CHAPTER 26
Right before playing the track, Min Chan-hyuk suddenly brought up something else.
“Oh, right. Since we’re almost done with the final touches… it might be better if you don’t come to the studio for a while.”
“What? Why?”
What was that supposed to mean? This was the most important time.
“Well… people seem to be getting strange ideas about you and me…”
“What kind of ideas?”
“Well. You know how people are. If an unmarried man and woman are seen together, they start talking. And look at the age gap between us.”
Ah.
I understood right away.
Gossip. It was obvious what people would say. I snorted lightly.
“So what? Let them misunderstand.”
“Huh?”
“It’ll actually make it easier for me to come and go from the studio.”
Min Chan-hyuk shot to his feet and grabbed his head with both hands.
“Hey! You might be fine with that, but I’m not!”
“Shouldn’t I be the one more offended?”
“Hey! My pure love is on the line here! My heartfelt feelings for Sujin are being doubted because of you!”
“Oh. Your ex-girlfriend?”
I’d heard about her so many times while we worked that my ears were practically worn out. His “muse.”
“You said she cheated, and that’s why you broke up. Do you still have feelings for her?”
“Cheated?! She just… temporarily left my side! I’m sure she’ll come back someday…!”
What a tragic love story.
“Then just explain that we’re not like that.”
“Who’s going to believe that even if I say it?!”
Min Chan-hyuk practically rolled on the floor in frustration.
Tsk.
I shook my head.
“Fine. Whether you reunite with her or not, that’s your business. I’m still coming to the studio, so handle the rumors yourself.”
Why should I worry about that too? At my indifferent response, he looked like he was about to cry.
Then he suddenly grabbed the hem of my pants and pleaded.
“Don’t you have a boyfriend?! You’re in the composition department, right? Just say you’re bringing a boyfriend or at least a guy friend to check out your uncle’s studio or something. If someone else comes with you, the rumors will die down!”
“No boyfriend. No guy friends either.”
“Then bring any friend! It’s better than meeting alone!”
“……”
I kept my mouth shut and stared at the monitor.
Min Chan-hyuk slowly lifted his head.
“…You don’t have friends?”
I couldn’t answer.
Moon Ah-rin had been my only friend. And now, even that was just for the sake of revenge. Of course I couldn’t openly talk to her about my composer activities.
When I stayed silent, Min Chan-hyuk awkwardly stood up and sat beside me. He adjusted his clothes, cleared his throat, and spoke in a strangely mature tone.
“That happens. You’ll have plenty of chances to make friends from now on. Don’t be too upset.”
“I’m fine.”
“If anyone bullies you, you have to tell this uncle, okay?”
“I said I’m fine.”
“Yeah, yeah. I get that you want to handle things on your own, but sometimes you should lean on adults—”
“No, the song’s finished.”
I pointed at the monitor.
“Oh. Uh. Huh? Oh—ah!”
He stiffened like a broken robot.
“R-Really? Let’s hear it.”
I pressed the spacebar, and the song began to play.
The rhythm thumped like a heartbeat, and layers of melody danced beautifully on top of it.
Min Chan-hyuk swallowed hard.
“This is… insane.”
Even to me, the track had turned out incredibly well. Working with proper equipment made it sound much smoother.
“I think we just need to polish the mixing a bit more. Lee Ha-in’s vocals seem stronger than before.”
“She really sharpened her skills. It’s her first comeback in two years. Do you know how long her fans have been waiting?”
That was probably why the comeback had kept getting delayed.
The longer the break, the higher the expectations. They must have kept postponing it, worried it wouldn’t meet those expectations.
“This song… I think it’s going to be a huge hit.”
Min Chan-hyuk muttered to himself.
“That would be nice.”
I answered calmly.
I was confident the song’s quality could stand against anything. But success in the industry didn’t always match quality.
In entertainment, skill mattered—but so did luck.
All we could do was make the best song possible and hope the rest would follow.
“No. Not just that.”
He repeated, almost in awe.
“It’s really going to be a huge hit.”
He stared at the monitor as if possessed.
His confident eyes made even me feel overwhelmed.
Had his sensitive “ears” picked up something? A signal of success?
At that moment, a small window flickered before my eyes.
[ SYSTEM – MAIN QUEST ]
Debut successfully!
Description: Your music is finally ready to go out into the world. But that’s not the end. Debut successfully and make your name widely known in the market.
Condition: Enter the Top 10 on the music charts
Reward (Choose 1):
- Inspiration Gain (B+)
- Relationship Free Pass (A)
- Trend-Sensing Ear (C+)
Penalty: Hearing Weakening (50%)
‘A main quest.’
It was the first main quest I’d seen since transferring into the composition department.
‘The rewards increased… and the penalty got harsher.’
I was familiar with “Inspiration Gain” from before. But what were the other rewards?
I tapped them, but no detailed explanation appeared.
‘Last time, Inspiration Gain was B rank. Now it’s B+.’
It had been amazing. Something one level higher made my mouth water in anticipation.
Then…
‘If that’s the case, what exactly is the A-rank Relationship Free Pass?’
There was no way to find out now, so I decided to wait.
‘It won’t take long anyway.’
Once the song was released, the results would come.
I had confidence in the quality.
‘And it’s her first comeback in two years. There’s enough buzz.’
Even though her popularity had faded slightly during the hiatus, Lee Ha-in was still a well-known solo singer.
Just the news of her comeback would make people curious enough to listen at least once.
Then—
“Oh. Yes, sir.”
Min Chan-hyuk suddenly answered his phone.
“The comeback date? Two weeks from now. Everything’s ready; even the teaser’s up. Yes. What? We already announced the date. We can’t change it now—”
His face stiffened.
“…Is that true?”
I could faintly hear the CEO of VTunes shouting through the phone. The more he shouted, the paler Min Chan-hyuk became.
“I’ll check again and call you back.”
Click.
“What happened?”
“A news article just came out.”
He quickly opened a portal site on his phone. The top entertainment headline read:
[Top Girl Group ‘LAMIA,’ Spectacular Comeback After 2 Years… 3rd Full Album Teaser Released]
It was about LAMIA, a girl group under A&S Entertainment.
I read the article.
“Art&Soul Entertainment officially announced the comeback of its flagship girl group LAMIA through their SNS today. Despite being only 30 seconds long, the teaser video, filled with dazzling visuals and powerful performances, has received explosive reactions from fans.”
Their comeback date…
My breath stopped.
‘…It overlaps.’
The comeback date was exactly the same.
My mind raced. A major idol group’s comeback would completely dominate the charts. Especially a full album. Every track would line up across the rankings.
Their massive fandom would stream nonstop. The charts would be packed without a single empty spot.
The media would focus entirely on them. And girl groups didn’t just rely on fandom—they often captured the general public’s attention too.
Lee Ha-in was undoubtedly talented. But her recognition couldn’t compare to a top idol group.
My heart pounded.
‘…Is it possible?’
I looked at the quest window again.
Penalty: Hearing Weakening (50%)
Those words felt like they stabbed straight into my heart.
