# Chapter 72
Crop Five actually pulled it off.
I felt newly proud of those guys.
And I also thought Ki Hyunshin was amazing for recognizing the members’ intentions.
I too knew that Crop Five wasn’t simply showing off that they could sing “December” in front of Ki Hyunshin, but that they were singing it for a senior who had been unable to sing for a long time due to depression.
“Don’t you get the feeling? After hearing Hyunshin’s story and watching the interview videos, I thought it might be difficult if we continue like this.”
I nodded.
I seemed to understand what hyung was worried about.
It was meant to be more like a bouquet presented by junior singers to a returning legend rather than a competitive event, but the singers in the interview videos seemed to be thinking about the stage with completely different intentions.
“If we’re not careful, the competition might get overheated among those people, and they might even badmouth the original artist?”
If that happened, bringing Ki Hyunshin to Grand Tamer and preparing the cover contest could end up being poison to him instead.
“Should we just go with Crop Five only? What would be best? We’ve been talking about it up until now, so if we suddenly change it to just Crop Five, there might be some backlash.”
I could fully understand why hyung was worried, and there was a good chance of that happening.
After thinking for a moment, I said this didn’t seem like a problem we could solve just by discussing it among ourselves.
“First, let’s talk to Hyunshin hyung and also discuss it with Crop Five. We might come up with a good idea.”
“Okay. Let’s do that. These guys, the more I see them, the more impressive they are. You did well, Kang Seomin. If it weren’t for you, these guys would have disappeared without ever blooming.”
An awkward silence followed.
Hyung would probably be careful about suddenly saying such things from now on.
It seemed we weren’t the type to casually say things like that.
* * *
The members gathered in the CEO’s office looked a bit gloomy after hearing what hyung had to say.
We wanted to hear Crop Five’s opinion before calling Ki Hyunshin, and without any additional explanation, Crop Five seemed to immediately grasp what we were thinking.
“It might be… difficult, right? If it’s like this. I think Hyunshin sunbaenim might get hurt.”
When Jeong Chan spoke first, the other members nodded.
As if they suddenly realized that was exactly what they were worried about after hearing those words.
“This isn’t a contest about who can cover Hyunshin sunbaenim’s songs more beautifully, but people seem to be misunderstanding.”
Hyung nodded at Yeonwoo’s words.
“That’s why I called you to make a decision. I’m thinking of having only Crop Five members participate in this contest. We don’t even need to grandly call it a contest; we could just set it up like the broadcasts we’ve been doing together.”
That would significantly reduce the scale compared to the original plan.
But he probably thought that was better than causing controversy.
I thought Crop Five would easily agree, but the answer didn’t come quickly.
The members went into contemplation much longer than expected.
I waited for their answer without knowing what they were thinking.
Eventually, Irun was the first to speak.
“I think that’s an issue for Hyunshin sunbaenim to handle. If we change it like this now, there will probably be talk. I don’t think it will just end with some grumbling. If that happens, an even worse situation than what we initially worried about could arise. And in my opinion, I think Hyunshin sunbaenim can endure this situation. Can’t we just tell him in advance and endure it together with him?”
“I think that’s right. Hyunshin sunbaenim went through difficult times, but it’s also true that he’s built up this much. I’m really moved and grateful that the CEO and hyung are talking like this, but I don’t think it’s for Hyunshin sunbaenim’s sake.”
After Yeonwoo said that as well, hyung sighed softly.
“We were together before being called here, so Hyunshin sunbaenim must be wondering what’s going on. Should I tell him to come here?”
When Sijin went that far, hyung looked at me.
He had a face that couldn’t decide what would be best.
When I heard what hyung said, I was really worried that Ki Hyunshin would get hurt, but after hearing Crop Five’s thoughts, they seemed right too.
I felt like I might be too indecisive, but what could I do when they were right?
“That seems good. The kids aren’t wrong.”
After hyung nodded, Sijin asked once more to confirm our opinion and then called Ki Hyunshin.
After calling Ki Hyunshin to the CEO’s office, Crop Five shared their thoughts a bit more, saying it didn’t seem like a big issue to worry about.
Hyung also said he wasn’t sure if he had overreacted to this situation.
“I don’t think that’s an issue to say such things about. This will be a meaningful broadcast for Hyunshin sunbaenim. And depending on this broadcast, Hyunshin sunbaenim’s future activities might be determined, and if he knows that the CEO cared so much, Hyunshin sunbaenim would be happy too. In fact, I feel the same way. If we only thought about the broadcast and buzz, the right thing would be to push ahead even if we realized that problems like this could arise.”
“That’s right. If it were somewhere else, they would have done that without even thinking about it. There’s no reason to deliberately do something that would make them get criticized.”
During this time, Ki Hyunshin arrived, and our conversation was temporarily halted.
Ki Hyunshin looked at the Crop Five members with an expression of ‘what’s going on,’ but the members just smiled without saying anything.
“Have a seat, Hyunshin.”
After hyung seated Ki Hyunshin, he explained the situation, and Ki Hyunshin listened with a blank face.
When hyung finished speaking, he burst into laughter.
“Wow. Do you do this for other artists too? I’m really touched. It’s the first time I’ve been cared for so meticulously. Before, I was defensive even about small things, but here is completely different. But you don’t need to worry about that. And I don’t think it’s right to feel bad towards other people. Once they enter a broadcast, they spend time on it and invest time they could have used for other things, so it’s natural that they want to achieve greater results for themselves.”
Surprisingly, Ki Hyunshin was cool about it, and we decided to maintain the original direction.
When you look at it, nothing had changed.
We had decided to accept participants not only from Crop Five but also from other singers, and in the end, it was just confirmed that we would proceed that way without any changes.
However, through that meeting, Ki Hyunshin seemed to have gained trust in us.
“I really feel like I came to the right place. And these days, the thought of wanting to stand on stage has been growing stronger. And about the prize for the cover contest winner. I’m not sure if they’ll like it, but how about including their song in my album? Or maybe including my song in their album or collaborating would be good too. What do you think?”
It seemed like he was asking us, but the reaction came first from Crop Five.
“Oh my god! Amazing!! Wow, this is insane, really!!”
Dagyeong jumped up and shouted on the spot.
It wasn’t just Dagyeong; all members stood up just a little later and asked several times if it was true.
“Only for the winner.”
Ki Hyunshin repeated that, perhaps thinking the kids might be misunderstanding.
“Yes. I know. But I’m going to win.”
When Lee Dagyeong said that, the other members burst into laughter simultaneously.
The reason they laughed was all different.
They all said they would win and were burning with enthusiasm.
“But you guys. You’re being a bit foolish.”
Hyung, who had been quiet until then, said.
“You guys… who do you mean, CEO? Surely not me.”
When Seo Irun spoke with confidence, hyung smirked.
“No matter who wins, you’re all Crop Five. If Hyunshin helps with the album, is it your individual album? It’s a Crop Five album. If you work on a song with Hyunshin, Crop Five will do it together. Right?”
“Ah. Ahh… I guess there’s nothing to be excited about.”
When Yeonwoo said that, Ki Hyunshin giggled by himself.
“As long as all of Crop Five is happy, it’s not like there’s nothing to be excited about.”
“No. I think there really isn’t anything to be excited about.”
It didn’t seem logical, but Ki Hyunshin laughed loudly, and the atmosphere seemed to become much more cheerful.
“But who will you let sing ‘December’?”
When Jeong Chan asked, Ki Hyunshin spoke as if it was no problem.
“Let them sing the songs they want to sing. If many people sing the same song, they’ll be compared. Making a strong impression among them is each person’s capability. Arranging the song or setting up a unique stage will be up to each individual.”
Hearing that, I wondered why we had been worrying all this time.
“But wouldn’t singing ‘December’ be like digging your own grave?”
Dagyeong asked and looked at Sijin and Irun.
“Are you guys going to perform with that song?”
“No.”
The two spoke simultaneously.
As if they had a secret weapon.
