Chapter 206: Joy (43)

Chapter 206: Joy (43)

The red petals burn,

The smoke drifts to the lips,

Enveloping you

Tripping over the imperfect lighting,

Slowly getting closer?

I will be anything,

Whisper sweetly,

For the cold burning moment,

I will smile and speak kindly?

If you like it,

I will always be a fun person,

But,

I'm not actually that pleasant?

Engrossed in Goh Yoo-Joon's song, Joo-Han remarked thoughtfully, “Hmm, it's quite different from his usual style. The lyrics have a different vibe as expected."

I agreed, “Yeah, the song has its own vibe, and Kim Jin-Wook hyung lent his magic touch to it."

The music was tailored to fit Goh Yoo-Joon’s image rather than his inherently bubbly personality. It took the form of deep R&B, which suited his voice impeccably. However, he grappled with achieving the perfect vibe right up until the final moments before recording. Anyway, the lyrics were a true labor of love, meticulously crafted with the assistance of Kim Jin-Wook.

Sipping my coffee while observing Goh Yoo-Joon, I then said, “Hey, he really owes me one."

No kidding, it took more effort to create these lyrics than the ones from my solo tracks. In any case, Goh Yoo-Joon's voice was truly remarkable. I had long felt that the group's upbeat tracks didn't fully showcase Goh Yoo-Joon's vocal talent, making this solo opportunity all the more valuable. It was a chance for the audience to experience his genuinely well-crafted solo track.

“Yoo-Joon, you can come out now," said Producer Do.

“Are we done?"

As Producer Do gave a nod, Goh Yoo-Joon swaggered off, set down his headset, and stepped out of the recording booth. He asked, “Did you see that? I wrapped up early, all thanks to my stellar voice."

“Must be nice, huh?" I asked indifferently.

“Aren't you going to react properly?"

“Too drained to muster up a response." I nonchalantly brushed off Goh Yoo-Joon's comments when our manager suddenly sprang up and started to gather our things.

“Have we wrapped up here, Producer Do?"

“Hm? Oh, yes. You guys can head out first."

The manager bowed politely and herded us out of the studio with Producer Do's somewhat distracted confirmation.

“We will see you later then. Thank you, Producer."

“Good job, everyone."

“Hey, don't push! Thank you, Producer!"

“Thank you!"

Even though our manager was always composed, we were really pushing it with our recording time, and he seemed somewhat panicked. Thankfully, we managed to squeeze it in just before our next scheduled activity.

After dropping Joo-Han off at the practice room, the manager drove Goh Yoo-Joon and me to the KEW Broadcasting Station.

“We'd really prefer to keep this matter among us and continue shooting as planned. So, I'm sorry, but we'd really appreciate it if you could act as if you were unaware of this."

Director Ra's awkward demeanor prompted me to give her a reassuring smile and nod. “It's okay with us. We weren't particularly close with him anyway."

Finally, relief washed over Director Ra's face, which had been marked by fatigue throughout our conversation. She said, “Thank you. I called you here today specifically to discuss this. It's quite a sensitive matter, after all."

There wasn't much more to say about the broadcast after that. Director Ra then asked us a few routine questions, like whether we found anything challenging about the shooting or if our schedules were too packed. Then, we wrapped up the conversation with some praise from our manager.

“Thanks for taking the time to come here despite your busy schedules. We will see you at the next shooting."

“Yes! Thank you!"

“Good work!"

On Ki-Hoon and Lee Cheol-Min. From my point of view, it was unclear who was wronged. If that was the case, then Lee Cheol-Min would be the one to reveal the truth, and Ki-Hoon would be the one exposed.

As we made our way to the car, I mulled over the incident and replayed it in my mind. If it had just been a matter between the two of them, I wouldn't have been so concerned.

“Sigh..."

“What's with the sigh? ...Feeling a bit off, huh?"

“Seems like it."

I vaguely remembered that the controversy centered around one person, but it soon spiraled out into a series of second and third revelations. The public claimed that the entire cast and crew were aware of the situation but chose to turn a blind eye, which cast a shadow over everyone involved.

In light of this, perhaps my role was to ensure the smooth completion of the filming and to seal away Lee Cheol-Min's grievances, preventing any future problems. Essentially, even if something were to happen, it wouldn't be tied back to Chronos.

At that moment, a simple solution popped into my mind.

As we got into the car, I turned to Goh Yoo-Joon and said, “Hey, I need to talk to you about something."

“What's up? Planning a trip abroad?"

“Why would I suddenly discuss going abroad with you? No, it's about Lee Cheol-Min."

“He is not here. ...Sorry, what's it about?"

“It's about the uneasy feeling from the other day. When we had to leave early due to our schedule, I caught Lee Cheol-Min's eye..." I methodically recounted the day's events to Goh Yoo-Joon.

Goh Yoo-Joon then asked, “Hmm, I always found On Ki-Hoon a bit off-putting, but I'm not sure. You are saying you just caught a certain look in Lee Cheol-Min’s eyes?"

“Yeah, but imagine if Lee Cheol-Min was actually framed. It would be terribly unfair, wouldn't it? What if he was being manipulated for reasons unknown?"

“Huh." Goh Yoo-Joon gave me a look of disbelief.

I was aware that I was not the type to extend such kindness or get overly involved in other people's business. However, I needed to empathize with the guy to make my next point.

“So, what do you want to say?"

“Let's at least hear his side of the story."

Goh Yoo-Joon's look of astonishment deepened. There was no reason for us—who were neither champions of justice nor particularly friendly with him—to extend such a courtesy to him, someone whom we had been at odds with.

However, I gave Goh Yoo-Joon a look that said we had to do this. I didn't attempt to logically convince him since my argument lacked persuasiveness. Eventually, Goh Yoo-Joon grudgingly nodded with a look of utmost reluctance.

“Alright. Let's hear what he has to say, but don't get too involved with their business. They will sort it out themselves."

“Right."

I let out a sigh and turned my gaze out the window. Their business might very well become our business.

The shooting for Graduating was tomorrow. If my hunch was correct, I planned to spend the remaining filming period distancing Lee Cheol-Min from On Ki-Hoon and ensuring they didn't stick together.

‘Kim Jin-Wook...’

I had loosely dubbed this the “Become Lee Cheol-Min's teacher” plan.