Chapter 11

Reincarnation of the Reckless Genius Composer - Chapter 11 (11/482)

Starting with a captivating first line...

A chill ran down his spine as Jin's voice poured into his ears during the highlight section.

‘Does Jin really sing this well?’

Manager Kim turned his head to look at her, who was sleeping like the dead.

“Huh, huh.”

The more he listened to the song, the more a hollow laugh escaped him. As they say, even a dog can recite poetry after three years.

To the ears of Manager Kim, a seasoned dog in the entertainment industry, it was a song that could easily become a hit.

‘Is there anything more to fix here…?’

How can it get any better? It was already tightly woven and well-structured.

As a result, her voice was even more solid and powerful, holding its ground and moving forward.

“There’s nothing to feel unsatisfied about.”

Manager Kim took off his headphones and smiled contentedly.

“It’s not enough to just feel unsatisfied.”

Soon, Hyunsung picked up his headphones and prepared to work again.

“We have to keep refining it until it’s perfect.”

He tried to persuade him to follow the CEO’s suggestion, but...

How could he persuade such a stubborn person?

Manager Kim slowly nodded his head and shouted loudly.

“Alright, keep working. I’ll clean up here!”

He slowly moved his gaze to scan the messy room.

‘This will take quite a while.’

He started to clean the dirty table, humming the song he had just heard.

* * *

The PR department was, as usual, a battlefield.

“Have you submitted the additional article about Gong Hyo-ju to the desk?”

“Yes, I’m on my way to submit it now.”

Team Leader Kwak placed his hands on his waist and raised his glasses with a serious expression.

“Let’s get to work. Make sure to let your families know you’ll be busy before you forget their faces.”

The team members responded in low, complaining voices.

They knew everyone was working hard, even sweating, but...

What could they do?

Gong Hyo-ju’s new single had been released, and Seo Jin’s new single was set to follow.

There were piles of revised articles to submit to the media desks and news to broadcast.

There was no choice but to put all their efforts into it.

Moreover, the idol group ‘Blues’ from ON Entertainment and the rookie idol group ‘NineStar’ from MK Entertainment were about to make their comebacks.

Even Gong Hyo-ju, known as the national singer-songwriter, had to be on high alert.

Her new single would coincide with the activity period of the male idol group with the largest and most solid fanbase in the country.

The unity of the fanbase could sometimes replace the role of the PR department, making it a crucial element for artists.

It’s not for nothing that people say a song can top the charts even if it’s not that great.

‘Seo Jin won’t even have a chance...’

It was said that Joo Ji-tae refused to take on Seo Jin and handed her over to a rookie composer.

‘He’s practically pushing her out the door.’

That didn’t make Seo Jin pitiful. If anything, the rookie composer who had to take on Seo Jin was more pitiful.

‘He won’t even get a chance to shine before being swept away in this jungle.’

In the cutthroat world of the entertainment industry, both Seo Jin and the rookie composer were just unlucky.

“Team Leader, it’s clear that Blues is dominating the portals.”

At that moment, a PR department assistant approached with a tablet.

“NineStar is also getting some mentions.”

Swish, swish—

The assistant scrolled through the tablet and added.

“We’re doing our best to broadcast Gong Hyo-ju’s article, but the community posts are overwhelmingly few.”

“You can’t win against a male idol group.”

Swish, swish—

Swish, swish—

Articles about Blues and NineStar were pouring in non-stop.

［ Gong Hyo-ju, Single Release! “To repay the love from fans”... ］

［ [Official] Singer-songwriter ‘Gong Hyo-ju’ to release single on the 19th! ］

［ Gong Hyo-ju, Reveals Teaser for New Single ‘Flipped’... “Participated in lyrics and composition” ］

Articles about Gong Hyo-ju released by LS Entertainment followed, but...

↳ Another million-seller. Blues is really Blues.

↳ Is the jacket photo really that crazy? ㅠㅠ

↳ It seems Blues is really sharpening their knives this time ㅋ

↳ When is the album coming out? I hope it comes out soon...

↳ NineStar’s debut is also around the same time ㅋㅋ

↳ What timing? Just when it overlaps with Blues;

↳ NineStar is better though;;

↳ Honestly, in terms of singing ability, Hyo-ju is unmatched;

↳ Yeah, no matter what, no one can beat Blues in the music charts.

The momentum of fans from other idol groups was overwhelming.

“Gong Hyo-ju is a musician, so she doesn’t need to worry about this.”

Team Leader Kwak pushed the tablet away and shook his head.

“But...”

The assistant’s expression was very unstable as he held the tablet.

It was understandable.

The situation was indeed unfavorable.

However.

Gong Hyo-ju, though she didn’t record overwhelming album sales like an idol, had consistently topped the music charts.

The real issue was...

Whether Seo Jin could survive this round. The probability of not breaking even was overwhelmingly high.

‘Will the day come when we have to release an article about Seo Jin’s contract termination?’

As Team Leader Kwak’s thoughts lingered, the assistant spoke again.

“But it seems there are almost no articles being released about Seo Jin...”

“Now is the time to focus on Gong Hyo-ju.”

“Even when Seo Jin’s release season comes, it won’t be much different...”

“Stop talking nonsense. Let’s focus on our own worries for now.”

Not only Team Leader Kwak, but others also felt sorry for Seo Jin.

However...

There was nothing they could do.

They were just salaried workers following orders.

“Sigh.”

Team Leader Kwak sighed as he looked at the pile of papers on his desk.

‘I feel more pitiful than Seo Jin right now.’

The papers piled up on one side of his desk formed a dense tower.

At the top were materials related to Gong Hyo-ju.

And at the bottom...

Materials related to Seo Jin.

At the bottom of the entertainment industry pyramid, that was Seo Jin’s current position.

* * *

As expected.

Gong Hyo-ju’s single was steadily filling the break-even point.

However, some music critics had many regrets.

“Gong Hyo-ju’s new song can be described as ‘a well-prepared salad with an unsuitable dressing.’ Of course, her voice was still good, but the subtly twisted structure of the music gave listeners a sense of discomfort. To put it bluntly, it’s like a top-notch track maker laid out the track with great care, but a rookie top liner ruined it by adding the melody on top.”

However...

The public didn’t care about the boring critics’ articles. If it was a song they liked or sounded good to them, that was enough.

The negative comments from critics didn’t affect Gong Hyo-ju’s high-flying success.

“Hmm.”

But Manager Kim’s thoughts were a bit different.

“Definitely...”

Gong Hyo-ju’s single, which she had put her heart and soul into.

When he listened to it, he didn’t feel the shock he had when he first heard the sample song Hyunsung sent.

It was as if the mysterious raw gem he had discovered had lost its beauty after being processed.

Manager Kim was now feeling a subtle discomfort.

Hyunsung’s song was a gem created by the intersection of tightly woven lines, acknowledged by top-notch professional engineers.

Even a slight flaw in the processing could reduce the value of the gem.

‘What if...’

A glimmer of hope flashed through Manager Kim’s mind.

‘If Hyunsung had mined the raw gem and processed it himself...’

Could Seo Jin’s single defy everyone’s expectations and do well?

Suddenly, a conversation he overheard from the engineers came to mind.

“This Seo Jin’s single, it feels like it will do well.”

“Nah, it’s impossible unless something unexpected happens.”

“I just finished the final monitoring and handed it over to the distributor.”

The engineer’s lips curved into a smile.

“Ever since then, the song has been stuck in my head.”

The engineer’s expression confused Manager Kim.

It wasn’t a sharp evaluation as an engineer.

It was the expression of someone who was happy listening to the song as a member of the public.

Of course, the song sounded really good to Manager Kim’s ears too.

However...

When it came to Seo Jin, the risk of it backfiring was greater than the potential benefits, so he couldn’t help but worry.

‘If, by some chance, Seo Jin’s song does well...’

If it really did, it would undoubtedly play a significant role in establishing Hyunsung’s position in the company.

‘But that’s impossible.’

The balloon of hope in Manager Kim’s mind burst with a “pop!”

Past statistics predicted the outcome. Seo Jin was a failed brand.

“Tsk.”

This industry was not that easy.

* * *

On the day of Seo Jin’s single release.

In a small meeting room, only Seo Jin, her manager, Manager Kim, Hyunsung, and a junior PR department employee were present.

The room was eerily quiet.

Tap, tap—

The only sound was Seo Jin biting her nails.

“Jin, stop biting your nails.”

Despite the manager’s warning, she only stopped when a piece of flesh fell off.

Swish, swish—

↳ Is this a revelation?

↳ Admit ㅜㅜㅜ Especially the title track is really good

↳ Just a hit... The lyrics are perfect, really

↳ 3 million copies, go!

↳ Honestly, I’m not sure if this album is good.

↳ The comment above is a NineStar fan ㅋㅋㅋ;

↳ Admit what needs to be admitted; it’s just something done out of fandom.

Blues and NineStar were expected to do well, as she had predicted.

↳ Honestly, they’re the best in terms of visuals;

↳ Their songs are also really good. Check out the instrumental version ㄱㄱ

↳ But still, a good face is the best, isn’t it?

↳ Who can give me the coordinates?

↳ What’s the point of singing ability for idols?

↳ Can’t sing but criticizing others ㅋㅋ

↳ Crying over their faces every day

The part that caught Seo Jin’s eye was...

↳ Can she only sing well? She’s also good at composing.

↳ I heard she worked on this song herself?

↳ Really? She composed it too??

↳ But honestly, isn’t the song a bit off? Am I the only one who feels this way?

↳ No, I don’t think so;;

↳ If you don’t like it, don’t listen to it;

↳ But it’s a fact that it feels a bit off when you listen to it.

↳ What’s with the replies? Are they trolls or haters;;?

These were the reactions related to Gong Hyo-ju, who was from the same agency.

Although not all the comments were positive,

For her, even these were enviable.

‘My article is buried and can’t even be found.’

Despite trying to hide it, her anxious expression clearly revealed the reason for the silence.

‘Even after being released for quite some time, it’s still all about Gong Hyo-ju...’

Seo Jin habitually bit her lower lip.

Beep, beep!

Suddenly, a sound effect broke the silence.

“Eek!”

Manager Kim sighed upon discovering the source of the sound.

“Hyunsung.”

Everyone’s attention turned to Hyunsung.

“Turn off the game sound.”

Manager Kim nudged Hyunsung’s side and scolded him.

“Will the song’s performance improve if I turn off the game sound?”

“What?”

“The game sound doesn’t affect the song’s performance.”

Manager Kim pressed his forehead and sighed.

“Aren’t you nervous about your first single being released?”

“It’s already out of my hands, why should I be nervous?”

Hyunsung put down the game console and added.

“I worked hard to create a good song.”

Then he looked at Seo Jin.

“She worked hard, staying up all night to record it.”

Hyunsung’s eyes scanned the faces of the company representatives, including Manager Kim.

“So, isn’t the rest up to the company?”

Hyunsung’s overly relaxed attitude made everyone feel drained.

“Damn, you’re right...”

At that moment, Seo Jin let out a sigh and laughed.

“Puhuhu.”

She quickly composed herself and put down her hand.

Then,

The silent PR department employee spoke calmly.

“Seo Jin’s single is about to be released...”

Everyone’s gaze turned to the employee.

“1 minute left.”

The room was filled with a strange tension as the sound of typing began.