Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: 5Creating the First Song
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10 minutes later.
We arrived at the Hwayi Entertainment building.
It was in the same Gangnam District, but quite a distance from Lemon Entertainment.
An alley filled with similar-looking buildings.
Unlike our company, which looked like a regular villa, the Hwayi Entertainment headquarters stood out at first glance.
“Wow.”
The maknae marveled, and Ri-hyuk nodded.
“I told you, right? It looks impressive from the outside.”
It felt like what a cutting-edge IT company from a Hollywood movie might look like if they opened a branch in Korea.
The building had clean white walls.
But the awe we felt outside turned into shock the moment we stepped inside.
What was with this eerie atmosphere?
It reminded me of an old building I’d seen in downtown Gunsan back in elementary school.
There was something unsettling about it.
Sugarfish and Girls on Top must have made a ton of money for them, so where the hell did all that cash go?
“I’m heading to the office. Want to come with?”
We all waved off Manager Yoon Seok-hwan’s question.
It was intimidating enough just being at someone else’s company—let alone near the staff.
He chuckled.
“Alright. Go on up first. Jang So-won said to wait in the studio on the third floor; she’ll be a bit late.”
“How late?”
“No idea. She had a schedule until dawn and is on her way now.”
We nodded and headed for the stairs.
Yoon Seok-hwan, standing by the elevator, tilted his head at us.
“Not taking the elevator?”
“Something about it just feels like we shouldn’t.”
“Whatever works for you. Text me when you’re done. I’ll come pick you up.”
It wasn’t that we couldn’t take the elevator.
It just felt like we shouldn’t.
And it wasn’t just me—the others felt the same.
Call it the shared wariness of trainees. Like a new recruit hesitating to use the base facilities.
The five of us timid types climbed the stairs to the third floor.
A quiet hallway.
We poked our heads out and whispered like we were planning a strategy meeting.
“Hey, where did he say to wait again?”
“The studio.”
“There’s gotta be more than one studio.”
About seven doors.
And none had windows, making it awkward to check if anyone was inside.
“Should we ask the manager, hyung?”
“Yeah.”
I nodded at Bi-ju’s suggestion, only to find the members staring at me expectantly.
“What? You want me to ask?”
Nods all around.
Must be the lingering memory of me being the only guy who could.
“You’re close with the manager, hyung. You even use casual speech.”
“Yeah.”
“Fine, you guys.”
I shook my head and texted Seok-hwan hyung.
While waiting for a reply, we just stood quietly by the elevator.
No response—probably in a meeting.
Then, the most appealing-looking door in the hallway creaked open.
Click—
Our first reaction was admiration.
Doll-like girls with delicate features.
Each dressed in their own unique style.
No need for introductions—we knew who they were.
Girls on Top.
Seeing the faces from TV in person felt surreal, like, ‘They look exactly like on TV.’
No aura or anything.
Just strangely fascinating?
“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”
“The manager oppa says the schedule’s backed up—hurry down!”
“Why’s he rushing us like this?”
They’d been chattering tiredly among themselves, faces worn from recording, but they fell silent.
They’d spotted us.
Eyes met, and we all froze awkwardly.
“…….”
We could hear them murmuring: ‘What?’, ‘Who are they?’
Wary of strangers.
We’d missed our chance to greet our sunbaes and were fumbling when one stepped forward.
“Excuse me.”
A member with snow-white skin, like a shoujo manga protagonist.
Joo Ha-na.
The visual who’d made my army buddies scream whenever she appeared on TV.
Her voice was higher-pitched in person.
“Haven’t seen you around. Who are you?”
“Ah, hello.”
I bowed politely, and the others chimed in with hellos.
We’d run into them after debuting anyway.
Might as well make a good first impression, so we smiled.
“We’re here to work on a song with sunbae Jang So-won.”
Awkward hellos came from their side too.
“Oh, singers? You look like rookies. Debuted already?”
“We haven’t debuted yet.”
“……Pardon?”
“We’re still trainees—”
“Oh. Got it.”
Joo Ha-na looked exasperated.
“Trainees?”
In that instant, their cautious vibe vanished.
Faces like ‘Why’d we even bother greeting them?’
I felt bad for the dongsaengs struggling to keep straight faces.
Me? My mentality took no damage.
Just a bitter taste of the industry’s hierarchy in action.
Joo Ha-na brushed back her hair and nodded curtly.
“Well… good luck, then.”
With that, she walked past like there was nothing more to say.
The rest followed in a pack.
Like a lion pride trailing their leader. But one lingered.
What was her name again?
No clue.
The Girls on Top member who stayed ignored us completely, her gaze locked on Wang Ji-ho.
But something was off.
Her eyes burned with hostility.
“Hey. Wang Ji-ho.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t you greet sunbaes first?”
“Sunbae?”
Ji-ho tilted his head.
“Why are you a sunbae? We’re the same grade.”
“In this world, I’m the sunbae.”
The prickly member scanned us over. Then she opened her mouth in a thorny tone.
Well, she was about to.
From afar, by the elevator, other Girls on Top members called out.
“Gil Chae-kyung! You coming or not?”
“Unnie, I—”
“Hey, manager oppa’s freaking out—hurry!”
Gil Chae-kyung sighed deeply, glared at Ji-ho with a ‘we’ll talk later’ look, and walked off.
Shoving his shoulder as she passed.
After she got in last, the elevator doors closed far down the hall.
Heading from the third floor straight to the first.
While that elevator we hadn’t taken descended, a text came from Manager Yoon Seok-hwan.
-The last room in the hallway.
Perfect timing, Seok-hwan-ssi.
Watching it all, I recalled what just happened. Then I looked at the dongsaengs with sour faces.
They all looked back.
After agonizing over what to say, I found the right words.
“Let’s not be like that.”
They nodded silently.
* * *
The last room in the hallway.
A recording studio that also served as a workspace, basically a storage closet. Equipment piled against the walls.
Squeezed onto the narrow sofa, Bi-ju spoke up.
“Are we waiting here? Or working here?”
“Waiting, obviously.”
Jung-hyun munched on snacks.
“No way we’re working here.”
“Hyung, you’ve got an appetite in this situation?”
“What’s there to stress about? Shit happens. That’s life.”
Ever laid-back, Jung-hyun offered snacks to Ri-hyuk.
“Here, have one.”
The guy who’d normally refuse grabbed it and chewed.
Stress maxed out, apparently.
Meanwhile, I watched the maknae silently playing a mobile game.
“Ji-ho.”
“Yeah?”
“About Gil Chae-kyung earlier.”
His finger slipped, and the game character fell off a ladder.
GAME OVER.
He hit restart, eyes on the screen.
“What about her?”
“She was kinda harsh on you. What’s the deal between you two?”
“We go to the same school.”
“Didn’t seem like just schoolmates.”
“…….”
Another GAME OVER. Ji-ho spoke.
“This is kinda black history…….”
“It’s fine.”
“Why’re you fine with it, hyung? I’m not.”
His snippy tone was unusual, so I said,
“Don’t wanna talk? No pressure.”
“She confessed to me back in the day.”
The mood suddenly turned confession-story mode.
The sulky, wronged vibes evaporated; the hyungs looked intrigued.
Ji-ho quit the game.
“We were in the same class in elementary school. Houses nearby, hung out a lot. Think it was fifth grade. On the way home from karaoke, she confessed.”
“And?”
“I rejected her hard.”
“…….”
“Ever since, she picks fights every time we meet. Sneaks up when no one’s around at school too. Seriously…….”
So that’s the backstory.
But turning enemies over one rejection? Weird personality. Then it hit me.
Wait.
Something’s missing.
“Hang on. How exactly did you reject her?”
The maknae looked guilty.
“Uh, well…… that…….”
“What did you say, exactly?”
“I was a kid, no manners back then.”
“You didn’t say anything harsh, right?”
“……Told her she was ugly.”
Bi-ju sighed. Ri-hyuk clicked his tongue beside him. Jung-hyun stopped snacking and sighed.
“Thought she was harsh earlier, but yeah, you earned it.”
“Why’d you do that?”
“I’d bow and apologize even now.”
Under the hyungs’ scolding, the maknae flailed his hands.
“No, her personality bugged me. Five minutes and you’d get it. Constant texts asking what I’m doing, annoying. Gives food but says crap like, ‘Bet you don’t eat this at home,’ all smug.”
“That’s totally you.”
“Right? What’s this called, Woojoo hyung?”
“Tribal hatred.”
The members snickered at my answer; the maknae looked wronged.
I said gently,
“But you went too far.”
“No…….”
“Apologize next time you see her.”
“Dunno. Tried saying sorry, but she ignored me, went on a diet, joined a girl group. Apologizing now would be lame.”
“Still, say it. Got it?”
“……Yeah. If I get the chance.”
I smiled at the nodding maknae.
Kids these days.
He still seems immature now—what was elementary Ji-ho like? Dizzying.
But weird.
I don’t remember crushes in elementary.
Kids nowadays start early with that… what’s it called?
That tingly, shy thing between boys and girls, not quite dating.
Eh, it’ll come to me.
We’d been chatting away when, after a solid 40 minutes, the star arrived.
Hair whipping as she entered.
Sharp eyes under which a charming smile greeted us.
“Hello!”
We all stood.
“Hello, sunbae-nim.”
“Why stand?”
Jang So-won flashed a bright smile and gestured.
“Sit, sit.”
“Yes.”
“Sorry, kept you waiting forever? Ate breakfast?”
“Yes. You, sunbae?”
“Just finished schedules—no time. I skip breakfast anyway.”
She shrugged off her wine-colored coat and looked us over.
“I’m having coffee. What about you?”
The dongsaengs’ heads swiveled to me. Eyes asking if it’s okay since she’s offering.
I nodded OK; Jang So-won laughed amusedly.
“Wow, the leader’s got you all on a tight leash?”
“Not like that.”
(You guys got chewed out this morning for no manners.)
Jang So-won called.
“Hello? Yeah, it’s me, Kyu-hyun-ssi. Still at the company? Sorry, can you grab some coffee?”
She looked at us to order.
One cocoa, two Americanos.
And a large iced caramel macchiato with whipped cream.
“Why, hyung?”
“……Nothing.”
Soon, a guy in a hoodie—probably her manager—brought a coffee box.
Sipping coffee thawed the mood.
Jang So-won pulled a laptop from her bag and hooked it up to the studio gear.
“We working here?”
“Yeah.”
Casual as ever.
“Pretty cramped, huh?”
“No.”
“Good rooms are all taken. Well…….”
She trailed off, but the intent was clear.
Treatment for unpopular artists at the company.
If it were Girls on Top, they’d probably clear out an occupied studio.
“Wanna hear this first?”
She clicked a desktop folder, then a file labeled [Main Theme Ver.1].
“A melody I’ve been working on for days. Wanted you to hear it before we start.”
Melodies come in two types.
The main theme we call backing track, and the top line of vocal melody.
Hers was the main theme.
Bright and light.
Could seem like simple notes, but from the opening, I felt something special.
Chills rose from my toes.
Even the hairs in my ears stood up.
The others looked neutral or focused—no same reaction.
Oh my god.
I rubbed my goosebump-covered arms, mouth agape.
This is seriously huge?
Like a miner striking gold in the dark.