With Baek Ye-rin’s acceptance speech, the Daehan Popular Music Awards had finally come to an end.
As the nominees participating in the awards ceremony returned to their respective routines,
“I thought everything would be fine as long as that guy didn’t cause any trouble… but I see you were there too, Ye-rin.”
Kang Beom-jun directed a wry smile toward Baek Ye-rin and continued.
“Somehow, you seem to resemble that guy more and more.”
“I won’t deny it. They say you start to look like the person you love, right?”
“Hmm, I sort of knew that, but still, what a frightening thing to say.”
Despite her bold reply, Kang Beom-jun sighed.
Still…
“Perhaps it’s fortuitous.”
“Fortuitous?”
“Yes. You might know already, but that guy has something twisted deep down, don’t you agree?”
In response to Kang Beom-jun’s question, Baek Ye-rin thought about it.
She recalled the words Ryu Won had once spoken to her.
The first day of filming for Music Save.
When she had directly asked him what he would do if stage anxiety or the inability to sing her song prevented her from performing.
And his immediate reply:
“I’d quit composing. If I wasn’t sincere, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.”
It was his pure, unhesitating truth, without hesitation or falsehood.
Yes. Maybe, as Kang Beom-jun said, composer Ryu Won might be somewhere twisted.
And that twist was directed solely toward Baek Ye-rin; perhaps deep down, he only had the pure intention to compose music just for her.
Of course, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
That twisted emotion is what drives Ryu Won as a composer.
But Kang Beom-jun longed for one specific scene.
What would happen when that guy realized for himself the origin of his twisted emotions?
And only that person could make it possible—indeed, the person who caused those twisted emotions in the first place: Baek Ye-rin.
At least, Kang Beom-jun believed that only Baek Ye-rin could make this happen.
There’s probably no one else who could shake that person’s heart as much as this young girl.
Better yet, her resolve was now firmly established.
“So, I won’t stop you. I believe those feelings you hold are very important for a musician. He should realize this soon as well.”
“But you never intended to stop me from the start, right?”
Baek Ye-rin smiled mischievously.
Kang Beom-jun shrugged.
“Come on, now. I’m an uncle now. If I lacked perception, I’d be awfully unattractive, wouldn’t I? Moreover, I prefer not to be hated by the artists under my management.”
Listening to his words, Baek Ye-rin considered why this person might have chosen to be with Kang Beom-jun.
Certainly…
She seemed to understand why this person might have.
Concluding her short conversation with Kang Beom-jun, Baek Ye-rin returned home with Ryu Se-ah.
“Congratulations on your win!”
“Congratulations!”
As they entered the house, a burst of firecrackers erupted, and an intense welcome ceremony began.
Ryu Se-ah and Baek Ye-rin glanced at each other, slightly surprised.
This reaction, indeed, indicated a surprise party, completely unplanned beforehand.
Though the preparations were hastily arranged.
“By the way, our young master planned this. Unexpectedly thoughtful, isn’t he? Despite not seeming like the type.”
“I guess. Thinking both of us might win, I initially only bought a cake, but it somehow turned into this.”
With those words, Ryu Won extended the cake in his hand toward them.
“Quick, blow the candles. My arm’s getting tired.”
“Hey, you should blow too, right, Ye-rin?”
“Of course. Won has won a prize too, right?”
Ryu Se-ah and Baek Ye-rin smiled identically and spoke to Ryu Won.
It wasn’t wrong, so Ryu Won emitted an “Ah” reflexively, and the three of them blew the candles together.
And in that atmosphere,
“Take it.”
Ryu Se-ah handed Ryu Won a wrapped box.
It was clearly a gift.
Receiving it with a curious expression, Ryu Won asked,
“Why the sudden gift?”
“It’s an admission gift for Seolhwa High School. I’ve noticed you’ve been staring at your laptop a lot lately while composing.”
With that meaning, Ryu Se-ah gifted him a pair of blue-light blocking glasses.
“Wear them only while composing. Your eyes are precious.”
“Are you trying to bribe me?”
“Ehe, now, that’s defiling the pure love of a sister for her younger brother.”
The person who moments ago mentioned clinging to his pants at the awards was probably not supposed to say such things…
With that thought, Ryu Won gave a wry smile.
“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
“Hmm. But do you know why I gave this gift now?”
“Hm? Why?”
“Because if someone else gave one before me, I figured it would have spoiled the moment.”
Ryu Se-ah turned her gaze toward Baek Ye-rin, who sat beside her.
This indicated Baek Ye-rin’s turn.
Baek Ye-rin, like Ryu Se-ah, handed Ryu Won an elegantly wrapped box.
It felt heavier than the one Ryu Se-ah had given.
Upon unwrapping it, he found a notebook inside.
A quite expensive new-model laptop.
“I wanted to give you an admission gift as well. I asked the president, and he said you’d need a pretty high-spec laptop for composing, right?”
“But… this is too good. The price alone…”
“Don’t worry, just accept it.”
Baek Ye-rin smiled gently.
Gazing at that smile, Ryu Won couldn’t help but feel a mixture of gratitude and guilt.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t prepare anything, as I had no idea you’d prepare an admission gift.”
“That’s fine. You’ve already done enough.”
“Enough?”
A baffled Ryu Won didn’t fully understand the meaning.
However, Baek Ye-rin had already received more than enough.
Now, there was only the task of reciprocating.
Perhaps…
The existence of the person before her might be the greatest gift she could ever receive.
The Daehan Popular Music Awards.
This highly prestigious awards ceremony, which stirred quite a bit of discussion, shone its brightest spotlight on RT Entertainment.
Notably, the four-time champion Baek Ye-rin, Ryu Se-ah winning Rookie Artist of the Year, and Kang Beom-jun receiving the Merit Award for unearthing a host of exceptional rookies.
[We’re living in the era of RT Entertainment.]
└ They’ve practically monopolized every single award for this year.
└ And the terrifying part? This was the performance of a rookie company after only a year!
└ Even more terrifying is the possibility that this scenario might continue for a few years to come.
[Novices: RT Entertainment succeeded thanks to Kang Beom-jun’s talent for scouting. Experts: It’s all due to Ha-on.]
└ Fact-check: This is indeed true.
└ A GOAT in the realm of popular music.
└ Calling someone a GOAT within a year might be a bit much…
└ But has there ever been a musician who created such a massive impact in just a year?
└ Not in Korea, at least.
└ RT Entertainment’s team are undeniably fervent Ha-on followers.
└ It’s true considering they all mentioned Ha-on in their acceptance speeches.
└ It’s also because they know who Ha-on is. We only know his music.
└ Reading what Baek Ye-rin said in her acceptance speech, this person isn’t ordinary.
└ We still don’t know much. It could also be due to this mysterious, rotund uncle concealing his identity.
└ How could anyone love Ha-on’s appearance, anyway? People love his music.
└ What if the opposite were true?
└ Opposite? Can you provide an example?
└ For instance, imagine if Ha-on were a young student around the same age as Baek Ye-rin or Ryu Se-ah, and also incredibly handsome?
└ Then, it would be explosive—figuratively speaking, of course.
…
“Hmph.”
From somewhere nearby came an unpleasant sound.
Kim Tae-hwan.
The tone in his laugh carried a hint of satisfaction.
It was clear what Tae-hwan was reading.
‘Probably praising Ha-on, hence he’s reacting this way.’
It’s even possible that he himself wrote some of that.
Still, considering his friend’s dignity, I decided not to dig deeper.
“Still, this place is huge.”
“Yes, since the foundation of Seolhwa High School is a famous conglomerate, they are said to have immense wealth. The scale is probably close to that of a university’s, though I’ve never been to one.”
As we entered the main hall of Seolhwa High School for the orientation, Kim Tae-hwan kindly explained.
No wonder Seolhwa High School is famously known as the best performing arts high school.
There are various reasons, but one primary advantage often highlighted is the state-of-the-art facilities.
Including practice rooms, studios, and expensive instruments that students can easily access.
‘This is why Seolhwa High School will inevitably produce numerous successful entertainers in the future.’
With these advantages, talented teachers and gifted students naturally gather.
Structurally, success is almost inevitable.
With those thoughts, I looked around.
Because there was no restriction on hair styles, some of the freshmen standing by for the ceremony looked incredibly stylish.
But amidst these students, one individual stood out.
Just by looking at the students nearby glancing at me—I mean, the person beside me—it was clear.
To be more precise, everyone was noticing Kim Tae-hwan.
To the students, a nerdy YouTube star would naturally be a relatable figure.
More specifically, Tae-E, with his impressive twelve million subscribers, was nothing short of a famous influencer.
Yet, Kim Tae-hwan, the person in question, seemed entirely indifferent to these stares.
“Damn… I’m the second-place student. Baek Ye-rin, you should show me some respect. I’m a twelve-million-subscribers… though I don’t have much else to offer, but still, you should respect me!”
He was muttering something incoherent, likely upset ever since spotting a particular female student heading toward the main stage.
Seolhwa High School has a long-standing tradition.
Every year, the student with the highest entrance exam score leads as the representative of the incoming students and takes the pledge.
“This person scored full marks in both the written and practical exams.”
“Honestly, the written exam was tough. This genius truly excels at everything, doesn’t he?”
“I guess, but even so, just being in the same school as such a superstar makes me feel like Seolhwa was a good choice.”
“True, but isn’t Baek Ye-rin already ultimate? What more does she need to learn here?”
Nearby conversations buzzed around.
I ignored the whispers and looked toward the stage once more.
…Baek Ye-rin.
There she was, now dressed in the same Seolhwa uniform as me, standing confidently before everyone.
