Side Story (2): Debt of the Heart (1)
“You, let’s do one job together.”
Because of the weather that had suddenly turned chilly as if spring had come to a halt, the hot chocolate I ordered felt like it had cooled down instantly.
It wasn’t that the atmosphere had gone full noir like in the movie where that line had appeared.
“No, hyung. It’s good to get straight to the point, but isn’t it okay to at least say hello first?”
The moment I saw his face, he hit me with that line, so even I couldn’t help but be flustered.
However, what came back from the other party was not an answer to the question, but another famous line from a different work.
“Hmm. You’ve finished organizing everything around you, right? You don’t really have anything going on anyway. As for clothes, the company will dress you. You can start anytime.”
If the previous line had been taken from the essence of Korean noir films, this one was straight out of an office drama.
The actual wording might have been a little different, but the nuance was the same.
“Well… that’s true.”
There was nothing wrong with what he said.
The wedding had gone well, and the marriage registration was also finished.
The newlywed home was still on one floor of Lee Ahjeong’s building. It was more than enough space for Zia and me to live together for now, so we weren’t thinking about moving.
‘Strictly speaking, we still haven’t had our honeymoon…’
That couldn’t be helped because Zia’s filming schedule for her current project overlapped with the wedding.
The PD had said, “I can give you that much leeway,” but since it was that PD.
‘Because it’s PD Yoon Chanwoo’s work…’
He was someone whose name alone could raise public expectations, so there had been some controversy over Zia’s casting, which was relatively lacking in achievements.
Rather than leaving behind any excuse that could cause controversy, it was better to postpone the honeymoon for a while. That was the common opinion between me, CEO Seo, and senior Cho Soon-deok.
Other than that, there wasn’t really anything to worry about.
I didn’t know the first thing about acting, but in front of Zia’s confident appearance, there was no room for doubt or suspicion.
It would be a lie to say I wasn’t disappointed that the passport I had gone through the trouble of making was once again sleeping unused in the drawer, but what was a honeymoon anyway?
‘If the nights are sweet, that’s a honeymoon.’
In that sense, every day for us was a honeymoon.
It was also a fact that I had nothing going on.
The people inside MyWay who needed my help had already finished their activities and were on break. Trinity had also come back last week, were running at number one on the charts, and were sailing smoothly, so there was nothing particular for me to do.
Since the biggest reason I had decided to spend this year busily had been resolved, I couldn’t be any more relaxed.
While I was thinking that, the other person’s voice reached my ears again.
“Hey, Han Yujin. You said you’d grant me one request in return for me hosting your wedding. You’re not going to make excuses now after rubbing salt in the wound of someone who couldn’t get married, are you? Huh? You’re laughing? You’re laughing?!”
At Ji Sehyuk’s words, a small laugh escaped me.
The more he got angry at me for laughing, the deeper my smile became.
Ji Sehyuk hadn’t failed to get married. He just hadn’t done it yet.
As he approached forty, the title of top marriage candidate had been taken away by others some time ago, but his image as a “proper, upright man” was still solid, and he lived exactly according to that image.
It was just that the person who could make him want to put aside the fun of work and get married hadn’t appeared yet.
Even if that weren’t the case, Ji Sehyuk was the type of person who would have felt upset if anyone other than him had hosted my wedding.
The same went for me.
It wasn’t simply because he had hosted my wedding. We already had a close enough relationship that I would gladly grant any request from him.
“No, hyung. I have to hear what the job is first. Only then can I talk to the company about it. There has to be justification, you know. Justification.”
“Oh, so that’s what it was?”
When I attached another famous line at the end of my answer just like he had done, his previously furrowed brow brightened up.
“So what program is it?”
It wasn’t a pointless question.
When I tried to recall what program Ji Sehyuk might do around this time from my memories before the regression, nothing particular came to mind.
But Ji Sehyuk answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“What else could it be? Blind Singer Season 4.”
“Huh? Already?”
“What do you mean already? It’s been almost a year and a half since Season 3 ended. It’s about time.”
Only after asking that did I realize my mistake.
In my memories before the regression, Blind Singer Season 4 had been at the end of this year, so “already” was correct for me. However, considering that Season 3 of this life had been moved forward by about half a year, saying it was about time wasn’t wrong either.
“OK. I’ll do it.”
The answer was already decided.
Becoming a judge for Blind Singer as my next schedule wasn’t a bad level at all.
The sight of the previous season’s winner joining the next season as a main cast member was a rare picture that was hard to find throughout the history of audition programs.
‘If it’s at the level of an MC…’
It wasn’t a role where I had to carry the program alone, and matching chemistry with the actual assistant MCs who were the judges wasn’t that difficult.
“Huh? You don’t need to hear more?”
Perhaps because I had answered too easily, Ji Sehyuk, who had made the offer, asked that.
“PD Hong also said OK, right? I’m fine with it.”
Since Ji Sehyuk was coming to me like this, it probably meant PD Hong Hyunwook had already approved it, so there was nothing to feel uncomfortable about.
By the way, I didn’t expect the future to change like this again.
“It’s unexpected. I never thought hyung would go as a judge.”
Ji Sehyuk was someone who had openly declared that he would never take any role other than MC on Blind Singer.
Even before the regression, he was famous for teasing the judges who were struggling at the crossroads of choices with his hosting, and he had done the same right in front of my eyes.
And now that same Ji Sehyuk was handing the MC seat over to me.
‘Well, if both the CEO and senior Ahjeong are out, then someone of hyung’s level is needed to match the name value.’
Even if I just teased the role-reversed Ji Sehyuk well, it didn’t seem like I would hear that I did a bad job… Huh?
“Ha, of course.”
Before I could even finish the thought, Ji Sehyuk looked at me with a slightly bitter smile, as if feeling sorry for me, and his voice reached my ears.
Then came a notification that felt like a bolt from the blue.
“Yujin. I’m the one doing the MC.”
“Huh?”
“You’re the judge.”
“…Huh?”
It felt as if the warmth had disappeared from the cup in my hand.
***
There were three reasons why PD Hong Hyunwook had chosen me as the new judge for the new season of Blind Singer.
“CEO Seo Yoonje and Ahjeong strongly recommended Yujin.”
The first was the recommendation from the two existing judges who had declined the position.
“Sally also said that Yujin’s eye for talent is no joke.”
The second was Sally’s testimony after seeing what I had done during the project Trinity.
“Above all, this isn’t some small award ceremony — it’s MAMA’s The Artist owner. If someone doesn’t want to be judged by Yujin, they need to bring a plausible award record. From what I hear, even Golden Disc and Seoul Music Awards nominating a rookie song for the main award category is considered a form of respect in its own way?”
The third was the achievement I had made with the song Soyagok.
“Even though the affection luck song was too strong, public opinion is that Yujin’s song was more than deserving. There is some controversy, but you have the skill to turn that much attention into interest, right? If you really can’t do it, I’ll give up too.”
When he even gently scratched my pride like that, it became awkward to refuse. As a result, a new title was attached to me.
“The youngest judge has entered~!”
The one who chanted my new title was Sally, one of the main culprits who had pushed this title onto me.
Fortunately, the atmosphere that greeted me was warm and friendly, just like her playful voice.
The lyricist Yoon Ichai, the only other member besides Ji Sehyuk who had attended every season from Season 1 to Season 4. Bang Hokyung, who had come in as a substitute in Season 3 but was joining from the start this season. And the new face Heo Yul-bok, who had taken the spot of Lee Sang-woon, who had stepped down for health reasons.
It almost felt like the lineup had been deliberately composed only of people who were friendly toward me.
“I may lack experience, but I will do my best. Please take care of me.”
“Everyone, don’t be fooled. He only acts this gentle now. Once work starts, he turns into a complete demon.”
Because everyone present was friendly toward me, I deliberately greeted them with humility. Sally added a comment, and since Heo Yul-bok was also there, I couldn’t deny it and could only laugh.
“Humility is a good thing.”
A voice came from behind me.
“Sunbae-nim, you’re here.”
“Sunbae-nim, is your body feeling better now?”
“As you get older, even a cracked rib takes a long time to heal. Still, I can move around a bit now.”
The owner of the voice that made all the judges who had arrived earlier stand up from their seats was the legendary bassist Kim Kwangyong, who had unavoidably stepped down in Season 3 due to a car accident.
“I believe that once I sit in my seat now, I will show a performance befitting that seat.”
Senior Kim Kwangyong patted my shoulder a couple of times with those words, then walked past me toward the judges’ platform.
His seat was the judge’s chair position that the CEO had occupied last season.
The only empty seat left was right next to his — the seat Lee Ahjeong had sat in during the previous season.
It wasn’t burdensome.
‘This is going to be fun.’
If I had to choose between MC and judge which was more comfortable, it was definitely the judge position.
My experience as an MC was hard to count even on one hand, while my experience as an audition judge was so much that I couldn’t count it even with both hands and feet.
Lee Ahjeong’s empty seat?
One day would be more than enough to make this spot feel like it had always been mine.
To be honest, I couldn’t help but feel excited.
Just like Tae-oh had done in Season 3.
Just like Chaekyung and Soyoung had done during project Trinity.
With everything changed in this Blind Singer Season 4 — except for Ji Sehyuk as MC and Yoon Ichai as one of the judges — I couldn’t stop my heart from beating faster at the thought of what new encounters might be waiting for me.
And that premonition soon became reality.
“Then the first performer is participant number 30.”
After the fixed line that hadn’t changed much even in Season 4 and a bit of light banter disguised as judge introductions, Ji Sehyuk called the first participant onto the stage.
“He’s quite tall? Looks pretty young too. And those broad shoulders — he’s exactly Sally’s type, isn’t he?”
From the end of the judges’ row, Yoon Ichai slightly leaned forward, looked at Sally, and spoke playfully. But Sally tilted her head.
“That body shape looks familiar…”
“Of course it does. It’s exactly your type at first glance.”
“It is my type, but not in that way. Ah, where have I seen him…? He really looks familiar…?”
Sally answered the continuing playful comments with exaggerated gestures, then groaned in frustration as the memory seemed to hover just out of reach.
I knew the reason.
‘Because before the regression, he was one of Sally noona’s favorite dolls…’
That tall, slender height.
Those broad shoulders that looked like they had been sculpted.
That still confident stride, even if it was a little less than what I remembered.
Even the song choice he brought to this important stage.
There was no way I wouldn’t recognize him.
I had spent far too much time seeing him in every possible situation — good or bad — to not recognize that guy.
‘He better not go flat here.’
The sudden worry that came to mind made me laugh softly when I remembered that it no longer mattered.