Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Pressure from the President
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# 144
Again, Writer Chapter 144
As if worried that Woo Ji-hyun might hang up without a word, the man who had been maintaining his oily demeanor hurriedly continued speaking.
He wasn't giving him any chance to end the call.
But he had misread the situation.
"That's not it."
-No, then why won't you do it? With this great response, it's a chance to skyrocket as a lyricist! You must not know because you're new, but there's no guarantee another opportunity like this will come again. This could be the first and last. So you need to ride the wave and make the most of it. It's the right time and place. Do you know what 'right time and place' means? You've mounted the tiger's back, so you might as well roar loud enough to shake the mountains and rivers, don't you think?
In his urgency, the man was spewing words without pause.
Without even revealing who he was.
At that, Woo Ji-hyun let out a sigh.
"Let me say it again: I have no intention or desire to do that. And from now on, I'd appreciate it if you didn't contact me like this."
-You're still young, huh. You don't know the ways of the world at all. I'm saying it's best to go along nicely.
"...What do you mean?"
Finally sensing the sincerity in Woo Ji-hyun's firm voice, the man's tone changed.
His pitch shifted subtly as well.
-I acknowledge your success as a lyricist. Your talent is impressive too. But you seem naive about the world. I'm telling you, the era where skill alone leads to success is over. Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Kim Man-sik. The founder of Sunrise Entertainment.
Arrogance dripped from his voice.
Along with a sharp edge.
It felt like touching it would slice you.
"You're the president."
-That's right. So let me give you some advice. It's good to have confidence in your skills, but excess is never good. A jagged stone gets hammered down, after all.
"What you're saying sounds like a threat to me."
-No, it's advice and guidance from a senior to a junior. For your information, even if you're recording this, it won't be much use—I guarantee it.
Woo Ji-hyun flinched for a moment.
He had started recording the moment the call connected, just in case.
-You're silent, so you must really be recording. Surprisingly thorough, aren't you? I heard you're the same age as Elder. Well, eccentrics are a bit peculiar. Of course, most of them shine once and fade away.
"Are you saying you'll block my path with Sunrise Entertainment's power?"
-As if. Why would I block the path of a talented junior like you? I'm just warning you—advising you—that continuing like this will make it hard to survive in the music industry, let alone the entertainment world. That's something a senior can do.
Woo Ji-hyun chuckled inwardly.
He wasn't fooled by the attempt to pull the wool over his eyes.
But it was also novel.
It was his first time experiencing something like this.
'The entertainment industry is dirty, they say, but I never thought I'd run into this myself.'
Woo Ji-hyun gave a wry smile.
If his real job wasn't novelist but lyricist—and a rookie who luckily hit it big right away—what would it have been like?
He probably would have panicked and let his imagination run wild.
'But fortunately, I'm not some "absolute underdog." If anything, I'm closer to the top dog.'
An ordinary rookie lyricist would have been intimidated by Kim Man-sik's bluster.
But Woo Ji-hyun wasn't your typical rookie lyricist.
And he had no intention of sticking around in the music industry long-term.
He hadn't written the lyrics with the mindset of debuting or succeeding as a lyricist in the first place.
"I've heard your warn-ing. But my mind hasn't changed."
-Ignoring a senior's heartfelt advice. You'll regret it someday.
"Maybe. But I'll deal with that if it comes. Goodbye."
Click.
Woo Ji-hyun ended the call without hesitation.
He had no need—or desire—to hear more of Kim Man-sik's unpleasant words, so he cut it off after saying his piece.
* * *
Cha Woo-young hummed a tune.
Outside the window, the heat was gearing up, but in the air-conditioned office blasting cool air, it felt like another world.
With the sunny weather making coffee go down perfectly, Cha Woo-young savored his businessman routine leisurely, humming along.
"How does he craft lyrics so perfectly? A total genius. I think this could make more money than his main gig."
Hot Night was great, but the new lyrics Woo Ji-hyun had sent were equally to Cha Woo-young's taste.
If Hot Night was an upbeat summer song blending vocals and rap, the second track was the complete opposite: a gentle rap ballad.
He'd thought the genre mismatched a bit, but recording with the lyrics proved how wrong he'd been—how much he'd underestimated the kids' potential.
'Must be because he's a novelist. The emotional flow and word choice... Whew. That's the difference in class.'
The lyrics, capturing two women's hearts loving the same man, gripped not just women but men too.
The track had felt a bit bland despite being good, but adding a story through the lyrics brought it vividly to life.
Like how a pinch of salt transforms bland soup, "One Man and Two Women" fully blossomed thanks to lyricist Woo Ji-hyun.
To the point where Cha Woo-young found himself humming it unconsciously right now.
"Ah, the more I think, the more regretful. A talented, sensible lyricist like this—we should lock him down exclusively to our agency...."
Cha Woo-young smacked his lips in genuine regret.
Having one such lyricist would ease album worries for all their singers.
Woo Ji-hyun didn't discriminate by genre.
Or gender, for that matter.
"Department Head!"
"Hm? What's up, barging in without knocking?"
"I did knock? You just opened the door too quick to hear it."
"Really? Maybe I missed it. Anyway, what's got you rushing in like that?"
Cha Woo-young, legs crossed leisurely as he sipped coffee, eyed Park Eun-su, whose face was flushed from running.
She slammed her tablet PC onto the desk so hard it seemed it might shatter.
"Look at this."
"It didn't break, did it? The screen? It was bought with company funds, you know."
"That's not the point. Just look."
"What's this? Did one of our agency's kids get in a scandal?"
Cha Woo-young's expression hardened slightly at Park Eun-su's urgency.
He worried a scandal might have broken.
"Just look."
"Hm?"
Park Eun-su's slender finger elegantly tapped the tablet.
An article filled Cha Woo-young's view.
The two letters "Cain" especially jumped out.
"An article on Cain just went up. But as you'll see, it's pretty aggressive. Full of lowbrow criticism and attacks."
"Sunrise Entertainment's Kim Man-sik, huh. Looks like he got roasted big time."
"I thought the same."
The article, headlined "Arrogant Rookie Lyricist," had a brief source line at the end.
Cha Woo-young's hawk eyes caught it instantly, and he drummed his fingers on the table with a chilling gaze.
"It just went up?"
"Yes. The PR team was prepping the YU&MI press release anyway, which included Cain stuff. Lucky we spotted it quick."
"Put up a rebuttal article first. You know if shit splashes on the name Cain, it could hit our kids too? And people repay favors—maybe not fully, but at least half. So blast it to all your reporter contacts! Don't just defend; hit back hard too. Title... something like 'The Group Cain Turned Down?' or 'Even Mid-Tier Agency Rejected by Rookie Lyricist' should work."
Cha Woo-young grinned contentedly as he spoke.
The title that popped into his head unexpectedly turned out pretty good.
"Got it. I'll handle it right away."
"And inform Writer Woo Ji-hyun ahead of time. He probably doesn't know yet. Times like this, we need to keep reminding him we're on the same side. For the future. Too bad to end after this one collab, with that talent. But he wants to focus on his main job now, so let's just keep close ties. You get me?"
"Of course. I'll do that."
"Good, good."
Cha Woo-young smiled satisfactorily at Park Eun-su's prompt response.
Getting the first button right mattered, but maintaining it was just as crucial.
And if possible, he wanted to work with Woo Ji-hyun long-term.
'Best to have him, but if not, at least keep him close.'
He was probably much closer to Elder at Apple Entertainment still, but that was fine.
And knowing Cha Woo-young kept personal feelings out of business made his mind at ease.
To work with Woo Ji-hyun, just offer better terms than the other side.
"Then I'll head out."
"Yeah, good work."
"Yes."
Unlike her frantic entrance moments ago, Park Eun-su left with a calm expression.
Watching her back briefly, Cha Woo-young pushed his chair back to the window using just his toes.
"Great weather. Just like our kids' future. Heh heh heh!"
Relieved from one worry with the unexpectedly stellar tracks, Cha Woo-young exhaled deeply.
When planning the album, he'd been content with decent results, but now it was different.
With this quality, settling for mediocre sales was unacceptable.
"Symbiosis. What a great word."
Bini had solidified her solo spot and was booking events non-stop.
She was learning and growing from solo activities.
Now, YU&MI kids would gain that experience.
"Narae and Mijeong can prep a bit more leisurely. No big rush for unit activities yet."
The two were enjoying a rare break.
So Cha Woo-young wasn't in a hurry.
Plus, he hoped Woo Ji-hyun would join the other two members' albums too.
Then he could promote it as "Cain, who collabed with Bini and YU&MI, rejoins."
'Hence, good relations are essential. Obviously.'
Despite his relaxed posture, Cha Woo-young's mind raced.