WFBCAD 1

Chapter 1

I was fired from my company.

My wife cheated on me.

Their excuses were identical.

They said I was lacking.

‘What a f***ing world.’

At the moment of my despair, someone reached out.

[America needs you.]

Only America recognized my talent.

My genius composing ability.

“Sushin Jega Chiguk Pyeongcheonha”

It was a quote from the Confucian classics meaning that before one can accomplish great things, personal self-cultivation and family harmony must come first, but Kim Ju-hyun thought of it a bit differently.

He believed that only by refining oneself and bringing harmony to the family would one truly earn the right to succeed.

That was why Kim Ju-hyun was genuinely devoted to his household.

-Beep-beep-beep!

His morning began at 5 AM.

Even though he had fallen asleep at midnight the previous night and felt exhausted, even that had become a part of his daily life.

Waking up like that, Kim Ju-hyun folded the laundry he had hung out the night before.

Afterward, he prepared a simple breakfast.

Two portions, one for his wife and one for himself.

Only after setting up all the food did he go to wake his wife.

“Seo-yeon, wake up.”

“……Never mind, eat by yourself.”

“You said yesterday you’d eat. I’ve set everything up.”

“I said I don’t want to. If my condition gets ruined, are you going to take responsibility, Oppa? Just throw it away.”

“…….”

Food made with devotion early in the morning.

It was a salad made with her diet and nutrition in mind.

Even if it might not taste amazing, Kim Ju-hyun’s heart, a heart filled with love for his wife, was poured into it.

And yet.

“I said get out.”

“……Alright.”

Having been scolded, Kim Ju-hyun left the room.

He wanted to say a word out of frustration, but he suppressed it tightly.

Because she was his wife.

‘I should be the one to understand.’

Kim Ju-hyun’s wife, Han Seo-yeon, was a singer.

And quite a famous top singer in South Korea at that.

‘We met while working.’

Kim Ju-hyun, who was working as a producer, ended up taking charge of her song.

As a result, they spent a lot of time together, and before he realized it, they got married.

It had already been two years since they married.

Kim Ju-hyun truly loved Han Seo-yeon.

However, the Han Seo-yeon from when they were dating and the Han Seo-yeon now had changed so much they could almost be considered entirely different people.

‘How could someone change like this?’

It was as if her love had cooled down completely.

Her eyes, which used to drip with honey, had turned cold, and she frequently stayed out overnight under the pretext of schedules.

Was that all?

Even after coming home, she went straight into her room (they used separate rooms) and wouldn’t come out.

They said being sexless was a ground for divorce.

It had already been over a year since Kim Ju-hyun and Han Seo-yeon had intimacy.

Moreover.

‘What about the housework?’

He had felt it even while dating.

Han Seo-yeon was truly a woman who lived up to her looks.

She lived a life where being treated like royalty was taken for granted.

So she didn’t know how to cook meals, nor did she know how to clean.

All of the housework was Kim Ju-hyun’s responsibility.

And far from being grateful for it, Han Seo-yeon considered it only natural.

Yet despite that, Kim Ju-hyun endured.

‘Sushin Jega Chiguk Pyeongcheonha.’

Before any of that, he loved Han Seo-yeon.

He could understand.

-Click.

After eating alone and dressing, he finally entered the room where Han Seo-yeon was sleeping.

Then he said softly.

“Honey, today is my performance evaluation day. There might be a company dinner because of the promotion, so don’t wait up and go to sleep.”

“…….”

There was no reply.

However, Han Seo-yeon was a light sleeper.

Believing she must have heard him, he headed to the company.

The company Kim Ju-hyun worked for was UNK Entertainment.

It was a major enterprise ranking within the top five entertainment companies in South Korea.

And Kim Ju-hyun was working as a producer in the Artist Management Division of that entertainment company.

“Hello, Producer-nim.”

As Kim Ju-hyun entered the company, employees greeted him.

He had been with this company for merely five years.

It wasn’t a long period, but nevertheless, his position within the company was quite solid.

And for good reason.

-Flutter!

A large banner hung in the company lobby.

On it, photos of the celebrities supporting UNK were displayed.

A impressive lineup at a single glance.

Occupying the center among them was the idol group, Unimelody.

In fact, to the extent that it could be said Kim Ju-hyun had carried them on his back alone, Unimelody was heavily influenced by him.

From composing to the concept, costumes, and stage atmosphere, everything.

Knowing this, the company employees also treated Kim Ju-hyun with respect.

-Click.

When he entered the A&R division, the staff welcomed him.

Kim Ju-hyun exchanged light greetings and headed to his seat.

Then the team leader quietly approached him.

“Today is the performance evaluation, right?”

“Ah, Team Leader. Yes, today is the performance evaluation.”

“Was Producer Kim in charge of Unimelody?”

At his question, Kim Ju-hyun nodded his head.

“Yes, it wasn’t just at a level of being in charge.”

Kim Ju-hyun was always on the humble side.

For him to speak like this meant there was a good reason.

And the team leader respected that as well.

“The composition and concept all came out of Producer Kim’s head, indeed. Right.”

“That’s right. So the Division Head said he would designate me as the main producer for the next project.”

When Kim Ju-hyun said that, the team leader’s eyebrows twitched.

“Main producer? How many years has it been now? 3 years?”

“It’s my 5th year.”

“5 years just in our company?”

“Yes.”

“Then you have enough seniority. It’s not like your career is weak either.”

The team leader nodded his head.

“There will be good results.”

“Thank you, Team Leader.”

“Don’t mention it.”

The team leader nodded at Kim Ju-hyun’s expression of gratitude.

Right then.

“Producer Kim-nim. It’s time for your interview with the Division Head.”

Performance evaluations were usually conducted through interviews.

An employee who had gone in earlier called Kim Ju-hyun.

‘Finally, it’s my turn.’

The time to be rewarded for all his hard work.

Kim Ju-hyun headed to the Division Head’s office with an excited heart.

-Knock, knock.

When he knocked on the door and stepped inside, a half-balding man was frowning while looking at paperwork.

Noticing someone’s presence, he rolled his eyes up to scan Kim Ju-hyun’s face before looking back down at the document.

“Producer Kim Ju-hyun.”

“Yes, Division Head.”

“Come sit in front.”

When Kim Ju-hyun went over and sat down, the Division Head finally raised his head.

Tapping the document, he spoke.

“You had quite a few achievements this time.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Honestly, Producer Kim has been doing consistently well. Not just this time. Extreme was also done by Producer Kim, right?”

Extreme was a boy group.

The only male idol group that achieved success in UNK, which was known as a wasteland for boy groups.

Naturally, it was Kim Ju-hyun’s work.

And that wasn’t all.

“The ballad that was released last time and the girl group song were both made by me.”

“Is that so?”

The Division Head raised his eyebrows as if he hadn’t known.

Soon he cleared his throat and said.

“Ahem, well, I know you worked hard, but…… isn’t it a bit much to speak as if you did all of that entirely by yourself?”

“……Pardon?”

His response was delayed because he was trying to figure out what that meant.

‘What on earth is he talking about right now?’

He did all the composition and concepts, so what did he mean by saying it wasn’t done alone?

Carrying that question plainly in his voice, he spoke.

“There were many parts that I spearheaded.”

“Right, that is the problem.”

“Pardon?”

“If you stand out too much in front, the team becomes invisible. The company looks at teamwork.”

“What kind of…….”

The word “bullshit” rose right up to his throat, but he endured it.

Because his past efforts could not be allowed to go down in flames.

However.

“The performance is certainly there. With Unimelody, and with Extreme. Even from the company’s view, Producer Kim has done a lot.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Still, the main producer position is still early.”

“……It’s early?”

“For now.”

Kim Ju-hyun’s eyes trembled finely.

How many projects had he done for them to say it was still early?

‘Both Extreme and Unimelody.’

If Kim Ju-hyun hadn’t been there, could they have achieved this level of success?

And in UNK, which had been failing repeatedly with both girl groups and boy groups?

It was absolutely impossible.

It was because of Kim Ju-hyun’s songs and the concepts Kim Ju-hyun came up with that they were able to succeed.

And yet, what?

“You said so yourself, Division Head. That I would step up to the main producer position in the next project. That’s why I’m doing the work of a main producer this time as well. Even though my salary is the same!”

“Hey, where do you think you’re shouting like that?”

“Did I hear incorrectly?”

The Division Head threw the pen he was holding in annoyance.

Then he pressed Kim Ju-hyun as if Kim Ju-hyun was the one in the wrong.

“Because you talk back to your superior like this, that’s why we can’t give you the main producer position. Do you get it? The company is about teamwork, teamwork! And I said I would consider it, when did I ever say it was confirmed?”

“What…….”

He was so dumbfounded that words wouldn’t come out.

He had been told that he would be given the main producer position on the next project, that his skills were more than enough.

While saying that, they assigned him everything from tedious chores an ordinary producer wouldn’t do to major projects.

And all on an ordinary producer’s salary.

‘The reason I endured it.’

Was because they said they would promote him on the next project.

He worked with the mindset of building experience in advance.

And now they were saying they only meant they would “consider” it?

“Then, what about the results of the work I took on?”

“Why is that your achievement? It’s everyone’s achievement. Producer Kim, are you going to keep acting like this? You know the company’s situation too.”

“What situation am I supposed to know? Unimelody and Extreme are both my achievements.”

“Sigh, fine. I didn’t know Producer Kim was this petty.”

The Division Head let out a sigh and spoke.

“Call it a day and head home. Tomorrow is the weekend, so it’s perfect to spend time with your wife, isn’t it?”

“Are you…… saying that right now?”

“Judge that for yourself, and please leave. Ah, the next in line is Producer Lee Sang-geun, so tell him to come in.”

“…….”

“What are you doing? I told you to leave!”

In the end, Kim Ju-hyun stood up.

However, his legs did not move easily.

‘It’s still early?’

Those words repeated over and over in his head.

He had worked like a dog.

Far from seeing results, the evaluation returned to him was that he was still lacking.

-Gnash.

Kim Ju-hyun bit his teeth together.

What surged up before unfairness was a sense of futility.

‘They had no intention of giving it to me from the start.’

In the end, only Kim Ju-hyun, who worked hard, was a fool and an idiot.

-Thud.

Kim Ju-hyun slumped down in his chair.

Toward him, glances crept over and then vanished.

When he turned his head toward the direction where he felt the gaze, the team leader cleared his throat with an “Ahem”.

‘So you knew everything too.’

And yet he had built up false hopes that he could get promoted.

Was that all?

Saying that a main producer needed to do this much work, he had dumped a ton of work on him.

A rage burned inside Kim Ju-hyun.

Right at that moment.

-Click.

The door opened.

Lee Sang-geun exited the Division Head’s office with a bright face.

Then, as if intentionally showing off, he looked at Kim Ju-hyun.

‘Lee Sang-geun.’

He was not someone Kim Ju-hyun liked very much.

In fact, they had a distant relationship.

If Kim Ju-hyun was the skilled type, Lee Sang-geun was the political type.

His father was a director at UNK Entertainment, and perhaps because of that, the team leader and Division Head were polite to him.

However, unlike such treatment, his actual skills were disastrous.

To the point where his songs were never selected, always pushed aside by Kim Ju-hyun.

‘So why does he look so bright?’

As if answering Kim Ju-hyun’s inner question, he walked toward the team leader.

“Thanks to you, Team Leader, I’ll be taking on the main producer role for the next project.”

“Huh?”

The team leader looked visibly flustered.

Soon, after glancing at my reaction, he spoke.

“Uh, yeah, congratulations. Main producer. Usually people reach it in their 3rd year.”

“Thank you, Team Leader.”

Bowing his head, Lee Sang-geun turned around.

He walked over while staring precisely at Kim Ju-hyun.

And then.

“Ju-hyun-씨, aren’t you going to congratulate me?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean…… I became the main producer. Can’t you congratulate me as a colleague? Ah, don’t tell me. Are you a bit upset because I moved up first even though I have fewer years of experience?”

Lee Sang-geun wore a crooked smile.

‘This bastard…….’

Kim Ju-hyun’s inside boiled insanely.

However, there was nothing he could do.

He couldn’t exactly punch the guy in the face.

“Congratulations, Sang-geun-씨.”

Kim Ju-hyun forced the corners of his mouth up.

He said congratulations with his words, but what welled up to his throat wasn’t congratulations, but curses.

‘Did I stay here just to receive this kind of treatment……?’

Lee Sang-geun did not move up through ability.

His skill was always far below Kim Ju-hyun’s.

Yet the main producer position went to that guy.

‘It’s thanks to having a good father.’

He knew that he was implicitly favored.

Even knowing that, he endured it.

Because it was a company.

However, today it was hard to endure.

He himself had ground himself down for months.

He reduced his sleep, skipped meals roughly, and held out while watching people’s moods even at home.

‘To get the main producer position.’

He thought that if he got that position, things would at least be better than now.

He felt like he could be more confident in front of his wife and at the company.

And yet the result was this.

-Thud.

Kim Ju-hyun packed his belongings.

Then he walked straight out into the hallway.

Even though he didn’t say goodbye, the team leader said nothing.

-Vroom.

Having driven his car back home like that, Kim Ju-hyun thought.

‘Come to think of it, I told her I’d come home late today.’

Because he had assumed he would naturally be promoted, he had planned for a company dinner.

So he had told his wife he would be late.

‘How do I explain this…….’

In front of the front door, Kim Ju-hyun smiled bitterly.

Right then.

-Ding!

[We were deeply impressed by your composition. Our company in the United States would like to invite you, Composer…….]

The phone synced with his email rang.

Having roughly read the front part, Kim Ju-hyun covered his phone.

Messages like this were common for him.

Without looking, it was likely a scout offer message.

His mind, which usually ignored them, shook for a moment.

‘Wait…… changing jobs?’

Was there a need to stay at a company while receiving this kind of treatment?

Companies that wanted him were literally everywhere.

-Beep-beep-beep-beep.

Thinking about changing jobs in his head, Kim Ju-hyun pressed the front door passcode.

-Click.

The house he entered like that was quiet.

However, overriding the silence, the air inside the room was hot.

It felt strangely laden with moisture.

‘What’s this?’

Did she take a shower or something?

The moment he took off his shoes with that thought, Kim Ju-hyun’s eyes widened.

‘Wh-What.’

An unfamiliar pair of shoes was placed there.

And men’s shoes at that.

‘Could it be?’

Kim Ju-hyun rushed to the master bedroom.

And he witnessed it.

A shirt and a bra scattered on the bed.

In front of it, Han Seo-yeon and actor Yoon Seo-jun hurriedly fixing their clothes.

“…….”

Kim Ju-hyun realized only then.

That what was stolen from him was not merely a promotion.

Even at home, his place was already being handed over to someone else.