CTFI 08

Chapter 8

Piggybacked Idol

Clef Entertainment CEO’s Office

“Puhahaha!”

Yoon Tae-jin grabbed his protruding belly and laughed uproariously. The chair creaked and groaned under him.
He had laughed so hard that he had to wipe away tears streaming from his eyes several times with the back of his hand.

“Jik-deung-hi-heu-reu…”

Luha grit his teeth and glared at Yoon Tae-jin.
His gaze carried a murderous intensity that didn’t match his five-year-old face.
Jin Do-hyun—a lifelong single man in his mid-30s who had never dated anyone—had now cemented a misunderstanding: that he had a hidden son (Luha). And it had happened by his own words.
He felt like biting his tongue.

“Ah… sorry, sorry.”

Yoon Tae-jin waved his hand as if apologizing, though his face didn’t show any real remorse.

“Whew~ So, how did you manage to get the call from RE:VIVAL?”

A few days earlier – LUMIS dormitory

“Sam-cho-on~”

Luha gently tugged on Lee Gun-woo’s pant leg.

“Hahaha. So you’re Luha?”

Lee Gun-woo bent down to meet Luha’s eyes.

“Wow… you don’t even look good on camera? You’re a real-life visual!”

Seeing Luha in person, Lee Gun-woo genuinely marveled.

‘Can a five-year-old really be this handsome?’

He looked like he had stepped straight out of a comic. A face full of potential! No wonder writer Seo Yoo-jin both lamented and couldn’t give up.

“So, Luha, what do you need? Some jelly?”

He took out some jelly he had prepared earlier.
Before arriving at the LUMIS dorm, he had stopped at a convenience store to get it.
Since it was their first meeting, he worried Luha might cry or get startled by a stranger, possibly interrupting the filming. But surprisingly, the little boy was very mature.
Or rather, he was an “old soul.”
He crossed his legs, scratched his back with a back scratcher, and even suggested ending filming early because it was too long.
Even that alone was impressive.
If things went wrong, he could easily take control of older, much bigger men—no ordinary skill.

Thanks to Luha’s outgoing nature, filming wasn’t too difficult.
Though, of course, he still didn’t fit the “healing” concept…

“That’s fine—”

Luha waved his hand.

“JinTube.”
“JinTube?”

Lee Gun-woo tilted his head.

“Yeah~ What’s your relationship with Gun-woo Pictures? Not a subsidiary, right?”
“Uh, huh?”

Lee Gun-woo’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘They said he’s CEO Yoon’s kid, but he even knows about this?’

He was a little shocked. He hadn’t expected a five-year-old to know the term “subsidiary.”

“Hahaha. How do you even know that?”

Lee Gun-woo offered him a piece of jelly.

“Well… to be precise, it’s a partnership. Friends!”

He carefully explained in terms a five-year-old could understand.
Luha nodded and asked:

“So, since he’s a friend, can I ask him for a favor?”
“Huh? Are there any older brothers or sisters you want to see, Luha?”

Lee Gun-woo smiled and asked.
Many elementary school children dreamed of being celebrities—flashy stages, cool outfits, enthusiastic fans. A young child like Luha would likely be curious about handsome older boys or pretty older girls.

But what came out of Luha’s mouth next was totally unexpected.

“You know RE:VIVAL~?”
“Uh… yeah? I… know it?”
“Please tell your uncle friend to let our big brothers participate too~ Sam-cho-on~”

At that moment, Lee Gun-woo’s eyebrows twitched.

“What…?”

The tone was cute, but the face did not match at all.
The corners of his mouth were downturned, and his eyebrows slanted seriously.

“….”

Lee Gun-woo stepped back, carefully examining Luha again. He was definitely a five-year-old.

“Sam-cho-on~”

Yet the twitching lips and eyebrows…

“Lu… Luha?”
“Yes?”
“Are you… being threatened?”

Lee Gun-woo whispered.

“If it’s true, nod your head.”

Luha slightly tilted his head and said:

“It’s not a threat~ Sam-cho-on~ You’ll do it, right?”

Luha’s chin jutted out further.
Gulp—
Lee Gun-woo swallowed dryly.
This was definitely a threat.

‘A five-year-old threatening me!’

“So? Did you say he asked as a five-year-old, so they agreed to cast him?”
“Do you think that would work?”

Luha tossed the profile he had been looking at onto the table and frowned.

“So?”

Yoon Tae-jin asked with a puzzled expression.

“They contacted me for casting.”
“Really? When?”
“At the planning stage. As a judge.”

Actually, this program had first offered Jin Do-hyun the role of judge.

“Why didn’t you do it? It’d be nice to be on camera again after a while.”

Yoon Tae-jin grinned.

“If I had, I couldn’t have worked with Clef.”
“Huh?”
“Well, that, and…”

The real reason Jin Do-hyun had turned down the RE:VIVAL judge role was separate.
Jin Do-hyun, the “unofficial #1 pick” for any audition program—he gave sharp critiques without caring about time, place, or person. Perfectly suited for ratings.

Two years ago, he had participated as a judge on another audition program.

“Open your eyes nicely.”
“Speak respectfully.”
“Mind your manners.”

At the time, one contestant’s attitude annoyed him, and his offhand remarks caused a problem.

The comments on forums still lingered in his memory. Despite his tough mentality, negative comments never failed to sting.
But unexpectedly, the program’s ratings soared as comments exploded. Despite mediocre previous seasons, his sharp critiques saved the show.

The participant eventually reached the finals and debuted, but was expelled within a year.

School bullying history surfaced, with ten victims revealed in just a few months. Though he attempted a solo comeback, another controversy fully ruined him.
Thanks to this, Jin Do-hyun was recognized for his “eye for talent,” and the meme of him saving the program with his sharp critiques became legendary.

“People might say you only got involved because of your influence,”

Yoon Tae-jin’s worried voice pulled him back to reality.

“Right?”

Luha rolled his eyes.

“Do you think the broadcasting station would just put a talentless idol in the program because of one request from me?
You need a story-pulling group, don’t you? Just in case, I asked PD Lee Gun-woo too. Don’t worry.”

Luha waved the back scratcher.

“Ah…”

Not wrong, but Yoon Tae-jin felt a sting of hurt.

‘My kids are just being used for story material…’

Luha crossed his arms and said:

“Don’t take it lightly. Han Jin-seo will be in that spot.
If you get scolded by Han Jin-seo, LUMIS disbands that day!”

Luha’s eyelids trembled.

“Hyung, I’m a judge~ You’re too old to be called now?”
“…Ah, that was your seat? Ridiculous. But watch me. I’ll prove it. That seat won’t exist anymore.”
“Hey, Jin Do-hyun. Answer me…”

Just thinking about that mosquito-like kid stressed him out.
Back scratcher technique! Chapter 1!
Scratching the back in rage!
Luha performed the back-scratching technique in anger.

“Phew…”

After taking a deep breath and shaking off the mosquito thoughts, Luha picked up the profiles he had thrown on the table.
Baek Do-ha, Cha Eun-gyeol, Ryu Si-an, Kang Ian, and the youngest, Ha Jin-woo. Profiles filled with the five LUMIS members’ info.
Judging by internal and external trainer reviews, nothing seemed wrong.
But Luha didn’t trust these profiles.
The unease he felt when first seeing them in Jin Do-hyun’s body mattered more than the profiles themselves.
More scrutiny was needed, and improvements were certain.

“Where should I start…”

He groaned. Twisting short, chubby legs wasn’t easy.
Half of one leg bounced in the air above his knee.

“You going back to the dorm today?”

Yoon Tae-jin stood up, ready to leave, and asked.
Luha spent a few days at home and a few at the dorm each week.

‘Damn, I wanted to rest at home today.’

Although he had been home for a few days, going to Clef Entertainment (under the excuse of following his uncle Yoon Tae-jin) had deprived him of proper free time.
Today, he had planned to binge-watch Piano Fairy Doremi Season 5 with yogurt ice cream. A new fairy appeared in Season 5.
The Harp Fairy!

‘Haha, despite the name, she looked pretty tough…’

“…Wait!”

Luha raised his short hand.

“Ah, you startled me! Why?”

Yoon Tae-jin frowned.

“Hyung, you’re free tomorrow, right? Let’s go somewhere.”