Chapter 34

Reckless Genius Composer Returns - Chapter 34 (34/482)

"Brother, I brought you an iced Americano."

"Hey, are you kidding me right now?"

"No, I just brought what you ordered…."

"I told you to get a hot one!"

Once again, Oh Do-hyun's tyranny began as usual.

The incident started like this.

The manager had repeatedly confirmed with Oh Do-hyun, "You want iced, right?" while collecting the order.

Despite raising his voice in annoyance when confirming, now he's complaining about the wrong order.

'Today? Is it the day I quit…?'

The manager patted the area near his chest where he kept the envelope with his resignation letter, trying to calm himself down.

In the end,

he got out of the van and headed back to the cafe.

"Can I have one very hot Americano, please?"

"Yes, sir."

"By any chance, do you have an Americano made with boiling sulfur water?"

"Excuse me? Yes…."

Embarrassed, he replied, "I'm just joking," and fiddled with the vibration bell while looking out the window.

The large van.

Inside it, Oh Do-hyun, whom he served like a master, was waiting.

'That devil…'

Oh Do-hyun was a singer with a short period of obscurity.

He only became interested in music in his twenties and, with his handsome appearance, caught the eye of a talent agency, quickly wrapping up his year-long rock band career.

After that, he transitioned to a rock ballad singer, singing several hit songs and becoming one of the representative singers in Korea.

Currently,

as he entered his forties, Oh Do-hyun was known as the most famous rock-turned-singer, boasting the highest recognition among rock singers.

Of course, he wasn't just famous for his looks.

Singing skills?

There was no other way to describe it but to say he was naturally gifted.

Actually,

to be honest, it was enviable.

As a manager who once dreamed of being a rocker, it was endlessly enviable that Oh Do-hyun, despite being a former rocker, had such a smooth and successful career.

Perhaps,

it was the vicarious satisfaction he felt every time he saw Oh Do-hyun's continuous success that kept him going through the arduous life of a manager….

Zzzzz!

Just as the manager was about to stand up, gripping the vibration bell tightly,

'It’s not the vibration bell.'

It turned out to be his phone ringing.

The moment he saw the text, he covered his mouth with his hand.

Already,

his mouth had dropped open at the letters 'HS,' but it didn't matter.

These days, it was impossible for managers not to know that name. It was said that everyone was trying to get a song from him, to the point where they were practically clocking in at his personal studio every day.

But,

this 'HS' had specifically chosen Oh Do-hyun and sent a love call, asking him to sing the title track of his personal album.

Even though it was a featuring project, if he could build a relationship now, it would make it easier to request songs in the future.

'It’s about time Oh Do-hyun updates his hit songs, right?'

The manager hummed a tune, took the coffee, and headed back to the van. The very hot Americano felt warm and comforting.

"Brother, here you go!"

Although Oh Do-hyun didn't even say thank you, let alone respond,

or even glance at him, he just took the coffee and left….

Well, it's fine.

Now isn't the time to waste emotional energy on such things.

"Brother, do you have any plans after today's schedule?"

Oh Do-hyun, still fixated on his smartphone, asked indifferently, "Why?"

"We have a new song. So, after the schedule, maybe we can listen to it together…."

"Whose song?"

"Do you know 'HS,' the hottest male composer these days? He's a hot potato in the company…."

"I don't know him."

"Really? The recent albums by Seo Ji-nee, Gong Hyo-ju, and Jeong Ah-rin were almost all his songs…."

"So what?"

Indeed, no one could match his ability to shut down a conversation.

'Hold it, hold it.'

No matter how annoying, as a manager, he wanted his artist to shine and soar higher.

At least, while he was the manager, he couldn't let such a good opportunity slip away.

"Everyone is going crazy trying to get a song from him these days. This great composer earnestly asked if you could sing the title track of his personal album. He said no one else but you, and he begged…."

The manager tried to flatter him, but…

"Hey."

Oh Do-hyun was already focused on the word 'personal album.'

"If it's a composer's album, it's a featuring project, right?"

The manager swallowed hard and replied,

"Yes, it is, but if you think of it as a favor this time, it could lead to a steady collaboration in the future, and it won't be difficult to get songs…."

On the other hand, Oh Do-hyun frowned deeply.

"Fuck, do I have time to do featuring for a rookie composer?"

"No, it's really a good opportunity…."

"Opportunity? This is hilarious. It's an opportunity for the composer."

Then, he added in a devilish tone, covering his eyes with a blindfold.

"Don't make me angry in the morning. Be quiet."

It was a precious opportunity, but it would only be a loss to himself if he continued to speak.

'What a psycho…'

Oh Do-hyun, who never showed his demonic side on air, added calmly,

"Think about your position. Even if a green rookie composer came and begged on his knees, it would be a stretch for him to ask for a featuring."

Then, he added in a nervous tone,

"You're the same. Just because a composer has a couple of hits, you're talking about it as an opportunity? It looks like you're panicking because the hype is fading and you're trying to piggyback on a famous singer's name…."

After saying, "I'm sorry," he sighed deeply.

He kept thinking about…

the resignation letter he had carefully kept in his pocket.

* * *

"Is it another wasted day?"

The man sitting on the rooftop bench took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

He was…

the vocalist of the legendary rock band 'Tomorrow,' known as the godfather of rockers in Korea, Moon Bum-jae.

"Huh."

He had come to listen to a new song by a male composer he had been close to for a long time, but it was another wasted trip.

"How can all the songs be the same?"

He had maintained a mysterious image since his debut and had not engaged in any activities other than music for 30 years.

He had legendary hit songs that were still loved by the public as his 18th track, and he owned a significant share in LS Entertainment, so he didn't need to do broadcast activities for financial reasons.

Therefore,

with his powerful influence, LS Entertainment couldn't easily force him to do broadcast activities.

That said, he hadn't consistently released music or albums.

Due to his deep knowledge and love for music, he was very picky about selecting and singing songs.

'I won't sing a half-baked song.'

With this firm belief, he couldn't find a song that he thought, "This is it," and was wandering around like a lost soul, searching for a good song.

Sizzle!

He threw away the burnt-out butt and put another cigarette in his mouth.

"Huh."

It's said that people don't collapse in the desert because of thirst but because of the anxiety of possibly dying.

Moon Bum-jae was in a state of extreme thirst, driven by the compulsion to find an oasis-like song while crossing the desert.

"This hiatus is unusually long. Is there any music that feels more like music…?"

Just as he muttered to the sky in frustration,

"Isn't Hyun-seung really amazing?"

"Yeah."

"Didn't he just sign an exclusive contract recently?"

The conversation that seemed to come from nowhere caught his attention.

"Really envious. I don't know much, but the total expected royalty fees must be over ten billion…."

"When we heard the demo tracks Hyun-seung sent, we were all in complete panic. He's a genius, a genius…."

"Before we heard them, we thought he was just a narcissistic aspiring composer…."

"Shut up, he's in a different league now. I knew he would do well from the start, but I didn't expect him to do so well so quickly…."

He subtly moved towards the direction of the sound and saw A&R staff and engineers gathered in small groups, smoking.

Although the conversation was mostly praise for 'Hyun-seung,'

'Exclusive composer?'

He was already intrigued.

'Is the new composer a genius?'

He didn't know who he was, but seeing the A&R team and the snobbish engineers all praising him…

'He must have real talent.'

Then,

"By the way, Hyun-seung, is it true that Oh Do-hyun is going to sing the title track?"

A question that made Moon Bum-jae's eyes sparkle.

"No, he rejected it without even listening to the song."

"He will definitely regret it."

"Leave him alone, it's all his own doing."

The A&R team leader, who had been speaking softly, extinguished his cigarette in the ashtray and continued.

"It seems Oh Do-hyun's manager tried hard to persuade him, but it didn't work. That guy is very dedicated, but he's suffering because of his assigned singer…."

Moon Bum-jae swallowed hard.

'If he rejected it without listening, it means the song wasn't bad…'

It seemed likely that he rejected it just because it was from a new composer.

'I want to hear it.'

Wasn't Moon Bum-jae the one who felt happy when he heard good music and even happier when he sang it?

Having made up his mind, he approached the group with a faint smile.

"Did Oh Do-hyun reject the song?"

"Oh! Mr. Moon Bum-jae…."

Everyone, still in shock, awkwardly stood up and bowed.

"No, I wasn't eavesdropping, but I couldn't help but hear because you were talking so much…."

Moon Bum-jae, now fully engaged, asked,

"About the song Oh Do-hyun rejected."

"Yes, sir…."

"Can I hear it?"

They exchanged glances, and then the oldest engineer spoke up.

"It's not difficult to play it, but it's the title track of a composer's personal album, so it's a featuring project."

"Man, what does that matter? If the song is good, nothing else matters. Let me hear it first."

The A&R team leader, wide-eyed, asked,

"Before I ask, if the song is good…."

Moon Bum-jae nodded and replied,

"If it moves me, I might sing it."

Having finished speaking, he urged the engineer to hurry.

Since it was a featuring project, where the singer doesn't get royalties, it would also give him a reason to ask for a song in the future.

Of course,

this would only happen if the song by Hyun-seung satisfied his ears.

"Can I hear it in the studio?"

In the end, they left the rooftop, almost dragged by Moon Bum-jae…

'Wow…'

The A&R team leader, who was almost dragged out of the rooftop by Moon Bum-jae, thought,

'If you're not going to succeed, you'll fall and break your nose, but if you're going to succeed, you'll fall and land on a rice cake…'

Since Oh Do-hyun rejected it, Moon Bum-jae is now coming in.

It seemed…

that Min Hyun-seung was definitely going to succeed.

* * *

Moon Bum-jae, entering the studio, sat down in front of the console.

'Please.'

He took a short deep breath, hoping the song would move him, and put on the headphones.

Click.

Soon, a calm intro flowed through the headphones.

"Hmm?"

Moon Bum-jae slightly narrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head.

However,

the moment the verse started…

the atmosphere of the song overwhelmed him, and his neck stiffened as if it were in a cast.

As the song reached its highlight, it felt like he was being swallowed by turbulent waves, making it hard to breathe.

The guide's voice, which flowed over the song, felt endlessly calm but paradoxically sounded filled with anger.

'What kind of song is this…'

Heavy, painful, and sad.

Eventually,

his eyebrows furrowed for a moment, but as the song's ending approached, the tension in his facial muscles relaxed.

It ended with an unexpected variation.

It felt like watching a movie with an open-ended conclusion.

He couldn't help but sit there, dazed, like an audience member waiting for the credits to roll.

– Are you still caressing my voice there?

Leaning on the lingering line of the guide lyrics in his mind, he imagined the next part of the song.

'Did the composer send his loved one away? It seems to be a song about regret, but the final variation might hint at a resolve not to live that way anymore…'

At that moment, the engineer called out, "Mr. Moon?"

He was finally able to snap out of his thoughts.

"Ah, yes…."

The engineer, filled with concern, asked,

"Did you like the song?"

"Um…."

In the past six months alone, he had been contacted by dozens of composers and had listened to hundreds of songs.

But this was the first time.

The moment he heard this song, a spark ignited, and a thrill ran through his body. Desire welled up inside him.

This song…

'I want to sing it so badly.'

Finally finding the oasis, he wanted to rush over and drink the water to quench his thirst.

"Um…."

Anxiety made his mouth dry and his tongue split.

"Can you ask the composer if I can sing this song?"

"Mr. Moon, are you serious? It's a featuring project, is that okay?"

"Yes, please tell him I really want to sing this song."

And he added firmly,

"Please do it as soon as possible."

He didn't want this song to be taken by anyone, not at all.