Chapter 47
Chapter 47
Translator: Penny
Chapter 47
Luna Entertainment's CEO office.
Originally, only the CEO, Jeong Do-cheol, should have been there, but Lee Jun and Lee Gun-yeol, who had solidified their resolve after a long talk the previous night, were also present.
The reason Lee Jun and Lee Gun-yeol specifically met with Jeong Do-cheol in the CEO's office, rather than in a private setting, was for one reason only.
They had a request for him as the CEO of Luna Entertainment, not as a close older brother to Deobeulli (Double Lee).
"Hmph, look at them, so stiff-necked now that they're doing well. They couldn't even make eye contact with me back then."
"Hey, hyung. Just listen to this first. We didn't come to see you early in the morning for nothing."
Thus, an MP3 file in Lee Jun's laptop began to play.
Jeong Do-cheol paused his words and began to listen to Deobeulli's new song's guide vocal file.
The playback finished after about three minutes.
The first words that came from Jeong Do-cheol's slowly opening mouth were:
"Even if it's you guys, where did you find a vocal like this?"
A question about the identity of the clear female vocal that had captivated Jeong Do-cheol's ears throughout the chorus part.
The answer that came back from Lee Gun-yeol was like a riddle.
"It's someone hyung knows too."
"Hey, Lee Gun-yeol. Do I have to play twenty questions with you young men at my age?"
With that, Jeong Do-cheol frowned slightly and indirectly told them to stop with the ridiculous riddle game.
Lee Gun-yeol, who had unknowingly taken a shallow breath, finally revealed the identity of the vocalist.
"It's Ha-eun."
"Are you talking about that actress?"
"Who else would Ha-eun be to us?"
What Jeong Do-cheol faced was Lee Gun-yeol's gaze, more serious than ever.
Since they were people who didn't lie about anything related to music, it seemed that the voice that had captivated Jeong Do-cheol's ears was indeed Ha-eun's.
The important thing was why Deobeulli had played the MP3 file containing Ha-eun's voice to Jeong Do-cheol.
Jeong Do-cheol already guessed the reason to some extent, but decided to listen to what Lee Jun and Lee Gun-yeol had to say first.
"You know, back then. You used to tease us for doing volunteer work for a kid, which is unlike you."
"What's so teasing about that? I was just curious that you were teaching her to sing for years after filming just one music video."
"I'm telling you now, but honestly, we had other intentions. Of course, there was also the part where we were grateful to Ha-eun."
The story that followed was about the essential reason why Deobeulli had continued Ha-eun's singing lessons for quite a long time.
"Just like hyung raised us decades ago. We wanted to raise Ha-eun too. As a singer who perfectly matches our songs."
"That actress will be disappointed if she knows."
"Still, Ha-eun was the one who said she wanted to learn to sing first. Isn't this what they call killing two birds with one stone?"
If they wanted to find a singer who sings well, they could find as many as they wanted.
However, a singer who can perfectly express Deobeulli's unique sensibility and what Deobeulli aims for in their songs.
In other words, they had never been able to find a singer who perfectly matched Deobeulli's songs.
"Anyway, all we could teach was our style."
"Who's saying anything?"
"No, I was just saying because you've been looking at us like we're trash since earlier."
Instead of compromising with singers whose voices were somewhat compatible, they decided to create a new one altogether.
This was a plan that started only because Ha-eun had asked Deobeulli to teach her how to sing first.
"Honestly, don't you think Ha-eun's voice is the best fit among the features you've heard so far?"
In a way, it was obvious.
Deobeulli themselves had directly refined and corrected it for over 10 years, not anyone else.
As a result, it had become a voice that suited Deobeulli better than any other voice in the world.
"No, then, you guys can just tell that actress directly. Why are you grabbing my pant leg?"
"Well, actually, we've been testing the waters all along... She's reluctant, saying something about Real identity."
"Real identity? Is that actress sick somewhere?"
"No, not a medicine to eat... ...Actually, we don't really know what it means either."
It was right after that that Deobeulli told Jeong Do-cheol exactly what they wanted to ask of him.
"Please persuade Ha-eun for us, hyung. Even if it's just hyung's words, Ha-eun will at least consider it."
"Geez, you can't even persuade one girl and you're begging an old man. You're doing a great job."
Soon, the words and gestures to get out were added at the same time.
He also told them to send the guide vocal file they had played to Jeong Do-cheol earlier to Jeong Do-cheol's email.
Not long after that, the CEO's office regained complete silence.
Perhaps because of that, memories related to Ha-eun floated up and burst like bubbles in Jeong Do-cheol's head.
From the memory of taking Ha-eun to meet Kwon Jong-hyuk, the director of the next-door neighbor, a few years ago.
The memory of finally passing the audition for the role of Kim Jia and winning the Best New Actress award at the year-end awards ceremony.
A few years later, not only did she put a highly topical drama like You Who Came From the Stars high up in the sky.
Even the UBS broadcasting station bulletin board, which was almost covered with posts demanding that Han Yu-hwa be saved.
'...I wondered why it read so awkwardly. It was written by a foreigner with a translator.'
The memory of averting the crisis thanks to Ha-eun's 'convincing' acting.
The memory of extracting a dangerous escape scene that is still talked about in Don't Stop People, which she appeared in later.
And, at the end of all those memories.
Just a few days ago, the memory of Ha-eun coming to Jeong Do-cheol in person, saying that she wanted to discuss another dream of hers.
'So, there are no contractual issues related to the Fantasy Home audition?'
'Not for now. But, if you're thinking of neglecting your acting career, I personally want to stop you.'
'I'm going to keep working hard as an actress. So, I'm asking you this. If there are any roles related to cross-dressing, can you let me know?'
'It's not difficult to let you know. But why cross-dressing in particular?'
'It seems like it would be fun. Honestly, I'm confident that I'll stand out the most.'
It provided a basis for bringing Ha-eun into the CEO's office of Luna Entertainment.
Coincidentally, information about a role related to 'cross-dressing' that Ha-eun had requested had also come in recently.
As soon as it was around lunchtime, he contacted Ha-eun's manager, Ju Jeong-yun, and told her to bring Ha-eun to the CEO's office.
Later, as time passed and it became exactly 4 p.m., he said to Ha-eun, who had arrived at the CEO's office.
"There's just good news, and news that could be good or burdensome depending on how you hear it. Which one does our actress want to hear first?"
He indirectly told her to choose which story to hear first, the cross-dressing role or the Deobeulli feature.
Soon, Ha-eun, in a cautious voice, said that she would listen to the latter first.
"Then, I'll be blunt, actress. I want our actress to help those ugly guys."
After that, starting with the fact that Deobeulli had visited Jeong Do-cheol this morning, Jeong Do-cheol's impressions of Deobeulli's new song's guide vocal file.
He asked Ha-eun in turn about the reason why Ha-eun was reluctant to debut as a singer.
"It doesn't seem like you're ignoring singers like other high-nosed actors. It seems like there's a separate reason of your own, right?"
"...Yes."
"I'm asking just in case, but is that reason of your own related to that Fantasy Home?"
With that, nod, nod.
Jeong Do-cheol paused for a moment and pondered, then opened his mouth again.
"Last time, you clearly said that it wasn't the actress who was going to the Fantasy Home audition, but a virtual character called Dia."
"Ah, yes."
"Then, how about creating one more? A virtual character who will feature in those ugly guys' songs."
He told Ha-eun one way to help Deobeulli without Ha-eun becoming more famous.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't Ha-eun who shouldn't become famous, but Ha-eun's voice, so this wasn't a good solution for Ha-eun either.
However, it was too much to cut off the alternative that a person who was the CEO of an agency had called Ha-eun in person and came up with while racking his brains with Ha-eun.
One way or another, the Fantasy Home audition was still a future event that had not yet begun.
On the other hand, CEO Jeong Do-cheol's proposal was a fire that had fallen on Ha-eun's feet.
In other words, for now, she had to somehow resolve the featuring proposal first.
"I'll...discuss it with the uncles."
In this way, she somehow got over the either-or choice that had come right in front of her with an ambiguous answer that was neither a refusal nor an acceptance.
She cautiously asked what the story that Jeong Do-cheol had said was 'just good news' earlier was.
"Ah, that's it. There's a cross-dressing role that the actress wanted to do. As the lead role, too."
The name that was heard next was, coincidentally, the name of a drama that Ha-eun had said she wanted to film with Da-yeon in the past.
"Moonlight Pierced by Clouds. When I looked into it, it turned out that there was a separate original novel for this drama."
"Ah, yes. I've read the novel a few times. It's very interesting."
"So you're saying you definitely want to appear in such an interesting story?"
"...Yes."
In this way, the story was concluded with Ha-eun's name also being included in the candidate group for the female lead in Moonlight Pierced by Clouds.
Nevertheless, there was still one thing that bothered Jeong Do-cheol, so he ended up telling Ha-eun about it as well.
"That director is a bit eccentric. He said that the lead actor has to perform the sword fighting scenes himself instead of a stuntman? There's a rumor that the final casting decision is made after seeing that sword fighting scene."
In other words, in order for Ha-eun to be cast as the lead in Moonlight Pierced by Clouds, she would have to learn historical drama action acting separately.
However, Ha-eun learning action acting means something else.
"Then I'll have to go to an action school or something? I'll have to do hard exercise and training all day?"
It meant that it was a golden opportunity to start exercising again, which she hadn't been able to do for four days.
"Hmm, does it seem difficult after all?"
"No. I can go to action school starting tomorrow. No, I definitely want to go."
"?"
Rather, Ha-eun earnestly asked him to send her to action school.
Jeong Do-cheol couldn't help but be taken aback.
In a way, it was obvious.
From the beginning, action school itself was a difficult place for an actress like Ha-eun in many ways.
Jeong Do-cheol couldn't understand what was so good about such a sweaty place that she was begging him to send her there.
Nevertheless, Ha-eun's will seemed certain, so in the end, Jeong Do-cheol had no choice but to introduce her to one action school that he knew.
Ha-eun's other request was heard right after that.
"Um, CEO. Can I borrow a practice room? Just for a very short time. Just for about 10 minutes."
"I can lend you as many empty practice rooms as you want, but is the actress going to film something like TikTok too?"
"Yes? Ah, no. I'm just going to film a video of myself dancing to idol choreography for personal use."
She didn't say that the idol dance video was a video to be submitted to the Fantasy Home audition.
She also didn't reveal the fact that all that was needed for the Fantasy Home audition was 'a video that can show the applicant's talent'.
However, there were a few Virtual Youtuber in Ha-eun's memory who were former idol trainees.
She thought that if she submitted a video of herself imitating their idol-like appearance to the audition, it would definitely be a big plus.
In addition, if she also submitted the idol song recording file that Ha-eun had put so much effort into practicing so far.
She thought that she would be able to stand out among the many competitors in the Fantasy Home audition.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny