Chapter 50

Reckless Genius Composer Returns - Chapter 50 (50/482)

Today, as always, Jin Miso headed straight home after finishing work. She commuted through the bustling crowd, worked, and then went home. Even this simple routine left her visibly exhausted.

“Phew….”

She stepped into her home, taking off the uncomfortable heels that hurt her feet, and a sigh of relief escaped her chest. She trudged into her room, hung up her bag and coat, and finished a warm shower.

Then, she took out a can of beer and sat in front of her computer. This was her personal time, the only moment when she could genuinely smile. She put on her headset and turned on the computer.

Whirr.

The computer started up, and the screen lit up. As always, she recited the steps in her mind and executed them one by one.

First, she played her music playlist.

Second, she opened the news and articles section of a portal site.

Third, she opened the community window she was a member of.

In the online world, the only place where the timid Jin Miso could become active and strong, the community was her palm, her main activity area, and her home ground.

“Hmm, let's see….”

She quickly scanned today's articles. A smile gradually spread across her face as she read. Indeed, she had been more active online lately, supporting the person named 'HS' who often appeared in recent articles.

When she was young, she had once become obsessed with a boy idol group. She loved and supported them so much that she almost gave up her daily life. Naturally, her love for music grew as well.

After that, even after her favorite idol group disbanded, she continued to support various singers and genuinely loved their music. She listened to many songs, regardless of genre.

One day, she heard Seo Jin's song "Let's Walk Together," and the soothing and comforting voice made her cry uncontrollably for a while.

Later, she went to a festival and saw a new singer, Jung Arin, perform. The singer's clear and pure voice made her feel as if she could become a flawless person.

Of course, the song had to be good for her to be captivated by the voice, right?

She was so deeply moved by the song that she stayed away from idol songs for a while and joined fan clubs to support Seo Jin and Jung Arin.

Then, she discovered something unexpected…

The songs of both Seo Jin and Jung Arin were composed by the same composer. Later, this composer released a personal album.

His songs were excellent and deeply resonated with the depressed emotions buried deep within her.

What kind of person is HS? She was curious.

This curiosity led her to gather information about 'HS.' However, there was almost no information available, making her doubt if he was a real person.

Is he someone who, like me, doesn't like to be in the spotlight and is timid?

With this thought, she silently supported him. Then, his first official interview article was posted.

— I heard that you delayed the release of your personal album, wanting to compete with the famous composer Jay B. How do you feel about the current lower streaming numbers compared to his?

: I'm not sure if it's right to call it a 'competition' when it's a fight I'm guaranteed to win. There's no law that says the tables can't turn. I'm confident. If Jay B is okay with it, I'd like to propose a character deletion bet (a bet where the loser deletes their game character). To put it bluntly, it's a 'retirement bet.' If he's not confident... (excerpt)

Her heart suddenly raced, just like when she first became obsessed with the boy idol group in her youth. From the article, it was clear that HS was confident, had high self-esteem, and spoke his mind firmly, unlike her, who was timid and insecure.

She gradually became deeply captivated by HS and even opened a fan club called 'GHS.'

“Now, only one more day left….”

As the first fan of HS, she was deeply worried. HS was going to participate in a charity bet with Jay B, and only two days were left before the result was decided, but HS's victory was not yet certain.

“HS might lose.”

She did everything she could, streaming HS's personal album songs repeatedly and promoting them on various communities, but it was difficult due to the large and solid fan base of Jay B.

Still, she had to do what she had to do.

She clicked on the articles, saved them, and opened the comment section.

“Huh?”

The comment section was already heated, making her efforts unnecessary.

↳ I mean, Taichi Sakamoto is known as a music genius. If he's willing to acknowledge and bring someone in, that's all there is to it.

↳ It's enough to feel proud. He even visited Korea to make a business proposal to HS. It's unbelievable;

↳ Have you listened to the songs? They're amazing.

↳ ㄹㅇ Our HS can do whatever he wants.

↳ What, it's just that a genius recognized another genius,,

↳ I just checked the music chart, and it doesn't look like he'll lose; he might take the top spot soon? Haha

↳ And Taichi isn't helping, right; it hasn't been confirmed that he came to Korea for HS?

↳ ㅇㅇ Yeah, from the interview, it seems like he's almost courting HS;

She opened her favorite music platform again to check the chart.

Chart, chart, chart….

If the comments were this heated, the chart must be affected. She searched for the real-time chart, hoping that HS's song would be at the top.

“1st place!... Jay B.”

Her voice, which had been high with excitement, dropped low. She used to enjoy Jay B's songs, but today his name felt annoying.

“2nd place HS, 3rd place HS, 4th place HS…!”

Still, it was fortunate that HS's songs from his personal album were lined up from 2nd place. She felt relieved. Yes, he was the kind of person who could revive a fading singer like Seo Jin, discover a gem like Jung Arin, and compete with a top composer like Jay B without backing down.

All she had to do was believe in him, support him, and wait from behind.

She quickly opened her favorite community windows and wrote a promotional post, focusing more on HS as a person rather than his songs.

Yes, he might lose this bet.

Of course, it was a sad and frustrating thing as a fan, but she firmly believed that HS's songs would shine and be remembered as masterpieces for a long time.

The day when everyone would support 'HS' would come.

* * *

It was just half a day before the end of the highly anticipated charity bet between Jay B and Hyun Seung.

“Phew….”

Following Team Leader Kwak's sigh, Team Leader Kim also sighed and smiled.

Indeed, the response to 'HS' was not just hot but burning. Taichi's interview had played a significant role. The community, articles, comments, music platform ratings, and even overseas music critics' articles were all buzzing.

“Wow? Even a fan club has been created? There aren't many members, though.”

“Apparently, the mention of his appearance in the personal interview sparked some interest.”

Certainly, there were also comments and posts from people with malicious intentions, but...

After all, even haters are fans, right?

The fact that 'HS' was frequently mentioned and fluctuated in rankings was a good sign. Since he had secured 2nd place and beyond, all he needed to do was break the unshakable 1st place.

However, the problem was that only half a day was left. From now on, it was a race against time. If time allowed, this was a battle Hyun Seung could win.

The chances of winning were becoming clearer.

Still, the tension was inevitable.

“Actually, I pretended to be okay, but I was on edge today. I even bought and ate some herbal medicine on my way to work.”

“I also prepared a press release, asking Hyun Seung how much he would donate.”

“I don't know why he's not here. I need to pass on the collaboration proposal from Man Records.”

Just as Director Kim was sending another text to Hyun Seung,

“So, I really need to ask about the donation….”

“Hey, don't even say that! It's bad luck!”

“Just kidding. We'll win. After all, the reaction will eventually lead to the result.”

After making a joke, Team Leader Kwak returned to his work. He laid out all kinds of electronic devices—computer, laptop, tablet, and phone—and started checking the reactions and making busy calls.

“Team Leader Kwak?”

“...”

“What are you doing?”

“Yes.”

“Are you listening to me?”

“Yes, yes.”

Despite Director Kim's questions, Team Leader Kwak's eyes were fixed on the electronic devices. He was busy gathering various news articles, community posts, and personal SNS posts praising 'HS' and thinking about how to create the best content.

Sigh.

Since time was running out, he thought he should pray and get some water.

“Director Kim, are you very anxious?”

“Huh?”

“It's okay. There are still two chart updates today.”

“Oh, oh….”

Director Kim answered calmly and closed his eyes, following Team Leader Kwak's focus on his work.

He didn't want to see Hyun Seung end up as ashes in the firestorm created by Hyun Seung and Jay B.

However, there was nothing he could do immediately.

They had thrown a big piece of bait to the public, and now they were just waiting for the crowd to gather. All they could do was hope that the word would spread and more people would come.

The storm had already hit.

Since there were signs of trouble, the best they could do was pray for a big incident.

Knock, knock.

Just then, the door to the PR room opened, and Hyun Seung walked in with messy hair.

“Oh, Hyun Seung! You're here. I was just about to ask how much you would donate….”

“Again, again! Stop saying that.”

Director Kim scolded Team Leader Kwak, who was about to joke, and led Hyun Seung.

“Hyun Seung, come here. I have something to show you.”

Hyun Seung, with an indifferent face, walked over and sat down. Team Leader Kwak took out a document from his file.

“This is a new collaboration proposal from Man Records.”

“Can't I look at it after I rest a bit?”

“It will be over by tomorrow. It's better to review it before then.”

He added a statement to get a reaction from Hyun Seung.

“There might be something interesting.”

As expected, Hyun Seung nodded in partial agreement and took the proposal.

Hyun Seung's indifferent eyes, which had shown no interest, now sparkled as he carefully read the document.

“Hmm….”

1. Album [Confession (告解聖事)] - Full Japanese distribution of the album and localization of some songs

Through Man Records, entering the Japanese market would be advantageous. Moreover, if Man Records handled the localization, it would be quite reliable.

Well…

There was no need to shuttle between foreign studios, adjusting this and that.

As he continued reading, a sentence that piqued his interest even more caught his eye.

2. New music production project

- 1. Production and distribution support for a Japan-localized album

- 2. Production of an animation OST at Zebra Studio

- 3. Production of a song for the 20th-anniversary project album of the pop band 'BOS'

...

- 7. Production of a game OST for the Japanese game company 'NinSix'

Just as he was about to say "Reject" a few times, he read the seventh item and muttered to himself, his face showing surprise.

“7….”

Indeed, 'NinSix,' the Japanese game company, was the creator of 'Island of Animals,' a game Hyun Seung had enjoyed until recently.

“7? Do you want to work on this?”

Director Kim asked, noticing Hyun Seung's interest. If Hyun Seung agreed enthusiastically, it would be great.

‘But that’s unlikely…’

Even if he lost the bet with Jay B, this collaboration could be pushed through and overshadowed by the news.

“Rabibobettadau….”

However, instead of a clear answer, an incomprehensible tune came from Hyun Seung's mouth.

“What? You're saying you'll do it, you'll make it?”

“Rabibobettadau….”

“What language is that?”

“Bububada, Rabiboppa….”

“Speak Korean, damn it!”

Director Kim's head ached as he watched Hyun Seung nodding and making strange sounds.

Finally.

Just as he was about to punch his chest in frustration, Team Leader Kwak's voice interrupted.

“Director, the chart update is in one minute, at 7:00 PM.”

“Oh, oh… check it right away.”

All thoughts of Man Records, Taichi, and collaboration vanished from Director Kim's mind. The room was so quiet that you could hear his dry swallow.

How many times did the clicking of the mouse sound?

“Oh, damn….”

Team Leader Kwak's face was serious as he covered his mouth. He slowly turned his head, like a broken puppet.

“What's wrong? What happened?”

Director Kim, alarmed, approached Team Leader Kwak and looked at the computer screen.

“What is it? What…?”

The real-time music chart was displayed on the screen.

“It's really a disaster….”

At the very top, in the '1st place' position, a familiar song title and name appeared.

1. Dear my Beethoven (Feat. Moon Bumjae) – HS