# Chapter 61
“The impact of a single word from Crop Five is far more powerful than the results produced by dozens of high-level personnel in the corporate PR department working for months. There’s no need to pretend you don’t know that.”
“I think you can stop now, Grandfather. Looking at your face, I can tell you’re absolutely thrilled with this kid.”
While my grandfather and hyung were talking, I was busy watching them and listening intently.
“Phew. What a relief. I was worried it wouldn’t work out, but it seems you two have good chemistry, Seungwon.”
“I’ve had fairly good chemistry with this guy from the beginning.”
“I’m not talking about Seomin. I mean you and me having good chemistry.”
“Ah…”
As I watched hyung’s blank expression suggesting he didn’t really want to have good chemistry with Grandfather, I found myself newly impressed with him.
It seemed I wasn’t the only one thinking that, as Grandfather shook his head.
“Why did it have to be these guys? No, why is it only these guys who aren’t afraid of me? That’s what I should be lamenting.”
Yet his expression actually looked brighter than ever.
* * *
Just imagining how happy Han Sijin would be when he heard this news made me feel like my heart would burst and my chest would tear apart.
I wondered how the other guys would react too.
While I was thinking about how to deliver this news, I had trouble getting in touch with Sijin.
When I called, he didn’t answer, and then a message would arrive saying he was in the middle of an interview or recording, accompanied by a crying emoji.
Each time I called, I thought about how to surprise him, but after two hours without getting through, my initial enthusiasm had faded.
Han Sijin called me back, apologizing profusely for not being able to answer my calls.
“Hyung. I’m sorry. Really sorry. I thought I’d have a moment after the interview, but someone else jumped in immediately. I had another schedule lined up, so I couldn’t call back. Are you… angry, hyung?”
“No, no. It’s good to be busy. It’s good when people want you. You need to capitalize on it when it happens. You did well. You did well.”
“Ah. That’s a relief. But why, hyung?”
“What?”
“Didn’t you call because you had something to tell me?”
“Huh? Ah, it’s nothing important.”
“What is it?”
If we had connected a little earlier, I would have built up the suspense, even added my own drum roll, and created excitement before telling him. But by then, it had already become a worn-out story in my mind.
“It’s nothing special. I think I’ll be going back to Grand Tamer.”
“Ah. Ahh. Um… what?”
“What? Couldn’t you hear me?”
“Hyung. No. Wait a second. What did you say? You’re going back to Grand Tamer?”
“Yeah. Can’t you hear me clearly?”
“No, hyung. Wow. Oh my god. How can you say something like that so casually? Aren’t you happy about coming back, hyung?”
Sijin asked, sounding concerned.
“No? I’m happy about it too.”
“But why does your voice sound like that?”
“That’s because I’m happy. This is my very happy state.”
Sijin seemed to want to talk more with me, but I could hear someone calling for him.
“Ahh. Why did I agree to work today? But why was it decided today? No, never mind. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to hear. But have you told the guys and Irun hyung? They’ll go crazy when they hear this. Tell them, hyung. They’ll be so happy. Can I break this news here? It would be exclusive.”
“No. Don’t say anything yet. It’s better to make sure everything is confirmed first. Besides, we have journalists connected to our company. It’s better to release exclusive news through them. That way we can ask for favors when we need help later.”
“Ah, I see. Alright, I’ll do that then.”
My Sijin. So obedient.
Since I was moving to Grand Tamer, there was a lot to do.
I first took care of the priority tasks, and in front of people who were sad about my departure, I also put on a sad expression.
However, it seemed obvious to everyone that I was struggling to maintain that expression.
Everyone who saw me said I didn’t look sad at all, and eventually, I stopped denying it.
I was going back to Grand Tamer.
I was going back to Crop Five.
* * *
I had fallen asleep with Han Sijin when I was awakened by the loud ringing of my phone.
I didn’t want to get up and tried to ignore it, but when I saw Han Sijin fumbling for my smartphone, I snapped awake.
“Hey! What are you doing!”
I smacked the back of his hand and answered the phone, not forgetting to glare at him.
Trying to answer my phone with a sleep-filled voice!
But Sijin lay down with his head on my lap, not looking nervous at all.
“Hyung. Hyung. Hyung. What’s that about? You’re coming back? Are you going to be our manager?”
It was Irun.
“Did you hear from Han Sijin?”
“Yes, hyung. Aren’t you being too much?”
“What? You don’t want me to come back? Then I won’t.”
“No, no. What are you saying? Why wouldn’t we want you to come back? It’s just that you only told Sijin and didn’t tell the rest of us.”
That was a lot of talking for Seo Irun.
“Thanks for the enthusiastic welcome. I wasn’t sure, but I’m really happy to see you guys so excited.”
“What do you mean? How could you not be sure?”
It was amusing.
I hadn’t said much, but Seo Irun was responding so enthusiastically, which I found entertaining.
“Hyung. I think we might blurt it out during interviews, so please tell those journalists or whoever quickly. We might end up saying it first, who knows.”
“That wouldn’t be good. Do you really have to say it there, Irun?”
“Yes. I can’t control my expression. People have already started asking what’s going on. It’s not just one or two people—everyone’s walking around with silly faces, so it’s inevitable.”
“No, Irun. You need to keep your wits about you. You need to take good care of the younger ones. You know that, right?”
Irun was silent for a moment, then let out a laugh.
“Hyung. I’m glad you’re coming back. I’m really happy. Our manager should be you after all. I’ll do better from now on. This time, you should sign a contract too. As Crop Five’s dedicated manager. Let’s add a clause that says as long as Crop Five is with Grand Tamer, you have to be our manager. You know our value has increased tremendously, right? For people like us, it’s only fair to do at least that much. Right?”
I was touched and moved that Seo Irun said such things.
To think he would say that first, when I was the one who should have been grabbing onto his pant leg begging him not to go elsewhere.
“Do the others feel the same way?”
“When you say things like that, hyung, you’re really sly. When you ask about something you obviously know, pretending like you have no idea.”
No, that’s possible, I’m not being sly.
While we were talking, Seo Irun suddenly asked if he could do things his way just this once, saying it couldn’t be helped.
“What are you planning to do?”
“Hyung. I think we should break this news before the journalists do. The fans in Korea might have felt neglected. We’ve been doing overseas concerts for too long without any concerts in Korea. We’ll broadcast it from here. Our fans have the right to know this news before anyone else. They’ll be happy if we tell them directly.”
Hearing this, I had no arguments against it.
“Sure. Sounds good. Let’s do that then.”
“Really? Can we really do that?”
While asking me, Seo Irun seemed to be giving instructions to the members beside him.
I could also hear Jeong Chan’s voice, suggesting that they start broadcasting from this very scene.
Something about how they could show Irun receiving the news from me and all the members rejoicing together, broadcasting it as is without needing to act, so they could vividly convey the excitement of that moment.
Thinking that might be better than expecting too much acting skill from our guys, I agreed.
Sijin also understood what was happening next to me and accessed Crop Five TV, while I took a moment to gauge the atmosphere.
“Should I tell them now?”
“Wait a moment, hyung. When I speak, that’s when you should tell that story again. About coming back to Grand Tamer. Like you’re saying it for the first time. No, no, that won’t work. It would be obvious we’re staging it. People will ask how we knew to start filming if we didn’t know this would happen. Let’s just be natural.”
“Right. That’s right. Let’s not overthink it and be natural. Just say we’re broadcasting to give the fans the news first.”
That’s how that day’s scene was broadcast.
Shortly after, I was able to watch the guys return to their normal selves after finishing their performance and brightening up while talking to me through Crop Five TV.
Fans who received notifications about the broadcast starting wondered what was happening, but gradually began to understand the situation.
People who heard the news went to their respective communities to spread the word, and countless viewers flooded in instantly.
The members already shined backstage, but their jubilant reactions to the surprising news were truly radiant, and fans began to go wild.
The chat was filled with congratulatory messages and cheers for the members.
Although they were just text, it felt like I could hear those tremendous shouts.
