Chapter 10
Mujin’s expression remained heavy.
“Alright, Mujin. Go ahead and tell me.”
Mujin let out a small sigh, as if trying to steady her emotions, and then began to speak.
“Whew… Oppa, I don’t really know how to explain this, but since things have come this far, I think it’s better if I say it….”
“Just say it comfortably.”
“We… had some issues. With the previous road manager….”
Right… just as I thought.
It had to be related to the previous manager.
Mujin glanced at my silent face for a moment, then slightly averted her gaze and continued.
“Three years ago, right before our debut, Team Leader Kim brought in a manager. Back then we didn’t know anything. Since we were about to debut, we didn’t have any guard up around people. We were really innocent… and young too.”
That’s how it always is before a debut.
The excitement of finally becoming singers, the determination to stay humble, and the desire to rely on anyone around you naturally mix together.
“One day he told us that from now on he would treat us comfortably like younger siblings… and that he’d take responsibility for everything and take care of us better than a real older brother or something like that….”
Ah… so that’s why earlier it sounded like the conversation was heading in a familiar direction.
“He was about seven years older than me, and he really worked hard for us. Naturally, we depended on him a lot and followed him. It’s a bit awkward to say this to you, Oppa, but even if he was ‘just’ a road manager, it didn’t matter to us. He was simply a colleague.”
I understood that feeling.
“Apparently he had some prior experience as a manager elsewhere, so we trusted him and followed him innocently. When no one paid attention to us, he even contacted a journalist he knew and got a good article written about us. Of course, the company scolded him badly for doing it on his own, but we were grateful for the intention. The article itself was good.”
For rookies, if a manager seems experienced, their dependence on him becomes quite high.
Even if the agency is a big company like ReUnion, the people they see every day are still the field manager and the team leader.
“We trusted each other like there were five members in Luminous. What does a ‘road’ even matter… anyway, we were really naive… Ah, Oppa, sorry. I said that again. I didn’t mean to belittle road managers. I think I’ve just got a lot pent up about that person.”
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Just continue. I’m okay.”
I’m Helios-Bruce after all…
No. This is serious. I should listen properly.
“Team Leader Kim trusted him completely too. Maybe because he was like a nephew to him. Even though Team Leader Kim looks strict, he actually has a soft side.”
Yeah… I understand exactly what she means.
“Everything was fine until about a year before you came, Oppa. Then he finally showed his true colors.”
“His true colors? What could a manager possibly reveal?”
In this industry, rumors can end your career.
Even if there’s conflict, people usually resolve it at a reasonable level before parting ways.
If things explode badly, the manager might not be able to work in the industry again, and the celebrity would also suffer fatal rumors.
“He started treating us terribly. Like he was the one who made us who we are. Even Team Leader Kim, the director, or even the CEO never treated us like that. So one day we talked to him. We told him everyone should focus on their own roles.”
“So basically you told him to stick to his job as a field manager?”
“Exactly.”
Ah… so he must have taken offense and caused trouble.
“A few days later, the PR team suddenly contacted us urgently. A journalist they knew had called them. He was a senior reporter, and thankfully he found an article another journalist had submitted before it went to the desk and contacted us first.”
“What was in the article…?”
“My god… it turned out he had secretly filmed our private lives. Not just photos, but videos and recordings too. We weren’t doing anything outrageous, but you know… we drank sometimes, spoke casually, sometimes looked messy. For normal people it might not be a big deal, but for a popular girl group it could be fatal if revealed.”
“What?! How could he do something so disgusting? Did he want to completely leave this industry or what?”
“Apparently he did. It turned out he was a complete thug. He used to be part of a gang. Someone he once called ‘boss’ tried to start an entertainment business but failed, and he used that vague experience to move between a few agencies.”
These girls really went through a lot.
“Fortunately the articles were completely blocked and the company handled everything… but the aftereffects remained. On us.”
I could already guess the rest.
The betrayal must have built deep distrust toward people.
Eventually, the once close Luminous members began to blame each other—saying things like someone shouldn’t have gotten so close to him.
They decided they had to keep strict distance from managers. That’s why they never had personal conversations in front of them.
“Since then, I started distancing myself from all staff too. And as it went too far, I began treating them badly without realizing it. People started saying I had ‘celebrity syndrome.’ As the leader, I thought being tougher would be better for Luminous… but I went too far.”
“So the constant bickering between you and Serin…?”
“Serin is a kind girl. Even though we decided to keep distance from the next managers, she kept being nice to them. She’s the one who almost had a scandal because she couldn’t be harsh to a guy from another group who liked her. But honestly, Serin had zero interest in him… I knew that, but I still got irritated and took it out on her. Eventually that relationship just stuck like that.”
After that, no one except Serin spoke privately with managers.
Mujin stood at the front, treating them harshly.
As a result, the next road manager, and the one after that, both quit quickly.
She even personally asked Team Leader Kim to enforce strict discipline for road managers.
“I’m really sorry to you, Oppa. I know it might seem fake that I suddenly call you Oppa and say all this. But it’s not because I want to learn singing from you. I just had this guilt building up inside me, and this incident made it burst out. I know I don’t deserve to say this, but… I hope you understand.”
It might sound like an excuse.
But something in Mujin’s eyes felt sincere.
“Yeah… I mean… it’s okay.”
Honestly, the emotional trouble I experienced was only one day.
And considering my absurd possession situation, Mujin’s words weren’t even something to be upset about.
Still, perhaps the real Yoon Junghu deserved this apology.
Anyway, now I understood everything.
Why Serin endured Mujin’s harsh words without complaining.
She must have understood Mujin’s reasons better than anyone.
Why Serin only called me “Oppa” when we were alone.
And why the normally kind Team Leader Kim always seemed so hostile toward me.
“So that’s what happened. You must’ve been really hurt.”
“It’s embarrassing to admit it, but… yes. All of us were.”
Yeah.
They all must have been.
But Mujin’s wound seemed the deepest.
As the leader, she probably carried guilt along with the pain.
“Oppa, I have a request.”
“Uh… go ahead.”
“Somehow, we’ve ended up becoming close again like this. You’re not really just a normal road manager anymore. I have no idea how things changed so much in one day…”
Yeah.
It’s a mystery to me too.
“If something like that happens again… I think we’d start hating this life itself. So if you ever plan to change, or have other intentions… please don’t even start. We’re all too tired… You know this life isn’t like the dream we imagined before debut. If something like that happens again…”
Mujin was speaking as the leader—for the sake of the team.
Team Leader Kim, and even Mujin whom I thought had severe celebrity syndrome—they all truly cared about Luminous.
Her words meant: if I was going to disappoint them again, it would be better not to start at all.
That kind of defensive instinct only comes from people deeply hurt.
Even though my situation was complicated, I felt a deep sympathy for them.
“Maybe not me, but Juha, Serin, and Miren are really pure girls. Honestly they’re too kind and gentle to even fit in the entertainment industry. You’ll see soon enough…”
To me, Mujin looked pure too.
Enough that I felt guilty for judging her earlier.
Just like I thought before, everything seemed to be pushing me toward taking responsibility for these girls.
Otherwise, I should quit now.
Thinking about it, this possession is only my own circumstance.
Life is still the same as everyone else’s.
You face choices as things come.
And right now, I had reached another one.
About ten minutes must have passed when Miren came out first.
“Oppa! I made sound for about ten minutes like you told me. My voice feels a bit different. The tone feels richer! But a lot of air escapes, so it’s tiring.”
Looks like she did it properly.
She described exactly the first symptom people experience when they start producing steady sound.
“You did it correctly?”
I asked jokingly with a smile.
“Hehehe, how would I know? Listen to it once!”
I glanced at Mujin, and she nodded willingly.
“Oppa, check Miren first. I’ll go slowly.”
I smiled lightly and began checking Miren’s vocalization.
Her sound clearly showed she had followed my instructions.
She seemed to understand my intention well.
There were still many shortcomings, but those required time anyway.
From what I saw, the direction I had in mind definitely had hope.
“Miren, it might be hard at first, but you’ll adapt soon. Your breathing will improve too.”
As she tried to release her breath steadily, the sound resonance vibrated the resonance chambers better.
As the resonance amplified, the tone gained more color.
If she keeps training like this so the breath reaches the resonance chambers better, she’ll be able to hit higher notes in the future.
For now, this was Miren’s direction.
“Miren, it’s okay. Go back and practice more. Same method!”
“Yes, teacher!”
Soon, Serin came out too.
“Serin, let’s sing something.”
“Me? A song?”
“Yeah. Choose whatever you want and put the sheet music up.”
Serin looked at me with a confused expression.
“It’s fine. When learning to sing, it’s actually good to reveal your weaknesses as much as possible.”
“Ah… okay, Oppa.”
“Still, choose something you think you can sing well.”
She nodded, searched through her tablet for sheet music, and placed it on the piano.
The song Serin chose was…
Just as I expected.
The famous pop song “Telling Me Gently” by the mixed-race singer Miam Raiden.
It was a classic pop song known for its unique low-range tone highlighting a black-voice style.
A song I knew very well.
She probably discovered it while practicing alone—looking for songs that fit her vocal range.
Since most modern songs focus on high notes, she must have turned to older songs.
Just from this one choice, I could see the struggles she had faced in training.
I said only one thing.
“Serin, forget everything you’ve learned so far. Just sing however feels most comfortable. Like you’re alone at karaoke.”
“Okay… I’ll try.”
There was no intro.
I pressed a chord once.
Soon Serin’s voice filled the training room.
“Strumming those chords~ with gentle grace~,
Weaving my feelings~ in each embrace,
Touching my soul~ with melodies~,
Touching~ my~ heart with harmonies~,
Singing~ a tale that ne~~ver fades.”
Just as I expected.
With only a little freedom, her uniquely charming mid-range voice poured out.
Rich.
Deep.
And filled with primal sensation.
This is what a singer should be.
They need their own color.
That color must be attractive.
And they must release that sound as it is.
Just because ignorant people forced strange molds on her, she had suffered for years.
Thinking about it made anger rise in me.
I turned my head to praise her—
but saw the other members’ eyes wide open.
Mujin, who had been in the hall, and even Miren and Juha who came out from their practice rooms were listening.
“Hey Serin, your voice is really amazing!”
“Oh! It’s great! Totally different from your usual voice!”
“So sexy! Seriously!”
Serin couldn’t hide the smile on her lips.
But more than the praise, the real joy probably came from singing comfortably within her natural range.
“Singing with your own voice is extremely important. If you try to sing with a voice you don’t have, no matter how hard you try it won’t work. This is your voice. Let’s start from here, Serin!”
Serin bit her lower lip and nodded.
Her expression was full of overwhelming hope.
As if she had finally found her path.
