Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Again, Writer 143
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Cha Woo-young gave up surprisingly cleanly, and Woo Ji-hyun's expression eased as well.
Though the decision was his to make, rejecting the offer still carried some burden.
Yet Cha Woo-young responded with a smile that never wavered.
“The president saw the lyrics for 'Hot Night' and gave me direct instructions. He originally wanted to come himself, but he had a prior commitment, so I had to come alone.”
“And that instruction was...?”
“Exactly. The president said it would be great if Writer Woo Ji-hyun could take on one more song for the girls. He told me to promise the best possible contract terms, of course.”
“......”
Woo Ji-hyun's face stiffened.
The proposal was exactly as he'd anticipated, freezing his features on instinct.
Park Eun-su, Ha Yu-seon, and Yoon Mi-rae all glanced at him cautiously.
After all, they were the ones who'd initially asked him to handle just one song.
“And I'd like to ask you myself.”
“That's different from what you said at first.”
“I figured that's why Team Leader Park had a hard time bringing it up. I felt the same way. But your lyrics were so good that we couldn't help getting greedy. Of course, this is absolutely not pressure—just a request.”
Cha Woo-young continued in a polite tone.
As if to emphasize it wasn't any kind of demand.
Yet with someone so much older approaching him so courteously, Woo Ji-hyun couldn't bring himself to refuse bluntly.
In a way, it was a case of reaping what he'd sown.
‘If I'd half-assed it, this wouldn't have happened—but half-assing things isn't my style anyway.’
Woo Ji-hyun closed his eyes and let out a sigh.
He belatedly realized that even doing good work came with its problems.
“I'm asking too.”
“We as well.”
“Should we grab some tasty food first? There's a great bakery near the office.”
The heavy silence settled in, and Park Eun-su, Ha Yu-seon, and Yoon Mi-rae chimed in carefully.
They were the ones who wanted it, after all, so they spoke up first.
“This is a tricky situation.”
“You can take it as proof of how outstanding Writer Woo Ji-hyun's skills are—that we're asking like this.”
“Since we've started, we should see it through properly. But this really is the last time.”
“Of course!”
Cha Woo-young's face lit up.
He'd pretended to be calm, but inside, he'd been anxious about a possible rejection.
Now that Woo Ji-hyun had agreed, those worries melted away.
“I won't forget this favor.”
“Favor's a strong word. Just make sure the treatment is top-notch.”
“Naturally.”
Park Eun-su's face brightened too.
She could finally let go of a massive weight.
But Woo Ji-hyun's mind was still complicated.
Apple Entertainment was settled, but one other matter lingered.
‘This has gotten too big.’
He'd succeeded as a novelist and was thriving as a lyricist, but Woo Ji-hyun never forgot his core identity.
He was a writer who needed to write novels, above all.
The ripple effects from what started as a lark were growing, weighing on him—yet deep down, he'd made a decision.
For the time being, he'd focus solely on actual writing.
* * *
Sitting at his monitor, Woo Ji-hyun hammered away at the keyboard, immersed purely in his writing for the first time in ages.
And it felt incredible.
Fan signings and recognition as a lyricist were great, but nothing beat pounding out words on the keys.
Woo Ji-hyun felt that truth anew.
“Writing really is my true calling.”
Frequent outings had slowed his pace to half its usual speed, but he planned to make up for it by writing even harder.
A day wasted meant writing that much more later.
Still, he had no intention of overdoing it to the point of harming his health.
Experience had taught him that good writing required a healthy body and mind.
Bzzzzt!
Deep in a typing frenzy, his smartphone vibrated.
Not a call—just one buzz, then silence. Woo Ji-hyun reached for it to wet his throat and take a break.
“A promo video's up. Wonder if they went with short teaser-style clips like in my past life?”
He checked the FaceNote notification and muttered to himself.
With the future altered, the promo approach might have changed too.
The writers' participation alone was a huge shift.
The original promo had featured only the five girls.
“Let's see.”
It was a promo where he'd appeared himself—not as a third party—so Woo Ji-hyun paused his work and sat up straight.
He leaned back in his chair, ready to properly enjoy it.
“First up is Hye-jeong, as expected.”
Soft classical melody played as Tiramisu's leader and eldest, Hye-jeong, appeared with a bright smile.
Short hot pants and a baggy white short-sleeved tee—her killer figure and proportions gave off total model vibes.
Touching play on the promo pulled him right in.
“Great videography.”
The visuals subtly hooked male viewers, and Woo Ji-hyun nodded approvingly.
He'd worried the cinematographer might be too skinny for the physical demands, but the video proved his concern unfounded.
One nitpick: Hye-jeong's part used slow-motion for stunning edits, while the other members and writers flashed by quickly.
Meant to build curiosity, sure—but over 40 seconds of a 1-minute video on Hye-jeong felt a bit much.
“No, I should be grateful for even a few seconds.”
Handsome guys might have worked, but five average-looking writers? No visual pop there.
Even top-notch filming had limits.
Photos allowed post-processing, but video? Not so much.
So Woo Ji-hyun skimmed the tags for his fellow writers and closed FaceNote.
“They said it'd go on WittyTV and InstaGram too—hope it gets some buzz. Even if Naver and Kakao Page are out of reach, it should blow past Ready Books easy.”
Ideally, it'd catch Joara and Munpia, expanding the market pie—but that was near impossible without massive capital backing like Naver or Kakao Page.
Small outfits didn't scale easy.
Heck, matching Munpia or Joara's users and revenue would be a mega-hit.
“Things are better than my last life, so results should impress.”
Recalling his two hyungs subtly probing his contract status at the afterparty, Woo Ji-hyun grinned.
Bringing up deals even drunk? They were full pros now.
And he wasn't the only one they'd tested.
His juniors were making their marks too, so the hyungs kept them on radar.
“Hope it keeps flowing smoothly like this.”
Woo Ji-hyun's gaze darkened.
Nam Hee-gyu had finally called yesterday.
But after meeting Cha Woo-young, he'd solidified his resolve.
Sorry to Nam Hee-gyu and Tiramisu, but for now—focus on writing.
Bzzz! Bzzzz!
His thoughts halted as the phone rang suddenly.
Unknown number, so Woo Ji-hyun ignored it.
Loan offers and credit card pitches flooded in endlessly; he avoided unfamiliar callers.
Bzzz! Bzzz!
“What the hell?”
Ignoring the vibrations, he kept working—until the persistence annoyed him.
One or two no-shows should end it, but they kept calling. Irritated, Woo Ji-hyun picked up, his tone laced with annoyance.
“Hello?”
-Ah, were you working? You didn't pick up even after a while.
“Normally, if someone doesn't answer, you call back later. Isn't that etiquette?”
-Of course. But our situation's urgent. I really wanted to speak with Mr. Cain ASAP.
Woo Ji-hyun's eyebrow twitched.
Cain's mention screamed entertainment industry—specifically, an agency.
He pondered who'd leaked his number.
“Who is this?”
-Ah, sorry for the late intro! I'm Park Woo-kyung, team leader at Sunrise Entertainment. Know Rubis by any chance?
Contrary to the question, pride thickened Park Woo-kyung's voice.
Rubis had propelled their mid-tier agency to mid-major status.
Not absolute top-tier, but brushing elite girl group territory.
Their last mini-album bombed hard, dampening momentum—but Rubis had untapped potential.
“I know them.”
-That's the group under our Sunrise Entertainment.
“I see.”
They'd debuted pure and innocent, skyrocketing to fame—then crashed with a botched sexy concept.
But setting that aside, Woo Ji-hyun had zero interest in Rubis.
He'd already worked with girl groups a few times.
His voice came out flat.
-I'm calling Mr. Cain to ask you to write lyrics for Rubis's next album.
“Sorry, but I'll pass.”
-The terms can match whatever you want, as much as poss—wait, what?
Park Woo-kyung, mid-flow, faltered in surprise.
Such firm rejection? He hadn't even considered it.
“I'm not planning to write lyrics for a while.”
-No, why? Your stock's skyrocketing—ride the wave!
“Personal reasons. Hanging up now.”
-Wait!
As he went to end the call, the voice shifted.
From smooth to a low, heavy tone.
-Our offer isn't over yet. Hear us out a bit more.
“Nothing more to say.”
-Tut, why so stingy? A few more minutes won't kill you.
A slimy voice slithered through the speaker.
The vibe? Like he knew Woo Ji-hyun's psyche inside out.
-Let's be frank. What do you want? How much? Speak freely—I'm all ears.