Chapter 255: Featuring (1)
Kang Ra-Eun and Park Seol-Hun went to a nearby restaurant near the company building with Chairman Ji and Ji Han-Seok.
Chairman Ji asked Seol-Hun as soon as they sat down, “Come to think of it, is that large fellow not joining us?”
“Are you referring to Director Ma Yeong-Jun? He doesn’t really like these sort of gatherings, so he usually doesn’t attend.”
“I see. My eyes kept darting to him because of his impressive physique. I was thinking of asking him how he ended up working in Levanche. What a shame, haha.”
It would have been a massive problem if he had asked. Ra-Eun did not know exactly how Chairman Ji would think if he found out that Yeong-Jun and his men were former loan sharks, but she was sure that he wouldn’t think very well of it.
Ra-Eun remarked while filling Chairman Ji’s cup with warm green tea, “He manages distributions, but he also does bodyguarding work with Team Leader So Ha-Jin from time to time.”
“He’s quite versatile. Where did you find such an elite?”
In a shady alleyway, but Ra-Eun suppressed those words from coming out of her mouth.
“I just... happened upon him. He seemed like a good person, so I personally scouted him.”
“You sure have a good eye for people, Ra-Eun,” Chairman Ji expressed.
Ra-Eun had succeeded in making herself look good. However, as someone who knew the truth, Seol-Hun was lost for words from the absurdity. Chairman Ji then turned his attention toward Seol-Hun.
“Did Ra-Eun scout you as well?”
“Pardon? Oh... Y-You could say that. H-Hahahahaha!” Seol-Hun laughed awkwardly.
It was more accurate to say that he had been blackmailed than scouted. He had been forced to promise that he would help in her business as payment for her having saved his life. Ra-Eun’s company had barely any executives that had been scouted through normal means. There were times when people were better off not knowing the truth, like now for instance.
“As for my grandson, he’s so kind-hearted that his eye for people is still underdeveloped.”
His grandfather’s comment slightly irritated Han-Seok.
“This is about me hiring Team Leader Kim, isn’t it? I’ll admit that it was completely my fault, but that was more than three years ago.”
Han-Seok was embarrassed, especially since it was in front of Ra-Eun. However, Chairman Ji believed in clearly pointing people out on their mistakes, so he had no intention of stopping.
“One needs to have the courage to acknowledge their flaws if they want to climb higher. If you keep letting yourself off the hook by thinking that it was okay because you were lacking in various experiences at the time, it’ll only hinder your growth.”
Chairman Ji held firm beliefs that one needed to critique and whip themselves even more during such times. Ra-Eun was naturally reminded of someone whenever she heard Chairman Ji saying things like this.
‘Father had exactly the same mindset as Chairman Ji.’
Due to this, Ra-Eun could sympathize with how Han-Seok was feeling right now.
“I’m sure sunbae is doing his best, so please don’t scold him too much, Chairman.”
Chairman Ji’s eyes narrowed as soon as Ra-Eun took Han-Seok’s side. However, it had not been because she had criticized his actions.
“I’m glad to see that you don’t see Han-Seok in a bad light. So very glad.”
Chairman Ji tried to connect the two of them at any chance he got, no matter what. Ra-Eun clicked her tongue inside her head.
‘I can’t even say anything.’
***
While Ra-Eun was having a meal with Chairman Ji and Han-Seok, Je-Woon was with Han Ga-Ae, Ra-Eun’s same-age close friend who were both in the same agency.
“Hello, sunbae!” she greeted Je-Woon nervously.
Je-Woon blinked repeatedly in confusion after having met Ga-Ae after a long time.
“You seem a lot different from before,” he mentioned.
“Do I?”
“Yeah. Back when you used to be in a group, you seemed... How should I say it? Timid, I guess? But you seem more confident now. It’s great to see.”
“Oh... Thank you very much!”
Je-Woon had been exactly right. Back when Ga-Ae had been a member of the eleven-member group Nefti, she had been far from confident. She had only been a stooge member who had not been able to shine no matter how hard she worked.
Ga-Ae had thought that she would never be able to escape from such a fate. She had even thought of retiring, but the arms of salvation had embraced her in a completely unexpected way.
“It’s all thanks to Ra-Eun,” she stated.
Ra-Eun had made Ga-Ae into the person that she was now. If Ra-Eun hadn’t brought her to GNF and appealed to the agency her value as a solo singer, Ga-Ae might have been disillusioned with the entertainment industry and have chosen retirement. Je-Woon nodded in succession as if he had understood completely.
“Yeah, Ra-Eun’s eye for talent is well-known.”
Even casting managers acknowledged Ra-Eun’s discerning eyes. Every single person that she had helped had become stars without exception. Not just that, every single film and drama that she had starred in had become massive hits.
“Ra-Eun is definitely blessed by the Goddess of Luck,” Je-Woon expressed.
“I think so as well,” Ga-Ae responded.
However, Je-Woon had not come to meet Ga-Ae to discuss Ra-Eun. They were both very busy people, so he decided to get straight to the point of why he had asked to meet her.
“Like I had mentioned on the phone, I’m gonna be releasing a solo album.”
“Yes, I know.”
“I asked to meet you because I’d like you to feature in the title track.”
The album held great meaning to Je-Woon since it was his very first solo album. Hence, he wanted to dedicate everything that he had into it. He had already become a global star as a member of Bex, but he had still not proven himself regarding if he would be able to display the same level of explosive stardom when he was on stage by himself.
Je-Woon wanted to become a singer that was acknowledged by fans worldwide even when he was on stage by himself, so he needed his title track to be perfect. It was a great honor to be offered a feature in a global star’s song, but...
“I’m sorry, sunbae. My comeback is just around the corner, so... I’ll have to focus on that for the time being.”
Je-Woon couldn’t help but be disappointed, but it was not like he couldn’t understand where Ga-Ae was coming from. Even if one received a featuring offer from a senior that they liked and respected, there was nothing more important to a singer than their own album.
“Then I guess I’ll have to ask someone else,” Je-Woon remarked.
“Do you have someone in mind?” Ga-Ae asked.
“To be honest... No, I don’t.”
There wasn’t anyone that he could think of besides Ga-Ae. His title track fit Ga-Ae’s style of voice perfectly, and he had not expected her to refuse his offer.
“Well, it’s not like it’s super urgent. I’ll just have to take some time thinking about it.”
“I’m so sorry for making you go through such trouble, sunbae...”
“No, there’s nothing that you need to be sorry for. It’s my fault for asking you to feature in my song out of nowhere. That aside, I wonder who to ask. Is there anyone you recommend?”
Ga-Ae thought for a short moment.
“There is one person,” she answered.
“Really? Who?”
Je-Woon was curious about who Ga-Ae had in mind, but there were a few things that she needed to check before giving her answer.
“Does the person to feature in your title track have to be a singer?”
“No. As long as their singing voice is above average, or my producer and I judge that their voice matches the style of the track, they don’t have to be.”
“Really? That’s perfect, then,” Ga-Ae lightly clapped her hands and mentioned the name of the candidate in her mind, “How about Ra-Eun?”
Je-Woon was momentarily taken aback by the unexpected name.
***
Ra-Eun plopped into bed without removing her makeup as soon as she came back home. She was especially exhausted due to Chairman Ji and Han-Seok’s visit to her company.
‘I’d never thought accommodating guests would be so tiring.’
It had likely been because the guest had been an extremely famous individual in the financial world. Chairman Ji saw Ra-Eun in a good light, but that did not mean that she could treat him casually. She knew better than anyone else that a single slip of the tongue could bring about massively negative consequences.
‘Since I let him look around the company today, he probably won’t ask to come again.’
If he did, Ra-Eun was planning on making excuses to do whatever it took to change the meeting location. She had managed to recharge her energy reserves after laying in bed for a short moment.
‘I’ll go take a shower.’
She had already worked out at the fitness center this morning, so all that was left for her today was to rest. However, a call to her phone disrupted her shower. It had not been that long since she had taken off her clothes and let the warm water envelop her. She would usually just ignore it, but...
‘Why is Ga-Ae calling me?’
She thought for a moment as she stared at her friend’s name on the display.
‘Well, it’s a voice call, so it should be fine.’
Ra-Eun then accepted the call. However, the moment that she did, Ga-Ae’s face appeared on the display. Ga-Ae screamed.
- Kyaa! R-Ra-Eun!! What are you doing?!
“Me? Taking a shower.”
- No, why are you accepting a video call when you’re taking a shower?!
“Huh? This is a video call?”
- I-I’m hanging up!
Ga-Ae seemed to have hurriedly ended the call. Ra-Eun called Ga-Ae, and she made sure this time that it was a voice call.
- Sigh, seriously. What were you gonna do if I wasn’t alone?
“Sorry. I couldn’t see well because of the steam.”
Her vision had been impaired since she had been in the middle of a shower. It would have been a huge problem if it had been a male acquaintance instead of Ga-Ae. Since there had been no issues, it was fine result-wise.
“What’s up?” Ra-Eun asked.
She expected that Ga-Ae hadn’t called her for no reason. Ga-Ae calmed her racing heart down and explained why she had called her.
- I called to ask if you’d be interested in featuring in a song.
Ra-Eun froze for a moment due to the unfamiliar word.
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