Chapter 90
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: If You Live Diligently, It'll Pay Off
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Kim Seungjun knew it.
He was still inexperienced.
If KTB hadn't been short on talent—especially after its full-time PDs had caused one scandal after another and bailed—he never would have been put in charge of a program in the first place.
In fact, getting blindsided by that WIM contract was the kind of rookie mistake a seasoned PD would have dodged easily.
But even with his shortcomings, as a PD, he could say this with confidence.
These two would succeed.
The harmony of that song and performance he'd just heard from them.
It was so fantastical that he doubted anyone could even imitate it.
Thanks to his 『Variety Eye』 skill, he could see the mysterious aura unique to top-tier musicians—one he'd never spotted in any other elite artist.
Above all, the emotion they stirred in him.
It gave Kim Seungjun a near-prophetic certainty.
'These two can do it. No—they're the only ones who can!'
Rimon and Eugene could more than fill Claire's shoes.
And maybe, just maybe, they could achieve something even greater than that.
"If you have a guild or agency, please let me know. I'll send over a contract with the best possible terms."
Of course, this was just his gut instinct.
With Claire's booking already fallen through, bringing in these no-name musicians as replacements?
He'd be branded a madman.
Especially by the division head, who already looked down on him and would probably chew him up and spit him out.
But Kim Seungjun pushed forward anyway.
From the moment that Mun executive had screwed him over, the program was as good as dead.
Which meant KTB was doomed too.
If it was going to crash and burn either way, he wanted to bet on his instincts and roll the dice.
'Worst case, I just quit being a PD!'
"Hm..."
Was it because he sensed the resolve in those eyes?
Rimon, who had been staring at Kim Seungjun with a serious gaze, finally spoke after a long silence.
"I'm not interested."
"...Pardon?"
"No interest."
"W-Why not!?"
Kim Seungjun's shock was perfectly natural.
Even if KTB was a small cable network, it was still TV.
And this was a program originally slated for a top singer like Claire—any decently popular celebrity or musician would kill for the spot.
Yet here they were, kicking away such a golden opportunity?
"If you're suspicious I'm some scammer, I can prove my identity at your station."
"Not suspicious at all?"
"Then why refuse?!"
"I have no desire to get famous or make money through music."
Kim Seungjun had miscalculated on one thing.
Rimon wasn't some no-name musician.
And that was just the start.
In terms of fame, he was the Sword Master who'd saved the world multiple times. In terms of wealth, he was the prospective son-in-law of Li Chingwei, who was scheming to swallow the Seven Dragon Society whole.
A man like that had no reason to chase petty fame or pocket change.
"Well, don't give up just yet. I said I'm not interested, but who knows about my friend?"
"You mean...?"
Kim Seungjun's face lit up instantly.
Rimon glanced subtly at Eugene.
"What do you think? Sounds like they'll offer decent terms."
"...?"
"What's with that face, like you just heard a black mage's curse?"
Rimon looked a bit miffed at Eugene's reaction—she'd been grinning ear-to-ear moments ago, but now wore that oddly ambiguous expression again.
Eugene tilted her head at him.
"Partner, you just said you're not into getting famous or making money with music."
"Right."
"So why ask me?"
"...Don't people usually ask?"
"NO!"
Eugene thrust out one hand dramatically.
She wagged her index finger side to side and declared proudly.
"Polling opinions is for strangers. We're soul-bound partners—telepathy, one heart and one mind. No need to ask, right?"
She sounded like he should know something so obvious.
Rimon blinked at her words for a moment.
Then, sensing Kim Seungjun's growing anxiety and Yuna Kyung's weird mix of laughter and groan via her telepathy, he confirmed he hadn't misheard.
He scratched his cheek and asked.
"So, you're not interested either?"
"Of course."
"Why not think it over? Could be a great debut opportunity later if you change your mind."
"That's exactly why I hate it."
Rimon stared at her in confusion, wondering what she meant.
Then he asked, exasperated.
"You're refusing because you don't want to debut?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Need a reason?"
"Not really, but I'm curious now."
Surprisingly, it was Yuna Kyung who looked shocked at that, not Eugene.
[What's with you, boss? Since when do you pry into people's backstories?]
Rimon rarely delved into others' histories.
It was a habit born from centuries of life, endless encounters and farewells with every type of person imaginable.
Even with Yuna Kyung, it took years of working together before he learned she was an orphan.
So for Rimon to be curious about Eugene, whom he'd met just twice?
Yuna Kyung felt more hurt than surprised.
To her, Rimon replied simply.
'It's a waste.'
[A waste? Of what?]
'Letting that talent rot.'
Rimon inwardly clicked his tongue.
After learning violin, he'd listened to plenty of music and studied many musicians.
So he knew.
Eugene hadn't bloomed yet, but she had genius potential rivaling world-class violinist Julia.
'It's like a flower that could bloom into unmatched beauty, stuck forever in bud form.'
She just hadn't blossomed yet.
With proper training, she could reach top-singer level in a few years.
That's why Rimon called it a waste, but Yuna Kyung pouted.
[...Boss, you've never said that to me.]
'Huh? Did you have talent too?'
[I was a prodigy! Unprecedented at Hanbit Orphanage!]
'If you can call yourself a once-in-a-century genius, I'll admit it.'
[That make any sense?!]
'Why not? When I was Sword Tower Lord, a dozen such 'geniuses' showed up every year.'
[Was the Sword Tower a prodigy factory or what?! How many once-in-a-century talents do you even get!?]
Rimon's bickering with Yuna Kyung was cut short by Eugene's quiet question.
"Partner, you really wanna know why?"
"Yeah. Most artists love the fame and money."
Truth was, most people did.
Even non-artists rarely hated recognition or money.
Artists just obsessed more over fame since it equaled cash.
"I like earning money too. But singing for money? Hate it."
"Why?"
"No soul in the song."
It was an out-of-left-field answer.
But Rimon didn't flinch.
He just gave a strange look and asked again.
"Art should be the goal, not a means?"
"Dunno about that deep stuff. I just wanna sing what I want, when I want."
"I see... Got it."
He shook his head like he didn't quite get it, but Rimon's lips curved into a smirk at Eugene's unwavering response.
Now Eugene looked flustered.
"Don't you think I'm weird?"
"No reason to. If that's weird, I'm weirder."
Rimon shrugged.
It wasn't empty flattery.
When it came to living life doing only what he wanted, Rimon was the king of it.
Eugene stared at him intently for a while.
Then she giggled.
"True, you're the weird one, partner."
"Says you?"
As Eugene giggled like it was the funniest thing and Rimon smirked, Yuna Kyung asked awkwardly via telepathy.
[...Boss? I have no idea what's going on. What's this about soul? Protecting art's purity?]
'If you don't get it, let it go. Your birdbrain wouldn't grasp it anyway.'
[That's speciesism!]
Whether Yuna Kyung fumed or not.
Rimon just smirked, not bothering to explain.
Eugene just hated being tied down—not some lofty ideal of artistic purity she might not even understand.
That's why Rimon dropped the probing.
No matter the talent, if it wasn't their chosen path, no one had the right to force it. That was his creed.
That was when.
A tentative voice broke in.
"Um... did things go well?"
"Huh? Didn't you hear?"
"Well..."
Rimon nodded, grasping the situation from Kim Seungjun's embarrassed look.
He clapped a hand on the man's shoulder.
"Lunch is on me."
"Pardon?"
"Tough road ahead, but hang in there. If you live diligently, sunny days will come eventually, right?"
"..."
Kim Seungjun stared rotten-faced at Rimon, who had just doomed him and offered hollow comfort.
Then he clenched his fist and bellowed.
"No matter what you say, I'll book you both for my show! Absolutely!"
"Yeah, yeah. Give it a shot if you can."
Like an old man used to watching youngsters burn with futile passion, Rimon brushed it off casually.
But neither Rimon, Eugene, nor even Kim Seungjun himself knew.
That his burning passion would eventually come true in a way no one saw coming.
While Kim Seungjun burned with that futile passion.
At the same time, others were steeped in far greater despair—though for entirely different reasons.
"So."
In a lavishly decorated office.
The middle-aged man standing with his back to the room, admiring a shattered wall mural—Wang Gineung—twirled his stylish mustache as he spoke.
"Is that the end of the report?"
"..."
"Amazing, really. To declare zero results so boldly."
One of the grim-faced men there.
The Shanghai Wang Family's intelligence captain spoke cautiously, as if making excuses.
"It's not zero results. We've cast a heavenly net over every suspicious thread. We just wait for them to trip."
"Fine words... but didn't I hear that last week? Or is it my imagination?"
"That was..."
"Ah, sorry. Now I remember—it was the week before too."
Unable to retort to Wang Gineung's blatant sarcasm, the captain could only shut up and shrink.
It had been over a month since the Shanghai Wang Family mobilized its full resources.
Yet they hadn't even caught a whiff of the culprits, let alone found them. As the head of intelligence, he had no excuses left.
"Does no one have any alternatives besides that damned heavenly net?"