Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: An Honest Conversation
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After our first win, we were greeted by days so busy we couldn't tell how time was passing.
It was astonishing to think that only a week had passed since our debut stage.
And now, we were on our way to meet Leon.
Accompanied by company staff and a camera crew.
*The company wouldn't want to miss this opportunity either.*
“No need to be so formal. Leon isn't mean-spirited or anything, so you can just relax.”
He told us to relax, but there was no way we could in front of such a senior artist.
“If you guys are like this, it'll probably make Leon more uncomfortable. Besides, you're on camera. It's better to show a natural side of yourselves. This will be uploaded instead of the recording behind-the-scenes video.”
As it was, fans were already clamoring because our recording behind-the-scenes video hadn't been released.
[Why aren't our boys getting a recording behind-the-scenes video? All the other idols have one. I saw Creatin has one for each member. Is the video editing just delayed?]
↳Yeah. Why don't our boys have one?
↳They'll probably release it soon, right? Please say yes. I'm begging you.
↳I thought they’d at least give us a short clip. Or is it because of Leon? He gave them the song.
↳What about it?
↳I heard Leon is very attached to his songs and gets sensitive when producing. So maybe he didn't want cameras around.
Fortunately, many fans knew that Leon was sensitive when he was producing.
Because Leon hadn't produced our debut song.
*He wouldn't have wanted to take on the project, since it meant recording a song stolen from Creatin.*
“We're here.”
We had arrived at Leon's private studio.
It was a space he had gotten separate from the company, known as a place where he usually rested and worked.
Following our manager, I got out of the car and walked over.
With a familiar touch, he entered the passcode to the studio.
As I stared at him in surprise, the manager spoke in a nonchalant voice.
“Ah. I used to be Leon’s road manager. I did that for about a year before becoming your manager.”
I had no idea.
I’d assumed he had managed another idol before, but I’d never heard anything about it.
“Let's go in.”
As the manager opened the door, I could feel Leon, who was sitting on a long sofa, turn to look at us.
“Hello.”
Leon greeted us first with a casual nod.
“One, two. Hello, we are RE-V.”
As he was a major senior in the idol world, we greeted him with loud voices and deep bows.
“Please, sit comfortably.”
“Yes, sir.”
We said we would, but we all sat down with ramrod-straight posture.
“Surprised I called you here?”
Ding-dong.
At the sudden sound of the doorbell, my eyes instinctively darted toward the door.
“That’s my delivery.”
As Leon started to get up, the manager stopped him.
He then went out himself and brought something in.
“It's nothing much, just some coffee and donuts.”
The manager naturally began setting the coffee and donuts on the table.
“Thank you. And, sir, please speak comfortably with us.”
“You may be my juniors, but that's not right. I was looked down on so much when I was a rookie, I don't want to do that to my juniors. Once we get to know each other better, I'll drop the formalities then.”
Leon was treating us with extreme politeness.
But at the same time, it was also a way of drawing a line.
A statement that we weren't close enough to speak casually.
“Please, eat.”
“Okay.”
It felt awkward to just sit there, so I picked up the chocolate donut in front of me.
“You were surprised that I asked to meet, weren't you?”
“A little.”
At Lee Ho-jun’s answer, Leon nodded up and down as if he understood.
“Actually, I’ve been friends with Jae-hee, Creatin's leader, and his older brother since we were kids.”
I already knew this from hearing the company staff talk, but I put on a surprised expression as if it were the first time I was hearing it.
“So I've always been concerned about them. While I was wondering how I could help, I heard they were going to appear on a survival show called Twisty Puzzle.”
“Yes.”
“I naturally assumed the company had arranged the schedule, but then I heard that wasn't the case?”
The members' gazes naturally turned to me.
“Yoon-seul.”
“Yes.”
“I heard you recommended them. Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Leon’s expression seemed to have softened from when we first arrived.
“Thank you. I called you here because I wanted to say that. I told him it was fine to reveal our connection, but he didn't want to. He said he didn't want to build recognition that way. I thought it was admirable, but also a bit too stubborn.”
Hearing that, I was honestly surprised.
Just a single word about being close to Leon could bring so many benefits.
Leon was famous for having a small circle of friends.
If people found out that one of them had a younger brother, he would surely receive a flood of love calls from variety shows.
“But is it okay to talk about this with the camera here?”
I asked, very conscious of the camera crew filming diligently behind us.
“They’ll edit it out.”
Leon seemed to have great faith in the company.
“Anyway, I called you here to say this. And thank you for bringing my song to life so well.”
“We should be the ones thanking you. Thank you for giving us such a great song.”
At Haru’s words of gratitude, Leon showed a faint smile.
***
Having finished their first filming, Creatin was back and preparing for their second.
In the competition that took place over just five hours, they had secured third place.
It wasn't a bad result for their first time.
“Have you decided what you're going to do for the next performance?”
“We're thinking about it.”
Jae-hee answered the manager’s question.
“What was the theme again?”
“A song that tells their own story.”
Creatin fell into deep thought.
They flopped onto the practice room floor.
“We've been talking about it at the dorm, but we don't have any good ideas. How should I put it? Everything feels too obvious? No matter how much we think, only predictable ideas come to mind.”
“What's wrong with being obvious?”
The manager said, raising an eyebrow.
“Huh?”
“I asked what's wrong with it. There's a reason clichés exist. Sometimes, you just crave a cheesy, predictable drama. Don't overthink it. Just focus on putting on a great performance.”
“Hyung…”
Myeong-seok looked at the manager with sparkling eyes.
He seemed deeply moved by his words.
“Alright. Let’s get up and start brainstorming again.”
Creatin rallied their spirits and pushed themselves to their feet.
Just then, a mission envelope arrived in the practice room, accompanied by a camera.
“What's this?”
“I think it's that thing, right?”
“The mission envelope?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow. I can’t believe we’re getting one of these. This is cool.”
Seeing the mission envelope, which they had only ever seen on RED CUBE, in person for the first time, they couldn't take their eyes off it.
“Guys. You have to open it.”
If the manager hadn't said that, they surely would have stared at the envelope for much longer.
Jae-hee slowly opened the mission envelope.
“Huh? There’s another new mission?”
***
“Yoon-seul. Can I talk to you alone for a moment? There’s something I want to confirm.”
As our relaxed conversation was winding down, Leon directed a question to me.
“Huh? Yes.”
“There's another room over there, let's go there.”
I stood up to follow Leon.
The other members' eyes were full of curiosity, but no one dared to ask why.
*Why is he calling me over separately?*
I moved with Leon to the adjacent room.
“Yoon-seul.”
“Yes.”
“I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to be honest with me.”
The moment I heard those words, I had a feeling this was coming.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“By any chance, did you know that ‘MESS’ was written for someone other than RE-V?”
It was a very direct question.
I couldn't bring myself to say no.
For him to bring it up so openly meant he already had his suspicions.
“Yes.”
“How? The company must have made sure everyone kept quiet.”
“I happened to overhear some company staff talking on the day of the music video shoot.”
“Right. No matter how much you try to keep a lid on things, there are always a few who let it slip. I can imagine the situation. Hearing that on the day of the music video shoot, you couldn't have just scrapped it. Is that why you recommended Creatin for Twisty Puzzle?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Something felt off. It’s not common to recommend someone you don’t even know just because you’re concerned about them. So that was the reason.”
Contrary to my expectation that he would be angry with me, Leon’s expression was incredibly gentle.
“Are you not… angry with me?”
“Why would I be?”
“Because I knew everything and still took Creatin’s song.”
“That's the result, yes, but to be precise, I'm the one who made the deal with the company. I asked them not to delay Creatin's comeback in exchange for the song. So if I'm going to be angry at anyone, it should be myself.”
How foolish of me to assume he would naturally be angry with me.
“Besides, things like this happen all the time here. The fact that your conscience bothered you enough to look into it is amazing in itself. Especially for a rookie who probably doesn't know any producers.”
His last words hit the nail on the head.
“It seems the other members don’t know. Is that right?”
“Yes.”
“Then let's just say I called you over to talk about asking you to feature on one of my songs later. There's no point in more people knowing an uncomfortable truth.”
“Okay.”
“Let's go back out, then.”
I returned with Leon to where the other members were.
*I guess I really don't have to worry about Creatin anymore. Especially after hearing that from the composer himself.*
“Ah. I hope to see you around the company for a long time. I'm sure your trust in the company has diminished after experiencing something like this right at your debut, but it's a good place—I chose it after careful consideration. So try to have a little faith.”