Chapter 25: It’s Not My Story, It’s Yours

Unlike the taxi that cruised along quietly, my heart shook dangerously.

“Ah…….”

Even with a mask on, even if it was just a faint silhouette under the dim lighting—

this was me.

Undeniably, this was me.

I stared at the video for a long time.

The view count, the reactions—

none of that mattered.

What struck me about seeing myself through someone else’s eyes was:

‘It’s a bit embarrassing, but I want to keep watching.’

That about summed it up.

I wasn’t quite sure what this feeling was.

Why was my face getting hot?

Why was my breathing getting heavy?

The only thing certain was—I couldn’t look away.

The me in the video looked like a completely different person.

Embarrassment surged up, but something else welled up in my chest.

I wanted to hide it, but also wanted to show it off.

I wanted to delete it, but also keep it.

What was this strange emotion?

The version of me that had hidden behind a mask was shining under the dazzling lights.

How long did I stare like that?

“Um, sir…….”

The backseat door opened.

At the cautious call from the taxi driver, I lifted my head.

I quickly composed myself and answered.

“Oh, yes.”

The driver spoke politely.

“We’ve arrived at Club Sierra.”

“Right. Thank you. The fare is…….”

“Oh, it’s already been paid.”

Feeling dazed, I stepped out of the taxi.

Then I looked around the front of the club.

It felt strange. I came here every day… but why did it feel so unfamiliar today?

As I stood there awkwardly, the passenger window rolled down smoothly.

The taxi driver smiled and asked,

“Sir, did something good happen?”

“Pardon?”

I couldn’t answer right away.

Was this a good thing? Is that what this was?

More than that, why was the driver asking?

“Oh, I’m sorry if I was out of line. It’s just that your expression was so bright. It made me smile too. Thanks to you, I think I’ll have a good day. Have a great one.”

Leaving behind those curious words—who knew if they were polite or sincere—the driver drove off.

I stood there until the black taxi became a mere dot, then went down into the club.

“Why isn’t Taeyoon here yet?”

“He should be on his way.”

“Should I have gone to get him myself?”

“Oh, come on. Again? Again? Our Kim Minsoo is overreacting.”

“How can I not overreact right now?”

Kim Minsoo held out a tablet.

On the screen, Taeyoon’s DJing video was still playing on a loop.

He’d probably watched it countless times already.

Every time he looked at the comments, it felt euphoric—almost like it was about him.

[ Comments: 216 ]

↳ There’s a DJ like this in Korea? Dang dang dang.

↳ I’ve never been to a club, but so this is what it feels like…….

↳ Dancing alone to the beat, lol. He’s gonna blow up soon?

↳ Blackhole, lol. He’s got some skill though.

↳ It’s exciting but dreamy……. Did he make this himself? Anyone know the original?

↳↳ This might be the original?

↳↳↳ Holy smokes.

↳ Unknown club DJ is actually a genius beatmaker?

↳ Prediction: This video is going to be legendary.

Seo Taeyoon. I always knew he’d cause a stir someday.

With that face and that talent, it was inevitable.

But the issue—if there was one—was that even Kim Minsoo, who cared for Taeyoon more than anyone, hadn’t expected the reaction to come this fast, this explosively.

“Feels like I’m at a European club. It’s exciting but easy to listen to. Being stuck in the provinces sucks. Great style. Where can I hear the full track? I’m curious about his face…….”

“Enough, enough!”

Manager Yoon Seonghan snatched the tablet from Kim Minsoo’s hands.

He’d been rattling off comments like a machine gun.

And he wasn’t just reading them—he was practically memorizing them.

“I just love watching it.”

“Anyone would think you were Taeyoon himself.”

“Wouldn’t that be a win-win?”

“Sigh……”

This was serious.

He looked so polished on the outside.

But once he got fixated on something, he couldn’t talk about anything else.

This time, his target was Taeyoon.

Well… it was understandable.

But it was too much—way too much.

It was time to cool him down a bit.

“Stop making such a fuss.”

“No, look. Did you expect it to blow up like this? How many people have watched it in just one evening?”

Can’t argue with that.

Yoon Seonghan just nodded.

This time, he looked down at the tablet.

Club Sierra’s official YouTube channel.

There were only three videos uploaded.

Yet it had already surpassed 100,000 subscribers in a flash.

Was that even possible?

“Taeyoon said he had something to talk about, so he’s coming. We can listen to him first and then talk.”

“Something to say? What? Don’t tell me… it’s not, right? Right?”

Yoon Seonghan shrugged.

Great minds think alike.

They were probably thinking the same thing.

This had blown up bigger than expected.

They knew Taeyoon’s personality.

Suddenly blowing up on YouTube might feel overwhelming to him.

He might say he can’t perform anymore.

He might ask them to take the video down.

What then?

It’d be a crime for only them to see a video this amazing.

But they couldn’t let Kim Minsoo catch wind of that worry.

If he did, he’d start badgering everyone—no doubt.

So they had no choice but to wait quietly until Taeyoon arrived.

“Just do whatever he asks.”

“Hmm……”

“He might be feeling pressured.”

“That’s true. That’s true.”

Kim Minsoo calmly organized his thoughts.

Of course, making the club famous and making Taeyoon a top DJ were important.

But the most important thing was Taeyoon’s feelings.

Kim Minsoo was determined to keep their original promise.

A space where Taeyoon could perform freely and comfortably.

That’s what Club Sierra needed to be for him.

He shouldn’t feel any pressure or burden.

Kim Minsoo opened his mouth calmly.

“Yeah. Once Taeyoon arrives, we can hear him out first before proceeding. I’ll just sit here in ultra-serious mode.”

“You? Really?”

“When I say I’ll do something, I do it. I’m good at acting, you know.”

“Well, that’s true……”

The two waited nervously for Taeyoon.

Yoon Seonghan glanced sideways at Kim Minsoo.

Thankfully, he was sitting there with a stern expression.

At times like that, he really looked like a fourth-generation chaebol heir.

There was definitely something different about him. Was this what they called chaebol class?

But.

Making that thought pointless—

“Taeyoon-ahhh! Seo Taeyoounnn! Why are you so late? Was there traffic? How was the driver? He wasn’t rude, right? Was it tough getting here? Sit down first. Dinner? Want me to order something?”

—Kim Minsoo immediately reverted to his excitable mid-thirties self the moment Taeyoon appeared.

I expected a reaction, but not to this extent.

CEO Kim Minsoo grabbed both my hands and shook them.

Manager-hyung just clicked his tongue.

“Uh… please sit down first.”

And what’s with those sparkling eyes?

“Taeyoon-ah, you saw the video too, right?”

“I watched it on the way here.”

“As expected of our Taeyoon, so composed! Things are blowing up and yet you're so calm. Should we call you Seo Taeyeon instead of Seo Taeyoon? Ha ha.”

……Was this really CEO Kim Minsoo’s character?

It made me question whether the guy composing songs about the inner struggles between a chaebol and a musician was even the same person.

And I had no idea how to respond to that unfunny joke.

In the end, I just gave an awkward smile and said,

“I like it too. A lot.”

“See? The whole world’s about Blackhole right now.”

“It’s not that big. With YouTube, if the algorithm catches, getting views overnight isn’t even surprising. If you expect too much, you might just end up disappointed.”

Something being good is one thing.

Reality is another.

I didn’t want to get my hopes up and be let down.

I’d spent the last year enjoying what I wanted to do, even without this kind of attention.

Whether the situation changed or not—

I was still Seo Taeyoon, and here, I was DJ Blackhole.

I told myself to keep it together.

“Wow, it's blowing up on Insta and Twitter too.”

“……Really?”

“Look.”

“Huh?”

It was true. YouTube was just the beginning.

Starting from YouTube—

it had spread across social media and music communities, even onto college community boards.

Was this really happening?

Music communities, okay. But college boards?

Wait, hang on.

Could it be… my school too?

I was planning to return next semester.

No one recognized me… right?

I wasn’t exactly a social butterfly at school, but I had plenty of classmates I was friendly with.

“Taeyoon-ah. Didn’t you say you had something to say?”

“Just a sec. Five minutes—no, one minute’s enough.”

Just in case, I checked our school’s community board.

[ Anonymous ]

Did you see this DJ video?

↳ Yeah, dude’s got skills.

↳ Why’s the club DJ look so gentle?

↳↳ He’s wearing a mask, but you can still tell?

↳↳↳ You can see it in his eyes. Why so serious lol.

So far, so good.

Hopefully no classmates catch on.

As I scrolled through the posts—

[ Anonymous ]

You know that DJ video that’s trending?

Doesn’t he look familiar? Why does he seem so recognizable?

↳ You too? Me too!

↳ Fr, can’t place it, but he seems familiar.

↳ Wait a sec… someone I know?

↳ You saw nothing lol. He’s just hot, that’s why.

↳ Nah, no one that good goes to our school, bye.

↳↳ My eye for faces is sharp. If he was here, no way I wouldn’t remember.

Thank goodness.

Well, there could always be someone who just looks similar.

I felt grateful for the mask, set down my phone, and opened my mouth to speak.

“CEO.”

“Oh, yeah. You said you had something to tell me?”

The mood had finally calmed down.

Though everyone was still sitting, eyes fixed on me.

“I… wanted to know more about you, CEO.”

“Huh? Me? All of a sudden?”

“It’s not that sudden.”

I began speaking calmly.

From the moment I first saw CEO Kim Minsoo and was inspired to write an intro riff—

to when I got stuck while writing the lyrics.

Even after talking for quite a while, strangely, Kim Minsoo just nodded silently without offering any answers.

After gauging the atmosphere for a bit, I asked cautiously,

“CEO, is something wrong? If I’ve overstepped…”

Then Kim Minsoo waved his hands and replied,

“No, no. I was just…”

He paused, then looked me in the eyes and continued.

“It was fascinating. I was just thinking… what kind of words should I say?”

“Fascinating?”

“I felt like you knew me better than I know myself? No, that might be a stretch. But before that—Taeyoon.”

“Yes?”

“Could you play the song for me?”

I nodded quickly.

I even tried to make a playful face.

The mood was getting a bit heavy, so I wanted to lighten it up a bit.

“I’ll play it.”

It was a song I made, but it was good. No other word for it.

Especially with the main character of the song, CEO Kim Minsoo, sitting right in front of me.

The refined beat matched his silhouette perfectly.

Even as the cool sound wrapped around the office,

CEO Kim and Manager Yoon’s expressions remained warm.

Three minutes and thirty seconds flew by.

As soon as the track ended—

“Ah, I get it. This is it.”

Kim Minsoo snapped his fingers and asked me with a confident voice,

“Taeyoon, you said this track came to you while thinking about me, right?”

Nod nod.

“You got stuck writing lyrics because you felt like you didn’t know me well?”

Nod nod.

“So you came to hear my story.”

Again, I just nodded quietly.

I wasn’t a fan of replays.

But strangely, Kim Minsoo began talking at length—uncharacteristically for him.

A few more repetitions passed.

Finally, as if he had made up his mind, he smiled and said something unexpected.

“Taeyoon. I don’t think this is my story. Ah, that’s why it felt a bit off.”

“Huh?”

“To me, this sounds like… wait. Manager Yoon, when you heard this track, did you think of me too?”

When he suddenly pointed at him, Manager-hyung muttered under his breath, “Of course I did.”

Regardless—

CEO-hyung continued.

“I misunderstood at first too. When I heard it in the studio last time, it felt like I was possessed or something. But Taeyoon, when I listen to it now… why does it sound more like your story than mine?”

At that, my heart sank to the floor.

“Music needs to be honest, Taeyoon. Listening again, I can hear it clearly now. It’s obvious. Let’s be real here. What you really wanted was…”

“……”

“To use me as an excuse to tell your own story.”

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