# Chapter 68
Ki Hyunshin played several songs on the spot, and each time, Crop Five responded to his invitation by singing along.
There was no small talk while the songs continued.
No one even suggested which song to sing next.
Yet, as if there was a predetermined order, the songs flowed seamlessly from one to another.
Like a small private concert just for us, that time was being filled completely.
How many people had been desperate to see Ki Hyunshin sing like this?
There were quite a few who said attending his concert was their lifelong wish.
Yet here I was, listening to what some people desperately yearned for, without paying anything.
Just Ki Hyunshin’s singing alone would have been enchanting and a luxury for the ears, but the harmony with Crop Five was beyond imagination.
It seemed like no one could have predicted that their meeting would create such tremendous synergy, as it transcended conventionality.
Ki Hyunshin’s singing continued endlessly, seemingly about to finish but never actually ending.
Then later, he looked at Jeong Chan and asked if he could accompany Crop Five’s hit song “The Second to Last Night” on guitar.
Jeong Chan immediately started playing the guitar, and Crop Five cheerfully sang their song to the guitar accompaniment.
When it came to the main vocal part, Sijin extended his hand to Ki Hyunshin, and he skillfully sang that part.
“Wow…!!”
Exclamations flowed from everywhere.
Identical reactions, as if stamped from the same mold.
But at that moment, it was impossible to imagine any reaction other than that.
“Um, I… I think I’ll go home for a bit.”
Ki Hyunshin suddenly said, as if inspiration was overwhelming him, and hyung tried to stop him.
“There are many empty rooms. You can go in and work. It won’t be uncomfortable at all. I’m hardly ever home, so stay as long as you want. All the equipment is there, so use it freely.”
“Ah… CEO. This is really amazing.”
Ki Hyunshin burst into laughter as if he couldn’t believe it.
“I should have joined Grand Tamer sooner.”
Realizing we were still broadcasting, I first had Crop Five say goodbye to the fans, and the members hurriedly said their goodbyes and ended the broadcast.
There was something more urgent now than seeing the fans’ reactions.
We had detected that a wounded genius was trying to break his shell and come out, and we were determined to help him emerge with all our might.
“Actually, I’m usually very uncomfortable in other people’s homes. I’m almost obsessive-compulsive, so I can’t stand even small disturbances. But it seems CEO is even more particular than I am, so it’s perfectly comfortable.”
At those words, I felt like Ki Hyunshin had found his match.
Hyung took Ki Hyunshin to a room.
I had seen that room before; it was equipped to rival a professional recording studio, and the equipment inside must have been worth hundreds of millions of won.
After Ki Hyunshin entered the room, Crop Five looked at each other as if gradually waking from a dream.
“Wow… I just sang with Ki Hyunshin-nim. Oh my goodness. Is this even possible?”
When Yeonwoo spoke, others also nodded.
I found his words amusing.
No matter what anyone said, it wasn’t strange at all to say that Crop Five was dominating this era.
Yet here was Crop Five, showing pure fan enthusiasm as if they had turned into little kids in front of Ki Hyunshin.
“But the December cover was really good. Irun hyung was great, and Sijin, wow… I knew Sijin’s singing had improved a lot, but I never thought he would be this good. It was really spine-tingling. To think I would hear December with Sijin’s voice color. No, more than that, I never thought Sijin would sing it so comfortably.”
“That’s right. Ki Hyunshin sunbaenim tapped on the keyboard in the middle, remember? I think sunbaenim was thinking the same thing. ‘Is he really singing those notes I know?'”
While Jeong Chan and Dagyeong were going back and forth, everyone nodded.
No one asked Irun if going all the way would have been too much.
As artists who needed to create the best work together rather than perform a circus act, that question had no meaning.
“I might have created an embarrassing memory if Sijin hadn’t helped.”
When Irun said this with a laugh, Sijin shook his head.
“No, hyung. It’s because you set up the beginning part so well. And honestly, even if there had been a mistake, I don’t think I would have been bothered much. You had already nailed it with your emotion.”
All the Crop Five members nodded at Sijin’s words, and I had no disagreement either.
“I feel like I haven’t felt this kind of emotion for a long time. It’s a new experience. It’s really good. Honestly, after finishing the concert and coming back, I felt something was missing and had an extreme sense of exhaustion, as if all the strength had drained from my body. I knew I needed to refill myself somehow, but it was vague, and now I feel like it’s been completely filled in a short time.”
Listening to Irun’s words, I realized that Crop Five and Ki Hyunshin were playing significant roles for each other.
I could tell how Crop Five was influencing Ki Hyunshin without even having to see it.
Just by how he sang with them at the piano for a long time.
And by how he wanted to work immediately after the songs ended.
That thrill seemed to be rising equally within the Crop Five members now.
“I was planning to rest well today, but it feels good to experience this feeling too.”
Dagyeong said, looking at each of us one by one.
“I’m really glad to be a member of this amazing Crop Five.”
Since none of us expected such words so suddenly, we all felt awkward and slowly backed away from each other.
We had been crowded tightly around the piano because of Ki Hyunshin, but as soon as we realized it, everyone dispersed to different places.
“Let’s go now too.”
At my words, Dagyeong called the road manager.
It was something I should have done, but I didn’t even need to move a finger.
* * *
Until we found out the next day that Ki Hyunshin and Crop Five’s names had heated up various social media, we didn’t know what the broadcast had done.
Ki Hyunshin effect.
Ki Hyunshin phenomenon.
Ki Hyunshin syndrome.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to use such terms, as something tremendous had happened in just one day.
Ki Hyunshin had an enormous fandom, but his activities were rare and shrouded in mystery.
Because of that, the broadcast with Crop Five almost drove those who had been thirsting for even a drop of water for a long time into a frenzy.
Countless fan cafes were created instantly, and every time the December cover video by Crop Five was refreshed, the first digit of the view count changed.
It was like a major positive event had exploded at a time when Crop Five-related issues might have faded after the concert and fan meeting.
Even people who knew Ki Hyunshin but weren’t familiar with Crop Five became interested in Crop Five, saying they had revived the dying embers in Ki Hyunshin’s heart.
As a result, Crop Five rapidly rose to become an idol group that encompassed all generations.
Even before, it wasn’t easy to find a group like Crop Five that had fans spread evenly across various generations.
But now, the effect was much more solid, and the middle-aged fandom was expanding.
[Was Crop Five’s skill really at this level? They didn’t sing such emotional songs not because they couldn’t, but because they didn’t have the opportunity?]
[Seo Irun, I knew his low voice was attractive, but this time he completely tore it up?]
[Ki Hyunshin is a senior and legendary figure, so it couldn’t have been easy to cover his song. And the original singer was right there with him. Yet he did this well without even shaking. No, the phrase ‘this well’ doesn’t fit here. It’s not like he barely passed. He created another legend altogether.]
[Han Sijin belting out those high notes cleanly and Ki Hyunshin tapping on the piano keys is so cute. He himself sings that part so comfortably that it’s always been unbelievable, and I think he felt that too.]
└I laughed for a long time seeing that too. It’s a rediscovery of Han Sijin.
[Hyunshin-nim. Please release a new song. Or come on broadcasts and sing your previous songs again. No, forget all that, just keep showing your face like this.]
Needless to say, requests to cast Ki Hyunshin poured into the company.
The fervor was so intense that I even wondered if Crop Five might be overshadowed by Ki Hyunshin.
Crop Five welcomed the situation the most.
All Crop Five members were also ardent fans of Ki Hyunshin.
And it seemed they had a strong desire for Ki Hyunshin, whom I liked, to achieve musical success under my management.
The members showed excitement, saying that just as people think of my name whenever they mention Crop Five, now my name would be mentioned whenever people think of Ki Hyunshin.
They were saying this opportunity was good for both Ki Hyunshin and me.
“Hyung. They say to row when the tide is high. I don’t think we should just let this opportunity pass by aimlessly, what do you think we should do?”
With Yeonwoo’s words, a meeting atmosphere was naturally created.
Although we had said we would rest for a while, the Crop Five members naturally gathered around me.
