Chapter 134: But You’re Jealous, Aren’t You?
They said the brother takes after the younger one.
Taeyoon had turned the clumsy hip-hop warrior, Tae Sihyun, into the queen of techno rock—shaking up the entire industry, including Tomorrow Entertainnt.
As if that weren’t enough, Dongyoon shocked Tomorrow Entertainnt with an even stranger move—he used his golden “free pass,” once considered a guaranteed ticket to success, to resign.
“Th-That crazy bastard!”
“But you’re jealous, aren’t you?”
“Damn, look at that nerve—switching jobs right when his value’s peaking!”
“Director Han, what the hell happened?”
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”
No one knew better than him how fast rumors spread in this business.
Still, this ti they spread too fast.
Just a week after his resignation—
Love calls began pouring in from everywhere.
So many scouting offers ca in that his calendar was packed tight.
Major entertainnt companies, mid-sized ones, even startups.
Publishing houses, content labs, digital dia production firms—
If it had anything to do with music, they reached out.
‘…Why is this happening?’
Just yesterday, these were the sa hands scrubbing floors like a rag, and now he was replying to scouting ssages.
And how did it feel?
It felt good. Exhilarating, even.
Those five years he’d endured at Tomorrow Entertainnt had co back to him as this flood of attention.
The countless dawns he’d spent with Taeyoon, imrsed in music, hadn’t been wasted after all.
That alone was enough.
There was a company he’d been secretly considering, but—
‘Let’s hear what they’ve got to say first.’
His curiosity was piqued.
He t every representative who reached out.
So were headhunters, so were startup executives.
And honestly, he was satisfied enough.
It felt like a dream made real.
“This salary should please you—it’s set at more than 1.5 tis the industry average.”
“We’ve just created a new A&R Planning Team. Naturally, you’ll be the team leader, Mr. Seo Dongyoon.”
“Ha-ha. I’m sure the other companies only offered a team leader position. But we’re different—we thought you’d want sothing more fitting, like a Director title.”
“Team leader, Director—titles are just illusions. What matters are the tangible perks. How about an E-Class company car?”
The offers were dazzling.
Tempting, even.
But Seo Dongyoon wasn’t an idiot.
His instincts, honed by the hard-learned lesson that nothing in the world is free, reacted imdiately.
‘…Just as I thought.’
It’s an old tradition—behind excessive treatnt, there’s always a shady sche.
And sure enough, by the end of every eting, soone would always say sothing like:
“We heard you’re quite close with Composer Stay…”
“Rumor has it Tomorrow Entertainnt was only able to work with Stay thanks to you, Mr. Seo.”
“Ah, and how exactly do you know Stay?”
“If collaboration with Composer Stay is possible, we can even raise your salary further.”
All that made him think was—
‘Director Han Ji-hyuk sure can keep his mouth shut.’
Thankfully, it seed the man hadn’t revealed that they were brothers.
Anyway, he’d expected this much.
But there’s always soone who goes too far, right?
And today, he t exactly that type.
A notorious figure in the industry: Mr. Park.
A representative from the publishing company Daebak Sound, run by CEO Park Taekeun.
“Nice to et you. I’m from Daebak Sound.”
He’d heard the na before.
One of CEO Park’s so-called right-hand n.
The man’s bony fra and twitchy deanor were hardly the kind you’d praise, even out of politeness.
Wearing a suit so tight it looked sewn onto his skin, Seo Dongyoon found himself not knowing where to look.
“Yes, hello. I’m Seo Dongyoon.”
The man introduced himself as a Casting Director.
He claid that those who create artists are artists themselves, so it was only natural that he, not HR, ca to et him.
That nonsense alone should’ve been a red flag.
But it was already too late.
“Ah, yes. Just as the rumors said. Exactly as we expected.”
“Yes, nice to et you.”
As if it weren’t enough that he kept talking in circles only he understood—
“Seo Dongyoon… I heard Composer Stay’s real na is Seo Taeyoon. Funny, isn’t it, how similar your nas are? Just a coincidence, I’m sure?”
—he even threw out a cheap provocation like that, followed by a sleazy grin.
But Seo Dongyoon wasn’t naive enough to take the bait.
If he were, he wouldn’t have survived five years at Tomorrow Entertainnt. People there were masters of deceit.
And with deceit, the only proper response is more deceit.
“You should’ve told earlier to bring a family register if you needed proof. I forgot to pack it.”
“Hahaha, very good. That makes this conversation easier.”
The Casting Director crossed his arms and set a white envelope on the table.
“Go ahead, open it.”
Seo Dongyoon hooked it with his finger and slid it open.
A company bold enough to toss bait right on the spot—
Now that was new.
Interesting.
Thinking that, he casually opened the envelope.
A single check.
Ten million won.
After confirming the contents, Seo Dongyoon quietly set it back on the table with a blank expression.
‘Did that catch his attention?’
The Casting Director, growing smug, spoke again.
“It’s the sa treatnt we give artists. Consider it a signing bonus.”
And before his words had even finished, he pulled the envelope slightly toward himself and added,
“Of course, this condition only applies if you join us together with Composer Stay. Depending on contract length and terms, we can even triple your signing bonus.”
Still, Seo Dongyoon said nothing.
He only looked down at the envelope.
The Casting Director misread his silence.
‘That look—he’s tempted.’
Good. This would make things easier.
No need to play humble.
Convinced he’d hooked him, the man finally got to his real point.
“Of course, Mr. Seo, we fully acknowledge your talent. But you know, right? The reason we can offer such generous terms is all thanks to the Tae Sihyun Project. I’m sure you’re aware.”
The Casting Director shrugged smugly.
But Seo Dongyoon was thinking sothing entirely different.
Why’s he shrugging like that?
Watching the man’s self-satisfied act, Dongyoon couldn’t help but feel speechless.
He wasn’t offended—
No, quite the opposite.
Stay. Seo Taeyoon.
The fact that everyone was looking for his brother—it actually felt good.
But the idea of getting a job riding on Stay’s na? That didn’t sit right with him.
Not pride, not loyalty—just a simple sense of self.
His brother was his brother, and he was himself.
So he politely stood to leave.
“I don’t think these terms are unreasonable. You won’t find a signing bonus like this anywhere else. So, shall we sign the contract right now?”
The man suddenly pulled a contract out of his bag.
Pfft.
He couldn’t hold back a laugh.
These people were gravely mistaken.
If there’s one thing he knew for sure—buying people with a bit of cash? That’s no fun at all.
Seo Dongyoon emptied the rest of his coffee in one gulp before replying.
“Daebak Sound is stingier than I thought, huh?”
“Pardon?”
“If there’d been one more zero, maybe. But ten million won for a five-year A&R veteran from Tomorrow Entertainnt and Stay? Co on, that’s way too greedy.”
An eye for an eye, rudeness for rudeness.
That was how Seo Dongyoon had survived.
He left one final remark before rising from his seat.
“Bring at least a hundred million won as a signing bonus, and I’ll consider it. I was curious to see how much Daebak Sound could offer, but I’m honestly a little disappointed.”
A polite bow. Clean and precise.
That’s how Seo Dongyoon stood up and left.
The Casting Director from Daebak Sound stared at the lonely white envelope left on the table and thought,
‘…That punk’s got one hell of a mouth on him.’
A few hours later.
After the eting, Seo Dongyoon returned ho—and couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Hey, Seo Taeyoon.”
“What.”
“I can’t live like this. You’ve made a ss again. You’re not going out today?”
“Why are you trying to kick out? I’m the head of this household.”
If only he could say that with a straight face.
‘How the hell is this guy Stay?’
He’d just spent the afternoon arguing with soone over Stay.
The whole industry was throwing bait everywhere to lure him in—
And yet here he was, sprawled on the sofa, shirt pulled up, listening to music like the world owed him nothing.
“You eat yet?”
“I waited for you.”
“It’s five o’clock.”
“One al a day’s enough. I won’t die.”
He couldn’t bring himself to smack his little brother, but oh, did he want to.
Seo Dongyoon stared at him with the sa deadpan look as a Tibetan fox .
Taeyoon’s hair was wild like a wandering sage, and he wore that sa worn-out Adidas tracksuit.
Why did that thing keep coming back no matter how many tis he threw it out?
And why were his eyes closed again?
His expression was so absorbed in the music that it brought to mind that phrase—“Music is the only thing the governnt has allowed us.”
In short—
“God, seriously…”
He was an eyesore.
“What’s wrong? Did you fight with Yeonhee-noona or sothing? Why’re you picking on ?”
“Forget it.”
“Let’s order chicken for dinner.”
Seo Dongyoon just shook his head and went into his room.
The whole world might be clamoring for Stay, but in his eyes, he was nothing more than a clueless kid brother.
“Haa…”
He sat down heavily on his bed and thought back to the day’s events.
That company, Daebak Sound—
Annoying as they’d been, he had to admit, they’d piqued his curiosity.
What kind of charm did they have that drew composers to them like a swarm of bees?
It couldn’t just be about the money.
Dongyoon fell deep into thought.
Every ti sothing like this happened, he’d grumble to himself, “Damn it, I’m quitting this rotten industry…”
But truth was, he loved it more than anyone.
Sifting through thousands of songs to find a single gem—
Nothing else felt quite as rewarding.
‘Guess it’s true what they say—you can’t quit what you’ve learned to steal.’
He didn’t an it badly.
It just ant he’d been in the business long enough to endure everything it threw at him.
Still, he didn’t want to return to a major entertainnt company.
All those bloated, bureaucratic places with endless red tape—he wanted sothing sharper, quicker, more straightforward.
‘Though, who am I kidding? Places like that don’t exist…’
Out of habit, he started checking the websites of dostic entertainnt agencies.
As expected, nothing really caught his eye.
Then, on the last one—Kim Entertainnt’s hopage—
‘Huh? Kim Entertainnt? That’s the one Taeyoon’s always hanging around. The place where the Cheongseong guys are, right?’
He spotted sothing interesting.
[ Publishing Label: Track Race ]
This was it.
Click.
He opened the job listing for a closer look.
It definitely stood out.
‘This looks pretty fun.’
He pulled his chair closer to the desk.
At first glance, it looked like any other job post—
Job overview, key responsibilities, all standard stuff.
But what really caught his attention wasn’t the tempting “industry-best treatnt,” nor the bold “no education or experience requirents,” nor even the practical “looking for candidates with strong understanding of album production.”
It was these lines:
[ Blind Recruitnt ]
[ Automatic disqualification if education or career history is listed ]
[ Hiring based on submitted project proposal ]
Those words made his eyes light up.
A place like this ant he wouldn’t have to ride on Stay’s na.
Even better—
‘Oh-ho, blind recruitnt? This could be really interesting.’
A company that judged purely by ideas and planning—its fairness alone spoke volus about its values.
He’d heard rumors that Kim Entertainnt was preparing to launch a new label.
He hadn’t realized it would be a publishing label.
That ant he could focus even more on the music itself.
After carefully reviewing the application details, Seo Dongyoon stepped out into the living room.
That strange flutter of excitent just wouldn’t settle down.
Taeyoon was still sprawled on the sofa, lost in his music.
Dongyoon nudged his brother’s waist lightly with his foot to bring him back to reality.
“Hey, get up for a sec.”
Taeyoon rubbed his eyes.
“Ah, what. Sothing wrong?”
“No, just… You’ve worked with Kim Entertainnt before, right?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s it like there?”
Taeyoon blinked at the unexpected question before answering.
“The CEO buys really good food.”
Oh-ho, well then, that settles it.
Seo Dongyoon headed back to his room with a satisfied grin.
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