Chapter 41

"Where's Oppa, Sister Hae-ri?" When Kang Min-kyung returned from the restroom, she noticed that Lee Hae-joy was gone and asked Lee Hae-ri.

Lee Hae-joy had, of course, come with Kang Min-kyung's nanny car, disguised as an artist's assistant, and had come in with the manager. The other artists in the waiting room didn't find anything strange about it; the only odd thing was that this assistant was quite handsome and dressed like an office worker.

Sitting on the side and listening to music, Lee Hae-ri shrugged and said, "I don't know. He said he wanted to go for a walk, and I couldn't stop him, so he went out!"

Kang Min-kyung rolled her eyes and, after a moment's thought, took out her phone and sent a text message to Lee Hae-joy.

...

"Beep! You have a new message..."

Disobedient sister: "Oppa, don't run around. If you don't have a work permit, you'll be kicked out if someone finds you. Also, the recording is about to start, so come back quickly and cheer for me!"

"Tch!"

Lee Hae-joy completely ignored the text message from Kang Min-kyung and then...

"Hello, who are you, and why are you here?"

Two security guards on routine patrol, standing in the corridor, saw a man without a work badge, whom they had never seen before, and frowned, asking with some caution.

This was the SBS Mok-dong headquarters building. Apart from the lower floors used for recording, the upper floors were all office areas. The SBS headquarters building was actually quite famous because it often "appeared" in SBS dramas, playing various roles such as fictional TV stations (GBS, HBS, SBN, NBS, etc.), coffee shops, hospitals, office buildings, and even airports, truly a "multi-functional building."

Although KBS and MBC occasionally used their own facilities to shoot dramas, they were not as "versatile" as the SBS headquarters building, which could successfully achieve so many scene effects. The key was the spacious and bright first-floor hall.

Actually, the number of live audience members for the current "Popular Song" was not as many as Lee Hae-joy remembered, so the venue was relatively small. In the future, it would likely move to the Ilsan production center, where larger programs and TV shows were usually recorded.

At this moment, Lee Hae-joy was on the 8th floor. Although the staff here did not pay attention to him, it did not mean that the SBS security responsible for safety would ignore him.

Looking at the two slightly shorter, young security guards in gray uniforms, Lee Hae-joy felt a bit awkward.

After a moment of silence...

"I'm here to participate in the 'Popular Song' recording as an audience member. I was looking for the restroom, and... I got lost!" Lee Hae-joy scratched his head, looking very embarrassed, like a naive good kid.

The two security guards were speechless... lost?

You're fooling who? Just take the elevator to the second floor. They sized up Lee Hae-joy, who was wearing a black fitted jacket. One of them politely said, "If you don't mind, we can take you there!"

"That would be great, thank you so much!"

Lee Hae-joy exclaimed with excitement, as if he was about to give them a hug and a banner.

But in their eyes, he was just... suspicious.

So, Lee Hae-joy happily followed the two security guards into the elevator and headed to the recording hall on the second floor.

Lee Hae-joy understood the security guards' caution, which was quite awkward. He didn't want to be kicked out, even though he was confident he could easily KO them, but they hadn't done anything wrong.

In the end... Lee Hae-joy didn't even get to the backstage area; the two security guards directly escorted him to the audience seats in the recording hall.

...

This episode of "Popular Song" had about seventeen groups performing. DAVICHI's new song "8282" was the ninth act. After the ninth act, the performances were as follows:

FTisland - "Bad Woman," KCM - "In the Distance," Jewelry - "Date," Shin Hye-sung - "Why Do You Call Me," Lee Seung-gi - "Strong Body," Kara - "HONEY," and Girls' Generation's special stage for the Korean drama "You Are My Destiny" with the OST "Dear. Mom."

Many of these singers would shine in the future, like the Girls' Generation and the group called KARA.

But that was the future. Lee Hae-joy felt he had the ability to influence their future. By removing the popular songs he remembered, the future would be full of uncertainty, and perhaps even better works would be created.

However, Lee Hae-joy didn't have such malicious intentions. Although he occasionally thought about causing some chaos, he decided to be more restrained. Every song should be used with precision, and he could also create new songs in advance and submit them to their future owners.

But Lee Hae-joy wasn't a saint. He took some songs and didn't feel any burden.

But now...

But now...

"Agassi, what's wrong with you? Why didn't you bring anything, and why are you dressed so formally... Ah, I get it!"

Lee Hae-joy looked at the young girl standing in front of his seat, who had a look of sudden realization. He felt a trickle of cold sweat on his forehead. Also... 'Do I look like an uncle??'

"Agassi, you must have skipped work to come here, right? Ha ha, I've seen many uncles like you. Wait, I'll get you two balloons. You're too muscular to wear a T-shirt!"

The girl, who still had some acne, hurriedly ran to the seats below. At this moment, Lee Hae-joy really felt like running away, but he was surrounded by several curious female fans on his left, who were even talking to him. What was this all about?

"Damn, I almost forgot about the territory issue!"

Lee Hae-joy cursed in his heart. The audience seats for these music shows were divided into territories. He hadn't noticed when the security guards brought him in and just found a seat. Within ten seconds, a group of young men and women surrounded him. This was too damn unfair.

"Uncle, how old are you?"

"Uncle, are you working now?"

"Uncle, you look pretty cool. Are you a model?"

"Uncle, did you really skip work to come here?"

...

"Kids say the darndest things, kids say the darndest things!!"

Lee Hae-joy's forehead was already bulging with veins, but he had to endure it. He had to endure it, just like Li Lianjie... no, like in the movie where Wong Fei-hung's father wouldn't let him drink, not because he couldn't drink, but because he was afraid he would hit too hard when drunk... but in reality, it was more likely to cause chaos... cough, cough.

Anyway, Lee Hae-joy could only endure it. Had he really aged so much just because he hadn't shaved for a few days?

Looking at these teenagers, who were mostly around sixteen or seventeen, although there were some older fans nearby, why were the ones surrounding him all like this?

"Uncle, here are the balloons and glow sticks. Since today's performance is a ballad, we won't shout slogans. Just cheer at the beginning and the end!" The acne-ridden girl had already run up from below and handed Lee Hae-joy a pink balloon and two pink glow sticks, and she earnestly instructed him, treating him like a fellow supporter.

Actually, these fans weren't unfamiliar with people like Lee Hae-joy. Many older fans, due to their age, often found it hard to blend in with the fan groups, or they were a bit embarrassed. But occasionally, they would apply to come to the live shows, and when fans encountered them, they would usually help them out. Sometimes, older fans could be quite cute.

But Lee Hae-joy couldn't understand. Although he wasn't the type to act cute, he hadn't shaved for a few days, but he didn't look like an uncle, did he?

"Is it because the lighting is too dim?"

Lee Hae-joy took the balloon and glow sticks, thinking to himself. Although it was a self-comforting thought, the lighting here wasn't very bright, which was a decent excuse.

Holding the pink balloon, Lee Hae-joy paused, his expression suddenly becoming a bit strange. He thought to himself, "Do I really have some karmic connection with S.M.?"

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