Before Winter Ends 1
“Hey, Do-jun. You’re here early.”
“What’s up? Why didn’t you answer your phone?”
Sang-jun fumbled around in his pockets, looking flustered.
“Oh, I left it downstairs. Sorry, you haven’t been waiting long, have you?”
“I just got here.”
“Hold on a sec, I came up to see these guys off.”
Sang-jun glanced outside the building and then spoke to the girls standing nearby.
“Didn’t you call the road manager? Why isn’t he here yet?”
“I just texted him. He should be here soon.”
A group of girls, eyes wide with curiosity, nudged Sang-jun playfully.
“Come on, PD-nim. Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“Oh, right. This is my brother. My real brother. And these are the girls who just debuted. They’ve already been on national TV.”
Sang-jun with a girl group? Has he completely shifted to commercial ventures now? The mention of national TV reminded me of something.
“Really? Then maybe I should talk to Dad about getting you on a cable music show…”
Sang-jun quickly shook his head, blinking at me in a silent plea.
Oops. He did say he didn’t want to be known as someone’s son or grandson in this industry.
Luckily, these seemingly clueless girls didn’t seem to pay much attention to what I said. They didn’t look a day over twenty, and their behavior was just as youthful. They swarmed around me, chattering away.
“Wow, you’re really handsome. I always wondered why our PD-nim didn’t debut as an idol, but now I get it. Growing up with you, he must’ve felt overshadowed, right?”
“Hey, haven’t I seen you somewhere before? Are you on TV?”
Maybe they caught one of my rare interviews? If they remember, that’d be a disaster.
But judging by their uncertain tone, it seemed like they only vaguely recognized me.
“Stop with the nonsense and get going! My brother’s in grad school, not on TV. You girls think every good-looking guy is a celebrity.”
Sang-jun raised his voice, trying to shush the girls.
“But I’m sure I’ve seen him…”
One of them continued to stare at me, mumbling, as Sang-jun began herding them away like sheep.
“Come on, stop with the nonsense and get moving! And don’t get any ideas. My brother has a beautiful and smart girlfriend, way out of your league.”
“PD-nim, we can’t leave until the car arrives. What’s taking the road manager so long?”
These girls were more persistent than a pack of elementary school kids. No matter how much he tried to push them away, they kept coming back.
“By the way, what’s your name? How old are you? Twenty-two? Twenty-three? Since you’re PD-nim’s brother, are you in your mid-twenties?”
“Are you sure you’ve never been on TV?”
If I were a spirited twenty-something experiencing this for the first time, I might have enjoyed the attention. But no matter how hard I tried, it was just noisy and annoying.
I frowned, unable to hide my irritation, but the girls were relentless.
The road manager was my savior. As the sound of a honking horn came from the building entrance, Sang-jun finally managed to pry the girls away from me.
“Alright, hurry up and go. No fooling around. Rest up at the dorms and don’t forget about the recording session tonight.”
“PD-nim! Can I give your brother my number?”
Even as they were being ushered out, they showed their tenacity to the very end.
Once the rookies were gone, we both let out a sigh of relief.
“Exhausting, right?”
Sang-jun chuckled, throwing an arm around my shoulder.
“Who are they?”
“Promising rookies? Our company’s rising stars? Something like that…”
“How old are they? Are they all high schoolers?”
“Half are high schoolers, half are twenty. Their profiles say they’re nineteen.”
“I thought you were going to nurture artists with musical talent?”
“How long can I do only what I want? The company needs to survive too. We nurture indie artists, girl groups, idols. They’re not just empty shells. They’ve got solid basics and have been through a lot of training.”
“They’re old enough, but they still act like kids.”
“They don’t go to school, just train. Their bodies have grown, but their minds are still young.”
Suddenly, Sang-jun dropped his arm from my shoulder.
“Right, this isn’t the time for this. I’ll go change, and you meet with the boss. I’ll call you.”
“Why should I meet your boss?”
“What’s strange about an investor meeting the CEO?”
“What?”
Sang-jun grinned at my surprised expression.
“They’ve known for a while. The boss is always grateful, saying it’s thanks to you that we’ve grown this much.”
“So everyone knows?”
“No, just the boss. Don’t worry. Our boss doesn’t treat me differently because of it. He separates business from personal matters. Here, I’m just a PD, not the grandson of the chairman or the brother of an investor.”
“That’s a relief. Anyway, it’s fine. I get enough from the monthly reports. I’d rather check out your studio.”
“Really? Then let’s go down together.”
As we descended the stairs to the basement, it was like entering a different world.
The pristine lobby was a stark contrast to the blackened, grimy walls, cracked leather sofas, and chairs strewn about. Empty bowls of black bean noodles and instant ramen cups littered the tables.
There were a few partitioned recording booths, and in a spacious dance practice room with glass walls, a group of pretty boys was sweating it out, dancing.
While Sang-jun changed in the recording booth, I watched them dance.
“Hey, who are you?”
“Huh?”
Someone tapped my shoulder, and I turned to see a woman in her early thirties looking me up and down.
“Here for an audition? You look a bit old for an idol, maybe a ballad singer?”
“Uh, no, I’m not…”
“Good face, good proportions… Not bad. Who are you here to see?”
Why is she talking to me so casually when we’ve just met?
Just as I was about to retort, Sang-jun’s voice interrupted.
“Noona, he’s not here for that. He’s my brother. Came to see me.”
Sang-jun approached, now dressed in slacks and a shirt, buttoning up his coat.
“Oh, really? Sorry about that. But he doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. Is he a trainee?”
“Geez, no! My brother’s not interested in this industry. He graduated from Seoul National University Law School and is in grad school. Just mind your own business and go.”
As Sang-jun, flustered, grabbed my hand to lead me away, the woman quickly blocked our path.
“If you’re interested, give me a call. There are a lot of highly educated celebrities these days. You’ve got star potential.”
She slipped a business card into my pocket, winked, and disappeared.
“Great… Now I’m going to be pestered, damn it.”
Sang-jun grimaced.
“What’s wrong? Who is she?”
“She’s the head of the planning team here. If she’s giving you her card, she must be interested. She’s going to bug me to bring you in…”
“If it’s a hassle, just let me know. I can talk to the boss and have her fired. Haha.”
“She’s good at her job. She’s got a keen eye for talent and is great at setting concepts. Anyway, let’s get out of here. There are a lot of people like her around. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up a celebrity. Haha.”
We left the building, exchanging jokes.
“How’s Grandpa doing?”
As we settled into the backseat and the car started moving, Sang-jun asked cautiously.
“He seems fine on the outside. But if he collapses again, who knows what’ll happen.”
“Grandpa’s death feels unreal. It’s like he’ll rule forever…”
“Right? He’s already collapsed twice, but it still doesn’t feel real. I keep forgetting he’s over eighty.”
Sang-jun looked at me and asked, “Are you okay?”
“About what?”
“You were always special to Grandpa. You’re the only one among us cousins who got shares directly.”
“That was just in place of Dad.”
“Nobody sees it that way. He gave them to you directly. Anyway, it seems like it’ll be hardest on you.”
“What can I do? Just visit him often until the end. By the way, how about you? Are you doing okay?”
Judging by the state of the company today, it seemed like he was going through a lot.
“I’m satisfied right now. The good thing about this industry is that everyone is here because they love it, so they’re not too sensitive about money or conditions. Compared to them, I’m living in luxury. At least I won’t hit rock bottom.”
“Really? Have you stashed away some money I don’t know about? You seem confident.”
“Hey! Would you just watch your only brother starve?”
Sang-jun nudged me with his elbow, laughing.
“Just work hard until you’re forty. If you can’t succeed by then, you can blame it on luck. You’ve done your best, right? Then we can retire together and live in a resort in Kota Kinabalu, tending to the garden.”
“Retire before forty? That’s a joke.”
Catching up with Sang-jun and exchanging jokes seemed to ease the tension of meeting Grandpa.
Before we knew it, the car pulled into the hospital parking lot.
“Sang-jun’s here too?”
Grandpa, still in his suit, beamed as Sang-jun walked through the door.
“Yes, Grandpa. I’m sorry for being so late.”
“It’s fine. How long have I been in the hospital anyway? So, how have you been?”
“Yes, thanks to your concern, I’m doing well.”
Grandfather ushered us to the sofa, unable to hide his smile as he placed two bottles of drinks in front of us.
“I hear you’re living alone in a small studio apartment. Want me to get you a house?”
“No, thank you. I only really go home to change clothes and catch some sleep. I spend most of my time at the studio, so the apartment is more than enough.”
He nodded, seemingly pleased with the answer, and began bombarding his long-unseen grandson with questions.
“Really? How much are you making?”
“Not much.”
“Come on, do you think I don’t know that? What, are you embarrassed because it’s too little?”
At the sound of Grandfather’s booming voice, which we hadn’t heard in a while, Sang-jun quickly replied.
“No, it’s not that. I make about two million won a month, and with incentives, it goes over thirty million. But since I spend all day in the recording studio, I don’t have many expenses besides the apartment maintenance, so I save it all.”
“Is that so? Why are they paying so generously for just making music? Bring your boss over here. I’ll teach him how to get more work for less pay.”
Grandfather’s joke seemed to ease the tension, and Sang-jun, who usually wasn’t so playful, joined in.
“Grandfather, I’m good at my job. My boss often apologizes for not being able to pay me more. That’s why I get the most incentives.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
Suddenly, Grandfather grabbed Sang-jun’s hand.
“How many grandchildren do I have? Out of more than ten, you and your brother are the only ones who don’t just take my money. Knowing how to earn your own living and support your family is the first thing a man should do. Among all my grandchildren, you two are the only ones who’ve grown up. I must have failed as a parent.”
“That’s not true. Everyone just has their own path.”
“No, no.”
Grandfather looked at Sang-jun with a tender gaze.
“I took out my disappointment with your father on you. What did a child like you do to deserve that? You must resent me. Please forgive this old man.”
“Not at all. It’s all in the past. And they say all’s well that ends well, right? Just having you acknowledge my music is enough for me.”
Grandfather seemed to have let go of a long-held burden, looking more at ease than ever.