Chapter 168. Butterfly Effect (3)
Contrary to Wonho’s expectations(?), the place Ji Suho took him to was an upscale Korean traditional restaurant.
Having come to pack his belongings, Wonho was unexpectedly treated to a fancy meal, and he ate diligently without knowing whether the food was going down his throat or up his nose. (At least it tasted good. Even the ssamjang, which came with the wraps, seemed to be the best he had ever tasted.)
Despite his earlier tension, Ji Suho didn’t bring up the topic of the day until after Wonho had finished every dish and enjoyed the dessert of sujeonggwa.
And what he said was so shocking that Wonho almost wanted to spit out the sujeonggwa he had just swallowed.
“…There’s a company that wants to see me?”
“Yes. I was wondering when to contact them, but since you happened to come to the company today, I thought I’d talk to you right away.”
“Me…? But why…?”
“Well, they’re also preparing a debut group, and it seems like they want you to join as the last member.”
“…….”
“They want to discuss the details with you directly…. It’s a bit sudden, isn’t it?”
“Yes, well… It’s just that I hadn’t even thought about this.”
The last member of a debut group.
It was an incredible opportunity, but it was also something that made him hesitate. There were too many things to consider, like what kind of company it was, who the other members were, and whether he could fit in well with them.
But….
“Well, you don’t have to decide right away. If you’re okay with it, I think it would be good for you to come with me and hear them out. What do you think?”
If there was a chance to grab this opportunity, Wonho wanted to try anything.
“…Yes. That sounds good. Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”
Seeing Wonho nod with sparkling eyes, Suho smiled faintly.
As if he knew that would be his answer.
* * *
When Wonho asked which company wanted him, Suho, as if preparing a surprise, only said, “You’ll see when we get there.” As soon as Wonho heard this, he sent another update message to his parents and acquaintances. (Although unlikely, it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared for the worst-case scenario of being sold off to some shady company.)
“We’re here. Let’s get out.”
“This place….”
However, just as Suho had hinted, the place they arrived at was a location Wonho was already familiar with.
“Rhyme Entertainment….”
It was Rhyme Entertainment, a company known for solo artists, and the third finalist on Kang Hajin’s audition list.
It was also the company where singer Sarin was signed.
“Hello, Director.”
“Oh, Team Leader.”
“Oh, it feels strange to be called that.”
“I feel the same whenever I’m called Director.”
While Wonho was admiring the photos of various artists hanging in the company building, a middle-aged man with a friendly appearance came out from the company and shook hands with Ji Suho. When the man glanced at Wonho, who was standing a bit further away, Suho gave a nod as if giving an unspoken signal.
However, the man took out a business card from his pocket, approached Wonho with a warm smile, and introduced himself.
“You must be Wonho?”
“Oh, yes. Hello. My name is Kim Wonho.”
“Here’s my business card. I’m Team Leader Kim Hanbyul from Rhyme Entertainment. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh… yes. Thank you.”
“Well, shall we go inside? I think it’d be good to show you around the building and have a more detailed conversation.”
Wonho hesitantly accepted the business card. Hanbyul, noticing that Wonho was still a bit tense, smiled and guided them into the company. Wonho followed behind Suho and Hanbyul as they entered the building.
“This is the main lobby. If you go up, the second and third floors are where the staff offices are. Above that, it’s all dedicated to the artists. The dance practice room is in the basement, but it’s a bit small, so we’re planning to expand it. Until then, we’re renting a practice room next to the company.”
Rhyme Entertainment certainly felt different in structure and atmosphere compared to Miro.
While Miro was created with a focus on idol groups from the beginning, Rhyme was a company with a lot of skilled singer-songwriters, lyricists, composers, and producers. As such, it was evident that the facilities were more geared toward encouraging individual music production rather than supporting idol group activities.
“We place great importance on collaboration between our artists. We release seasonal songs by our in-house artists every quarter, and there’s a lot of featuring work as well. I know it’s a bit awkward to say this in front of the Director, but… honestly, I’m confident that our vocal training is the best in the industry.”
“Well, that’s something I can’t deny.”
“Haha, recently, Sarin has also shown a lot of interest in mentoring the juniors. She even occasionally gives special lessons to the trainees.”
“Sarin does?”
“Yes. It seems like her experience at Miro Maze turned out to be a significant turning point for her.”
As Suho and Kim Hanbyul chatted, they eventually reached a small conference room. Once inside, Hanbyul lowered the blinds, served them each a glass of water and some light snacks, and handed Wonho a pamphlet introducing the company.
As Wonho quietly read the pamphlet, Hanbyul, as if offering a little tip, spoke softly.
“In fact, it was Sarin who recommended you.”
“…Sarin sunbaenim recommended me?”
“Yes. I was with her as her manager during the final. On the way back after the final, she mentioned you. She doesn’t usually talk like that….”
Hanbyul continued, shaking his head as if still in disbelief.
“This is something I can tell you now since it’s already in the news… Actually, Sarin is preparing for a comeback.”
“Oh, yes. I saw the news. Even our Taeil is eager to give her a song.”
“Haha, yes. But this time, she’s planning to fill the album with only her own songs…. So, she’s been coming to the company frequently for the album preparation.”
Although Sarin had temporarily halted her activities, saying she wanted to focus on her family after giving birth, Hanbyul, who had been her manager, knew the truth.
He knew that she had felt a significant burden due to the changes in her body after giving birth and that she had even considered retiring because of it.
However, for some reason, after her experience at Miro Maze, Sarin had expressed a strong desire to prepare a new album and had been coming to the company often, learning about various things happening inside.
One of those things was that Hanbyul, who had been her manager, was now in charge of the first idol group the company was preparing.
“In fact, we’ve been preparing this group for longer than expected. But no matter how much we tried, we couldn’t find that final missing piece. We even considered debuting them as a four-member vocal group, but that would’ve been unfair to the trainees who had worked so hard on their dance practice….”
Hanbyul had confided these concerns to Sarin over drinks.
At the time, it had just been a casual complaint, but Sarin had listened and kept those thoughts in mind, leading to this very moment.
“And then when I heard about you, Wonho, I thought, wow, could this be fate?”
Hanbyul laughed heartily, as if he had won the lottery.
Wonho felt both embarrassed and pressured by the way Hanbyul looked at him as if he were some sort of savior. It was a look he had never received during his time as a trainee.
This kind of attention… wasn’t it something only someone like Kang Hajin would receive?
Wonho cautiously spoke up.
“Um….”
“Yes, go ahead, Wonho.”
“I’m sorry, but could I ask… why you chose me?”
There were many complex emotions behind that question, including why they chose him out of all the other people. But Hanbyul, who had honed his skills in dealing with people through years of managing, quickly understood Wonho’s feelings.
Hanbyul softened his friendly smile slightly, clasped his hands together, and answered Wonho in a serious tone.
“The biggest merit was your choreography creation skills. Of course, we have a separate choreographer, and professional dance teams will handle the choreography for the debut song. So, it’s not like we’re asking you to create choreography right away….”
“Then…?”
“As you know, since we’re a company that specializes in vocalists, most of our trainees are more focused on vocals than performance. Although their dance skills have improved a lot over the years of practice, there’s no one who can really anchor the team as the main dancer.”
“…….”
“We believe you’re the right fit for that role. We think you can be the performance anchor of the team and bring out a much more idol-like color in the overall group. And if you want, you could also participate in the choreography work for the promotional songs.”
While explaining why they needed Wonho, Hanbyul also strongly emphasized what they could offer him.
“After hearing about you from Sarin, we did our research. We watched your participation in Miro Maze and listened to the evaluations from the mentors you worked with. The most common feedback was ‘excellent choreography skills, but lacks confidence in vocals.’”
When Hanbyul pointed out a weakness that Wonho was well aware of, Wonho nodded but also seemed to shrink back a bit
. Noticing this, Hanbyul made sure to make eye contact with Wonho as he spoke.
“And that’s something we can help you with.”
Your weakness isn’t a problem for us.
“As I mentioned, we’re confident that our vocal training system is the best in the industry. We’re aiming for a debut in the first half of next year. That gives you about six months to a year to adapt to the team and improve your skills.”
“One year….”
“Yes, of course, it might feel a bit unsettling since you won’t debut immediately, but getting used to the team is also important.”
Perhaps worried that the one-year preparation period might seem too long to Wonho, Hanbyul hastily added this reassurance.
Wonho fell silent, lost in thought.
‘…One year.’
A period that was neither too long nor too short to build a new foundation.
Having made up his mind, Wonho looked up at Hanbyul.
“Could I meet the members of the debut group?”
Hearing this, Hanbyul smiled broadly and nodded.
In the small breeze created by Hajin, a new timeline was being born.