Chapter 137
Chapter 137
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 137
Chapter Title: Once Again, Writer
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# 137
Once Again, Writer Chapter 137
Leader Hye-jeong subtly broached the subject.
What was funny was that Nam Hee-gyu, who had been dealing with the trainees, was also watching Woo Ji-hyun with gleaming eyes.
Woo Ji-hyun pretended not to notice their stares and opened his mouth.
“Not all the time, but occasionally. Why do you ask?”
“Uh, um. Well...”
Unlike when she first brought it up, Hye-jeong hesitated, glancing at Woo Ji-hyun’s reaction.
It was a sensitive topic, so she was clearly debating whether to say more.
That was when Su-ryun stepped in as backup.
“We were wondering if you’re close with Elder, maybe you could help set up a meeting.”
“A meeting?”
“Yeah, honestly, part of the reason we came out today is to ask for that favor.”
“Oh-ho. Is that so?”
It was news to him, so Woo Ji-hyun’s eyes lit up.
As he did, he glanced at Nam Hee-gyu.
Nam Hee-gyu naturally met his gaze and approached.
“You probably know since you’re friends, but Elder’s the reclusive type, right? He only takes calls from close people or folks from his own label. So our agency boss told us to ask you to put in a good word.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Of course, we’ll make it worth your while. We’re not that shameless.”
“But if it’s that hard to reach him, why through me? You’re in the same industry. A mutual connection should make contact easy enough.”
Woo Ji-hyun’s question was perfectly reasonable.
Curve Entertainment wasn’t some small fry—they had decent size and recognition as an agency.
The trainees seemed to agree, nodding vigorously in unison.
“To be honest, reaching out is possible. But setting up a meeting or getting a song? That’s another story. He’s better now, but back in the day, he barely met anyone. You had to go to his shows just to see Elder the rapper.”
“He’s a bit of a homebody shut-in, yeah.”
Not quite a total hermit, but Elder buried himself in work every day.
No one was as diligent about churning out tracks as him.
So Woo Ji-hyun nodded, convinced by Nam Hee-gyu’s explanation.
“That’s why we’re asking you to help make the connection. From what I hear, you come and go from his studio like it’s nothing.”
“I do.”
“Plus, he’s been working with other singers lately, so we thought maybe we could snag a track too. Feels like if not now, we might miss our shot.”
Nam Hee-gyu maintained his polite demeanor throughout.
From the first moment they met until now.
Woo Ji-hyun finally understood why.
At the same time, he could feel why Elder was called Korea’s rap star.
“Please, Oppa.”
“Me too!”
Following Nam Hee-gyu, A-jin and Si-ha gazed at Woo Ji-hyun pleadingly.
It was the kind of look and eyes that would melt any ordinary guy in an instant.
But Woo Ji-hyun was different.
Having met plenty of beauties, he wasn’t shaken by this.
“Even if you say that, there’s only so much I can do. We’re friends, but contracts are another matter. I can reach out anytime, but beyond that, I can’t promise.”
“I get that completely. I know how unreasonable it is to ask you to broker a deal. We just need you to soften the ground a bit.”
“Hmm.”
Nam Hee-gyu made his request again, ever polite.
His desperation shone through plainly.
As a manager for a girl group on the cusp of debut, the pressure and urgency were palpable.
Bzzz! Bzzz!
But then, the smartphone he’d set down beside him started vibrating wildly.
Five women’s faces lit up the screen brightly.
“Whoa? Isn’t that PriOs?”
Lee Jang-hu’s eyes widened at the sudden video call.
He rubbed them frantically.
Wondering if he’d seen wrong, he rubbed and checked the screen again.
But no—PriOs was definitely calling Woo Ji-hyun’s phone.
“What?”
“PriOs out of nowhere?”
“Look!”
“Whoaaa?!”
Woo Ji-hyun looked momentarily flustered as he reached for his phone.
But Lee Jang-hu was faster.
With lightning speed, he snatched it and showed the screen to the Tiramisu members and trainees.
“Whoa, it’s really PriOs sunbaenim...!”
“They’re video calling him! Wow!”
Exclamations erupted from all sides.
They all scrambled to get a peek at Woo Ji-hyun’s phone.
It was a rare chance—they wanted even one extra second.
“Hyung! Answer before it hangs up!”
“How am I supposed to when you won’t give me the phone?”
“Here you go!”
Lee Jang-hu held out the smartphone reverently with both hands, as if he’d never snatched it.
The other trainees were no different.
Tiramisu was a pre-debut girl group too, but PriOs was on another level.
Their fame and status were incomparable, so the trainees clung to Woo Ji-hyun’s sides.
“I wanna see too!”
“Me as well!”
Tiramisu and Nam Hee-gyu subtly joined in.
PriOs was the top girl group around—they figured they might as well show their faces now.
They sidled closer.
Finally, the Seoul Planning staff crept in too.
Having never met PriOs in person, they couldn’t pass up the chance, shuffling up behind Woo Ji-hyun with gooey steps.
Even under the female staff’s sharp glares.
-Oppa!
-Why’d you take so long to pick up!
But Woo Ji-hyun was oblivious to it all.
The sudden video call had all his attention.
“What’s with the random call?”
-Oh my. Can’t we just call whenever? Is that not allowed between us?
“Watch the controversial phrasing.”
Woo Ji-hyun let out a deep sigh.
Just two lines in, and he already felt drained.
He naturally angled the phone to show his surroundings to the PriOs members.
-Huh? Oppa, where are you? Why are there so many people around?
“Hello! We’re Tiramisu, debuting next month!”
“Nice to meet you, sunbaenim!”
Tiramisu bowed hastily as the PriOs members’ eyes swept the area, led by Ha Yu-seon.
Deep 90-degree bows, torsos nearly folding in half.
Nam Hee-gyu added a polite greeting to show proper respect.
-What? We’re dying recording and revising, and Oppa’s been hanging with a girl group debut team?
-We’re disappointed, Oppa!
-Weren’t we enough for you?
-Guys really are all about young and pretty, huh?
Woo Ji-hyun gave an incredulous look.
He hadn’t said a word, yet the PriOs members were jumping to conclusions and wrapping it up.
He shook his head.
“Done talking? Hanging up then.”
-Nooo!
-Come on, can’t you take a joke?
-So pointlessly cold, seriously?
One line from him, and three fired back—this unwinnable chat made his head throb.
Especially since he’d hoped for a breather when the call came.
“Get to the point quick. I’m busy till tomorrow morning.”
-Come to think of it, where are you? Can’t see much, but looks kinda remote.
Ha Yu-seon cautiously asked on behalf of the group when Woo Ji-hyun showed no sign of playing along.
The others fell silent.
His face screamed exhaustion to anyone looking.
“Ganghwa Island. Helping out some close hyungs by shooting promo footage.”
-As the lead writer?
“Not lead, just one of the crew.”
-Pfft, humble again. We know it’s more than that. But why’s a girl group debut team in promo footage?
“It’s blowing up even more because of you guys now?”
No sooner had Woo Ji-hyun finished than Lee Jang-hu led a roar from the trainees that shook the pension courtyard.
Full-throated cheers from male fans.
PriOs members responded with bright smiles.
-This is all we get.
-Please go back to that shy, awkward guy from before.
-That Oppa was way better!
Woo Ji-hyun clutched his head again.
Perfect misunderstanding fuel—the trainees and staff eyed him strangely.
Especially the trainees, whose stares burned hottest.
“Enough joking.”
-Got it. We need you to check the recordings. We’re all good on our end, but you might see it different. Give it a listen as our lyricist.
“It probably turned out fine on its own.”
-No slacking like that. Songs get tweaked endlessly till release—that’s how it works. So listen and call back. Alone, of course, ly-ri-cist-nim?
-Call right away! If unnie’s uncomfortable, use my phone!
Ha Yu-seon grinned, emphasizing “lyricist.”
Yoon Mi-rae piled on more prime misinterpretation bait, and Woo Ji-hyun rubbed his forehead again.
He didn’t need to turn to know the trainees’ stares.
“Lyricist?”
“Oppa Ji-hyun’s a lyricist too?”
“But I’ve never heard that name.”
Meanwhile, Tiramisu tilted their heads at Ha Yu-seon’s words.
Not debuted yet, but they already lived in the industry.
They knew the big-name composers and lyricists.
Yet Woo Ji-hyun’s name rang no bells.
-Don’t you think it’s time to go public? It’s not staying secret forever.
“If you all keep your mouths shut properly, it could last quite a while.”
-Even if you say that, it’s probably too late. Word’s spreading under the radar already. Sharp ones have guessed. If it was just one act, maybe, but it’ll come out soon, Oppa.
Ha Yu-seon said it seriously.
No matter how hard you hid, limits existed.
Better to come clean, she thought.
It wouldn’t change much anyway.
‘With Elder Oppa and our agency behind him.’
From the Bini collab on, Woo Ji-hyun wasn’t an outsider to Apple Entertainment.
The agency might see him that way, but not her or PriOs.
If anyone targeted him, they’d step up.
Elder or Lee Woo-hyung would first, of course.
“If you stay quiet, it’d be fine.”
-We want it hidden as much as you. They don’t know, but I wanna stick with you long-term. Don’t just favor Elder Oppa and Bini—look after me too.
-Same here!
-Unnies got this round, so next one’s mine!