A Name from the Past
“You said your name is Jin Seryeon?”
“Ah, yes.”
“May I ask how old you are?”
At Namhun’s question, Seryeon stared at him for a moment before answering.
“…I’m twenty-four.”
“Then I’m your oppa. I’m twenty-eight.”
Once the age hierarchy was settled in typical Korean fashion, silence fell again.
This is awkward.
Namhun tried to lighten the mood with a joke.
“You don’t smoke, do you, Seryeon?”
The nervous Seryeon took the question seriously.
“I’ve been singing since I was little, so I avoid cigarettes.”
“Since you were little?”
“I studied classical vocal music.”
“Huh? I did too.”
“Really?”
Both of them looked at each other in surprise.
Seryeon examined Namhun’s face more closely.
“Uh….”
Suddenly, the falsetto voice he had used while singing earlier flashed through her mind.
Her eyes trembled.
“C-could you be… Jang Nam… Oppa?”
“What? That’s right. Jang Nam was my old name.”
At those words, Seryeon began to panic.
Her eyes darted around, and her hands fidgeted as if she didn’t know where to put them.
She had kept wondering if it was him, and it really was the Jang Nam she knew.
“Um, Oppa… do you not remember me?”
“Sorry?”
Her voice had shrunk to a whisper, and Namhun tilted his head.
Most men would be startled if a stranger said something like that.
He wondered if they had some unpleasant connection in the past.
But when it came to women, Namhun had a clear conscience.
Since she mentioned studying classical vocal music, maybe they had met at a competition?
It was a slightly arrogant thought, but as a child he had been a prodigy who excelled in vocal music.
Even if she remembered him, the chances he would remember her were low.
“I’m sorry. I don’t recall. Where did we meet?”
Seryeon bowed her head deeply.
She bowed so low that the flushed nape of her neck was visible.
What’s going on?
What could have happened to make her this flustered?
“Um… do you remember someone named… Boksun?”
“What? Boksun?! You’re Boksun?!”
Namhun cried out in shock at the name buried in his memories.
Seryeon jumped up and rushed over to cover his mouth.
“Please be quiet!”
“Mmph!”
When Namhun struggled in surprise, Seryeon also startled and pulled her hand away.
“…I’m sorry. It’s just that no one knows I changed my name. It’s a secret.”
“Ah… I see.”
Now that he heard the name Boksun, a faint memory of her face surfaced.
“You changed your name too?”
“…Yes. Please call me Seryeon now. As you know, I was teased a lot because of my name.”
Namhun nodded.
Jin Seryeon was actually Jin Boksun.
They had been eating together for a while and he hadn’t recognized her at all.
“Wow. You’ve grown up so much.”
Jin Seryeon—formerly Jin Boksun—was the daughter of Namhun’s first vocal teacher, Jin Jeongwu.
Since a father couldn’t teach his own family how to drive, Namhun’s father had entrusted his son’s basic training to his junior, Jin Jeongwu, a fellow vocalist.
That naturally led to visits to their house and a connection with Boksun.
At the time, Yuyeon hadn’t been born yet, so Namhun had found the gentle girl cute—unlike the feisty Yoo Sera.
She used to be a bit chubby as a kid.
Now she was so thin that he had never imagined they were the same person.
Yeah. She always used to say she would change her name the moment she grew up.
Her parents had opposed the name Boksun, but her grandfather had insisted on the name he received from a naming shop, so they had no choice.
Looking closely at her face now, traces of her childhood features remained.
“But why are you so thin? I couldn’t recognize you at all.”
“I didn’t have talent for classical vocal music. My father said so too.”
Namhun gave a bitter smile.
Jin Boksun’s father had not been a particularly talented vocalist.
Namhun’s father had entrusted his son to him as a favor—to give his junior a line on his resume teaching a prodigy and help secure his livelihood.
That was why Namhun’s lessons with him had been very short.
“I also felt I had no talent for classical singing, so I went into dance instead… but I developed anorexia from extreme dieting.”
Having attended arts middle and high school himself, Namhun understood her feelings.
“After graduating from arts high school, I somehow debuted in a girl group, but whenever I was under a lot of stress, it would relapse.”
“So that’s why you quit being an idol.”
Namhun thought back to young Jin Boksun.
She was never the type to handle mental pressure well.
People with weak constitutions struggled to survive in the entertainment industry’s jungle.
Especially when everyone gathered there had been the best in their own neighborhoods.
“Still, the president treats me well, so I’ve improved a lot now.”
From what he heard, she had been through a lot.
Jin Seryeon had switched to trot and begun training two years ago, around the age of twenty-two.
It was quite young to give up on being an idol and choose trot instead.
“Yeah. If something caused you that much stress, it’s better not to do it. Quitting early was the right choice.”
Namhun himself was a former idol.
Considering Boksun’s gentle personality, he doubted she would have fared well if she had tried to endure the fierce competition of the idol world any longer.
“Hearing you say that is a little comforting.”
At Namhun’s reassurance, Boksun—now Seryeon—smiled softly.
Yeah, maybe it turned out for the best.
Seryeon’s voice had a strong nasal quality, which suited trot better than idol music.
Since she had received a good debut song, the response might be better than during her idol days.
She’s still only twenty-four, so she has plenty of opportunities. Most new artists from other companies are older than this.
Many people tried other fields before switching directions, so the average age was late twenties to mid-thirties, like Namhun.
Plus, since she studied classical vocal music, her basics are solid.
The song, her tone, and her image matched well, so she should be able to handle it.
“I never expected to run into you here, Namhun Oppa.”
“Me neither. Is your father doing well? The last time I saw him was at my parents’ funeral.”
“He quit classical singing and now runs a gopchang restaurant.”
“Gopchang? Haha. That sounds just like him.”
Many vocalists had robust builds, but Jin Jeongwu had been an especially big eater.
“My mother runs a dance academy.”
“I see. I should stop by the gopchang place sometime and say hello.”
Seryeon already knew through her father that Namhun’s parents had passed away, so she didn’t bring it up.
After catching up on old times, the two exchanged phone numbers.
When Kang Seongdae and Jo Wonhyeong returned, they looked puzzled at how quickly the two had become close.
“What’s this? Do young people these days become friends this fast?”
“Sir, it’s not the new generation—it’s the MZ generation.”
Namhun let out a long sigh at the two older men’s conversation.
* * *
Alcohol was inevitable at a Korean barbecue restaurant.
They were continuing the dinner when a family suddenly approached their table.
“Excuse me…”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t this person…?”
A young woman who appeared to be the daughter held out her phone to Namhun.
On the screen, Elixer was drinking Topi Belly with a bright expression.
—Topi Belly…? This is really good.
“…Pfft!”
Namhun, who had been drinking water, nearly choked.
What on earth was this?
Filming had ended yesterday, and he thought editing had only just begun.
Plus, the ad was supposed to air at the end of the month.
Realizing this, Namhun squeezed his eyes shut.
He could already picture the scenario in his head.
Kang Seokho must have been so pleased with the footage that he released the Elixer version first.
Still, that’s Elixer. How did she recognize me?
When he looked at the woman, she smiled awkwardly.
“I work in advertising.”
Her eye for detail was impressive.
At this point, denying it would be pointless.
“Ah, yes… that’s me.”
When Namhun readily admitted it, the woman’s expression twisted strangely.
“…What? You’re saying that’s you?”
She looked back and forth between the phone and Namhun.
Now it was his turn to be confused.
“Yes? Why?”
“You’re not his younger sibling or something?”
At her words, Jo Wonhyeong burst out laughing.
“Kuh… Khahaha! No, that’s really him. He had special makeup and heavy camera correction.”
The woman muttered in a deflated voice.
“Ah… I thought I finally found a visual member…”
Wonhyeong chuckled and said,
“Ah, you must be from an agency. Unfortunately, you’re ten years too late.”
“Sorry?”
“Look up ‘Evil Spirits’ Elixer. You’ll find the person in that video.”
Since she worked in the industry, she knew the name Elixer.
She had never seen him in person—only heard the legends passed down.
—There used to be a visual member who could do main dancer, main vocal, and variety shows.
—Really?
“Ah, I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. I know about Evil Spirits too.”
“Haha. I was the leader.”
“Ah… I see…”
Even though the woman showed little interest, the tipsy Wonhyeong simply enjoyed reminiscing about their glamorous past.
She only glanced at Namhun with a slightly regretful expression.
After a few more words, she left with a final comment.
“I was really impressed by the YouTube ad. I think it’s going to be a huge hit.”
Namhun bowed his head lightly.
“…Thank you.”
The ad had been filmed just yesterday.
He hadn’t expected anyone to recognize him so soon.
He had heard YouTube had strong reach, but not to this extent.
* * *
After the dinner ended.
On the way home, a message arrived on Namhun’s phone.
[It was nice seeing you again! I’ll contact you later, Oppa!]
Jo Wonhyeong peeked at the screen and teased him.
“What’s this? Jang Nam, you’re not dead yet? You already got Seryeon’s number?”
“Ah, it’s not like that.”
“Not like that, my ass. You really never change your old habits…”
“You must be drunk. What old habits?”
“Ah, an unpopular old bachelor must be feeling sorry for himself… seriously.”
“That’s exactly why you’re unpopular—because you keep clinging like this.”
“What did you say, you little—?”
When Wonhyeong clenched his fist, Namhun quickly started running away.
Watching the distance between them grow, Namhun felt a pang of sadness.
Wonhyeong hyung really has gotten older.
Ten years ago, he would have caught him right away.
Once home, Namhun smiled at his sleeping siblings.
He was holding the Hanwoo set that Kang Seongdae had forced on him.
It feels a bit awkward, but I’m glad I listened to hyung and accepted it.
* * *
After Jang Namhun unexpectedly became involved in the production of Jin Seryeon’s debut song Saljjakhung!, he devoted himself to trot practice.
Then a call came from Kang Seokho.
—Can you come to our company right now?
“Sorry? I can, but what’s going on all of a sudden?”
—It’s hard to explain over the phone, so just come and we’ll talk.
After hanging up, Namhun hurried to the Mubibro building.
As he entered the parking lot, he saw Sim Sangjin waiting on the first floor.
“Hyung. Go up to the president’s office right away.”
“Do you know what’s going on?”
“Not really. The president just told me to open the door when you arrived.”
“Hmm… got it.”
“Ah, but Team Leader Heo said the person with the president right now is the CEO of Happy Wedding.”
“Happy Wedding?”
“Yes. The wedding company that handled the president’s wedding this time.”