Chapter 48
Upheld Mangdol
A few days ago, with the 4th round of the competition approaching:
“Where on earth are you going?”
Yoon Tae-jin, sitting in the driver’s seat, glanced at the backseat through the rearview mirror.
Gift sets of Korean beef, fruit baskets, red ginseng boxes—
Even though it wasn’t a holiday, the car was packed with gifts.
“Geez! You talk too much, talk too much—”
Luha, sitting in the passenger seat, rolled his eyes.
“Well, you at least have to tell me where we’re going…”
“You’re useless! The company’s useless! I got this, why!?”
Luha’s sharp voice echoed through the car.
“…What?”
“Guest!”
“What!?”
Screeeech—
Yoon Tae-jin slammed the brakes. The car behind honked, but he didn’t have time to care.
“Ah! Almost got rear-ended—!”
“W-What did you just say?”
“I got a guest!”
‘It’s not confirmed yet…’
Luha added in his mind.
“That can’t be…”
Muttering to himself, Yoon Tae-jin pressed the accelerator again.
A few days ago, he had given up on inviting a guest, thinking it was impossible, but the uneasy feeling followed him all day.
‘Well, money can be earned!’
Valuing the members dearly, Yoon Tae-jin mobilized all his connections.
But with only a few days left before the competition, no singer was willing to step up.
A few showed interest, but…
“Excuse me? Louis? Our dog? Ah… Roomis? Rubis?”
“Oh, yes! Ah… not Luna, it’s Lumis…? Sir! I suddenly have an urgent schedule…”
The moment they heard Mangdol was the star of the stage, they hung up.
“Who on earth is it?”
Yoon Tae-jin asked with eyes full of suspicion.
“You’ll see when you get there.”
Thirty minutes later.
Screech—
The car stopped in front of a house.
“Wow…”
Yoon Tae-jin’s mouth dropped open as he got out of the car.
Even the gate was extraordinary. Beyond the stone wall stood a two-story Hanok.
‘At this level… this isn’t an ordinary person.’
Yoon Tae-jin racked his memory again.
“Hmm…”
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t recall.
“What are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“Press the bell!”
“Ah… okay!”
As he reached toward the bell,
Screech—
With a chilling sound, the gate opened on its own.
“What? It’s open?”
“……”
Strange. Normally, Luha would have led the way, using his filial hands skillfully, but today was different.
Like a rabbit standing in front of a tiger’s den, tension filled his small face.
“You okay?”
Swallowing nervously, Luha nodded with a resolute expression.
“…Let’s go.”
Climbing the stone steps, a spacious yard unfolded before them.
“Who’s there?”
At that moment, a man rose from a small garden on the lawn.
Distinctive figure, gloves caked in dirt, straw hat, and sharp eyes beneath it.
“Uh… uh!?”
Yoon Tae-jin’s legs went weak.
Jin-hoon.
A living legend of Korean pop music stood there holding a hoe.
“Ah, ah! Teacher, hello! I’m Yoon Tae-jin from Clef Entertainment!”
Yoon Tae-jin hurriedly ran over and bowed deeply until he almost folded in half.
“Clef? Yoon Tae-jin?”
Jin-hoon narrowed his eyes and scanned Yoon Tae-jin up and down.
Then his expression brightened as if remembering something.
“Ah? Aren’t you the kid from Sangbong?”
“Ah! Teacher, you remember me?”
“Of course, I remember! Wow, you’ve aged quite a bit!”
“H-hahaha…”
The tension on Luha’s face eased considerably.
Yoon Tae-jin knew Jin-hoon! This might make things go smoothly.
“It feels like just yesterday you were running coffee errands while getting yelled at by Sangbong for writing songs.”
Jin-hoon chuckled as he brushed off his gloves.
“I-I’m honored you remember!”
Yoon Tae-jin bowed deeply once more.
“So, what brings you here?”
Jin-hoon walked to the round table in the middle of the yard and asked.
“Well, that is…”
Yoon Tae-jin scratched his head and glanced at Luha.
‘What are you doing? Hurry and help!’
“What is it?”
“Uh, well… Teacher, actually…”
A moment later.
“Leave.”
It was a completely different, cold tone from before.
“T-Teacher! Please, just once!”
Yoon Tae-jin knelt, begging earnestly until his hands were worn.
“You fool! Who helps someone who suddenly shows up asking for a favor?”
Jin-hoon raised his voice.
“I’m speaking nicely because of Sangbong in heaven. Go before I say something worse!”
“T-Teacher!”
Yoon Tae-jin looked at Luha with a pleading gaze.
‘What do we do!? Do something!’
Even Luha’s small face showed clear signs of panic.
‘Damn… this isn’t easy.’
A cheat key.
They needed a cheat key to overturn the stage.
But reality was harsh.
He contacted several trot singers, but all were busy with the guaranteed hit show <Trot Era Season 3>, and the responses were all the same.
“Sorry, I have a schedule…”
There were many famous trot singers besides Jin-hoon.
But being famous alone wasn’t enough.
They needed a singer with nationwide recognition who would appeal to ages 10–30.
In the end, only Jin-hoon was left.
The problem: he was a senior even Jin Do-hyun couldn’t approach recklessly.
Moreover, Jin-hoon…
‘Wait…!’
Luha’s eyes sparkled.
‘It’s actually lucky that I’m not Jin Do-hyun right now.’
After the thought, Luha suddenly turned around.
Tap tap tap—!
Small footsteps descended the stairs.
“Hey! Where are you going!”
“Get back here!”
“T-Teacher!”
Yoon Tae-jin, still kneeling, alternated between watching Luha running and the furious Jin-hoon.
‘Brother, is this okay? You know his temper…’
‘I’ll tell him for now, but don’t say you got it from me…’
‘Be careful, okay? Seriously, we’re all in danger!’
The person who provided Jin-hoon’s address was an organization he dearly loved:
The “Celebrity Marine Corps Alumni Association.”
Thud—
Luha yanked open the car door roughly and searched the backseat bag.
“Here it is!”
A red cap.
Recently, Choi Eun-bi had gifted it saying, “We need to protect Luha’s skin~.”
He also grabbed Yoon Tae-jin’s sunglasses from the glove box.
Quickly, he ran up the stairs.
“T-Teacher!”
“Shut up!”
Yoon Tae-jin had already been pushed halfway up the stairs.
“What, what is this?”
His eyes widened.
“Pilsseung—!”
Luha’s small hand pressed firmly on the center of the cap.
Elbow at exactly 45 degrees, chest straightened.
“…?”
Jin-hoon stopped moving.
Half of his face was covered by sunglasses.
The red cap perched precariously on his head.
And the small hand held straight.
The salute of a five-year-old made Jin-hoon burst out laughing.
“Puhahaha!”
“H-hahaha?”
Yoon Tae-jin awkwardly followed the laugh.
“Oh my! Little one! Do you know what that means?”
“The pride of a Marine! I am part of the national strategic mobile unit…”
“Stop, stop.”
Jin-hoon waved his hands with a big smile and gestured for them to follow.
Following Jin-hoon, Yoon Tae-jin whispered urgently to Luha.
“Hey, what are you doing? What is this?”
“This is the only way…”
Luha said in a low voice.
Tough guy Jin-hoon.
A veteran Marine with immense pride in his background.
“So, little one. How old are you?”
In the middle of the yard, at the round table,
Jin-hoon pulled out a chair and looked at Luha.
“Marine! Jin, Lu, Ha! Five years old!”
“Marine?”
Jin-hoon’s lips curled into a smile. He looked amused.
A light flick on Luha’s head.
“You think you know what a Marine is?”
“I want to be a Marine like senior Jin-hoon!”
“Puhahahaha!”
Jin-hoon laughed again, clutching his stomach.
“Who’s this?”
The voice filled with anger was gone, replaced by a softer tone directed at Yoon Tae-jin.
“Uh? Ah… this is my nephew!”
Yoon Tae-jin quickly answered, looking flustered.
“My uncle said! A real man is a Marine!”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Jin-hoon’s gaze shifted to Yoon Tae-jin.
‘Kid, you know a thing or two, huh?’ A satisfied glint appeared in his eyes.
“Ah… I’m a public servant. Ha, hahaha…”
“Hmm… You’re better than your uncle.”
Jin-hoon smirked and lightly patted Luha’s head.
“Octagonal camo! Man of the sea!”
“Oh!?”
Luha began singing the Marine Corps song, and Jin-hoon’s expression completely changed.
From surprise to admiration.
“Riding the deep blue waves—!”
Jin Do-hyun. He was also a Marine.
He and Jin-hoon were seniors and juniors in the Celebrity Marine Corps Alumni Association.
If it were Jin Do-hyun himself, this request would be impossible.
Could a junior dare ask such a high-ranking senior?
But this little five-year-old?
Yes, it’s possible! He’s not a Marine.
“So,”
Jin-hoon leaned back deeply in his chair.
He looked down at Luha with serious eyes.
“What can I do for you?”
“T-Teacher!”
Yoon Tae-jin and Luha’s faces lit up simultaneously. Hope appeared.
“Not yet.”
Jin-hoon raised his hand to stop them.
“I need to check my schedule, and above all…”
His eyes narrowed.
Yoon Tae-jin and Luha swallowed nervously.
“You need to hear the song. You can’t just sing anything for a broadcast after so long, right?”
“T-Thank you!”
“Thank you! Pilsseung—!”
Luha saluted again.
Even though the sunglasses slipped down to the tip of his nose, his posture remained firm.
A small smile curved his lips.
‘I’m confident with the song!’
RE:VIVAL Company Dinner Scene
Crunch, crunch—
The gravel under their shoes broke the silence.
Behind the store, without a single streetlight, damp darkness swallowed the two.
Snap!
The flame of a lighter flickered.
A red dot spread and vanished in the darkness.
“Hey.”
Producer Kang Yoon-seok’s voice was low.
Through the smoke, their eyes met.
“I told you not to call me out like this. It’s dangerous.”
The voice mixed irritation and anxiety.
His eyes constantly scanned the surroundings.
‘What if someone sees…’
“Is that what matters right now?”
Jung Jae-yoon’s sharp voice cut through the darkness.
“I said, Lumis, get out of my sight.”
“You punk, watch your words?”
Kang Yoon-seok looked around, narrowing his eyes.
“You keep saying ‘cute, cute,’ and see nothing else? Hey, just leave.”
Thud—
He stamped out his cigarette and turned around.
“Wow~ Scary, huh?”
Jung Jae-yoon’s mocking laugh came from behind.
“But do you know? Right now, the one in charge is…”
Swish—
Jung Jae-yoon pulled out his phone.
The blue light of the screen pushed back the darkness, revealing a sinister smile on his lips.
“It’s not you, it’s me.”
“What? This guy…”
Whip—
Kang Yoon-seok turned, his gaze fixed on the screen.
“…!”
His lips trembled.
As if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.
