I pressed the elevator button and stepped inside. The doors slid shut with a soft chime.
When they opened again, I was in a white suit, standing beside my manager, Bonsong. We stepped onto a red carpet leading toward a massive set of doors. The corridor was so lavish it could've passed for a royal palace. The scent of expensive grape perfume lingered in the air, and golden chandeliers shimmered overhead, staring down at us like watchful eyes.
At the end of the hall stood a bodyguard with a massive dragon tattoo curling up his neck. He looked like a mythic gatekeeper. The man in the maroon suit gave us a courteous smile.
"Please wait here for a moment. Mr. Daejung is in a meeting. He'll be with you shortly."
I leaned closer to Bonsong and whispered, "Seriously? White Miracle still have to wait?"
"Just be patient, Seokjin," he murmured. "Could be something important."
I tilted my head slightly, straining to listen through the thick door.
A deep, weighty voice rumbled from inside. "Hmph. When will you ever make me proud, Li Hong?"
A nervous, trembling voice answered, "To… to give it my all, no matter what… Father."
"You're just like your mother," the man growled in Cantonese, but lucky me i got a translator chip implanted so i could understand the conversation. "Sharp tongue, no results. Pathetic work. None of your solo tracks have even touched the top ten in SEA. I, the founder of TAOS—one of the biggest corporations in Asia—have to endure humiliation because my son is a failure!"
"B-but Fa—" SLAP!
I winced, biting my lip. That sound was unmistakable.
"Maybe that'll teach you something, kid."
"I'll… I'll work harder." The young man's voice was trembling, but he held back his pain.
"If you fail me again," his father hissed, "Don't you dare call me Daddy. Do you! HEAR ME?!" The shouting grew louder until the door swung open. A man with dyed orange hair stormed out, bumping into my shoulder. His red-rimmed eyes met mine for a fleeting moment before he brushed past.
The bodyguard stepped aside and opened the door for us. "Please, come in."
I didn't think much of it and followed Bonsong inside.
The office was made entirely of tinted glass, sunlight glinting off every surface. Outside, a massive white tiger hologram prowled slowly through the air. Inside, two men sat on the sofa—one a round-bodied businessman, the other with slick black hair—sipping coffee.
A young-looking woman lounged beside them, exhaling a puff of rainbow-colored smoke. Her purple-blue highlighted bangs framed a mischievous grin. Fishnet top, leopard-print jacket, tattoos glinting under the light—a black snowflake beneath her right eye and a wheel inked across her chest with a bold number 69 in the center.
"Oh! This face looks familiar, doesn't it, Mr. Daejung?" the businessman said, pointing at me.
The man with the slicked-back hair sprang up with a grin. "Woo Seok Jin~~ Right~ on~ time."
He gestured enthusiastically. "This here is Mr.Xu Wen, CEO of TAOS Corporation—one of our key partners in China. And that lovely lady with the purple hair is Music Q!—the producer for D8. Don't let the looks fool you; she's nearly fifty. But hey, down there she's still got some rhythm, huh? Ha!"
The woman flipped her hair, revealing a pearly glow in her left eye.
"You can call me Mama Suhee, sugar."