Chapter 39

Reincarnation of the Reckless Genius Composer - Chapter 39 (39/482)

Team Leader Kwak of LS Entertainment's Public Relations Department crossed the hallway, his hands full of coffee.

"About that solo album of Min Hyun-seung’s..."

A few days ago, CEO Jeon Nam-il's one sentence had turned a rather relaxed schedule into a page crammed with tiny text.

"You can try to be a bit more aggressive with it."

After listening to the songs, CEO Jeon Nam-il seemed to think that the competition between Min Hyun-seung and J-Blade's music sales had a good chance of success.

As a result,

For several days, he had to repeatedly meet and drink with various media representatives until dawn.

'I'm not even a professional drinker...'

His stomach was churning, and his head was pounding.

Eventually,

Just as Team Leader Kwak reached the door of the PR department,

"Shouldn't this information be compiled?"

"Hey, and where did you send the materials I sent you earlier?"

"I sent them to the entertainment department of Da-il Media just now..."

"What? Are you crazy? We compiled separate materials for that side!"

"Oh, what should I do..."

"How should you do it? First, call and send it again!"

Sure enough, the atmosphere in the PR department was like a battlefield.

"Ha..."

Standing in front of the door, Team Leader Kwak looked around the room with an expression similar to a cow being led to slaughter.

One of the employees, who was writing something while holding the phone between his ear and shoulder, noticed him and shouted,

"Team Leader! Why are you just getting here now!"

"Coming here now is a miracle in itself."

"Alright, the coffee you bought for us, right?"

As soon as Team Leader Kwak replied, "Oh, yeah...," the employee snatched the coffee from his hands and neatly arranged it on the table.

"Everyone, take a cup of coffee! Team Leader Kwak, who respects us all, has brought coffee to keep us awake and working!"

Team Leader Kwak, loosening his tie, replied,

"Hey, hey, stop giving me that look. I was out drinking until dawn today."

The employee, sipping coffee with a smooth tone, continued,

"Do you think we don't know how hard you've been working? You came in early, still hungover, and are already helping us with our tasks. That's what a true leader does."

It was a quite intimate conversation, given their long history of working together through tough times.

"Sigh, it looks like there won't be a moment to breathe today."

Due to one sentence from the CEO, all of LS Entertainment's marketing channels were now focused on Hyun-seung.

"By the way, a new employee just made a mistake. I'll handle this case, so Team Leader, please review the updated report on our collaboration tool and give the final check to the articles that haven't been submitted yet."

Team Leader Kwak, sighing deeply, was about to turn on his computer when he replied, "Alright."

"Will it work?"

"What do you mean?"

"About HS."

The employee, keeping his eyes on the documents, asked.

"Well, to be honest, everyone is trying to avoid J-Blade's release date, right?"

"That's true."

"Even top artists often get overshadowed and forgotten when they compete with J-Blade's songs..."

The employee, trailing off, cautiously added,

"I'm worried that HS is making a rash decision."

Team Leader Kwak replied,

"How would I know? If I could predict who would win, I would have already moved to the management team."

"Really? That's not possible!"

"Hmm, then how about setting up a tent in front of the company and living off the management team's commissions?"

"That's not possible either!"

The employee added quietly,

"It just means more work for us."

"Brat—!"

"Anyway, do you really think there's a chance of winning?"

Team Leader Kwak fell into deep thought.

"Chance...?"

Team Leader Kwak, who had been leading the PR team, had repeatedly recorded and analyzed the public's reactions to Hyun-seung's steps and the songs he had released.

He was one of the people who could feel the public's reactions to Hyun-seung's actions and songs most immediately and meticulously.

'I think he has it in him.'

Until Seo Ji-nee and Gong Hyo-ju, he had dismissed their success as a matter of luck and timing.

However,

Starting with Jung Ah-rin, he was amazed by the talent and gradually began to look forward to the articles about him.

"I think there's a chance."

"Really?"

"You've heard the songs, right?"

The employee replied vaguely,

"Yes, the songs are good, but what do I know just by listening..."

Team Leader Kwak shrugged.

"From my perspective, there's a chance."

It was true that in terms of recognition and experience, Hyun-seung had a slim chance of winning against J-Blade.

However,

It wasn't a situation where there was absolutely no chance of winning.

'The songs are good, and...'

Hyun-seung was also being recognized as a rising star in the music industry, not far behind J-Blade.

Moreover,

Given that CEO Jeon Nam-il, who rarely makes wrong decisions, made this decision...

"Well, I'm not sure, but..."

Team Leader Kwak added with a smile,

"He's one of us, right? I hope he wins."

The employee, smiling in return, replied,

"Yes, I'll pray and work hard."

* * *

"It's tough, it's tough..."

Hyun-seung had been staring at the monitor for hours, oblivious to the passage of time.

At that moment,

Manager Kim entered Hyun-seung's personal studio and asked in a playful tone,

"Hey, even the great Min Hyun-seung is getting nervous as the release date approaches, huh?"

Hyun-seung was sitting with a worried back.

"You're here? When are you leaving?"

"You brat!"

"I'm too scared to even joke."

Manager Kim, muttering, "You're a brat, a brat," asked bluntly,

"Are you looking for articles? You seem worried."

He took a few steps closer to check Hyun-seung's monitor and narrowed his eyes.

"What is it?"

Thinking that Hyun-seung would be monitoring his competitor J-Blade, but it was a miscalculation.

Manager Kim sighed and continued,

"Of course! I was fooled again! Fooled again! Even though I've been fooled so many times, I was fooled again!"

"What did I fool you about?"

"The great Min Hyun-seung wouldn't be doing something productive like monitoring a competitor!"

Hyun-seung retorted,

"Then, are you saying that choosing a gift is unproductive? And J-Blade's album is going to do well anyway, so what's the point of me looking at it? Should I curse it and hope it fails?"

Manager Kim shook his head.

"How can you say that? Choosing a gift for your girlfriend is a very productive task! Yes, it is!"

He muttered, "Girlfriend?" and frowned.

"Are you dating a minor? Hey, Min Hyun-seung!"

"Why are you looking at me like I'm a criminal?"

"Don't change the subject. I knew you had a girlfriend, but..."

"Girlfriend? Me?"

It seemed he had mistaken a few questions about the 'dating simulation game' for having a girlfriend.

"Ah, it's just a game I play for fun when I'm bored..."

"Hey! Love is a game? A game? Wow, you're really trash!"

"What are you talking about... I'm choosing a gift for my sister."

Manager Kim, looking embarrassed, nodded and said, "Oh, your sister..."

"I was just trying to figure out what she would like. You came just in time. After choosing a gift for Hyun, I need to choose one for my father, so please help me."

Surprised by the sudden request, Manager Kim asked with wide eyes, "Me?"

"Can I really help? It would be better to ask Ah-rin..."

"Oh, great. I was just floundering and grasping at straws. Don't worry about it."

Manager Kim grumbled, "You brat, really—!" and added,

"Anyway, you know the album is set to release on Christmas Day, right? If you have any plans, reschedule them for the next day."

"Who works on Christmas? It's not like the album won't be released if I'm not at the company..."

"I work on Christmas! It's your album release, and it would be bad to miss the chance to see the reactions together!"

Hyun-seung, covering his ears, teased, "Eh, eh—." Manager Kim, sounding dejected, muttered,

"I have to work on Christmas because of you, and I can't even go on a date with 'Mi-yeon'..."

The 'Mi-yeon' Manager Kim mentioned was the owner of a small coffee shop near the office building.

He had fallen for her gentle appearance and friendly personality, which always greeted him warmly.

They had become close enough to chat about personal matters, and he planned to ask her out on a date, using Christmas as an excuse. However, it all fell apart due to Hyun-seung's album release.

Meanwhile,

Hyun-seung, who had been half-listening, suddenly turned his head and looked at him.

"Do you know about dating simulations, Manager Kim?"

It turned out that he had misheard 'Mi-yeon' as 'dating simulation.'

"Do you know Mi-yeon?"

"Of course, I do."

"How do you know her?"

"I'm really into it."

"Are you crazy!"

"It's not like I'm asking for trouble!"

"What's not like it's asking for trouble!"

"Is it so despicable to do this?"

"What's despicable about it?"

The misunderstanding only grew more tangled.

"You brat...!"

He couldn't let 'Mi-yeon' be taken by someone who treated love as a mere game.

Moreover,

This guy was young, handsome, and richer than him, making him a formidable competitor.

"However you know Mi-yeon, I won't lose to you."

He decided there were only two ways to win: sincerity and diligence.

Manager Kim immediately left the studio.

"I won't lose to you in this aspect!"

"Is there really a win or lose? If there's something fun, we can do it together..."

"Together? You're really a trashy guy, aren't you?"

"Why? I just want us to get along and do things together..."

"Disgusting! Don't talk to me! You bad guy—!"

He was planning to finally ask her out, which he had been postponing.

"Someone who treats love as a mere game! Bad guy! Womanizer! Casanova! Rasputin!"

Bang—!

Manager Kim stormed out of the studio...

"Is he really that obsessed? It's just 2D graphics..."

After all, Manager Kim was in a situation where he couldn't even think about dating, let alone marriage, due to his busy work schedule.

His friends were already settling down and sending their children to elementary school.

"Sigh, thinking about it this way makes me feel sorry for him."

He then turned his attention back to the monitor.

"Anyway, what would be a good gift for my family..."

He didn't care how much it cost, but he couldn't gauge their preferences or tastes.

He was so regretful for having handled all the anniversaries in his previous life with money.

"It's tough, it's tough..."

Hyun-seung stared at the monitor for a long time, his eyes getting tired.