Chapter 43

Reckless Genius Composer Returns - Chapter 43 (43/482)

"Is this another failure today…?"

Gaejinseong had been punching in at the 'LS Entertainment Building' for over a week.

Sitting comfortably in the first-floor café as if it were his own home, he sipped his coffee when...

"Wha—?!"

He saw a familiar face in the distance.

Manager Kim Woo-hyun.

If he had to pick the most influential person among the LS Entertainment management, it would be him.

"Manager! Where are you going!"

The problem was...

"You must have mistaken me for someone else…."

The other party didn't seem to be particularly pleased to see him.

Seeing Manager Kim turn and disappear, it was clear.

"Hey, wait a moment!"

Gaejinseong was known among those in the know as a 'troublemaker,' 'Fengshan dog,' 'rare breed,' and other ominous nicknames. He was the worst of the worst. To put it mildly, from the perspective of management personnel, meeting Gaejinseong was far worse than meeting one's parents' enemy on a narrow bridge.

"Wait! Stop!"

For a while, a chase ensued between the two.

"If I open my mouth, things will get difficult!"

At those words, Manager Kim hesitated.

"Aren't you going to talk about that incident with one of the kids from Team 2 a while back? Is it okay to talk about it here?"

The leader of an idol group under Management Team 2 had been investigated for an attempted marijuana purchase, not actual smoking. Although it wasn't one of his direct charges, the process of handling it had aged him by several years.

He thought it had been covered up and passed smoothly, but true to his reputation as a troublemaker, Gaejinseong had somehow obtained the information. If he were sent away now, who knew what trouble might come, so he had no choice but to stop.

"Ha, damn—"

Finally, Manager Kim stopped and...

"Let's have a cigarette."

Reluctantly, the troublemaker grinned and replied.

"I find the cigarettes on the LS rooftop particularly delicious."

* * *

Gaejinseong once pondered where to install a bug if he ever had the chance to do so in the management building. Of course, if he really did such a thing, he'd end up in handcuffs, but it was just a nasty thought he had, like everyone else...

'The smoking area.'

The place he chose was not the CEO's office, the director's office, the PR department, or the management team's office, but the smoking area. It was the most natural place for conversations that could become the topic of the 9 o'clock news or entertainment headlines.

"Hey, are you listening—?"

For this reason, he was currently perking up his ears while talking to Manager Kim.

"Yes, yes, I'm listening intently."

"You, you should respond."

"What did you just say?"

"Hey! Hey! You weren't listening!"

Manager Kim narrowed his eyes and urged him.

"How did you know?"

Gaejinseong replied.

"Well, I just found out. As soon as I smelled it, I started calling the police, the prosecution, and making rounds. I even went to the police and prosecution after work. It was chaos."

"Quite impressive."

"Not really. It's all for the public's right to know. Do entertainment reporters even have a day off? I'm going to heaven when I die. What do you think, Manager?"

At those words, Manager Kim involuntarily frowned.

"What do you want?"

Why would a reporter like Gaejinseong, who had such a significant story, hold it back and keep it close?

There was a high probability that he was saving it as a bargaining chip for 'bigger information' in the future.

Now that he had something he wanted, he had come to mention the information he held.

Then,

Gaejinseong smiled and said,

"I like how you talk, Manager."

"Just tell me what information you want."

"No, it's nothing much…."

A moment of silence.

"Let me meet HS once."

The unexpected answer made Manager Kim cough and exhale a cloud of smoky air.

He then rubbed his sore throat and looked at him as if asking if he was crazy.

"Why? It's not an impossible request, right? I just want to sit down and do an interview. Why are you so surprised?"

During his investigation, he noticed that LS Entertainment was particularly closed-mouthed about 'HS,' the composer.

'Why is that?'

Is he a criminal? Or a composer who retired due to scandal and is hiding his name? He couldn't understand why they were hiding all the information so thoroughly.

"Why HS?"

Manager Kim asked, and he replied.

"Because I'm a fan."

"Ha, damn, really…."

"I'm really a fan."

Gaejinseong answered with a sly smile.

"I became a fan after listening to the new album. I don't know why, but you seem to be trying to hide him. Don't you need to promote the album? Especially with Jay B as a competitor on the music charts…."

Meanwhile, Manager Kim was still glaring at him.

"That's why it's even stranger. Is HS a criminal? Or a composer who retired due to a scandal and is now making a comeback under a new name?"

"It's not that."

"Then if I write a good article, can you arrange a meeting? I'm offering a way for both of us to benefit. Why are you hesitating?"

Manager Kim bit his lip, unable to respond.

'Ha, really…'

In fact, Gaejinseong's proposal was quite reasonable. It was just that the subject was Hyunseung, so he reacted sharply. He was sure that if he mentioned an interview to Hyunseung, he would refuse and throw a fit.

"I can't guarantee that he avoids media exposure."

Gaejinseong countered.

"Isn't it ridiculous that a minor idol group leader is under investigation for attempting to buy marijuana and is awaiting trial? If it gets out, it could lead to the group's disbandment. What will happen to the other members who were involved?"

That's right, that guy is completely crazy. After rotting in the underground practice room for so long, he finally started to see the light, gained some popularity, and made some money, but with nothing else to focus on, he turned to drugs.

For some reason, this made Manager Kim feel more attached to Hyunseung. He might be rude, but he doesn't mess around.

Manager Kim replied irritably.

"Stop annoying me and get to the point."

"Just try, at least."

Gaejinseong stubbed out his cigarette and added.

"Why hesitate when I'm offering to cover this story in exchange for one interview? It's a one-sided loss for me, isn't it?"

Right, it was a one-sided loss for Gaejinseong, which made it feel even more suspicious. He was certain that this notorious troublemaker wouldn't make such a generous offer just because he was a fan. As Manager Kim hesitated to answer, Gaejinseong continued.

"I'm a long-term thinker. Why stir up trouble with a big company like LS by digging up a well-covered incident? Of course, it's not an unreportable story, but I'd rather go smoothly."

He patted Manager Kim's shoulder and continued.

"Manager, you owe me one?"

Manager Kim took a deep breath and replied.

"Alright, for now."

He then added firmly.

"But if he doesn't want to, there's nothing I can do. I'll contact you, but I'd appreciate it if you stayed away from the building."

With that, Manager Kim started to leave the rooftop. Gaejinseong called out to his back.

"Hey, Manager, you like me, so don't say such hurtful things! If he doesn't want to, I'll blow the story, got it?"

It was almost a threat.

Manager Kim stopped in his tracks and shot back.

"Fine, then blow it."

"Excuse me?"

"Then blow it."

Although it was a critical issue, it wasn't caused by Hyunseung. If it were someone else, he would have begged or forced an interview, but he didn't want to do that for Hyunseung.

"I said I'll try. But if he doesn't want to, there's nothing I can do. If it comes to that, you can blow the story or let him live in obscurity. Don't annoy me with your whining—"

Manager Kim muttered, "Damn, you're making me angry…," and disappeared into the stairwell.

"Ah…."

Alone, Gaejinseong clapped and muttered.

Then,

He repeated Manager Kim's last words.

"Damn, you're making me angry…."

Among many entertainment companies, LS Entertainment felt particularly difficult to deal with due to the attitude of practical decision-makers like Manager Kim.

Whether it was the CEO, director, or manager, none of them were easy to handle. That's why he had such a hot topic in his hands.

"Wow, he's charismatic…."

Anyway, all that was left was to wait.

* * *

"Sure, I'm fine with it."

That was the response when he mentioned the interview to Hyunseung.

"As long as my face isn't exposed, it's fine, right?"

"That's true, but…."

"Others go on TV for promotion, don't they?"

Thanks to this, he managed to avoid a damaging report.

"Damn…."

The problem arose on the day of the scheduled interview.

After a brief ring,

Hyunseung's voice came through the phone.

― Hello?

It was a carefree, lucky voice.

"Hey, where are you? It's chaos here!"

― What?

"That damn reporter is furious."

Manager Kim added.

"He's been waiting in the meeting room for over two hours. He's not a rookie, and he's furious, thinking you're trying to mess with him. Get over here quickly."

After hanging up, Manager Kim looked at the saved name on his phone.

「Goldie」

Can this guy handle it?

* * *

Actually, he didn't want to do the interview. He had vowed to never stand in front of the public again, even if he continued making music. However, the reason he accepted was simple. Manager Kim seemed to have a serious reason.

"Can you do it?"

He must have had a good reason to ask, knowing him well. It seemed like he was grasping at straws due to a deeply entangled issue, so he accepted. He knew what went on behind the scenes in the glamorous entertainment industry.

'This is a big deal.'

He had accepted without much thought and kept putting it off, and now it was the day of the interview. The reporter had waited for two hours, and he hadn't even prepared a hat or a mask. Looking around the studio for something to cover his face, he found nothing and left the studio.

"Hmm."

Well, since the reporter had already waited for two hours, waiting a bit longer wouldn't be too much. Thinking he should at least visit a nearby mart, he stepped into the elevator.

"Huh?"

The door opened, and he saw a delivery person inside.

"Excuse me?"

He exclaimed inwardly and said,

"Would you sell me your helmet?"

"Why would I sell this?"

"Let's see how much it costs."

A moment of silence.

"How much?"

"100,000 won."

"It's not possible."

The delivery person firmly added,

"Things are so strict these days…."

"200,000 won."

"Damn, I have to work."

"250,000 won."

"No, no amount of money will change my mind."

"300,000 won."

"Do you think money can buy everything?"

A moment of silence.

"Will you go any higher?"

"290,000 won."

"Why are you lowering the price?"

"Time is money."

Hyunseung started a countdown.

"280,000 won, 270,000 won, 260,000 won…."

The delivery person shouted,

"300,000 won! I'll sell it for 300,000 won, as you first offered!"

He really wanted to yell, "Do you think money can buy everything?" but thought this amount was sufficient.

To him, this helmet was a matter of pride. If he thought he could buy his pride for just 300,000 won….

"Here you go."

That was the right answer.

"You made a good decision."

Hyunseung immediately took out six 50,000 won bills from his wallet and handed them over.

"Yes, sir."

The delivery person bowed and said,

"Have a safe day and a happy day."

Thus, a transaction that made everyone happy was completed.