Chapter 15
In the end, we met again like this.
Standing at the door and facing the murderer’s face, my heart began pounding wildly once more.
This was a situation I could no longer avoid—a moment where I had to face him fully, in the same room.
His expression was arrogant and proud, and even in that brief moment, every small movement he made radiated the atmosphere that he was the one holding the greatest authority here.
“Even if it’s something we were bound to confront someday…”
Because of this unexpected situation, I could no longer control my expression.
All the resolutions and determination I had built up suddenly felt as if they were melting away.
The past few days since the possession—those insane, emotionally turbulent days—suddenly felt unbearably heavy.
“Are you Team Leader Yoon?”
Since I stood there without saying anything, the murderer spoke first.
He must have expected me to greet him first, but he probably couldn’t just let the silence continue from his position either.
“Yes, I’m Yoon Jung-hoo.”
My curt reply made his expression wrinkle slightly.
He must have already heard that I was Luminous’s road manager.
And he must have connected it to the fact that yesterday morning I had remained sitting in the car and didn’t come out to greet him.
“I see. I’ve heard roughly about it. So you’re doing training right now… Well then, let’s go inside.”
Still, perhaps because Oh Junseong had long enjoyed great public popularity and was now the CEO of the massive entertainment company Reunion, he didn’t say anything emotional.
Instead, he threw out the most ordinary, cliché remark and stepped into the training room.
“You hadn’t started yet, right, Team Leader Yoon?”
Choi Bonbu-jang asked as he came in with him, and I answered simply.
“Yes, we were just about to start.”
“Good.”
Completely unaware of the complicated emotions swirling inside me, Choi Bonbu-jang instead looked excited, as if expecting things to proceed well.
As Oh Junseong came in and took a seat, several people hurriedly stood beside him.
One young woman who looked like his secretary.
And the others were familiar faces.
Managerial director Go Hanmin, whom I had met this morning.
Strategic Planning Team Leader Ahn Jungyu from the Management Division.
Music Production Division A&R Head Yeon Taechang.
And Planning Director Kang Hyeju.
“What is this, a zoo tour?”
I couldn’t conduct training like this.
This wasn’t because of my own position.
It was because of my trainees.
At the stage where we were rebuilding their voices from scratch, training had to be conducted in the most relaxed and comfortable atmosphere possible.
Everything had to change, so even their original skills wouldn’t come out properly.
It was a stage where, as singers, they might show things they’d rather not reveal.
Naturally, in an atmosphere more nerve-wracking than an audition, genuine training could not proceed.
I looked at the trainees’ faces.
Mujin, Juha, Miren, Serin…
Every single one of them looked extremely flustered and tense, frozen stiff.
Even if they were in training and had to reveal their weaknesses to a trainer, it was only natural they wouldn’t want others watching that process.
And these weren’t just trainees.
They were the popular group Luminous.
I spoke firmly.
“In this kind of atmosphere, training cannot be conducted.”
Naturally, that single sentence created a sudden disturbance in the room, which had been filled with tension to the point of bursting.
Everyone’s shock—each for their own reasons—was clearly visible in the expressions now focused on me.
“First of all, Ilseon… I’m sorry.”
“Hahaha, I heard you were bold, but this is a bit surprising. Could you explain why you can’t do it?”
Oh Junseong…
He spoke calmly because there were many people here, but he must have been furious inside.
This situation where his authority was being ignored must have twisted his pride.
I knew that well.
But my refusal of a public training session wasn’t because of my relationship with that murderer.
Training is not a joke.
There are public lessons that happen with mutual agreement beforehand.
But there are also stages of training where the singer’s flaws must be revealed honestly—stages that require time only between the trainer and the singer.
Unless they’re teammates, having outsiders watch during the early stage of changing one’s voice is taboo.
“Right now Luminous has discarded their previous voices and begun training to find the best voice suited to each of them. If people are listening, they’ll become conscious of it and try to sing well. And when that happens, the old habits we’re trying to discard will inevitably come back.”
Surprisingly, no one objected to my words.
Not because they necessarily agreed with me, but probably because no one wanted to step forward in such a sensitive atmosphere.
I continued.
“Moreover, Luminous are already professional singers. Even if everyone here works for the company, they probably wouldn’t want to show this confusing stage of themselves. If it’s really necessary, it would be better to hold a public training session or demonstration after some results have been achieved.”
As the situation became extremely awkward due to my unexpected actions, Choi Bonbu-jang stepped in.
“Hmm, Team Leader Yoon, I understand your point, but the CEO is here right now. He’s the one who must ultimately decide the future direction of Luminous. Shouldn’t you consider that as well?”
“I understand what you mean.”
“Right, good. Then let’s proceed.”
No, Ilseon—that’s not it.
Let me finish speaking.
“Then I’ll speak frankly as well. If you absolutely must conduct a test, then just proceed with the album as originally planned. I’ll step out. But if you want to entrust this to me, then I ask—no, I demand—that you trust me.”
To be honest, it was an absurd thing to say.
In what world, in what field, does someone speak to a CEO like that?
Normally, people struggle desperately to show their best in an organizational society.
But I’m not an ordinary person either.
I was killed by the man sitting in front of me—someone I believed was my friend—and then possessed another body.
Even setting aside that emotional issue, one thing was certain:
I was someone who had lived four lives as a successful singer.
When it came to singing, I could not accept anyone’s opinion or any circumstance if it contradicted what I believed was right.
No matter that this was a company.
Even if it was a rigid organization.
If this were purely about my personal feelings, I would endure it as I had resolved over the past few days—even if the murderer stood before me.
But this wasn’t about personal emotions.
This was the fundamentals of training.
As a singer, a musician, and a trainer, this was not something I could compromise on.
“Hahaha, I see what you mean. You’re certainly not an ordinary fellow. I’d like to believe there’s a reason behind that confidence. But I’m a businessman. I can’t just decide to proceed comfortably based only on what I want to think.”
Oh Junseong.
Yes, this murderer wasn’t someone who couldn’t speak.
In fact, he always had a clever tongue.
“Then what should we do? As you know, I need to confirm something that will help me accept delaying Luminous’s album release. And to be honest, I’m not belittling a road manager, but I’ve heard that you weren’t originally a singer, trainer, or producer.”
At this point, Oh Junseong’s eyes flashed unpleasantly as he lowered his voice and delivered what he must have thought was a warning.
“If I cannot confirm it myself, then the album will proceed according to the original plan.”
It wasn’t entirely wrong.
But creating singers is different from drafting corporate plans.
It’s delicate and sensitive work.
It’s the product of a singer’s emotions and effort aimed at artistic results.
It’s not something that can be casually discussed by this person and that person afterward.
And I—
I hate half-hearted threats more than anything.
That wasn’t only because it came from Oh Junseong.
“Then it can’t be helped.”
After saying that briefly, I walked toward where my trainees were seated.
The Luminous members looked utterly flustered, not knowing what to do.
“Mujin, Juha, Miren, Serin—I’m sorry. Even if this is the company, I can’t present you like some spectacle at this stage. If that happens, the training won’t remain pure. Even if you’re receiving training, you’re still singers. As a trainer, it’s my responsibility to protect that.”
I meant it sincerely.
It wasn’t because of my personal feelings toward the murderer.
Next, I went to Choi Bonbu-jang.
I truly wanted to repay Choi Ilseon.
I wanted to accomplish, together with him, what we hadn’t been able to achieve in my previous life.
But for me, the proper path of a musician was more important.
I couldn’t do something I believed was wrong.
I felt sorry for Ilseon, but that’s the kind of person I am.
Ilseon… I’m sorry. We met again with such a good connection and tried to work together, but it ended like this. I’m truly sorry.
The apology in my heart came out like this:
“Director, I’m sorry. You trusted me with such an important responsibility, but I think this is as far as I can go. Thank you for thinking well of me.”
Choi Bonbu-jang’s face turned pale.
“No, Team Leader Yoon. Does it really have to go this far?”
“Creating a good singer isn’t a joke. It’s not a process where you can compromise and make concessions while showing things casually to whoever happens to be watching. Training has its principles. If the people around don’t understand that, the goal can never be achieved.”
I picked up my jumper, placed the car keys and the training room key down, and gave my final greeting.
“I think I now clearly understand why Luminous hasn’t been able to fully show their abilities. I’ll take my leave now. Director, Team Leader Kim… thank you for everything.”
Then my gaze turned toward Luminous.
“My trainees… I’m sorry.”
After finishing my farewell to the Luminous members—whose faces looked almost tearful as they bit their lips—I turned toward the door without hesitation.
Only then did the room burst into noise.
The tension that had felt like a tug-of-war had finally collapsed into chaos, and people who had remained silent under the weight of the atmosphere began speaking one by one.
I heard bits and pieces of their comments, but I didn’t care anymore as I opened the door and stepped out.
“Well, this body is still young. What can’t I do?”
For the sake of a greater cause, I could suppress personal resentment and emotions if necessary.
But as a musician, I could not do something I believed was wrong under the name of organizational rules.
I would have no regret or hesitation about the decision I made now.
As I stood waiting in front of the elevator, I heard the sound of several people running noisily toward me.
It was Luminous—my trainees.
Mujin arrived first, followed by Serin and Juha, and lastly Miren, whose expression looked unusually gloomy compared to the past few days.
“Oppa! Isn’t this a bit irresponsible?”
Mujin’s agitated voice rang out.
Yes, it could seem that way.
Especially after they had told me about their previous manager and even begged me not to start if I couldn’t see it through to the end.
“So in the end, I disappointed you too. I’m sorry.”
“Disappointed? No! It’s not that at all. We know you did that for us. That’s not what I mean!”
Suddenly Mujin thrust one hand toward me.
In her hand were the car keys I had left in the training room.
“If you just leave like this all of a sudden, how are we supposed to get back to the dorm today? At least take care of us today!”
Miren added from behind.
“That’s right. Take us home today. Are we supposed to take the bus?”
There were taxis too.
“They’re asking me to drive them home in this situation…”
I was too stunned to say anything.
But they were right.
These girls whose faces were known to the entire public…
Of course the company could arrange something, but still—this was a bit irresponsible.
“Alright. Let’s go down together.”
At my words, they looked relieved and exchanged glances before following me into the elevator.
“Oppa… you’re a really difficult person.”
Inside the elevator descending toward the first floor, Mujin’s quiet remark pierced deeply into my heart.
