CEO Whims and Composer's Torment
Sigh. Meanwhile, at that very moment, inside the CEO's office at Da'o Entertainment.
"Come on in~ Secretary Yu. I missed you~"
Lee Sara greeted Yu Ga-hye with a beaming smile.
"I'm back, ma'am."
"Yeah, yeah. Where's the stuff you brought?"
"That... please give me a moment. I'll organize it and report back."
At the CEO's words, Yu Ga-hye fiddled with the bugging device in her pocket. She'd come straight to the company after returning from abroad, so she hadn't checked the contents yet, but there had to be evidence inside to uncover Lee Sejin's intentions. That would be the greatest achievement of this trip.
"Organize? Nah, what do you need to organize? It's all packaged up~ I'm not that uptight, you know."
"Of course I know, but organization is necessary."
"Ehehe, it's fine, it's fine. Just give it to me raw. That's way better."
Yu Ga-hye was a bit flustered by that. The CEO, who surely didn't know about the bug, was asking for the raw data. This woman can be ridiculously sharp sometimes, guessing my actions so easily.
"In that case... would you prefer I send it as a file instead of handing it over directly?"
"A file? What are you talking about?"
"Pardon?"
"Huh?"
The two stared at each other, not understanding a word the other was saying. Yu Ga-hye racked her brain, wondering what mistake she'd made, when Lee Sara suddenly thrust out her hand.
"You didn't forget the Hello Kitty, did you? You didn't buy something weird instead, right?"
"Ah, so it was about Hello Kitty."
Yu Ga-hye replied in a deflated tone.
"I thought it was something important..."
"It is important!"
"......."
Without responding, Yu Ga-hye opened a suitcase in front of Lee Sara. The CEO broke into a satisfied smile at the sight of it filled entirely with Hello Kitty merchandise.
"Ooh, yes! You bought everything. Good job."
Beaming, the CEO pulled out a doll and stroked it lovingly, as if petting a precious cat, then turned to Yu Ga-hye.
"By the way, what was that about a file?"
"Ah...."
"Did you do something shady? Like illegal stuff? With that Lee Sejin guy?"
Yu Ga-hye was at a loss for words. This woman is sharp in the weirdest places.
"I told you before. That guy has no hidden agenda."
"Y-yes, you did."
"Don't go suspecting a guy like that and doing something stupid. Mess up, and it could tarnish the company's image. And if our secret project gets exposed... our lives could be over. Got it?"
"Yes, understood."
With that, Yu Ga-hye resolved inwardly to keep the bugging a secret from the CEO.
"So, what shady thing did you do? What's this file business?"
"...It's nothing. I literally meant a report file. While traveling together, I... thoroughly observed Lee Sejin's actions. There were some suspicious parts, and..."
"Ah, so you basically stalked him. That's not a big deal, but still, be careful."
"Understood."
"Anyway, got it. Summarize those suspicions and hand them over."
"Yes. Then, if you'll excuse me."
She'd successfully dodged the CEO's suspicions for now. All that was left was to check the bug file alone and prepare a separate report for the CEO.
"Hold on."
Yu Ga-hye froze, about to leave the office.
"Secretary Yu, did you forget something?"
"Forget what...?"
"What else?"
She'd figured out about the bug after all? Asking indirectly without mentioning it outright. Scolding me not to do it while checking what I already did. So sly.
Should she bow and apologize? As Yu Ga-hye reached into her pocket for the bug—
"Hand it over quick~ Tokyo Banana~"
"...Pardon?"
Yu Ga-hye furrowed her brow slightly at Lee Sara's words.
"Tokyo Banana! Tokyo Banana! Didn't you buy any? I told you to get some on the way back!"
"Ah."
"You didn't forget, did you!?"
"Well, yes. I forgot."
"Waaah, that's too much, Secretary Yu! How could you forget that? I've been looking forward to it all week!"
Lee Sara started whining in a childish lisp. Watching her, Yu Ga-hye felt her energy drain completely.
Sigh. She's such a kid.
At the break room table. In front of Shin Soye, Im Haeun, and Park Minji, Cheon Bom sat with her head bowed obediently. A far cry from the attitude she'd given me earlier, boldly saying "You've arrived."
"...And that's what happened. I absolutely wasn't trying to do anything weird or stupid."
"Hmm."
Shin Soye nodded quietly after hearing Cheon Bom's report. Meanwhile, Im Haeun and Park Minji continued glaring daggers at her from the side. From this angle, Cheon Bom almost seemed a little pitiful.
"I heard you out. If it's work, nothing we can do about it."
Shin Soye wrapped things up and stood.
"Sejin, I'll go train with the girls then."
"Yeah. You just got back today, so take it easy and just loosen up."
"Got it. Let's go, Minji."
Pat pat pat. Shin Soye left, dragging Minji along. With only Cheon Bom and Im Haeun left, Haeun's glare sharpened even more. She'd held back with Soye around, but now it was her turn.
Before the mood turned any uglier, I spoke up first.
"Ahem. So, Forest Company requested a new song for their PV, and Cheon Bom took the offer? Haeun's singing it, so she wants to compose it perfectly from the start to match her image."
"Yes, it's a commission from them."
This was good news. Say what you will, she made great music. Last time, after tweaking with the girls, she'd boosted the title track's quality right away.
"Haeun, it's to up the song quality. Nothing to hate there, right?"
"...Yeah."
She paused, looking displeased, but that was Haeun-speak for okay if she didn't outright refuse.
"Great. We were planning to anyway... Hmm, how should we schedule it?"
"Nothing much, just a few recording sessions together. Probably three or four tracks."
"We should split them up."
"Doesn't matter. It's not just recording—I'll fine-tune the composition to her vocals, so we'll do about one track per session anyway, over multiple times."
"Got it. I'll set the schedule right away. When should we start...?"
I pulled out my phone to check the scheduler, and Cheon Bom jumped in.
"How about today?"
"Today?"
"Yes. That's why I came and waited. I even prepared a demo...."
She emphasized the last part indignantly and shot Im Haeun a sharp look. I'm here to work, so don't hassle me! Something like that.
"What?"
Haeun reacted instantly, scowling right back.
"Alright, let's head over."
Before they could fight, I stepped between them with my hand and stood first. Gesturing for them to follow, the two women obediently rose.
Whew, relief—they listen to me. I was scared they'd fight again.
She's just bristling from all the trash talk. Bom didn't come to fight anyway.
Once work starts, Haeun should chill out. They're not kids; they won't keep bickering.
"How is it?"
Thirty minutes later, in the company's makeshift recording studio. Cheon Bom finished the backing track on the keyboard and asked Im Haeun.
"How is it? Well... it's fine."
"Please tell me honestly what you feel."
"Even if you say that... I can't tell just from the intro. Just do what you think and I'll sing to it. My feelings aren't that important."
"No, you can't do that."
Cheon Bom shook her head.
"This time, we're composing from the ground up to fit your image. Your impressions and feelings are crucial. You need to check the intro and melody thoroughly."
"Really...?"
Im Haeun felt a bit embarrassed. Cheon Bom's sudden seriousness in work mode felt awkward, and she wondered if she'd come off too half-hearted.
"Play it once more."
"Understood."
Dong dong. Cheon Bom moved her fingers again, and the upbeat rhythm filled the room once more. She hummed along with the melody.
"La la, la la la~ la la~ la~ la la~"
It started light and pleasant, slipped into a subtle ominous undertone, then flipped back to highlight the brighter parts... Impressive demo that stuck in your ears after one listen.
"So, how is it?"
"Hmm... good."
"More?"
"Well... how do I put it? Yeah, cool."
Singing and analyzing theory were different beasts. Im Haeun poured her all into performing her songs but skimped on studies, so she lacked the words to express it.
"That's it?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Sigh."
"...Huh?"
Im Haeun bristled at Cheon Bom's little sigh, but Bom ignored it and placed her fingers back on the keys.
"One more time. Express your feelings more! Detailedly."
"Hey, wait, did you just sigh at me—"
"Focus."
Dong dong dong. "La~ la la~ la la la la~"
Cheon Bom ignored her and started playing again. Swept up in the momentum, Im Haeun shut her mouth. After another two minutes, Cheon Bom glared and spoke.
"Well?"
"Uh... cool. The harmony at the start was really good, the subtle ominous bit in the middle with the turnaround was fresh, and uh..."
"What kind of elementary school review is that?"
"Hey."
"Going again."
Cheon Bom nagged once and hammered the keys again, leaving no room for retort. Im Haeun had no choice but to focus on the song.
Cheon Bom tormented her like that for a while. Pressing for proper feedback, tweaking intro and melody after every comment, then asking again... After nearly three hours of this "torment"(?), Im Haeun started feeling worn out.
"Here."
"......."
After playing yet another adjusted demo—who knew how many—and asking for input, Im Haeun just glared silently this time. What do I say to get this woman off my back?
"Nothing more to say, I see."
Not quite. As Im Haeun hesitated for words, Cheon Bom continued.
"Fine. Write down your impressions by tomorrow and memorize the melody solidly."
"Wait, write impressions again—"
"Your feelings kept changing, so of course. Do you know how many times I adjusted the intro and melody because of you?"
Wait, my fault? As Im Haeun reeled in confusion, Cheon Bom pressed on.
"Anyway... For lyrics, we'll base it on the sample they gave first. I printed one copy, but I sent the concept and lyrics file to Lee Sejin, so check that. Memorize by tomorrow. My time's up; I'm out."
With that, Cheon Bom stood.
"No no, hey wait—"
"Save it for tomorrow. Have the lyrics, concept, and homework ready by then."
She left the studio without another word. Im Haeun stared blankly at the door, thinking.
That bitch—is she messing with me under the guise of work?
No, no... She's always proper about work... Probably just super dedicated...
Even so, getting picked on at work soured her mood. Fine, tomorrow it'd be payback. She'd nail the homework and shove it in her face.
Crunch.
Im Haeun gripped the paper tightly, vowing revenge.