Peninsula: I created the golden age of girl groups

"So... what exactly is going on?"

Behind the door, Yoona and Sooyoung looked at each other blankly.

After a moment, Sooyoung was the first to recover. "It seems that the mysterious person who wrote that song is most likely Senior Kang Woo-hyuk."

Her gaze remained somewhat unfocused, clearly indicating that she was still finding it difficult to accept.

There are multi-talented or crossover artists in the industry... but to go from being a minor figure in variety shows to a musical genius who can move even SM Entertainment's top executives...

Isn't this leap a bit too surreal?

Yoona nodded, her gaze still fixed on what was ahead.

At this moment, Yuri had already run up to Kang Woo-hyuk, tilting her head slightly as she spoke.

A genuine, bright smile bloomed on her face.

She had rarely seen that kind of genuine, bright expression since she met Yuri.

Although her suspicions had been confirmed, a certain intuition, which she couldn't quite explain, still stirred within her.

She always felt that... Yuri's gaze towards Kang Woo-hyuk seemed to be mixed with something else.

But she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

However, now is clearly not the time to delve into these matters.

Yoona could only suppress the strange thoughts in her mind and tugged at Sooyoung, who was still in a daze. "Let's go! If we keep watching, we'll really get caught! I guess we're just here to talk about that song. Let's go, there's no more drama here!"

Xiuying also sighed, her face showing the same lack of interest.

The two didn't linger and returned to the practice room dejectedly.

……

"Senior, this way!"

Kwon Yuri led Kang Woo-hyuk toward the other entrance of the building.

But her gaze kept involuntarily drifting toward Jiang Yuhe beside her, scrutinizing him cautiously.

But just by looking at it, a strange feeling, which she couldn't explain, inexplicably swept through her heart.

This was only the second time the two had met.

But the Kang Woo-hyuk before me gave me a feeling similar to that night under the streetlights, and also to the one I saw on the X-MAN program...

Things are all a little... different now.

But she couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Yuhe also noticed Yuri's occasional glances and asked gently.

"Ah! No, it's nothing!"

Yuri's face flushed red instantly, and she quickly composed herself. "This way, senpai, we'll be at the president's office soon."

"Um."

Jiang Yuhe smiled as he watched Yuri's suddenly hurried back, and then quickened his pace to catch up.

Soon, the two arrived at the president's office, and Yuri raised her hand and gently knocked on the door.

"Go in!" Lee Soo-man's calm voice rang out.

Kwon Yuri pushed open the door, stepped aside to let Kang Woo-hyuk go in first, and then followed him in, closing the door behind her.

Inside the elegantly decorated president's room, three people were already sitting quietly, waiting.

Behind the large desk in the very center sat Lee Soo-man.

He was holding those iconic glasses in his hand, gently wiping them with a lens cloth.

On the single sofa to the side sat President Kim Young-min, whose face was refined but whose eyes revealed shrewdness.

On the other side was music director Yu Yongzhen, whose temperament was relatively gentle and whose expression was slightly solemn.

The moment the door was pushed open, all three of their eyes fell on Jiang Yuhe.

Then, the air froze, and the three of them stared blankly.

However, having all weathered many storms, the three of them quickly regained their composure.

Lee Soo-man slowly put his glasses back on, looked at Kang Woo-hyuk, and slowly spoke, "Kang Woo-hyuk Xi?"

He paused for a moment, seemingly feeling that the opening was too brief, before asking slowly with a tone of confirmation.

"You are... Jiang Yuhe, right?"

"Yes, Lee Soo-man, Kim Young-min, Yoo Young-jin, nice to meet you. I am Kang Woo-hyuk. Please take care of me."

Upon hearing the affirmative answer, the three of them gasped in shock.

Before this.

Based on Yuri's descriptions, they also imagined countless possible identities for the "mysterious person".

Or perhaps a talented but unknown underground musician, or a troublemaker sent by a rival...

But no matter how wildly imaginative the speculation, it's impossible to connect it with Kang Woo-hyuk, who's just a minor figure on the sidelines of a variety show.

However, the three of them were seasoned veterans, and they regained their composure almost instantly.

"sit."

Lee Soo-man stretched out his hand and pointed to the chair next to him.

Seeing that the two sides had met, Yuri bowed respectfully and prepared to leave the president's office.

"Yuri."

Lee Soo-man then called her over, "Why don't you stay and sit down and listen with us?"

Although he was unclear about the relationship between the two, he figured it must be something more.

This is a real headache.

"Inside!"

Kwon Yuri was clearly taken aback for a moment, and looked at Lee Soo-man with some surprise. Only after he nodded did she carefully sit down next to Kang Woo-hyuk.

"Jiang Yuhe Xi".

Lee Soo-man looked at Kang Woo-hyuk again and got straight to the point: "I believe Yuri has already told you why I invited you here; it's about that song..."

"Yes, I understand." Jiang Yuhe nodded, remaining neither humble nor arrogant.

"very good."

Lee Soo-man leaned forward slightly, his face solemn, and said, "What Yuri sang for us before was only a portion of the song. After listening to it, we all greatly admired your...understanding and reinterpretation of the song..."

He deliberately obscured the reason, clearly not wanting to characterize the incident as a so-called copyright dispute.

But I still couldn't help but subtly hint at the song's affiliation.

"So, the reason I invited you here today is that I hope you can write down the complete version in your mind, including the complete score, harmonic progression, and any arrangement tips you feel are necessary."

As he spoke, he observed Kang Woo-hyuk's reaction. "Don't worry, we value the song itself. As for the compensation, SM is always generous and will definitely satisfy you."

Their gazes fell on Jiang Yuhe's face once again.

However, Jiang Yuhe's reaction completely surprised everyone present.

He neither agreed immediately, nor did he haggle, and his face did not even show any joy or hesitation.

Instead, his expression became somewhat strange, and he lowered his head slightly, as if he was thinking about how to phrase his words.

Lee Soo-man naturally noticed the change in Kang Woo-hyuk's expression, so he asked, "Woo-hyuk-xi, do you... have any other thoughts on the conditions mentioned earlier? Or is there anything inconvenient that you need to explain in advance?"

"You can speak frankly. At SM Entertainment, we always maintain the utmost sincerity and room for communication with truly talented collaborators."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yuhe slowly raised his head and then sighed softly.

"Senior, to be honest... I can sing that song, and I remember the direction of every melody and the emotional shifts, but..."

He paused, his helplessness becoming even more pronounced.

"You want me to write it down? Well... I really can't do it because I don't understand those things."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The huge president's office instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Silence, deafening.