Chapter 129 : Because it's Stay, isn't it?
Chapter 129: Because it's Stay, isn't it?
To debut an artist, a series of complicated meetings was always required.
At least three directors, a tangled Excel sheet.
And countless investors got involved.
That was the ‘normal’ for an entertainment company.
But Kim Entertainment was far from normal.
“Debut them!”
Investors? None.
Money source Kim Minsoo, CEO Kim Minsoo, approval authority Kim Minsoo, executive producer Kim Minsoo……
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that it was practically a unilateral decision by Kim Minsoo, but no one took issue with it.
After all, the entire budget came straight from Kim Minsoo’s pocket.
“Worried about investor opinions? Why should I care? It’s my money.”
That was Kim Minsoo’s philosophy.
Who was he, after all?
A secretive yet immensely powerful 4th-generation chaebol.
Suspiciously wealthy, and equipped with a rare emotional sensibility.
Behind him stood the solid backing of the MW Group.
Because of that.
What would be criticized in an ordinary company was praised here as ‘keen intuition and bold passion’ from a producer.
A process that couldn’t be explained by common sense.
But here, it was routine.
Is the song good or not.
That was everything.
“Play it already.”
“You said you didn’t need to hear it.”
“I’m just curious. Is that a problem?”
Yoon Seonghan smiled and grabbed the mouse.
Click.
As he pressed the play button, the song started.
“What the hell…!”
Kim Minsoo sprang up from his seat.
Worried the firmly hooked headphones might fall off,
He gently pressed them with his left hand while tapping the edge of the desk with his right.
“Wow…”
The first verse, then the pre-chorus passed.
When the part came where the two vocals overlapped in the chorus, Kim Minsoo raised his hand to his head and turned around.
Seeing that, Yoon Seonghan thought,
‘So our CEO had a side like this too.’
There had been plenty of times when his confidence seemed reckless.
But today was different.
There was… something wistful about him.
Could it just be his imagination that the usually fiery CEO looked like a neat teenage boy?
“Haha, and they express it like this?”
Kim Minsoo adjusted his headphones.
A calm voice.
Quietly flowing instruments.
Precise breaths slipping out in between.
Before he knew it, Kim Minsoo was facing the younger version of himself, the one he didn’t want to remember.
His teenage years.
The vocal sounds that pierced his ears in the middle of the night.
The scribbled notes written in secret.
The hope that someone would sing the songs he wrote.
The countless dawns spent at the keyboard fueled by that one hope.
And then—
‘You want to become some entertainer?’
The cold, sarcastic ridicule from his family.
All of that came back to him suddenly, all at once.
Just like this song.
‘It’s definitely two people.’
At first, the two voices were clearly facing different directions.
Fragments of foolish regret.
And the selfless emotions layered beneath them.
That misalignment was so perfect.
But eventually, they became one.
In the end, good music
makes you remember the days you used to dream.
And now, this song was proving that the dream was still continuing.
Kim Minsoo muttered quietly.
“Before the forgotten dream festers again……”
He savored that line over and over.
Even now, while playing the role of the wealthy CEO,
A part of his heart still held the young version of himself, sitting curled up with a guitar.
Why had those small, seemingly trivial moments felt so precious back then?
He took a brief trip back to those feverish days.
His throat stung, and his nose tingled.
“…CEO?”
He came back to his senses at the sound of Yoon Seonghan calling him.
“Yeah, Seonghan. Good song, right?”
“Are you… crying by any chance?”
“Sss, what are you talking about? Isn’t this place dusty? You didn’t clean?”
“That’s such a dull, obvious, and boring excuse. Got anything fresher?”
Sss—
Kim Minsoo rubbed his nose with his index finger and made a half-hearted excuse.
“Allergies, allergies.”
Yeah right. He let it slide this once.
Being shameless like this—that was so Kim Minsoo.
Yoon Seonghan pretended not to notice the CEO’s misty eyes and asked,
“Do you know who the vocalists are?”
“No idea. It’s definitely my first time hearing them, but they don’t feel unfamiliar.”
“If Taeyoon brought them in, they can’t be ordinary.”
“True.”
That cunning guy dragged Moon Jungbae out from whatever cave he was hiding in.
And that wasn’t all.
From our side, he didn’t stop at bringing in Cheongseong at full force.
Next door, he’d lured Jeong Jaewook and Tae Junggi and who knows who else.
So clearly, this new vocalist wouldn’t be any ordinary case either.
That was the common belief between Kim Minsoo and Yoon Seonghan.
“But, CEO. Are we sure about this?”
“About what?”
“Isn’t it normal to bring the singer first? What they do, what they look like… No, before that. We don’t even know if they’ll sign with us, so how can you just…”
Kim Minsoo cut him off cleanly.
“Hey now! Don’t jinx it.”
Then added,
“What do you mean ‘how’? You trust Stay. Seonghan, I’m seriously excited right now. Alien or whatever, who cares? If the song is this enchanting. Don’t you agree? Let’s get the contract ready right now.”
Seo Taeyoon, Do Gibong, and Baek Junhyun.
The three sat in a row.
“What kind of scene is this?”
Kim Minsoo rubbed his chin, scrutinizing the trio.
From one angle, then another.
‘Is this… really right?’ he couldn’t help but think.
Yoon Seonghan asked,
“That one in the middle—isn’t he the Busan Goblin?”
Kim Minsoo replied casually,
“He must’ve come along since he’s the original composer.”
Standing beside him, Yoon Seonghan also rubbed his chin and said,
“Then who’s the other vocalist who didn’t even show up to the CEO meeting? Must be someone incredible, huh?”
“Wow, Seonghan, didn’t take you for the old-school type. Did you time travel from the Joseon dynasty? Maybe they’re just busy. Stay will handle it all, won’t he? Just trust Stay.”
Yoon Seonghan narrowed his eyes and looked at Kim Minsoo.
Since when had he been this understanding?
If I were Taeyoon, I would’ve started a religion by now.
Just play a song and the followers would come flooding in.
At the very front of the line would be CEO Kim Minsoo.
Thinking that, he scanned the room again.
The pale and pointy one, the awkward but stubborn-looking one, and the one who looked like he was about to be dragged off to grad school.
Among them, who looked most like they'd become a singer?
Drumroll—
Obviously, Seo Taeyoon!
Kim Minsoo was thinking the same thing.
“The more I look at him, the weirder Taeyoon seems.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why doesn’t he show his face? If I had that face, I’d plaster it everywhere.”
“Yeah, of course you would.”
“But Seonghan, don’t tell me……”
Kim Minsoo kept his eyes fixed on Do Gibong as he continued.
“Don’t tell me Gibong is one of the members?”
“Haha. Our CEO, your imagination is really something else.”
“No, but what if he is?”
Yoon Seonghan answered flatly.
“No way. That’d be a disaster. You heard the Busan Goblin’s contract is about to end, right?”
“Is that so?”
In this industry, there really were no secrets.
“Yeah. Mr. Park’s been going around making threats. Said if anyone signs the Busan Goblin, he won’t sit still. Ugh, and if he finds out he’s putting out music? He’ll chase him to the depths of hell.”
“Why? Is Busan Goblin his property? Isn’t it about time Park Taekeun stepped down?”
Park Taekeun, aka Mr. Park.
CEO of a well-known publishing company (a place that manages songwriters’ distribution and royalties).
He ran the largest independent publishing company with the most songwriters under his wing.
A man whose presence kept the industry both nervous and grounded.
It was no secret that his next targets were the Busan Goblin and Stay.
Credit where credit is due.
Both of them were always on the lookout for a chance to snag those two.
“Still has a sharp nose for things. I just hope he doesn’t mess with Taeyoon.”
“If he does, I won’t let it slide. If anyone touches my people, I’ll spend every penny I’ve got to make them regret it.”
“That was childish but kind of cool. But, why is Taeyoon ‘your people’?”
“Ahem.”
As they were talking while standing—
Someone observant caught sight of them.
Waving enthusiastically with both hands.
It was Taeyoon.
Yoon Seonghan waved back warmly and, like a ventriloquist, warned him.
“Just stick to the facts, facts only. If CEO starts going off on his own theories again, I’ll seriously lose it.”
“Alright, alright. Let’s go. Hey! Taeyoon! You look even better outside.”
Watching Kim Minsoo approach like he was dancing, Yoon Seonghan clicked his tongue and muttered,
“Our CEO’s definitely opening his wallet today.”
We didn’t even get to finish our greetings properly.
We split into separate cars and headed to the backstage.
That was my suggestion.
There was no better place to talk in secret than there.
CEO Kim Minsoo greeted us cheerfully and started the conversation.
“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Kim Minsoo, CEO of KIM Entertainment. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Maybe it was the seriousness of the occasion.
Today, he actually felt like a real CEO.
He even showed up fully dressed. The flashy watch was still there too.
Kim Minsoo opened with talk about the song.
His gaze was fixed on Do Gibong.
“Gibong, long time no see. You must be busy these days, but I’ve been enjoying your music.”
“Ah, hyung. You flatter me. You’ve gotten even more stylish.”
“But Gibong. What’s going on with you? You let someone rearrange your song? You usually hate it when people touch your work.”
Do Gibong looked at me as he answered.
“Well, because it’s Stay?”
……What was with that expression.
Why the wink?
Please don’t look at me like that. It’s uncomfortable. Not cool at all.
Maybe my discomfort showed on my face.
Do Gibong patted my back and turned to ask Kim Minsoo,
“So, how was the song?”
“Well, as expected?”
“Even better than the original, right?”
“I like the twist the original had too. Every song has its own charm, right? But Taeyoon taking just the melody and turning it into something entirely new—now that’s impressive.”
As if in agreement,
Everyone seated nodded quietly.
The mood was great.
But I shouldn’t be the main character today.
Do Gibong and Baek Junhyun—those two were meant to take the spotlight.
Putting on a light tone, I said,
“The original melody was so good. It was lyrical. I only made minor adjustments to suit the vocals. I wouldn’t have even thought of it without this friend. Ah, let me introduce him properly.”
Then I gave Junhyun a firm nudge in the ribs.
He looked nervous, like he was silently asking, ‘Can I really speak up?’
So I gave him a small nod.
And then—
“Hello! I’m Baek Junhyun. It’s an honor to finally meet the legendary CEO!”
Junhyun sprang up from his seat to greet him.
That’s when Kim Minsoo finally turned his attention to Junhyun.
“Oh, nice to meet you. Where’d you learn to sing? Your projection’s incredible.”
“…Was my voice too loud?”
Maybe the rookie’s nervous question came off as endearing, because a small laugh broke out.
I must’ve been like that once too.
Then Kim Minsoo, in his usual playful tone, continued the conversation.
“When I heard that first line, I went ‘Whoa!’ You look calm on the outside, but you’ve got so much packed inside. It’s a soft tone but strong. That’s something kids these days can’t pull off, you know? That hhhr-rreeee…….”
Kim Minsoo mumbled a strange melody before speaking more seriously.
“What really got me was how honest your voice is. Even when you sing like you’re talking, it’s not boring. Do you know how dangerous that charm is when it comes to singing?”
There was no need to hear more.
That was approval.
Junhyun’s face turned beet red.
He kept saying “Thank you, thank you” over and over.
Not to be outdone—
Do Gibong jumped in, half-laughing.
“What did you think of the other vocalist?”
Kim Minsoo raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.
“Hmmm, well. How should I put it.”
Do Gibong’s throat bobbed.
He looked nervous.
Somehow it got me excited too.
He still didn’t know that the ‘other vocalist’ was Do Gibong himself.
So—what would Kim Minsoo say?
“Not bad. Bit too emotional, but the tone’s not bad either. But……”
After a long pause, Kim Minsoo looked back at Baek Junhyun and answered.
“He lost to Junhyun. That’s for sure.”
Ah, ouch.
Do Gibong’s face crumbled in the most delicate way.
Even from here, I could see his eye twitch.
…Wait, he really doesn’t know?
What the heck. This is seriously confusing.