“Featuring.
In music, it generally means when a guest artist participates in another musician’s track to sing certain parts.
Typically, the guest’s style differs from the original artist’s, which adds a fresh twist or strength to the record.
For example, a rapper gets a vocalist, a male artist gets a female artist, or a senior artist lends support to promote a less-known junior.
But now here’s the thing.
– VTIC Shin Cheong ryeo : Junior, would you be interested in featuring?
You don’t mean on a VTIC song?
‘...A top-tier male idol featuring on another top-tier male idol’s song?’
I can already picture the verbal abuse flooding the Internet.
It would be a disaster.
Sure, it’d stir up plenty of attention...
‘Why me?’
No need to think twice.
– I’m sorry, but we’ve recently taken on so many new projects, we can’t take on another challenge right now.
I paused looking at the status window and immediately sent my reply.
‘They can’t seriously want me to feature.’
I wanted to see what angle they were working, why they’d text out of the blue.
Moments later, my phone buzzed again. The reply read...
– VTIC Shin Cheong ryeo : Oh?
– VTIC Shin Cheong ryeo : You should be interested, though.
“.......”
– VTIC Shin Cheong ryeo : Doesn’t it feel better to help each other than collect debts? It looks good, too.
Look at that.
‘Are you really bringing up that debt you racked up because you “helped” me?’
The same guy who threatened to break my skull—but he did follow through afterward with some cooperation. And later provided critical help.
‘It was mutual, you bastard.’
He acts like he was the only one helping, and he even backstabbed me a few times.
I started typing a refusal as if I hadn’t understood him at all.
– You don’t have to feel indebted to me—
But I stopped mid-sentence.
‘Huh.’
This doesn’t feel like mere provocation. It’s annoying but strangely intriguing. I rubbed my chin, revised my reply, and sent it.
– Whose song is it?
I hate asking, but he’s smart enough not to randomly want to feature with just anyone. He wouldn’t demand my feature on his own album—so...
‘This must be a lead.’
Who could it be? Surely not Malrang Dalkom...
Brrrriiiing—
– VTIC Shin Cheong ryeo : Obviously it’s my song. ^^
“.......”
Is he crazy? I called him.
“Senior.”
– Junior.
“Care to explain more?”
I heard soft laughter on the other end.
– Sure.
And so an impromptu meeting was arranged—almost felt like a duel.
Shin Cheong ryeo called me to an outdoor café we’d visited once before.
‘Did he lease the place?’
There was still no one else around, but this time a yellow dog was happily running across the lawn.
“It’s summer, so the grass grew well. Kongi seems excited.”
“.......”
Woof!
I placed a ball at my feet and watched the dog wag its tail fiercely. Was I supposed to throw it?
‘Here.’
I tossed the soft ball in a wide arc across the yard. The dog shot after it like an arrow.
Then I looked back at the human across from me.
“If it’s too hot, we can go inside.”
“I’m fine.”
It was still early morning, almost dawn, so it was cool. I crossed my arms and waited for him to explain—because that’s proper.
And propriety was observed.
“Anyway, you know I’m preparing an album.”
Right.
“And you know all VTIC members have enlisted, yes?”
Of course I know. I nodded, and he nodded in that obnoxious way.
“I have a song I want to use, but the bridge has a part that doesn’t fit the vocal range.”
“.......”
“Well, given the situation, I thought you’d be perfect. What do you think?”
Is he serious?
“Does a guy on leave even have a voice?”
You’d think he’s staging a recording strike. But Shin Cheong ryeo didn’t even blink.
“You can’t profit from activities during service.”
“Work made before enlistment should be an exception.”
“Recording while on leave still counts. If details leak, it’d be a problem.”
He smiled gently.
“You understand, right?”
Understand? That leaking would be a problem...?
‘...Oh.’
Damn.
‘He must’ve heard.’
I drank down my ice water and spoke.
“Did it leak through LeTi?”
Cha Yoo jin’s dorm escape. That story about him planning a reverse-viral campaign against us reached even the WonderHall agency quickly. Was LeTi the route?
‘LeTi poured nearly half the investment into our company.’
Naturally there’d be contact channels among insiders—so info could have leaked in that network.
But Shin Cheong ryeo twisted the words lightly.
“Yeah. ‘It leaked to LeTi’ is the right expression.”
“.......”
“I get it. You’ve got a lot on your plate. Hard to control every leak, right?”
He leaned forward, propping an arm on the table.
“If you feature on the track, I’ll reveal where that rat is hiding.”
“.......”
“That seems like a fair trade. What do you say?”
Hmm. I placed my empty glass on the table.
“First, I need to verify.”
“Hm?”
“I have to confirm whether your info is accurate.”
About the leak to LeTi. Listening intently, he answered without hesitation.
“Cha Yoo jin did leave the dorm.”
“You don’t know why?”
“Rumor says stress-related hospitalization and conflicts with members... but who knows.”
He seemed utterly sure only about Yoo jin’s escape.
‘Confident bastard.’
Fine. So he’s well-informed. Next question.
“Why pick me?”
“.......”
“Hold on. Stop saying I’m the only fit. For quality or promotion, there are plenty of options.”
There’s Joo Dan’s pre-enlistment recordings, male soloists who emerged later...
‘They could just rearrange the track.’
So why choose a rival top-tier male idol?
“There must be a precise reason you need me.”
“That’s right.”
“...!”
He confirmed neatly and grinned.
“Want to guess?”
I could kill him.
“Well, I already guessed, didn’t I? I was just asking if you think I can.”
He’s got info, I’m supposed to deduce—but it’s not a guessing game.
‘Getting angry is losing.’
So I answered directly.
“I’m not a mind reader.”
“Hm.”
“But I can think from my standpoint.”
Flip the perspective.
‘If I were Shin Cheong ryeo, and I absolutely had to feature Park Mundae... how would I benefit?’
“Whatever you do, you lose out on costs. It sparks controversy that you have to defend.”
Fandom splits, fights, rumors—public opinion would get ugly, requiring a slick defense. That defense takes time, money, manpower—better spent on album promotion.
“So you’d think how to block controversy in advance.”
Only one way.
“If we were on the same label, no controversy.”
“...!”
Right. Senior–junior features within one company carry a wider “understanding” from fans.
If TeSTAR’s Orbit Stars Entertainment were wholly a subsidiary of LeTi... then it works.
By now I could deduce his motive. He wanted to set the narrative.
“By including my name in your project, you show that our company is aligned with LeTi?”
He drew back his arm and smiled.
“You got it.”
“.......”
“LeTi invests in platform businesses—online concerts, broadcasts, fan social media.”
He fiddled with his iced Americano.
“You’ve felt the importance of platforms in this industry.”
“.......”
“So long-term, we need to boost the image a bit now.”
He’s practically running LeTi’s planning department, so he can pour resources into his solo album to showcase the company’s strength.
‘For the group’s long-term survival.’
He can run the company. Crazy.
“So you want to flex that influence?”
“Hm? It’s just stating facts. They didn’t vanish, right?”
He studied me.
“And... you know this isn’t a one-sided benefit for LeTi.”
“.......”
I cooled my thoughts, then began calculating TeSTAR’s gain.
“...Recover our bad standing with T1 through LeTi’s platform?”
“You know well.”
Even so, T1 is a giant broadcaster; can LeTi really compare?
‘But showing a bit of line-crossing now isn’t bad....’
I kept my expression hidden and answered crisply.
“It’s just rationalization. Clearly LeTi benefits.”
“I anticipated that, so I prepared another compensation.”
Referring to revealing Yoo jin’s hideout.
‘Mm.’
I crossed my arms. The mental scale tipped back and forth. It made sense—this isn’t a friendship decision.
Then he spoke softly again.
“There’s one thing I want to make certain.”
“.......”
“I mean no harm to TeSTAR. Just...”
He smiled.
“I intend to do everything I can under the circumstances.”
“.......”
“You’re doing that too, right?”
I realized whom he meant. The newcomer Eter.
“.......”
“In that sense, a strategic partnership.”
He extended his hand.
“What do you say?”
“.......”
I sighed and asked,
“What’s the deadline?”
“This year.”
He answered immediately. I shook his hand firmly.
“Of course, this is my independent decision. If it’s rejected at the group level, we’re done.”
“Understood.”
His eyes said otherwise.
“One more thing.”
I adjusted my posture.
“You know featuring on the title track is too risky.”
“Hm?”
“Make it a B-side or second sub-track.”
“.......”
That was obvious. He’d know without my advice, but Shin Cheong ryeo paused and then faintly smiled.
“I think there’s a misunderstanding.”
“Huh?”
“I never said the feature was for my solo album. I said it’s needed for the track I’m using.”
“.......”
“Don’t worry. Neither side will have any issues.”
“.......”
Damn. I’d underestimated him.
‘He’d never take a loss on his own album.’
From now on, I’d focus on my stamina, not his career. I petted the dog’s scruff roughly; it panted loudly.
He spoke again.
“Oh, and the rat...”
Perfect timing.
‘I was going to mention it anyway.’
“You don’t need to know that.”
“...?”
“I’ll handle it myself.”
I inwardly smiled—by now, I knew he wouldn’t back out.
“Instead, I want to add one more condition.”
I’d refined it while coming here and ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) during our chat, then I stated it.
Shin Cheong ryeo’s expression shifted, and then he laughed.
“Haha! Junior, you’re really ambitious.”
Who isn’t?
I tousled the dog’s head and threw the ball back.
“Want to cancel?”
“No.”
He stopped laughing and nodded.
“Alright. Let’s do it.”
I smoothly concluded our conversation. Then, in the summer morning sky...
[Hyung! Is something wrong? You haven’t been reachable lately...]
Hm? A popup.
‘Oh, Grand Halldal.’
He’d finally messaged. I’d been out of touch thanks to the Cha Yoo jin chaos, so he’d worried. I was about to reach out to him anyway.
I explained some background and gave a brief status update.
‘The system upload is already complete.’
[What?]
‘New popups kept appearing—there’s even a survey.’
[...A survey?]
I was baffled.
‘I’ll head back and tell you everything....’
Then I heard it.
“Junior.”
What now?
But before I could reply, that strange voice spoke again, with unexpected content.
“A survey?”
“...!!”
What?
I turned my head toward Shin Cheong ryeo so fast my neck hurt.
He was staring not at me but at empty air—where the popup hovered.
“Do you see it?”
“Yes.”
He raised a finger and tapped toward the popup.
“It’s clear.”
[AAAAGH!]
...And thus, an unwanted status-window counselor was added.
