MDQ CH 43
by Lulu“Kimoon-ah, that’s…”
Even with my real name on the verge of being exposed, the fear wasn’t all that great.
“Just say what you want to say. Whatever you did in the past, whatever happened, I’ve decided not to think badly of you.”
It was because I’d heard Kang Kimoon say he wouldn’t think poorly of me no matter what had happened.
And besides, I knew a lie could never last long.
No matter how desperately I tried to hide, there were people here who knew my brother, and something like today could happen again.
More than once, unexpected situations had arisen where my real name could’ve been revealed.
Even knowing that no lie lasts forever… I still wished he wouldn’t find out my name for a little while longer.
At first, I thought it didn’t matter if he didn’t know. After all, our connection was only supposed to last a month.
But now, the reason was different.
Now, because I wanted to get along with Kang Kimoon, I didn’t want him to know who I really was.
I didn’t want to be condemned by the person I’d respected and admired for so long, who gave a home and food to someone like me who had nothing, who had saved me multiple times.
Even if I wasn’t guilty of the plagiarism lyrics scandal, just being tied to it could be enough for him to distance himself from me.
We hadn’t known each other long. This fragile, glass-like bond could shatter over something small—even a trivial misunderstanding.
I didn’t want to lose him.
‘Ah, I guess I’m thinking of Kimoon more seriously than I realized.’
My feelings for Kang Kimoon had grown before I knew it.
How could I persuade him, so he would understand my situation and not walk away?
As I was lost in thought, my real name slipped from between Kang Kimoon’s lips.
“Hyunwoo-ya… no, Hyunseok-ah.”
“…”
“Come sit down. There’s something I want to talk about.”
Contrary to my fears, his voice was calm when he called my name. That composure let me breathe a little easier, and I sat down beside him.
After a brief moment of hesitation, I decided it would be better if I spoke first. Even if it was already too late, I had to tell him the truth before it was any later.
“Kimoon, let me say it first.”
“…”
“I’m sorry for deceiving you all this time. My real name is… Lee Hyunseok.”
I steadied myself with a deep breath. This time, I planned to lay everything bare.
Why I had run away to Omyun-ri. Why I reacted almost violently whenever I ran into people who knew about my past.
Because I now wanted to know Kang Kimoon for a long time, I couldn’t help but tell him the truth.
It felt like the only way I could stay with him any longer was to be honest about who I was and what I’d been through. I couldn’t keep our connection going while hiding everything.
“And the Lee Hyunseok caught up in that recent plagiarism scandal—that’s me too.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t like it.”
Kang Junhyuk set down the headphones he’d been wearing and let out a long sigh. The composer in the recording studio with him looked troubled as he spoke, “Could you tell me specifically what part you don’t like?”
“The melody isn’t bad. But the lyrics… they don’t move me.”
Kang Junhyuk didn’t write or compose himself, but as a member of Given he’d sung plenty of hit songs. If nothing else, he was confident in his ability to recognize a good track.
That was why he wasn’t too worried about preparing for his solo album. All he needed to do was pick the right song.
But an unexpected problem had cropped up. None of the songs the company presented to him felt right.
As he told the composer, the problem was the lyrics. They were too simple, one-dimensional—no fun to sing.
At that moment, he thought of Lee Hyunseok with a pang of longing.
It had already been nearly a month since he last saw him, even before the abusive-manager scandal broke out.
‘If Hyunseok hyung were here, we’d already have a crazy good song.’
Lee Hyunseok’s lyrics had the power to make even a dull melody shine.
Every time he sang them out loud, his whole body would tingle with a strange thrill. That was the kind of song Kang Junhyuk wanted.
But with Lee Hyunseok gone, none of the lyrics written by other lyricists gave him that same exhilarating feeling.
They all felt flat somehow. Maybe his standards had gotten too high.
If he released his solo album with a song like the one he’d just heard, it would be a disaster.
“Then we’ll rewrite the lyrics, or bring you another track next time.”
“Yeah, thank you for your hard work,” Kang Junhyuk replied listlessly and stood up.
“I’ll get going, then.”
Leaving the studio, pulling his cap low, Kang Junhyuk headed straight for the CEO’s office.
As soon as he saw CEO Yoon Kangchul, he voiced the thought that had been on his mind most often lately.
“Sir, I think we’ll need to delay my solo debut schedule.”
“Why? You didn’t like today’s track either?”
Yoon Kangchul’s expression immediately darkened. He’d been plagued by one setback after another lately.
Park Saebit’s plagiarized lyrics scandal. Branding Lee Hyunseok as an abusive manager. Jung Yohan quitting Given. Even the managers resigning en masse.
Although the article about Lee Hyunseok was quickly buried under a top star’s dating scandal, the backlash inside the company was intense.
Managers who had trusted and followed Lee Hyunseok were preparing to resign together, insisting he was innocent.
They made it clear they’d quit unless Yoon Kangchul personally stepped forward to prove Lee Hyunseok’s innocence.
It seemed Yoon Kangchul was torn between placating them and mercilessly firing anyone who defied him.
Kang Junhyuk had stayed out of it until now.
He felt sorry about Lee Hyunseok being branded as abusive, but unlike Jung Yohan, he couldn’t act freely.
He didn’t have the powerful backing Jung Yohan had, and his position wasn’t strong enough to easily jump to another company.
Kang Junhyuk was well aware of his place. He wasn’t one of Given’s most popular members, nor was his singing especially strong.
A reasonably good-looking face and slightly better dance skills than the others—that was all he had.
Still, he figured it was better to stay at a big agency like this one and get support. That was why he hadn’t taken Lee Hyunseok’s side or voiced any dissatisfaction.
But the fallout from Lee Hyunseok’s absence was undeniable.
First and foremost, the songs just didn’t feel right.
On top of that, resentment over the way Lee Hyunseok had been turned into a villain was swelling within the company. It felt like something big was about to erupt.
‘If things are really this bad… there’s no reason to stay in this company anymore.’
But if Lee Hyunseok came back, at least the problem of the songs could be solved. No, more than that, even the mass resignation of the managers could be stopped.
That’s why Kang Junhyuk carefully brought up Hyunseok’s name.
“Honestly, unless it’s lyrics written by Hyunseok hyung—”
But Yoon Kangchul cut him off sharply, “Junhyuk-ah, I told you not to bring up Chief Lee in front of me.”
“But, sir—”
“Enough. Get out.”
It was clear Yoon Kangchul had no intention of bringing Lee Hyunseok back. With no other choice, Kang Junhyuk played his last card.
“If that’s how you’re going to be, then I’ll have to reconsider renewing my contract.”
“What?”
“I mean I might not re-sign.”
It was true—his conviction about renewing wasn’t as firm as before.
Especially now, when even Jung Yohan, a central and popular member, had quit, there was no guarantee Given would stay successful.
“Junhyuk-ah, who taught you to talk like this? Park Saebit? Jung Yohan? I know you’re feeling desperate, but if you don’t re-sign, you’ll lose more than I will.”
“I’ll weigh the pros and cons myself.”
“You saw it yourself—how Chief Lee was turned into an abusive manager overnight. Next time, it could be you.”
In other words, he was warning that he could frame Kang Junhyuk and kick him out too.
His attitude made it clear he thought ruining someone with no backing, from an ordinary family, was no big deal.
Yoon Kangchul was brazen to the core as if burying multiple people was nothing difficult.
And Kang Junhyuk did believe Yoon Kangchul was capable of planting malicious articles about him
After all, there had been past cases where senior singers who refused to renew contracts suddenly had their scandals splashed in the media.
Thinking that what had happened to others could happen to him any moment made him feel sick to his stomach.
Kang Junhyuk bit his lower lip. His blood boiled, but he couldn’t confront Yoon Kangchul directly.
Still, he couldn’t just sit back and take it.
He had no powerful backers, but he had survived this long on nothing but skill and sharp instincts.
Kang Junhyuk knew better than anyone how to fend for himself.
Naturally, his hand slipped into his jacket pocket, pressing the button on the small recorder hidden inside.