MDQ Ch 16
by Lulu“I haven’t really thought about doing that.”
“Why? You don’t want to continue with Given?”
Jung Yohan answered firmly, “Yes.”
I found his answer somewhat puzzling because he always looked happy in front of the public.
“Nothing happened, right? You’re not quitting because you don’t get along with Saebit, are you?”
“That’s not it. I’ve earned enough now.”
“Huh?”
“Do you know why I decided to become a singer?”
I shook my head.
I’d been a manager at Given for three years and knew quite a lot about Jung Yohan, but I didn’t know the reason for that. I’d never seen it in any interviews or articles.
“At a young age, becoming a celebrity was the only way to succeed quickly without asking my grandparents for money.”
“Ah…”
“Now that I’ve earned enough to do other things, I want to quit being a singer.”
It was regrettable that I might never see Jung Yohan, who shone on stage, again.
But more than that, one thought pained me even more.
“What will happen to our… arrangement if you quit being a singer?”
I was worried that the kisses I shared with him—which had always felt one-sided—might end as well.
“Don’t you dislike kissing me?”
Of course, at first I had disliked it, but the more I kissed him and opened my heart to him, the more I found myself looking forward to those moments.
Still, I couldn’t tell him that I enjoyed our kisses.
Jung Yohan didn’t put any emotion into our kisses.
He only used me as an outlet. If I spoke of affection, I could only imagine how much he would despise me…
“I think I’ve never said I hated it.”
Even though I tried to answer vaguely, Jung Yohan said bluntly, “That sounds like you enjoy it.”
“Ah, no. It’s just… not bad.”
Jung Yohan’s expression twisted slightly, as if he didn’t like my ambiguous answer.
I quickly changed the subject, “You don’t dislike being with me either, right?”
“Well… I wouldn’t say I hate it to the point of wanting to throw up.”
“Right. If you hated it that much, you wouldn’t have kissed me in the first place.”
Instead of replying, Jung Yohan gave a faint smile. At least he didn’t dislike me, and that was a relief.
Thinking back, I never really felt that the Given members disliked me.
Of course, at first they were upset because of the sasaeng-manager incident, but since I acted unfazed, they started following me.
Now, they were so comfortable with me that they even took liberties at times.
If only they had been a little kinder, I might not have considered quitting. It was just a small regret.
“So, hyung, do you want me to renew my contract? Even though if I do, you’d have to keep doing that?”
“Well… you’ve been good to my father today, so I don’t lose anything from it.”
“This sounds like you’re saying you’d do something you don’t even like, just because of him?”
To others, it might seem that way—being forced to make sacrifices for my father’s sake, even though it wasn’t my work.
For the first time, I brought up my family, “As you know, my older brother died tragically. And since you remind my father of him, he likes you.”
“I know that too.”
“I haven’t talked about this because it’s heavy… but my mother, who missed my late brother, took her own life. My father even considered following her.”
“…”
“That’s why it’s not ‘just because of my father.’ He doesn’t treat me warmly, but he’s the only family I have. I don’t want him to follow my mother’s path.”
Jung Yohan seemed like he had fallen into a deep thought. Maybe my heavy words made him uncomfortable.
However, if unsettling his heart could stir his sympathy and let me get a little closer to him, I was fine with that, too.
Today, for some reason, Jung Yohan felt especially gentle, and I hoped he would be just as kind tomorrow.
But instead of saying something empathetic, he said something strange.
“I wish your father had cared for you, even half as much as you care for him.”
He seemed to know something about my father.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s nothing. It feels like I shouldn’t meddle in someone else’s family. And when the time comes, your father will tell you himself.”
“…”
“And he won’t be as depressed as you think.”
I wanted to ask what he knew, but Jung Yohan spoke first, “And regarding the contract renewal, try proposing a deal again. Something separate from your father’s matters.”
“Huh?”
“You can’t just settle a contract with a single kiss, right?”
“Do you want something from me?”
Jung Yohan didn’t answer and simply looked at me. In that unwavering gaze was a message I couldn’t decipher.
But he didn’t seem willing to reveal all his thoughts.
“I’ll tell you later. Of course, I’m not saying I’ll renew immediately.”
“Okay.”
“Shall we head back now?”
I nodded. There was no reason to stay at my father’s house any longer.
Jung Yohan stood first and reached out his hand.
I took it and stood, thinking that somehow, I felt a little closer to him.
Of course, that was probably just my imagination.
Meanwhile, at the same time, Kang Junhyuk and Park Saebit were also heading to the company.
Kang Junhyuk had matters regarding his solo album, and Park Saebit had matters related to producing a rookie group.
As soon as they stopped by the CEO’s office, they naturally looked for Lee Hyunseok, who had arrived early.
“CEO, where’s Manager hyung?”
“If you mean Chief Lee, he finished his work and already left.”
“Already?”
Kang Junhyuk looked quite disappointed.
“Why, Junhyuk? Did you need to ask him something?”
“Oh, our song challenge with hyung got a good response, so I wanted to ask him to do another challenge with us.”
Due to the sasaeng-manager incident, filming anything at the dorm was implicitly forbidden.
So Kang Junhyuk planned to film in the company’s practice room while he was there.
But Lee Hyunseok had already finished his tasks and left the company.
‘What a shame… I was going to post it as a Shorts video on the official YouTube account.’
No, I could just call him back.
Hyunseok would come back without complaint. He was that kind of person.
But Kang Junhyuk decided it might be better to use the CEO, so he wouldn’t have to hear unnecessary complaints.
He pleaded with the CEO.
“Can you call Hyunseok hyung back? Just say it’s urgent for the company.”
“Does it have to be with him?”
“Yes, because hyung is handsome. Fans really like him. If we film with him, the Shorts will get more views.”
“Short’s Views?”
The CEO echoed the word and picked up his phone.
“I’ll contact him. The company isn’t far from the dorm anyway.”
“Oh! Thank you, CEO!”
“Alright, Junhyuk. See how I’m looking out for you… So, you’re thinking carefully about renewing your contract, right?”
Kang Junhyuk smiled faintly.
“Of course. I have to release a solo album anyway. I’m not planning to release it elsewhere.”
He could only receive lyrics written by Lee Hyunseok if he released the song with this company. Because of those lyrics, he couldn’t move to another company.
To put it simply, Kang Junhyuk especially liked the lyrics Lee Hyunseok wrote.
The lyrics he wrote suited every kind of song—slow tempo, fast tempo, anything—and were even lyrical enough to stir resonance in the listener.
Kang Junhyuk understood their value better than anyone and was confident he could bring them to life.
A good song, and moreover, a solo title track with perfect interpretation.
It seemed destined for brilliant success. Maybe he could even take first place on music shows alone.
Kang Junhyuk was certain that everything would go well as long as he worked with Lee Hyunseok.
“Good. Smart choice. I’ll make your solo album really well. Don’t worry.”
’It would really be Hyunseok hyung making the album, not you.’ Kang Junhyuk thought silently without responding to the CEO.
As the CEO began calling Lee Hyunseok, Park Saebit, who had been quiet, spoke to Kang Junhyuk.
“Junhyuk hyung, should I write a song for your solo album too?”
Kang Junhyuk looked at Park Saebit in disbelief, as if to ask, What are you talking about?