Chapter 235: An Unexpected Visit

“Oh? Do-jun. You’re here early.”

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

Looking flustered, Sang-joon Hyung patted his pockets.

“Ah, I left it downstairs. Sorry, haven’t you been waiting long?”

“I just got here.”

“Hang on, I came up to see the kids off.”

Sang-joon Hyung glanced out of the building and spoke to the girls standing beside him.

“Didn’t you call the road manager? Why aren’t they here yet?”

“We just texted. They’ll be here soon.”

The group of girls stared at me with wide eyes, nudging Sang-joon Hyung’s side.

“What’s the deal, PD-nim? You need to introduce us.”

“Huh? Oh, this is my younger brother. My actual brother. And these are the kids who just debuted. They’ve already made it onto terrestrial broadcasting.”

Hyung’s managing a girl group? Has he completely shifted his focus to commercial success? Terrestrial broadcasting made me think of something.

“Really? Then I can tell Father to get you on a cable music show….”

Suddenly flustered, Sang-joon Hyung shook his head slightly and winked at me.

Oops. He didn’t want to hear things like ‘so-and-so’s son’ or ‘so-and-so’s grandson’ in this industry, did he?

Thankfully, these seemingly clueless girls weren’t really paying attention to what I was saying.

They didn’t look a day over twenty. Their behavior was just like kids. They swarmed around me, chattering away.

“Wow, you’re really handsome. I always wondered why our PD-nim didn’t debut as an idol, but seeing his brother, it makes sense. You must have grown up being compared, so you lacked confidence, right?”

“But I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere… are you a celebrity by any chance?”

Did they see one of my occasional interviews? It would be a disaster if they remembered.

But the unsure way they spoke made it seem like they’d only caught a glimpse.

“Don’t talk nonsense and hurry up! What celebrity? My brother’s in graduate school. You girls think anyone who’s good-looking is a celebrity.”

Startled, Sang-joon Hyung raised his voice and covered the young girls’ mouths.

“No… I definitely saw him somewhere….”

As one of them continued to stare at me and mutter, Sang-joon Hyung began herding them away.

“You guys…! Stop talking nonsense and hurry up! And don’t get the wrong idea. My brother has a beautiful and smart girlfriend. She’s on a different level than you, so don’t even try.”

“PD-nim. The car needs to get here first. But seriously, what’s taking the road manager so long?”

They were worse than elementary school kids who needed constant supervision. No matter how much he pushed them away, they kept coming back.

“Hey, what’s your name? How old are you? Twenty-two? Twenty-three? Since you’re the PD-nim’s brother, mid-twenties?”

“Have you really never been on TV?”

If I were a high-spirited twenty-something experiencing this for the first time, I might have enjoyed this situation. But no matter how hard I tried, it was just noisy and annoying.

I frowned, unable to hide my irritation, but these girls didn’t care at all and stubbornly stuck to me.

The girl group’s road manager was my savior.

The sound of a car horn blaring from the building entrance made Sang-joon Hyung pull the girls away from me.

“Alright, hurry up and go. No slacking off. You need to take care of your vocal cords and get some rest at the dorm. Don’t forget you have recording tonight.”

“PD-nim! Can I get your brother’s number?!”

Even as they were being ushered out, they showed their persistent side until the very end.

Once the rookies were gone, we both sighed in unison.

“Crazy, right?”

Sang-joon Hyung chuckled, draping an arm over my shoulder.

“What are they?”

“Potential rookies? Our company’s rising stars? Something like that….”

“How old are they? Are they all still in high school?”

“Half are still in high school, half are twenty. Their profiles say they’re nineteen though.”

“Weren’t you going to focus on nurturing rookies with musical talent?”

“How long can I just do what I want? The company needs to survive. We nurture indie artists, girl groups, and idols. Oh, but they’re not completely without talent. They all have solid fundamentals. We’ve put them through a lot of training too.”

“They’re old enough, so why are they acting like such children?”

“They don’t go to school and only focus on training. Their bodies have grown up, but their minds are still like kids’.”

Sang-joon Hyung quickly removed his hand from my shoulder.

“Right, this isn’t the time for this. I’m going to change, so you go meet with the president. I’ll call you.”

“Why would I meet your president?”

“What’s weird about an investor meeting the CEO?”

“What?”

Hyung grinned at my surprised expression.

“He’s been hearing about you for a while now. He’s always grateful, saying we’ve grown this much thanks to you.”

“What then? Does everyone know?”

“No. Only the president knows. It’s okay. Our president doesn’t act awkward or anything because of it. He keeps business and personal matters separate. I’m just a PD here. Not the grandson of the Soonyang Chairman, and not an investor’s older brother, just a regular producer.”

“That’s a relief. Anyway, it’s fine. Just looking at the monthly reports is enough. I’d rather check out your studio.”

“Really? Then let’s go downstairs together.”

Taking the stairs down to the basement felt like entering another world.

Completely opposite to the lobby’s neatness, the walls were black with grime, torn leather sofas and chairs were scattered around, and empty jjajangmyeon bowls and instant ramen cups littered the tables.

Several recording booths with partitions were visible, and in a spacious dance practice room with glass walls, half a dozen good-looking guys were sweating as they danced.

While Sang-joon Hyung went into a recording booth to change, I watched them dance.

“Huh? Who’s this?”

“Yes?”

Someone tapped my shoulder, and when I turned around, a woman in her early thirties looked me up and down.

“Did you come for an audition? You look a bit old… not an idol, maybe a ballad singer?”

“Ah, that’s not….”

“Good face, good proportions… not bad. Who are you here to see?”

Why was this woman speaking so casually to me when she’d just met me?

Just as I was about to snap back, Sang-joon Hyung’s voice sounded.

“Noona. He’s not one of them. He’s my brother. He’s here to see me.”

Sang-joon Hyung, having changed from his tracksuit into dress pants and a shirt, approached while buttoning his coat.

“Oh, really? Sorry about that. I thought… but you don’t look like an ordinary person? Maybe a trainee?”

“Ugh, no! My brother has no interest in this industry. He graduated from Seoul National University’s law school… no, he’s in graduate school. Just leave him alone.”

When a flustered Sang-joon Hyung grabbed my hand and pulled me, the woman quickly blocked our path.

“Contact me if you’re interested. There are many highly educated celebrities these days. You definitely have star potential.”

She slipped a business card into my pocket, winked, and disappeared.

“Ugh…. I’m going to be bothered now, damn it.”

Sang-joon Hyung frowned.

“What’s wrong? Who is that woman?”

“She’s the planning team leader here. Seeing as she even gave you her card, she must be interested in you. She’s going to keep pestering me to bring you in….”

“If she’s annoying, just tell me. I’ll tell the president to fire her. Heh heh.”

“She’s good at her job though. She has a good eye for talent and is good at setting concepts. Anyway, let’s get out of here. There are a lot of people like her here. You might end up becoming a celebrity. Heh heh.”

We joked around as we left the building.

* * *

“How’s Grandfather doing?”

As the car started moving with me sitting next to him in the back, Sang-joon Hyung asked cautiously.

“He seems fine on the surface. But if he collapses, there’s no guarantee what will happen.”

“Grandfather’s death somehow doesn’t feel real. It’s like he’ll reign forever….”

“Right? He’s already collapsed twice, but I still can’t believe it. I keep forgetting he’s an old man in his eighties.”

Sang-joon Hyung looked at my face and asked.

“Are you okay?”

“About what?”

“You and Grandfather were kind of special. You’re the only cousin who directly inherited shares.”

“I just received them in place of Father.”

“No one thinks that way. He gave them directly to you. Anyway, you’re probably going through the toughest time among us.”

“What can I do? I just have to visit him often until the end. By the way, how are you doing, Hyung? Are you okay?”

Judging by the state of his company today, it seemed like he was going through a lot.

“I’m satisfied right now. The good thing about this industry is that everyone’s here because they love it, so they’re not that sensitive about money or the environment. Compared to them, I’m living in luxury. At least I won’t fall to the bottom and struggle.”

“Huh? Did you stash away some money I don’t know about? You seem to have something to rely on?”

“Hey! If your only older brother was starving, would you just stand by and watch?”

Sang-joon Hyung poked my side with his elbow and laughed.

“I’ll work my butt off until I’m forty. If I don’t succeed even after doing that, I’ll just blame it on luck. Wouldn’t that be enough? Then, let’s go to a resort in Kota Kinabalu together and take care of the garden.”

“You’re retiring before forty? Don’t talk nonsense.”

Joking around like this after a long time seemed to ease Sang-joon Hyung’s tension about meeting Grandfather.

The car had already entered the hospital parking lot.

* * *

“Sang-joon is here too?”

Still in his suit, Grandfather smiled brightly when he saw Sang-joon Hyung enter.

“Yes, Grandfather. I’m sorry. I’m very late.”

“No, it hasn’t been many days since I’ve been in the hospital. So, how are you doing?”

“Yes, I’m doing well, thanks to your concern.”

Grandfather had us sit on the sofa. He personally brought two drinks and placed them in front of us, his smile never leaving his face.

“I heard you’re living alone in a ten-pyeong studio apartment? Should I give you a house?”

“It’s alright. Even if I had a house, I’d just stop by to change and sleep for a bit. I spend most of my time in the studio, so a ten-pyeong apartment is enough.”

Seeming pleased with the answer, he nodded and showered his grandson, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, with questions.

“Really? How much is your salary?”

“It’s not much.”

“You rascal, do you think I wouldn’t know? Why? Is it too little to be proud of?”

At Grandfather’s rare shout, Sang-joon Hyung quickly replied.

“No, it’s two million won per month, and with incentives, it’s over thirty million won per year. But I spend all day in the studio, so besides the apartment management fees, I have no expenses, and I save it all.”

“Really? Why are they paying a guy who makes mere songs so generously? Bring your company’s president here. I need to teach him how to underpay and exploit workers.”

Grandfather’s joke seemed to ease the tension, and Sang-joon Hyung showed an easygoing side that wasn’t usually seen.

“Grandfather. I’m good at my job. My company president constantly apologizes for not paying me enough. That’s why I get the most incentives.”

“If that’s the case, then that’s a relief.”

Grandfather suddenly grabbed Sang-joon Hyung’s hand.

“How many grandchildren do I have? Out of the dozen or so, you and your brother are the only ones who don’t leech off my money. Knowing how important it is to earn your own living, and that a man’s first duty is to provide for his wife and children, that’s what makes a man an adult. Among my grandchildren, you two are the only ones who have become adults. It’s my fault for not raising my children well.”

“That’s not true. Everyone just has different paths.”

“No, it is.”

Grandfather looked at Sang-joon Hyung with affectionate eyes and said.

“I took out my disappointment in your father on you. What sin did young you commit…? Don’t you hold deep resentment? Forgive this old man.”

“No, it’s all in the past. Besides, doesn’t everyone say that if the ending is good, everything is good? It’s enough that you acknowledge my passion for music, Grandfather.”

Grandfather looked relieved, as if he had unburdened himself of a long-held weight.