Chapter 153

Lee HyunAh was currently headed towards SBB station in the car that KangYoon was driving .

She was sitting in the passenger seat and gave KangYoon a piece of chocolate . Her face was slightly red .

“HyunAh, are you excited?”

“Of course I am!”

Although she did appear in front of a camera before, this was the first time a song in the name of White Moonlight would ever appear through TV . Her thick smile was representative of her current mood .

KangYoon seemed to understand her mood and replied while turning on some cheerful music .

“You chose your song well, HyunAh . SoYoung created a good song too . You did the rearrangement yourself, didn’t you?”

“Yes . But I didn’t know you’d tell SoYoung to do the mastering herself . It’s not easy to let someone else tamper with your machine . ”

Lee HyunAh was very surprised .

Mastering was the process of adjusting the music quality, the duration, and level in order to create a music file for a CD or other media . This work required professionalism to the point that there were engineers who did this exclusively for a living . At World Entertainment, KangYoon was in charge of this job .

He smiled and spoke .

“I heard that SoYoung had learned about mastering at college . That’s why I told her to try . Although she wasn’t so good because of her lack of experience, she was quite good when we did it together . ”

“Huh? Does that mean SoYoung will work at your company too?”

KangYoon shrugged his shoulders .

“Who knows? I’m not sure yet . ”

“Hmm… I’d like to work with her . She’s very hard working when she is tasked with something . It’s hard to find someone so hard working these days . ”

KangYoon said that he would think about it and skipped the topic . Hiring a composer was a different matter than hiring a simple employee . He was going to talk with Lee HyunJi more before he came to a decision .

The two soon arrived at SBB station .

They parked the car and walked to the elevator where a lady assistant director was waiting for them .

“Welcome . You are from World Entertainment, aren’t you?”|

“Yes . I’m Lee KangYoon . ”

This assistant director seemed to have stayed up the night as dark circles could be seen behind her thick makeup . Lee HyunAh gulped as this was the first time she saw someone related to a TV station .

Following her, KangYoon and Lee HyunAh got on the elevator .

Their destination was the drama office located on the 21st floor . The assistant director tagged her ID and led the two inside .

Lee HyunAh looked around the office as this was the first time she had visited one .

‘Wow, it’s like the exact same big corporate office that I saw from TVs . It’s so neat and … huh? That man is so handsome . ’

An employee wearing a suit grabbed Lee HyunAh’s attention . She satiated her curiosity by looking around all over the place . However, when that man passed by KangYoon, he was half-a-head shorter than him .

‘I knew it, oppa is so tall…’

Lee HyunAh grinned unintentionally .

Soon, they arrived at the meeting room for ‘His Hospital’ . When they entered, producer Kim DeokJoong and some assistant directors were waiting for them .

“Hello . My name is Kim DeokJoong . ”

“Hello . ”

KangYoon and Lee HyunAh exchanged greetings with the producer . Producer Kim DeokJoong was of short stature and had a stiff-looking expression . His sharp eyes were very eye-catching .

The assistant director that led the two here soon gave them some coffee .

Lee HyunAh sipped on the coffee with curiosity and nervousness while KangYoon talked about what he was here for .

“Thank you for considering White Moonlight’s song on such a positive note . ”

“Not at all . It was a really good song . I got the feeling just by listening to it . Although we usually do verbal contracts, I just had to invite you here in order to express that I want to work with you more in the future . I hope I wasn’t too rude by inviting you here when you must be so busy . ”

“Not at all . We’re thankful instead . ”

The mood was very good . Producer Kim DeokJoong did not stop his praises saying that the vocalist’s tone of voice and the song’s mood was suited to emphasize the mood of the drama . Although many songs had come to their desks asking to be included in the OST album, this was the first time a song made him so eager to use – or so he said .

Lee HyunAh asked amidst the cheerful mood .

“Uhm, producer . Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead . Oh, you must be the vocalist right?”

KangYoon answer in her stead .

“Yes . ”

Producer Kim DeokJoong waited for her question with a soft expression . Though, his eyes were so sharp that it didn’t look that soft .

“If our song does appear in the drama, can I ask which scene it will be used for?”

Hearing that question, producer Kim DeokJoong laughed before speaking .

“Hahaha, I guess you must be curious . It will be used in the most important scene, where the male lead ambush-kisses the female lead for the first time . ”

“Oh, then JinWoo and AhJin will… Hiek? Did I just get spoiled!?”

Lee HyunAh covered her ears so as to not listen to any further spoilers . She was also a fan of the drama .

Seeing that, KangYoon laughed . Thanks to her, the mood became even lighter .

After writing the contract, KangYoon and Lee HyunAh stood up .

Lastly, KangYoon spoke while shaking the hand of producer Kim DeokJoong .

“I hope the drama, and the song, goes well . ”

Producer Kim DeokJoong also spoke with a confident expression .

“They will . It’s been a long time since I felt so confident . The viewing rates are going up, and the song will be used in the most important part of the drama, so everyone will have a happy ending . You can look forward to it . ”

He saw KangYoon off to the elevator .

Inside the car heading towards World Entertainment, Lee HyunAh asked KangYoon .

“This OST, it will do well, won’t it?”

KangYoon thought about it for a moment before speaking .

“Well, we’ll see the results when we get there . And this isn’t our final destination . There’s something bigger waiting for us . ”

“The major debut? Oh, yeah, you’re right . ”

“This is just the beginning . Don’t shrink away already . ”

Lee HyunAh resolved to herself while listening to KangYoon’s words, blaming herself for being a coward .

***

It was now May .

As the weather was good, the streets were filled with people, and the mountains were full of greenery .

Eddios’s dorms were also filled with the vitality of May .

“Who was in charge of rice today!”

…Though some were over-energetic…

Ailee grumbled while putting the crumbly under-cooked brown rice . As brown rice needed more water to be cooked than white rice, this kind of ignore-everything cooking method was making her frown .

“MinAh-unni was… . ”

Seo HanYu, who had already finished her meal in order to go to practice told her of the culprit .

“Jung MinAaaaaaaaaaaaaah… . !”

Ailee clenched her teeth and trembled due to the culprit having made worse what was already tasteless food . She could tolerate having a small portion of food, but she couldn’t deal with having tasteless food .

“…Just eat what you get . ”

Christie An spoke in a bland expression . However, Ailee made a fuss about it .

“No way . Do we have to eat the already bad-tasting diet food in such a bad way? This is torture, torture, I say! Ah, I can’t stand this . I’m cooking another batch . ”

Then, Ailee started washing some rice again .

Han JooYeon clicked her tongue .

“Damn gourmet . She’s a peculiar one . ”

“You’re right . I heard we’re going to be weighed this week . Is she going to be fine?”

“Eeek? Really!?”

Christie An’s unique nonchalant voice made Han JooYeon freak out . No, even Seo HanYu, who was about to go out, made a big deal out of it . Only Ailee, who was busy washing the rice, was immersed in her own world .

“I heard MinAh talk about it yesterday . This girl, she forgot to tell you again, didn’t she? Sheesh, she’s such a hectic girl . Director-unni said that we’re getting weighted this week . The president was going to do it, but the director said that they should preserve our dignity . ”

“I think I gained weight, what do I do…”

Han JooYeon grumbled . Seo HanYu also trembled due to the pressure of the frightening image of the scale .

Women’s greatest enemy, it was the scale .

“Jung MinAh! Jung MinAaaaaaah!”

Oblivious to all this, Ailee was busy cooking another batch .

***

While the other members were causing a fuss about eating .

Lee SamSoon, who had downloaded a drama, was watching ‘His Hospital’ with a headset on . Her laid back posture indicated that this wasn’t just the first or second time she had done this .

– The stars are pretty .

JinWoo, the male lead wearing a doctor’s gown, was watching the stars on the rooftop . Seeing that, Lee SamSoon’s heart tightened . The male leads tall height and the shoujo manga-esque beauty made her heart flutter .

Following that, the female lead, AhJin, appeared . She gave JinWoo a canned drink and stood next to him . The two talked about their superiors at the hospital and talked briefly about their life .

Then, JinWoo spoke about the female lead’s rival, SoJin, who also acted nicely towards him . In the drama, SoJin was a girl who made JinWoo think a lot about her .

– … really?

There was no way AhJin would like JinWoo talking about SoJin when he was the man she liked . She glared at him before interrupting him .

– Wait .

– What is it?

– …Let’s stop talking about seonbae .

Then, she tiptoed and matched her lips with his . JinWoo’s eyes widened in surprise at her actions .

– Now, you can’t talk about her in front of me, can you?

Then, AhJin seemed embarrassed and ran off with a blushed face .

JinWoo was shocked stiff and stood there blankly while touching his lips .

‘Wow… girls should act more boldly, huh, I knew it… Wait, isn’t this HyunAh-unni’s voice?’

But then, Lee SamSoon heard a familiar voice . This was the first time she had heard of the song, but the voice definitely belonged to Lee HyunAh . She hadn’t heard about this from anyone and didn’t think that Lee HyunAh sang such a song .

‘What a good song!’

It was a very sorrowful, yet beautiful song that expressed the minds of women clearly .

After the drama was over, Lee SamSoon went into a streaming site and immediately downloaded the OST that Lee HyunAh sang .

SBB’s drama ‘His Hospital’s OST, ‘Heartache’ first showed itself to the audience in the 7th episode .

The song instantly enraptured the hearts of many by emphasizing the scene where the female lead, named AhJin, suddenly kissed the male lead, named JinWoo, to express her feelings . The restrained, but still barely leaking emotions made the hearts of many resonate with the song .

On the day of when the 8th episode would air .

Lee HyunAh’s ‘Heartache’ placed first place in many streaming sites .

“The reactions are good . ”

Lee HyunJi, who had watched ‘His Hospital’ along with KangYoon inside the office made a satisfied smile while looking at the various reactions on the internet .

“The editing was good . The song came out just at the right moment . It expressed perfectly how the male lead doesn’t recognize the female lead’s emotions at once . ”

“Indeed . Phew, looks like we’ve crossed a big hurdle . ”

Lee HyunJi stood up and stretched her arms out .

“Looks like that’s plenty of promotion for us . We have the title of placing first in the streaming sites, so we should ready the album now . ”

“I think so as well . We should use this opportunity to appear in front of the public . ”

The two had the same opinion .

However, not all things went their way in this world .

Two days later .

KangYoon had come to work and was talking to White Moonlight about the album along with Lee HyunJi when he was called by producer Kim DeokJoong . He spoke in a very apologetic voice .

– I’m very sorry . I don’t think I can air ‘Heartache’ starting from the next week’s episodes, that is, episodes 9 and 10 .

“What? Is there something wrong?”

KangYoon was flustered, but he asked in a calm voice . However, he received no explanations and was only told that the other party was sorry .

The drama was set to end with episode 20 . If the song changed at all, KangYoon believed that it would change from episode 17 at least . Something was wrong here .

– I can only express my deepest apologies . This is due to internal matters so please understand .

“…Fuu . Looks like I’ll have to pay a visit . ”

– Okay . Please do come . I’ll be waiting for you .

KangYoon finished the call and put on his coat . Lee HyunJi asked due to the sudden commotion .

“Did something happen?”

“I think a problem occurred with the OST . It won’t air starting next week . ”

“What? Did the production company or the investors pressure them into doing that or something?”

When Lee HyunJi asked in a worried voice, KangYoon nodded his head . He also had similar thoughts in mind .

“It might have been that since the viewing rates are quite high in this drama . I don’t think it will be easy… but we should come up with our own measures . I’ll call you when I get there . ”

“Okay . ”

KangYoon left the office with a rather stiff expression .

“Not many things are going well recently . ”

Inside the office, Lee Hyunji shook her head .