A New Career Singer Who Can Read The Future [EN]: Chapter 174

After finishing the interview and returning to my studio, I stared intently at the business card in my hand.

I hesitated for a moment.

Should I at least send a thank you note for the interview today?

But didn’t I know very well that Reporter Yoo Hana wouldn’t want that?

So, I put the business card in my business card case, deciding to contact her first if I ever needed to reach out to a reporter as a celebrity.

I also thought it was important to respect her boundaries.

Reporter Yoo Hana, thoroughly separating her identity as a fan from her role as a reporter.

I realized that I, too, must draw a line between how I treat fans and how I should treat reporters in the future as a singer.

After organizing my thoughts, I felt a bit relieved.

* * *

“Senior, how was the interview?”

Reporter Yoon Min-hye and Reporter Yoo Hana were meeting for a drink after work.

Reporter Yoon Min-hye, seeing that Reporter Yoo Hana wasn’t saying anything, coaxed her to tell stories about her interview with Do-hyun, offering to buy her drinks.

Reporter Yoo Hana’s eyes were serious.

“It was great, completely.”

“…Surely that’s not all, is it?”

“Of course not. Do-hyun is really polite and a good person.”

“Why? Why? What happened? Like, did he recognize that you were a fan…?”

“Yeah.”

“…Really? Then isn’t that a complete jackpot? Amazing!”

“No. There needs to be a distance between a singer and a fan. People in our profession have the advantage of being able to get closer to the people they like, but conversely, they also have to see the other side of those people.”

“…Ah, Senior. I understand what you mean. So, what’s your assessment of Na Do-hyun as a person?”

“He’s a good person, Do-hyun. Actually, I haven’t said this before… Do-hyun has known that I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. He recognized me at the Grammys and even came to find me.”

“Wait… were you the main character of that incident where he recognized a fan and walked through the audience? I didn’t know who it was in the video!”

“Yeah, that was me.”

Reporter Yoo Hana readily admitted. Reporter Yoon Min-hye’s eyes widened at those words.

“Wow… Senior. Wow… you really hit the jackpot. But you never said anything, so I didn’t know until now.”

“I didn’t think there was a need to say it. Of course, if I were an attention seeker, I would have told everyone. But Do-hyun is more important to me than my own attention, so I didn’t go around telling people.”

“So, you’re saying Do-hyun knew all along and kept it a secret…?”

“Yeah.”

Envy and various complex emotions were mixed in Reporter Yoon Min-hye’s eyes.

“Wow… I can only say wow.”

“Wow, nothing. Anyway, you keep it a secret too. The secret that Do-hyun tried to keep. I’ll take it to the grave with me. I have to completely separate the me as a fan from the me as a reporter. That’s how you survive the longest in this industry.”

Reporter Yoon Min-hye silently picked up her glass and drank, hearing a somewhat lonely tone in Reporter Yoo Hana’s voice.

* * *

Do-hyun received the final proof of his essay. The essay had already been contracted for publication not only in English-speaking countries such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, but also in non-English-speaking countries such as France and Germany.

The contract was signed even before the essay was released. It was a huge success for Tempo Publishing. Not only did they manage to secure Do-hyun’s essay, but their plan to simultaneously publish Do-hyun’s essay in over 60 countries worldwide was remarkable.

As the overseas publication schedule was set, Do-hyun looked through his manuscript once again. He spent time checking for any discriminatory expressions.

After looking through it for several hours, Do-hyun was relieved to find nothing problematic and sent the final proof to the publisher. He hoped it would be published without any issues.

After sending the confirmation email, Do-hyun paused to think.

Who would have imagined that he would publish such a book, that such an opportunity would come his way? Then his thoughts shifted to the next album. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

‘What if the album was as fun to read as a book? Since the songs and lyrics are organically connected, I think fans would like it if the album was like a book…’

After organizing his thoughts, Do-hyun shared the idea with the planning team. He sent the email, and soon after, the studio bell rang.

It was Kang-ho.

“Oh, Hyung [older brother or close male friend]. What’s up?”

“I came because I have something to tell you. Were you working? Am I interrupting?”

“No, Hyung. It’s nothing like that. I’ve roughly finished what I was working on.”

“Well… it’s not that.”

“Yes, Hyung. Please speak comfortably.”

“I got promoted!”

“Wow! Hyung! Team leader? Or head?”

“Of course, it’s head! I got promoted to head in one go! So, I don’t think I’ll be working in the field anymore. I’ve been assigned additional celebrities as I got promoted to head. I’ll still be somewhat involved in your work, Do-hyun, but… I think I’ll be busy.”

“Ah, really? Then does that mean I won’t be living with Hyung anymore?”

At Do-hyun’s words, Kang-ho chuckled.

“You brat, I’m getting married to the youngest anyway… I wasn’t planning on living together even after getting married, was I?”

“Of course… not! I have no intention of freeloading in a honeymoon home! But… Hyung, you’ve worked so hard all this time. Thank you for handling all sorts of things. I don’t think I’ll be seeing your face often anymore… I’ll treat you to dinner tonight. Is there anything you want to eat?”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to go out of your way to take care of me. It’s alright.”

“Still, we have to have a congratulatory party! Let’s go, Hyung!”

Do-hyun led Kang-ho to a barbecue restaurant near the agency.

There were a few fans inside the barbecue restaurant who recognized Do-hyun. Cameras were raised towards Do-hyun, but Kang-ho stepped forward and politely asked them to refrain. Only then could Do-hyun and Kang-ho eat comfortably.

“Hyung, who are you going to be in charge of?”

“It’s confirmed to be Icarus. So, I’ll be managing your schedule and focusing more on Icarus while working in the field.”

“Ah, really? Please take good care of Icarus. I’m close to Hyun-ho, but… I think you’ll do well even if I don’t ask.”

“Isn’t that obvious? Now that Na Do-hyun has carried us, Icarus has to rise up. Did you know that Icarus’s performance has improved a lot this time? The album pre-order quantity exceeded 1 million copies.”

“Wow! Really?”

“Why are you envying him? You’ve already surpassed that goal.”

Kang-ho said casually while grilling the meat. Do-hyun thought about talking about the next album but realized there were many eyes watching.

“Hyung, I’ve thought about the concept for the next album. It has consistency with the previous album, but it’s a slightly different concept.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll tell you when we get home. But… you can look forward to it.”

* * *

Do-hyun’s idea of releasing a booklet album was immediately approved. Since the album’s release coincides with the book’s publication, it was deemed a good idea.

Thanks to that, Do-hyun was listening to the already finished songs in order and writing down his thoughts. As the writings would be included in the booklet, he was writing more carefully, knowing that not only fans but also others would see them.

He had already become accustomed to writing sentences while writing the essay. This level of writing was nothing.

After finishing the first draft, Do-hyun shared his writings with the planning team, clearly specifying how many pages and where the writings would be placed.

Having finished one task, Do-hyun had a chance to check the online reactions for the first time in a while. He hadn’t even thought about visiting online communities for the past few days because he had been so busy. He hadn’t even done the SNS live broadcast that he had promised to do every day.

‘First… I should check the online reactions and turn on the live broadcast. The fans might be upset that I haven’t been around…’

As Do-hyun thought that and moved the mouse, something caught his eye.

‘Huh? The reporters’ music awards? What is this?’

The title itself was interesting.

[Reporters’ Music Awards] What is this that Na Do-hyun won first place in?

The title itself aroused curiosity.

Do-hyun immediately clicked on the post to check.

[Na Do-hyun was ranked #1 as the most well-mannered singer by reporters.

As a result of a survey of music reporters from over 60 media outlets, Na Do-hyun was chosen as the most well-mannered singer. Next was…. ]

“What… I’m the most well-mannered singer?”

Do-hyun was slightly taken aback. He had many encounters with reporters—especially during arrivals and departures—but that was strictly limited to photographers and videographers, and he had no encounters with music reporters.

His schedule had been mostly overseas this year, so Do-hyun hadn’t seen the faces of Korean music reporters often.

Nevertheless, he was chosen as the most well-mannered singer….

[Urgently seeking people to stan [support] Manner #1 Na Do-hyun]

┗ㅠ Isn’t it our Do-hyun ㅠㅠ Crying tears of joy

┗I feel once again that Do-hyun is a well-mannered and cool person even in the eyes of reporters

┗Honestly, I’ve seen several actors get roasted in the reporters’ film festival ㄷㄷ I hoped Do-hyun wouldn’t get roasted, but he really didn’t ㄷㄷ

┗Na Do-hyun is the best!

┗There’s no one as well-mannered as Do-hyun, of course

┗I was honestly trembling when I saw the article title, but I’m so happy that Do-hyun took first place for something good

Do-hyun felt pleased as he looked at the fans’ reactions and vowed to always be consistent in his attitude, whether in private or in public.

“Hmm… After seeing such a pleasant article, I feel like I can work on songs effortlessly.”

Do-hyun smiled and played the song he was finishing.