Devil’s Music

In front of the Fantagio office.

Team Leader Yi from YDN Entertainment was lurking around the front of the building. He had arranged for the female idols to stay at the nearest hotel so that they could be summoned at any moment with just a phone call, and had now spontaneously decided to visit Fantagio.

It wouldn't be easy to meet someone as influential as Kay, but he was hopeful upon hearing that Kay was currently researching Korean dance music and looking for musicians to feature.

As he passed by a wall where dozens of fans were squatting, he reached the security room.

From a distance, as the American security guards noticed him and approached, Team Leader Yi was about to pull out his business card when he saw the guards reaching for their guns, startling him.

"Stop!! Hold on!!"

Unable to even grab the business card in his pocket, Team Leader Yi slowly raised both hands and spoke fluently in English.

"I come from YDN Entertainment in Korea. I was just trying to take out my business card."

One of the guards approached and patted him down over his clothes. Once they realized he was unarmed, the guards apologized.

"Sorry, but reaching into your pocket suddenly can be misunderstood in the United States. Please refrain from doing that."

"Ah... I see. I apologize."

Although Team Leader Yi tried to reach into his pocket again, the guards just watched as he wasn't armed. He then pulled out several business cards at once and said.

"I'm Yi Yong-wook, the team leader at YDN Entertainment."

The head of the guards glanced at the card and asked.

"Did you have an appointment? We have not been informed."

"No, I didn't make an appointment. The office just opened recently, so there was no one I could contact."

The guard shook his head firmly.

"If you don't have an appointment, you can't enter."

Team Leader Yi chuckled awkwardly and shrugged.

"Ha ha, I know that. It's common sense. Could I possibly get a contact number to arrange a visit?"

After going into the security office, the guard returned with a business card.

"If it's for business purposes, please contact this number."

Receiving the business card with the music business office's main number, Team Leader Yi smiled, trying to leave a good impression.

"Ah, thank you. I will make an appointment and come back. Sorry, but could you please pass my business card to Kay? I've come all the way from Korea."

He asked casually, but the guard flatly refused his request.

"Sorry. It's difficult to pass it directly to Kay, but I can forward it to the office."

Team Leader Yi clicked his tongue, disappointed. Rumor had it that Kay was kind-hearted and might meet with anyone related to the music business who had traveled all the way from Korea.

"Ah... I understand. Then I'll arrange an appointment and come back."

"Yes, please do."

After saying goodbye with a nod, Team Leader Yi walked away as the fans eavesdropping on the conversation whispered among themselves.

"What's YDN Entertainment? Is it famous?"

"I don't know, it's a Korean entertainment company."

"There was a fan last time who claimed to be from a Korean entertainment company, but it turned out to be a lie."

"Yeah, maybe this one is a ghost company too."

Hearing the fans, one of the guards chuckled, and Team Leader Yi's face flushed red as he hurriedly left the scene.

"Damn Americans, dismissing an Asian agency. We're one of the top agencies in Korea, you fools."

Although it was one of the top four agencies in Korea, it was virtually unknown in the United States, so no one there recognized them.

Grinding his teeth, Team Leader Yi looked at the phone number on the card and irritably dialed it. As the phone rang, he cleared his throat and brightened his expression.

Soon, a woman's voice answered in fluent English.

"Hello, Fantagio Music Business Office in the US, this is Clara Anderson."

"Ah! Hello! This is Yi Yong-wook, the team leader at YDN Entertainment in Korea."

"Yes, how can I help you?"

"Well, we have some Korean dance musicians visiting the US, and I was wondering if they could tour the US branch of Fantagio."

"A tour?"

"Yes, we'd like to benchmark your world-class company so that YDN can also use it as an opportunity for development."

While excessively praising Fantagio, Team Leader Yi continually ingratiated himself over the phone, though his insincere expressions were unseen.

After a brief pause as the person on the other end of the line spoke with a supervisor, the voice returned.

"Is the number you called from your personal number, Mr. Yi?"

"Ah! Yes, it's my personal cellphone."

"We will verify your identity with YDN Entertainment and report back internally. Can we call you back later?"

"My identity is confirmed, so please feel free

 to verify it whenever. When might you call back?"

"I'm not sure, as the director is currently out of the office."

"The director of Fantagio, Son Lin? Do I need his permission even to get a tour?"

"Yes, Kay is also here. If there were no musicians around, it might be possible, but anything that could disturb the musicians requires the director's approval."

"Even just a quiet look around without causing any disturbance?"

"Yes, that includes everything."

"Ah... I see. I'll wait for your call."

Hanging up, Team Leader Yi grimaced and glared at the distant Fantagio building.

"I didn't think it would be easy, but I didn't realize that even a tour would be this difficult. I had hoped to just 'bump into' Kay and start a conversation, but no luck! I should just go back to the hotel."

After glaring once more at the Fantagio building, he walked off towards his hotel.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Yoon-jung and Jin-yeon were unpacking in their room. The suite had several rooms, and since the older members each took a room, the two of them had to share the remaining one.

Yoon-jung pulled out a cosmetics pouch from her carry-on bag and sighed.

"Phew, I had only heard about this stuff, but it really exists..."

Jin-yeon flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

"Yeah... But if it's Kay..."

Yoon-jung turned her head towards Jin-yeon.

"Kay? Could you give it to Kay?"

Jin-yeon rolled over to face Yoon-jung. Her eyes were anxious, but they showed a willingness to go through with it if necessary.

"It seems a hundred times better to give it to Kay than to some old guys with big bellies. Honestly, even if it weren't for this job, Kay would be a perfect romantic partner."

"Are you crazy? Do you think Kay would consider a girl who's been involved in entertaining like this as a dating prospect?"

Jin-yeon propped her chin on her hands and said,

"Probably not... But since we have to do it anyway, and if it's Kay, it feels a bit better."

Yoon-jung's expression darkened.

"I hate it. Of course, I like Kay. If he came to me and asked me out, I might give him everything because he's that attractive. But I hate this method."

"What if Kay chose you?"

Yoon-jung tilted her head.

"Chose me?"

Jin-yeon lay back and stared at the ceiling again.

"Remember on the plane, I sat next to So-ah unnie. I asked her, and she said usually the entertainees choose among us. If they are somewhat sane, they choose one, if not, they take two or three at once."

"What?! That really happens?"

"I don't know... I only heard it too."

"Ugh... I hate it! I hate it!!"

As Yoon-jung began to cry, Jin-yeon also seemed to tear up, bowing her head. Soon, both were crying, and their sobs grew louder until the door quietly opened, and Soo-jin's face appeared. Seeing the two crying, Soo-jin spoke sternly.

"What are you doing, making a fuss all the way in America? Stop upsetting the others and go out and get some air."

In the Korean entertainment industry, a few years of seniority are as authoritative as the sky. Even for just-debuted newbies, Soo-jin's words were like a command from heaven. Shaking off their tears, the two quickly stood up and responded simultaneously.

"Yes, unnie. Sorry."

As Soo-jin glared at them and closed the door, still standing at attention, Jin-yeon sighed and took Yoon-jung's hand.

"Let's go out, no one here knows us, and it'll feel better once we get some fresh air."

"Okay... Let's go shopping in the city center in front of the hotel."

Grabbing only their wallets and phones, the two passed through the living room where the older members were sitting, cautiously making their way out of the hotel room.

Exiting the lobby to the cool autumn breeze outside felt refreshing.

"The air in New York isn't great, but it feels a bit less suffocating to be away from the scary unnies," said the girls as they walked through the city, shopping and buying snacks, gradually brightening up.

Unaware of their situation, they laughed and played, looking intrigued by the interesting items for sale, and soon found themselves in front of the majestic Lincoln Center. Yoon-jung said dreamily,

"I wonder if I could ever perform at a place like this?"

Jin-yeon stood next to her, looking at the building.

"They say Kay once did an opera

 performance here."

"Really? Wow... He's truly amazing, Kay is."

"Yes, he's the same age as Soo-jin unnie. He's still a student because he went to the military."

"Wow, he's already completed his military service? I haven't seen any articles about that."

"Yeah, he enlisted quietly and served his full term in a front-line unit."

"Wow... He really is flawless."

As they talked, Jin-yeon turned her head to the left side of Lincoln Center.

"Wow... That's Juilliard over there."

Yoon-jung turned her head and saw the asymmetrical, pointed grey building. Looking at Juilliard bustling with students in the afternoon, she murmured softly,

"If I had properly studied music at a place like this... maybe I wouldn't have to do this kind of work?"

"Who knows... Both of us would have been active in Korea, so it probably would have been the same. And... Oh! Oh no!!!"

"What? What's wrong?"

Startled by Jin-yeon's shout, Yoon-jung followed her gaze.

There, a large Cadillac Escalade was pulling up, and Geon was stepping out, waving to the students swarming around him.

Jinyeon grabbed Yunjeong's hand and exclaimed,

"Let's go too!"

"Oh, oh my, where to!!"

"We won't be recognized anyway. Let's just get closer and at least see the face, we don't even know if we'll meet him, since we came here blindly, we should at least take a look up close before we go! Hurry!"

Standing in front of the car, responding to the cheers of the students was Geon, but it was uncertain when he would enter the school, so Jinyeon, feeling anxious, forcefully pulled Yunjeong and started running.

Even though they ran, it took quite some time due to the distance, so Jinyeon, without taking her eyes off Geon's movements, urgently said,

"Ah, he's going in! Faster!"

Seeing Geon being guided into the school by some large men wearing sunglasses, Jinyeon shouted even more urgently.

Dragged along, Yunjeong also wanted to see Geon as much, so when the two, having increased their speed, finally reached Geon, they only managed to see his side profile as he was entering the doors of Juilliard.

Panting and with regretful eyes, Jinyeon got pushed along with the students who were crowding into the school.

"Ah, so, sorry. We're not students!"

Since there were many students surrounding Geon, and they too had to enter the school, many people continuously pushed through the doors.

Stuck to the wall, the girls, who were not good at English, watched with fearful eyes as foreigners brushed past them, hoping the situation would pass quickly.

After several minutes, as the influx of students dwindled, Jinyeon, leaning against the wall, let out her strength and sighed.

"Phew! That was scary..."

Yunjeong looked around with a gloomy expression.

"Let's get out quickly, it's only going to be trouble if we get caught, especially since we can't even speak English."

"Yeah, let's go."

Jinyeon took Yunjeong's hand and headed towards the main gate of Juilliard, but suddenly stopped and looked back.

Seeing the free-spirited atmosphere of the school, Jinyeon quietly observed the students and staff. Juilliard, being home to a diverse student body, did not pay any attention to the two Asians standing there.

Their age also matched that of typical college freshmen, so no one cast a suspicious glance their way. Seeing Jinyeon suddenly stop, Yunjeong whispered,

"What are you doing, let's go."

Yunjeong, pulling on the arm Jinyeon was using to point inside the school, said,

"Yunjeong, look. No one cares about us."

Yunjeong cautiously looked at the people. A white student leaning against the wall chatting with a friend, a black female student struggling up the stairs with a large cello case, three Asian male students playing the violin in the corridor, students running around and riding skateboards, all contributed to the free atmosphere of the school.

Initially cautious, Yunjeong also began to admire the liberating atmosphere of the American school she had only seen in movies.

"American schools are really like this... It's kind of envious and cool."

"That's right, we've only enrolled in college but haven't really attended, so we don't even know about college life in Korea."

"My sister said it feels like getting cancer from all the assignments. It must be different here."

Jinyeon said, looking at Yunjeong's side profile.

"There... No one seems to care about us... Shall we pretend to be students and look around the school?"

Yunjeong was tempted but still looked worried,

"I want to look around too... But what if we get caught? We can't even speak English."

"We'll think about that when it happens, what could be worse than being kicked out? If we get caught, just say sorry, sorry and leave, hehe."

Grinning at Jinyeon's pleading gesture, Yunjeong slightly nodded.

"Okay, let's just look a little. Actually, it's been my dream to attend here."

"Hehe, yeah! That looks like the library. Let's go!"

Exploring the library, cafeteria, lecture rooms, and a small performance studio, the two were exhilarated until they reached a quiet second floor.

Seeing the doors closely packed along the long corridor, Jinyeon ran and peeked through a small window of one room and said,

"Wow, looks like these are private practice rooms."

Yunjeong also pressed against the window and saw inside. A red-haired female student around their age was playing the violin and practicing.

"It seems like there are a lot of assignments here too. All these practice rooms are fully occupied, aren't they?"

"Yeah, I saw some students practicing hard, sweating a lot. Everyone is so passionate."

"That's why they attend such schools. I'm really jealous."

"Oh, there's a third floor. Shall we go up?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

Running up the stairs hand in hand, the two girls tilted their heads as they looked down the corridor of the third floor.

"It's really quiet here, what is this place?"

Jinyeon went ahead and looked at the nameplate on the door at the front.

"Pro... Professor? What's a professor again..."

"It's a teacher, looks like this is for staff only, let's go down before we get caught."

"Wait! Maybe Professor Price from that opera performance is here?"

"That old lady retired, let's go."

"Ah, wait... Maybe Professor Sharon is here too!"

"What for? You want to get an autograph from a professor?"

"No, I just want to see her from a distance."

"No, what if she starts talking to us, let's go!"

Jinyeon wanted to explore the professor's offices, while the fearful Yunjeong pulled on her arm, trying to drag her towards the stairs.

Just then, the sound of a door opening echoed through the corridor, and both girls turned their heads at the same time. Seeing a man coming out from a door in the middle of the corridor, Jinyeon's eyes widened.

"Ke... K!! Uh!!"

Quickly covering Jinyeon's mouth, Yunjeong pulled her and whispered urgently,

"Let's go!"

"Uh!! Wait, it's Kay!"

Geon, who had come out of the professor's office, was laughing and talking with Sharon.

"Ha ha, professor. Thank you for understanding that I came a bit late today."

"No problem, you don't always have to come in the morning, just come freely. I'm always here at the school anyway, and I'm sorry for making you come every day, it's the dean's orders."

"Heh, I know you're looking out for me. Thank you always."

"Ha ha, I appreciate that. Have a good day today."

"I'll come again tomorrow."

As Sharon professor's door closed, Geon slightly smiled and then walked towards the stairs. Geon's eyes caught the sight of two beautiful young Asian girls.

Being just over twenty, and looking cute and lively, Geon briefly gave them a glance and nodded as a greeting, and without realizing it, the two responded.

"Ah, hello..."

Having many students greet him at school, Geon smiled briefly and was about to pass by when he noticed that the greeting from the two students was in Korean, and they politely brought their hands together and bowed.

"Are you Korean?"

The two girls, startled by the sudden question, flinched. Geon tilted his head, speaking in Korean.

"Or not?"

"Yes, we are!"

Jinyeon stepped forward, looking pleased, and Geon approached a bit and laughed.

"Is that so? Ha ha, there aren't many Korean students here, you must be freshmen given that I haven't seen you before?"

"Ah... No, actually... we are not students here... we just came in by chance and thought we'd look around the school... sorry..."

Idols, the youngest members, are always cautious around others. The girls, who had to act friendly even to strangers and lived apologizing even when not at fault, instinctively apologized.

"Hmm? You can come to look around, what's there to be sorry about? Are you on a trip?"

As the two girls hesitated, looking at each other, not knowing what to say, Geon smiled and said,

"I'm just glad to see Koreans, it's been a while. If I was rude, I apologize."

Geon offered an apology and turned to leave when Yunjeong frantically waved her hand and spoke,

"No, it's not that! Brother!"

It was natural how easily 'brother' came out, but seeing Yunjeong, who called him brother, Geon smiled slightly. Yunjeong twisted her body, looking at the ground.

"It's just... we came because of work, and just happened to walk in while taking a break."

"Oh, I see. Alright then, enjoy your visit and take care."

As Geon was about to turn around again, Yunjeong, gathering some courage, lightly grabbed the sleeve of Geon's jacket.

"Um!!"

"Yes?"

"Can we take a photo just once..."

"Ah, ha ha. Sure."

After taking a photo with the two and even giving an autograph, Geon seemed about to write their names on the autograph.

"What are your names?"

"I'm Yunjeong, and this is Jinyeon."

"Hehe, okay."

After signing, Geon handed back the autograph paper, and Yunjeong cautiously reached out for a handshake.

"Um... can I shake your hand..."

"Ha ha, sure."

After shaking hands, Geon waved and disappeared. Yunjeong, standing

 in the middle of the stairs, raised her trembling hand.

"I... shook hands with Kay..."

Jinyeon, too, appeared dazed.

"Did you see him smile? I thought my heart was going to melt..."

"Awesome... he's really handsome. And so nice!"

"Kyaa!! Did I really talk to Kay? You saw it too, right? This isn't a dream!!?"

"Kyahaha!! I'm not washing my hands today!"

"Look at you! You said you didn't like that 'Kay' thing before, and now you won't wash your hands?"

"Kyaa, he's so cool in person!"

"Puhihi, but let's not post it on SNS, just in case it gets us in trouble with the older members."

"Yeah, I'll just look at it when I'm feeling down!"

"Hehe! Let's search for a nice place to eat dinner before we head back!"

"Great!"

Elated, the two girls excitedly ran down Juilliard's corridor. At that time, Team Manager Lee, sitting in the hotel lounge with a glass of single malt whiskey and smoking a cigarette, gestured for Soojung, who was approaching with the sound of high heels.

"Have a seat."

"Yes, Team Manager."

Soojung, wearing a sexy dress and fluttering her long hair, sat down and seductively looked at the bartender.

"Mojito, please."

As the team manager watched Soojung order, swirling the ice in his glass, he said,

"It won't be easy, the threshold is higher than expected. It might take a few days, so keep the kids in check. It looks like there won't be a sudden call back, so it's okay to go out."

"Yes, Team Manager."

"Yunjeong and Jinyeon might not know, but you, Soa, and Yunhyeon should be careful about paparazzi. Cover your faces when you go out. We don't want other agencies getting suspicious, it's still a secret."

As the ordered drink arrived, Soojung, contrary to her sexy and innocent image, downed it in one gulp and lit up her eyes.

It had been three days since Director Lee had called Fantagio, but with no response, the tension among the five women had gradually eased.

Living in Korea without any freedom, and now without even a manager to watch over them, the women were thrilled. They gathered together to enjoy tasty meals and shopping.

Sanjung, Yunhyun, and Soa, who had been with the company for several years, were close friends. Although they were in different teams, they often met during entertainment events, where they shared a sense of camaraderie and supported each other.

On the other hand, newly debuted Yunjeong and Jinyeon felt awkward around the older sisters and were often left out of conversations, which made them feel isolated.

Finally, the older sisters decided to stay in the hotel when they went out, and after they left, Yunjeong and Jinyeon secretly planned their own outing.

"Yay! The sisters will be back late tonight, right? Then we can stay out late too!"

"Yeah, let's enjoy until late at night! They won't be back until dawn anyway, hehe."

After quickly changing, Yunjeong and Jinyeon left their room and caught the elevator. Unlike the older sisters who might be recognized, these new debutantes were anonymous in the U.S., dressed casually and laughing merrily as they hailed a taxi.

When Jinyeon turned on a translation app on her phone and handed it to the Mexican taxi driver, he smiled and said, "Haha, the Biking Club, right? I'll take you there, beautiful ladies."

Although he was complimenting them, Jinyeon, who couldn't understand his English mixed with a Mexican accent, sat back feeling puzzled.

"What's he saying? It must be right, right?"

Yunjeong, looking nervous, soon nodded, "He definitely mentioned the Biking Club, so it must be right."

"I should have studied English more, this is frustrating."

"Hehe, but you do speak Japanese."

"Yeah, these days you have to know Japanese and Chinese, you never know when you might expand into those markets."

"That's true, but it's totally useless here in the U.S."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

As they continued chatting in Korean, the taxi driver no longer attempted to converse with them. However, as an idol-level pretty East Asian schoolgirls, the driver couldn't help but steal glances at them through the rearview mirror.

Whenever their eyes met in the mirror, the driver would send a greasy smile, making Jinyeon uncomfortably poke Yunjeong without moving her lips, as if ventriloquizing.

"Ew... haha... that man gives me the creeps, Yunjeong."

"Don't show it. Remember, they say in America they shoot over nothing."

"Don't say scary stuff... Look, he's looking again. Smile..."

"Ah... hahaha."

When the driver saw Jinyeon and Yunjeong smiling at him, he became even more encouraged to make eye contact through the mirror. To him, the actions were merely out of finding the young Eastern girls cute, but to the girls, it was frightening.

Soon, the taxi stopped in front of the Biking Club's entrance, and the girls jumped out without even taking their change. The driver, licking his lips, drove off as the girls watched warily until he was out of sight.

"Phew, even taking a taxi isn't easy. Is this the place?"

Jinyeon looked around and pointed at the sign of the Biking Club, laughing, "If there's not another Biking Club around, this must be it, hehe. Let's go in!"

As they attempted to enter, a massive African-American man blocked their way.

"What's up?"

Startled by the intimidating man speaking in English, Jinyeon backed away sweating, "I-I'm sorry! We are Korean! I can't speak English!"

Confused by her strange pronunciation, the man simply pointed behind them, "Line up. Don't you see the queue?"

Although they didn't understand his words, they saw the line he was pointing to and Yunjeong pulled Jinyeon towards it, "He's saying to line up, I guess."

"Is that so? Let's go. Thank you so much..."

The African-American watched them join the end of the line and then went back to his duties. Only then did the girls realize he was asking them to queue.

"Ah, there must be at least a hundred people ahead. When will we get in, huh?"

"We should wait, this place is known as a pilgrimage site for tourists since Kay performed here for a year. I heard the burgers are really good."

"Yeah, I know that... but it seems like we'll have to wait at least two hours?"

"Still, let's wait. I really want to eat here!"

While they had expected to wait two hours,

 even after 30 minutes the line hadn't moved. Just as the four Caucasian men at the front were let in, a scream erupted from the crowd.

"Aaaaaah!!!!!"

"What, what's happening!"

"Mommy!"

As Jinyeon covered her ears and looked around in panic, she suddenly shouted, pointing, "It's Brother Kay!"

"Where, where!!?"

As the crowd screamed and cheered, causing the line to become a mess, security rushed to manage the crowd, and Kay, getting out of a car parked in front of the club, waved smilingly at the people.

"Look, I told you! Kay comes to this shop often!"

"Yeah, I'm glad I listened to you, you were right!!"

"Ah, he's so handsome, what do we do!!"

Even though the Westerners were cheering, not understanding what they were saying, the two girls stood there dumbfounded, watching Kay.

"I wonder... if I could ever become a singer who receives cheers from Western people?"

"Sigh... I wish I could be that kind of person too. I'm so envious."

Being lost in such a large crowd, the two girls thought it impossible for Kay to notice them and just watched him from afar. Then, a chubby African-American ran out of the store and hugged Kay warmly.

"Hey, Kay! You've been coming here often!"

"Ha, Samb

o! Is business doing well?"

Samb

o laughed heartily, pointing to the long line, "With Kay visiting often, look how many customers there are, haha."

Seeing the line, Kay widened his eyes in surprise.

"Whoa, those are..."

He spotted Yunjeong and Jinyeon in the line, who he had seen in school.

"Their names were... Yunjeong, Jinyeon, right?"

Despite the crowd, Kay recognized the two girls almost at the end of the line and walked towards them. As he approached, people in the line reached out to him, and the security pushed them back. Samb

o followed Kay and asked, "Where are you going? You should go inside."

"Oh, just a moment. I know someone here."

Yunjeong and Jinyeon, seeing Kay approaching them, stepped back nervously. Kay smiled as he got closer.

"Yunjeong, Jinyeon, right?"

Surprised that he remembered their names, Jinyeon hesitated before responding.

"Yes... yes, oppa."

"Oh, oppa... seeing you again."

"Ha, come out."

"What?"

"Come out. Let's go in together."

"Really?"

Speaking in Korean, the surrounding patrons didn't understand, but it was apparent to them that the beautiful East Asian girls knew Kay. Kay casually spoke to Samb

o behind him.

"Since I know them, can we go in together?"

Samb

o looked slightly troubled as he glanced at the other customers.

"There's no problem entering, but there are no seats in the hall."

Kay pouted his lips slightly and turned to the girls.

"There are no seats in the hall, do you just want to have a meal with me?"

"Ah!! Really?"

"Oh, oppa! Really, can we?"

Kay smiled and lifted the red rope barrier, gesturing with his head.

"Yes, the other guests will understand. Come on."

"Thank you, oppa!!"

"Kyaa! Thank you, oppa!"

As the girls ducked under the line, Samb

o called the security.

"Reset the line properly, and escort these two ladies to the VIP room with Kay."

The taciturn security nodded slightly and led Kay forward. Jinyeon, walking behind Kay, had an expression as if she were dreaming.

"Is this for real?"

Yunjeong pinched her cheek in disbelief.

"Ouch, it hurts. It must be real."

As the two entered the club, the stage was alive with blues musicians and the audience clapping along. The scene straight out of an American blues club movie startled the girls, but before they could take it all in, the audience began to scream as they saw Kay.

"Aaaaaah!! Kay!!!!!"

Familiar with the routine, Kay waved back and moved towards the VIP room. The audience followed his every move, tapping on the tables.

"Kay! Kay! Kay! Kay!"

Mesmerized, the girls followed Kay into the VIP room door, turning back to look at the hall. As they entered, most of the audience focused on the mysterious East Asian girls accompanying Kay, prompting them to instinctively bow in greeting.

Unable to speak English, the girls didn't know what to say, and realizing there was no reason for them to greet, they blushed and hurried into the VIP room. Once inside, Kay handed them the menu.

"Here, the basic burgers and beer are really good."

Yunjeong and Jinyeon, unsure of where to sit in the spacious VIP

 room, eventually sat across from Kay.

"Yes, yes! We'll have that too."

"Hehe, alright."

After ordering, Kay smiled broadly at them.

"I thought this was a small connection, but it turns out to be a significant one, us."

Facing Kay's smile, Yunjeong was shy, but Jinyeon, more outgoing, grinned and nodded.

"Hehe, really! Oppa, did you come here to eat alone?"

"No, my friends will be here soon."

"Friends? Your friends?"

"Yes, my friends, hehe."

As soon as Kay finished speaking, the VIP room door burst open. A very tall African-American entered, lowering his sunglasses to look at the unfamiliar girls sitting with Kay.

"What's this, these little ones."

Jinyeon and Yunjeong dropped their forks.

"Sn... Snoop Dog..."

A smaller Caucasian peered over, wearing a hoodie.

"Eh? Kay, who are these people?"

Yunjeong swallowed dryly.

"It's... it's Eminem, Jinyeon..."

Kay stood up, laughing.

"Come in and talk. Oh, Shizuka came too?"

Shizuka, wearing a gray long cardigan and a white blouse, entered last, laughing.

"Hi, I was just at the company and came here together. Oh, who are these people?"

Stunned by Shizuka's beautiful and pure smile, Jinyeon was speechless.