~~Meanwhile…~~

A screech of tires echoed in the sparse parking lot of GOLD Entertainment as a white van skidded to a stop. Bystanders stopped and stared at the famous singer, who jumped out of the car wearing a black face mask and a huge white hoodie that covered most of his face from view. Slamming the door shut behind him, Yi-an quickly tried to enter the building, yet… As soon as everyone realized it was ASH, hordes of screaming fans raced after the irritated celebrity, hoping to get a picture of him. After all, it wasn’t every day where he made a public appearance!

“Oh, no! That idiot, I told him to stay in the car!” his road manager muttered to herself while quickly jumping out of the driver’s seat. 

“EXCUSE ME! PLEASE MOVE OUT OF THE WAY! THANK YOU!”

“AHHH~ Oppa!!!”

“ASH, I LOVE YOU!”

Shoving through the excited crowd, Yi-an slipped into the entertainment company with the help of a few security guards and his road manager, who managed to stay right by his side throughout the chaotic scene. With a loud sigh, Yi-an ripped off his mask and stomped up the stairs toward the fourth floor. 

“Yi-an! Calm down! It’s not like the CEO and the director approved of it yet!”

Pausing mid-step, the haughty singer glowered at his manager, “Calm down?! Noona, would you calm down if you were told that the song YOU wrote was being handed off to another singer?! That song is the title track for my new album! I can’t just give it away!”

“I understand, but it’s not set in stone! CEO Lee was just saying it could be a possibility–”

“Possibility, my ass!”

“Yi-an, arguing with the CEO won’t solve anything! He’s trying his best to find a new music producer, so just give him some time!”

Ignoring his frantic manager, Yi-an reached the fourth floor in a heartbeat. His adrenaline rushing, he strode up to the CEO’s office and, without knocking, burst through the doors. He was about to voice his displeasure when the singer froze in shock. 

Standing before him was a man with a tall, athletic build while his coiffed, jet-black hair framed his chiseled jawline and prominent nose. However, it wasn’t the man’s handsome features that caught Yi-an’s attention. Instead, the man’s dark, smokey eyes caught the singer completely off-guard as he stared at the man in a daze. 

“... Yoon Min hyung…?”

The businessman stiffened at Yi-an’s whisper but quickly recovered. Buttoning his suit jacket, Min swallowed hard and completely ignored Yi-an as he glanced back at the horrified CEO. That good-for-nothing bastard. 

“Thank you for your time, CEO Lee.”

The conglomerate heir was about to leave when he felt Yi-an’s hand snake around his arm. Biting his lip, Min steadied his hammering heart and turned to look into the singer’s wavering eyes. Min couldn’t bear to stare back at his old friend as he quickly jerked his arm away. After hearing what CEO Lee had to say, he couldn’t happily greet Yi-an like he had initially planned. Not yet, at least.

“...Is there something you’d like to say?”

“You’re Min hyung, aren’t you?! How… How are you–” 

“Y-Yi-an! What are you saying?! I-I’m sorry, Director Yoon; please forgive my artist here. He’s been working on his comeback for the past few weeks, so he hasn’t been getting enough sleep.”

“But–!”

Gritting his teeth, Min hastily exited the office with Joon-woo trailing behind him. The pair could hear Yi-an’s faltering voice from within the closed doors, asking how “that man” wasn’t Yoon Min. Hesitantly, Joon-woo glanced at his boss, whose shoulders seemed so heavy and burdened by this new information. Not knowing what to say, the secretary could only pat his friend’s shoulder as they waited for the elevator.

~~~

“LET GO OF ME! I need to check to see if he really isn’t Min hyung!” Yi-an screeched, trying to push past the trio blocking the doors.  

“YI-AN!”

Yi-an glowered at his mentor, who had a look of rage and frustration. How could CEO Lee deny that the businessman from earlier wasn’t Yoon Min? He looked exactly like his deceased friend…! There was no way he couldn’t be him!

“You saw how much he looked like him!”

“Yi-an, Min is dead. He died eight years ago, don’t you remember? How can a dead person be alive?!”

“But–”

“That man is the sole heir of S&H Group. So how could he be Min? Get your senses together! That man can never be Yoon Min. Do you understand?”

Yi-an faltered in his step as he gazed back at the CEO. That man was the heir to S&H…? But how could he look exactly like his first love? Just how? Could two people really look so similar when they weren’t even related?

“...Go home and rest, Yi-an. As for your title track, we’ve decided not to give it to SHINE. I’m sorry for making you worry; it was a bad judgment on my part.”

“Yi-an? Let’s go home, okay?”

Gently leading the singer out of the room, the road manager exchanged glances with the two executives before walking toward the elevator. Closing the door behind him, CEO Lee rubbed his face with his hand, completely drained of all his energy from the unexpected encounter. 

“Should we really continue lying to Yi-an like this? Even though Chairman Yoon is investing money in the company, this isn’t right–”

“We don’t have a choice; we need to protect Yi-an. His career will be ruined if Chairman Yoon finds out that he knows Min is alive. It’s safer than going up against the chairman.”

“...Fine. But don’t come to me when this bites you in the ass.”

Exasperated, CEO Lee stared at Director Jung’s retreating figure. Did she really think that he wanted to do this? They had to survive somehow!

“...Dammit!”