone knows that.”
“His taste... it’s kind of uncle-like, you know?”
That’s not true at all.
What are you even basing that on?
From what I see, he’s your typical young guy in his twenties.
‘He’s gotta be joking, right?’
Unfortunately, he absolutely wasn’t.
Tae Junggi was doing his very best—with sincerity and conviction—
To prepare a gift for Stay in return.
Politely declining.
I still find this hard.
Older guys are like that.
They keep offering stuff that makes you uncomfortable.
CEO Kwak Youngho handed me three keys, Chairman Jeong Jaewook offered to let me run an entire label.
By comparison, CEO Kim Minsoo setting up a studio and equipment for me was pretty normal.
“Hello. It’s been a while.”
A little time had passed, but—
Tae Junggi’s office hadn’t changed.
Except instead of perfume, it smelled like… eucalyptus gum? Ginseng gum?
That same gum Dad used to chew when driving.
“Sorry for constantly calling you in when you're busy.”
“Not at all. It’s no problem.”
Anyway.
With Taeshi’s album nearing release and everything going smoothly, there was no particular reason for a meeting, so I had a rough idea why he suddenly asked to meet.
“The release is just around the corner. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Ms. Tae Sihyun sang so well. The staff worked hard too.”
After a brief pause, Tae Junggi got to the main point of today’s meeting.
“As a token of appreciation, I prepared a small gift.”
There it was.
Without giving me a chance to reply, he continued.
“...It’s nothing fancy.”
Then he pulled out a box from under his desk.
“I put a lot of care into it. I hope you like it.”
...What could this be?
About the size of two shoeboxes.
I had no idea.
There was no logo.
Looking closely, it seemed to be made of wood?
Not sure how to react, I hesitated.
Tae Junggi smiled warmly and asked,
“You’ll like it.”
“Ha ha. Okay.”
He even spoke with confidence.
What is this thing?
Can I open it?
While I was stuck with a bunch of question marks in my head—
Tae Junggi kept grinning proudly, waiting to see my reaction.
“You can open it.”
There it is. Whatever it is, he’s very confident.
This makes it really hard to turn down.
I found myself wishing it were some music gear instead as I opened the box, and then...!
“Huuk?”
The moment I saw what it was, a real sigh slipped out of me.
And Tae Junggi—
Was completely convinced I liked it.
“Ha ha. I knew you’d love it.”
“This is…”
Lying neatly inside the box—
In the shape of a person—
“It was really hard to get, you know.”
Was none other than a wild ginseng root.