Lee Seon-hwa explained to Oh Dong-cheol.

“You know ES Entertainment gets along well with Dimension.”

She raised one finger.

“Of course, there’s a prerequisite. Dimension has to actually be as talented as the rumors say, able to crank out great songs. If that condition is met, then now’s the best chance to grow the company.”

- Dimension does crank out songs quickly, though.

But he rarely gives them out.

“People in this industry trust Dong-cheol oppa’s character. Even if you’ve been backstabbed a lot because of that. Think about who the targets are right now. Singers under contract with Wind Planning, whose images were severely damaged by the serial killer Choi Sun-myeong. If kind-hearted Dong-cheol oppa offers them songs from Dimension, many will probably come over.”

- Our company only has two employees. Just me and Hyeong-jin. How are we supposed to take care of them?

“Now’s also the time to reinforce staff. We can just hire the people from Wind Planning as they are. Even the managers and support staff. Of course, we have to filter out Choi Sun-myeong’s close associates or the bad apples, but it’s not like that company only has bad people, right?”

Now that he heard it, it all sounded extremely tempting to Oh Dong-cheol. But there were two major realistic issues, making it difficult to put into action: no money and no access to songs.

He brought up the first issue.

- Are you going to invest the money?

Lee Seon-hwa waved her hand with a laugh.

“Come on. I already have plenty of money, so I have no intention to invest. Unless it’s not just a few songs traded between you and Dimension, but a relationship where he produces songs for the next few years. Then it’d be a different story.”

‘Or maybe pull in Jung-woo for this.’

Oh Dong-cheol was frustrated. He didn’t just lack money—solving the second problem wasn’t easy either.

‘Even if I suggest we do this together, Detective Seo won’t even acknowledge it. You’d have to be some top-tier famous detective to quit the police force. At this rate, he could go solo into TV.’

After agonizing all night, Oh Dong-cheol called Seo Jung-woo the next morning with a serious look.

An hour later, manager Kim Hyeong-jin came to the hospital room.

Oh Dong-cheol was in a great mood.

“Hyeong-jin. Do you think once this neck injury heals, my voice will come back too?”

“Didn’t the doctor say we’d be lucky if it doesn’t get worse?”

“Are doctors always right? Huh? There are such things as miracles in this world.”

“Boss, you know with our luck, we’re not catching any miracles.”

If Oh Dong-cheol had good luck, he wouldn’t have injured his throat years ago. Without that injury, he could still be living as a popular singer. If he had luck, ES Entertainment wouldn’t be in ruins. Kim Hyeong-jin, who had been his manager for years, wouldn’t have had to go through all this hardship either.

“Still, we recently met Dimension, 4cats became a hit, and now Lemon Flower’s joined. Luck is finally coming our way. Maybe next, it’ll come to my voice.”

“Yeah. I really hope that happens. So I can just go back to being a manager calling you ‘hyungnim,’ and not be stuck handling every single company task by myself.”

“Oh, Hyeong-jin. I really do feel sorry about that.”

“A little?”

“A lot. Ah. What about Lemon Flower?”

“The recording is completely finished and all other steps have been handled. Once the new song is announced on broadcast, the digital release will go live immediately.”

Lemon Flower’s new track was recorded in the same studio 4cats had used.

“It’s today, right? I wanted to announce it on a public network, but they took too long to make a decision.”

“If we do a live performance of one track on a cable music show tonight, the other networks will respond right away. Then we can pick where to go next.”

Oh Dong-cheol grinned widely.

“After hearing what Lee Seon-hwa said yesterday, I had a realization and called Detective Seo earlier. And you know what? He’s thinking along the same lines as her. He hasn’t agreed yet, but the situation has completely changed.”

“Huh? Wow!”

“First, we need to clearly show what cards we’re holding to our targets. And do it as fast as possible. It feels like the tide is coming in. We don’t know where this ship will go, but we’ve gotta start rowing.”

“Boss. Don’t tell me…”

“Let’s release both songs today. They originally wanted both, so if we go talk to them right now, they’ll say OK immediately.”

Kim Hyeong-jin looked worried.

“Whenever you do things in a rush with this kind of mood, it always ends in failure…”

“Hey. This time it’s for real. I feel it. Ah. I’m calling reporters here for an interview, so you go ahead first. I’ll push Lemon Flower’s new song during the interview.”

“You’re going to show this pitiful, bruised-up look to reporters? That’ll hurt your image…”

“My image is already ruined. I should use whatever’s left while I can. I’ll join you as soon as the interview’s over and I’m discharged, so go on ahead and get their cooperation.”

The video showing Seo Jung-woo arresting Choi Sun-myeong’s group was taken down from the internet due to excessive violence.

Instead, a mosaicked version copied by someone else was uploaded and quickly spread online.

Oh Dong-cheol called in reporters and explained the situation from that time.

He had been knocked out by the time Seo Jung-woo started fighting, so he hadn’t seen it firsthand, but he could talk about the circumstances. His words were quickly turned into articles.

Links to the video and article were posted together on the community board of the twins’ favorite online game site.

Comments poured in underneath:

- Seo Jung-woo is just epic, as always.

- This time it’s a soju bottle action scene.

- I saw the uncensored version and it’s even crazier. This one’s really toned down.

- Wow. Oh Dong-cheol got beat up bad. Damn.

- Who’s the woman with Oh Dong-cheol? Is he married?

- Apparently, she’s the mother of the 4cats twins. The article says she was consulting the company about the twins and got caught up in it.

- Huh? If she’s the twins’ mom, then she’s Iron Cop Park Cheol-woo’s wife? Wow. She must be middle-aged, but she’s gorgeous.

- Not just gorgeous—she’s a lawyer too.

- How did Park Cheol-woo marry someone like that?

- The prevailing theory is he stole her robe like the woodcutter from the folktale.

The last line of Oh Dong-cheol’s interview article included the news that Lemon Flower was releasing a new song. He had called reporters to the hospital specifically to insert that one sentence.

- The video mentions Lemon Flower being threatened earlier—this must be it. Wind Planning must’ve used thugs to stop her from joining ES Entertainment.

- And that’s when Seo Jung-woo caught them.

- What’s shown in the video is the culprit coming to Oh Dong-cheol because of a murder case from the past. And once again, Seo Jung-woo caught him.

- Wow. They say Seo Jung-woo anticipated all this and was nearby? How did he know? Seriously amazing.

- ES Entertainment artists must feel secure. If something goes wrong, Seo Jung-woo will show up from somewhere.

- I don’t get it. Seo Jung-woo is a detective. Why is he helping that company? Did he invest money or something?

- 4cats’ Seo Sora is Seo Jung-woo’s sister.

- Ah! Really? I guess Seo Sora has at least one use then!

- I’ll find you!

Not all the comments were positive. There were quite a few negative ones as well.

- But isn’t Lemon Flower past their prime now?

- Right? They’re not popular anymore, so why did Wind Planning’s president even hire gangsters?

On the same evening the pixelated video was uploaded and Oh Dong-Cheol’s interview aired, Lemon Flower’s new song was released during a live music show on cable TV.

Some who had seen Oh Dong-Cheol’s article, as well as Lemon Flower fans, watched the live broadcast via the fan café.

Before the performance started, two hosts introduced the song.

“This is Lemon Flower’s new song. Oh? Wow!”

“What’s surprising?”

“The lyrics and composition are by Dimension.”

“Oh my. Dimension gave Lemon Flower a song. I’m really looking forward to it.”

The hosts were just reading the script, but the viewers were taken aback.

Posts poured into the viewer message board.

- Wow. A song by Dimension.

- This is it. This is why Lemon Flower went to ES Entertainment.

The song began. But it felt different from their previous work.

- Huh? Is this a ballad?

- What the heck? Why would you make Lemon Flower sing a ballad?

The vocals were mostly by Yoon Mi-so, with Choi Soo-ah doing light backing vocals.

But as the song played further, the audience’s concerns quickly shifted.

- D-Damn.

- This is totally a song made for Mi-so!

- Wow. I thought she was only good at dance songs, but I was wrong.

- Mi-so should’ve just gone solo. She lost out by performing as a duo with Soo-ah.

Even within Lemon Flower’s fanbase, favorite members varied. Fans of Choi Soo-ah felt uneasy.

- They buried Soo-ah just to boost Mi-so.

- Nearly the entire song is Mi-so’s part. That’s too much.

- Disappointed in Mi-so and Dimension.

- What’s going to happen to our Soo-ah now?

The first song ended. Everyone assumed only one song would be performed. Praise for Yoon Mi-so flooded in.

However, the two didn’t leave the stage. A few quick-witted viewers picked up on it.

- Huh? Don’t tell me—

- One more time?

Lemon Flower waited just long enough for people to savor the first song, then began their second.

This time, Choi Soo-ah was the star.

- Aaaaaah!

- They didn’t bury Soo-ah! Each got a solo!

- This has a totally different feel from the last one!

- A song for Soo-ah, by Soo-ah, sung by Soo-ah!

Their stage ended. Viewers went wild. The live audience also erupted in cheers.

And online, questions started popping up.

- Who the hell is Dimension!

The response to Lemon Flower’s two new songs surpassed their previous hits.

Unlike the rookie 4cats, Lemon Flower had a strong existing fanbase. Though their popularity had waned over the past two years, many fans quickly returned. New fan café memberships also surged.

Entertainment media exploded with articles.

- Lemon Flower’s Glamorous Comeback!

- After changing agencies, Lemon Flower releases sweet ballads…

Originally, one of the major broadcast stations had suggested that Lemon Flower perform their new song the following week.

But after seeing their performance blow up on cable, the station execs were banging their desks in frustration.

“We should’ve just gone with this week!”

That network’s popular variety show offered to send a reporter for an interview. Oh Dong-Cheol was quick to accept.

Before the interview, he made it clear to Lemon Flower:

“Make sure to talk about Dimension’s composing speed. If it doesn’t come up, bring it up yourselves. That’s why I booked this segment.”

Yoon Mi-so and Choi Soo-ah clenched their fists and replied:

“Leave it to us.”

“We’ll definitely talk about it.”

During the variety show interview, the reporter brought up Dimension midway through.

“This new song was composed by Dimension, right?”

Yoon Mi-so responded eagerly.

“Yes. It was made specifically for us.”

“Ah, so it was tailored from the start. When did you begin working with Dimension? With two songs, I assume it took quite a while.”

She shook her head.

“No, it hasn’t been long since we approached ES Entertainment. We said that if we could get a song from Dimension, we’d sign with them right after our previous contract ended. And then—”

“And then what?”

“The very next day, he gave us two songs.”

“Excuse me? Two songs in just one day?”

“Yes. At first, we were surprised they were ballads, but he said he wrote them just for us, so we trusted him and sang them. Wow. We cried the first time we sang them.”

“What? You cried?”

“The songs were just that good.”

“I mean, I’m not saying I don’t believe you… but is it really possible to write two perfectly tailored songs—totally different from your previous style—that quickly?”

This time, Choi Soo-ah answered proudly.

“Dimension can do it.”

“No way. Still…”

“It only took him a day or two to write 4cats’ songs too. We used to think the company was exaggerating, but it’s real. You’ll understand if you experience it.”

Lemon Flower went into detail at that point—on Oh Dong-Cheol’s orders. He believed this story would work perfectly on singers about to break their contracts with Wind Planning.

The reporter was impressed.

“Wow. That’s amazing. So what was it like meeting Dimension in person? What kind of person is he?”

Yoon Mi-so gave a shy smile.

“We haven’t met him in person yet, but don’t you think we will soon?”

“What? You haven’t met him yet?”

“We’re definitely going to meet him.”

“Ah… I see. What do you think he’s like?”

She clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling.

“Elegant, intelligent, with a gentle heart that soothes the wounds of love? That’s the vibe I got while singing his songs. I really want to meet him soon and talk about music in depth.”

Seo Sora scoffed while lounging on the sofa and watching TV.

“That unnie is way off. Elegant? Intelligent? Beautiful? She’s nuts.”

She asked Seo Jung-woo:

“Are they going to meet you too?”

Seo Jung-woo replied while setting down a bowl of ramen he’d made for a late-night snack.

“No.”

“Right? I feel like they’d be super disappointed if they did. But are you never going to meet them? They seem pretty determined.”

“I have no intention of meeting them.”

“Why not?”

“They said they want to talk about music in depth. Unlike you guys, they’re probably not idiots.”

He didn’t want to meet them because he felt like they’d see right through him if they talked about music.

Seo Jung-woo took a bite of ramen and added:

“And it’d get in the way of my work as a detective.”

He was currently combing through police records, looking for stolen artifacts that might be sacred relics.

Hearing the slurping sounds, Seo Sora smacked her lips and sat up.

“Just one bite.”

“Get lost.”