188 - I Unknowingly Rejected My Favorite

EP.188 #188. The Warmth of Summer Inside the Bintam office. Hurriedly, I was shifting armfuls of belongings into my workspace. “Tae-min! Let's grab lunch.” At the teacher’s call, I placed down my keyboard and wiped away the sweat trickling down. “Sure.” “And congratulations on officially becoming a member of the company from today onward.” “What? Does that mean I’ve got work?” I was pondering setting things up after lunch when his words snapped me out of it. “Yep, starting with the current project, you’ll be working with me. Up until now, I handled everything by myself, but now you’ve got to earn your keep too.” “Are others joining as well?” “Not really. We just make a sample between us, and if it’s good, we bring it along.” “I see.” “Typically, it’s not done with many people, maybe one or two tops. Anything more becomes wasteful.” I pocketed my phone and followed the teacher to a fast-food restaurant. In this town of soaring prices, it was one of the few blessed places with fixed pricing. “So, who’s the song for?” “An idol.” The teacher answered between large bites of his burger. “An idol? Any specifics?” “Would you even know? You said you only knew ‘Closer’ from girl idols and hardly anything else. And truthfully, ‘Closer’ isn’t exactly what one would strictly call an idol, but anyhow.” “Probably not.” If it were mainstream, maybe I’d understand, but for the average ones, I had close to zero idea. “A group called Levinyon.” What? That sounds like the name of a game item. I shrugged to show my ignorance, and the teacher, expectedly, nodded. “They’re somewhat popular. I did a song for them before.” “Really? How did it do?” “Among their songs, mine was one of the best performing. The royalties were pretty decent.” While I wasn’t all too interested in idols, the prospect of decent profits did catch my attention. “So, what’s the pay for doing one song like that?” “It varies depending on the company or the person commissioning it, but generally...” As he beckoned me closer, I leaned in. Hearing the figure, my eyes widened considerably. “For just one song?” “Hey, if that one hit turns into a massive success, their lives could be completely transformed, so it is definitely worth much more than ‘just one song,’ you know.” Even so, for a student like me, the amount was staggering. “So, if I do well, I get a share too, right?” “Of course. But you’ve got to do a good job. Don’t think you can hand over some lackluster piece and ask for money.” Could this mean living with Doa is within reach soon? “I’ll work really hard! I’ll do my best!” I repeated my words of determination a little too loudly, noticing some people glancing our way. “Alright, now go finish your move-in. You need to get that sorted before anything else.” I was eager to relay this exciting news to Doa as quickly as possible. * * * “So, if things go well, I might be able to save up money sooner than expected!” My brother recounted the day’s events at the company with a childlike innocence, his smile radiant. But It was hard for me to sincerely smile back with 100% genuine joy. This was a bit... Sigh... Even though it seemed like an overreaction, I couldn’t shake the discomfort of imagining my brother around other girls. More so when they were idols with names I recognized. Especially since I knew some members from watching their fancams, finding them absolutely gorgeous. As his girlfriend, I couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. “Brother.” “Yeah?” “You remember the promise you made back then, right?” “Oh, of course.” He seemed like he might just brush it off... “Recite them. The three things.” “First, don’t accept phone numbers. Second, don’t have meals alone outside. Third was... what was it?” I rubbed my nose against his, close enough to see him scratching his head. “No friendly smiles!” “Oh, right. That one.” As the balance shifted, he naturally pulled me closer, wrapping me in a hug. “But honestly, even last time with Leah, not accepting phone numbers seemed a bit difficult.” “Is it?” “It’s a bit awkward to directly refuse when they offer them.” But I don’t like that. Imagining a scenario where countless girl idol numbers filled his phone, I shuddered. What if one day they even snatch his phone to save their contact with hearts? -Boom Overheating with wild imaginations, my brain short-circuited. “...Ugh.” Buried in his embrace, I whined, letting out disgruntled sounds. Sure, I knew this wasn’t very mature of me. But what good does pretending to be mature do for me? Holding the hand with a ring firmly on it, I proposed a compromise. “Then, if anything suspicious happens, you have to report it to me immediately, okay?” “There’s nothing. Nothing like that’s going to happen.” “Oh! First, you used that wicked charming face to woo our members! Naughty! Naughty! Naughty!” With my palm open wide, I smacked his thigh with gentle pats. “Well, Doa. I’ll handle things my way, but have you thought about where you’d want to move to?” “Probably somewhere near school? Besides, the studio... Sigh... who knows what’ll happen with that.” “...Yeah. How much longer do you have again?” “Four months.” July’s almost here, so August, September, October, November. Exactly four months left. “When Closer ends... will they confiscate the studio too?” “Well... They’re supposedly still in meetings upstairs, with no decisions made yet.” “Then moving has to wait until then.” Sounding disappointed, my brother smacked his lips, as I gently traced my fingernail over the back of his hand. “Brother, are you sure you can earn that much in three months? You seem so confident.” Teasingly scratching at his pride, my competitive brother immediately fired back at me. "Hey, despite how I might seem, I’m the award-winning composer on your Closer project, remember? Even my teacher said I’m a talent-gifted genius." "You realize how embarrassing it’ll be if you flop after saying all that, right?" "Why is my girlfriend always cursing me like this?" He purposely contorted his face into a silly, ugly expression. Even that endearing attempt prompted me to gently kiss his lips. "I hope it goes well. But I’d love it if your biggest hit was our song." “What if my debut ends up being my peak?” Laughing heartily, he patted my backside approvingly. “No need for it to be Summer Records, though. You might work on our next album, right?” “Maybe?” “Of course, that’s not really in my realm of decision.” I could make a suggestion, but budget and operations were entirely handled by the company. I wanted the world to hear another song made by him. Not because I naively thought I could sing it better than anyone, but just because I wanted to. Sensing my intentions, he began to knead at the soft flesh of my abdomen. “If the idol song does well, there will surely be more opportunities.” “Can you not do that while talking?” “No way. There’s nothing quite like this texture.” “Then touch above instead. Above.” The place where gaining weight is more permissible. “Oh, oh... Kim Doa, are you trying to seduce me?” “Huh, no?” “Hey, if you talk like that, people might get the wrong idea.” I turned around and perched atop his thigh, flashing a mischievous grin. Come to think of it, it feels like it's been ages since we did anything playful. “Hey.” “What?” “Do you still watch... that?” “What’s ‘that’?” More shocking than any adult content I could think of. Instead of outright saying it, I pantomimed it with my lips to convey the meaning. “Oh! No, I don’t! I deleted it all after that.” “Really?” “Here, look. I’ll show you my phone.” “No need. You’ve already erased everything, haven’t you?” Snorting in disbelief, he pushed me back firmly. Landing flat on the soft bed, I deployed my secret weapon, imitating Luca’s voice. “Attention, Pink Heart fans! Your idol is about to be devoured here!” “What’s the big deal? It’s happened many times already.” Maintaining balance with one arm, he looked down at me, slightly protruding veins adding to the tantalizing scene. “You’re such a tease.” “So, what can you do about it?” “I could kiss you?” "Pfft." Failing to stifle his laughter, he turned his head away. “You... you’re quite the smooth talker, aren’t you?” “I’m a streamer, remember? I make my living with my mouth.” “True... streamers should be good with words...” Finding his blushing face irresistibly adorable, I pulled him closer by the neck. “Come here, let me hug you.” The temperature in our room soared, rivaling the heat of summer.