Chapter Nineteen: The Singer and the Listener

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“Rina, your manager just called and asked you to come to the company once you wake up.”

Around noon, just waking from sleep, Ji-min Ryu sat on her bed with a bare, makeup-free face from the night before. Her mind still foggy, she received the message from Giselle.

Sleep never feels peaceful these days.

She lazily yawned and stretched without much concern for appearances, exposing the soft pale skin of her stomach.

“Did oppa mention what this is about?”

“Something work-related,” Giselle replied, grabbing the team leader’s wrist gently and helping her out of the warm covers.

“You’ve got pretty dark circles. Did you stay up playing games last night?”

“No, more like staying up listening to music.”

Ji-min glanced at her phone; it was already past eleven in the morning. Usually, she would have already ordered lunch, but today she hadn’t even changed out of her pajamas.

“What music kept you up?”

“Not anything specific. I just listened casually and ended up staying awake.”

The girl evaded the question vaguely. After a quick wash in the bathroom, she came out with her hair tied simply in a ponytail.

She applied a bit of lip balm, put on a mask, and prepared to leave.

She was still a bit sleepy.

She didn’t understand why that guy invested so much energy into music, practicing late into the night, trying and adjusting over and over.

“I can’t keep going crazy with you like this next time.”

She opened her phone and muttered while looking at the two-hour long call record.

Unlike Lin Shouxia, who needed help correcting his mistakes, Ji-min just wanted someone to talk with, to have a conversation.

Most artists at SM struggle with psychological issues. Ji-min’s career hadn’t been long, but the pressure and public opinion made her terribly afraid of loneliness and being alone.

Helping Lin Shouxia correct his issues repeatedly was tedious, but boredom was far better than loneliness.

“What are you thinking about? You look so distracted.”

“Nothing, I just didn’t sleep well last night.” Ji-min smiled faintly at her manager, her eyes still heavy with fatigue.

The listener was exhausted and barely able to keep her eyes open. She wondered if the singer’s voice would hold out.

...

“Compared to yesterday, you’ve made great progress.”

In the LOEN recording studio, the producer leaned on the table, his expression much softer.

If yesterday Lin Shouxia was unsure what he was supposed to do or how to do it, today he had changed significantly.

Or rather, he had found himself again and hadn’t lost the courage to sing under Lee Ji-eun’s guidance.

But there were still flaws. His voice showed clear signs of strain, and the tiredness on his face suggested he had practiced late into the night.

“Let’s do one more take, then I’ll start post-production.”

Lin Shouxia was naturally delighted to be recognized. He remained highly energized all morning, feeling no physical fatigue.

Now that his hard work was acknowledged, the first person he wanted to share his joy with wasn’t the senior IU sitting nearby resting.

[Nuna, the teacher praised me.]

For some reason, the moment Ji-min saw the message, a vivid image flashed through her mind.

On that handsome, gentle face appeared a particularly smug little expression.

He clasped his hands, excitement written all over his face.

[Is the recording done? When can I hear the track?]

Energy, like a smile, was contagious.

Ji-min sat up straighter in the car and began typing.

[After post-production is finished, the company should release it.]

[Thank you, nuna.]

[You helped me a lot last night.]

When Lin Shouxia received Ji-min’s call yesterday, he thought she was just joining the fun to listen to his disaster of a session.

He didn’t expect the senior’s friend to listen all the way through, helping him regain his confidence after the crash.

A lonely singer and his only listener...

[Only saying thanks? Shouldn’t there be something more tangible?]

[Do you want to eat ramen, nuna?]

[...]

[I want to hit someone.]

“Ha...” The man on the sofa couldn’t help but laugh softly. He apologized to the resting senior IU, but in his mind appeared the image of Ji-min wide-eyed, clenching her little fists in playful threat.

Such a threat... wasn’t very intimidating.

[Hey, I hit hard.]

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Seeing no reply for a while, Ji-min guessed he was too proud to respond.

A wild warrior like her wasn’t easily fazed; she had even fought snakes before. How could Lin Shouxia be a match?

[Okay, nuna, come to my place during New Year’s to show Yeong-ro.]

[What? Can’t wait to bring your sister home?]

Lin Shouxia recalled that night, when the beautiful senior blinked her lively eyes and half-leaned on him.

Her eyes curved gently, as soft as a clear spring, looking at him: “Already wanting to bring your sister home?”

[That’s not what I meant.]

Unlike that awkward moment by the river, though still flushed, Lin Shouxia no longer felt powerless or speechless.

[Then what do you mean?]

“Ask me out. As long as you ask me out, I’ll say yes.” Ji-min’s voice echoed in Lin Shouxia’s ear.

Ask me out...

[I’m asking nuna.]

The man swallowed, put his phone far away, sat upright on the sofa, his eyes darting toward the phone he had tossed aside.

“What’s wrong?”

The strange behavior caught Lee Ji-eun’s attention. She frowned at her awkward junior and the phone lying far away.

Was there something inappropriate on the phone?

Or had he been harassed by haters and simply thrown it away to avoid stress?

She moved slowly toward the phone and picked it up. The junior’s face instantly flushed from head to toe.

“What’s going on?”

Lee Ji-eun asked again but got no reply. She turned on the screen; it showed a scenic wallpaper with nothing unusual.

“There’s clearly nothing here.”

“How can there be nothing?” The man took the phone from the senior, looking troubled. His expression darkened instantly.

“There really is... nothing.”

He put down the phone, exhaling slowly under the senior’s confused gaze.

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