Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Episode 17. Debut Right Around the Corner (3)
Enta’s waiting room.
Kim Mir irritably grabbed his phone and called someone.
—trrring.
After a few rings, the call connected.
—What is it?
It was Kim So-yeon, Park Si-woo’s ex-wife.
Kim Mir spoke in a voice full of annoyance.
“Do you know what Park Si-woo is doing right now?”
—What? How would I know. He’s probably just tinkering around with some useless instrument again.
“Hah.”
This woman knew nothing at all.
Kim Mir let out a small sigh.
Then Kim So-yeon said impatiently.
—So what is it? What’s going on?
“I met Park Si-woo today.”
—And?
“He’s Guitar Hero…!”
—What, what hero?
“Guitar Hero!”
A brief silence.
—What’s that?
Kim Mir let out another sigh.
“He’s a famous composer.”
—That guy, a famous composer?
Kim So-yeon burst into laughter.
—There’s no way! I’ve heard his songs before, and they were garbage.
“Then you’re saying Park Si-woo isn’t Guitar Hero?”
Kim Mir asked, but Kim So-yeon just kept laughing.
“I’m asking you! Is Park Si-woo not Guitar Hero?”
At that, the laughter abruptly stopped.
Only then did Kim Mir realize he had made a mistake.
“Haa… sorry. I didn’t have anyone else to ask you.”
—So you’re getting mad at me for that?
“Sorry. I’ve had a pretty frustrating day.”
—Forget it. Think whatever you want on your own.
—click.
The call ended.
Kim Mir’s anger surged to the top of his head.
“I apologize and you still act like this! What a damn bitch!”
Bang!!!
He slammed his fist on the desk.
The phone he had been holding was carefully placed back in his hand.
“Damn it….”
Kim So-yeon was a beautiful woman.
Compared to Lee Ye-na and Kim Yu-na, who were considered the most beautiful in Korea, she might fall short.
But she was so beautiful that she couldn’t even be compared to other female celebrities.
However, Kim Mir had never considered marrying her.
She was only good enough for a one-night affair.
“Damn it. If it weren’t for the kid….”
It had been a stressful day in many ways.
Kim Mir tried his best to regain his composure.
‘Whether Park Si-woo is Guitar Hero or not, I’ll have to investigate further.’
He didn’t hold any particular grudge against him.
He was simply irritated that the man he had thoroughly trampled on as a man was now raising his head again.
And, as an idol himself, he was also subtly jealous of Park Si-woo, who was taller than him and had more distinct features.
He had always been evaluated as lacking on the visual side.
“Ha.”
He exhaled a hot breath.
As his anger reached his head, his face instead grew cold.
‘One thing’s certain.’
The band Park Si-woo was planning would be debuting soon.
Coincidentally, the group he belonged to, Enta, was also making a comeback this week.
Kim Mir smirked crookedly.
‘I’ll make sure to crush them this time.’
He intended to show the power of an established act to that unheard-of mixed band called Neon Heart.
Park Si-woo, who had unexpectedly secured a good opportunity, got into a taxi in high spirits.
Since it was still far from rush hour, he planned to return to the company and write his report.
“Please take me to Starlight Entertainment.”
After stating his destination, he leaned back deeply in his seat.
In that state, he took out his phone.
With familiar movements, he opened his banking app and checked his account balance.
Currently, he had about 200 million won.
‘At this level….’
He could probably buy a house with a loan.
Of course, he didn’t need a house right now.
‘Maybe I should get a car instead.’
He couldn’t keep taking taxis like this every time.
‘Since I have a license….’
Buying a reasonably priced sedan and driving it around didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Park Si-woo opened the internet to look up sedan prices.
A single line of news caught his eye.
“Cash—Is it a loss to just hold it?”
It was about stock investment.
The article explained that since the value of money keeps decreasing, one should invest in stocks or gold.
‘If I want to grow my money, stocks would be good.’
Should I invest in Starlight?
With himself there, Starlight’s growth was practically guaranteed.
After briefly pondering, Park Si-woo shook his head.
‘They said not to spend money in the domestic market.’
Then the U.S. market…
Park Si-woo picked up his phone again and made a call.
—Trrrring.
After a few rings, a gruff voice answered.
—Hey, Park Pro. You eaten?
“What’s that supposed to mean.”
—It’s a trendy drama these days. So why’d you call?
It was Park Si-woo’s old friend, Kim Seung-hyuk, with whom he had once smoked on the rooftop.
“You’re into stocks, right.”
—Yeah. I’ve made some money. Lost more than I made though.
His credibility suddenly dropped.
As Park Si-woo fell silent, Kim Seung-hyuk laughed heartily.
—I’m kidding. I pull in about 2 million a month. So what is it? Thinking of investing?
“Yeah. I’ve got about 50 million won left.”
He was planning to invest about 100 million won, but there was no need to mention the full amount.
—50 million?? How did you get that much money?
“I sold my house and had some left over. I live alone, so I didn’t need a big place. I got a smaller one instead.”
—Ah.
Kim Seung-hyuk’s nodding face was almost visible.
—So you’re planning to invest that money?
“Yeah, in U.S. stocks.”
—So you want me to recommend something.
“Right. I don’t know anything about stocks.”
At that, Kim Seung-hyuk let out a thoughtful hum.
—Stocks aren’t really something you should be recommending to others… but if it’s something safe, there is one.
“What is it?”
—Nvidia.
“Nvidia?”
—Yeah, they make graphics cards. They practically have a monopoly, so it’s not likely to drop. The only issue is they only make graphics cards, but as long as it doesn’t drop, that’s what matters. The dividends aren’t bad either.
“Got it. Thanks, hyung.”
—Hey.
The call ended.
Park Si-woo searched Nvidia on the internet.
The stock price was around 30 dollars, meaning he could buy about 2,500 shares with 100 million won.
‘And the dividends are decent.’
Should I go for it.
Investing 100 million at once wasn’t easy.
‘But from what I’ve seen, it doesn’t look like it’ll drop.’
There didn’t seem to be many companies that made graphics cards besides this one.
The probability of profit seemed higher than the probability of loss.
Above all—
‘Like the news said, just holding cash is a loss.’
And so, Park Si-woo stepped into the U.S. market.
He arrived at the company.
Having invested a large sum of 100 million won at once, his heart pounded heavily.
‘It’ll work out, right.’
He was meticulous enough to continue working at the company out of fear of failing in music.
But this time, he seemed to have acted a bit emotionally.
‘This tendency has gotten stronger since the divorce.’
Originally, Park Si-woo would back off if something seemed risky.
Looking back, it might have been because he had a lover he cherished.
Now that such a person no longer existed, he was living life according to his own judgment.
‘The dopamine is definitely real.’
Park Si-woo stepped out of the taxi while looking at his still trembling hands.
At that moment—
Ding!
An alert sounded.
‘Is it Ye-na?’
For some reason, that was his instinct.
He picked up his phone and checked.
As expected, it was a message from Lee Ye-na.
[Si-woo, are you available?]
Park Si-woo hesitated as he was about to send a refusal, erased the message, and typed again.
[Yes.]
[Yay! (emoji of a duck flying around wildly)]
Along with the cute message, a call came in immediately.
Park Si-woo walked to a quiet corner and answered her call.
“Hello.”
—Hello. Guitar Hero!
“Please just call me Si-woo.”
—Hehe. I wanted to call you Si-woo anyway. It feels more familiar, doesn’t it?
“I’m a man in my thirties.”
—What’s wrong with being an older man? I like it.
She let out a soft, alluring laugh and spoke quietly.
—I thought you’d be busy, so I’m really glad we could connect.
“I just happened to be on my way back from an external schedule.”
—Really? Oh, that’s a relief. I really wanted to hear your voice….
It didn’t sound like empty words.
Her voice was filled with genuine happiness.
His ex-wife Kim So-yeon would always sound annoyed whenever she called.
But Lee Ye-na, who seemed to have nothing to do with him, felt joy just from talking to him.
Even more, she would always ask to contact him first whenever she had time.
For some reason, Park Si-woo felt a ticklish sensation in his chest.
—Are you heading into the company now?
“Yes, I’m right in front of it. I don’t think I can talk long.”
—I see….
Lee Ye-na’s voice noticeably darkened.
“Lee Ye-na, when are you returning to the country?”
—Right, I’m coming back in two weeks.
Had that much time already passed?
As Park Si-woo thought that, Lee Ye-na spoke again in a very excited voice.
—I’ll finally get to see your face! Ah, I’m really… so excited.
“That good?”
—Of course. You don’t seem happy to meet me?
Lee Ye-na deliberately sounded a bit curt.
Park Si-woo gave an awkward smile.
“Of course I’m happy.”
She was one of the top singers in Korea.
How could he not be glad to meet her?
It was just….
‘I’m not sure if this is okay.’
Park Si-woo couldn’t bring himself to say this feeling to Lee Ye-na.
He simply kept it to himself in silence.
At that moment—
—Ugh…!
A sound came through the phone, as if Lee Ye-na was holding back nausea.
Park Si-woo was startled and asked.
“Ye-na, is something wrong? Are you okay?”
Fortunately, she answered right away.
—Ah, yes… It’s been happening occasionally lately. Gagging and feeling chilly.
“Are you overworking yourself?”
—Huh, are you worried about me?
“Yes, I am.”
Lee Ye-na let out a cheerful squeal.
—I’m fine. This is my job. And just thinking about meeting you in two weeks gives me energy.
“I see.”
—Ah, I’ll have to hang up now. I want to keep talking… but I have a fan meeting schedule.
“Good luck.”
—Yes, you take care too, Si-woo!
Click.
The call ended.
At the same time, a text message arrived.
It was from CEO Cha Ye-seung.
[Team Leader Park, it seems Neon Heart has found a rival.]