A New Career Singer Who Can Read The Future [EN]: Chapter 58

Dohyun was wandering aimlessly. A path twisted and turned through the dark, dense thicket.

“That rascal!”

A scolding voice echoed from somewhere.

That familiar voice….

“…Grandfather?”

Moving forward a bit, he saw his grandfather standing tall with his cane.

Dohyun, noticing how often he’d been seeing his grandfather lately, spoke to him.

“Grandfather, where is this place?”

“Where else would it be! It’s the boundary between this world and the next! I named you ‘Nameless,’ yet why do you keep summoning me here!”

“Pardon? The boundary between this world and the next?”

“Can’t you come to your senses!”

Dohyun struggled to recall his memories, trying to piece together how he had ended up in the boundary between this world and the next.

After parting with Doha and watching the car disappear, he was about to enter the apartment passcode when someone called his name. It was a voice he had heard before. And then his memory cut off.

“…Who was that guy?”

“You’ll know who it is when you wake up! Hurry back! There are more than a few who are after you!”

“Have I lived that badly?”

“One of the reasons I opposed your life as a singer was because if your talent was revealed, there would be more than a few who would be consumed by envy and jealousy. Tsk, tsk… Hurry back.”

Grandfather’s words almost brought Dohyun to tears. He tried to run to his grandfather, but vines snaked around his ankles and climbed up his body.

“Go quickly! Quickly!”

Grandfather approached and slashed the vines with his cane.

‘Was that cane always so sharp?’

Such thoughts were fleeting.

As soon as the vines were all cut, Dohyun’s body was yanked away.

“…I will be waiting for you here. The future will be difficult. But overcome it well, and come when the time is right.”

* * *

“…Huff, huff, huff….”

“Dohyun hyung [older brother/male friend]! Mother, Father! Dohyun hyung has woken up!”

Doha’s familiar voice reached him.

Dohyun felt a throbbing in his head.

“Our Nameless one?”

His mother’s voice.

“My son, are you alright?”

His father’s voice, laced with tenderness.

“What happened to me?”

“A guy who harbored resentment towards hyung tried to take revenge, but he was caught and is now in a detention center at the police station!”

Doha continued.

“I thought something terrible had happened to hyung. You couldn’t open your eyes for two whole days.”

“…I’ve been like this for two days?”

“Yes. The company and KBC [Korean Broadcasting Corporation] were also pacing back and forth anxiously because it wouldn’t do if hyung was missing. Above all, it’s rare to be attacked like this…. And to think it was done by a former trainee from Hue Entertainment….”

A former trainee from Hue Entertainment.

Hearing those words, one face flashed in his mind.

The trainee who mocked Dohyun as Nameless and was kicked out after his school bullying was revealed.

It was Yoon Hyunseung.

“That bastard did that? What was his reason?”

“He said he couldn’t stand seeing hyung doing so well. His life is ruined, but hyung, who was nameless, is doing well, so he was jealous….”

Dohyun tried to sigh, but a throbbing pain shot through his head.

“Hyung, don’t worry. That Yoon Hyunseung, or whatever his name is, will receive proper legal punishment… Hyung, you just need to recover. The company is actively handling everything.”

Dohyun sighed, but not for that reason.

He was worried that so many incidents had occurred, which might increase public fatigue.

“Thanks, Doha. I’m counting on you.”

“Hyung, you just focus on getting better. Fortunately, the angle was off, so it ended at the level of a concussion. And the resident on the first floor came out just in time, so hyung could get emergency treatment quickly.”

“You know Jeongmin’s mom on the first floor, right? I really have to bow a hundred times to Jeongmin’s mom.”

His mother said, with a slight tear in her eye.

“I shouldn’t have let you become a singer, as your grandfather said…. How much heartache have you gone through in just a few months.”

“Mom, I’m okay. Don’t worry too much. And Dad too.”

As Dohyun reassured them, Doha clapped his hands as if he remembered something he had forgotten.

“Hyung! Now that you’re awake, the police asked you to contact them. All the physical evidence, including CCTV footage, has been secured, but they said you still need to be interviewed as a witness.”

He wanted to rest for a few days, but he knew that Yoon Hyunseung could only receive proper punishment if he gave a witness statement, so Dohyun said he understood.

“I want to be discharged and rest.”

At that, Doha and Dohyun’s parents were all surprised.

“No way, hyung! The broadcasting station has also postponed the concept photo shoot schedule to the week after next! Hyung, you just need to rest! The company also told me to make sure hyung gets plenty of rest!”

“Doha, I’m not a child; I’m a professional. A professional wouldn’t….”

“Hyung, I’m serious. You really need to rest. You may seem fine now, but your body hasn’t fully recovered. You just woke up. We need to take another MRI, and you’re staying in the hospital until the doctor decides to discharge you. We’ve scheduled plenty of time for you to rest.”

Doha was excessively protective of Dohyun. It seemed his words about being a fan weren’t a lie.

“Then, can the police witness interview be done in the hospital room?”

“Yes. They said it’s possible. I’ll contact the police. Do you want to see that Yoon Hyunseung guy’s face?”

“Why would I bother looking at that face? It’s not like I’m going to take revenge. He just needs to receive legal punishment.”

“Son, you should at least say a few words to his face….”

As his mother spoke, her frustration evident, Dohyun struggled to raise his hand and waved it dismissively.

“Mom, don’t worry about that kind of guy. There are more than a few thugs like that in this industry. Guys who can’t stand seeing others do well. Guys who don’t know their own faults.”

Then Doha chimed in.

“That’s right, Mother. Hyung is absolutely right. There are more than a few gangster-like guys in this industry. I’ll go contact the police.”

* * *

Thanks to the company’s consideration, I was in a private room. This place must be quite expensive.

I was getting an IV for a quick recovery and had another MRI scan. The doctor said I could be discharged in about two days.

In the meantime, Yoon Hyunseung’s face was plastered everywhere and made the news.

The private room had a TV, and every channel I turned to was filled with news about singer Na Dohyun being attacked by a former trainee he had a past with.

Hue.

A sigh escaped on its own. I want to meet the public with good news, but why are there so many twists and turns?

Even so, I thought of my grandfather.

Grandfather’s words about meeting when the time comes.

Thinking about that, I felt my eyes getting hot.

When he was alive, he worried so much, so he must have known about this future.

“Hyung! I brought some food. Hospital food seems too tasteless…. Have some snacks at least.”

Just as I was about to sink deeply into thought, Doha opened the door and came in.

He had so much stuff that he was carrying plastic bags in both hands.

“Why did you buy so much?”

“Hyung is a patient, so you need to eat a lot of good things to recover. The company also told me to watch over hyung to make sure you eat well and sleep well. Above all, keeping hyung’s condition at its best is my role, isn’t it?”

Doha’s words were right, but they felt a bit unfamiliar. When I was in a group, I didn’t receive this much care, and I even met a gangster-like manager. But Doha was the first manager I had who provided one-on-one care and took his hard work for granted, so I couldn’t help but feel awkward.

“Hyung, shall I open a can of peaches for you?”

“You don’t have to go that far. I’ll open it myself.”

“No, hyung. I’ll open it for you.”

Doha said that and handed me a fork and a can of peaches.

“I bought one for myself too.”

Then he quickly opened his and started munching.

He’s really kind, and his work is satisfactory.

“How is Yoon Hyunseung’s case going?”

“There’s undeniable evidence, and we’ve even received hyung’s witness statement…. The company lawyer said he’ll probably go to jail. Sigh, it would have been a disaster if he had debuted.”

The moment I heard those words, something came to mind.

It was that guy who I ran into at the company, the one who said he was my fan.

The guy named Hyunho who was in the debut group.

“Now that I think about it, how is the boy group debut progressing?”

I didn’t think Doha would know, but I asked anyway.

With Doha’s personality, he probably has quite a few friends among the other managers.

“Ah, the debut has been postponed a bit.”

“Why?”

“Well, right now, Hue is prioritizing hyung’s program and promotion, and since it’s been postponed, they’re going to revise the concept they’ve been working on.”

Doha spoke easily even while putting peaches in his mouth and munching.

Since I thought of Hyunho, I should contact him.

I sent Hyunho a text message asking how he was doing and finished eating the remaining peaches.

Hospital food is definitely tasteless. Eating the canned peaches revived my appetite.

“Doha, what’s in the bag? I want to eat something since I ate the canned peaches.”

“I knew you’d say that, so I bought a lot. I raided the hospital convenience store. Isn’t this the perfect time to use the company card properly?”

“Thanks. Give me the bag first.”

I rummaged through the bag Doha handed me. There were two bags of my favorite potato chips.

I immediately opened the bag of potato chips.

“Oh! Hyung, I had a feeling you’d like that, so I bought two bags! It’s working. Ah! Now that I think about it, hyung, can I ask you for a favor?”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Please sign this for me!”

Doha rummaged through his bag and took out A4 paper and a permanent marker.

“Why suddenly a signature?”

“The hospital said they’d lower the price of the private room if they could get a superstar’s autograph….”

“There’s more than one or two sheets of paper?”

“The nurses also asked for it. Since they’re the ones taking care of hyung, I promised to do it for them all.”

“Okay. But my signature… it’s too old, should I change it? I think solo singer Na Dohyun’s signature should be different.”

To my sudden concern, Doha replied energetically.

“No, no! Hyung’s signature is hyung’s unique signal, so I think you can use the old one as is!”

“Hmm, I see.”

I signed until my arm ached.

After signing about 30 sheets, the A4 paper finally ran out.

“Is that enough?”

“Hyung, you’ve worked hard. I’m going to get some sleep.”

“Go home and sleep. The guardian bed is uncomfortable.”

“No. A manager must be with the celebrity they’re taking care of! This is my job, so I’ll be with hyung!”

I couldn’t stop Doha.

After telling Doha to go to sleep quickly, I turned to my side and lay down.

I was about to look at my phone one last time before going to sleep when a reply arrived from Hyunho.

[Sunbaenim [senior/mentor]! Are you okay? I was surprised when I saw the news! Can I visit you in the hospital tomorrow?]

After telling him the hospital and room number, I closed my eyes.

Na Dohyun’s life as a singer is full of ups and downs, really.