MDQ Ch 51

Lee Hyunseok’s growth was smooth. The company seemed to recognize his talent too, as the number of songs Given performed with his lyrics steadily increased.

Kang Kimoon listened to every song Lee Hyunseok wrote. Whenever he did, he couldn’t help but think of Hyunwoo.

‘Hyunwoo, the younger brother you worried so much about has grown up well. He’s writing beautiful lyrics now. I wonder if you’re listening to those songs up there too?’

He wished Hyunwoo could have stayed to see it all by his side. It pained him deeply that Hyunwoo had left the world far too soon.

Kang Kimoon decided that he truly had to meet Lee Hyunseok.

He wanted to talk about Hyunwoo with him and take care of Hyunseok in Hyunwoo’s place. Somehow, he felt sure Hyunwoo would have wanted that too.

Just as Hyunwoo had cherished and loved Lee Hyunseok, Lee Hyunseok must have looked up to Hyunwoo as well.

Kang Kimoon understood better than anyone how much Lee Hyunseok felt the absence of Hyunwoo, who had vanished as though he’d disappeared into thin air.

And soon, the opportunity came. One of the few people who knew his real identity, Park Chungrim, suggested that he meet Lee Hyunseok.

“There’s a fan of yours in our company. Would you like to meet him sometime?”

Park Chungrim mentioned the lyricist name “118” and offered to arrange the meeting. It was an offer Kang Kimoon had no reason to refuse.

“When would be a good time?”

“Hmm, let me contact him first and check.”

But there was one thing about Park Chungrim’s expression when talking about Lee Hyunseok that he didn’t like. As if recalling Hyunseok, Chungrim’s face flushed, unable to hide his shy expression.

For someone famous not only for his excellent composing skills but also for his handsome looks—and who supposedly hadn’t been in a relationship for years—it was suspicious. Did Park Chungrim have special feelings for Lee Hyunseok?

Kang Kimoon’s gaze sharpened. He studied Park Chungrim as if judging whether he was suitable to be his own younger brother’s partner.

To put it simply, Kang Kimoon did not like Park Chungrim.

First of all, his good looks drew constant attention from others, which annoyed him. And though it might have been prejudice, Park Chungrim seemed to lack conviction.

‘Hyunwoo, you dislike those pretty boys who rely on their looks too, didn’t you?’

Kang Kimoon decided to grow closer to Lee Hyunseok first and later separate him from Park Chungrim.

However, the meeting fell through disappointingly easily. Before they could even reschedule, an incident broke out. That was the lyric plagiarism scandal.

Before the situation escalated, Archon Entertainment reached out first.

CEO Yoon Kangchul begged Kang Kimoon to cover up the matter. He even offered sweet promises, saying he’d grant whatever Kang Kimoon wanted in return.

Kang Kimoon sneered. Yoon Kangchul didn’t realize that everything he could offer was something Kang Kimoon already had. In short, there was nothing to gain from him.

And yet, Kang Kimoon chose to let the matter drop—for one reason. He didn’t want to make things harder for Lee Hyunseok.

He decided to take a step back and look into what had really happened.

Was it truly Lee Hyunseok’s fault, as Yoon Kangchul and Park Saebit claimed? Or…

‘I need to confirm whether Hyunseok was falsely accused.’

The moment he saw the lyrics in question, Kang Kimoon knew.

‘These aren’t something Lee Hyunseok would write.’

Having seen much of Lee Hyunseok’s work, he could tell right away. His lyrics possessed a distinct sensibility—tinged with melancholy, yet never weighed down by it. They always carried a quiet, inexplicable kind of beauty.

But the controversial lyrics had none of that.

They merely followed current trends and even seemed to reference something Kang Kimoon himself had written before.

In short, it was amateurish.

He also doubted that Yoon Kangchul, a man who always calculated gains and losses, would protect a mere manager like Lee Hyunseok.

No—he’d rather sacrifice Lee Hyunseok to protect Park Saebit, the company’s star artist.

Certain that Lee Hyunseok wasn’t at fault, Kang Kimoon waited for him to reach out.

If Lee Hyunseok wanted to appeal his injustice, Kang Kimoon was ready to listen—and not just listen. He was prepared to use his power and connections to punish everyone who had hurt him.

Just as Yoon Kangchul had buried Lee Hyunseok to protect his idol, Kang Kimoon had the means to return the favor.

But Hyunseok never called. Instead, what reached him was an article—an exposé accusing Lee Hyunseok of “power abused.”

It claimed that Lee Hyunseok not only plagiarized lyrics but also mistreated the artist he managed. It was full of slander.

And even as those articles spread, Lee Hyunseok said nothing. Not a single word in his defense about the plagiarism or the abuse rumors.

Why? Kang Kimoon couldn’t understand his silence—until a memory of Hyunwoo surfaced.

“Our Hyunseok… he’s too softhearted. He said he grew distant from friends after some misunderstanding at school—but he didn’t clear it up.”
“Why not?”
“He was afraid of conflict. He’s too kind for his own good… I worry that one day that beautiful heart of his will lead to something terrible.”

Perhaps this was the same. That gentle heart of his wouldn’t have hardened in just a few years.

And this time, his opponents were a big company CEO and a famous idol. There was no way a mere manager like Lee Hyunseok could endure it.

So, Kang Kimoon started searching for Lee Hyunseok.

But he couldn’t find him anywhere. It was as if Lee Hyunseok had retreated deep into hiding, wounded.

Kang Kimoon asked the staff at his father’s company for help and began a full-scale search for Lee Hyunseok. They were professionals when it came to finding people.

Sure enough, within days, they located him.

Apparently, after leaving the hospital, Lee Hyunseok had taken a taxi toward a bus terminal. An investigator happened to be nearby and caught the information.

Kang Kimoon immediately drove to the terminal.

It didn’t take long to spot him among the crowd.

A fragile-looking man, dressed in black with his hat pulled low, was staggering as he walked.

Kang Kimoon knew at once—it was Lee Hyunseok.

Hyunseok kept glancing around nervously, as if being followed. Even from under the brim of his hat, his eyes looked deeply anxious.

He was nothing like the “bright, warm, and kind Hyunseok” Hyunwoo had described.

He looked like he might collapse at any moment.

Even though they’d never spoken face-to-face before, Kang Kimoon couldn’t bear the sight of him.

He wanted to go to him, take his hand, and comfort him.

But he held himself back.

Appearing suddenly before someone in such a fragile state could only make things worse.

It would be better to approach him naturally—by chance.

Kang Kimoon watched where Lee Hyunseok was headed.

To his surprise, the destination was Omyeon-ri—his own hometown, where his studio was located, and where he had once met Hyunwoo by chance during volunteer work.

Had Hyunseok remembered Hyunwoo’s stories and decided to go there?

Kang Kimoon bought a ticket to follow.

“The man who just bought a ticket is with me. Could I get the seat next to him?”

He boarded first and waited. Soon, Lee Hyunseok sat beside him.

Kang Kimoon deliberately kept his eyes forward, pretending not to notice, though all his attention was on the frightened man beside him.

‘He looks even worse up close.’

He wondered why Hyunseok had chosen to run to Omyeon-ri rather than defend himself.

His heart was too fragile. With a soul that could shatter at the slightest touch, he couldn’t have fought back against anyone.

Kang Kimoon wanted to heal that wounded heart. He couldn’t abandon the younger brother of his dear friend—and a colleague whose lyrics had touched him so deeply.

But how could he approach Lee Hyunseok without making him wary?

While he pondered, the kind women of Omyeon-ri helped him.

As they naturally looked after Lee Hyunseok, Kang Kimoon joined in quietly.

“Whatever happens, you have to live.”

He passed on that heartfelt message to Lee Hyunseok—to keep living.

Even after arriving in Omyeon-ri, Kang Kimoon continued to look after him. He let Lee Hyunseok stay at his house, made sure he slept well, and ate properly.

Eating and resting well were the first steps to calming the heart.

Though Kang Kimoon opened his heart to Lee Hyunseok, the fragile man still hid his name.

“I’m Lee Hyunwoo.”

Lee Hyunseok used Hyunwoo’s name as an alias.

Kang Kimoon pretended not to notice and accepted the lie.

He didn’t resent Lee Hyunseok for it—he could see how consumed by fear he was.

At least someone like him, who had known Hyunwoo, should understand the desperation behind such a lie.

In fact, the way Lee Hyunseok’s face flushed and his voice stammered as he lied—so awkwardly—was almost endearing.

Kang Kimoon spent time with “Lee Hyunwoo,” pretending to know nothing.

He grew close to Lee Hyunseok sooner than he’d imagined, despite how easily the man flinched at the slightest show of attention. The fact that Lee Hyunseok was his fan certainly made it easier.

It was endearing to see how the one who’d once bristled in wariness—like a stray cat that had never been touched—was now lying on his back, purring with his belly exposed.

Kang Kimoon had assumed Lee Hyunseok was much younger. It was because, though Hyunwoo had often praised Lee Hyunseok, he’d never mentioned his brother’s age.

So it was a surprise to learn they were the same age—twenty-eight. He had never met a man that old who looked so pitiful… and yet so irresistibly endearing.