Chapter 3

In Lee Soo-man's office, Ahn Min-hyun listened to Lee Soo-man introducing the situation of S.M. Company over the past few years, feeling a bit melancholic. HOT, the first male group that is still referred to as the pioneer of Hallyu in the entire entertainment industry, had already disbanded, with three out of the five members leaving S.M. Company, leaving only Kangta and Moon Hee-joon. SES, the female group that was still a trainee when he debuted, had also disbanded, with only Bada remaining. As for H.O.T., they all left S.M. collectively.

Seeing the heavy expression on Lee Soo-man's face, Ahn Min-hyun couldn't help but feel indignant for him. The outside world rumored that it was Lee Soo-man who broke up these groups, but Ahn Min-hyun knew differently. He knew that the pressure from other companies forced Lee Soo-man to make such decisions. S.M. was still a developing company, lacking the strength to stand up to other companies. Although they had the most popular artists, Lee Soo-man didn't have the power to challenge other companies and could only submit to their pressure. He himself was forced to leave under such circumstances, of course, partly due to his own personality.

"Teacher." Ahn Min-hyun called softly.

"It's fine." Lee Soo-man smiled and said, "Sooner or later, I will make it right."

"What a pity." Ahn Min-hyun said, "I was thinking of coming back to apologize to everyone, but things have changed so much."

"Don't blame them." Lee Soo-man said, "It's the company's lack of strength that couldn't protect them."

"Why didn't you tell them the truth?" Ahn Min-hyun asked in confusion, "That way, they wouldn't blame you."

"What's the point?" Lee Soo-man said blankly, "If they want to blame, let them."

"By the way, Teacher, you mentioned BoA?" Ahn Min-hyun didn't want to continue this topic, knowing that the more it was mentioned, the more guilty Lee Soo-man would feel.

"Ha, you're talking about this kid." Indeed, Lee Soo-man's blank expression changed, and he said happily, "She's one of my most satisfactory disciples besides you. She's doing great in Japan."

"Really? To receive praise from you, she must be very talented." Ahn Min-hyun smiled and said, "I really want to meet her."

"You will have the chance." Lee Soo-man said, "But, Min-hyun, you don't need to envy her. Although BoA is great, she still falls short compared to you."

"If others hear that, they might say you're favoring me." Ahn Min-hyun teased.

"Favoring?" Lee Soo-man chuckled, "Hey, with your talent, who would dare say I'm favoring you?"

"Teacher, you're too kind to me." Ahn Min-hyun, who was no longer his original self, blushed at Lee Soo-man's blatant praise.

Lee Soo-man looked at the humble Ahn Min-hyun with satisfaction. He didn't know what had happened to Ahn Min-hyun and didn't want to ask. It wasn't that he didn't care, but he knew that for someone as proud as Ahn Min-hyun to change, the blow must have been significant.

"Teacher, why are you looking at me like that?" Ahn Min-hyun felt a bit uncomfortable under Lee Soo-man's openly satisfied gaze.

"Min-hyun, if I have to say the only thing I'm not satisfied with about you, it's your personality back then. Now, you are a perfect existence in my eyes." Lee Soo-man said seriously, "With this personality and your talent, I don't know how far you can go."

"No matter how high I climb or how far I go, you will always be my teacher." Ahn Min-hyun said sincerely, "Without you, there would be no me today."

"Lee Soo-man, Lee Soo-man." Lee Soo-man was very pleased with Ahn Min-hyun's words and was about to respond when a hurried voice came, followed by the door being forcefully pushed open.

"Yong-jin, what's the rush?" The person who arrived was none other than S.M.'s current chief producer, Yu Yong-jin. Lee Soo-man looked at the flushed Yu Yong-jin and asked with a smile.

"Is Min-hyun back?" Yu Yong-jin ignored Lee Soo-man's teasing. As soon as he entered, he noticed another person in the office and immediately guessed who it was, but he still asked.

"Teacher Yong-jin, it's been a long time." Ahn Min-hyun hurriedly bowed and greeted Yu Yong-jin. If Lee Soo-man was the person Ahn Min-hyun was most grateful to, then Yu Yong-jin was the person he felt most guilty towards. Back then, Ahn Min-hyun had offended Yu Yong-jin many times, but Yu Yong-jin never blamed him and instead taught him everything he knew.

"Are you Min-hyun?" Although Yu Yong-jin already knew his identity, seeing the warm aura around Ahn Min-hyun, he still couldn't believe it, just like Lee Soo-man and Kangta when they first saw him.

"Yes, I'm Ahn Min-hyun. Teacher Yong-jin, I was young and impulsive back then. I hope you can forgive me for my disrespectful words." Ahn Min-hyun said apologetically, coming to S.M. today with a heart full of remorse.

"Good, good." Yu Yong-jin came to his senses, realizing he wasn't dreaming. Ahn Min-hyun had indeed changed, and he repeatedly agreed.

"Surprised, right?" Lee Soo-man, who didn't interrupt Yu Yong-jin and Ahn Min-hyun's conversation, finally spoke, "I was also shocked when I saw Min-hyun just now."

"Lee Soo-man, get the contract ready." Yu Yong-jin didn't bother with Lee Soo-man's banter and said straightforwardly, "Do you want to let Min-hyun go? He's my disciple, a real talent. No, Min-hyun, you must stay at S.M. Company."

Seeing how much Yu Yong-jin valued him, Ahn Min-hyun was moved. Yu Yong-jin was still the same as before. Although he said he valued Ahn Min-hyun's talent, Ahn Min-hyun could see the true meaning in his eyes.

"I've already had someone prepare the contract." Lee Soo-man explained with a smile, showing no dissatisfaction.

"I wasn't planning to leave the company." Ahn Min-hyun said, "I've always been part of the company."

"That's good." Yu Yong-jin finally calmed down.

The three of them sat down again and chatted about what had happened over the past five years. Of course, Lee Soo-man and Yu Yong-jin did most of the talking. After all, Ahn Min-hyun couldn't reveal what he did in the military, but he didn't find it boring listening to his teachers. These were all things worth remembering.

"President, here's the contract you asked for." The staff knocked on the door and entered, and the three of them stopped talking.

"Min-hyun, take a look and see if there's anything you're not satisfied with." Lee Soo-man nodded, signaling the staff to leave, then handed the contract to Ahn Min-hyun.

"Teacher, this contract..." Ahn Min-hyun glanced at it casually and didn't know how to respond. It wasn't that the contract was bad, but it was too good. The profit split with the company was 4:6, with him taking 40%, and the company covering all other expenses, including meals and production costs. He also had the right to produce singles independently, though he would prioritize selling songs suitable for the company to the company.

"You deserve this contract." Lee Soo-man said, "Even without the teacher-student relationship, your talent warrants this contract. I just used this relationship to get some benefits for the company."

"That's right." Yu Yong-jin, who didn't understand the details, but seeing Ahn Min-hyun's shocked expression and Lee Soo-man's words, knew the contract must be very good, so he immediately agreed with Lee Soo-man.

"Thank you, Teacher." Ahn Min-hyun didn't say more. He didn't believe Lee Soo-man's words. In Korea, no matter how strong you were, the contract always favored the company. But this contract favored him. He didn't believe Lee Soo-man didn't show favoritism.

Lee Soo-man and Yu Yong-jin watched Ahn Min-hyun sign the contract and smiled happily. Finally, his proudest disciple had returned to the company.

"It's not the right time to make a comeback." After signing the contract, Lee Soo-man said, "Due to the H.O.T. incident, the company's reputation is very bad. If Min-hyun makes a comeback now, he will face various criticisms. We'll discuss the specific timing later."

"I'll follow your arrangements, Teacher." Ahn Min-hyun, who didn't understand these matters, trusted Lee Soo-man.

"Done talking?" Yu Yong-jin asked, seeing that everything was settled.

"Done." Lee Soo-man nodded.

"See you later." Yu Yong-jin immediately pulled Ahn Min-hyun's hand and ran out, wanting to confirm Ahn Min-hyun's current strength.

Lee Soo-man looked at Yu Yong-jin's back, speechless. Yu Yong-jin always acted on impulse, which was very troublesome.

"Hello, Teacher, hello, senior." On the way, Ahn Min-hyun encountered many trainees. However, upon seeing Yu Yong-jin, they hurriedly made way, greeting him respectfully without raising their heads.

"Who's that person?" After the two left, the trainees looked up and asked in confusion.

"There's no one like that in the company."

"He looks familiar."

Ignoring the trainees gossiping about Ahn Min-hyun's identity, Ahn Min-hyun followed Lee Soo-man to the production room.

"Teacher, why did you bring me here?" Ahn Min-hyun asked in confusion.

"Have you created any songs in the past few years?" Yu Yong-jin asked straightforwardly.

"Yes." Ahn Min-hyun nodded. During his military service, he created many songs in his spare time.

"Great, record them and let me listen." Yu Yong-jin said eagerly.

"Yes, Teacher." Ahn Min-hyun replied respectfully.