Chapter 205
Chapter 205
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: TMI and Top Star Secrets
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I walked into the CEO's office.
“Yo! Bro!”
After a week in the States, the CEO’s tongue and body were as limp as an octopus.
“Welcome back, Daepyo-nim. You worked hard.”
“You bet.”
“Did Yoo-ah get home safe?”
“Aren’t you even gonna ask if your hyung made it back in one piece?”
He was standing right in front of me, perfectly fine.
“You look more than fine. In fact, you look so energized it’s like you sucked the life out of America before coming back.”
“Don’t even get me started. Do you have any idea how much I suffered? I nearly lost my damn asshole in the airplane bathroom. Min-jun, you’ve never flushed an airplane toilet while sitting on it, have you?”
“Ugh! Why are you telling such a disgusting story?”
Just as I thought. He was just setting the stage for whatever he wanted to talk about.
“First, a q-q-quiz! Does the waste from an airplane toilet collect in a septic tank, or not?”
“Doesn’t it just scatter into particles as it flies?”
“Wrong! Airplanes have waste storage compartments. I knew that, so I just went ahead and flushed while sitting down. But then—WHOOSH!—the toilet started sucking everything around it with incredible pressure. Wow, I seriously thought my asshole was going to get sucked out.”
“Pfft. Ahaha!”
Director Lee, who had been twitching her face, finally burst out laughing.
“Wow, Director Lee. So this is your sense of humor?”
The Director’s expression instantly hardened as she looked at the CEO.
“Anyway, after I was done, I tried to leave, but the door wouldn’t open. The announcement said we were beginning our descent, and the door wouldn’t open. Can you imagine the panic? I was banging on the door, shouting, ‘Someone’s in here!’ putting on a real show. The flight attendants came, Yoo-ah came. Turns out I was supposed to pull the door, but I was pushing it. Man, the flight attendants and I were pushing from opposite sides until the damn door lifted off its hinges and fell off. Seriously.”
“Pffft.”
The Director once again held back her laughter.
“When I release my new song, I’m gonna go on Audio Star and tell this story.”
…I recommend you don’t, Daepyo-nim.
“Oppa, why do you always create so much trouble whenever you go anywhere?”
“I didn’t know this before, but I think it might be a panic disorder. You know how my brain usually works fast, right? It just stops. The moment I panic, I become a total idiot.”
Director Lee shook her head from side to side.
“That’s not all. On the flight back to Korea, I had diarrhea again, and they told me to hurry up because we were starting our landing sequence.”
“Stop, stop. Save stories like that for when you’re on a broadcast later. We need to make a decision. Earl Grey is waiting.”
Once again, it was Director Lee who managed to stop Park Jae-yong’s rambling.
“Right, right. They start training today?”
“Yes. We plan to start with strength training and dance practice.”
“No vocal practice?”
“No. We’re going to stick with their rock vocals as they are.”
“A band that dances while shouting? Just imagining it is cool. But can the kids even shout?”
“I confirmed they can hit an E5 during their last event.”
“That’s our Min-jun. You know just by listening. That’s more than decent.”
An E5 was indeed a very high note, but through training, I planned to make them add a thrilling edge to their mind-blowing performances.
“And what about Yoo-kyung and her brother?”
“Let’s have them live in Answer’s dorm. It’s too hard to leave the kids on their own.”
The CEO made his decision immediately, as if he’d already thought it through.
“You say it’s too hard to leave them on their own, but Answer is so busy they’ll barely be home except to sleep. You want to leave those two kids there by themselves?”
“Ah! Is that so?”
The Director let out a deep sigh.
“The press releases have all gone out. How are you going to handle their care now? Reporters from all over will be asking for follow-up stories soon.”
Hearing the Director’s words, I realized this was no small matter.
“You always start things, and I always have to clean up the mess.”
“…You have a plan! Right?”
“Haa. I’ll take them to my house.”
“Huh?”
Both the CEO and I were startled.
“My dad is retired, so he should be able to handle taking them to and from school and preparing their meals.”
“Ahh! Of course. Our Director Lee, with a heart and beauty of an angel.”
“I’m not doing it for free. I won’t charge for the room, but my father’s labor costs and their food expenses will be processed as company expenses.”
“Of course, that’s only fair. Thank you, Sun.”
“It must be a huge inconvenience for you, Isa-nim.”
“No, it’s not. I’ve already spoken with my father. He said he feels like he’s getting old just sitting around doing nothing.”
“Right, right. A person has to work to stay youn….”
The CEO abruptly clamped his mouth shut and avoided the Director’s gaze.
“We’ll need to get permission from Yoo-kyung’s mother, right?”
“Actually, that’s another reason why it has to be my house.”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“From a mother’s perspective, would she be able to entrust her children to just anyone?”
“Ah, I see. And there’s probably no one who doesn’t know who Director Lee is. But do you know where she is?”
“She’s in prison. I’m going to visit her with the children to get her permission.”
“Wow. Thorough, so thorough. The two pillars of our JD Enter.”
* * *
“Brrrrrrrrr.”
“Eeee-hee-hee-hee.”
“This song feels a little shaky. It’s pretty much at the limit of my range.”
Sung-hoon hyung said nervously as he warmed up his mouth and throat. As expected, his stress was nearing dangerous levels.
“Don’t worry. You’ve got me.”
“…You’re getting way too cheeky these days. You’re starting to get annoying.”
“Alright. Next time, I’ll send Team Leader Lee instead.”
“Just kiddiiing! Kidding! You know I adore you.”
“I’m not interested in affection from men.”
“Hmm… Don’t you dislike affection from women, too?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“A rumor’s been going around the industry that you don’t like women.”
Sung-hoon hyung’s gaze playfully swept toward my butt. Now that’s a strangely unpleasant rumor.
“So, are you saying you’re into me, Hyung?”
“Ack! I’m strictly into women. Don’t you dare spread weird rumors.”
“You’re the one spreading weird rumors about me. I just keep my professional and personal life separate.”
“Hey, I’m only telling you this because it’s you, but did you know a rumor went around a long time ago that I was gay?”
“Come to think of it, I think I remember hearing something like that.”
All traces of worry vanished from Sung-hoon hyung’s face, replaced by a sly grin.
“The funniest part is, the day after the gay rumor started, all the girls who were kind of popular started trying to flirt with me. Can you believe that?”
“Why? Why would they hit on a gay guy?”
“That’s what I’m saying! They must have some kind of fantasy about gay men. Wanna hear something even funnier? I got caught a few times with the girl I was dating back then, you know?”
Sung-hoon hyung paused for dramatic effect. I was a little curious.
“And?”
“…Part two after the performance.”
“We still have plenty of time.”
“I have to warm up my throat. Brrrrrrrrr!”
“…”
If he wasn’t my hyung, I would’ve just.
Sung-hoon hyung took the stage at the Warm Spring Day Music Festival, hosted by the city of Incheon.
[Star Maker Activated.]
[You and Kim Sung-hoon are now synchronized.]
On stage, Sung-hoon hyung was singing his heart out. Synchronized with my system, his condition was at its absolute peak.
♪♬
Take all your love with you
I’ve forgotten now, ahh!
♪♬
I let out a dry laugh, seeing the same man who was just drowning in worry about whether he could even finish the song now belting out ad-lib shouts.
But the audience and staff, unaware of the truth, erupted in cheers and applause, completely in awe.
“Haa. Hah. That was tough.”
Sung-hoon hyung came off stage, feigning exhaustion.
“That was a 35 million won gig for two songs.”
“Haha! My value has gone up even more.”
Sung-hoon hyung laughed, acting smug.
“You only have a few years left. Rake it in while you can.”
“You and your mouth. Did you not see the crowd’s cheers for me?”
Sung-hoon hyung looked to the sky and spread his arms wide. If anyone saw him now, they’d think he was deliberately trying to ruin his image.
When scheduling for Sung-hoon hyung, I divided his appearances by importance, ensuring I accompanied him to the ones where he needed to be in top condition.
As a result, his positive exposure had increased his appearance fee by another 5 million won, even though he was now in his thirties.
“Phew. At least we have a free evening today. How about a drink for the first time in a week? It’s been a while for you too, right?”
“Hyung, you have one more schedule today. A fan signing event.”
Sung-hoon hyung’s excited face morphed into a mixture of disbelief and disappointment at my words.
“What!? You never said anything about that!”
“It was scheduled last week. I forgot to tell you.”
“Hey, you crazy bastard! Are you completely insane for money?”
“It’s not like I’m the only one making money. And you’re the biggest beneficiary, with your appearance fees and your shares going up.”
“Haha! This is crazy! He’s so money-crazed he’s going to work me to death!”
“Hyung. No one’s going to be looking for you when you get old.”
At my words, Sung-hoon hyung started cackling like a madman.
“Treating me like an old man, what the hell. Hehehe.”
“You were lucky to meet me. You think so too, honestly, right?”
“Hehehe. Yeah. Hehehe.”
“And it’s a fan signing for a luxury cosmetics brand launching in a department store. The money is good, but it’s symbolic, you know?”
“Haaaah.”
“Hyung, if you keep this up, you could even become their CF model.”
No matter how much the world changed, the top-tier endorsement for a celebrity was still in cosmetics.
You could show off your good looks without overexposing your image, and a long-term contract meant that sales were consistently good thanks to the model. It was a Tier 1 endorsement that offered both hope and expectation.
“Tsk. Let’s go. What choice do I have? If Chairman Min-jun commands it, I must obey.”
A small smile escaped my lips at Sung-hoon hyung’s words.
“Seriously, if you do well, you might actually get an endorsement deal.”
“Yeah, whatever, whatever. I already said I’m going, so what’s the point.”
Despite his words, his face showed a hint of anticipation.
“…”
Sung-hoon hyung kept looking at me through the rearview mirror.
“What is it? Something else you want to say?”
“Aren’t you curious about part two?”
“Part two of what?”
“What I was talking about earlier. The psychology of women who want to date gay men?”
“Is that all?”
He was clearly dying to tell me, so there was no need for me to ask first. I focused on driving, acting completely uninterested.
“You tough bastard. I know you’re dying to hear it. I’ll do you the favor.”
I knew it.
“Where was I? Right. After the rumor spread that I was gay, paparazzi photos of me came out a few times. Do you know what the reaction was?”
“…”
As I stayed silent, Sung-hoon hyung’s chatter began.
“‘He’s 100% gay. He’s just pretending to be straight.’ ‘They’re not even dating, it’s a planned photoshoot.’… They said I was acting to hide the fact that I was gay. That I conspired with my close female friends to do it on purpose.”
When I let out a faint smile, Sung-hoon hyung got excited and started talking again.
“On the other hand, when I went to the movies with a close male friend, they were like, ‘See, he really is gay.’ And then rumors would spread like, ‘I went to the movies and the gay couple, Kim Sung-hoon and his boyfriend, were kissing in the front row.’”
“Hmm.”
“It was just ridiculous. People only see what they want to see. Thanks to that, I dated without getting caught in any scandals.”
“That’s interesting.”
“Right? Hilarious, isn’t it?”
Sung-hoon hyung chuckled, reminiscing about the past.
Come to think of it, even though Sung-hoon hyung disliked CEO Park Jae-yong’s tendency to overshare, he was starting to resemble him. Little by little, without even realizing it himself.
We arrived at the fan signing event.
With his hair styled in a 7:3 pomade part and wearing a dark gray turtleneck under a slim-fit black suit, Sung-hoon hyung swung his arms back and forth, the solid line of his chest naturally visible through the suit.
“A man’s all about his pecs, right?”
I felt the urge to show off my own body, but the memory of getting caught by the Director while competing with Yoo-jun over our abs in the office made me chuckle instead.
“You brat. There’s at least one thing I’m better at than you, right?”
“Pfft! Don’t be ridiculous and get out there. It’s time.”
Sung-hoon hyung’s expression completely changed, becoming as chic and distant as ever, a world away from how he was with me.
“Kyaaah!”
“Sung-hoon oppa!”
“Sung-hoon, your noona is here!”
Sung-hoon hyung flashed a plausible, relaxed smile and waved gracefully. He was no longer the chatty Sung-hoon hyung, but the top star, Kim Sung-hoon.
This was Sung-hoon hyung’s third schedule just for today. A total of 120 million won. And tomorrow, his schedule would run from dawn until a shoot the following dawn, for 350 million won.
Work through the night and then get a full day’s rest. As promised, I had planned a 5-day work week for him. Though it felt more like a 6-day week.
Let’s work hard and move our office to a better place soon. A place with a gym, proper vocal training rooms, a large dance floor, and even a cafeteria.