Enjoying Life With Do As You Please System

I had fully intended to sit down on the bench with Val and Dylan to enjoy the warm meal, but the sudden buzz of my smartphone in my pocket threw a wrench into those plans.

Unlocking the screen, I was greeted by a frantic series of texts from Yerin, practically screaming through the glass: ’SETH COME BACK TO SARAH’S OFFICE RIGHT NOW!! IT’S AN EMERGENCY!! EVERYTHING IS GOING DOWN THE DRAIN!!"

Seeing her so genuinely panicked, I didn’t hesitate for a single second. I told Val to watch Dylan, turned on my heel, and sprinted down the VIP corridor as fast as my legs could carry me, cutting through the administrative wing in a blur.

Reaching the double doors of Sarah’s private command office, I slammed them open and stepped inside.

"WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?! SARAH, EVERYTHING IS RUINED! IT’S A DISASTER!"

The scene inside was pure chaotic comedy. Yerin was practically bouncing off the walls, pacing back and forth across the carpet, clutching her head and screaming at the top of her lungs. Meanwhile, Sarah sat at her massive desk, rubbing her temples with an utterly exhausted, long-suffering expression as she watched her star artist lose her mind.

Before Yerin could launch into another wave of panic, I stepped forward, reached out, and grabbed her hand, pulling her straight into my arms.

"Whoa, whoa... calm down, goblin," I murmured, wrapping my arms firmly around her waist and gently patting the back of her head.

The moment my warmth enveloped her and my hand stroked her dark hair, Yerin’s frantic bouncing instantly ground to a halt. She buried her face in the crook of my neck, clinging to my shirt with both hands like a lifeline as her ragged breathing slowly settled into a calm rhythm.

Across the room, Sarah stopped rubbing her temples, her sharp eyes widening slightly behind her glasses as she stared at us in surprise. She had spent years trying to manage Yerin’s sudden panic meltdowns, so seeing a single hug from me instantly diffuse the pop star’s chaos was clearly something she hadn’t expected.

I pulled back slightly, leaning down to press a reassuring kiss onto the top of Yerin’s head. "Alright... deep breaths. Tell me what happened."

Yerin sniffled, looking up at me with pouting, teary eyes that looked ridiculously cute. "Seth... the concert is going to fail. It’s a complete disaster..."

"Why?" I asked gently, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "What’s wrong?"

"My lead lyricist got hit with a sudden, severe flu this morning and got hospitalized!" Yerin whined, leaning her forehead against my chest. "He was supposed to finish writing the lyrics for the two centerpiece tracks for the farewell concert! The concert is literally day after tomorrow, Seth! How am I supposed to perform a proper farewell concert if I don’t have new songs to sing?! I don’t want to just recycle my old tracks!"

I stroked her back thoughtfully, processing her predicament. Writing lyrics for two flagship tracks in less than forty-eight hours was a brutal deadline for any normal artist.

"Well..." I began, scratching my cheek casually. "I used to write a bit of poetry and song ideas when was bored during late-night kitchen shifts. I could try writing the lyrics for you, if you want."

Yerin blinked her dark eyes, looking up at me in surprise. "Wait... really?"

"Yeah," I chuckled, offering a modest smile. "I mean... assuming you’re actually willing to sing lyrics written by your boyfriend."

"Of course I would!" Yerin shouted without a single beat of hesitation, shaking her head rapidly. "I’d sing them even if they were completely terrible."

I burst into a genuine laugh, shooting her an amused look. "Geez... thanks for the vote of confidence, babe."

"No! That’s not what I meant!" Yerin squeaked, her face flushing pink as she buried her head back into my chest, flailing her arms. "I meant I’d love to sing your songs no matter what!"

Sarah let out a long sigh from behind her desk, pushing her chair back and standing up. She looked at the two of us, shaking her head with a mixture of amusement and concern.

"Seth, offering to write the lyrics is a sweet gesture," Sarah spoke up, her mature, refined voice bringing a sense of order back to the room. "But from a production standpoint, it’s an insanely tight constraint. The compositions for those two tracks are already finalized, mastered, and locked in. We don’t have time to compose new music to match new lyrics, that would take days of studio work that we simply don’t have."

Sarah turned her gaze toward Yerin, rolling her eyes playfully. "Which is why Miss Melodramatic over here is overreacting. The instrumental tracks are absolute masterpieces, and even if Seth writes simple lyrics, Yerin’s vocal range is more than capable of carrying the entire emotional weight of the song."

"Hey!" Yerin pouted, sticking her tongue out at her manager.

I chuckled, leaning my hip against the edge of Sarah’s desk. "Hey, if all else fails, we can just write numbers as the lyrics and name the track ’The Number Song.’ You can just sing ’One, Two, Three, Four’ with incredible emotion."

Yerin burst into laughter, slapping my shoulder playfully. "Seth! Stop making jokes! That’s absurd!"

Seeing a bright, happy smile return to her face, my expression softened. I reached out, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Don’t worry about it, Yerin. I’ve got this covered. Just give me a few hours, and I’ll give you the absolute best lyrics you’ve ever sung."

Yerin stared at me, the lingering doubt in her eyes completely vanishing, replaced by absolute trust. She nodded firmly. "Okay! I’ll email the finalized instrumental audio files to your phone right now so you can hear the rhythm and structure!"

She pulled out her phone, tapping the screen for a few seconds to send the files over.

"You should stay right here in Sarah’s private office to write," Yerin added enthusiastically, gesturing to the quiet, luxurious room. "It’s super quiet, the sofa is comfy, and nobody will disturb you!"

"I don’t mind," Sarah agreed smoothly, picking up a stack of clipboard schedules from her desk. "I have to oversee the technical stage rehearsals with the lighting crew anyway, and Yerin needs to get to her vocal warm-up session."

"Good luck, babe!" Yerin cheered, hopping onto her tiptoes to press a quick kiss against my lips. "I can’t wait to see what you write!"

With that, Sarah and Yerin gathered their things and stepped out of the office, closing the heavy double doors behind them.

Click.

The room fell completely silent.

I stood alone in the center of the spacious executive suite. I walked over to the leather sofa, sank into the soft cushions, and pulled my smartphone out of my pocket, opening the two audio files Yerin had just sent me.

[Oho?] Paige’s mischievous voice chimed in my head, practically vibrating with excitement. [So, Host! It’s time to unleash legendary, god-tier songwriting authority.]

’Yeah, just not the one that guy from Doraemon had...’

[Hehehe~]

I rolled my eyes at her, ’Don’t even think about it, Paige.’

[What if I do?]

’Then, be ready to become marmot.’

[Tsk! Always threatening your best friend.]