A New Career Singer Who Can Read The Future [EN]: Chapter 171

At Reporter Yu Hana’s request, the interview was scheduled after Do-hyun returned from his European tour.

With the European tour schedule nearing its end and a tight schedule already in place, Hu Entertainment scheduled the interview for after his return, citing the artist’s schedule.

Reporter Yu, who had been hoping for a one-on-one video interview with Do-hyun, couldn’t hide her disappointment, despite knowing that Do-hyun’s health and condition were the top priorities.

Fortunately, although interview requests were flooding in from other media outlets, Reporter Yu was the only one who secured an interview with Do-hyun. It was safe to say that this was a minor triumph alongside her promotion.

Reporter Yu Hana had already used up her annual and monthly leave, so she couldn’t participate in the rest of Do-hyun’s European tour schedule, but she was satisfied just to have secured the interview. She considered it her first achievement since becoming team leader and thought the bureau chief would be thrilled.

“Wow, *sunbae* [senior colleague or mentor]. I’m so jealous,” Reporter Yun Min-hye said sincerely while finishing up her article. There was no envy, jealousy, or spite in Reporter Yun’s voice; she was genuinely expressing her admiration.

* * *

After Paris, there was a performance in Italy. Following the Italian performance, Do-hyun went on a tour of tourist attractions with his parents as planned.

Hu Entertainment, aware of how demanding Do-hyun’s schedule had been, created and provided an Italian travel guide to ease his burden. They showed a great sense of consideration, even without being asked, and it was a strong display of loyalty.

Thanks to that, Do-hyun was able to successfully complete the trip with his parents, enjoying a perfect itinerary. After a few days of dreamlike rest, Do-hyun came to the airport to see his parents off. After sending them off on their flight to Korea, he had to move to Berlin, the next performance location.

Do-hyun hugged his parents, expressing his regret.

“Mom, Dad, see you in Korea.”

“Thanks to our son, we got to travel to Italy like this. I’m so proud and grateful.”

Do-hyun’s mother was already tearing up, even though it wasn’t a permanent farewell.

“Mom, the European tour will be over soon, and I’ll be going back to Korea, so why are you so upset!” Do-hyun said in a playful voice.

“I’m just so proud of our son. My beloved son, make sure to finish the remaining performances safely without getting hurt, okay?”

“Thank you, Mom and Dad. I hope you don’t forget that I am who I am because of you both.”

After saying their goodbyes, Do-hyun sent his parents onto the plane first. Afterward, he boarded his own flight to Berlin, Germany.

After a short flight, when he arrived in Berlin, Kang-ho and the youngest member were there to greet him.

“*Hyung* [older brother or close male friend], long time no see. It’s only been a week, but…”

“*Oppa* [term used by females to address older brother or close male friend], long time no see!” the youngest member greeted him in a cheerful voice.

Kang-ho then said, “Did you have a good trip? You got photographed a lot by overseas fans in various places. Were there any inconveniences because of the fans?”

“Yes, *hyung*. I did meet fans in various places, but they all respected my privacy. There was no one following me around, so I was able to travel comfortably thanks to that.”

“I see. Anyway, thank you for coming back safely.”

“No, it’s okay. I was able to travel comfortably with my parents thanks to the travel guide the company made for me. You didn’t have to go to such lengths… I’m really grateful.”

“Other celebrities are clamoring for things like that, but you’re so different.”

“Even if I ask the company for things, travel guides aren’t really the company’s job. It wasn’t part of my official schedule either, so I bought a lot of gifts. I bought them from each region and I’m planning to wrap them up and give them to the company one by one when I get back to Korea.”

“No wonder your carrier was so heavy. Let’s go.”

Berlin, Germany, the last stop of the European tour.

After the two-day performance in Berlin, he would return to Seoul.

Do-hyun was proud of himself for overcoming his homesickness well, having come all the way to Europe without even stopping in Korea after the US tour.

After arriving at the hotel, Do-hyun opened his laptop to work for the first time in a while. Several emails had arrived.

One was from ADON, and another was from Doseo Publishing Tempo, with the essay proof.

He checked the email from ADON first. ADON boasted that the beat he had recently picked was amazing. Do-hyun played it right away.

“…Wow. There’s a reason why ADON is such a successful hip-hop artist.”

The beat was new and fresh, and he immediately wanted to add a feature to it.

The reason ADON sent this song to Do-hyun must have been for that very reason.

Do-hyun said he would be happy to participate in the feature.

Next, Do-hyun checked the essay proof that arrived from Doseo Publishing Tempo. There were red lines all over the place….

“Hmm… they’ve proofread it thoroughly.”

Do-hyun decided to reply to the publisher first, explaining that he was in the final stages of his European tour schedule and would begin the proofreading process as soon as he arrived in Korea.

He emphasized that he needed to focus on the performance at this time.

“Heuaaaaa! *Hyeong*!” Do-hyun called for Kang-ho. Kang-ho, who was video calling with the youngest member, hung up and answered Do-hyun’s question.

“What?”

“ADON… wants me to collaborate on his next song!”

“Oh… ADON? Then that means another Billboard Hot 100 number one is in the bag? You’re already holding the number one spot with Ashuma!”

The song he collaborated with Ashuma on had been number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. For Do-hyun, it was like fulfilling Hu Entertainment’s long-cherished dream. He had achieved what his senior girl group had not been able to do.

Hu Entertainment had always aimed for the Billboard charts and sought to enter the US market, and all of that began to unravel from Do-hyun, who had endured 10 years of obscurity.

“Once a song with ADON is released, my career will get even better. I’ll become an artist that people trust and listen to.”

“You’re already an artist that people trust and listen to! ‘Na Do-hyun’ is a ‘trust and listen’ artist. I’m already a ‘trust and listen’ artist myself,” Kang-ho joked.

“*Hyung*, that’s because you’re *hyung*… because you’re my manager!”

“Hey, I’m a cold person when I need to be. Even if your song is well-made, if it doesn’t meet my standards, it’s not it.”

“I’ll take that as a sign to work even harder.”

“That’s the spirit. Hehe. Anyway, congratulations, Do-hyun. You’re really only walking a flowery path in life [experiencing only good fortune].”

“But *hyung*, did you propose to the youngest member?”

Do-hyun suddenly became curious about their relationship and asked a question. Do-hyun usually didn’t have much interest in other people’s private lives, but he wanted to hear the story since he had played a part in reuniting this couple.

“…Actually, I did it in Italy. The youngest member said she’d give me her answer when we get back to Korea. So I’m anxious, but… I can’t help but think that the youngest member feels the same way I do.”

“I really hope it works out. I’ve already made a list of songs for the wedding. I can even sing a medley if you want.”

“If you would… Anyway, thank you. It’s a little calming to know that you bought the youngest member’s plane ticket so we could be together from England.”

“I’m glad, *hyung*. Although… work is important to me, so I’m not dating. I hope the people around me can catch both work and love.”

“You’ll have to date someday, right?”

Do-hyun smiled and shook his head at Kang-ho’s words.

“Not yet. It’s not time yet. I’ve only just started to get on track. If I let my guard down now, I’ll fall into the abyss.”

“That’s true, but… you’re such a workaholic, really.”

“*Hyung*, aren’t you happy that the artist you’re in charge of doesn’t cause accidents and only works hard? Right?”

“That’s true. How wholesome. Even when he has drinks with his juniors, he only talks about music. He’s wholesome itself. I’m sometimes worried because he’s a workaholic, though.”

Do-hyun chuckled. Kang-ho was right, but he wasn’t someone who had only been in the entertainment industry for a day or two. That’s why he knew that he had to be more careful when he was on such a high trajectory as he was now.

“Don’t worry. I’ll manage everything.”

“Don’t just work too much. It’s good to hang out with your juniors, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea to make more friends. You know, the entertainment industry is ultimately a battle of connections.”

Do-hyun slowly thought about his connections. There were juniors like Hyun-ho of Icarus or Seok-won who followed him well, and there were also people he met on programs and stayed in touch with from time to time. He still met with the judges from ‘Birth of a Singer’ Season 1 from time to time. Of course, if he were to consider how close he was, only Hyun-ho, Seok-won, and ADON would be in that category.

“I know that well, but I also wonder if I should make a lot of shallow connections. I know that it’s important to survive in this industry for a long time, but deep and narrow relationships are better.”

“Well, that’s not wrong either. It’s better to have one or two real relationships than a bunch of half-baked ones. Sometimes you seem like someone who’s attained enlightenment.”

“I’ve been eating entertainment industry rice [working in the entertainment industry] for over 10 years, so I can’t not know this much. I’ve had over 10 years of social experience!”

“That’s true, but… sometimes it feels like there’s an old man inside you, so it’s strange every time I talk to you.”

“Haha… *Hyung*, so what’s my schedule for this time?”

“First, the first rehearsal is the day after tomorrow, then the second rehearsal the next day. Then there are two days of performances. And then we go back to Korea!”

“Keu! Return to Korea! Just hearing it makes me excited. I want to see it. How has Seoul changed in the few months I’ve been gone?”