Chapter 69

Reckless Genius Composer Returns - Chapter 69 (69/482)

Since the morning, Executive Park had been sitting in the café terrace, sipping an iced Americano to moisten his parched mouth.

“Sigh….”

After holding the straw in his mouth for a while, he pulled it away, letting out a deep sigh. The reason for his deep sigh was simple.

“Why isn’t he here yet?”

The time was gradually approaching noon, and the person he was eagerly waiting for had not shown up.

‘He said he would definitely stop by for coffee on his way to work….’

Although,

he had no idea what to say or how to start a conversation if the person did appear.

Tap, tap, tap—

The trembling legs under the table revealed his anxious state. Indeed, his heart was so restless that it was hard for him to sit still.

Raising his hands to cover his head, the ticking of his wristwatch’s second hand in his ear reminded him that time was passing quickly.

I’ll wait just until 12:00, yes, just until noon.

Just as Executive Park was about to stand up to order another coffee, he heard a voice.

“Ah, Executive Park? I’ve been seeing you a lot lately.”

Looking up, he saw the face he had been waiting for.

Was it because the time he had waited felt so long?

Without realizing it, Executive Park abruptly stood up and replied.

“Why, only now…!”

Then, realizing his voice was too loud, he coughed awkwardly.

“Hmm, ahem… Are you on your way to work now?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Can you spare a moment? I’ll buy you a coffee today.”

Hyunsung hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, “Sure.” After all, taking a short tea break wasn’t that difficult.

Of course,

if the conversation turned to plagiarism or biased judging in K-SingerStar, he was prepared to leave without hesitation.

“Thank you.”

Hyunsung took the coffee, bowed in gratitude, and sat down in front of Executive Park.

“Is there something you need?”

At this question, Executive Park bit his lower lip, saying, “Ah, well….”

‘Is it really okay?’

Seeing Hyunsung’s calm face, he felt flustered and couldn’t easily bring himself to say anything.

After all, hadn’t Hyunsung come to his team 1 yesterday to raise the issue of plagiarism? In fact, he was almost certain it was plagiarism.

It had been less than 24 hours since the incident.

Moreover, he had brazenly asked Hyunsung if he had any evidence of plagiarism, acting as if he had nothing to hide.

However, the plagiarism was confirmed, and the person sitting in front of him must have known about it.

But,

how could he act as if nothing had happened?

“About yesterday….”

Meeting Hyunsung’s eyes, he saw a calm gaze looking straight back at him.

“I’ll take full responsibility and apologize on their behalf.”

“For what?”

“Plagiarism. After checking internally, it seems one of our members found a USB and, mistaking the audio file for a sample, used parts of it to create the song….”

At this, Hyunsung repeated, “A sample?” and smiled. The song was too complete to be called a sample. It was a masterpiece, not just any ordinary composition.

“Regardless, since our member made a mistake without knowing, I’ll apologize on their behalf.”

This was a serious issue, especially in a company like LS Entertainment, which is highly sensitive to plagiarism. Yes, it was that serious, which is why he had come to apologize.

However, seeing him like this wasn’t a particularly satisfying or pleasant experience. He didn’t even feel like asking him to grovel more. After all, as long as the copyright returned to its rightful owner, he didn’t really care.

But,

watching Executive Park try to frame his team member’s mistake as an unintentional error made him laugh.

Yes, it was amusing.

On the other hand, he felt that Executive Park was very human. He could change his stance based on his own interests, coveted what others had, and fiercely protected his own team. Isn’t this the most primitive form of human nature?

Yes.

While others might think differently about Executive Park, if he had been on the same team, he would have considered him a great ally and a reliable person.

“The audio file from Team 1 has been canceled.”

At this, Hyunsung nodded and replied, “Understood.”

That was enough.

He had been prepared to take legal action if the argument continued, but with the cancellation, he felt relieved that the trouble was over.

“Plagiarism is a sensitive issue, so I’m not asking you to cover it up. I’ll accept any internal penalties. However, can you help ensure it’s handled properly from my end?”

Hyunsung looked surprised at Executive Park’s words.

“Really?”

It was rare for someone to come and apologize, especially for something their own team member had done, and even rarer for them to take full responsibility. How could he not be surprised, especially from someone he had considered a thorn in his side?

From his reaction earlier and the conversation now, it seemed like he had been waiting for this opportunity to meet.

Did he really care so much about his team member?

Yes,

perhaps he was more human than Hyunsung had thought.

In many ways, the most human of all.

“Since everything has been resolved, there’s no need for you to face any penalties or take responsibility.”

“Haven’t you reported it to the higher-ups yet?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Why not? It was a serious issue.”

“It’s my decision.”

Hyunsung shrugged and raised his eyebrows. Seeing this, Executive Park felt the tension in his body ease.

He had declared he would take responsibility, but…

Since he had been caught diverting a Man Records document, he had already received a silent warning from the CEO. This time, it might not end with just a warning.

‘You’re too composed.’

Hadn’t he thrown a fierce warning at him yesterday? Yet, now he acted as if nothing had happened.

Normally, men of his age would be more passionate about trivial matters and less forgiving.

Even adults who have reached the age of knowing their destiny (知天命) can be petty and dirty over a bowl of rice.

Where does this composure and calmness come from?

Executive Park marveled inwardly. He felt a bit regretful that Hyunsung wasn’t on his team.

If he had been on the same team, he wouldn’t have had to struggle alone and could have relied on him more.

No,

the more he thought about it, the more it gnawed at him. To stop these thoughts, he stood up, placing his hands on the table.

“I’ve taken up too much of your time. I should get going.”

As he stood up, he added,

“By the way, can we forget about the request for biased judging you made earlier?”

“Sure, I wasn’t going to listen anyway.”

“You’re quite consistent, I see.”

Hyunsung tilted his head and scratched the back of his head.

“Hmm, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

After a moment,

“You’re quite shameless.”

For the first time, Executive Park could smile at Hyunsung without any ill will.

* * *

The second round of K-SingerStar auditions took place nationwide, and finally, the day of the third round arrived.

“Senior, it’s been a while!”

When she saw Kim Gwangjin entering the audition venue, Lee Young-a stood up and bowed deeply. Kim Gwangjin, a veteran singer with over 40 years of experience, was a living legend in the Korean music industry, someone she couldn’t treat casually even if told to.

“Indeed. We only saw each other on the radio last time, right?”

“Yes, please invite me to the radio again.”

“Oh, we should invite you. You’re so busy these days, Young-a?”

“If it’s a request from you, I’ll set everything aside and come.”

They exchanged pleasantries and took their seats as two of the three judges.

“Phew, there are so many people even for the third round?”

Kim Gwangjin flipped through the thick stack of documents on the table and sighed.

“Yes, it seems we won’t finish even by tonight. Is it really possible to review all of them today?”

Lee Young-a groaned and complained to the staff.

“But many people get cold feet, scared, or can’t participate due to parental opposition, so it should be fine.”

Lee Young-a nodded, though she didn’t really empathize. She would never have run away if she had come this far.

“Quite disappointing.”

She muttered under her breath.

Then,

Kim Gwangjin tapped the empty seat to his left and asked,

“Who’s the last judge?”

Lee Young-a glanced at the empty seat and turned to the staff, looking very curious.

The judge for the Seoul regional auditions would be a main judge for the finals.

However,

no one, not even the other judges, knew who it was. While the two judges whose faces were hidden in the K-SingerStar lineup were unknown, rumors suggested one of them was Jable.

“Is it Jable?”

Lee Young-a, unable to contain her curiosity, asked tentatively.

“Ah, well….”

Ignoring the staff’s awkwardness, she crossed her arms and pressed on.

“It’s hard to believe someone other than Jable would be the last to arrive.”

“Ah, Jable is indeed a main judge, but he’s handling the Gyeonggi region with Won Jin-sub.”

“Then, who’s the other main judge? We’ll find out soon, so just tell me.”

The staff looked around and lowered his voice.

“It’s… composer HS.”

Lee Young-a covered her mouth and asked, “Really?” HS was a hot topic in the music industry, not just in broadcasting. It was said that a truckload of artists had sent love calls to LS for one of his songs.

However,

no one had received a response or was scheduled to receive a song from him.

“When will he arrive?”

Lee Young-a, more curious about his late arrival, brightened up.

Rumors about him being a hikikomori who avoided exposure or wearing a helmet due to a prominent jaw or a large facial mole…

She was about to see the subject of these rumors in person.

Moreover, if she could get along well with HS, she might receive a song from him.

Yes, if they worked together until the finals, she would have enough time to build a relationship.

“I can’t wait to meet him….”

Just as Lee Young-a was fantasizing about receiving a song from HS and making a grand comeback,

“Hey, hey? You can’t just come in like that—!”

A junior staff member tried to block a man in a helmet at the entrance.

“Eek!”

The assistant director rushed over, stopping the junior staff and bowing repeatedly.

“Ah, you’re here.”

Everyone’s attention turned to the entrance.

Then,

“Helmet?”

Most of the staff, who were temporary hires, started murmuring, except for a few who knew HS wore a helmet.

“Is that HS in the helmet?”

“Wow, wow! It must be him!”

“So he really wears a helmet all the time?”

“But why does he wear a helmet?”

“I heard he has a prominent jaw?”

“No, it’s a large mole on his face.”

The helmeted man, ignoring the commotion, followed the assistant director to the judges’ seats.

Thud, thud—

He stopped in front of Kim Gwangjin.

“I’m composer HS. It’s an honor to meet you in person.”

He extended his hand politely.

“I know it’s unconventional, but due to certain circumstances, I’m wearing a helmet. I hope for your understanding.”

“I heard you avoid exposure. As long as you judge well, it’s fine. It’s fine.”

Kim Gwangjin, with his gentle tone, shook HS’s hand and patted it a few times.

“By the way, you’re very knowledgeable about current trends, so I look forward to your judgment.”

“Well, trends don’t really exist. Talented and promising people stand out in any era.”

“Hmm, that’s true… Now that you mention it, it does make sense.”

Their conversation was interspersed with light laughter.

“Mr. HS, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. It’s a pleasure.”

Lee Young-a smoothed her hair and greeted him. However, HS, without even a glance, replied briefly, “Yes, me too,” and sat down.

“What…?”

Lee Young-a, looking at HS, muttered in disbelief.

What kind of person is this?

Just a moment ago, he was polite and conversational with Kim Gwangjin, but now he was cold and distant. It felt like he was deliberately ignoring her.

“Did you face a lot of traffic today? You’re a bit late.”

“I arrived before the filming started. Is there a problem?”

Seeing HS’s indifferent response to her sarcasm, she felt like tearing off his helmet to see his face.

Really, should I just rip it off?

Lee Young-a, recalling her grand comeback fantasy, suppressed her anger. Patience, patience.

Then,

a loud voice echoed in the venue.

“Let’s start the opening scene.”

One!

Two!

Three!

And so,

Snap!

The second round of the Seoul regional auditions, which started on a skewed note, began.