Chapter 27: Intermission

Ha Su-yeon raised his hand to turn off the alarm clock, then glanced at it. 6:30 AM.

Time to wake up, as usual.

Before getting out of bed, he practiced Mackenzie exercises.

With his lower body fixed, he raised only his upper body straight up and looked at the ceiling.

Taking a deep breath in and exhaling deeply, he restored the natural curve of his spine.

Next was the cat pose.

With his hips pushed toward the sky, he lowered his upper body as close to the floor as possible.

After staying in that position for a few seconds, he felt his lower back stretch and relax.

Although he wasn’t at an age where morning stretches were necessary to prevent herniated discs, this had been a habitual practice since his “ Ha Su-yeon ” days.

It was a healthy routine he found no reason to change.

After loosening his back, he went outside, where Lee Hyein was waiting.

The usual breakfast. One fried egg and a variety of side dishes.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“Mm, okay.”

For a while, the sound of chopsticks clinking against dishes filled the kitchen.

Ha Su-yeon kept eating absentmindedly, only looking up when Lee Hyein spoke.

“You remember you’re coming to the office today, right?”

“Oh, yes.”

“We’ll start after the employees finish their shift and have dinner. Be at the office by 7 PM.”

“Got it.”

The part-time job his “mom” had arranged for him—or rather, forced upon him.

The job involved teaching guitar and offering some band consulting to the company employees.

Though he agreed to do it, he couldn’t help but wonder how the learners would feel about it.

After all, he had only been playing guitar for a few months.

If someone like him claimed to teach others, he’d be lucky to avoid criticism.

Well, if they complained, he’d simply prove himself with his skills.

That should quiet them down soon enough.

“Alright, Mom, I’m off.”

“Okay, take care.”

After breakfast, feeling the ease of vacation, he sat at his desk.

His YouTube channel had gained a decent number of subscribers—about 3,000.

However, there hadn’t been any new inquiries about session work.

No need to rush.

He already had a way to earn money, so he could take his time.

After completing a few tasks, he set up his camera to record today’s performance.

The song he planned to play was Mary Had a Little Lamb by Stevie Ray Vaughan.

After finishing the performance and editing the video, his phone buzzed.

The caller ID showed it was Iseo.

[Today’s practice file.mp3]

Ha Su-yeon opened the file.

The bass notes were clumsy and lacked rhythm, but there was a clear effort to improve.

That was something, at least.

[You’ve improved, but there’s still a long way to go. You’ll need more practice.]

[Are you practicing this afternoon, too?]

[No, I have a part-time job later.]

[You can practice after you get back.]

[No, I need to rest too;]

Rest? What rest? Playing an instrument was relaxing in itself, wasn’t it? Ha Su-yeon couldn’t understand.

If handling an instrument wasn’t enjoyable, one didn’t have the aptitude for music.

After a band rehearsal, shouldn’t they have realized this by now?

[To become a truly great musician, playing bass should feel more natural than breathing. In that sense, you’ve still got a long way to go.]

[You should be thinking about practicing bass every moment you’re not eating. Wanting to do something else is the real problem.]

[Ugh.]

[Look, I get what you mean, but I want to have fun too.]

They were employees.

Not just any employees, but young professionals at a well-established startup.

They prioritized work-life balance and knew how to enjoy a leisurely life.

Their company was, objectively speaking, quite good.

A young, capable female CEO. A product with cash-cow potential.

A dynamic and lively organizational culture.

High salaries and countless benefits that were almost overwhelming to manage.

It was a work environment hard not to be satisfied with.

Until yesterday.

“Uh… Deputy Manager Kim, you’re here too?”

“Yes. What choice do I have?”

“I don’t know what’s going on. I mean, is this even right? Even if it’s a free welfare program…”

“They must have their reasons.”

One of the company’s welfare programs was supporting employee clubs.

While enthusiastically taking advantage of the funding, they were informed by the CEO that she had arranged for a guitar instructor and a band consultant.

The CEO’s words that the instructor was quite talented raised expectations.

When asked, “Who is it?” the answer came back: “My daughter.”

“… Pardon? Your daughter?”

“Yes. My daughter is good at playing the guitar.”

“… Hahaha! Oh, your daughter plays guitar well. I’m looking forward to it!”

A company that had seemed like a top-tier startup until a few minutes ago suddenly turned into a nepotistic workplace where the CEO planted her family members.

Well, she hadn’t hired her as an employee, just appointed her as a program instructor, so maybe it wasn’t outright nepotism.

Still, it was odd for a company to bring in the CEO’s daughter as a cultural program instructor.

What if the daughter wasn’t good at playing guitar? Were they supposed to say, “Excuse me, instructor, you’re terrible at this,” to the CEO’s daughter? Or were they to quit the program by saying, “Sorry, ma’am, I don’t have time for this these days,” knowing full well the daughter would find out they were dodging her?

These thoughts left the employees feeling frustrated and helpless.

“The CEO’s here.”

The sound of heels clicking and steady footsteps echoed.

Upon hearing this, the employees, who had been slouching and despairing, quickly straightened up.

“Good evening! I hope you had a nice dinner.”

Two people entered.

The CEO, Lee Hyein, and behind her, a pretty high school girl with a cold expression.

Without so much as a greeting, the girl narrowed her eyes and scanned the room, making the employees feel uneasy.

“This is, as I mentioned, my daughter. Her name is Ha Su-yeon. Ha Su-yeon, say hello. These are my employees.”

“Hello. I’m Ha Su-yeon.”