Chapter 90: When You Try Your Best

Kim Seungjun knew how unskilled he was. If it weren’t for the lack of resources in KTB and all of his predecessors causing issues and leaving the company, he wouldn’t have gotten the program. He knew that a more experienced producer wouldn’t have gotten screwed over by WIM.

However, rookie as he was, he had no doubt in his mind. Those two were going to succeed. Their music was fantastical. It was doubtful anyone else could ever attempt to imitate it.

Using [Eye For Entertainment], he could see something only first-class musicians could—a mysterious aura he had not seen on even the best musicians. More than that, he could feel the emotion from them. It gave him certainty in his predictions.

‘These two can do it—no, it can’t be done without these two!’

Limon and Eugene were more than enough to be Claire’s substitute. They might even achieve much more than just fill her seat.

“Please let me know if you are part of another guild or company. I will send a contract with the best possible terms as soon as I can.”

Of course, that was his intuition speaking. He would be called crazy if he hired two nameless musicians after having Claire’s casting thrown out the window. His boss, who didn’t particularly like him to begin with, would probably bury him alive.

But Kim Seungjun pushed ahead. The moment he was betrayed by Chief Moon, the program was already dead in the water—and so was KTB. If the ship went down either way, he wanted to make one last gamble.

‘Worst case scenario, I just quit my job!’

“Hm…”

Perhaps he felt the adamance in Kim Seungjun’s gaze. After some silence, Limon spoke.

“I’m not interested.’

“…What?”

“I’m not interested.’

“Y-You aren’t?!”

KTB was small, but it was still a cable broadcast. And taking the place of a top singer like Claire? Most popular celebrities and musicians would be very tempted by the opportunity. Why would Limon turn his offer down?

“If you are suspicious of me, we can head to KTB together. I will prove my identity.”

“That’s not it.”

“Then why are you turning this down?!”

“I don’t have any plans to get famous or earn money off music.”

Kim Seungjun had one miscalculation: Limon was not nameless. He was a swordmaster credited with having saved the world multiple times. He was the future husband of Li Chingwei, a woman scheming to swallow the Seven Dragons Association whole with money. Temptations like money or fame wouldn’t faze such a person.

“Well, don’t let yourself down too much. I said I’m not interested, but you never know if my friend is.”

“That means…?”

Kim Seungjun’s face instantly beamed with light. Limon turned his gaze to Eugene.

“What do you think? Looks like the conditions are pretty damn good for you.”

“…?”

“What’s that face? You look like you got cursed by a dark mage.”

Limon was confused as to why Eugene was hesitant when she was smiling just moments before.

Eugene tilted his head.

“You said so yourself, partner. You’re not interested in fame or profiting off music.”

“That’s right.”

“Then, why are you asking me?”

“…Should I have /invite/reaperscans

***

Eugene wagged his finger.

“Individual questions are for strangers. We are partners whose souls work together. Heart-to-heart, back-to-back. There is no reason to ask me.”

Limon blinked in disbelief. He confirmed he didn’t hear wrong when he saw Kim Seungjun’s anxious demeanor and what sounded like Yoo Na-kyung’s muffled laughter. He scratched his cheek.

“So you’re not interested either?”

“Nope.”

“Why don’t you think about it a little more? It would be a good opportunity for you to debut as a singer in the future.”

“That’s why I don’t want to.”

Limon was baffled at what he was hearing.

“Are you refusing because you don’t want to debut?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Does there need to be a reason?”

“Not really. I’m just curious.”

Yoo Na-kyung looked more surprised to hear this than Eugene.

“[What’s up with you, boss? Asking all these questions.]”

Limon was rarely curious about other people. He had way too many weird interactions in his long life—not asking questions was a habit that naturally formed over time. In fact, it took several years of working together before he found out that Yoo Na-kyung was an orphan.

For him to want to know about Eugene when they had only met twice was shocking, even saddening, for Yoo Na-kyung.

‘Because it’s disappointing.’

“[Disappointing?]”

‘Having this talent and letting it go to waste.’

Limon silently clicked his tongue. After picking up the violin, he had spent a lot of time studying various kinds of music and analyzing several artists. He knew that Eugene was a genius with the potential of someone like Julia—she just hadn’t bloomed yet.

‘A flower that can bloom beautifully with the right care getting sealed away is a shame to see.’

With proper training, Eugene could become a top singer in a few short years.

Yoo Na-kyung puffed her cheeks out.

“[…You’ve never said that to me before, boss.]

‘Huh? Did you have any kind of talent?’

“[I’m a prodigy! I was a never-before-seen prodigy in the orphanage!]”

‘I’ll admit that you’re a genius once you can call yourself the prodigy of a century.’

“[That doesn’t even make sense!]”

‘Does it not? I saw dozens of people like you back when I was lord of the Sword Tower.’

“[What is this, the Hyperbolic Time Chamber*?! Why does the Sword Tower even have that many prodigies of the century?!]”

*TL/N: The ‘Hyperbolic Time Chamber’ is a training location from Dragon Ball, where a day spent inside is equivalent to a year outside.

Eugene’s quiet voice snapped Limon out of his back and forth with Yoo Na-kyung.

“Partner, do you really want to know why?”

“Yeah. I thought artists liked fame and money.”

Most people were like that, actually. There was rarely anyone who would hate acknowledgment and fame, and even rarer to hate money. It was simply more common to see in artists, as their earnings were closely tied to their fame.

“I like making money. But I don’t want to sing for money.”

“Why?”

“There wouldn’t be any soul in my songs.”

It was an unexpected answer, but Limon wasn’t surprised.

“Does art always have to be the means and not the method?”

“I don’t know about complicated stuff like that. I just want to sing what I want, when I want.”

“Indeed… I get it now.”

Limon chucked at Eugene’s clueless yet confident answers. This time, it was Eugene who was taken aback.

“Don’t you think I’m weird, partner?”

“There’s no reason for you to be weird. That would make me weird, too,” Limon shrugged.

It was not a half-hearted statement. When it came to doing what you wanted—when you wanted to—Limon held the crown for that.

Eugene stared at him oddly until she joined in his laughter.

“Well, you really are weird.”

“Look who’s talking.”

“[…Uhm, boss? I don’t understand at all. Soul? Is he trying to protect the purity of his art?]” Yoo Na-kyung asked, confused.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘Don’t dig into it too much. You wouldn’t get it with that bird brain of yours if you tried.’

“[That’s racist!]”

Disregarding Yoo Na-kyung’s comment, Limon remained quiet. Eugene didn’t even grasp the concept of the ‘purity of art’. She just wanted freedom.

And so, Limon let up with the questions. It was his principle to not force anyone into what they didn’t want to do, whether they had great talent or not.

Just then, a cautious voice broke the silence.

“Excuse me. Have you guys talked everything out?”

“Hm? Weren’t you listening?”

“It’s just….”

Limon got the hint after seeing Kim Seungjun’s embarrassed expression and nodded. He put a hand on his shoulder.

“Food’s on me.”

“What?”

“I know it’s hard, but bear with it. If you keep trying hard, you’ll eventually see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

“…”

He glared at Limon’s apathetic attempt at consoling him. He only really confirmed that things would get harder for him going forward. With tight fists, he cried out.

“I’m still going to cast you two, regardless of what you say! No matter what!”

“Well, try your best.”

Limon brushed off Kim Seungjun, as any elder would watching a frivolously passionate child.

But neither Limon, Eugene, nor Kim Seungjun himself knew just what his burning passion would bring.

In the meantime, there were those in a much more serious situation than him.

***

“So…”

Wang Ki-neung was in a luxurious office. He was staring at a destroyed mural and stroking his mustache.

“Is that it?”

No response.

“How surprising. I’m shocked you can say there was no progress with so much confidence.”

With a dim face, the Shanghai Royal Family informant cautiously excused himself.

“It’s not that there was no progress. All suspicious areas have been covered by the Heaven’s Net. All there is to do now is to wait for them to get caught in it.”

“That’s great and all… but I heard the same thing last week, didn’t I?”

“That’s…”

“Oh, pardon me. I had heard that the week before as well.”

The informant crumbled under the sarcasm. It had been a month since they started their investigation. And yet, they hadn’t gotten a single lead. As the team responsible for the family’s espionage dealings, they had no excuses for their incompetency.

“Is there anyone else with a solution other than the goddamned Heaven’s Net for fucks /invite/reaperscans

——