A New Career Singer Who Can Read The Future [EN]: Chapter 221

As soon as R debuted, interest in The Dreamer surged once again.

Most reactions suggested that it was time for Lee Do-hyun to separate from HU Entertainment and start his own label.

The majority admired Do-hyun’s insight.

Experts commented that The Dreamer’s charm lay in maximizing the artist’s unique color while helping to reveal a different appeal.

Following Lee Rae and X Machina’s tears [referring to emotional performances or song themes], R’s tears were also witnessed.

R slowly climbed the music charts from the bottom. Although he didn’t reach the top ranks as quickly as Lee Rae or X Machina, it was still a remarkable achievement.

Because he had never achieved it as a group.

As a sign of gratitude, R bought a large bouquet of flowers and visited Do-hyun’s studio.

He rang the bell, but there was no sound from inside.

‘…Huh. Hyung [older brother or close male friend] definitely said he was in the studio earlier….’

Confused, R rang the bell again.

Still, no sound was heard.

R grabbed the doorknob with his other hand, the one not holding the bouquet, and turned it.

Click.

The doorknob turned.

‘Hmm? The door opens?’

And what was found inside was….

“Do-hyun hyung?”

Do-hyun was lying on the floor, collapsed.

* * *

“Is my hyung okay?”

“Is Do-hyun okay? Is he seriously hurt? Is there a big problem with his health?”

R and Do-hyun’s manager asked the doctor in succession.

The doctor replied as if to reassure them.

“He seems to be suffering from severe fatigue. He also appears to be malnourished, probably from not eating properly. You can tell just by looking at his gaunt face… This is a VIP ward, so there’s no chance of the news leaking out… You need to take better care of your VIP patient.”

In this day and age, malnutrition of all things. And how much fatigue must have accumulated….

R felt deeply sorry, as it seemed Do-hyun was suffering because of his schedule.

“This is all my fault, Manager.”

“No, how is this your fault, Gi-ran? You were just following your schedule. Do-hyun has always been a workaholic. It’s Do-hyun’s fault for overdoing it, if we had to assign blame. By the way… I’m wondering whether I should tell Do-hyun’s girlfriend about this or not.”

“…Ah?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? That Do-hyun has a girlfriend.”

“I think I heard something… but I’m not very interested in Do-hyun hyung’s personal life. Actually, I don’t really like being interested in other people’s private lives.”

“I like you. Wait a moment.”

While the manager went to call Yoo-hana.

Do-hyun opened his eyes.

“Ugh… ugh… where am I….”

A parched voice.

R quickly brought him a 500ml bottle of water.

Do-hyun gulped down the water. He asked for more, as if his thirst wasn’t quenched.

“Just a moment. I’ll go get some more water.”

“Wait. Gi-ran. Why am I here? This looks like a hospital… I don’t remember.”

“I went to the studio to thank hyung, but the studio door wasn’t locked… and hyung was collapsed. So I immediately brought you to the hospital.”

“…Ah. I see. Where’s Manager hyung?”

“He went to call hyung’s girlfriend….”

“That’s not good… she’ll worry a lot… I don’t want that….”

As Do-hyun said that, R looked puzzled.

“Why shouldn’t she know?”

Creak?

The door opened, and the manager assessed the situation.

“Do-hyun, you’re awake?”

“Hyung. You called noona [older sister or close female friend].”

“Of course, how could I not tell her about your condition? She said she’s coming after work… Let’s just rest well in the hospital today. It’s a VIP ward, so the story won’t leak out. It’s not like you were rushed to the emergency room.”

“No, still… what do I do if you call noona. She’ll worry a lot.”

Listening to their conversation, R wondered what kind of person Do-hyun’s girlfriend was that he was so worried.

He wondered if she was someone in the industry.

‘Eh… would he really date someone in the industry? Maybe my hunch is wrong. Well… never mind. It’s not like me to be curious about this kind of thing.’

“Hyung, anyway, now that I see you’re awake, I’ll be going. I left the bouquet at the studio. I wanted to express my gratitude… Thank you, hyung. Don’t be sick!”

“Thanks, Gi-ran. See you later.”

* * *

Night fell even in the VIP ward.

As the evening visiting hours arrived, Yoo-hana appeared at the hospital heavily disguised.

She looked suspicious to anyone.

Wearing a hat pulled down low and a mask.

Plus, she was carrying a large backpack from covering stories [likely referring to her work as a reporter or journalist].

It was suspicious.

Medical staff, patient families, and patients looked at her suspiciously.

But Yoo-hana pretended not to notice and headed to the VIP ward.

Only after arriving in front of the hospital room did Hana take off her hat and mask and check her face.

Even though she had several assignments, her face looked fine.

She was excited to see her lover’s face after a long time.

Of course, she was planning to give her lover, who had collapsed from not taking care of himself, a stern scolding.

“Noona, you’re here?”

As Hana entered, Do-hyun, who had been looking at something on a tablet, turned his head and said.

“Noona, you’re here? How can you even say that right now? Do you know how much my heart dropped because of you today? You should be grateful that not a single article was published! It’s a VIP ward, so no articles were published! If an article had been published! I would have had to write about your illness!”

Hana sat on the bed and nagged, and Do-hyun hugged her.

“So noona is angry, right? Huh?”

“Even if you do that, I won’t stop being angry? Don’t act cute. I’m not the one who’s weak to Na Do-hyun’s cuteness.”

“Well. Someone’s SNS had a collection of Na Do-hyun’s three-piece cuteness set [a series of cute poses or expressions]. Did I see that wrong?”

At those words, Hana was startled and asked.

“You, you! How did you know my account?”

“Hoo? I didn’t say it was noona’s account? I just said it was someone’s account… Was that noona’s account? I didn’t know. That account is quite interesting. It’s said to be a personal account of someone who used to be a home master [a dedicated fan who takes high-quality photos/videos of a celebrity]. It’s so interesting that I secretly subscribed….”

“Argh! Why are you subscribing to that! That’s not an account for you to subscribe to!”

It was a problem to know the heart of a fan too well.

Hana wanted to hide in a mouse hole at this moment.

“You should just… stop being a fan… don’t look at those accounts….”

“Quit being a fan? What are you saying that’s so upsetting. Anyway, I’m fine. I got a nutritional injection, and I finished the IV drip. I can just leave the hospital leisurely tomorrow morning. Don’t worry too much.”

“I heard from the manager that you’re malnourished. How can you be malnourished in the 21st century? Huh? You’ve been so focused on your work, raising The Dreamer, that you haven’t been eating properly, right? This won’t do. You have to eat when you go on dates with me. Even if we order delivery food.”

As Hana rattled off her nagging, Do-hyun lowered his body and looked up at her from below. His eyes were full of cuteness. Seeing those eyes, Hana couldn’t continue speaking and turned her head away, her face flushed red.

“…Don’t cheat. It’s cheating to use that face like that.”

“While we’re at it, noona, I’ve picked out the No. 4 and No. 5 singers… I haven’t contacted them yet. Do you want to listen to their tones?”

“Who are they?”

“Let’s listen to their tones first. The first one I’ll play is No. 4. Then No. 5.”

Do-hyun played the tone of the prospective No. 4 singer on the tablet.

If Lee Rae’s was a dreamy tone that spoke of the destruction of love, the No. 4 singer had a chilling pain that seemed to sing of the despair of parting.

“…Oh. Not bad? It seems to be from the same root as Lee Rae, but the texture is different. I think it would be good to have her on stage with Lee Rae. Is that just my opinion?”

“No. I think so too. If Lee Rae’s voice destroys the outside, this friend’s voice destroys the inside. They have the commonality of destroying as a result… The only difference is where that direction is headed.”

“I like her. How did you find out about this friend? Introduction? Or YouTube search? Or….”

“PD [Producer] Lee introduced her.”

“Ah! PD Lee Joon-hyuk introduced her?”

“Yes. PD Lee suggested that one of the friends who does guide vocals has a friend like this, and that we should bring her to The Dreamer label. So I chose her as the No. 4 singer. I immediately thought this friend was suitable. I thought she was perfect. I didn’t want to miss her. I’ve already sent the preliminary contract, and I’ve set a meeting date with her, so all that’s left is to sign the contract.”

Hana was admiring Do-hyun’s dedication to work even in the hospital room.

Is he forgetting that he’s a patient… At the same time, she found herself laughing at herself for falling for Do-hyun’s workaholic side. Na Do-hyun is the coolest when he’s working. Like now.

“Then what about the No. 5 singer?”

“I’ll play it for you.”

The No. 5 singer was a man. Another vocalist following X Machina and R. He was a singer with a strong R&B feel, and if X Machina was on the borderline between R&B and rap, and R was on the borderline of rock, the No. 5 singer was full of R&B soul.

“This friend is really good? He seems to be a perfect fit for the current trend. How did you find out about this friend?”

“Ah. X Machina introduced him. She said that one of her friends hasn’t been able to debut, but his skills are amazing, and she wanted to introduce him. So I said, if his skills are that amazing, bring him over, and he actually brought him? So I auditioned him. And I decided to make him the No. 5 singer.”

The Dreamer label had been established for less than a year.

In the meantime, they were aggressively expanding their business, creating up to five singers.

As a joke, some were saying that the future of the Korean music industry depended on The Dreamer label.

Hana was happy that the person she was with was writing another chapter in the history of the music industry. Because his purpose and goals were clear, she wanted to protect his side even more.

Hana looked clearly at Do-hyun’s hopeful eyes.

She whispered to Do-hyun.

“Do-hyun. I have something to say.”

Her voice was more serious than ever.

Do-hyun felt suddenly nervous.

Just a moment ago, they were talking without any tension, but suddenly the atmosphere of the conversation changed, and he couldn’t adapt.

He was worried about what kind of story would come out.

“…What….”

“Let’s get married.”

“…Pardon?”

“…Let’s get married. I’m proposing first. To you. Let’s do it. Marriage. I want to walk alongside you for the rest of my life. I want to be in your future. I have that desire.”