Boa tilted her head, listening carefully as Jihoon's fingers danced across the keyboard. Her brows furrowed deeper with each note.
She couldn't lie — it was beautiful. And more importantly, it was fresh. She had never heard anything like it before, not in Korea, and not even in Japan, where she was currently promoting her songs.
But Boa being Boa, stubbornness was practically her middle name.
She crossed her arms, scowling suspiciously. "How do I know you didn't just dig that outta your secret folder of backup songs?" she accused, jabbing a finger at him like a prosecutor grilling a suspect.
Jihoon turned dramatically in his chair, throwing his hands up. "Who cares?!" he whined, his lips jutting out in a very professional pout. "As long as it's not plagiarized, it's my creation!"
BoA gave him a flat look. "You and your pea-brain logic."
"This pea-brain is making your hit single, though," Jihoon said smugly, folding his arms and leaning back like a boss.
BoA rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't pop out. "Fine, fine. So when's the full song gonna be ready, Mr. Mozart?"
Jihoon scratched his head sheepishly. "It's... a little tough. I'm stuck on the lyrics. Some words and grammar just don't feel right, so I gotta... uh... double-check the dictionary."
BoA's jaw dropped. "Seriously? You? A SNU student? Need a dictionary? How did you even get into university — was there a two-for-one sale or something?!"
Jihoon gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. "Noona-ah! You just crushed my pride and emotionally damaged me!" he wailed, before slumping over the table like a deflated doll.
BoA snorted, not remotely sympathetic. "Drama king. Anyway, hurry up! My Korean album's dropping soon — you're not gonna make me wait another year for one song, are you?"
Jihoon gave her a mischievous grin. "Who said anything about Korean?"
Boa blinked. "Wait... you're writing in English?!" she yelped. "Dude, I just started learning English! My pronunciation is tragic."
"Relax," Jihoon said, waving a hand. "It's not English. It's Japanese."
"Japanese?!" Boa blinked. Then, switching languages mid-sentence, she asked in surprisingly decent Japanese, "You speak Japanese?"
Jihoon straightened up proudly and answered — in flawless Kyoto-accented Japanese — "I've been learning it for over a year. Took online classes while I was bored after filming."
Boa's jaw practically hit the floor.
She grabbed Jihoon's face with both hands and peered at him like he was some newly discovered alien species. "What the heck are you? A super mutant? That accent's better than mine!"
Jihoon shrugged like it was no big deal. "What can I say? Boredom breeds strange hobbies."
"Ya! Daebak!" Boa squealed, giving his shoulder a few excited slaps. "Alright, it's settled! If you write me a masterpiece, you're officially my personal composer from now on!"
Jihoon groaned, rolling his eyes. "Hey, hey, slow down. Next time, I'm charging you — market price! No discounts!"
Boa stuck her tongue out. "Write me a song first. Then we'll talk business, Pea-boy."
With a final smirk, she flounced out of the studio, leaving Jihoon to wrestle with the melody — and a suspiciously stubborn muse.
Meanwhile, Boa made her way down the hall toward the CEO's office.
Inside, Lee Sooman looked up from his papers with a gentle smile. "I hear you and Jihoon have been pretty close lately?" he asked, lacing his fingers together.
Boa plopped into a chair, crossing one leg over the other. "Eh, it's rare for me to find someone I can actually talk to without feeling like I'm working," she said casually. Then, with a sly grin, she added, "Teacher's not worried we're dating, right?"
Lee Sooman chuckled warmly. "Honestly? I wish you two were dating."
Boa blinked, startled. "Huh?"
He leaned back, his expression softening. "I've always seen you like my own daughter. You grew up carrying too much responsibility too young. Of course, I want you to find someone good."
Boa laughed, tossing her hair. "Jihoon? Good? He's just... interesting," she teased, though her smile softened slightly too.
Lee Sooman chuckled again, but there was a shadow behind it. "Jihoon is a good person," he said seriously.
"Talented, hardworking, responsible. His film skills, his songwriting... even his JH Entertainment company is thriving. Honestly, it's a shame he's not under SM."
Boa raised an eyebrow. "Teacher, are you disappointed he's not making money for you instead?"
Lee Sooman gave a long-suffering sigh. "You caught me."
Boa giggled. "But SM still owns shares in his films, right? So what's the problem?"
Lee Sooman's smile faltered slightly. "It's... complicated," he said after a pause. "It's not a secret, so I'll tell you. So far, the company's made about 20 million dollars from investing in Jihoon's films. Great margins, almost unheard of."
Boa whistled lowly. "That's huge!"
He nodded. "Yeah. But during the scandal around his last film... SM didn't step in with PR support. Some of our management didn't want to 'get involved'."
His mouth twisted slightly. "Since then, the relationship's been... strained. Some people worry JH Entertainment won't let us invest next time."
Boa's playful expression faded. Her brows furrowed as she processed everything.
"So..." she said slowly, "you want me to stay close to Jihoon because of that?"
The words hung in the air, heavy and raw.
Boa knew this world too well. No matter how adored idols were by the public, to management and corporations, they were still just products — valuable, but replaceable.
Bargaining chips. Investments. Tools to serve someone else's gain.
And if not for Lee Sooman's personal kindness over the years, she would've been just another commodity too.
Lee Sooman didn't answer immediately. He sighed deeply, looking almost... tired. Worn down by the machine he helped build.
He said nothing.
And in that silence, Boa got her answer.
She stood up quietly, smoothing her jacket. "It's okay, teacher," she said lightly, forcing a smile. Then she headed toward the door.
Lee Sooman looked at her, shaking his head slowly.
He had watched Boa grow up, and from her words — and more importantly, the emotions behind them — he could tell her feelings toward Jihoon weren't just casual.
If Boa ended up with Jihoon, it wouldn't just be good for her.
It would be good for the company's future.
And it would give the board the answer they were quietly waiting for.
"YA! LEE JIHOON! Is my song done or not?!"
The door burst open like a mini explosion, and there stood Boa— hands on hips, eyes blazing, and a whole lot of main-character energy.
Her voice echoed down the hallway before Jihoon even had time to blink.
Jihoon didn't even flinch. He just raised an eyebrow, still slouched in his chair, fingers resting lazily on the keyboard.
"Nonna-ah… ever heard of knocking?" he sighed. "You literally left, like, an hour ago. I'm just talented, not a machine."
Boa stomped in, dramatic as ever, arms flailing like a CEO about to fire someone.
"Excuse me?! What did you just say?! I don't want talent — I want results!" she declared, pointing at him like he'd just committed a crime.
Jihoon chuckled, spinning his chair around to face her. "Is this your idea of motivation? 'Cause it kinda feels like a labor violation," he quipped.
But behind all that sass, Boa was clearly… off.
Her cheeks were slightly pink, and she looked flustered. Ever since that strange conversation with Lee Sooman earlier, she'd been acting like she had something to prove.
She plopped onto the studio couch with a loud flop, trying too hard to look intimidating, but her pout gave her away.
Jihoon tilted his head, eyeing her with mock suspicion. "What's with you today?" he asked. "Did someone steal your stuff or something?"
Boa scoffed. "Mind your business, kid."
Jihoon snorted.
He had no idea why she was suddenly in dragon mode.
Maybe she was just cranky. Maybe she was stressed.
Or maybe… she was going through that mysterious phase he'd only heard whispered about — the one where single women supposedly got emotional over the tiniest things.
Menopause? Mood swings? Boa-pause?
He wasn't about to find out. He liked being alive.
So he did what any smart man would do — he changed the subject.
"Anyway, here," Jihoon said, handing her a slightly crumpled sheet of paper. "Fresh outta my brain. Lyrics are still a little rough, but it's got that home-cooked flavor."
Boa snatched the paper like it was a classified document, her expression flipping from dramatic to dead serious in half a second. Idol mode: engaged.
"Stay by My Side[1]," she read aloud.
Her brow lifted, just a bit.
The title was… soft. Intimate. A far cry from Jihoon's usual chaotic style — this was pure R&B.
The lyrics weren't perfect — a few phrases stumbled, and the grammar had Jihoon's signature freestyle flair — but there was something raw and genuine buried in those lines.
Something real.
She didn't say anything at first. Just nodded slowly, the sass fully replaced by focus. Work mode had taken over.
"Did you arrange the accompaniment?" she asked, brisk and professional.
Jihoon grinned, spinning back to his desk like he'd been waiting for that cue all day.
"You know it," he said, hitting play.
The speakers filled the room with music — soft piano, warm strings, a gentle rhythm that built with quiet emotion. It wasn't flashy, or stage-ready. It was honest.
And that's exactly what made it special.
[Author's Note: Heartfelt thanks to Wandererlithe, Daoist098135 and JiangXiu for bestowing the power stone!]
[1] Sobani-irune