Chapter 152
Translator: uly
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Once Again, Writer
Tatarara!
A sweet piano solo kicked off the intro.
Then the lights blazed on, and Ha Yu-seon and Yoon Mi-rae appeared on stage, dressed in outfits as fiery as the upbeat song.
“Woooah!”
“Kyaaa!”
The men’s cheers rumbled like a heavy bassline, while the female fans’ screams soared sky-high.
Woo Ji-hyun nodded along repeatedly, impressed by that perfect harmony.
It was a song he’d heard countless times already, but it never failed to get him pumped up every single listen.
“A live show really is something else.”
“Fun, right?”
“Yeah, the kids look great. You can tell they’re loving it.”
Even though the stage was plenty big for just two performers, it didn’t feel empty to Woo Ji-hyun at all.
If anything, their presence filled it to the brim.
“We’ve got years of experience under our belts. And 500 people isn’t even that many—it’s actually pretty intimate.”
“Yeah, you girls are amazing.”
“Hehe!”
“Oppa, we’re here!”
Just as Binny’s confidence was swelling up again, Yoon Na-rae and Lee Mi-jeong made their entrance.
They’d been in the waiting room and had finally shown up.
“You two are in full makeup too?”
“Of course. We’re not performing, but we’re still getting photographed. And idols have to show their best selves at all times—it’s courtesy to the fans.”
“Exactly. We can’t shatter the illusion.”
“Yeah, you’ve got it tough.”
Woo Ji-hyun just agreed with the two who spoke so confidently.
He figured if it was good, it was good.
Plus, he could relate to doing it for the fans.
He himself agonized every day over his writing to make sure no reader felt their 100 won was wasted.
“The response is great, right?”
“Yeah, it’s such a relief.”
“Hehe! Writer Woo Ji-hyun, you’re surprisingly hard on yourself.”
“It comes with the territory. And this is an album the kids poured their hearts into. I can’t let it suffer because of me.”
Park Eun-su nodded in agreement.
That burden was definitely weighing on him.
The funny thing was, hardly any other lyricists carried the same level of pressure as Woo Ji-hyun.
“This track was a lock from the start. It was unanimously picked as the title song.”
“Still, you never know until the lid’s off. Lucky for us, the reaction’s been killer so far.”
Even though they’d just finished the first verse, fans were already singing along, and Woo Ji-hyun finally let out a sigh of relief.
The vibe in the room made it clear this wasn’t going to bomb.
Next up came the b-sides, including the final track Woo Ji-hyun had worked on: *One Man and Two Women*.
“Hello!”
“Yoon Mi-rae back as YU&MI!”
“We missed you all!”
The stage wrapped up, and the full showcase kicked into gear.
Under MC Kim Sun-young’s lead, they dove into intros and breakdowns of the album.
A short video even played, showing snippets of the prep process and how hard the two had worked.
“Now for a quick Q&A! Any questions at all—ask away about YU&MI! They promised to answer everything!”
Kim Sun-young grinned mischievously as she shouted it out.
She was petite, but her projection made the whole venue echo.
Ha Yu-seon and Yoon Mi-rae’s faces tensed up just a bit.
They hadn’t expected the segment to go down like this.
“No comment counts as an answer too, unnie!”
“Of course. We respect that much privacy.”
Up went the fans’ hands nonstop.
And plenty of them belonged to reporters covering the showcase.
As a subunit of powerhouse girl group PriOs, the entertainment desks were naturally tuned in.
Some were probably cozy with Apple Entertainment, too.
“I’m Cheon Sang-jin from People & Story. There was some controversy before this album dropped about a lyricist named Cain. Could you elaborate?”
“What exactly are you asking for clarification on, Reporter Cheon?”
“I’m wondering why you worked with Apple Entertainment but not Sunrise. As you know, Cain doesn’t do any public appearances.”
Cheon Sang-jin, stone-faced, boomed his question with impressive volume.
The other reporters—and even the fans packed in for the show—looked curious.
Cain had been a hot topic not long ago, even if things had quieted down.
“We can explain that simply. Cain isn’t tied to any agency—he’s a freelancer. So he picks his projects based on his own preferences. We were lucky enough to collaborate.”
“No external pressure? Like Apple blocking a Sunrise collab, say.”
Ha Yu-seon’s clear voice sharpened as Cheon Sang-jin pushed boundaries, her brow furrowing delicately.
It felt like he was deliberately trying to link Apple and Sunrise.
Park Eun-su sensed it too and shifted in her seat.
She was debating jumping on stage herself.
“To my knowledge, our agency treated Cain with the utmost respect—nothing less.”
“Have you met him in person, Yu-seon?”
“Of course. He wrote the lyrics for the title track *Hot Night* and *One Man and Two Women*.”
“So, can you reveal who he is?”
The other reporters’ eyes lit up at Cheon Sang-jin’s question.
Linking Apple, Sunrise, and Cain could make for some solid traffic.
Plus, plenty of them were personally intrigued by this hitmaking lyricist lately.
Streaks like his weren’t impossible, but they sure weren’t common.
“That’s not my call.”
“Let me rephrase, then.”
“We’ll take questions from someone else!”
Kim Sun-young cut in at just the right moment.
She’d given enough answers and time—anyone grumbling from the back couldn’t complain too much.
And it wasn’t like Cheon Sang-jin was the only reporter there.
But mostly, it was veering into touchy, personal territory.
*Well, I’m curious too.*
As an MC tight with idols, Kim Sun-young wasn’t immune to the Cain hype.
Idols she hung out with off-camera kept raving about wanting to meet him.
They all wanted a taste of that hitmaking magic.
And bonus points for a rare chat with Elder.
“Hang on!”
Cheon Sang-jin yelled desperately as his turn zipped by.
But Kim Sun-young, Ha Yu-seon, and Yoon Mi-rae didn’t even glance his way.
They weren’t in a position to indulge someone who showed up just to lob weird questions.
The two onstage hadn’t cared from the jump.
“Any plans for units with PriOs’s other members?”
“What’s the activity period looking like?”
“When do we get full-group PriOs?”
Even as Cheon Sang-jin ground his teeth, questions poured in from the press.
Mostly PriOs-focused.
Ha Yu-seon and Yoon Mi-rae answered them all earnestly.
“Oppa, you’re pretty popular.”
“Means I’m rare, doesn’t it.”
“You know it?”
“Wouldn’t be weird if you didn’t. Even genius Elder vouches for my talent.”
Woo Ji-hyun struck an unusually cocky pose.
But Binny didn’t push back.
It was the kind of thing you could deny playfully, but she didn’t.
“Yeah, I think you’re a genius too, oppa.”
“You could totally go pro in this and stake your claim.”
Lee Mi-jeong and Yoon Na-rae, who’d been quiet, chimed in backing her up.
Not that their praise was purely innocent.
They had ulterior motives bubbling under.
They were angling for their turn next.
“What is this, the army? Staking claims?”
“That’s how perfect it suits you, oppa.”
“I dunno. Don’t think it’s *that* spot-on.”
Woo Ji-hyun chuckled and shook his head.
Sure, it was fun and rewarding, but lyricist didn’t feel like his true calling.
Still, he had no plans to quit.
Elder was waiting on him, after all.
“You know it’s our turn next, right?”
“Elder’s got that expectant look too.”
“No, you can’t start something without finishing! I hate favoritism! Why give to some and not others?”
Yoon Na-rae burst out.
She’d assumed it was her and Lee Mi-jeong’s turn next, but Woo Ji-hyun seemed oblivious.
“I hate that stuff too. And I never said no. Just that I need time.”
“You like whiskey, right, oppa? We’ve got Johnny Walker Blue at home—want it as a gift?”
“We’ve got Sujeongbang!”
The chat suddenly turned into a liquor bidding war.
All while ignoring the Q&A still going strong onstage.
“I’ll throw in a cautious bid!”
“No repeats for anyone who’s already gotten some!”
“Priority to the have-nots!”
“Hey, kids...”
Were they too loud?
Park Eun-su quietly called them out as eyes turned their way.
Cha Woo-young, the top dog there, just watched proudly.
Like they were nailing it.
“Let’s focus on the showcase for now, kids. We’ll talk this later.”
“Tonight!”
“Do it!”
Yoon Na-rae and Lee Mi-jeong shouted in perfect sync.
Woo Ji-hyun smirked and nodded.
He snuck a glance at Cheon Sang-jin, who was glaring daggers their way.
*What’s this, the jungle? Lions and snakes everywhere.*
Woo Ji-hyun shook his head at the blatant hostility from someone he’d just met.
Couldn’t fathom why the guy was staring like that when he didn’t even know who he was.
Male fans’ jealousy? That he’d get.
If your favorite idol was cozying up to some random guy, yeah, you’d fume.
“This is a rough neighborhood.”
“Good thing you know it. Oh, and don’t worry too much. We’re on your side, Writer. Plenty of others are too, of course.”