Chapter 1

20-second Composition Genius, Becoming a Monster in 200,000 Seconds - Chapter 1

The End of Human Fishing is Hell

I want to smash the heads of those brats who ruin the introduction with bricks.

It's a personal desire I've harbored for a long time.

And I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks this way.

Stealing introductions is common in the industry.

When I post my work on Sound Climber to get people's opinions, so-called pros shamelessly take only the key and rip off the code.

Of course, this is the conscientious case.

There are countless others who rip off not just the minor major structure but even the precise Amj9 code without a single mistake.

The one who takes the melody is even more audacious.

And when it gets caught by the YouTube algorithm and turns into an idol trainee BGM?

It happens more often than you think.

Is this even right? But there's no way to argue.

An individual can't win against a famous person or a company.

I know I'll just get the same old response: "You're just paranoid and playing X."

And besides, I don't have the right to say such things.

Play ->

Today, I came up with another amazing introduction.

Recommendations: 1002

- Damn, this is good.

- Why doesn't this guy just compose the whole thing?

└ He's probably already doing it.

) This is it.

└ 100% it's just a hobby lol

My song was posted on the main page of a famous community. It's not a frequent occurrence, but it's not the first time.

"Today, the reactions are good..."

But is it right to call it a 'song'?

Isn't it more accurate to call it a 20-second melody and chord block?

Whatever.

I felt good.

It was very satisfying to see people enjoying a 20-second song.

And,

- Please finish it!

- Damn, you bastard!

The sight of people suffering, very satisfying!

"Hehe. I'm not not making it."

I only upload introductions on the internet; I don't do any other activities.

That's why people don't know.

The reason I only upload 20-second songs is that I can only make 20-second songs.

"Haah..."

34 years old.

I'm now undeniably in my mid-30s.

It's hard to console myself with "I'm still 20 in my 20s, 30 in my 30s" when I'm a middle-aged man.

And I realized it.

"I'm screwed."

My life is screwed.

Graduated from a music high school, enrolled in a music university.

A life with nothing but music in my footsteps.

I wanted to be a composer since I was young.

I actually worked hard to become a composer and succeeded.

The memory of holding the master keyboard for the first time after breaking free from being a junior producer in the studio is still vivid.

How can I describe the feeling of seeing trainees smile and dance to the short practice songs I made?

I was happy.

But the happy times were short-lived.

However, all the problems started from that period.

- The intro is good... but it's just okay from the middle. Why don't you try attaching it to someone else's song?

The suggestion I received after releasing my first song as a pro.

I was stunned when I heard the suggestion.

"Only the intro?"

The idea is to create an intro, and another composer will enhance the melody and finish the arrangement.

It sounded like some weird combination robot, but apparently, it can happen.

And...

- Joint composition is out of the question. It just complicates things, you know?

Of course, there was no honor to be expected.

So, what happened?

I did it.

I had no choice.

I needed money. The offered income was about the same as a regular company employee's salary, so I thought it could serve as a foundation for the future.

...It was a mistake.

A deep, deep mistake.

"I got used to it."

Humans are creatures of habit, right?

Focusing on the intro, which was my forte, made me even better at it, but I found the latter part increasingly tedious.

If I can make a living just by doing this, why bother with the tedious full composition?

Can't I just do this for the rest of my life?

These thoughts gradually took root in my mind.

Laziness.

I was lazy.

And if I was only lazy, it would have been better...

'But I also had a condition.'

I always thought that discovering a rare disease at a hospital after a lifetime of ignorance was just a cliché in dramas.

But experiencing it was different.

It was shocking.

ADHD

I had a concentration disorder all my life.

Looking back, there were signs. I was always a kid with scattered thoughts, and although I poured all my energy into things I found interesting, I quickly lost interest.

The diagnosis explained why I was particularly good at composing introductions... or rather, why the quality plummeted after the intro.

'It was shocking.'

Still, I thought it was fortunate.

I started treatment, thinking it was fortunate to discover it now.

Although I now only post 20-second songs and occasionally visit the DC Hit Gallery, someday...

Someday, I will definitely complete my own perfect 200-second song.

Even though I'm now only good at making intros and work in a logistics center, someday...

"Let's go to work."

The clock pointed to five, but it was morning.

I got up, washed my face with cold water, and left the house.

Brrrrr-

As soon as the cold wind hit my neck, my body shivered like a massage chair. I wore a long down jacket, but the feathers had all fallen out because I put it in an old washing machine to save money.

"It's cold..."

My skin aches.

The temperature outside and the temperature of my life feel the same.

But I have to endure.

I promised to endure.

I got on the logistics center shuttle bus.

I sat in the back row behind a middle-aged man who just quietly looks at his phone.

If you ask if I'm close to this man, I'm not.

If you ask if I have a thing for him, absolutely not.

I sit here every day to sneak a peek at his phone.

Ding ding ding.

A typical pop intro with a sweet acoustic guitar sound.

Some people on the bus turned their heads, but not everyone. The rest were already used to it.

Because this man never uses earphones when watching YouTube!

Whoosh-

After about 10 seconds of quiet acoustic sound, the electric guitar came in.

A slightly overdriven Stratocaster, a seven chord.

It feels like something is about to happen.

It feels like the vocals should come in and deliver a powerful line!

But that was it.

22 seconds.

Enough time for an intro to start a song, but not enough to savor the vocals and main melody.

I knew it all too well. After all, I composed the song.

"Damn, you bastard!"

And I had already anticipated the man's reaction.

"Why don't you finish it, you bastard... you bastard... you bastard?"

The man started muttering to himself.

Other people looked at him as if he were crazy, and I did too at first, but now I don't care.

You see people like that sometimes, right? People who speak their thoughts out loud.

They're not hitting me or anything. I don't think there's any reason to be afraid.

"Damn, damn."

The man continued to curse while listening to my music.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the bus window.

A routine that has been going on for weeks.

A fan meeting that helps me endure the grueling loading and unloading work for a day.

"..."

That's right.

A fan.

This was the first time I met someone who liked me in real life.

No matter how often I appeared on community sites, I never had the chance to experience it in real life. The internet and reality are different.

'Thanks to you, I haven't given up and have kept going, sir.'

Many people run away from loading and unloading work after just an hour. Will I be able to endure?

On the first day, my mind was filled with that thought.

But meeting this man made me forget the pain of the first day.

The joy of meeting someone who liked me was greater than the pain.

And at that moment, I resolved not to give up.

To someday release a proper song.

A song that makes the person playing it, singing it, and listening to it feel something and be happy.

And to achieve that... to endure here and, no matter what, endure life.

Ching-

The bus arrived at the logistics center.

It was late in the early morning, and the sun hadn't risen yet. I got off after everyone else.

Since there was still time before the start, I planned to buy bread and milk from the only convenience store across the street before starting.

Bam!

Not the bread to eat, but a different kind of bread seemed to be waiting for me.

"Huh?"

The loud truck horn and blinding headlights filled my vision.

Then, numerous thoughts flowed through my mind.

The smell of the first money I earned from music.

The memory of first touching a piano as a child, the joy of shaking hands with an artist I admired, the old master keyboard.

The dull gray default background of the tiresome Logic Pro.

A guy who sold a stolen MacBook on a secondhand site and fled to jail.

And...

And again.

Regret.

'Ah... I should have said thank you.'

My life ended like that.

An accident on a quiet road without traffic lights or crosswalks.

No matter how kindly it was explained, it was a trivial reason.

...Wait.

"Huh?"

"Age 34, many grievances, deep emotions, no spouse, many good deeds."

I'm dead...?

But why... can I still hear a voice?

I can't see anything, but where is this voice coming from...?

"But... your evil deeds are immeasurably large."

"Evil deeds... I didn't kill anyone!"

The voice didn't come out, but I definitely felt like I shouted.

"Killing isn't the only evil deed. There are more types of evil deeds in this world than good deeds. You committed a great evil deed."

The voice was very firm.

And gradually... the surroundings began to brighten.

No, it's not just brightening, it's getting hot!

"You will fall into hell. You played with too many people."

"What... what...?"

"Song."

"Oh."

Composition.

Could it be... could it be because I only made 20-second songs?

I posted them under different names on the internet, ran away, and watched the reactions... I did find it amusing...

"Your behavior was shameless. Enjoying the suffering of others. You were a perfect fit for hell."

"What...?! Hold on!"

"Can you feel the heat?"

It was hot.

Not hot enough to kill, but it felt like being continuously doused in 55-degree water, perfect for sous-vide.

"I was going to do better from now on."

"Everyone thinks that way. But there is no 'from now on.' You only live in the present, don't you?"

The pain made my vision blur again.

The voice also became blurry.

But the last soft, low voice I heard,

woke me up.

"Your passion for music was only that much. 55 degrees. Perfect for sous-vide."

"..."

"Shouldn't you have finished it? Damn, you bastard."

I fell into hell for being cheap and running away.