Chapter 82

Reckless Genius Composer's Regression - Chapter 82 (82/482)

For the first time, HS showed a strong reaction, exclaiming, "Oh-?"

"This is something I really like, isn't it?"

Seeing this, Kang Hahoon smiled contentedly and chuckled.

'After all, there's no one who dislikes money.'

Although it was a misconception born from Kang Hahoon's preconceived notions...

"Thank you, I'll use it well."

It seemed that he had successfully won Park Executive's favor with the gift.

After a while,

Kang Hahoon began to speak in a calm tone to reveal that he was a trainee of Team 1.

"Mr. Composer, there's something I need to tell you."

The atmosphere between them seemed to have relaxed, and he judged that it was better to get to the point quickly.

"What is it?"

HS, who had been counting the meal tickets in the envelope, "sixteen, seventeen..." asked indifferently.

"Actually, I'm a trainee of Team 1 at LS Entertainment."

Upon hearing this, HS's expression didn't change, and he just stared.

"I know that you might not be pleased because our teams are in competition, and that you must be in a bad mood due to the recent unpleasant incident with Team 1."

"Oh, right. That's true."

"As a member of Team 1, I apologize again. And I don't mean to put any pressure on you, but I'm here because I'm captivated by your songs and dream of becoming a singer."

"Oh, is that so."

"Although I was disappointed to be eliminated without proper recognition on K-SingerStar, I'm incredibly grateful that you've given me another chance by offering me a song."

"Hey, hey..."

"I really, really want your song, and I want to sing it more than anything."

HS, who had been listening quietly to Kang Hahoon, waved his hand in embarrassment and declared, "That's enough." Then, with a completely nonchalant expression, he asked casually,

"So, you'll just take the song and sing it, right?"

"Huh?"

"The introduction is too long. Let's just exchange the song."

Suddenly, Kang Hahoon remembered what Park Executive had said.

Right...

"As a close confidant, I can assure you that he's not the type to act so petty."

Park Executive had said this to him, who was worried that HS might not give him a song because he was from Team 1.

As he had said, HS was only telling him not to overreact to something trivial.

"I just felt like playing it because I liked it when I passed by. I don't need to know which display case the instrument was in, and it's not a problem, is it?"

HS, who had been speaking with his shoulders bouncing, muttered, "Damn, I forgot how many I counted."

'Instrument...'

Kang Hahoon bowed his head deeply to hide his cheeks, which had turned bright red.

Just the fact that he was recognized as an instrument made his heart feel as if he had swallowed hot gravel.

How much had he longed for this?

He had been overshadowed by Yun Jai, and even eliminated from HS's recognition, which left him feeling dejected and blaming himself for his shortcomings.

But now,

Kang Hahoon was struggling to suppress the smile that was creeping onto his face.

How could he not be happy, having confirmed that HS recognized him as an instrument?

Thud.

HS finally finished counting the meal tickets and placed the envelope on the table, then said, as if retracting his previous statement,

"But, we need to do the test again, right?"

"Huh? The test?"

"Why, can't you? If not, let's just forget it."

Provoked by this, Kang Hahoon retorted,

"No, why not?"

"Blow a recorder through your nostrils."

"Huh? What...?"

"Joke, joke. You were being too serious."

HS continued to mumble, finding Kang Hahoon's repeated "Huh?" amusing.

"Hey."

Then, as if nothing had happened, he suddenly became serious and continued,

"You won't have much time to practice, but you have to do it. Can you handle it?"

Although the question was abrupt, Kang Hahoon answered without hesitation, his eyes sparkling.

"Yes, I'll do whatever it takes."

"Then, I'll contact you when the song is finished, so come to the studio."

After a while,

Kang Hahoon bowed deeply to HS, who had already stood up, and then left the cafe terrace with light steps.

─ The door opens.

Just as he was about to step into the elevator to deliver the news,

"Uh?"

The person he faced when the elevator door opened was none other than...

"Mr. Park?"

It was Park Executive, whom he was about to visit.

"Oh, Hahoon! We just met. That's great."

"Huh? Did you come down to look for me?"

"Yeah, I was going to call you, but this seemed faster."

Park Executive, with an urgent look, grabbed his hand and led him upstairs.

"What's the matter?"

Park Executive's face was stiff and looked very serious.

─ The door closes.

Suddenly, he hugged Kang Hahoon tightly as soon as the elevator door closed.

"Hahoon, it's okay, it's all okay! Everything will work out!"

"Huh? What...?"

"It feels like the whole universe is revolving around you."

Although he didn't understand exactly what he meant...

"Mr. Park..."

Kang Hahoon's face, trapped in Park Executive's large frame, was gradually turning tomato red.

"I can't... breathe..."

* * *

"Suddenly appearing again..."

In his office, Park Executive listened to Kang Hahoon's conversation with HS and then suddenly asked if he would reappear on K-SingerStar.

"Didn't I already get eliminated?"

Kang Hahoon asked, looking very flustered.

"Hahoon, you've been so busy lately that you haven't been keeping up with the news, have you?"

Park Executive opened the news on his phone and showed it to Hahoon.

"What? Kim Dajin and school violence?"

"Yeah, it seems the victim has submitted evidence."

"What kind of era is this...?"

"Ultimately, she's getting what she deserves."

Kang Hahoon muttered, looking down at his phone.

"Can getting kicked off the show be considered getting what she deserves?"

"No, her hell is just beginning."

Park Executive put his phone back in his pocket and added,

"Anyway, due to this situation, one person is missing from the upcoming Top 10 selection round. Since this round is a one-on-one match, we need an even number of participants—."

"So, I'm just here to fill the gap?"

"No, that's not it. Due to the fixed schedule, there's no room for a losers' round, so the PD held an emergency meeting with the judges, and they unanimously decided to bring you back."

Park Executive emphasized the word "unanimously" as if to reassure Kang Hahoon.

However, it wasn't just empty words.

As soon as Kang Hahoon appeared on TV, a fan club was established, and the number of members grew to tens of thousands over the course of the show.

He had gained a fan base as quickly as a lightning strike, thanks to his talent and appearance.

Of course, his looks played a bigger role...

Anyway,

Given Kang Hahoon's solid talent, appearance, and fan base, the production team must have felt a bit regretful about his elimination.

Usually, when a participant is brought back in an audition show, it's seen as a rigged game, and the show often proceeds without them. However,

"Mr. Park, I'll take a lot of screen time, so..."

It wasn't just any staff member, but the main PD, Kim Young-ho, who contacted Park Executive directly.

"Can you reconsider...?"

He humbly asked for a favor, despite his somewhat brusque refusal.

If Kang Hahoon were brought back, it would certainly create a hot topic.

Of course,

From the company's perspective, if Kang Hahoon were to reappear on K-SingerStar, it would create a more solid fan base, and a successful debut without much promotion would be highly likely.

However,

Park Executive thought that since Kang Hahoon had already decided to debut with a song from HS, there was no need to force him to choose K-SingerStar again.

"Since K-SingerStar is performing well, if you reappear and win, you can debut with the title of 'Miracle Winner.'"

Park Executive added after a pause.

"But, you only have two days until the next filming, which means you'll have less time to practice compared to the other participants, and you'll need to invest more time as you advance to the next rounds."

"Yes, that's true."

"Also, HS said you won't have much time to practice, so you might lose time preparing for your debut song. Hahoon, I'll respect your decision."

After finishing his words, Park Executive patted Kang Hahoon's shoulder, seeing his dazed expression.

He thought Kang Hahoon would be confused by this sudden choice.

However,

Kang Hahoon was actually tuning out everything and only repeating one phrase in his mind.

'Unanimous decision by the judges...'

This meant that HS had also agreed to bring him back, right?

The feeling of being recognized as an instrument again made a faint smile spread across his lips.

"Uh..."

At the sound of a familiar voice, Kang Hahoon's gaze naturally turned to the TV screen on the wall.

"Looks like a rerun..."

On the screen, Yun Jai's face was close-up as she sang in the final preliminary round...

Soon,

The song ended, and her face, which had received harsh criticism and elimination from two judges, was shown in close-up.

─ Can we use a Super Pass in the preliminaries?

The broadcast ended with HS's sudden statement, and the preview began.

It was a scene he had seen countless times in clips. Dozens? No, hundreds of times...

However,

Each time he watched it, the competitive spirit that had been deeply embedded in his heart boiled up like a volcanic eruption.

"Mr. Park."

After a while,

Kang Hahoon spoke with a determined look.

"I'm definitely going to reappear. Please let me."

* * *

Meanwhile, the small conference room at MBM Broadcasting was in turmoil over the 'Kim Dajin school violence scandal' on K-SingerStar.

With the victim's testimony and evidence now out...

In fact, even if they tried to investigate the situation, it would only cause more harm to the program, so the production team quickly decided to remove Kim Dajin.

"What about one of the people who were eliminated in this duet round?"

"Or, can we just proceed without an even number?"

"Then, we'll have to change the one-on-one match to a different format."

The directors, writers, and PDs of K-SingerStar gathered around the table, laying out the files of the remaining survivors and recent eliminees, and exchanged opinions heatedly.

"Let's first pick a few good candidates and contact them to see if they want to come back?"

They gathered to discuss the important Top 10 selection round, which was about to start, and the sudden departure of a participant due to the 'school violence scandal.'

"Do we really need to do that? We can just pick one and offer them another chance."

But because of this, a spot was left vacant in the upcoming one-on-one round.

Then,

The main writer muttered casually,

"The judges want to bring back Kang Hahoon..."

After all, the more controversial the person, the more dramatic the script, right?

She thought that if Kang Hahoon were to appear, it would create a much better picture.

"Kang Hahoon?"

The sub-writer, sitting next to the main writer, repeated the question, and the room buzzed with talk about the participant 'Kang Hahoon' again.

"But, isn't Kang Hahoon a trainee that LS Entertainment is pushing? Will he really come back?"

"Who knows? It would be good if he does, but if not, it's fine. We have so many other options."

"True, it might be better to bring back someone who is more eager."

Opinions were added from all corners, making the room noisy...

"But, why is the main PD standing there?"

"I don't know?"

"He's been standing there since the meeting started."

PD Kim Young-ho was standing alone in the corner of the meeting room, as if he were being punished, with his hands behind his back.

"Hmm..."

He was so deep in thought because his mind was filled with one name.

'Kang Hahoon, Kang Hahoon, Kang Hahoon...'

Currently, Kang Hahoon had a fan club established as soon as he appeared on TV, and when he was eliminated, there were frequent posts on the broadcasting company's bulletin board demanding his return.

However, realistically, there were plenty of replacements, and if he refused to reappear, they could easily fill the spot with someone else.

But,

His PD instincts, which had helped him rise to his current position, were strongly telling him to bring Kang Hahoon back.

Indeed,

When he had asked HS over the phone if there was anyone he wanted to bring back, HS had chosen Kang Hahoon without hesitation.

"I think it would be more interesting if Kang Hahoon comes back."

The 'interesting' he mentioned was hard to define, but...

PD Kim Young-ho's choice of HS was correct and accurate.

From Seo Jin-i to Jung Ara, the rumor that he had created them with his hands was well-known in the industry.

Moreover,

Through 'Yun Jai' in this program, HS had proven his keen eye and listening skills.

When everyone suddenly gave Yun Jai a Super Pass, PD Kim Young-ho, like everyone else, had doubts about HS