Chapter 3

Reincarnation of a Reckless Genius Composer - Chapter 3 (3/482)

A&R junior Jo Yun-chan, with a neck pillow and dark circles under his eyes, clearly looked like he had spent the night in the office.

"Man, I'm so sleepy."

He yawned widely and, out of habit, moved his mouse to check the top email in the A&R team's mailbox.

"Huh? What's this?"

He checked the title of the newly arrived email.

「 For Sale. 」

What exactly was for sale?

"Is this spam?"

Narrowing his eyes, he confirmed that the email had an attachment and immediately opened it.

Click.

After reading the email, he muttered to himself.

"Wow, what a nutcase."

The content of the email was simple.

「 Here are 3 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. 」

It was a brief message asking to contact him if one was interested in purchasing the samples of the songs he had created, each for 3 million won.

However,

Even if the quality of the songs was good, there weren't many companies that would buy songs from a new composer for 3 million won each.

"His ambition is impressive."

He shook his head.

"Why is his tone so full of bravado?"

Yun-chan sneered, confident that the sender was a reckless young composer.

He was certain that no matter how many places this email was sent to, it wouldn't sell.

If the composer had the ability to create sellable songs, he would have already signed an exclusive contract with a major company.

"Tsk tsk."

He thought the sender would soon face reality and learn humility.

And,

He would realize that his talent wasn't as great as he thought.

"Hey, Bear!"

At that moment,

"You're not working again, are you? Just watching anime!"

Startled by the voice from behind, Yun-chan quickly replied.

"What? No! I've been working all night!"

It was the A&R team leader, Han In-gyu, who had spoken.

"Yeah, your face says it all."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It looks like you've been working all night for about a fortnight."

He teased and then asked,

"But what are you staring at so intently?"

"It's just some nutcase who sent a weird email this morning."

When Han In-gyu asked, "A nutcase?" Yun-chan replied,

"He sent 3 demo samples and said he'd sell each song for 3 million won. He left his number and asked us to contact him if we're interested."

Han In-gyu asked,

"Do you know this composer?"

"No, I don't."

"Then he's just a newbie?"

"Yes, a newbie."

"Just ignore it."

After saying this, Han In-gyu paused for a moment.

'Hmm?'

A plausible hypothesis formed in his mind.

'A seasoned composer with some special circumstances.'

He knew the appropriate price range for a new composer.

'On average, a new composer's song is worth 3 million won.'

While the sender might have just heard this price from somewhere, not many people knew that LS Entertainment occasionally bought songs through buyout contracts.

'He could be someone in the industry.'

A hypothesis quickly formed: a current composer, perhaps under contract with another entertainment company, needed quick cash or had some unknown reason for sending the songs.

"Man, I'm so tired, and this nutcase is sending emails in the morning..."

Just as Yun-chan was about to delete the email,

"Hey, wait a minute."

"What for?"

"Let's listen to it."

Han In-gyu said, and Yun-chan snorted in response.

"What? Why waste time listening to it?"

"Just in case, let's listen to it."

He added,

"Send the files to the engineer room first."

"Do I really need to do that?"

"If we're going to listen, we should do it properly."

Yun-chan grumbled but sent the files to the engineer room via the company messenger...

"Let's go listen."

Han In-gyu led Yun-chan to the engineer room.

"Who sent the files?"

As soon as they entered, an employee in the engineer room asked.

"The songs I received via email this morning."

"Via email?"

"Yes, he wants to sell his songs."

Yun-chan explained,

"He's a nutcase. He sent 3 demo samples and said he'd sell each song for 3 million won. He left his number and asked us to contact him if we're interested."

The employee shook his head and replied,

"Are there still people like that? They must watch too many dramas."

He chuckled and said,

"Alright, let's play it."

Everyone listened to the songs for a moment.

"Wow."

The engineer was the first to speak.

"It sounds like he used free tools, but there's almost nothing to fix?"

Han In-gyu immediately asked,

"Free tools?"

The engineer explained,

"Since it's just a sample, I can't say much, but the parts I heard are perfect. From what I can see, he has a very solid foundation, considering he made this using only free sources..."

"And?"

"From what I can tell, he's not a complete newbie. It sounds like someone who has been around the industry and recorded and produced these songs."

Han In-gyu thought,

'Is he really a seasoned composer...?'

The engineer then said,

"Let's listen to the other two songs."

They listened to the next two songs in quick succession.

Since the songs were so short,

It took only about a minute to listen to both.

"Man, what a stingy person."

The engineer was the first to speak again.

"Even if it's a sample, why did he cut them to just 30 seconds?"

"Exactly, right?"

"Like he's saying, 'If you want to hear more, pay for it.'"

Han In-gyu agreed,

"Right? Even for a sample, they are too short."

"Absolutely, this is pure bluff."

He added,

"Probably knowing we'd buy them anyway, he cut them like this."

Han In-gyu nodded and instructed Yun-chan,

"Tell him we want to buy all three songs."

"All of them? At 3 million won each?"

"Yes, call him right now."

Since all three songs were of high quality, they could be used as 'emergency backups.'

'With this quality, we could even include them in our artists' albums when needed...'

Most importantly, he was convinced that the composer who sent these songs was a seasoned one.

'If we establish a connection through this deal, we might be able to recruit him when his contract with another management company ends...'

It was a win-win situation.

"No."

Han In-gyu spoke again,

"I'll call him."

He immediately started dialing.

Ring, ring, ring.

After a few rings,

- Hello?

Han In-gyu smiled and replied,

"Yes, this is Han In-gyu, the head of the A&R team at LS Entertainment."

- You want to buy the songs?

"Yes, I was very impressed by the composer's work."

Just as he was about to say more,

- Forget it, just send me the audio copyright buyout contract first.

"What?"

- If you're going to buy them, it would be better to transfer the money first.

Han In-gyu looked stunned for a moment,

- We can chat after the deal is done.

The call ended with that.

Ding!

A text message arrived on Han In-gyu's phone shortly after.

「 Account Number: Korea Bank 110-353.... 」

Ding!

「 Account Holder: Min Hyun-seung 」

Two things became clear:

'First, this composer is a nobody.'

Talented composers usually acted this way, so it wasn't surprising.

'And...'

The second thing he learned was:

'Min Hyun-seung...'

The name of this brash composer was Min Hyun-seung.

* * *

A few days later.

Korea Bank.

Deposit: 8,703,000 won.

LS Entertainment.

Hyun-seung smiled as he checked the deposit notification on his phone.

"Oh, it's been deposited."

After sending the electronic contract via email, the money, minus the 3.3% withholding tax, was promptly deposited.

"The deposit is so reliable."

In his previous life, he had never paid attention to royalty payments or deposits, but the deposit notification was surprisingly welcome.

"Should I upgrade my equipment a bit?"

Looking at his computer, he saw the outdated equipment.

It was disappointing, but he had a plan to avoid spending his own money.

'No need to spend my own money...'

If his songs were golden eggs, then he was the goose that laid them.

LS Entertainment would not only buy the 3 songs he sent but would also try to recruit him.

They would likely demand an exclusive contract, so he could ask them to provide the equipment instead of spending his own money.

'Or I could use the history of selling songs to LS to contact other management companies.'

So, he planned to use the remaining money to help his family.

'First, the overdue bills.'

He started paying the bills one by one.

After paying, he tore up the receipts.

After tearing up the last receipt,

"Great."

Hyun-seung got up from his seat, feeling light.

It was a good day...

He planned to buy some simple gifts for his family.

When he arrived at the street, he was surprised by the number of people.

He wished he had worn sunglasses, but it turned out to be an unnecessary worry.

No one recognized him. It was hard to imagine he could walk around so freely...

It felt like his previous life was just a dream.

"The most expensive and best."

Thanks to his simple shopping philosophy, his balance quickly ran out.

On his way home,

He also bought a freshly fried chicken.

"Great..."

With the first step done right, he felt everything would go smoothly from now on.

Filled with anticipation,

Hyun-seung's steps were light as he walked home.