Chapter 2

Reincarnation of the Reckless Genius Composer - Chapter 2 (2/482)

Have you ever heard of the story of the butterfly dream from Zhuangzi's "Discourse on the Equality of Things"?

Whether it is a dream of becoming a butterfly,

or a butterfly dreaming of becoming me, one cannot know.

"Exactly."

Hyun-seung was just like that.

"How could this happen…."

An incomprehensible event occurred.

Clearly, he had….

Died alone, lonely, and desolate, hadn't he?

But, how could this be?

When he opened his eyes, he found himself back at the age of 21.

At first, he was bewildered by the unknown situation….

But after a while, he decided not to worry about it.

'Worrying won't solve anything…'

He spent several days racking his brain trying to figure out what had happened, but now he decided not to worry anymore.

After all, worrying wouldn't lead to an answer, would it?

'First, I should get up and not just lie around.'

Hyun-seung got out of bed and headed straight to his desk.

'This desk is really small…'

Although he had always thought his house was small even as a child, after living in a large, luxurious house, this one felt even smaller and more dilapidated.

He opened his notebook and picked up a pen.

He intended to write down the current situation on paper and slowly sort things out.

1. I died.

It was a clear fact.

'I definitely died.'

After staring at the page for a moment, Hyun-seung underlined the phrase he had written and began to write a new one next to it.

1. I have returned to the past.

He hadn't died but had returned to when he was 21.

Although he didn't know how this had happened….

Hyun-seung saw this as an 'opportunity' to correct all his mistakes.

'Yes, this is an opportunity.'

An opportunity to live happily while making music without repeating past mistakes.

If he really had another chance to live, what should he do?

'What should I do?'

How could he live a life without regrets?

First,

The only thing he knew how to do was music.

'I'm confident in music.'

In his previous life, he had released hit songs without any formal education.

Contrary to the public's assumption that he was a one-hit wonder,

Hyun-seung had an unusual track record of making almost every song he released a hit.

The secret was 'talent.'

Hyun-seung had what is often referred to in music as a money code.

That is….

The ability to create music that makes money.

It wasn't something he learned but a natural talent.

So, it was a talent he could confidently call his own.

In short, making money through music was very easy for Hyun-seung.

However,

Unlike his previous life, where he was buried in work, this time he wanted to look around.

He realized he had ignored many things, using busyness as an excuse….

'This life will be different.'

This time, he wanted to live while looking around.

Additionally,

He decided not to get into any scandals.

'Even in my previous life, there were no issues with drugs, women, or alcohol.'

But, living with the belief that arrogance is a virtue, he inadvertently found himself in various scandals.

Starting with the death of his agency's CEO, who committed suicide because Hyun-seung didn't give him a song, the world began to point fingers at him….

Everyone seemed to be waiting for the chance to bring him down, pouring out all kinds of slander and insults.

'Thanks to that, I couldn't even release songs under my name.'

This time, he wanted to be more discreet and careful with his music activities.

No,

To be precise, he wanted to work comfortably without revealing his identity to the public.

'Yes, that's the answer.'

Since he couldn't avoid making enemies, he decided to hide his identity and make music.

'Good.'

He felt that things were starting to take shape.

Plan 1. This is an opportunity! Make music again!

Plan 2. However, don't get buried in work!

Plan 3. Stay low-key and don't reveal your identity!

Plan 4. Make the family happy!

Hyun-seung added the final plan.

Plan 5. Write a song for my father.

In his previous life, he had made so much money that he couldn't count it all, no matter how many times he tried.

'I definitely did.'

Hyun-seung thought he had treated 'work' as a kind of 'game.'

Creating songs, proving his success, and confirming the rewards….

He had been thoroughly intoxicated by the dopamine released during the process.

Work, work, work, work.

As his life became increasingly buried in work, his relationships with his family grew more distant.

'Even as my father's condition worsened, I was only focused on work…'

And his relationship with his younger sister had deteriorated to the point of no return, hadn't it?

"Ha."

Hyun-seung sighed deeply.

And then,

He wrote the final sentence as a pledge.

This time, it will be different.

It was both a resolution and a pledge.

A very firm resolution.

* * *

'I need to make some money first.'

After roughly organizing his future plans and heading to the living room, the first thing Hyun-seung thought of was this.

The moldy tatami, the discolored walls and ceiling, and the house that was too small for a family of three.

'I need to move.'

According to his memory, the family's financial situation was definitely not good at this time.

In his previous life, he could only move after his first hit song.

At this time, they were even struggling to pay bills and worry about their next meal.

Startled!

Feeling a presence, his father gathered the bills on the table and stuffed them into a drawer.

- Hyun-seung, have you eaten?

Hyun-seung shook his head and replied in sign language.

- I'm fine.

Then he asked again.

- What about you?

His father answered.

- I've already eaten.

And added,

- I might get a regular job through a disability employment program. I'll be doing simple assembly work at a factory, so I'll have a steady income. Don't worry, Hyun-seung.

Hyun-seung nodded, and his father continued.

- You just got out of the military, so you should meet your friends and have fun. From my experience, there's a time for everything, including worry-free fun and laughter.

His father was like that.

Although he lived a hurried life,

He never forced me to do anything.

'Indeed.'

According to my memory, after being discharged from the military, I didn't find a job for over half a year and just stayed at home.

I had no particular desire to find a job, nor did I have any studies I wanted to pursue, so I wasted my youth.

But my father, who could have been frustrated, never once nagged at me.

Being able to rest, challenge, and fail is a privilege of the young, right?

Surprisingly, when I randomly told him I wanted to try composing,

- I support you.

With those words, he believed in me, even though I had never even attended a piano class, and supported me silently.

- What about Hyeon?

His father answered Hyun-seung's question.

- She's been coming home late from the study room lately.

And, while getting his coat,

- I should go pick her up.

After his father left,

"Hmm."

Hyun-seung immediately took out the bills his father had hidden in the drawer and calculated the unpaid amount.

A total of 2.2 million won.

Although it was a small amount that would have been laughable to the Hyun-seung of the past,

'But it's a big worry for my father now.'

In fact, at this time, Hyun-seung had been ignoring such a situation.

Pretending not to know,

He had wasted time playing games in his room.

'I have about 1.5 million won on hand.'

It was the money he had saved from his military salary and a few odd jobs.

Because of his prickly personality, he had no friends and no reason to go out, so he had saved it all.

'With this, I can at least get some basic equipment.'

Hyun-seung muttered to himself.

"Let's try to make some money."

* * *

After that, Hyun-seung focused on second-hand trading.

"Yes, the amount is correct."

Hyun-seung nodded in response.

"Yes, I'll take good care of it."

He then looked down at the second-hand headphones he had bought.

'Is this it?'

MIDI keyboard, audio interface, condenser microphone, speakers, and headphones.

Compared to the equipment he used before, these were of a much lower grade.

They were low-end, second-hand products, but they should be sufficient for immediate work.

In fact, he had spent most of his money on upgrading his computer's specifications.

To create music, he needed a certain level of SSD and RAM capacity.

'Well, it's over.'

Although he had spent all his money, he wasn't worried.

'I can always make more.'

Although some might mock a musician for saying this, I had an unparalleled ability to create music that makes money.

'Money code.'

In popular music, it often refers to a code that makes money.

I had established hundreds of such money codes and…

By using and mixing them in unconventional ways, the possibilities increased.

Thanks to this,

I could consistently place my songs in the top charts.

Making money through music

For Hyun-seung, it was just 'what he always did.'

And now,

"Let's start."

Hyun-seung began what he always did.

Tap, tap, tap.

He moved his fingers quickly to transfer the sounds that came to mind.

Although he could only use the free tools provided in the program, which had clear limitations,

The chords Hyun-seung recorded for each track created their own unique lines.

An electro-pop with emphasized percussion and electronic guitar sounds.

He sometimes deleted entire tracks and other times recorded drum samples.

The thought of creating a completely unexpected song made him smile.

Since it was a hastily made song, there were no lyrics, so he recorded a rough guide with humming.

Then he finished with mixing and mastering.

After completing two more songs, he looked at the clock, and it was already 8 a.m.

He had spent the entire night making songs, which meant he had created three songs in one night.

"Now, let's turn these songs into money…"

He started cutting the first 30 seconds of each of the three songs he had created overnight.

He attached the samples of the three songs to an email he had prepared in advance and

Tap.

Sent the email immediately.

'Now, I just have to wait for a response.'

He sipped his coffee, feeling satisfied.

The email was sent to LS Entertainment.

He planned to sell the hastily made demo songs on a per-song basis to quickly secure the necessary funds.

Of course, there was a risk that the company could take the sample without paying and instruct an in-house composer to create something similar, but…

'I've ruled out such places.'

He had carefully selected a company that would be stable for at least the next 12 years, without any significant management issues or bankruptcy, and that had at least a basic sense of ethics, not taking samples from talented new composers without permission and instead considering hiring them.

'LS…'

Having seen many dirty things in this industry, he had put a lot of effort into setting selection criteria and choosing a company that met those criteria.

"When will the response come?"

The response should come soon after the email is sent.

So,

If the person reading the email isn't an idiot.

"Good."

Hyun-seung reviewed the email he had sent and smiled with satisfaction.

「Here are three demo samples. I'm willing to sell each song for 3 million won. If you're interested in purchasing, please contact me. Composer HS, 010-XXXX-XXXX.」