Chapter 18

Reckless Genius Composer Returns - Chapter 18 (18/482)

After about half a month of grueling practice, Jung Arin finally managed to record.

"Cold..."

Jung Arin muttered softly, then closed her eyes and curled up for a moment. She suddenly lifted her head and looked around, muttering, "Huh?"

'When did I fall asleep?'

It took her three whole days to record just one song.

"Let's take a break."

Hyun Seung declared a break, leaving only the final stages of the recording to be completed.

Was it because she pushed through the recording despite being exhausted?

It seemed she had fallen asleep without realizing it.

'What should I do? I don't want to get a scolding for falling asleep. Should I pretend to wake up now and act like nothing happened? What time is it...'

She tried to look around, but her eyelids felt unbearably heavy.

'I should get up and apologize before it's too late...'

Just as Jung Arin was about to gather the strength to stand up...

Creak—

The studio door suddenly opened, and the sound of footsteps began to be heard.

In the end...

Jung Arin had to pretend to be asleep in an awkward position.

"Hey, it feels like it's been a while since I've been in the studio."

"Yes, it has been a while."

"Right, I've been completely swamped these past few days."

"Thanks to that, I've been eating alone in the cafeteria every day."

From the conversation, it was clear that Hyun Seung and Manager Kim had just returned from the cafeteria after finishing their meal.

"Hmm?"

Manager Kim, who had been flossing his teeth, frowned.

"How come it looks exactly the same as when Jin was recording?"

His gaze was fixed on Jung Arin's back, who was curled up on the sofa.

"Aarin, that kid has really been through a lot."

"What do you mean, 'a lot'?"

"Look, it always ends up like this, doesn't it?"

Manager Kim scowled and retorted.

"Hey, have you ever thought about how hard it must be for the person recording with a music freak like you?"

"Thanks to that, the results are somewhat guaranteed, right? It's better than failing later."

There was no point in arguing, but there was nothing to counter with.

"Damn it..."

Manager Kim, determined to one day defeat Hyun Seung with words, paused for a moment.

"By the way."

He casually threw the toothpick into the trash can next to the computer and asked.

"Are you really okay with this?"

It was a question laced with concern.

"What do you mean?"

Manager Kim nodded toward Jung Arin.

"You don't know our CEO very well, but if you slip up, you'll lose his favor."

"He doesn't seem that petty, and what if I don't get his favor?"

Hyun Seung shrugged.

"What's the point of getting favor from a middle-aged man?"

"Everyone tries so hard to get his attention..."

"That's their business. I don't care."

Hyun Seung, who sat down in the studio chair with a calm demeanor, prompted Manager Kim to ask again.

"Many famous singers were vying for this song. You brought in a trainee who was kicked out. Do you think the higher-ups will be pleased...?"

Jung Arin, who was pretending to be asleep, perked up her ears.

'A list of famous singers...?'

Manager Kim pulled out a small notebook from his suit pocket and flipped through it, continuing.

"Park Shin-ho, VMS, Kim Jin-oh, Cain, and who else...?"

Hyun Seung interrupted, "Enough, enough..."

"Why are you bringing this up now when the recording is almost done? And stop using terms like 'higher-ups.' It sounds like you're talking about the Jade Emperor or the King of Hell..."

Manager Kim sighed, "Hmm."

"Hyun Seung, I have one question."

"Keep asking all sorts of questions."

"Why did you choose a trainee who was kicked out?"

Jung Arin was also curious.

'Why me, really...'

The singers Manager Kim mentioned were all guaranteed to be successful to some extent.

They were surefire hits.

Not only were they skilled, but they also had a higher level of recognition. Why did he choose her over them?

"I think she's a pretty good instrument."

"Her?"

"Yes, she just had the wrong player."

He was probably referring to the male trainee trainers.

"So, the male trainers played her wrong?"

"If they had played her well, would she be napping over there?"

"Still, looking at her trainee records, she was always in the lower ranks..."

It was a question implying that there were much better options.

"So, it's all the player's fault."

"Hmm..."

"What did she do wrong?"

Jung Arin, who was eavesdropping with her ears perked up, felt a lump in her nose.

'He says it so casually...'

Just knowing that someone recognized her value made her feel like all her hard work and struggles were worth it.

"Phew, I'm still worried."

Manager Kim sighed again, sounding regretful.

"After all, the song isn't even out yet, and the album hasn't been released. I think we should reconsider this..."

Hyun Seung chuckled.

"If you have time to worry, why don't you think about today's lunch menu?"

"The cafeteria food is always good. Why should I worry about the lunch menu? The nutritionist should take care of it."

"Then why should I worry about the performance I'm supposed to take care of? It won't help much anyway."

Hyun Seung, as usual, was brimming with confidence, but from Manager Kim's perspective, there was no choice but to worry.

A smooth road.

It seemed like he had chosen a path that was not just bumpy but extremely difficult, instead of a well-paved one.

"Stop worrying."

Understanding Manager Kim's concern, Hyun Seung asked warmly.

"Do you know what the most useless worry in the world is?"

"Is it worrying about celebrities?"

"If you don't worry about celebrities, who will you worry about?"

"People usually say that, right?"

"Drinking, drugs, violence, scandals—there are so many things to worry about."

"Then what kind of worry?"

Hyun Seung smiled and answered.

"Worrying about me."

If anyone else had said it, it might have sounded like a joke, but coming from Hyun Seung, it was reassuring.

"Damn..."

Manager Kim picked up the headphones and added.

"Play the song once."

"That's not possible."

"Come on, don't be so stingy."

Hyun Seung shrugged.

"You'll just say it's good, right?"

"How can you be so sure?"

"You always say that."

Although he said it, he lightly pressed the Enter key and played the song.

Click.

As the accompaniment started, Manager Kim immediately put on the headphones...

The prelude that immediately captured his attention was followed by Jung Arin's voice.

"Wow..."

The smooth flow of Jung Arin's voice over the intricately woven song left him no choice but to sigh.

It was a progression known as a "money code," but...

In the midst of a clear identity, a distinctive vocal was adding its own flavor.

The catchy melody and lyrics.

Even though he wasn't deeply knowledgeable about music, he was confident it was a good song.

Manager Kim's method of distinguishing between good and bad songs was very simple...

If he could imagine the song topping the charts without feeling out of place, it was a good song.

It works.

The more the song progressed, the more confident he became.

Although he couldn't guarantee it...

This quality is enough to become a hit.

"This will work..."

"Huh?"

"It's really good, isn't it?"

Manager Kim, moved, took off the headphones and asked.

"You said it wasn't finished, right?"

"Yes."

"Can we send it for mastering right away?"

Hyun Seung firmly replied.

"It still needs a lot of work."

"You've been recording for three days."

"Does the time matter? The result is what's important."

"Anyway, you're a music freak..."

Manager Kim, trailing off, glanced at Jung Arin, who was curled up on the sofa, and added.

"Try to finish the song as well as you can. Once it's out of your hands, the rest is up to the company, right? Both you and her have worked hard, so I'll do my best to ensure the best possible outcome..."

Hyun Seung, hearing this, asked Jung Arin.

"Hey, did you hear that?"

Manager Kim quickly interrupted, calling out to Hyun Seung.

"Hey, hey, why are you waking up a sleeping person?"

Hyun Seung shook his head.

"She's not sleeping."

"Huh?"

"She's awake."

Hyun Seung spoke to the back of Jung Arin's head, who was lying still like a mouse.

"How long are you going to pretend to be asleep?"

Jung Arin, who was curled up, suddenly flinched.

'How did he know?'

How did he know she was awake?

Or, how long had he known?

'What should I do...'

She hadn't intended to, but she ended up eavesdropping on their conversation while pretending to be asleep.

Feeling embarrassed, Jung Arin couldn't do anything but bite her lower lip.

"Three."

Hyun Seung slowly started counting.

"One."

Jung Arin, whose face was turning red, covered it with her hands.

"Two."

Finally,

"I had a good sleep!"

Jung Arin abruptly sat up, forcing a smile.

"Ha ha, should I go into the booth now...?"

Hyun Seung shook his head.

"Go wash your face first."

Jung Arin, whose face was pale from exhaustion, smiled awkwardly.

* * *

A few days passed in a flash.

Jung Arin.

Her recording was completed smoothly, and the release date was set.

Hyun Seung, who had completed his part, took a few days off, and...

Manager Kim, who took over, was handling the work as usual when he was suddenly hit by a strange unease.

'What is it?'

No matter how he tried to consider her as a rookie, the male was unusually quiet.

To exaggerate a bit, it seemed like no one was interested in Jung Arin's debut.

The publicity department was unresponsive to even minor requests for days, only giving intermittent, formal responses...

The monitoring process of the song and the transfer to the distribution company were often delayed.

'Even if it's a parachuted project...'

Considering that she was a rookie singer who had signed a formal contract with LS Entertainment, it was a puzzling situation.

Thud, thud.

Finally, Manager Kim decided to take matters into his own hands.

With both hands full of coffee, a bribe of sorts...

He was heading toward the publicity department.

'This is a project the CEO is keeping an eye on...'

If it failed, it would affect Hyun Seung's future.

Or, rather...

At this point, he felt a bit aggrieved.

The song was good.

Despite bringing in a trainee who was marked for expulsion, he managed to produce a song of such high quality. Why were the responses so lukewarm and uncomfortable?

"Hey, Team Leader Kwak!"

Manager Kim, lost in thought, met Team Leader Kwak in front of the publicity department at the right moment.

"Manager Kim...?"

Team Leader Kwak, holding thick documents in both hands, was about to leave after a brief nod.

Under normal circumstances, he would have made a joke or a few meaningless jokes.

'Something is up.'

Manager Kim called out, "Wait a moment!" and handed over the coffee he was carrying.

"Could you take this to the publicity department?"

"What, you even bought this..."

He took the coffee with an awkward smile.

"Thank you, I'll enjoy it."

Manager Kim glanced at the inside of the publicity department and started the conversation naturally.

"Team Leader Kwak, is the publicity team still busy these days?"

"We're always busy..."

"Right, if you look around, this is the hardest department."

Manager Kim nodded and pointed toward the emergency stairs.

"Want to go up to the roof for a cigarette?"

Team Leader Kwak hesitated for a moment, then sighed.

"Sure."

He nodded reluctantly and replied.

"I'll hand over the coffee and follow you up."

A short while later, the two stood in front of the rooftop railing.

Squish—

The two, who had lit their cigarettes, exhaled smoke as if by agreement...

"Team Leader Kwak."

Manager Kim spoke first.

"Yes, Manager Kim."

A moment of silence.

"Actually, there's Jung Arin, who's about to debut."

The moment "Jung Arin" was mentioned, Team Leader Kwak's face showed discomfort.

"Yes, I know."

Manager Kim then got to the point.

"It's almost time for her debut, but there doesn't seem to be any progress."

"Ah, well..."

"I don't want you to misunderstand. I didn't call you to say anything."

Manager Kim tilted his head slightly and asked.

"Is there something going on?"

Team Leader Kwak just kept smoking without answering.

"Right? Come on, tell me."

After a moment, he groaned.

"School ties, work ties, blood ties, and smoking ties, right?"

Manager Kim tried to be friendly.

"We've smoked together so many times. Are you going to be upset? If there's a reason, you should tell me so I can prepare, right?"

Team Leader Kwak muttered softly.

"Damn, I'm going crazy..."

He suddenly ran his hand through his hair and glanced at Manager Kim.

"I'm really only telling you, Manager Kim."

After a deep breath, he cautiously continued.

"The lack of preparation isn't because the publicity department is busy."

"Then why?"

"It's because we need to conserve our energy right now."

Manager Kim sighed and asked.

"It's a matter of timing?"

The phrase "conserve energy" was a euphemism used in the industry.

It referred to the company holding back its influence in preparation for a major event, such as a top celebrity's comeback.

In other words, it meant they couldn't focus on Jung Arin's promotion because they were preparing for a major comeback by a top male singer.

However, something was off.

No matter how he thought about it, there was no top male singer in the company who was about to make a comeback soon.

A few names came to mind, but they all had schedules for the second half of the year, so there was no need to conserve energy yet.

"Isn't there a singer about to make a comeback?"

"I'm really sorry, but I can't say more."

"Team Leader Kwak, really? Let me breathe a little."

"Ha, it's under a strict embargo..."

Team Leader Kwak looked around and lowered his voice.

"KOK is about to release their 10th anniversary album soon."

At this, Manager Kim's eyes widened.