《Let Me Make You a Star》 Prologue (1)
Prologue(1) When people are posed with the question, ''Did you live life to the fullest?'', how many people can say ''Yes!'' with confidence? Only a person that had spurned the hand of negligence and indolence could answer in such a fashion. These were the people running toward the goal of happiness. In a way, they were on the right path. However, this was a difficult question for many people. It was common for a person to yell ¡®I want to live my life to the fullest!¡¯, yet it was rare for one to stick with it to the end. This was why many called such a motto a short-lived resolve. With that in context, Lee Hyun wouldn¡¯t hesitate to answer, ¡®Yes!¡¯ when asked, ¡®Have you lived your life to the fullest?¡¯. This was the reason he thought he had been leading a happy life. A man can only ask for three things in his life. They were money, fame, and women. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Lee Hyun had achieved all three of them in his life. He was a millionaire with too much money in his bank account. It was an amount that just keeps growing. When it comes to fame, he was regarded as the best music composer in the whole entertainment industry with a record of several consecutive hit songs. It was to the point that people call him the ''Midas of music''. As for women, he was happily married to a former idol. She was the person he fell in love with and he wanted to give her the most happiness in the world. Above all that, he had achieved his dream. The dream of making his music renowned across the world. He had achieved that fairly early in his life. A dream was a thing that all people have but not many people would be able to achieve it. That was why Lee Hyun was proud of this fact. Hearing all that, people would think that Lee Hyun was living the perfect life. He used to think like that in the past. He had achieved everything he wanted in the world. There was nothing left to achieve. Then, why? Why did he feel so empty? "Huuh."Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Lee Hyun took a deep breath as he thought about that question that was constantly ringing in his mind. Was it because he was selfish? Was it because he abandoned his father''s dream to complete his dream? Was it just karma? He was not able to understand that and the empty feeling inside of his heart was just eating him away. It felt like he was dying from inside. Like someone had taken out his soul and now, he was just an empty shell. A shell with no meaning. "You had heard it right. Top Entertainment has terminated your contract. From now on, you are not the exclusive composer of Top entertainment." "Huh?" Lee Hyun came back from his thoughts when he heard those words that seemed to pierce his chest. For a second, he even thought that the man in front of him was joking but seeing the expression of the man in front of him, Lee Hyun was sure that he was not joking. The man in front of him was not someone that liked to joke in the first place. Lee Hyun was standing on the topmost floor of the high-rise building. This was a room that normal people could only see in dramas or movies. The furnishing made it quite obvious that this was the president¡¯s office. The room was large, and there was a luxurious sofa and a coffee table that could be used to greet customers. An executive desk and chair was placed in front of the large window. An expensive nameplate that was made of gold was placed on top of the desk. It had the president¡¯s name and position engraved on it. The man leaned against the desk and his slightly upturned eyes were looking particularly cruel today, at least to Lee Hyun. "You are terminating my contract even after what I have done for this agency." "Don''t say it like you are the reason that Top Entertainment has become one of the top four agencies in Korea." The man, no, President Bae Hyusung said in a cold manner. His current image was completely different from the image Lee Hyun had gotten familiar with. "You are ending my contract just because of some flop songs?" "Some flops? In the last two year, you have given 57 flops and just because of those songs of yours, the albums of many singers have flopped. We have taken huge losses." A bitter smile formed on Lee Hyun''s face when he heard that. It was because what Bae Hyusung was saying was right. He had indeed given that number of flops in the last two years. He, who was known as the Midas of music, had given that much flop songs. It was unbelievable for him too. But Lee Hyun had understood well that he was in a hole right now. No matter what he did, he was only making flop songs. But was that enough for Top Entertainment to cancel his contract? "Did you forget about the several hit songs I have given in the last twenty years? I have contributed toin making Top Entertainment the giant it is today." "Maybe. But it is also true that you are of no use currently. Just look at your appearance." Bae Hyusung pointed at Lee Hyun''s clothes in disgust and even Lee Hyun knows that his current appearance was unsightly. His hair was greasy as if he hadn¡¯t showered in many days. It had grown long, making one wonder when he had gotten his last haircut. His beard was also unkempt. His appearance was a visual representation of his current mental state. At least, he was wearing branded clothes, but even that was dirty and wrinkled. He looked like a homeless person. If someone saw him, one would distance oneself from him. He was beyond looking bad. Even Lee Hyun knows that well but it was just the result of him copping himself in a room for a month, just making music and he was not even successful in it. When he had come out, he had heard about the contract termination. It was shocking news to him. "I can still make music." "Haha, that was a good joke. Don''t you already know that you have squeezed out all your talent? You are not a music prodigy now." "You¡­!!" Lee Hyun wanted to say many things when he heard that. The man he had thought of as a friend had betrayed him and he was getting fired from the company he was working for the last 20 years. It felt surreal to him. "Now, get out of my office!! You will get the contract termination fee soon." Bae Hyusung shouted as he gestured to him to leave. Lee Hyun also started walking towards the door. He knows well that everything has ended but his steps suddenly stopped when he heard a soft mutter. "Like father, like son. Both of them are useless after a while." "What did you just say?" "Haha, do I have to say it out loud? I said that both you and your father are just useless after a while. At least your father died¡­ Kwak!!" Before Bae Hyusung could say anything more, Lee Hyun had already turned back and punched him in the face. It was a hard punch filled with rage. "Don''t you DARE say anything about my father!!!" Lee Hyun screamed as he continued to punch his face. "Gwack¡­! W-why are you being so sentimental about it when you didn''t even fulfil your father''s last wish¡­ Aghh¡­" Another punch landed on Bae Hyusung''s face. Lee Hyun thought about stopping after seeing Bae Hyusung''s bloodied face. He had taken out all his frustration on him but¡­ Bae Hyusung was still smiling after all that. It was a smile that one will show after a big victory. A cruel smile that was enough to make him more enraged. That''s why Lee Hyun kept hitting him until the security guards came and dragged him away. "Ahhhhhh¡­" His scream rang throughout the building of Top Entertainment that day.
Prologue (2) Prologue (2) Lee Hyun was sitting in a cafe. His appearance greatly differed from how he had looked while standing in Bae Hyunsung''s office. It had been two months till then, and now he no longer looked homeless. He had cleaned himself up, shaved his beard, and worn clean clothes. His messy hair and his wrinkled clothes were nowhere to be seen. However, he couldn¡¯t hide his troubled heart. His cheeks looked a bit sunken. But this made him look a bit like his younger self, so the women around him were glancing towards him from time to time. Ring! The bell rang as the door to the cafe opened. Lee Hyun looked towards the entrance, and his face brightened. A woman had entered the store. She looked to have put on a bit of makeup, and she wore a fluttering white one-piece dress. She had worn many jewelry items including earrings, necklaces, and rings embedded with many precious gems. She looked like a big spender. Still, she looked beautiful. At a glance, she looked to be in her late 20s. However, Lee Hyun knows that she was older than how she looked. Lee Hyun raised his hand to make himself known to her. The woman had her chin up high as she surveyed her surroundings. She looked almost arrogant and snooty. She noticed Lee Hyun¡¯s presence after some time. Tap! Tap! High heels rhythmically tapped the floor. She walked like a model, and most of the male customers kept glancing at her. Some couples bickered with each other when their significant other was caught stealing glances. However, she and Lee Hyun didn''t pay attention to their surroundings. They were used to such reactions. "You seem to have changed a lot." Lee Hyun said as he looked at the branded clothes and jewellery that seemed to be newly bought. "I should say the same about you." The woman sat down in front of him. Her familiar voice seemed particularly cold to Lee Hyun today. She put her branded handbag on the seat. Lee Hyun glanced at the logo on the handbag and asked. "Why didn''t you come to meet me in prison?" Prison. After beating up Bae Hyunsung, Lee Hyun was captured by the police and sent to jail. Getting bail was hard because of the power Bae Hyunsung possessed. None of his so-called friends came to help him and he was alone. After spending lots of money, he was finally able to get bail but he still spent two months in the prison. "I was busy." "Huh? You were busy? What nonsense is that?"Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Lee Hyun asked in a slightly pitched shaky voice. The woman in front of him was his wife. A former idol, Yoo Yijae. They had met when Lee Hyun was producing one of her group''s songs and they had instantly hit it off. They had dated for four years before marrying. Yoo Yijae had retired from the idol scene after their marriage. It was her own decision and Lee Hyun supported her with that. He had supported her throughout their marriage but now, she was saying that she was too busy to even meet her husband who was in prison. "I''m not saying nonsense. I''m just stating the truth." "What were you busy with?" "Of course, I was shopping and going around in the clubs." Lee Hyun stayed silent when he heard that. He wondered where his wife got the money to buy luxurious clothing and accessories. Although his wife was a former idol, she didn''t have much money to buy luxurious things. He was the one who was supporting her expenditures. He would have gotten a message if she had withdrawn money from his account but there was nothing like that. "Where do you get the money from?" "I''m dating a rich businessman currently." Lee Hyun was dumbfounded when he heard that. He asked again just to confirm. "D-dating?" "Yes, I''m cheating on you." He felt flustered hearing the word ''cheating'' straight from his wife''s mouth. It was a great shock for him. His wife who he loved so much was cheating on him and she was even accepting that herself. There can be only one reason for this¡­ "I want a divorce." Lee Hyun wordlessly opened and closed his mouth when he heard that. He wanted to say many things. He wanted to shout but the words got struck in his throat. He felt that his mind was wavering like he had a few drinks but he was completely sober. "W-why are you doing this? Is it because I got kicked out from Top Entertainment? My career isn''t over yet and I got some offers¡­" "Even if you signed with other agencies, your music had already died." Yoo Yijae interjected him and said. Those words seemed to have pierce his already stabbed heart. Lee Hyun felt that the woman in front of him was not his sweet and caring wife but a devil in the skin of his wife. "I would again start making good music and I still have money." He knew that his wife liked to buy expensive things. "For how long will that last? You have already used quite a sum trying to get bail." Lee Hyun bit his tongue when he heard that. His wife''s every word was like an arrow and it was directly piercing through his body. "Moreover, look at you, you look old now. You are not in shape and you don''t even look handsome. I would rather be with a young guy." 45 years. That was his current age. His wife was 39 but she still looked young whereas he looked even older than 45. "Y-you can''t do that. I love you. You can''t just leave me like that." Yoo Yijae sighed when she saw Lee Hyun''s pleading. He was a man who had lost everything. His wife was the last straw. If he even lost her, then he didn''t know what he would do. "I don''t want to discuss more. I would send you the divorce papers." His wife stood up from the seat after that. Lee Hyun wanted to grab her but his whole body was freezed. It was even shaking and he could just watch his wife leave the cafe. From the window, Lee Hyun was able to see her getting into the car of a rich handsome guy. As soon as she sat on the front seat of the car, she leaned towards that guy and kissed her¡­ "Ahh¡­" Lee Hyun closed his eyes seeing that. He couldn''t believe that he had fallen for such a shallow and materialistic whore in sheep''s clothing. He had given her everything, and yet, this was how she decided to repay him?! Overwhelming feelings of anger, remorse and disgust ate away at his mind and heart. It was said that ''There is a thin line between love and hate.'' This saying couldn''t have been any more true. Lee Hyun hated her. He hated her with every fibre of his being. As he continued to sit alone in the cafe, Lee Hyun''s tears flowed endlessly.
Lee Hyun kept his head lowered as he walked across the streets. He was messed up and in his mind, he was continuously thinking about the events that had happened in the past two months. He was fired from his agency and his contact was terminated. His wife betrayed him and they were now getting divorced. The worst part was that he had lost his music. He was not able to make good music. Lee Hyun doesn''t know what the problem was. It was like his talent had reached a bottleneck. ''Was it because I didn''t fulfill my father''s last wish? Is this karma because I was selfish?'' Those thoughts occupied his mind as he walked. At that moment, he noticed something. An Audi sped towards him. Caught in its bright, dazzling headlights, Lee Hyun forgot to evade it. The piercing, screeching noise of friction resounded as hasty deceleration fought against tarmac, the man and woman in the front passenger seat screaming in panic. Lee Hyun felt himself fly into the air, the sensation of weightlessness momentarily overtaking him. There was also the sensation of pain, but it persisted only for a fleeting moment. After that, there was silence. Chapter 1 Chapter 1. Starting the dream again (1) It was a rainy day. Dark clouds covered the clear sky, and water kept pouring down hard in a cantankerous manner. It was raining so heavily that one would get wet even if one had an umbrella. The dark and heavy rain made people feel gloomy. Even in this weather, there was a wide smile on Lee Hyun''s face. No, it was more of a grin. Lee Hyun was grinning as he looked at the dark and gloomy rain from inside his room. "I can''t believe this is happening to me." He muttered and left his room. His destination was the bathroom. Lee Hyun didn''t remember where the bathroom was but his steps were moving on his own. He quickly reached the bathroom and looked at the large and wide mirror on the wall. In the mirror, his face was being reflected. Only one word came to his mind when he looked at his current appearance ''young''. The face reflected on the mirror was young. It was a shaved face with a sharp chin. His hair was cut short and it looked good on his handsome face. It was to the point that people can mistook him for a model. His face can''t be compared to those top actors or singers. Although most of them have plastic surgeries, they still have godly appearances. On a scale of ten, the top celebrities would have an appearance of 9-10. Compared to them, Lee Hyun''s appearance was around 7-8. Still, that didn''t matter to him currently. "All that matters is that I''m back in the past." An event that would only happen in a drama or a web novel. A protagonist returning back to the past and conquering the world. Lee Hyun had become that protagonist. He recalled back to what had happened yesterday. His wife had revealed that she was cheating on him and a divorce was inevitable. Lee Hyun was just walking on the streets when he saw a car coming his way. He can still remember the frightened and shocked expressions of the man and woman sitting in the front seat. After that, there was silence as his body was flung in the air. His body was in pain but that was only a second before he eventually¡­ died. "Huuh." Lee Hyun took a deep breath when he thought about all that. When he had woken up today, he thought that he was in a hospital but he had quickly noticed his strange surroundings.Stolen novel; please report. It hadn''t taken him much time to find out that he was back in the past. The possibility that it could all be a dream passed his mind but he had never experienced such a vivid and real dream. That''s why, Lee Hyun had shook that possibility and searched the internet for current news and articles. ''14 August 2010.'' That was today''s date. Lee Hyun had come back 20 years in the past. It still felt surreal to him but he just thought that god had given him a blessing by sending him in the past. Bringing in god helped him to make sense in this illogical situation. "Now, what should I do?" Lee Hyun asked that question to himself but there was no immediate answer to it. After a moment of shock, Lee Hyun had calmed down but the situation was something that he can''t digest straightway. ''Let''s think about what I was doing in 2010.'' Lee Hyun could still recall bits and pieces of what had happened in 2010. He would even say that his memory was better than before. He was just 25 currently and has just returned from his compulsory military service. After returning from his military service, Lee Hyun had immediately joined Top Entertainment as a composer and worked for 20 years there¡­ "... I won''t make the same mistake again." Lee Hyun muttered as a bitter smile formed on his face. He shook his head and left the bathroom. His destination was not his room, but his brother''s room. Lee Min was his blood brother and he was just 16 currently, still in high school. There was a nine year difference between them. ''I wonder if my brother has become younger or not?'' The reason he was going to his brother''s room was to check if he had become young like him or not. Creak! With a slight creaking sound, Lee Hyun entered the room of his brother. His brother was curled up in his blanket like a caterpillar. Lee Hyun focused on his face and indeed, his brother was young now. "I''m really back in the past." Lee Hyun again confirmed that and like if he had heard his voice, Lee Min groaned in his sleep. "Guhh¡­" A smile formed on Lee Hyun''s lips seeing that. He thought about waking him up as it was already morning but he hesitated before doing that. ''Come to think of it, we never talked much after he got into university.'' Lee Hyun thought about the past. He and his brother were once close. They would always stick together and after their father''s death, Lee Hyun supported Lee Min. But they stopped talking after Lee Hyun became a famous composer. He just got too busy after getting famous that he even ignored his family. The distance between the two brothers grew and they even started calling each other formally. ''I was really a bad brother.'' Now that he was in the past, the memories of all his mistakes were coming back to him. "I would correct all my mistakes this time." Lee Hyun said and shook his brother''s body. After shaking him three times, Lee Min finally opened his eyes. "Ah, Brother, what time is it?" "It''s already 9 in the morning. Wake up." "It''s Sunday. Let me sleep more." Lee Min said as he closed his eyes once again. He curled up his body and turned around. A mischievous smile appeared on Lee Hyun''s face when he saw that. He didn''t hesitate and kicked Lee Min. "Ahh¡­ why are you kicking me?" "Don''t be lazy and get up. I would go make breakfast." Lee Min''s eyes opened wide when he heard that. His brother would make breakfast? Was he joking? "You would cook?" From what he knows of his brother, Lee Min knew that he didn''t like cooking. Even if he knows how to cook, he won''t do it because it was tiring for him. But now, he was saying that he would cook¡­ "Why are you surprised? I know how to cook." "I know that but don''t you find cooking boring? You won''t cook even when I will tell you to." "I still find it boring but I can cook once in a while." Lee Hyun said as he sighed. His brother''s reaction was really extreme. He was still finding it hard that Lee Hyun was going to cook. It was also understandable. When they were living together, Lee Hyun never cooked. Not even once. All the cooking was done by Lee Min. Now that he was in the past, Lee Hyun wanted to make some changes. There why, he offered to cook. "Anyway, get up. I''m going to cook. I would kick you again if you dared to sleep again." Lee Hyun left the room after that. ''He seems different.'' Lee Min thought as he thought about his brother''s earlier behaviour. His brother was the same but something seemed different. He seemed to be more mature, like he had experienced something drastic. "He must have a nightmare or something." Lee Min just shrugged it off as his brother seeing a nightmare. In a way, he was also right. Lee Hyun had really experienced a nightmare. It was just that the nightmare was real. Chapter 2 Chapter 2. Starting the dream again (2) Lee Min was staring at Lee Hyun weirdly. His expression said that something was wrong. His brother was being strange. He had just shrugged it at first but now he was sure that there was really something different about Lee Hyun. "What''s wrong?" Lee Hyun asked, glancing at his brother''s face. He wondered if the food was not to his tastes but as soon as Lee Min opened his mouth, Lee Hyun became dumbfounded. "Are you really my brother?" "What sort of nonsense are you spouting?" Lee Hyun put down his spoon and looked at Lee Min. He wanted to know the reason behind his brother''s strange words. "It''s not nonsense. You are being strange. You even made breakfast and why is this so delicious? How did you learn to cook like this?" Lee Hyun inexplicably laughed when he heard that. He was glad that the food was delicious. The reason Lee Min felt he was acting strange was probably because of his age. Not his physical age. But mental age. Lee Hyun was 45 mentally and he was also acting like that. That was probably the reason Lee Min felt that he was strange today. ''I don''t even remember how I used to act when I was 25.'' He wanted to act like his 25 year self but he didn''t know how he used to act when he was younger. The only thing he can remember is that he was crazy for music and used to make new music everyday. "Where did you even learn to cook like this? You were not a good cook before." Lee Min asked as he took a spoonful of the soup Lee Hyun had made. He wondered if Lee Hyun was taking cooking classes in secret but there was no way of knowing the truth. "I just learned it when I was in the military." Lee Hyun gave an excuse that he had prepared in advance. He was never a good cook as he didn''t like cooking. So, he never practiced cooking but after his marriage, he learned to cook for his¡­ ''Let''s not think about that.'' Lee Hyun shook his head off all those thoughts. He didn''t want to think about anything related to his wife. He was back in the past and this time, he didn''t even want to see her face. "By the way, are you going to visit mother today? She was asking about you when I visited her last time." "Ahh¡­" Lee Hyun was not able to answer immediately to that sudden question.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. His mother was a complicated topic to him. In his past life, his mother was greatly saddened after his father died in a car accident. She literally broke down and Lee Hyun dropped out of college to take care of her. At that time, he found out that his mother has a heart disease. It was a shocking fact for both him and his brother who had already lost their father. They had immediately admitted their mother in the hospital. They still had quite a lot of money from insurance and his mother also had health insurance. ''The problem isn''t her heart disease.'' Lee Hyun was not worried about his mother''s heart disease. In his past life, his mother had been cured of the heart disease. The problem was the argument that had happened between him and his mother. His mother wanted him to fulfil his father''s dream - the dream to open an entertainment agency. But Lee Hyun didn''t want to do that. He wanted to enter a big agency and compose music. Because of their differences, there was a huge argument between him and his mother. In the end, he had not listened to her and their relationship was strained. ''This time, I won''t make the same mistake.'' Lee Hyun had made many mistakes in his past life. Now, he wanted to correct them one by one. He didn''t want regrets this time.
-Nov, 2010: ''The night sky'', it became the highest grossing movie in Korea, surpassing ''A crazy love''. -December, 2010: Lee Yora, a ballad singer became excessively famous in China. -January, 2011: Nike entertainment announced their next generation girl group Nine tails. -March, 2011: I released my first song for an idol group. It instantly became a hit, making me a popular composer. -November, 2011: Luna, a former girl group member made her Japan debut and her album sold 100,000 copies there. -April, 2012: All the entertainment agencies started investing in the idol market. -September, 2012: A scandal broke out between Jinoo, the head of the idol group Anjell and a popular actress, Hayun. Lee Hyun quickly wrote down all the events, achievements and scandals he could remember from the future. He was scared that he would forget all of it if he didn''t write it down. He even typed the unconfirmed rumours he had heard about celebrities and agencies. As someone who had spent 20 years of his life in the entertainment agency, Lee Hyun has a lot of information on it. He was familiar with all the secret dealings and dark secrets that the industry holds. And he was going to use that information to make his way into the entertainment industry. ''This time, I would fulfil my father''s dream.'' All his life his father''s wish was to become the president of his own entertainment agency. He wanted to make his agency known in the whole world, cultivate stars that can compete on the Global level. He had given all his life to this dream. He had even gotten an investor and bought a building to start his own agency but his dream was never fulfilled because of his death. In the past, Lee Hyun had chosen to abandon his dream to fulfil his own dream but in the end, he was left with nothing. Despite fulfilling his dream, Lee Hyun was only left with an empty feeling. ''I had already experienced what it''s like to be a famous composer. There was no point in walking that path again.'' After he had found himself in the past, Lee Hyun had pondered on why he was sent back to the past? There was no logical answer to it and he can only accept it as life giving him another chance to correct his regrets. His biggest regret in his life was not to fulfil his father''s dream. Lee Hyun had felt that he had made a big mistake by being selfish. Of course, it was later down in life that he had realised that. But now, he doesn''t want to make the same mistake again. "I would make the world''s best agency." Lee Hyun vowed that and thought about how he can start his agency. The most fundamental thing that an agency needs is celebrities but no celebrity would want to contract with an unknown agency. He knows many celebrities, but at this time, no celebrity had even heard the name of Lee Hyun. He can only find someone with talent and work hard to develop him or her as a famous celebrity. But before that, he needs something more important than that - staff. There was no way he could run an agency alone. He needs capable people for different things. Running an agency needs many people but Lee Hyun can''t hire all of them. He needs to start slowly and gradually grow his agency. For that, he first needs someone who has connections in the entertainment industry. Someone who is well versed in dealing with different types of people. Only one name came to his mind when he thought about someone like that. ''I need to recruit Uncle Dongsu.'' Kim Dongsu was one of the people that Lee Hyun had disappointed in his past life. He was his father''s friend and Lee Hyun''s uncle, but he hadn''t thought about anything when he had rejected his request in his past life. But this time, he won''t make the same mistake. ''I will fulfil my father''s dream for sure.'' Chapter 3 Chapter 3. Mango Entertainment (1) "Ah, I''m so tired¡­" Kim Dongsu muttered as he took a deep breath, filled with tiredness. His work was finally over for the day. It''s been over 15 years since he was working in the entertainment industry. He had entered Top Entertainment as a manager and he gradually got promoted and now, he was working at the position of a General manager in the planning department. It was not a high position but it was not a low one either. Moreover, he has made many connections in his 15 years of career and in some years, there was a chance that he would become the head of the planning department. He would be extremely satisfied if that would happen. He would feel that he had accomplished something in his life and his parents would feel proud of him. Maybe, he would even be able to get a beautiful girl as his wife. Just thinking about it was enough to put a smile on his face. But that feeling didn''t continue for long. Soon, another feeling overlapped him. It was like he was losing on something and this was not what he really wanted. But Kim Dongsu didn''t continue to think about that. He shook his head and let out those feelings from his heart. He was on the path of success. There was no need to think about unnecessary things. It would only hinder him in the long run. Kim Dongsu stood up from his seat and looked around his office. His office was small but it was a valuable place for him. He was only able to get it after painstaking work. He stretched his body to loosen up his muscles and wrap up his work. As he was able to switch off the lights and leave, he suddenly got a call. It was from the reception desk. -Hello, General manager Kim. The voice of the young receptionist who he would greet everyday came out from the phone. "Yes, what happened?" -There is someone here to meet you. Someone was here to meet him? Kim Dongsu wondered who it was. His relatives were living in the countryside and his friends would directly call him if they want to meet for drinks. "Who is it?" -His name is Lee Hyun. "H-Hyun! Is it really Lee Hyun?"Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. -Yes, he''s saying that his name is Lee Hyun. What should I do, General Kim? Should I send him away? Kim Dongsu licked his lips as he pondered what he should do? The arrival of Lee Hyun was a complete surprise for him. He hadn''t expected that Lee Hyun would come to meet him here. At the same time, he wondered why he was here? He can only think of one reason but if that''s really the case, then Lee Hyun would have just called him instead of coming here. ''It can''t be! Did something happen to sister in law?'' That possibility scared him and he hurriedly told the receptionist that he was coming downstairs. Sigh! Kim Dongsu sighed as he left his office.
"General manager Kim is coming downstairs." "Thank you." Lee Hyun thanked the pretty receptionist. In response, the pretty receptionist gave a sweet smile. Receptionist would always smile at everyone, especially female receptionists. It was a part of their job and the smile the pretty receptionist was giving him was particularly sweet. Any normal guy would be flustered upon seeing that smile but Lee Hyun got wary. The betrayal of his wife had left a deep scar in his heart and he was wary of all women after this. It was not like he had started to hate women or something, but it was just that he didn''t want anything to do with them for the time being. ''Uncle Dongsu would be coming soon.'' Lee Hyun focused his thoughts on Kim Dongsu. Kim Dongsu was his father''s friend and they used to work together in Top Entertainment. Of course, their positions were different. His father was a Director while Kim Dongsu was a General manager. Still, even after that, the friendship between them was strong. His father had also asked him to join him when he was opening his own agency and Kim Dongsu had also agreed but his father had died before that. That''s why, Kim Dongsu hadn''t left his job here at Top Entertainment. ''It still looked the same.'' Lee Hyun thought as he looked around. If he can, he didn''t want to come to the building of Top Entertainment. It was a place where he had spent many years of his life. But in the end, he had only gotten betrayed. He was thrown away because he was useless, despite what he did for the agency. "Lee Hyun." As he was standing there, he heard the voice of Kim Dongsu. He turned around and saw a middle aged man with a beer belly coming towards him. "You still look the same, Uncle Dongsu." Lee Hyun greeted Kim Dongsu with a smile. "Yeah but it looks like you have changed a lot. You seem more sturdy after coming back from the army." Kim Dongsu spoke with a relaxed expression. He had thought that something serious had happened but seeing Lee Hyun''s expression, he became relaxed. "What happened? Why are you here?" "Ah, let''s talk about it somewhere else." Lee Hyun didn''t want to talk about it in the building of Top Entertainment. It was not something that he can talk about anywhere. That''s why they decided to go to a nearby cafe. The building of Top Entertainment was located in the Gangnam area - the most wealthy place in Seoul. It was filled with cafes and one can even see models and celebrities walk by often. It was just the place for the rich. They quickly moved to a nearby cafe. The cafe was not upscale but it was a good place to talk. It was not even filled with many guests. "What do you want to order?" "I can order for myself." "Haha, you are now acting like an adult. Don''t worry about it and let me order." Despite Lee Hyun''s protest, Kim Jongsu didn''t let him pay. Lee Hyun was his close friend''s son. How can he let him pay? ''Uncle Dongsu is still the same'' Lee Hyun thought as the two cups of coffee arrived. It was an ice coffee. So, there was a lot of condensation. "So, why do you want to see me?" After some trivial talk, Kim Dongsu asked. Lee Hyun thought about how he could start this conversation. He had come to meet Kim Dongsu without thinking anything as he didn''t want to waste more time. But he hasn''t thought about how he will start the conversation. Should he say, ''I want you to join my agency'' or should he say, ''I need help to fulfil my father''s dream''. Lee Hyun hesitated a bit but he soon opened his mouth. "I''m starting Mango Entertainment again." Boom! It felt like an explosion. Kim Dongsu''s eyes widened and he looked at Lee Hyun like he was trying to figure out if he was joking or not, but his face was serious. "What did you say?" He placed his coffee cup down. The cream on top of the brown coffee jostled. Chapter 4 Chapter 4. Mango Entertainment (2) Mango Entertainment!! It was a funny name no matter how people looked at it. It looked more like the name of a fruit shop rather than an entertainment agency. Kim Dongsu had also pointed out the same to Lee Keemin, Lee Hyun''s father when they were discussing what to name the agency. He could still remember the conversation. ''What should we name our company?'' ''I have already thought of a name. Mango Entertainment!! How is it? Cool, right?'' ''It looks more like a fruit market''s name.'' ''You don''t know anything. If we named our agency, ''Rising Entertainment'' or ''LH Entertainment'' then people would think of it as the same as the other agencies. We have to think over the roof. '' ''B-but...'' ''I won''t listen to anything! Mango Entertainment would be the name of the agency.'' Remembering that conversation would make him laugh at first and then, it would make him cry. Still, it was one of the valuable memories of Kim Dongsu. But now, Lee Hyun was saying that he was starting Mango Entertainment again. It was a great shock to him as he had never thought that Lee Hyun would want to continue his father''s agency. Kim Dongsu very well knew that Lee Hyun was more into music. He had even requested him to let him take an audition to enter Top Entertainment as a composer. It was strange that he wanted to run his father''s agency now. "Is it pressure from sister in law? If it''s that, then I would¡­" "No, I haven''t talked with my mother about it yet. I wanted to start Mango Entertainment because I want to, not because of pressure." Lee Hyun''s eyes were resolute when he said that. It didn''t feel like he was speaking all this in pressure. Moreover, there was a sense of maturity in his voice. It was quite different from the usual Lee Hyun, Kim Dongsu was used to. ''He seem to have changed completely after coming back from the military.'' Kim Dongsu thought as he stared at Lee Hyun''s deep black eyes. He was not able to see the depth in them. They were like the endless abyss. "Mango Entertainment is the dream of my father and I want to fulfil it no matter what. I want to make it the world''s greatest agency but I can''t do it alone." Lee Hyun lowered his gaze and said. The current Lee Hyun was a newbie in the entertainment industry with no connections. He only has the knowledge of the future and his music but they were not enough. Moreover, he doesn''t have experience in handling celebrities or running an entertainment agency. He would need help for that.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Kim Dongsu was perfect for that. "Uncle Dongsu, will you help me with that?" Lee Hyun calmly asked and Kim Dongsu fell into thought. He doesn''t know how to answer this. It was too unexpected. Mango Entertainment was not just Lee Hyun''s father''s dream. It was also his dream. But he had already given up on this dream. It''s been five years since Lee Keemin died and Kim Dongsu has already adapted himself as a General manager in Top Entertainment. Saying yes also meant that he would resign from the position he has worked hard to achieve. Kim Dongsu calmly opened his mouth after thinking all that. "Sorry. I really want to help but¡­" "It''s fine. "Huh?" "I understand your situation. It''s not easy to just give up on everything you have worked hard for." Kim Dongsu was surprised when he heard that. He had thought that Lee Hyun would get angry or at least, he would be dissapointed but his face was calm. ''He seems to have really grown.'' Kim Dongsu thought with a slight smile. If his father was alive, then he would surely be happy seeing that Lee Hyun was willing to fulfil his dream. Knowing his personality, he would have even cried seeing his son standing up on his own. ''What should I do now?'' On the other hand, Lee Hyun was stopping himself from signing. It was not like Lee Hyun was not disappointed by Kim Dongsu''s decision. He was really troubled by it as his path would have gotten easier if Kim Dongsu had decided to help him. But now. he can''t do anything about it. It was not like Lee Hyun didn''t understand Kim Dongsu''s situation and the reason behind his decision. That was the only reason why he was still calm in this situation. "You know it won''t be easy to run an entertainment agency. You don''t even know the basics of running a business." Kim Dongsu said as he took a sip of his ice coffee. "I-I know that well." Lee Hyun said as he sighed. There were many problems that were troubling him. Still, life has given him a chance and he would fulfil his father''s dream this time. No matter what, he would not give up. "What you are saying is correct but I still want to do it." "Is that so? You have really grown a lot. Your father would have been proud of you if he was alive." "I''m happy to hear that." Lee Hyun said with a smile and took a sip from his ice coffee. His taste buds have also regressed. So, the coffee was particularly bitter to him. ''He resembles his father a lot.'' Kim Dongsu thought and stared at Lee Hyun. The current Lee Hyun was not much different from Lee Keemin. Both of their personalities were not much different. Lee Keemin would also do what he wanted to do without listening to anyone. The amazing thing was that he would even succeed. Kim Dongsu also hoped that Lee Hyun would succeed. "What are you going to do about the money? You can''t run a company without funds." Kim Dongsu asked as he knew that Lee Hyun didn''t have much money. ''Money! That''s my biggest problem.'' Lee Hyun thought with an awkward smile. He didn''t have much money in his bank account and no bank would give him a loan. He can borrow money from loan sharks but that was too dangerous. In the end, there was only one method left. "I was thinking of selling songs." "Songs?" "Yes. I will sell songs to agencies and singers. Hopefully, I would be able to earn money from it." Kim Dongsu shook his head hearing that. As someone from the industry, he knows the treatment of new music composers and songwriters. There were even times that their songs would be snatched away from them without any proper compensation. "It would be too hard to earn money like that. If your song is not good, then no company would pay for it and moreover, new composers are not paid well." Kim Dongsu''s words were harsh but Lee Hyun stayed calm. As someone who was once called the ''Midas of music'', he was more familiar with the music industry and the treatment of newcomers. Still, he was confident in his songs. "I know that but I''m confident in my songs. They would surely get popular." "Ah¡­" Lee Hyun''s words can be seen as him getting overconfident but Kim Dongsu was only able to see confidence in Lee Hyun''s eyes. He got curious about the songs Lee Hyun was talking about. "Do you have a sample?" "Huh?" "A sample of your song. Like a guide version." "Yes, I have a guide version. Although, it''s short." Lee Hyun nodded his head and replied. He took out his phone and searched for an audio clip. It was a really short audio clip of 45 seconds and there were no lyrics in it. He played it after taking a glance at Kim Dongsu''s face. The music started flowing out. It was the sound of a guitar. It was not fast or upbeat. Just simple but it has varying emotions in it. Like someone was thinking about something while making the melody. It started out dark but it soon saw the light and became bright. ''I wonder if he liked it.'' Lee Hyun thought as soon as the audio clip ended. The audio clip was short to begin with. So, it ended quickly but it certainly landed an impression on Kim Dongsu''s mind. "D-did you really make it?" He looked at Lee Hyun with a surprised expression. The level of the song was higher than he had thought. He had worked in the A&R (Audio and Repertoire) department for some years. So, he knew a little about music. "Yes, I indeed made this.'' Chapter 5 Chapter 5. Mango Entertainment (3) "Ahh, I''m so tired." Lee Hyun sighed as he tried to stretch his body which was feeling numb. It was because he was sitting in his chair for three hours. He also didn''t have a choice. He was completing the audio clip he had shown to Kim Dongsu. Making music can take months and Lee Hyun was particularly focused on this one, as it would be his first work after returning back to the past. ''I wished Uncle Dongsu had agreed.'' Lee Hyun thought about the talk he had with Kim Dongsu. He was rejected and Kim Dongsu had refused to join him in Mango Entertainment. It was not like he couldn''t understand where he was coming from. Lee Hyun''s proposal was sudden and Kim Dongsu can''t suddenly leave his job for him. Still, he can''t help but be dissapointed. His work would have become way easier if Kim Dongsu had agreed to his request. ''If you need any help, you can contact me. It''s not easier to make your way in the entertainment industry. So, you can ask for help anytime.'' Lee Hyun thought back to the words Kim Dongsu had spoken to him, when they were parting ways. "If it happened like before, then Uncle Dongsu would start his own agency ten years from now on." He thought about Kim Dongsu''s future. From what he remembers, Kim Dongsu had failed to become the head of the planning department and the position of the head was given to the nephew of one of the directors. It was a clear case of cronyism. Despite that, no one has said anything. Even Bae Hyunsung was silent on this matter. Now that he thinks about it, corruption was filled everywhere in the top brass of Top Entertainment, but Lee Hyun had ignored it because he was solely focused on making music. ''I was really ignorant of all these things.'' Lee Hyun blamed himself to a certain extent for that. If he had said anything about it, then maybe Kim Dongsu would not have faced such injustice. "He started his own agency after that. I can''t remember the name but it was focused on singers. It was a pity that it didn''t work." Lee Hyun muttered all that and thought about another one of his memories. That was the time when he had already received the title of Midas of music and was on his high horses. Kim Dongsu had come to him, requesting a song for one of his singers but Lee Hyun had not even met him. He has refused to meet him because he didn''t want to waste one of his songs on an unknown singer.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ''I was really a bastard back then.'' Lee Hyun frowned thinking about all that. He hated his past self because of all the bad decisions he made. He disappointed Kim Dongsu in the past just because of his arrogance. "I made a lot of mistakes in the past. At least, I have a chance to correct them this time." Lee Hyun muttered and sat back down on his chair. He shook his head off all these thoughts. There was still work to do. The song was not complete yet. He was still giving the final touches to the song. Lee Hyun opened the DAW (Digital audio workspace) software and played the song again. The song started out slow with the sounds of strings of the guitar but it soon catched up on speed and a drum beat followed the guitar strings. The beat remained constant for some time and the guitar and the drum mixed in to form a completely different synergy. The keyboard part came out after that and in the end, the sound of bass made a perfect ending. "It''s good but something is missing." Lee Hyun felt that there was something wrong between the first verse and the chorus. He wondered if he should add a bridge but decided against it. The bridge part can make it worse. He played the song three times more and pondered on which direction he should take the song to. ''Making a song is just like making a straight path.'' Singing a song was just like walking down on a straight road. The song would mess up if you walked in a zigzag way. The song would become unsightly. Then, what was making a song? It was just like making a road. A straight road that the singer can follow. Sometimes, there would be some holes in the road but it''s up-to the composer to find those holes and fill it up for the singer to walk properly. "How to fill the hole?" Lee Hyun thought about it and tried many different things. He added the sound of a piano and then followed it up with the sound of a violin and then, a cello. But nothing worked. He still didn''t give up and continued to add other instruments and melodies. He tried different things and after an hour, he finally managed to fill the hole. He once again played the song. The sound of a guitar played out and then, there was the drum. Lee Hyun added a bass sound to mix in with the drum this time. Then, he added the synthesizer but he kept the melody slow. It suddenly got picked up after another beat of the drum. Then, the beat just went higher and the feeling it gave increased. The song ended like that and Lee Hyun can''t help but nod in satisfaction. ''It''s way better than the flop songs I was making previously.'' Lee Hyun listened to the songs ten more times and everytime, his satisfaction level kept increasing. He felt the thing that he had missed in all of his flop songs - Emotions. His current song was filled with emotions. Various emotions were poured in this song, making it richer. "My music has returned." When Lee Hyun had returned back to the past, he had tried to make different melodies and had noticed that there was a change in him. He has instantly realised why he was feeling different. It was because he had somehow gotten past his bottleneck. He can make good songs again now. He was not sure what triggered this. Maybe it was the betrayal he faced? Or it was his wife cheating on him? It can also be the effect of him regressing back to the past. Nevertheless, he was really happy about it. Lee Hyun had even jumped around and danced for a while because of that. He had only stopped after he noticed his brother watching him with a weird look. ''My music is back with me. Mango Entertainment would surely become one of the top agencies in the future.'' He thought with a grin. He not only has future knowledge but also his future songs. Lee Hyun had made a whopping number of songs for Top Entertainment but this time, he won''t join it as a composer. That means that the hit songs he made for Top Entertainment would never see the light. It would be too much of a waste if he didn''t use it somewhere else. That''s why Lee Hyun would use his hit songs to make a future for Mango entertainment. ''It''s not like I''m plagiarising someone else''s song anyway.'' Lee Hyun thought about the future of Mango Entertainment. Currently, there was only him. Kim Dongsu had refused to join and there were no employees other than him. He doesn''t even have a celebrity under the agency. First of all, he has to get some employees and raise some money to support the agency. Then, he has to find a talent and cultivate him or her into a star. ''It would be hard.'' This job was definitely not easy. Lee Hyun had to work hard for everything, but he was willing to do it. It was because of his dream. Not his earlier dream but his new dream. ''The dream to make Mango Entertainment the best agency in Korea.'' Chapter 6 Chapter 6. Selling a song (1) "We will conclude the meeting here. I hope everyone will take this seriously and do their jobs well. We can''t mess up the comeback album of Icarus." "We understand!!" Everyone stood up as the meeting finished. They left the room in groups of twos and threes. This was the planning meeting for the comeback album for the leading girl group in Top Entertainment ''Icarus''. Many people have taken part in this meeting. Producers, composers, managers, team leaders, songwriters etc. One of them was Kim Dongsu. As a General manager in the planning department, he would have an essential role in making the comeback album of Icarus a success. "Kim Dongsu." "Ah, Director! Do you need me for something?" As he was leaving the meeting room, the head of the planning department stopped him. He was an old man in his 50s and he was also someone Kim Dongsu respected. "I noticed that you were spacing out in the middle of the meeting. Is there something that is troubling you?" The old director asked him and Kim Dongsu was surprised for a moment. He opened his mouth quickly to apologise. "I''m really sorry!" "No, you don''t have to be sorry. You are working hard these days. I think you need a break. I will try to¡­" "No, it''s not that." Kim Dongsu interrupted the old director. He seemed to be troubled over whether he should say it or not. In the end, he decided to speak. The old director was someone who has helped him a lot in the past. He was one of the nicest people in the company and Kim Dongsu trusted him a lot. There was no reason to hide it from him. "Actually, I''m thinking of something for the past week..." It''s been a week since he had met Lee Hyun and that audio clip has been reverberating in his mind since then. Not only that, his words and the resolution he has shown kept flashing in his mind. Somewhere in his mind, he was contemplating whether he had made the wrong decision or not. "Oh! I didn''t know that Keemin''s son is trying to fulfil his dream now. He got a good son."The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The old director said after hearing all that. He obviously knew Lee Hyun''s father as he used to work as a director in Top Entertainment five years ago. They were not very close but they were still friends. "W-What do you think I should do?" Kim Dongsu looked at the old director with some hope in his eyes. He thought that the old director would certainly know what he should do in this situation but the answer he got was not satisfactory. "I don''t know what you should do. In the first place, it''s your problem and the decision should be yours. I don''t want to interfere in that." Kim Dongsu became disappointed hearing that. He lowered his head and frowned. His heart was telling him that he should join Mango Entertainment but his mind was thinking practically. Should he listen to his heart? Or his mind? He was in a predicament. "Haha, it looks like it''s really troubling you. Why don''t you come to my office to have some tea?" "Ah, Sure." Kim Dongsu agreed and went to the old director''s office. The office was big with a sofa and a coffee table in it. It was completely different from Kim Dongsu''s office and it clearly displayed the status of the old director. "You should drink this tea and calm down first." The old director brewed tea for Kim Dongsu. Everyone in the agency knows that the old director was an expert when it comes to tea. "Thank you." Kim Dongsu took the tea and started drinking it. The hot tea calmed down his nerves and he became composed. The old director opened his mouth seeing that. "You know people say that you should always listen to your heart if you are troubled over a decision." Kim Dongsu quickly understood what the old director was trying to say but he spoke too early. "Then, I should¡­" "But you can''t always listen to your heart as it doesn''t guarantee your success." The old director sipped his tea as he said that. "What should I do then?" The old director''s words have not helped him at all. It had even made him more confused about his decision. "Like I previously said, it''s your decision. I''m just reminding you that listening to your heart doesn''t mean that you will achieve success." "Then, I should just listen to my mind." "No, listening to the mind also doesn''t mean that you will find success. Success isn''t something that you can get easily." The old director shook his head and said. Kim Dongsu lowered his head as he began to think about it. It was not an easy decision for him. The decision can change his whole life. So, he was really sceptical about it. He didn''t want to make the wrong choice and regret later. As he was thinking about it, the old director suddenly spoke. "Take tomorrow off." "Huh? I can''t take tomorrow off! We are starting work for Icarus comeback album tomorrow." It was not something that Kim Dongsu can ignore. Icarus was a 7 person girl group which debuted four years ago and in just four years, it had become the top girl group in Top Entertainment. They were coming back from their Japan tour and their comeback album was something the whole company was focused on. The old director also knows that but he still said. "You can''t work with your mind occupied somewhere else. Take a break tomorrow and think about it carefully." "B-but¡­" "Remember that you should take your decisions yourself, especially those which can have a major impact in your life. No one can help you in that." Kim Dongsu just looked at the old director hearing that. He doesn''t know what he should say at this moment. In the end, he just nodded his head. "Thank you." "Don''t worry about it. Just don''t regret the decision you took later. Life is too short for regrets." Kim Dongsu quickly finished the tea after that. Then, he stood up and bowed to the old director before leaving his office. The old director sighed when he was alone. The conversation has made him remember one of the talks he had with Lee Hyun''s father. They were talking about Lee Hyun at that time. ''You know, my son is in university currently and he is a genius when it comes to music.'' ''Is that so? Then, will he join Top Entertainment?'' ''No, I will make my agency before that. I will recruit my son in it and let him make music however he wants. It''s my dream.'' ''That''s a nice dream you have.'' A smile formed on the old director''s lips when he thought about that conversation. "Lee Keemin sure has a good son." The old director muttered and thought about the prospects of Mango Entertainment. He has a feeling that he would hear the name of Mango Entertainment quite often in the future. Chapter 7 Chapter 7. Selling a song (2) "Thanks for the ride." Lee Hyun thanked the taxi driver and the driver nodded his head and left. He was currently in Gangnam - The most expensive district in Seoul. He hadn''t come here to meet with Kim Dongsu today. Lee Hyun was here for a completely different reason and the reason was the building in front of him. The building was a three-storey building with an underground floor in it. Its appearance didn''t stand out among the other high-rise buildings in Gangnam, but it has a unique taste to it, making it look elegant from outside. The most eye-catching part of the building was not the glass walls, but the words written on top of the building. "Mango Entertainment." Lee Hyun spoke out loud and smiled. This building was something his father had purchased five years ago. He had used all of his money to buy this building. He didn''t want his agency to be in a rented place. This was going to be the office for Mango Entertainment, but unfortunately, it has become just an abandoned building. ''It''s good that I don''t have to rent out a building.'' It would take a lot of money to rent out a building in Seoul. He was fortunate that his father had left him this building. Lee Hyun entered the building after thanking his father inwardly. As soon as he opened the door, dust came flying on his face. "Cough, it''s messy." The interior was not clean at all. It was understandable as no one had entered this place for five years. Because of that, there was dust all over the floor and it made it look older. ''I should hire a cleaning service to clean this place.'' Lee Hyun frowned as he thought about the money he would have to spend in cleaning the building. There was a time when he used to spend thousands of dollars without worrying about anything but that was in the past. The current Lee Hyun didn''t have much money and he was trying to save every penny he could. Still, he at least has a place to start from. ''I need to quickly sell my song.'' He would get money after he sold his song. Lee Hyun was confident that his song would be a hit. So, it won''t be hard to earn some quick money. He can then use that money to cultivate a celebrity of his own and hire more employees. But there was still a problem. ''I don''t have connections.'' Lee Hyun didn''t know who he could sell the song to.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. He can go to some entertainment agencies but it was highly likely that he would be thrown out before he could even begin to sell his song. Moreover, entertainment agencies have their own composers. It was rare to get a song from outside, until the composer is famous. It would be really hard for him to sell this song. This was his biggest concern currently. The only way was to use Kim Dongsu to sell this song to Top Entertainment. But he didn''t want to benefit Top Entertainment and Bae Hyunsung no matter what. ''I should think about it later.'' Lee Hyun shook his head and looked through the entire building. Despite being full of dirt, the building has a lot of space and there was even a recording studio on the underground floor. It was not like the fancy studios Lee Hyun had seen in his past life, but it still had all the equipment. After looking through the whole building, Lee Hyun went to the rooftop to take a view of the surrounding. It was already evening and the red sunset light was dyeing the whole rooftop red. "Ahh, I will definitely succeed." Lee Hyun leaned against the railing and sighed. He thought back to the past week. It still felt like a dream to him. Coming back to the past and starting Mango Entertainment. He had never thought that god would give him such a chance, but he was thankful to him anyway. No, he was more than just thankful. The only thing he could do was to make full use of this chance. No matter what, he would definitely succeed this time. ''I should meet my mother soon.'' In his past life, he has left a scar on his mother''s heart. This time, he didn''t want to repeat the same mistake. The only reason he still hasn''t met his mother yet was because he wanted to see her after officially starting Mango Entertainment. He wanted to surprise her. ''She would be shocked when she¡­'' "Lee Hyun!!" As he was thinking about his mother, Lee Hyun suddenly heard a voice. It sounded familiar. So, he turned around and saw Kim Dongsu. "Uncle Dongsu." ''Why is he here?'' Lee Hyun wondered why Kim Dongsu was here. His appearance looked haggard like he had not slept for days. The beard on his face was unshaved and his hair was ruffled. The sudden appearance of Kim Dongsu surprised him, but he quickly calmed down and asked. "What are you doing here, Uncle Dongsu?" "I went to your house but Lee Min told me that you were here. So, I came here. I wanted to talk to you." "If you want to talk to me, then you should have just called me." Kim Dongsu shook his head hearing that. The thing he wanted to talk about was not something one can simply talk on the phone. "No, I can''t talk about this on the phone. I wanted to ask you a question." "A question?" Lee Hyun tilted his head. He wondered what Kim Dongsu was talking about. It all looked absurd to him but he still listened to him. "Can you really make Mango Entertainment a big agency in Korea?" "Ah¡­" "You yourself know that your path won''t be easy. Let me tell you, there are over 2000 entertainment agencies in Korea, including the illegal ones." Lee Hyun wondered why Kim Dongsu was telling him all this. Still, he kept listening to him without saying anything. "The entertainment agency is like a red sea. It''s hard to stay afloat. Every year, more than hundred agencies close and another hundred opens." Kim Dongsu took a breath and again asked. "Now tell me, can you really make Mango Entertainment a big and respectable agency?" It felt like Kim Dongsu was pouring cold water on him. The cold water known as reality. It was not like Lee Hyun didn''t know about all this, but hearing it straight from someone''s mouth was a completely different experience. For a second, he even faltered but he soon calmed down. He knew the risk involved and the high chances of failure, but he also knows that there was no going back. His eyes became resolute when he thought that. "I know the risks involved in it and honestly, I''m scared that I would fail, but I will surely make Mango Entertainment a renowned agency in Korea." Lee Hyun said that in one breath. He was willing to tackle any obstacles and there was no turning back for him. He can only walk ahead. Kim Dongsu stared at Lee Hyun and his face soon turned into a smile. "Is your offer still valid?" "Huh? Do you mean¡­?" Lee Hyun quickly understood what Kim Dongsu was saying. "Yes, please let me join Mango Entertainment." Kim Dongsu said as he bowed his head. There was a sense of excitement and resolve on his face. "Why so suddenly?" "I, I just realised that I can''t work somewhere where my heart doesn''t want me to." "Huh?" Lee Hyun was still confused when he heard that. Kim Dongsu laughed seeing that and patted his back. He seemed to be in a good mood after finally making his choice. "You can drink, right?" He asked Lee Hyun while repeatedly patting his back. "Yes, I can." "That''s good. You can''t run a business without knowing how to hold your liquor. Let''s go celebrate today." "Celebrate?" "Yeah, I know a good place." Despite Lee Hyun''s protest, Kim Dongsu dragged him to a bar. That night, Lee Hyun drank till he got wasted but even while passing out, there was a smile on his face. Mango Entertainment was finally on the right path!! Chapter 8 Chapter 8. Selling a song (3) Gulp! Lee Hyun gulped as he looked at Kim Dongsu in front of him. They were carefully sitting in the meeting room in the building of Mango Entertainment. It''s already been a week since Kim Dongsu has joined Mango Entertainment. He had left his position of General manager in Top Entertainment and officially joined Mango Entertainment as a director. In the past week, he had helped hire a cleaning service to clean the whole building and registered the agency under Lee Hyun''s name. Five years ago, Lee Hyun''s father had passed away before registering the company. That''s why they have registered as a new company. The process was easier than Lee Hyun had expected and Kim Dongsu was a huge help to him. Just because of him, he was able to do things quickly. It was not like he has been slacking in the past week. Lee Hyun had been working on his song. Giving final touches to it and writing down the lyrics. After thinking about it for a long time, he had named the song ''Never give up''. The lyrics were all about standing up again and fighting for your dream. It also matches well with his current situation. So, Lee Hyun was really confident about this song. ''I wish he likes it.'' Lee Hyun thought as he looked at Kim Dongsu who had earphones in his ears. He was currently listening to the guide version of the song. If it was in the past, then Lee Hyun would not have been worried, but the streams of flop songs have lessened his confidence. Although he has listened to this song several times and was confident in it, he still wanted to know the thoughts of someone else. "This is called ''Never give up'', right?" Kim Dongsu put down his earphones after listening to the song. "Yes." "Your voice is quite good. How about becoming a singer?" Lee Hyun awkwardly laughed and shook his head on that joke. He never had plans to become a singer. He never liked the bright stage. Composting music in a room was more comfortable for him.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "Anyway, this is different from the audio clip I had listened to." Kim Dongsu quickly came to the serious topic. The atmosphere suddenly got heavy as the serious talk started. Lee Hyun looked up and replied. "Yes, the base is the same, but I have changed quite a lot of things. The lyrics also gave it another feel." Kim Dongsu nodded his head. He had quite liked the audio clip but this song was giving a completely different feeling than that. It was like both of them were different songs. "How do you think it is?" "Well, it''s good but the music has an old feeling to it. Maybe, it''s because the songs coming out these days are all fast paced songs." Lee Hyun nodded his head. Never give up was a slow ballad with the emphasis on its lyrics and music. It was different from the songs normally sung by K-pop idols. "Should I make the tempo a bit faster?" "You can do that, but won''t it ruin the feeling of this song?" "Yeah¡­" Lee Hyun and Kim Dongsu discussed the song for half an hour. From a general point of view, the song was really good, but they have to sell the song. They were thinking about it from a business perspective. It was a good song but they have to find an agency who would be willing to buy it. "Um, it won''t be hard to sell it to smaller agencies, but we won''t get much money out of it." "We can''t do that though" Money! That was their biggest problem. So, selling the song for a good price was necessary for them. "The main problem is that the song isn''t easy to sing. You need a veteran singer to pull it perfectly." Kim Dongsu suddenly said. Lee Hyun also knows that, but they don''t have a choice here. "Uncle Dongsu, we can''t expect much as it would be our first time selling a song. It''s better to have low expectations." Kim Dongsu agreed with that. He stood up from his seat and transferred the song to his phone. Then, he said. "Let me first look at the agencies who are producing an album currently. I will find you later." He said that and left the company. ''I hope he will be able to get a buyer.'' Lee Hyun also stood up after that. He was the President of the company now. He can''t stay like that. "Let''s study more on management." As the agency was new and there was no celebrity, there was not much to do. That''s why Lee Hyun was using his free time to study more about management and planning.
"One, two, three, four¡­" The scene was of a practice room in one of the middle sized agencies, Nike Entertainment. A girl was doing her dance practice. More than a girl, she should be called a woman, but she was still beautiful despite her age. Her name was Lee Hyeri. She has short black hair that just touched her shoulders, smooth skin and a round face. Overall, anyone would call her pretty, but she herself knows that her body has grown out of shape. Her proportions were not the same as before, and her skills have degraded due to lack of practice. ''I have to work harder.'' Lee Hyeri thought and motivated herself. She continued to practice for three more hours. She was sweaty after the practice, but she still felt that it was not enough. Still, she didn''t want to push her body. Lee Hyeri sat down on the floor and started to drink water. Suddenly, she heard the voices of some trainees. "Look! She''s still there." "So, it''s true that she''s making a comeback. Do you think she would succeed?" "Most probably she would fail. It''s not easy to become an idol when you are in your 30s." "Isn''t she just an aunty then?" Lee Hyerin turned her head to look at the group of trainees. They were high school girls that were whispering among themselves. Noticing her gaze, the group of girls quickly dispersed. "Am I really an ''aunty''?" Lee Hyerin lowered her head and sighed. The girls calling her an aunty was justified in a sense, as she was probably twice their age, but no girl liked to be called an aunty. That was a hard blow to her who was trying to make a comeback. ''No, I can''t think of such things. Cheer up!!'' Lee Hyerin shook her head and cheered herself up. This was another start for her. She can''t falter so early. If she can''t even handle this much, then how she would stand in front of her fans. Lee Hyerin got up again. She took a deep breath and started her dance practice again. No matter what, she can''t give up!