Chapter 26

Reckless Genius Composer Returns - Chapter 26 (26/482)

Homepage Master

A shortened term for "homepage master," referring to someone who takes high-quality photos and videos of celebrities and posts them on their own homepage.

This was also the profession of Jae-seon, who was now sitting in front of the computer.

He majored in photography.

What started as a simple fan activity...

At some point...

Not only did he start selling merchandise and holding exhibitions, but he also became a powerful homepage master with 210,000 followers on Twitter, a social networking platform.

From the moment he judged it to be a profitable market, he boldly decided to make it his career, and before he knew it, he was earning a salary comparable to that of a senior executive at a large corporation.

"Hmm."

Jae-seon, who had reached this point, was now lost in thought, his chin resting on his hand.

"The painting is really good."

On the monitor screen, he had the photos and videos of Jung Arin from the recent festival displayed...

"Should I post this or not?"

Since he had firmly established himself as a homepage master and turned this into his career, he had been operating based on interest rather than mere fandom.

He had been focusing on shooting idols from agencies that had approached him secretly with attractive offers...

Or idols with a strong fan base that showed external demand for his photos, videos, or merchandise.

Clearly, that was the case...

But the image of Jung Arin in the video kept catching his eye.

"It's not like I've made a deal with Jung Arin's company..."

He muttered, repeatedly pressing the space bar.

"There's no guarantee that her fan base is solid enough to make money..."

Suddenly, he recalled the early days when he first started as a homepage master.

ROA.

The female solo singer who had been the catalyst for his start in homepage activities.

He had created a homepage purely out of fandom and diligently took photos to upload.

It was a time when he invested his money, time, and youth solely out of fandom.

'Now, I have to be realistic...'

ROA suddenly announced her disbandment without giving a clear reason and left the music industry.

After that...

Jae-seon only picked up his camera if there was a contract or a clear guarantee of profitability.

However...

He had become deeply involved in fan culture and had a strong attachment, which led him to make this his career.

"Ah, damn, I don't know what to do..."

After a while...

Click!

A cheerful sound of the enter key was followed by a smile.

"This is a rare unpaid fandom activity..."

He muttered to himself in a low voice, staring at the notification that read, "Upload complete."

"I hope it goes well."

Then...

Click.

He turned off the monitor and stood up.

* * *

"Damn it!"

Park Jeonmu, frowning, slammed his hand on the desk, causing the nameplate to wobble precariously.

↳ I waited, and it was worth it,,

↳ Watching it,, why,, are my eyes tearing up,,

↳ It's really a honey voice when you actually hear it!

↳ Her face and voice are a perfect match.

↳ I feel my blood sugar rising,,

↳ Everyone, call 119,, it's a serious fangirling accident;

↳ She's really a pure and fresh mix;;

↳ Look at her showing off her heavenly beauty even in the rain 😭

If things had gone according to the original plan, Jung Arin's popularity should have faded long ago after a single appearance on a music show.

［I heard from a friend who works at the Sky Music Festival that when it started raining, groups like ㅇㅂㄹ and ㅍㅇㅂㅈ were in an uproar about getting hurt and left, saying it wasn't their problem what happened to the waiting fans. Jung Arin, on the other hand, promised to get on stage and was the first to perform;］

↳ Jung Arin, despite the rain making her eyes hard to open, still made eye contact. Her personality is as good as her face.

↳ I came to see my kids, but I fell for someone else's kid

↳ Compared to those who left without even saying hello, Jung Arin is an angel, isn't she?

↳ ㅇㅈ's fans also waited in the rain, so leaving them behind is a betrayal;

↳ I bet a lot of singers are feeling the sting 😂😂😂😂

No matter how much he scrolled, the community site's bulletin board was filled with posts praising Jung Arin...

"Damn it!"

He irritably placed his smartphone on the desk and rubbed his aching forehead.

Ding!

Suddenly, the messenger notification sounded, and a file containing all of Jung Arin's schedules arrived.

It was clear that the file, which he had asked a subordinate to send about thirty minutes ago, had just arrived.

"Wow, she's become a major star."

From music shows to variety shows, talk shows, radio, festivals, and university events...

Her weekly schedule, recorded in the file, was packed without a moment to breathe.

Click, click.

The more he scanned the file, the darker Park Jeonmu's face became.

The thought of Choi Isang laughing made him so angry he couldn't stand it.

"Phew-."

He took a deep breath to calm himself and loosened his tie.

Yeah, how many one-hit wonders in the entertainment industry have come and gone?

Especially since this was just a rookie singer he had targeted.

Although things didn't go as planned this time, he could always look for an opportunity to crush her.

"Well, a big shot shouldn't get so worked up over every little thing..."

He took a cigarette from the pack on his desk and lit it.

After deeply inhaling and exhaling the smoke, he felt a bit calmer.

'Yeah, this is just a passing fad.'

In the end, Park Jeonmu concluded that it would be much more productive to play a leisurely round of golf rather than worry about a rookie who could disappear at any moment or be crushed at will...

"Let's see..."

He started searching his phone's contact list for an entertainment industry acquaintance to play golf with today.

However...

At this very moment, a situation was unfolding that contradicted Park Jeonmu's complacent assumptions.

It didn't take long for the view count of Jung Arin's video on a famous video platform to surpass 5 million.

* * *

Meanwhile.

Hyun-seung, as usual, spent his time in the company's studio and then headed to the cafeteria.

"It's so hot..."

He slumped at a table after ordering a drink.

The scorching heat had set in as summer approached.

"Mr. Min Hyun-seung?"

A middle-aged man's voice, not the cafe staff he was waiting for, came from above his head.

"Hmm?"

He lifted his head slightly to see an elderly man in a suit standing there.

"If you're not in a hurry, would you come with me?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm the chauffeur for President Jeon Nam-il."

Hyun-seung nodded slightly, "Ah."

He remembered receiving a text from the president when he left the studio.

He didn't expect the meeting to be so soon.

He had heard that Jung Arin was on a popularity surge, and her songs were selling well.

It seemed that a well-known homepage master had filmed her performance that day and posted it on Twitter.

After that, it spread across numerous accounts and communities, and even her debut performance video was trending.

'You really can't predict what will happen in this industry.'

Given the circumstances, he was likely called by the president regarding Jung Arin.

"Sure, let's go."

Hyun-seung followed the chauffeur.

Thud, thud.

As soon as they stepped out the front door, a Rolls-Royce sedan, standing majestically, caught Hyun-seung's eye.

'This was one of my collections in my previous life.'

For a moment, he felt a sense of familiarity.

"Mr. Hyun-seung, please get in."

Awakened from his thoughts by the chauffeur opening the door, Hyun-seung naturally got into the back seat as if it were his own car...

"Hello, President."

He greeted the president, who was sitting inside, politely.

"Is this a good time for you?"

"Of course."

The president, who had been looking at Hyun-seung leaning against the window without any signs of restlessness, spoke gently.

"You're really an interesting person."

When Hyun-seung turned his gaze to him, the president continued with a peculiar expression.

"Not only did you revive Seo Jin-ee, who was on the verge of being dropped, but now you've achieved such results with a trainee who was almost expelled..."

A faint, pleasant smile appeared on his lips.

"It was just luck."

"Luck...?"

He murmured and asked,

"Doesn't it seem a bit too convenient to attribute it all to luck?"

Hyun-seung, unable to answer immediately, fell into thought.

Of course, to some extent, it was due to his skills, but this time, he had been incredibly lucky.

Unexpectedly, he received help from Lee Duseok due to Park Jeonmu's interference, and the heavy rain on the day of the Sky Music Festival, as well as Jung Arin's determination to perform despite the conditions...

Most importantly, the video of Jung Arin taken by the famous homepage master becoming so popular online was also a stroke of luck...

None of these were planned or even predicted.

The president, seeing Hyun-seung's silence, continued in a gentle tone.

"To be honest, I thought it would be a bit too much for you, even with your reputation. But you've shown such tangible results. You humbly attribute it all to luck, but in this industry, isn't luck also a form of skill?"

Luck is also a skill...

"Sure, I agree."

It was a statement he could somewhat agree with.

A needle in a pocket will inevitably stick out, but this isn't always true in the entertainment industry.

Some people, despite their talent, disappear without a trace due to external factors.

'Luck is indeed a form of skill...'

Hyun-seung smiled faintly and asked in a calm tone,

"By the way, why did you call me?"

"It's still before lunch, right?"

"Yes, it is."

"Would you like to have lunch together?"

Hyun-seung, unperturbed by the president's lunch invitation, nodded calmly.

"Sure, let's do that."

The president, looking at Hyun-seung, raised an eyebrow.

It wasn't that he was annoyed...

Rather, he felt his curiosity piqued.

After all, he had been the head of a large management company for over a decade.

Most people reacted very differently to his lunch invitations, often spouting flattery about the honor of the invitation.

But this young composer sitting next to him was so composed.

On the other hand...

The president's chauffeur, who was also observing Hyun-seung, was intrigued.

'I've never seen him before...'

The chauffeur, who was around the president's father's age, was not well-versed in the company's news or the entertainment industry.

Thus, he naturally didn't know about Hyun-seung, who was causing a stir at LS Entertainment.

However...

He could sense that Hyun-seung was someone important just by his presence.

He had been the president's right-hand man since the founding of LS Entertainment.

The president rarely had meals with anyone, even executives, unless they were close confidants.

'Seeing how much the president favors him, he must be a rising star in the entertainment industry...'

The chauffeur glanced at Hyun-seung in the rearview mirror as the traffic light changed.

'Is he a singer?'

But as the light changed again,

'No, he looks more like an actor.'

The chauffeur, having drawn this conclusion from Hyun-seung's appearance, looked back at the windshield.

'He must be an incredibly successful actor...'

As the light changed again, the Rolls-Royce sedan glided smoothly forward, as if sliding on ice.