Chapter 178

“This is sooooo booooooooooring . ”

JooAh, who had participated in the board meeting of directors, grumbled as she left the meeting room .

(T/N: I’m not sure if it’s mentioned, but JooAh is an ‘honorary director’ of MG Entertainment, so she is qualified to join the meeting . )

‘Looks like she’s at it again . ’

‘Guys, let’s just avoid her . There will be no good from talking with her . ’

The directors, who were leaving as well, quietly left the place .

It would only result in a loss if they decided to quarrel with JooAh, one of the top stars at MG Entertainment .

However, there was one person who talked to the devil without fear .

“But this still is the highest authority meeting of the company, I don’t think you should do that . ”

JooAh turned around with scary eyes when she heard the nonsense from behind her . However, she saw that it was director Lee HanSeo who stood there with a smile .

“…Oh, and here I was wondering who it was . You surprised me . ”

“Hahaha, you’re quite honest . ”

“Anyway, nice time . I was just getting thirsty . Can I ask you for some coffee?”

Even as the other directors left while clicking their tongues, JooAh did not give them a single glance . Facing those lumps of cancer was only exhausting for her . Director Lee HanSeo replied with a slightly disappointed expression .

“But tea has a better fragrance than coffee . ”

“I rather prefer the fragrance of black coffee . ”

“Haha…”

Director Lee HanSeo shrugged his shoulders and took JooAh to his office .

Inside, JooAh closed her eyes while appreciating the fragrance of the coffee that director Lee HanSeo brewed .

“Ah, this is it! Your coffee is the best, director . ”

JooAh gave him a thumbs up . It seemed like he was just as good in brewing coffee as he was in brewing tea .

Director Lee HanSeo smiled softly . It seemed like he was happy to be praised by her .

“I hope you can have some tea next time . ”

“I’ll ask you for some coffee next time as well . ”

“…Haha . ”

JooAh’s pickiness made director Lee HanSeo feel awkward .

As the fragrance of tea and coffee spread in the room, director Lee HanSeo spoke about the things that happened in the board meeting .

“I’m worried about now . MG Star Tower project? The Chinese tourists are good and all, but this is not the time for investment . It’s too dangerous . ”

“You think so too, director?”

JooAh put down after emptying half of her coffee . Her expression was full of worry as well .

Director Lee HanSeo heaved a deep sigh before speaking .

“According to the plan, the location of the tower is in Samseong-dong, Gangnam . And it’s right next to the UO shopping mall as well . The land there is more expensive than gold, and there are construction costs as well as… Director Kim JinHo says that MG’s credit rating is enough to get a loan, but I’m not so sure . ”

“But didn’t they say that it can be used as a tourist attraction once the tower is finished being built? I heard that there will be massive profits once celebrity merchandise comes out…”

Director Lee HanSeo shook his head .

“Yes . But that’s IF we can finish building the tower . Who knows what may happen mid-way? I don’t get what director Kim JinHo is thinking . If we somehow become unable to pay it back…”

“… . . ”

JooAh frowned .

Leaving aside the benefits of the Star Tower, she wondered if it was worth the risk to build the tower at all .

“Haa… Everything is going down the drain since the Chairman left . ”

“… . . ”

Director Lee HanSeo could not say anything as he watched JooAh’s depressed expression .

‘I’m almost done cleaning things up here, but who will take care of JooAh or JinSeo?’

Facing JooAh’s depressed expression, director Lee HanSeo swallowed his words .

***

Kim JiMin, whose activity period was over, focused on school .

KangYoon had Kim JiMin attend classes no matter what happened . This was to make her look diligent to the public, and also to mix well with the general public .

During her after school self-study period –

“Miss Eunha… can you… give me an autograph?”

Kim JiMin gave a girl from another class her autograph and even shook hands with her .

Now that her name was becoming known, Kim JiMin’s school life had long turned into a fan meeting .

“Eunha! Sing, sing for us!”

“Eunha-unni! Can you take a photo…”

The people of her class had died down somewhat, but students from other classes and her juniors frequented her class . Thanks to that, her classroom was filled with people from other classes during breaks and lunchtimes .

Despite this though, she did not want to transfer to a school for celebrities . Although the downside was that she had to keep up a good image, there was the advantage that she could interact with the general public here .

Kim JiMin, who participated in self-study periods even on a Saturday, headed to the parking lot once it became lunchtime .

However, today, KangYoon came to pick her up instead of manager Moon JooMyeong .

“Sir?”

“Get on . ”

KangYoon drove her to the company .

Inside the car, Kim JiMin asked .

“Did something happen with JooMyeong-oppa?”

“He asked for leave to propose to his girlfriend . That’s why I’m here . ”

“Oh, so he’s proposing now . He told me he had a fight with his girlfriend last time…”

She had heard that his girlfriend was very sad since she couldn’t meet with him a lot due to the irregularities of a manager’s schedule . And now, he was going to propose to his girlfriend . Kim JiMin was glad to see that .

The car that the two of them were in stopped in front of a traffic light in a junction near the company .

KangYoon put the handbrake on and turned around to Kim JiMin .

(T/N: I’m not sure why he’s putting the handbrake on when it’s just a traffic light…)

“There’s an audition today . ”

“An audition? Do you mean for me?”

Kim JiMin’s eyes widened as she hadn’t heard this before . KangYoon shook his head with a smile .

“No, if that was the case, I would have told you a few days ago . There will be a new trainee candidate . ”

“Really? Wow, I’m getting a junior?”

Kim JiMin smiled with eyes filled with curiosity . A junior already? She felt joyful just thinking about it .

KangYoon smiled as well .

“Perhaps . Let’s go and see . ”

“Yes . ”

Expectations filled Kim JiMin’s chest .

The two headed towards the studio as soon as they arrived at the company .

When they arrived, Lee HyunJi as well as the artists of World Entertainment, had all gathered around .

“JiMin, you’re here . ”

“Hello . ”

Her senior artists all greeted Kim JiMin, their youngest members . From Lee HyunAh, Kim JaeHoon, and Eddios . Kim JiMin bowed towards her seniors .

There were 20 minutes until the audition .

The door to the studio opened and In MoonHee, who was here for the audition, followed Yoo Jung Min, who guided her here, in .

‘Hiccup!’

The first reaction In MoonHee had after seeing the artists of World Entertainment gathered around in one place was a hiccup .

She was thinking that only 3 or 4 people would oversee her audition and did not think that all of them would be here .

Despite that, she came to herself quickly and greeted them .

“H, hello . I’m In MoonHee . ”

KangYoon, who was seated, also greeted her

“Hello . I’m Lee KangYoon, the CEO of World Entertainment . ”

KangYoon offered her to sit down and spoke .

“I’ll call you Miss MoonHee from now on . Is that okay with you?”

“Yes . ”

In MoonHee replied with a trembling voice .

Both KangYoon’s calm and rational eyes and the presence of the artists of World Entertainment gave her a lot of pressure .

‘Lee HyunAh . ’

Among them, Lee HyunAh was special to her since the two of them both got an award at the College Pop Festival .

They had met once in the past, but now they walked completely different paths . When she glanced at her, she saw that Lee HyunAh’s eyes were deep .

KangYoon spoke calmly after seeing that she was dazed .

“This is an audition, but I hope you can relax as much as possible . I’ve prepared some snacks over there as well . You can just take them whenever you want . I hope to see a lot today, so this may take some time . Is that alright with you?”

“Yes . I’ll do my best . ”

In MoonHee gave a typical answer and started clearing her throat . Hearing that, Lee HyunJi and the artists focused on In MoonHee as well .

“First, could you please sing a song of your choice . ”

At KangYoon’s request, she closed her eyes and started singing .

“I was like that — I always said — let’s break up — at that time — I thought that was love –”

This was the song ‘Time’ the song that In MoonHee sang to win an award back then at the College Pop Festival . KangYoon’s eyes became deep as he focused on the acapella .

“I reminisced numerous times — in remembrance –”

However, KangYoon’s eyes narrowed seeing that the white light wasn’t bright at all .

Behind him, Kim JaeHoon tilted his head and asked Lee HyunAh who was next to him .

‘She got the silver prize right? I think you’re better off, HyunAh . ’

‘She was really good back then . Her bouncy voice was really charming . But now, I can definitely see that some of that has died down . ’

Lee HyunAh replied with a bitter expression .

In MoonHee opened her eyes slightly and had a glance at KangYoon and the others . But…

‘Ugh, looks like they don’t like it . ’

She panicked .

Everyone seemed disappointed and she could clearly feel some displeasure from their expressions . Kim JaeHoon and Lee HyunAh especially were noticeably shaking their heads, and In MoonHee’s voice started shaking unknowingly .

At that time, KangYoon raised his hand .

“Wait . ”

“Yes?”

In MoonHee’s heart thumped .

“Sorry for interrupting you . It looks like you’re still very nervous . ”

“Oh, that’s…”

“Let’s do it again in 5 minutes . ”

A break just because she was nervous? In MoonHee wasn’t touched, but was shocked instead . She had participated in several auditions before, but most of them only lasted around 5 minutes .

‘Ugh…”

In MoonHee collapsed on her seat in embarrassment . However, KangYoon approached her and calmly spoke .

“We can give you plenty of time . Miss MoonHee, don’t consider us as judges, but as the audience . ”

“The au…dience?”

“Yes, the audience . You can sing however you’re comfortable with . ”

Having said those words, KangYoon returned to his seat .

It hadn’t even been five minutes, but she sat upright as though she had become a lot more relaxed than before .

“I’m fine now . ”

When KangYoon nodded his head, In MoonHee cleared her throat a little before singing .

“I was like–”

Her second singing of ‘Time’ spread throughout the studio .

KangYoon’s eyes narrowed while looking at the white light that her note created .

“Someone said — that the past cannot be held – but I wanted to hold – the you back then –”

However, the white light was still very weak . No, it even contained a hint of grey this time .

‘Ugh…’

This was even worse than before .

KangYoon frowned unintentionally due to the influence of the grey light . Grey influenced his emotions and made him feel agonized .

Despite that, In MoonHee kept singing .

KangYoon smiled despite all the pain and tried to focus on the song .

‘…It’s like she’s wearing clothes not suited for her . ’

The voice was definitely pleasant on the ears . However, it didn’t seem to fit with the song . It felt like it was unbalanced .

‘It sounds weird . ’

‘I think so too . ’

Christie An and Han JooYeon, who was listening from the back, shook their heads as well .

Most of the singers seemed to think the same as they exchanged opinions with each other .

Despite the unfriendly attitude from everyone, In MoonHee ended up finishing the song .

After clapping, KangYoon calmly spoke .

“Thank you for that . Phew . ”

KangYoon shook his body a little in order to shake off the effects of the grey light . The murky feeling was shaken off somewhat .

In MoonHee was a little perplexed by KangYoon’s actions but could not say anything since he would give her a judgment . She only waited nervously for the evaluation .

However, his following words were out of her expectations .

“Can I ask you to sing ‘Longing’ for your next song?”

“Yearning?”

In MoonHee thought that she would receive her evaluation so she tilted her head but she still accepted nonetheless .

This was the song shown in the video . She was wondering why he wanted to listen to the same song again, but she cleared her throat before starting to sing again .

“I long for you — but — you are far from me — please look at me–”

A very enchanting voice filled the studio, a drastic difference compared to before .

The note and the light had completely changed as well . The white light from the orange notes made KangYoon widen his eyes .

‘I knew it . Her voice fits perfectly with trot . ’

KangYoon clenched his fist .

“I ㅡmiss you — I cry — I search for my –”

The sad and resounding melody resonated within everyone’s hearts .

The other singers seemed to think the same as KangYoon and they immersed themselves into the song .

As the song continued, something different appeared within the white light .

‘Silver!?’

KangYoon was shocked .

This was the first time someone produced a silver light with their voice alone ever since Min JinSeo’s acting . Didn’t that event also trigger his ability to see notes rather than just the lights?

The soft feeling that enveloped his heart made KangYoon close his eyes .

However…

“…Uhm . ”

That feeling only lasted an instant . In MoonHee’s singing was already over . However, KangYoon still could not get himself together .

At that time, Jung MinAh, who was right behind KangYoon, approached KangYoon’s face before blowing into his ears .

“Whoa!”

KangYoon was surprised and abruptly stood up .

“*Chuckle* . ”

The other singers snickered at KangYoon panicking and Lee HyunJI’s expression turned awkward due to the sudden prank .

‘That girl!’

Lee HyunAh’s eyes turned scary instead . Such daring moves!

‘Heh . ’

Jung MinAh grinned towards her rival . She was provoking her to do the same if she was bold enough .

At that time .

*Bump* .

“Ouch!”

The consequences were harsh .

KangYoon gave Jung MinAh a solid smack on the head .

“Do you think I’m playing around here?”

“…I’m sorry . ”

Jung MinAh lowered her head due to KangYoon’s retaliation, but she stuck out her tongue cheekily in secret .

“*Ehem* . ”

Meanwhile, KangYoon, who had come to himself, turned around to In MoonHee and gave her his judgment .

“Thank you for singing . You’re exceptional when it comes to putting emotions into your songs . The resonance was splendid . ”

“Thank you . ”

“Can I ask you for another song?”

“Of course . ”

“Can I ask you to sing ‘On the way to Busan’ this time?”

This was a signature song of a veteran trot singer named Lee MiRa . It was a song that most people knew about .

“O, of course . ”

It was another trot song, but In MoonHee cleared her throat again .

Like that, her audition continued .

***

2 hours .

In MoonHee had to spend 2 hours for her audition at World Entertainment .

“Thank you . ”

After the audition ended, the other singers left the company for their respective schedules .

In MoonHee felt strange when all the artists left as soon as her audition was over .

She sat down on the chair powerlessly as she was exhausted .

Yoo JungMin gave her some water .

“Thank you . ”

In MoonHee drained down the water . The gulp was loud enough to ring inside the studio .

KangYoon stood up and approached her .

“Thank you for staying with us for such a long time . ”

“The president… right? Thank you too . You brought all those busy artists here and had them listen to my bad singing… Today was like a dream . Thank you so much . ”

She looked exhausted, but she had a smile on her face .

Today, she could sing to her heart’s content . It was also in front of all the latest famous singers .

She felt that she wouldn’t have any regrets even if she failed her audition today .

KangYoon dragged his chair closer and sat in front of her .

Feeling that an important conversation will occur, In MoonHee sat up nervously .

“I won’t beat around the bush . Thank you for singing 9 songs today . ”

“Haha, thank you . ”

As they had some breaks and conversations midway, the 9 songs took 2 hours .

“I’ll be honest . You seem to have taken a long break from singing . ”

“You’re right . It’s been at least 3 years . ”

In MoonHee replied bitterly .

After she left her old entertainment company due to issues with the company, she did not have many ties to singing . KangYoon’s mention of that made her feel sour .

Regardless, KangYoon continued to speak .

“I had a look at the materials from the College Pop Festival and found that your current voice is very different to back then . As for skill, I believe that the past you were better . ”

“… . . ”

In MoonHee became silent hearing KangYoon’s honest words .

Although she did think that she wouldn’t have any regrets even if she failed today, it felt bitter to listen to a bad evaluation .

However, his words didn’t end there .

“However, the emotions in your voice are much thicker now . I can feel very thick emotions from your singing . Although your techniques may have diminished, your sound has deepened now . That is my conclusion . ”

“Ah… . ”

In MoonHee gulped . What was about to come next would be the deciding factor .

“Miss MoonHee . Would you like to sign a contract with World Entertainment?”

The ‘what if’ became a reality .

A contract!

In MoonHee’s expression turned into that of joy and bliss .