Chapter Twenty-Nine: IU (Wishing Everyone a Happy Dragon Boat Festival)

Hearing more than one set of footsteps approaching, Lee Ji-eun, who was adjusting her guitar, furrowed her brows slightly. The chaotic sounds seemed to disturb her thoughts, making her feel irritable when only moments before, she had been lost in the song and her mood had sunk into melancholy.

“Hello, President Kim… Hello, Senior Sooyoung!” Despite her sour mood, Lee Ji-eun stood up and greeted Kim Jung-min. As she looked past him, she recognized Choi Sooyoung following behind and quickly bowed again in greeting.

“Ji-eun, let me introduce you. This is Jin Zhe, the composer and singer of ‘Melody,’ and the lady beside him is his sister, Jin Yuqi,” Kim Jung-min said, after the brief exchanges of pleasantries, coughing lightly as if clearing his throat before formally presenting the siblings to Lee Ji-eun.

“Jin Zhe, are you the performer of ‘Melody’?” After exchanging polite greetings with Jin Yuqi, Lee Ji-eun turned her attention to Jin Zhe, studying him with curiosity.

“Hello, IU. I’m Jin Zhe from Huaguo. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jin Zhe stepped forward, greeting her with courtesy as soon as Kim Jung-min finished speaking.

“Hello, Jin Zhe, I’m very pleased to meet you as well. Your song ‘Melody’ is truly wonderful. I hope we might have the chance to collaborate someday!” Lee Ji-eun was briefly startled by Jin Zhe’s introduction, but quickly recovered, smiling as she praised his song and then, with a touch of hesitation, extended her hand to him.

“Yes, IU, your songs like ‘Good Day’ and ‘Peach’ are also amazing. I hope we might work together one day!” Not expecting Lee Ji-eun to offer her hand, Jin Zhe was momentarily bewildered. Realizing her intent, he replaced his surprise with a gentle smile, lightly grasped her hand, and released it with dignity and politeness.

“President, why are Jin Zhe and Senior Sooyoung visiting our company today?” After the greetings, the group settled on the sofa in Lee Ji-eun’s practice room. Shortly after sitting, Lee Ji-eun turned to Kim Jung-min, curiosity evident in her voice.

She could guess that Jin Zhe was likely invited by Kim Jung-min with the intention of recruiting him to LOEN. But Choi Sooyoung, as a member of SM Entertainment and one of the leading members of Korea’s top girl group Girls’ Generation—why would she be invited? Could it be that Uncle Kim had performed a miracle and managed to poach a star from SM Entertainment, planning to ask Senior Sooyoung to join LOEN?

Lee Ji-eun’s imagination ran wild, crafting countless scenarios of Sooyoung joining LOEN. By the end, she almost believed her own stories, and her gaze toward Kim Jung-min was tinged with admiration.

“Jin Zhe and his sister accepted my invitation yesterday and came to visit LOEN today,” Kim Jung-min replied, scratching his head, confused by the admiring look Lee Ji-eun gave him, and explained what had happened the day before.

“So it turns out Senior Sooyoung and Jin Zhe were both invited by you to visit. I thought…” Upon hearing Kim Jung-min’s explanation, Lee Ji-eun nodded in understanding, her tone betraying a hint of disappointment. Internally, she complained—Uncle Kim was really useless. She had just admired him, thinking he’d already won them over, only to find they were just here to visit.

“What did you think…?” Once again, Kim Jung-min was puzzled by Lee Ji-eun’s words, his expression confused as he watched her, wondering why she was being so cryptic today.

“It’s nothing. Jin Zhe, have you had the chance to tour our LOEN recording studio yet?” Deciding that her president was rather ineffective, Lee Ji-eun resolved to take matters into her own hands and personally show Jin Zhe around LOEN, hoping to persuade him to join the company.

“The recording studio? President Kim didn’t take us there. After touring the photo wall and the cafeteria, he brought us straight to you, IU,” Jin Zhe replied honestly, not quite understanding Lee Ji-eun’s question.

Meanwhile, Jin Yuqi, who had been quietly observing, raised her brow slightly. IU’s behavior seemed to defy her expectations. From what she’d seen, the relationship between Lee Ji-eun and Kim Jung-min was not that of a superior and subordinate, but more akin to family—relaxed and free.

Perhaps this was how the employees here interacted, Jin Yuqi mused privately, but then dismissed the idea. She had only seen the dynamic between Lee Ji-eun and Kim Jung-min, and from the information she’d gathered the night before, Lee Ji-eun was clearly the company’s pillar and couldn’t be used as a reference.

Jin Yuqi decided to observe further, watching how Kim Jung-min, Lee Ji-eun, and the other staff interacted, before drawing any conclusions. Neither of these two could serve as proper examples.

As for Choi Sooyoung, who had accompanied them, she was quietly pondering as well. From Kim Jung-min’s behavior along the way, she had thought the chances of Jin Zhe choosing LOEN were slim. Yet unexpectedly, Lee Ji-eun had stepped in, actively taking over for her president and trying to leave Jin Zhe with a favorable impression of LOEN.

“Jin Zhe, would you be interested in visiting the recording studio? The equipment there is professional and advanced,” Lee Ji-eun said after a moment’s thought, deciding to show Jin Zhe the studio first. Musicians are usually fascinated by state-of-the-art recording equipment.

“The recording studio? Sure, I’m quite interested in it. Thank you, IU!” Though Jin Zhe was not a musician by profession, he had long been curious about the studios where artists recorded their songs. He had been too shy to ask to visit, but now that Lee Ji-eun offered, he immediately agreed.

With Jin Zhe’s consent, Lee Ji-eun turned to the others to ask their opinions. Kim Jung-min was, of course, all for it—he had intended to show them the studio but had been delayed at Lee Ji-eun’s room. Jin Yuqi and Choi Sooyoung were accompanying Jin Zhe, so naturally, they would follow him.

“Very well, I’ll lead everyone to the recording studio. I spend most of my free time there, practicing my vocals, so aside from the studio engineers, no one is more familiar with it than me,” Lee Ji-eun said, once everyone had agreed. Standing up, she clapped her hands together like a tour guide rallying her group.