chapter eighteen,
entertainment management

"Hi, could you connect me to Jina Lim's room? She's a guest at your resort." Kitty talks on the phone as she and Winnie walk into their next class together.

    "Oh, my mistake she must be staying at another property. Thank you." Kitty hangs up the phone. "That was weird."

    "What?" Winnie asked as they took their seats.

    "Apparently Jina wasn't there." Kitty furrowed her brows. "Hey, do you know who our teacher is?" Kitty asked Min Ho as she also sat down.

    Min Hon shrugged his shoulders as he fidgeted with his watch.

"I'm just glad I won't have to perform. I'm still scarred from playing the donkey in my church's nativity play." Stella adds with a laugh. "But I'm guessing with your dad, you'll have a record deal, blockbuster movie out soon."

"Yeah, not my thing." Min Ho replied dryly.

"Good afternoon." Mr Moon entered the classroom.

"Oh my gosh." Min Ho pulls his attention away from his father.

"And congratulations. Out of all the new arts courses offered at KISS, you lucky few have stumbled into a masterclass. But I have some news for you. Being a successful manager.. isn't something one can teach."

"Why is this a class." Min Ho muttered at Winnie.

"Don't ask me." She shrugged, having the same thoughts as him.

Mr Moon continued, "It comes down to trusting your gut. And today, you will determine who will earn a spot in Advanced Voice, and who will get their mic cords cut."

Kitty raised her hand skeptically. "Uh, Mr Moon, I don't know enough about singing to be an effective–"

"Knowledge is overrated."

Winnie furrowed her brows at his response. Mr Moon spoke towards Kitty, "My strongest opinions are on things I know almost nothing about."

Praveena chuckled which only made Kitty smile at the girl.

"And that's my dad." Min Ho sighs deeply.

"Let's bring in the aspiring signers."

The students from the singing class had joined into the entertainment management class. They had turned a regular classroom into some sort of talent show.

Dae was up first and stood in front of the students, "Being close and being clever. Ain't like being true." He sung as the five in the front made notes on him.

    By the time everyone had finished with their singing, Winnie was half asleep. She leaned against her palm while it rested on the desk.

    "Morris." Min Ho nudged Winnie awake, just in time to hear Mr Moon's speech.

    "Dae Kim received unanimous approval. Thought Min Ho did note he was a bit pitchy." Mr Moon spoke.

    "Dude, seriously?" Kitty leaned forward and gave Min Ho a look.

    "I agree. In fact, Min Ho and I had identical feedback for each singer." Mr Moon said making Min Ho looked down.

"Stella, you were the only student who voted for Mihee. Why?" He asked.

"I didn't want to hurt her feelings." Stella replied innocently.

"It's hurtful to let someone with no talent believe they have what it takes." Min Ho spoke up.

"That's not necessarily true." Winnie added herself into the conversation.

"Oh?" Min Ho glanced at her with a sly expression. "Why's that?"

    Winnie felt Min Ho's gaze on her, as if waiting for her to continue. The two held eye contact, with Winnie trying to ignore the butterflies it gave her.

    "Well," she began, "Just because someone might not have natural talent doesn't mean they can't learn."

"My son is right." Mr Moon interrupted the two. "Those who feel the urge to sugarcoat the truth will never make it in this business."

Stella stares at the table in front of her as Min Ho stands up to leave. Kitty noticed her changed demeanour, "Hey, it's just the first day."

"Kitty are you coming?" Winnie asked standing up, her backpack slung over her shoulder.

"You go ahead. I'm just talking to Stella." Kitty tells Winnie with a smile.

Winnie nods at Kitty before glancing at Min Ho as he headed towards the door. She quickly follows him out with a quick "See you later," to Kitty.

As they walked out, Winnie caught up with him. "You're a jerk, you know that?" Without waiting for a response, Winnie continued, "You shouldn't lead Stella on."

"What do you mean?" Min Ho feigned innocence, despite knowing exactly what she was referring to.

"Just tell her you're not interested in being with her."

"And why should I?" He asked, a sly smirk playing at his lips.

Winnie stopped in her tracks, "Because it's mean not to." She folded her arms over her chest.

"Mean." Min Ho repeated, a hint of mockery in his voice. He sighed deeply as he looked around. "Fine."

Winnie's eyes widened at his response, surprised that he agreed so easily. "Really?"

Min Ho nodded, "Yup."

— alisha's notes !

short chapter bc i'm not feeling like writing a full one