The Day "A Loving Heart" Drops (2)

It was Young-hoon.

She'd been genuinely glad to hear from him, but for some reason her mood had soured, and she picked up the phone with a deliberately frosty voice.

"Well, what a surprise. What brings the busy Mr. Kim to call little old me first?"

[Hello, PD Shin. There's something I need to discuss with you.]

Typical. This man only ever says what he wants to say.

Would it kill him to ask how she was doing? Was there a thorn in his tongue preventing small talk?

Before she knew it, her answer came out clipped.

"Then go ahead and say it."

[It's about the fact that you asked our girls to sing the OST at the pre-production press conference. So, tell me—how much are you planning to pay in appearance fees?]

"Excuse me, Mr. Kim! At a production event like this, it's standard practice for the singers performing the OST to appear free of charge. You do understand that, right?"

[Oh, is that so? My apologies, I wasn't aware of such customs. But as you know, PD Shin, our company is in a pretty tight spot financially. Sending the girls to an event means costumes, makeup, hair... the costs are no joke. So here's my thought—could you make an exception and cover an appearance fee?]

Hye-yoon pressed her fingertips hard against her temples before forcing out a reply.

"And... how much exactly did you have in mind?"

[Be generous—ten million won will do.]

At Young-hoon's words, Hye-yoon's voice shot up an octave.

"Come on, Kim Young-hoon! We're barely scraping by on our own production budget, and you want ten million won? Give me a break. Be reasonable."

[Eh, then forget it. The girls aren't going.]

"Are you serious? Kim Young-hoon, did you happen to defect from North Korea or something? Why do you always play brinkmanship like those North Korean folks? Negotiation is supposed to have some flexibility!"

[I only said that because it saddens me how little you appreciate our girls' value, PD Shin. I personally guarantee their OST will push the ratings of Love After Separation up past ten percent. And the sooner the OST drops, the more everyone stands to gain, don't you think? And yet you can't spare even ten million won in appearance fees?]

"Fine, fine. Negotiating with you always feels like I'm the one losing out. I'll report to our CEO and get the ten million won approved. But there's one condition."

[Name it. I'm listening.]

"Kim Young-hoon himself must attend the pre-production press conference. In person."

[You're paying ten million won? Of course I'll show up for that. Then consider my attendance confirmed.]

It was always like this.

Every conversation with Young-hoon ended with her on the losing end. She'd have to sweet-talk her cash-strapped boss into finding an appearance fee for Five Girls on top of everything else.

The one silver lining was that she'd secured his promise to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠attend the press conference in person.

If she kept getting steamrolled like this, she'd never hold the upper hand in their relationship either—already all she could do was sigh.

She'd worked every connection she had, leveraging contacts she didn't even know she possessed, to promote "A Loving Heart," dropping today—and instead of a thank-you, she was about to get shaken down for money.

How could she not resent the man?

The bitterness was enough to bring tears to her eyes.

But she would pay him back for every ounce of this humiliation. Someday. Without fail.

She resolved to make him fall head over heels for her first—and then make him pay through the nose for it. That was Hye-yoon's decision.

6 p.m.

At last, the digital single for "A Loving Heart" went live.

They waited a while, but no matter how hard they squinted at the charts, it was nowhere to be found.

So the response was a dud, huh.

"Hng... we promoted it so hard, and it's not even on the charts."

Su-min, the maknae, whined pitifully. Full ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of disappointment, Young-hoon hid his own feelings and offered her words of comfort.

"Sounds like our Su-min had high hopes. But hey, what can you do—the charts are being slow, right? Don't worry, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Su-min. By tomorrow evening at the latest, all hell's going to break loose. The pre-production press conference is the day after tomorrow, and we've invited a whole crowd of entertainment reporters. If you girls perform the OST beautifully at that event, it'll become the talk of the town overnight. Articles will come flooding in. So don't you worry."

"...Okay. I understand."

Her voice was still deflated.

"By the way, why did you call me over? Is there something I'm supposed to do there?"

"Could it be that Hye-yoon PD likes you, oppa?"

The moment Hye-in tossed out that suspicious remark—

"No way! Oppa is mine!"

Ga-eun cut right in.

"Oh-ho~ well, look at this? Since when is Young-hoon oppa yours?"

"When oppa makes big money, he's going to buy me lots of good coffee, and we agreed to go into the coffee business together! So I absolutely cannot let anyone steal him!"

"Wow! Lucky you, oppa—so many people adore you?"

Hye-in sneered and rolled her eyes.

Suddenly finding himself cast as the villain, Young-hoon protested.

"What? Is that not allowed? What, do you like me too?"

"Hmph. Isn't it only natural for kids to like their dad?"

"Ugh, I can't keep track anymore. One minute I'm 'teacher,' one minute 'oppa,' one minute 'dad'... Fine, let's sort this out once and for all so nobody gets confused. In official settings, it's 'teacher.' In private, it's 'oppa.' Okay?"

"Got it, oppa."

"And anyway, today's a historic day. On a day like this, we need a celebratory drink."

When Young-hoon pulled a bottle of wine from his bag, Ha-yeon muttered under her breath.

"The kind of cheap plonk you can grab at any mart..."

"Oh? So Ha-yeon knows a thing or two about alcohol, huh? But this is very different from any wine you know. Let's have a taste first, then talk."

"My dad works at a company that makes domestic whiskey, you see. He talks about it sometimes, so I know a little."

"Oh-ho, is that right? Then set up a meeting with your dad as soon as possible. There's something I'd like to ask him."

"Okay, oppa."

The moment the conversation with Ha-yan veered toward meeting her parents, Su-min, the maknae, apparently sensing a threat, jumped into the fray.

"Oppa! Let's go eat hanwoo beef!"

Hye-in cut her off decisively. A true leader through and through.

"This kid loses her mind the second beef is mentioned. No! Do you have any idea how much money oppa spent because of us this time? We'll have beef after we make it big. Today he's just treating us to a simple pork belly dinner."

...Different, my foot.

Hye-in was no different from Su-min at her core. The only difference was which cut of meat she preferred.

"Forget it, let's go get steak. As the old saying goes, nothing pairs with wine like a good steak. Mr. Lee, is there a decent steakhouse nearby?"

"Nothing around here, I'm afraid. We'd have to head out to Seohyeon-dong in Bundang. But it's pricey over there... about 100,000 won per person."

"It's a historic day—we should spend that much. Let's go there."

"But Mr. Kim, would it be rude to bring our own wine to a steakhouse?"

"Ah, good point. Hmm, what do we do then?"

"What about going to my parents' restaurant? They run one in Yeongtong, Suwon. The food is quite good and their reviews are excellent. It's about an hour from here."

Joo-yeon's suggestion made Young-hoon's ears perk up.

"Then Joo-yeon, you make the reservation, would you? For ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠around eight o'clock. And in the meantime, shall we do a little background check on you girls? I hardly know anything about any of you."

True to form, their leader Hye-in stepped forward with great ceremony.

"Oh, come on, no need to be so formal about it. I'll speak for everyone. You already know about my dad, right? He's your father's drinking buddy. Joo-yeon's parents run a restaurant, Ha-yeon's dad is a PhD working at a whiskey company's research lab, and Ga-eun's dad is an executive at a trading company. I guess because he travels overseas so much, he seems to bring back tons of coffee every time he returns. And our youngest Su-min's dad runs a clothing company. That about covers it, right?"

"Then once you girls make it big, let's have a nice dinner together with all your parents. Deal?"

"Sounds great!"

"Now, how are we getting there?"

That problem was neatly settled when CEO Lee Jae-man stepped in.

"Gyeong-hwan will drive Five Girls from here, and Mr. Kim, you can ride with me."

"Then I'll take my own car. After dinner I'm heading straight over to Ilsan."

Having settled everything in short order, Young-hoon headed off with the Five Girls members to the restaurant run by Joo-yeon's parents.

When they arrived, Joo-yeon's parents greeted them warmly. They ordered steaks, and just as Young-hoon was about to open the wine, his cousin Hee-joo called.

"Who was that, oppa?"

Hye-in asked, curious.

"Oh, my cousin. You know Hee-joo noona—my uncle's second daughter, right? I let her taste this wine last Sunday, and ever since she's been raising a racket, begging me to get her more of it. At least she knows it's good for her health. Alright, time to taste the wine!"

Having gotten permission from Joo-yeon's parents, Young-hoon opened the bottle and filled every glass on the table before saying a few words.

"The great thing about this wine is that it leaves zero aftertaste. And it's been confirmed to be very good for men, though I'm not sure what benefits it holds for women. I'm planning to commission some research from Ha-yeon's father later on. And CEO Lee Jae-man—it's certainly good for men, but do not wear out your poor wife too much tonight."

"Goodness, oppa, there's nothing you won't say in front of unmarried girls."

"Ah, sorry. But you're all adults—you know at least that much. It's an expensive wine, so no shooting it back... Now then, to the explosive success of 'A Loving Heart'!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses, shouted a hearty toast, and took a tentative sip.

"Wow! Incredible! Oppa, what IS this?"

"Mr. Kim, it's so velvety smooth."

"It just melts in your mouth. I never knew alcohol could taste this good."

"Oppa, this taste is to die for!"

"Mr. Kim, this is the first wine of its kind I've ever tasted in my life. Could I possibly procure some separately?"

None of them could contain their amazement.

"Well? Killer, right? This is a taste none of you have ever experienced before. Definitely not something that comes out of cheap supermarket wine, hmm?"

"Oppa, it's the best. But where in the world did you get a wine like this?"

"Tsk tsk, knowing will only hurt you. I'll tell you... someday. So, Ha-yeon, what's your professional read?"

"Oppa, even if Dionysus himself showed up, he couldn't make a wine like this. In a word: two thumbs up."

"If we were to sell this wine, how much do you think we could charge?"

"Hmm. I'm no alcohol expert, but I'd say a million won a bottle is entirely feasible. Though asking my dad would give us a much more precise answer."

"Then I need to meet your father as soon as possible. Set up a meeting for around mid-November."

"I will, oppa."

Perhaps it was the wine, or perhaps she was intoxicated by its luscious aroma, but Ha-yeon, normally so sparing with her words, talked up a storm.

At that moment, Hye-in interjected, wary as ever.

"You and Gyeong-hwan oppa shouldn't have more than one drink each. No drunk driving, absolutely not. You understand, right?"

"Ah, of course. Hey girls, does Hye-in nag you all this much too?"

"She only says those things because she cares about us."

"That's right! She's a total nagging witch!"

"Ga-eun, you—! Just wait till we get back to the dorm! Hmph, you are dead!"

Amid all the rowdy, festive banter, Young-hoon found himself in a wonderful mood.

If only every day could be like this one.