Chapter 10

"Hello?!"

Kim Hyun-jo hastily answered the phone. I strained to hear the faint voice.

- Uh... Hoo, is that Hyun-jo?

It was Team Leader 3.

"Bro! What have you been doing all this time? I thought you passed out on the street after drinking!"

- Hey, hey, it just ended. I'm exhausted. Those guys who aren't even young drank like they were pouring water into a bottomless barrel. Their livers were more robust than mine.

"Work? How did it go?"

There was a sound of swallowing. Hmm?

- We made a deal.

"Really?!"

- Tomorrow... or rather today. The article will be out right away.

I clenched my fists on my knees. If I hadn't, I might have made a sound.

What kind of conversation led to such a quick success?

- The CEO pushed it really hard. And I had good luck. There was a girl group that the production team had dropped at the last minute, and they had just booked an overseas schedule. The manager came all the way here, and it was a mess. If the timing had been a little off, we would have lost it. Who is this guy, a lucky charm. He really did a great job.

"Is it really confirmed?"

- It's not officially signed yet, but it's as good as confirmed.

"Haha! The kids will be thrilled."

- Yeah, the kids have been through a lot lately. Give them the good news quickly. We've got the opportunity, but whether we seize it or let it slip is up to you.

"I know."

- Do well. Do well.

Kim Hyun-jo talked with Team Leader 3 for a while longer and then hung up. He fiddled with his phone and handed it to me.

"Here. Take it."

"Really?"

I took the phone and saw that he was calling Lee Tae-hee.

Why is he giving this to me?

"Since Seon-woo brought this in, you should tell him directly. Before the article comes out."

The call connected, and a sleepy voice answered.

- What happened? We don't have any schedule today.

It was Lee Tae-hee.

"Um, this is Jeong Seon-woo. I have something to tell you."

I looked up to see Kim Hyun-jo and the traitor looking at me expectantly. Kim Hyun-jo gestured for me to speak.

"There's a new program on Knet called Next K-Star. Have you heard of it?"

- Yes, I know.

"Neptune is going to be on it."

- ...What?

"Knet... "

- No, I heard you right, but... really? I thought the casting was already done and they even took poster photos...

"It's real. A girl group dropped out, so Neptune is stepping in. The manager said to tell you before the article comes out..."

The other end of the line got noisy. It seemed Lee Tae-hee was waking up the members and telling them. I could hear screams. This was Im Seo-young.

"Can I have the phone for a moment?"

Kim Hyun-jo reached out and pressed the recording button on the phone.

The noisy voices of the girls, sobs, and excited screams were recorded. Even though it wasn't a video call, I could vividly picture the scene.

"Why are you recording...?"

"In case we need it later."

Thinking about the future in the middle of all this. I should learn from that.

I told Im Seo-young, who was sobbing and asking if it was real, that it was real several times and then handed the phone back to Kim Hyun-jo. He gave some instructions and then hung up.

"Mr. Seon-woo, how do you feel?"

How do I feel?

How can I express it? When I heard the Neptune members rejoicing and sobbing, the feeling at that moment was...

"Gratifying... and really, really satisfying."

"Training new talent is like that. The joy of seeing the kids get more regular shows, more recognition, and more fans. The thrill of creating that with your own hands. Once you get addicted to that, you can't stop."

"Ah..."

"Should we get up now? We need to rest to work again."

We gathered our things and stood up.

While Kim Hyun-jo was paying the bill, we waited outside the shop. The night air wasn't so cold, probably because of the alcohol. The doorbell rang, and Kim Hyun-jo came out.

At that moment, everything went dark.

Again.

I was back in the future office. As soon as I realized this, I focused my eyes and ears. Everything I see and hear here could change my life, so I can't afford to miss anything.

"You started with Next K-Star, and now, twenty years later, you've become the CEO of a company with a global network."

"Haha. There's still a long way to go."

"Did your experience with Neptune and Next K-Star influence your career?"

Song asked. Future me was thinking. I could only see the body below my neck.

"Yes. I got hooked then."

"Hooked...?"

"The thrill of building someone up with my own hands. Even though it was a tough time and I didn't do much myself, Neptune, who were almost unknown, gained a lot of recognition through Next K-Star. They faced criticism, but..."

What?

"That criticism was like a passing shower when I look back now."

I wanted to hear more about why they faced criticism, but the topic quickly moved on. Damn.

"And the next album did really well, even topping the music show charts. The thrill of watching that process was immense. If I hadn't experienced that, I might not be where I am today."

Good. Neptune's next album did well. The criticism is worrying, but it seems to have worked out in the end.

"I also listened to that song a lot back then."

Park Kuk-jang, who had been listening quietly, added.

"It was Neptune's first hit and the song I think of first when I think of Neptune."

"Was it a good song?"

"Didn't you hear it? Ah... It's an old song for Song. The song was really good. It suited Neptune well. I miss it."

"Shall we listen to it while we talk? It's been a while for me too."

As future me spoke, clear music started playing.

"Mr. Seon-woo, are you drunk?"

I was so absorbed in the music that I jumped.

"Why are you staring at the floor? Are you going to throw up?"

Kim Hyun-jo patted my back.

"You must have a low tolerance for alcohol."

"No, I'm not drunk. I was just thinking..."

I quickly showed him my clear eyes.

"That's a relief. You'll have a lot of drinking to do in the future."

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Anyway, both of you worked hard today."

"Thank you, Manager."

"Be careful on your way home."

The traitor and I hailed a taxi. Kim Hyun-jo got in first and said,

"It's 5 AM, so go home and get some rest. Have a good breakfast. Come to work by 8 AM."

Did I hear that right?

"By when?"

"8 AM. We need to have a meeting with the PR team to prepare the press release."

"Ah..."

"Since you've got a regular show, you'll be much busier from tomorrow. But once you get used to it, you can help each other. Hahaha."

Damn. There's a devil here.

"See you tomorrow. Don't go AWOL."

Kim Hyun-jo disappeared with a smile. The traitor and I looked at each other silently. If the traitor wasn't a two-faced guy who might stab me in the back, we might have developed a deeper camaraderie.

"Be careful on your way home."

"You too. See you tomorrow."

We parted ways and got into separate taxis. The taxi I got in smelled of someone's vomit, probably from a drunk passenger. I opened the window, and it started raining. Perfect ending.

The taxi arrived at my studio apartment. I paid the fare and took the receipt, just in case I could claim it.

I walked up to my small studio apartment in the rain. It was already past 6 AM. Work starts at 8 AM. I could probably get 30 minutes of sleep...

But once I washed up and lay down, I couldn't fall asleep. My body was exhausted, but my mind was more alert than ever.

I got up and turned on my laptop. I logged into an internet portal and thought for a moment. What should I search for... Ah.

Articles about movies and dramas featuring people with superpowers appeared, and finally, I found a question from someone who claimed to have superpowers. They were wondering whether to use their telekinetic powers to help people or keep them hidden.

Is this for real?

I read it with mixed feelings, but the question category was humor. Damn. The answers were mostly mocking and suggesting they see a doctor.

I searched a few more times and then gave up. I might go crazy.

I walked around my small studio apartment in circles. This is my room. I'm alone. If I do something strange, no one will know.

Okay, then...

How can I use this power freely?

There's no manual, and no one to ask. If I ask, I'll probably be recommended to see a psychiatrist. I have to figure it out on my own.

I closed my eyes and concentrated, trying to recall the future I had seen. I frowned and even made strange sounds, but nothing seemed to work.

After countless attempts, I gave up. There are two possibilities.

Either I can't find a way to use my power, or this power doesn't work at my will but appears randomly.

If I could control my precognitive ability, I would check the next winning lottery numbers...

I opened a notepad and wrote down the information I had seen and heard in the future before I forgot.

In the distant future, I am the CEO of a management company, and a successful one at that. From what I could tell, I had a relationship with Park Kuk-jang, who came to interview me. According to Song, I rose to the CEO of a major management company through hard work. It seems I didn't have an easy path to success.

At first, I was assigned to Neptune instead of the actor I wanted. Neptune appeared on a program called Next K-Star, which became a huge hit and spawned multiple seasons.

Neptune faced criticism but gained recognition through the program. Their next album was a huge success, topping the music show charts.

From what I could tell, my relationship with Neptune started then and will continue in some form...

And Choi Geun-young is the guy who stabbed me in the back.

Is there anything else? Ah, one more thing. Since there was no ring on my left ring finger in the future, I'm single. I'm either a lifelong bachelor or a divorced man. I don't know which is worse.

That's all the information I gathered from seeing the future three times.

But wait...

I changed the present. Instead of being stabbed in the back by the traitor, I connected Go Jun-tae PD with Neptune and became a lucky charm.

Is the future changing?

Remembering movies and dramas about the butterfly effect, a small flap of a butterfly's wings can cause a huge storm. If what I did yesterday was that flap...

Will I not become a CEO in the future?

But I changed the present after seeing the first and second futures. In the future, I had a bad first impression with Kim Hyun-jo, which led to a tough path. I corrected it by selling the quadruplets. I also reclaimed the lucky charm title that the traitor stole. Despite changing the present, the second and third futures I saw showed no signs of the butterfly effect.

Then, is it a parallel universe... or something like that?

The future I see and the present I live in have already diverged.

I searched the internet for parallel universes. A lot of information came up. I sat down and read it.

But after a while, sleepiness started to creep in. I shook my head to stay awake. I need to prepare for work soon.

Can't be late on my second day of work...

No, I can't...

© Jang Woo-san

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