Chapter 25. The moment you discover a talent (1)
'What? What the hell am I doing?'
Lee Hyun was quick to realise that he has started clapping just after the song has ended.
He had started clapping unconsciously because he really liked the song, but this was not the place or the situation to clap like this.
Lee Hyun became flustered when he realised that.
"Um, sorry!"
He quickly apologised, but the people in the room were still staring at him with confused gazes.
He felt more embarrassed because of that.
"Who are you?"
The girl who sang the song asked. She looked slightly wary of Lee Hyun as there was an awkward expression on her face.
"My name is Lee Hyun. I was just passing by here when I heard your singing. I really liked it!"
"Ah, thank you."
It seems like Lee Hyun's explanation worked as the expressions of the elderly patients and the young nurse eased.
It was the same for the girl.
She looked pleased that someone liked her song. The slight smile on her face that was like the rising sun was proof of that.
"Can I ask you something?"
Lee Hyun asked, slightly impatient.
"Ah, yes? What is it?"
"Are you a singer?"
"N-no, I'm not. I'm not a singer."
The girl shook her head left and right when Lee Hyun asked that question.
She looked slightly uncomfortable because of his question, but Lee Hyun didn't realise that and asked further.
"Then, are you aspiring to become one?"
"No, I'm not!"
The girl replied quickly and bluntly this time.
It's become apparent now that she really didn't want to talk about singing. She was no longer able to stop herself from frowning.
'She sings like that, but has no intentions of becoming a singer?'
Lee Hyun was confused as he thought about that.
The girl in front of him could've been a great singer. If she had this much talent, then there's no way that she wouldn't have become famous.
As someone who was called Midas of music, Lee Hyun was confident of it. He just can't be wrong here.
The girl's voice has the soul for music.
It can be that she was just not interested in singing and music, but Lee Hyun had noticed her happy expression when she was singing earlier. She genuinely enjoyed what she was doing.
'There must be some reason.'
That was the only conclusion he could make.
Anyway, Lee Hyun didn't want to give up on this girl. He wanted to make her a star. A superstar!
"I think you would be able to become a famous singer. Why don't you try-"
"Stop! I don't want to hear that."
"Huh?"
The girl interrupted Lee Hyun and shouted with a raised voice.
She was not even stopping herself from frowning. It looked like his words had angered her somehow.
"Who are you to even tell me what I should do? I'm sick of these words. Don't just…"
The girl stopped herself from saying anymore.
Lee Hyun had not expected her to rage like this, but he stayed calm. The girl glared at him for a second before putting up her guitar in a case.
Then, she turned around and looked at one of the elderly patients.
"Grandma, my shift would start in an hour. I will come back later to meet you. Bye!"
Without waiting for a reply, the girl strode towards the door.
She again glared at Lee Hyun and left the room in a bad mood. She looked really angry and displeased.
'What's with her?'
Lee Hyun thought standing there.
He didn't chase after her as he knew that nothing good would happen by talking with someone who looked to be in a bad mood.
Still, he wondered about the reason behind her outrage.
She looked to be in a good mood when Lee Hyun praised her, but as soon as he started talking about becoming a singer, she got angry.
'Did I say something wrong?'
As Lee Hyun was wondering about that, one of the elderly patients came towards him.
She was the same patient the girl had talked to before leaving. She was probably her grandmother.
"Sorry about that! My granddaughter is just like that. I would apologise on behalf of her."
"No, no, it's fine."
"Still, my granddaughter was rude to you."
"Like I said, it's fine. Rather than that, why was she so angry when I spoke about becoming a singer? Did she really hate singing?"
Lee Hyun asked and the old grandmother shook her head.
"It's not that. Contrary to that, she loves to sing and dreams to become a singer."
"Then, why was she so angry?"
When he asked that, the old grandmother hesitated to speak. At that moment, the young nurse came forward.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
"Ah..."
Lee Hyun suddenly realised something when the young nurse asked that.
'I probably look like a suspicious person to them.'
From their point of view, Lee Hyun was really suspicious. He was asking questions left and right when they didn't even know him.
He may even be regarded as a scammer.
'Is this how agents feel when they recruit people on the streets?'
Lee Hyun thought and smiled awkwardly.
Then, he pulled out his business card and pushed it towards the old grandmother and the nurse.
"Sorry for not introducing myself properly. I'm Lee Hyun and I own an entertainment agency."
"Huh??"
Surprised voices came out as everyone flocked towards his business card. They examined it for a minute and looked at Lee Hyun.
The first one to speak was the nurse.
"Are you really a president? You look young."
"Haha, I'm not a scammer."
Lee Hyun laughed and the young nurse finally nodded his head.
Due to his young age, it was tough for people to see him as a president of a company.
"Ah, I'm actually interested in your granddaughter as a singer? Can you tell me more about her?"
Lee Hyun looked towards the old grandmother.
It looks like she was still a little suspicious of him, but she nodded her head in the end and opened her lips.
"My granddaughter always wanted to be a singer. Our household was poor. So, we were never able to have her train in an institute, but she still kept on singing."
She took a breath before continuing.
"In the end, she even got scouted by a big agency, but…"
"But?"
"Sorry, I can't tell you more."
"Ah? Is there a reason?"
"If you really want to know, then you have to ask her yourself."
Lee Hyun sighed hearing that, but he didn't try to force her to speak. He can tell that there was a big reason behind this.
'If she was scouted by an agency, then she would have already debuted, but it doesn't look like that.'
The most plausible reason was that the contract with her agency was terminated, but there was no way to know.
As he was thinking about that, the old grandmother spoke again.
"Actually, my granddaughter isn't a bad person."
"Huh?"
"She may seem rude, but she really cares about people who are close to her. She is even taking care of me in old age when I'm just a… baggage."
Lee Hyun lowered his head hearing that. Various thoughts flashed across his mind and he finally decided on something.
He then opened his mouth.
"I can't promise, but I really want to make her a singer."
"Huh? You will?"
"Yes, her voice isn't something that should only be known by a few people. It should be known by the whole of Korea, no, the world!"
"Thank you for saying that."
A smile finally appeared on the old grandmother's face.
Lee Hyun also smiled seeing that and his resolve got stronger. He was about to leave the room after that, but he suddenly realised something.
He still doesn't know the name of the girl.
"By the way, what's your granddaughter's name?"
"It's Harin. Ya Harin!"
Sorry for the late chapter!