Rockstar Again - Chapter 54



Only Noblemtl

Episode 54. Rapunzel (8)

‘Move… … Move… … Move… … .’

The old spirit kept repeating Lee Dong-ha’s name and looked at Lee Dong-ha’s face, which was haunting the recording studio.

“What are you looking at for so long? You’re going to wear it out.”

“… … Since when did your name change?”

“What are you talking about? Where does it hurt?”

As always, even after signing the contract, Lee Dong-hara kept making ticking noises. I just let it be. It was hard to accept it as usual.

The image of my brother from my memories keeps lingering in my head. Then, it finally overlaps and I see his face in the light, but it changes into Lee Dong-ha’s face.

‘Am I really crazy?’

When I glance at Hong Seon-ah, she frowns and quickly shakes her head.

Because there was a conversation we had in the car.

Hong Seon-ah spoke to Gu Se-ryeong with her eyes.

‘No way. Dong-ha is too young! And you can’t flirt with your artists! You can’t even wrap it up with love!’

Then the Savior also responded with his eyes.

‘I said no! What kind of feelings do I have for a child like that! No, in my real memories, Tae-joo oppa said to him, “Open your eyes!”

‘That’s because you keep thinking about it. When I was watching Goblin, I had a dream where Gong Yoo and I were dating. When I opened my eyes, I was like, “Huh? I’m Kim Go-eun, but why is my name Hong Sun-ah?” and I got confused. I wanted to dream again.’

‘I said no… … .’

‘That’s right! So come to your senses! Before you make yourself look ugly for no reason!’

After exchanging glances with Hong Seon-ah, Goo Se-ryeong looked away again and pretended not to notice, looking around the recording studio.

It may be because it is difficult to treat Lee Dong-ha like usual, but the most important thing is to organize his thoughts.

I feel like I remember something I clearly didn’t remember, but like Hong Seon-ah said, is it just because I thought about it too much that my memory got tangled?

It doesn’t seem like it, but it’s still a bit ambiguous to just say no outright.

Because it happened when I was so young, I’m not even sure if what I remember is completely accurate.

I was thinking of asking Chairman Yoon Tae-joo, but I shook my head, thinking that it wasn’t the right thing to do.

From the beginning, my older brother thought I didn’t remember what happened back then.

Because it happened when I was young, and because I was shocked by the accident.

When I was young, right after the accident, my older brother arrived at the hospital with his family, and the then chairman of Cheong-A Group, who was the father of the rescue team, personally shut everyone’s mouths.

In that way, the nameless orphan who was erased from the world in an instant was brought back to his original place, the main house of Cheong-A Group, through the efforts of the Salvation Army, and his name was registered as Cheong-A’s biological child in the family register.

[Savior]

It was at that time that the name Iran was acquired.

Because I was quick-witted, I pretended not to know about the incident at the orphanage and the accident.

From that accident onwards, Gu Se-ryeong became the younger sibling of Gu Se-cheong. They are full-body siblings with the same father and mother.

There was no need to ask how much effort Big Brother Gu Se-cheong had put into making that decision.

‘Your older brother is worried, then.’

When I saw my eldest brother worrying about whether his youngest half-brother was in a bad mood, I couldn’t say that I remembered that time.

Because of that, he started to act even more self-centered.

It’s like imitating a child who grew up loved and without worries.

So now, I can’t even tell Tae-joo oppa that I remember that time and tell him that I know.

If that story reaches my older brother, he will probably be very upset.

That won’t work.

“Oh, really. Why do you keep glancing at me? If you have something to say, just say it like you usually do.”

At Lee Dong-ha’s words, Gu Se-ryeong grabbed her trembling heart.

‘It’s not because I like it. It’s because I find it strange.’

But if you think about it, it’s not that strange.

The brother who used to shine so brightly died in an accident, and even if he were alive, there’s no way he would be the same person as Lee Dong-ha now.

This makes no sense unless the person lived in ice as a cryogenic human for 30 years.

Does that mean frozen humans are a possibility?

So, it was nonsense from the beginning, and that was it.

‘This is crazy, really. I was thinking about that kid and I had that kind of delusion? Really? Me?’

As Hong Seon-ah said, the conclusion is that Gu Se-ryeong thought too much about moving and got confused.

‘It’s a waste.’

I hid my thoughts and opened my mouth.

“How’s the work going?”

“What if someone keeps coming and bothering me?”

“Oh? Okay, I understand. For the time being, I won’t be stopping by to interrupt your work.”

“What is it?”

“what?”

“You answered so well that I felt a little uneasy.”

“Okay. Get to work. I’m busy too. I was just being considerate. If you need anything, let me know through Director Hong here.”

The Savior turned his back coolly.

And then I hear his voice behind me.

“Why on earth did you come here?”

There was no answer.

no.

I couldn’t answer, at least not for now.

‘I can’t hear you. I can’t hear anything. Oh, come to think of it, is it because I listened to too much nonsense in meetings? I think my hearing has deteriorated a little.’

It was the desperate rejection of someone whose self-rationalization had reached its peak.

* * *

It was a good decision to have an agency.

There is no denying that Cheong-A is a top-class entertainer in South Korea, but I also like that her position in the music industry is somewhat ambiguous.

Jo In-chang’s company was so focused on a new girl group called Bitna Girls that they couldn’t sign a contract with me. Just because it’s a big agency doesn’t mean they can push you indefinitely and give you full support.

If there is a first group that the company pushes as its main force, then even if I belong to a large agency, there is bound to be little support. Of course, it is relative, but a fact is a fact.

“You come often, Serin.”

Tae-ju hyung burst into laughter as he looked at the door through which Gu Se-ryeong had exited.

“Don’t look at me with such a hazy gaze. You look like a monster. Why are you looking at me like I’m your youngest sibling?”

“Youngest sibling… … We’re the same age. There’s a big age difference between us.”

“If you keep doing that, you’ll start to feel like a real old man.”

“If you’re over 50, you’re an old man.”

Taeju answered while strumming the strings of his bass guitar while sitting on a chair in the corner of the studio. I moved closer to him on the chair wheels.

“Have you seen the squid game or not?”

“I saw it.”

“Why would someone who saw that say such a weak thing?”

“What do you want to say now?”

My other brothers get flustered when I talk out of context like this, but Taeju just laughs as if he’s watching his nephew do something funny.

Like it or not, what needs to be said needs to be said.

“Brother Jungjae is over 50 this year. Huh? But look at his face. Who would think that his face is the same as that of a man over 50? It depends on how you take care of yourself. And what’s more important is your mindset. If you think of yourself as old, you’ll really get old. Wake up.”

“Dongha-ya.”

“say.”

“Do you still see me as the Yoon Tae-joo of back then? The skinny, long-haired Yoon Tae-joo of 23 who played bass guitar and made music together?”

“of course.”

Tae-joo patted my head at my firm answer.

“Do you know how happy it means to me that we are together now?”

“I know, then. If you were to become a rock star after living a boring life as the head of a conglomerate or something, how happy would you be? That’s what office workers say. They feel better the night before their day off than on their day off. So you know what I mean.”

“No, not that.”

“Then what else is happy?”

“People see me as Yoon Tae-joo. That’s the best. As I get older, as my position changes, as I accumulate money… … people see my shell, not Yoon Tae-joo.”

It certainly seems that female hormones increase as we age.

I’ve had many emotional conversations with Taeju hyung in the past, but it wasn’t as cringe-worthy as it is now.

Taeju felt honey dripping from his eyes and he started to roll his feet hard again, pulling the chair back.

I guess I’m still a bit embarrassed about this kind of thing.

Because I’m not at the age where female hormones are running high like my brothers.

As I was trying to find something to say to change the mood, an idea suddenly came to mind and I asked Tae-ju hyung.

“Bro, by the way. What is that guy who used to play bass doing now? I’m suddenly curious. Is he still doing music?”

Just then, the door opens wide and Youngpil and Dongsik come in, holding Jajangmyeon in each hand.

“Taeho?”

“Oh. That’s the right name. The person who left because of me on the day I chose my brothers.”

“It’s not that I left because of you… … Taeho was just a bit greedy.”

Youngpil, who was putting down the Jajangmyeon in front of Taeju, snorted.

“Taeho, that kid is a little greedy? I really am… … No. Dongha, come quickly. Let’s eat and then do this.”

He dragged his chair back and approached the table where his brothers were sitting, asking.

“What happened with that guy? He’s acting so excited, which is unusual for a flute?”

Youngpil hyung put down his chopsticks while diligently mixing the jajangmyeon and let out a sigh.

“… … Ha… … , where should I start explaining this… … .”

“Speak up. A leader has the duty and right to listen.”

Youngpil, who had been laughing in vain at my words, slowly opened his mouth.

“You ended up like that, Tae-joo went to study abroad, and Dong-sik quit his music career and left, saying it was his father’s wish. Every time I was left alone and struggled to figure out how to do something… … .”

This is the first time I’ve heard that from Youngpil.

Perhaps because they hadn’t shared all the details of their past lives, Tae-ju and Dong-sik seemed to be the same, and they stopped mixing the jajangmyeon and just looked at Yeong-pil’s mouth.

“Every time?”

“Every time that happened, they would sprinkle ashes. I had a hard time because of that.”

I asked on behalf of the other brothers.

“What power does that person have to block your brother’s path?”

“Why doesn’t anyone else know this? This is so obvious?”

“?”

“That guy Taeho is incredibly successful, right? TH Entertainment. CEO Choi Taeho is that Taeho.”

“TH Enter… … I’ve heard of this place somewhere before.”

At my words, Youngpil burst into laughter as if he found it absurd.

“Isn’t it strange that you can’t hear it? Cheong-A, TH, JS, Ace Music. They’re the four biggest entertainment companies in our country’s music industry. Among them, TOP.”

“Wasn’t the top blue?”

“If you look at Cheong-Ah as a whole, it’s right. But if you look at the music side, it’s not that organized. It’s getting cold, let’s eat first.”

Then, Youngpil, who had been forcibly eating noodles as if he was eating something really tasteless, opened his mouth again.

“It’s the oldest among the large companies. It’s also the center of the Korean Wave, TH Entertainment.”

“How did that guy ruin your future?”

“Everyone dispersed and I was left alone to do indie activities for about two more years, right? While doing that, I found a guitar… and a drummer. I formed a three-person band with myself as the vocalist and debuted. Since we didn’t have a proper agency, I scraped together all the money I had borrowed from my father and made a killing.”

“however?”

“But the broadcast wouldn’t pick up. It wasn’t just that the broadcast wouldn’t pick up, but no matter how many times I went to a broadcasting station and played the CD, there wasn’t a single place that would play it. I found out later. That person had blocked it. At that time, that person had already started his own company and made a successful idol, and he was a pretty well-known person. Of course, I understand. Objectively, it wasn’t a very well-made album. But the fact that it didn’t get a proper broadcast… ha… … .”

That’s why time is scary.

Because trying to explain 30 years of time in words requires a lot of abbreviation.

Between Youngpil’s sighs and the short confessions of the past, it is not difficult to guess that there was pain that could not be fully explained.

… … It’s even more frustrating because it’s just a guess.

When all three members, including me, remained silent, Youngpil smiled as if to comfort us.

“That’s why I had a hard time. I had to pay off my debts, do nightclub sessions, and work in a bar band. I lived a busy life.”

I answered, trying my best to remain calm.

“I want to go and smash it, but that would interfere with our music activities. Let’s do this, Piri hyung.”

“what?”

“It’s such a cliché, but let’s just have a music battle and make that guy’s nose flat. That’ll do. There’s also a saying that goes, “He who laughs last is the winner.”

“You’re an adult, my Dong-ha too.”

Youngpil lowered his head again as if burying it in his jajangmyeon.

You’re an adult?

I?

At least I can listen to adults when it comes to distinguishing between what I need to do now and what I need to do later.

But if passing by is the standard for adults, then I don’t want to be an adult.

My face is trembling as I force a smile to pretend that everything is okay in front of my brothers.