Chapter 7

Rebellious Genius Composer's Regression - Chapter 7 (7/482)

"This is your personal studio. Do you like it?"

Hyun-seung carefully examined the interior, muttering to himself.

"Well, it's okay…."

The studio was roughly 21 square meters by eye.

Moreover,

It was equipped with soundproofing and essential equipment.

Just the high-end 88-key master keyboard, which boasted a rather high price tag, was enough to show this.

The spacing between the speakers and the walls also suggested a considerable amount of effort had been put into it.

Especially, the sofa placed in the center of the studio caught his eye.

The length was good, and the cushioning wasn't bad at all.

Didn't he have a job that often required all-night work?

'A good sofa is a must.'

Although it was far from the level of the personal studio he used before the regression…

'I did try to make it complete.'

At this point, after traveling back 12 years, it was the best treatment he could get.

Manager Kim looked at Hyun-seung with narrowed eyes.

What is it?

Even if he didn't cheer, he could at least show some satisfaction, right?

His indifferent and composed reaction made it seem like the effort put into the facilities was wasted.

'He's a young man in his early twenties, shouldn't he be happy to have his own personal space?'

On one hand, it felt a bit deflating.

'Hmm.'

For some reason, Hyun-seung just seemed annoying.

Soon, Manager Kim clenched his hand tightly and,

Sneakily,

Made a motion to flick the back of Hyun-seung's head, who was fiddling with the monitor on the desk.

"Manager."

At his words, Manager Kim was startled and asked,

"Huh? Why? What's the matter?"

"It's all visible on the monitor."

Manager Kim scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed, and replied,

"Hehe, the monitor is big and clear, so you can see everything, right?"

Hyun-seung shook his head from side to side.

There had been a subtle change in their relationship over the past few days.

They had become much closer and started to speak more casually.

To be honest, Manager Kim's first impression wasn't very good.

What can I say?

His broad build and sharp eyes under thick eyebrows.

Overall, he exuded an aura that could overwhelm anyone.

Thanks to this aura, he probably ended up in charge of such a large entertainment management department.

Still,

After meeting him several times, it seemed he might be a good person despite his appearance.

'Anyway…'

Just imagining this person speaking up for him made him feel quite reliable.

"Oh, right."

At that moment, Manager Kim seemed to recall something and spoke.

"Can you come to the office for a bit when I call you later?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Give me a moment. Your employee ID and business card are ready."

Hyun-seung narrowed his eyes.

"Already?"

It had only been a few days since he signed the contract. Could his employee ID and business card really be ready already?

'Still, if I show them to my father, he'll definitely be pleased…'

Hyun-seung reluctantly nodded.

"Sure, call me."

He really wanted to take a closer look at the studio right now.

What can I say…

It felt like he had truly returned to the past and was about to start anew as a composer.

* * *

He stepped into LS Entertainment, located in the heart of Seoul.

The building was so large that it could make anyone feel intimidated just by entering.

Thud, thud—

But there was no sign of intimidation on Hyun-seung's face as he crossed the central lobby.

It was natural.

The agency he belonged to before the regression was one of the top three large agencies.

Not only did he own a significant share, but he even held the embarrassing title of honorary director.

'In the end, everyone turned their backs on me when things went wrong…'

It was still late winter, and the weather was chilly.

Wearing a hoodie and a black jacket, Hyun-seung put on his headphones and walked toward the elevator.

He could feel people glancing at him, but the agency staff were all busy with their own work and didn't approach him.

…Or so he thought.

"Hey."

A sharp voice cut through his headphones.

Hyun-seung turned his head to follow the voice and saw a woman standing there with her chin held high.

Even though she was wearing sunglasses, he recognized her immediately.

'Seo Jin-i?'

She debuted as a member of the four-member female idol group 'Street Girls' at the young age of 16.

Although the group didn't last a year, Seo Jin-i was the only one who survived.

She started her solo career and made a sensational debut, setting records and causing a stir, marking the beginning of her golden age.

However, that glory was short-lived.

Seo Jin-i's once scorching popularity gradually faded over time.

Moreover, her arrogant and unfiltered behavior eventually led to several controversies.

At some point, all her new songs failed to chart.

In fact, during Hyun-seung's previous life as a composer, she had already disappeared from the entertainment industry.

"Hello!"

Just as Hyun-seung was recalling this, passing employees recognized Seo Jin-i and greeted her.

"Uh-huh."

Seo Jin-i only nodded her raised chin and didn't even give a polite smile.

"Are you an employee or a trainee?"

When she asked, Hyun-seung looked around, but the employees had already left.

"You."

Seo Jin-i stepped closer to Hyun-seung, looking frustrated.

"Employee."

Hyun-seung's short answer came back.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened, and Hyun-seung walked past her and entered.

"You're pretty quiet, huh?"

Seo Jin-i, who had followed him into the elevator, said.

It seemed she was trying to pick a fight.

"You too."

Hyun-seung didn't want to get into an argument, but he wasn't the type to just take it lying down.

"What? Don't you know me?"

"I do."

Hyun-seung thought this conversation was too childish.

He pressed the button for the 4th floor to get out of this situation quickly.

"You know me, but you don't greet me?"

However, she seemed to want to continue this childish argument.

"Ugh."

Hyun-seung sighed and shook his head, looking annoyed.

"What is this all about?"

He didn't really care much about Seo Jin-i, so he didn't know why her reputation had plummeted.

But,

He was pretty sure that her behavior had significantly contributed to her downfall.

The entertainment industry.

A gray concrete jungle intertwined with countless interests and profits.

There are no eternal enemies or allies, but a personality that deliberately creates enemies…

'There must be a lot of people wishing for her failure, just like me.'

A 23-year-old woman, still looking young despite her heavy makeup, with a face that would suit a more fresh expression rather than such a venomous look.

As Hyun-seung fell into thought, his mouth tightly closed,

"Hey!"

Her shout rang out.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened on the 4th floor.

"Well, I'll be going."

Just as Hyun-seung was about to step out,

Thud.

She hit his shoulder and walked past him.

Clack, clack—

The unpleasant sound of her heels echoed down the hallway.

Then,

Seo Jin-i, who had stopped in front of Hyun-seung, tilted her head.

Their gazes met in the air, but Hyun-seung just stared at her silently.

"Let me warn you, next time you should greet me first…."

Hyun-seung, realizing that continuing the conversation would only be childish, quickly turned and walked in the opposite direction.

"What, what is this all about?"

Seo Jin-i, frustrated, stomped her heel on the floor.

But,

Hyun-seung was already around the corner and out of sight. She wanted to chase after him and grab his collar to ask why he was ignoring her, but

Knowing that causing a scene at the company would be bad, she just bit her lip.

While it's true that singers tend to become sensitive when preparing for an album,

There was actually another reason for Seo Jin-i's overly sensitive attitude.

Clack, clack—

Seo Jin-i headed toward the recording studio at the end of the hallway.

'If this album fails, I…'

She put on her sunglasses again to hide her tense expression.

The recording session had already started yesterday.

But instead of making progress, she had been sent home with a harsh scolding, told to come back the next day.

Thump, thump—

Seo Jin-i moistened her dry lips, took a deep breath, and cleared her throat.

"Mr. Joo Ji-tae, it's Jin-i. I'm coming in."

She opened the door handle as if opening the gates of hell.

* * *

"Here you go."

Manager Kim handed Hyun-seung his new employee ID and a stack of business cards.

"You're now officially a dedicated composer at LS Entertainment."

Manager Kim patted Hyun-seung's shoulder and added,

"Please do your best."

"Sure, I will."

Manager Kim then began to show Hyun-seung around the company, explaining various departments and facilities, from the rooftop terrace to the in-house cafe.

And the last place they visited.

"Here's the core welfare facility of our company!"

"The cafeteria?"

"Even employees from other agencies envy our cafeteria."

"Then, there's nothing to envy, is there?"

"Hey, why do you have such a twisted view of the world?"

Hyun-seung shook his head and asked,

"Instead of the cafeteria, I'd like to see the inside of the recording studio."

"Recording studio? Sure, I'll show you right away."

Hyun-seung nodded slightly.

"Our recording studio is also envied by other companies…."

Manager Kim, who was about to make a joke, saw Hyun-seung already walking ahead and called out,

"Hey! Hey! That's not the way!"

* * *

"Here's the smallest recording studio…."

Manager Kim continued his explanation, turning the doorknob.

The thick recording studio door opened, and the music that had been blocked by soundproofing burst out.

He was in a hurry.

He hadn't checked if the studio was in use and opened the door without thinking.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were recording."

"Manager Kim, it's been a while. What brings you here?"

The man, who had been frowning, smiled and stood up when he saw Manager Kim.

"This is a new composer we just hired. I was showing him around, but I ended up disturbing you."

"Ah, I was about to take a break anyway. Feel free to look around."

The man, who had turned off the loud backing track, was Joo Ji-tae.

"Thank you for your consideration."

Manager Kim bowed and then turned to Hyun-seung.

"Hyun-seung, this is one of the best composers at LS Entertainment."

Hyun-seung bowed in response.

'I almost didn't recognize him in his younger form.'

Although he didn't have a close relationship with Joo Ji-tae in his previous life, he remembered exchanging pleasantries a couple of times.

Joo Ji-tae was known for his cheerful personality, good reputation, and talent, earning him the title of hitmaker.

"Hello, I'm Min Hyun-seung. Please take care of me."

"I'm probably old enough to be your father. Can we speak informally?"

"Sure, we can speak informally."

"I'm the one who should be saying that. Please take care of me."

Their first meeting was going well, at least.

Until Seo Jin-i came out of the recording booth, looking exhausted.

'What? What is that idiot doing here?'

Seo Jin-i's eyes widened when she saw Hyun-seung.

What is it?

Why is she laughing and chatting with Manager Kim and Joo Ji-tae?

It was a shocking sight.

"Nice to see you again."

Hyun-seung, who had seen Seo Jin-i earlier, greeted her provocatively.

They had just had a bad first meeting about 30 minutes ago.

"Ah, Jin-i, you were recording?"

"Yes, as you can see."

"By the way, do you two know each other?"

"Just a coincidence earlier…."

Seo Jin-i immediately shut her mouth.

She just hoped that Hyun-seung would keep quiet about what happened earlier.

"Can I quietly observe the recording session if it's not a problem?"

Hyun-seung's unexpected request shocked Seo Jin-i.

'What is that idiot doing?'

Suddenly wanting to watch her recording process, was he trying to see how well she could perform?

"Um, there's no problem with that."

To her dismay, Joo Ji-tae readily agreed.

Hyun-seung looked into the recording booth with a blank expression.

Fortunately,

It didn't seem like he would tattle on her to Manager Kim or Joo Ji-tae.

"Jin-i, go back into the booth."

Seo Jin-i nodded weakly and returned to the booth.

"Let's start with the chorus."

She put on her headphones and nodded.

The backing track played through the studio speakers.

It was a popular song with a well-used money chord.

'She's not bad.'

The song itself was acceptable.

'Hmm.'

Manager Kim, who seemed to share the same opinion, was nodding along to the rhythm.

The problem was…

"Again! Again! Again!"

The backing track kept stopping.

"Put more power into it!"

Joo Ji-tae kept interrupting the recording with his shouting.

"Don't sing like that!"

Hyun-seung immediately understood why Joo Ji-tae had been frowning when he first entered the studio.

'This is going nowhere.'

If she could have sung properly when she was angry, the most temperamental composer would have been the most successful.

'The approach is wrong.'

The song should fit the singer, not the other way around.

It was like trying to fit a singer into a song that didn't suit them, and the result was inevitably poor, leading to frustration and anger.

'Hmm.'

Hyun-seung turned to look at Seo Jin-i again.

There were occasional sections where her vocal cords vibrated too much.

'Sure enough.'

Her tense shoulders and neck confirmed it.

She was scared.

She was clearly performing the noble act of recording in a state of fear, which should be done in the best condition.

"There's no point in watching any further."

"Shall we go?"

"Yes, the atmosphere is a mess."

Even though he knew the answer, it wasn't a problem he could solve immediately.

The two of them bowed lightly to Joo Ji-tae and left the recording studio.

"Mr. Joo Ji-tae is usually a bit strict when producing, but he's not usually this emotional…."

"Is he only like this with that person?"

Manager Kim, realizing that 'that person' referred to Seo Jin-i, answered immediately.

"Actually, Joo Ji-tae produced Seo Jin-i's last album. It didn't go well. If this album fails too, it will affect his career, so he's being sensitive."

Manager Kim loosened his tie and added,

"Since he's a talented person, he practically took on Seo Jin-i by default. I bet he's the most frustrated one."

Hyun-seung let out a "Hmm."

He understood Joo Ji-tae's feelings.

But he couldn't agree with his approach.

For example,

Would cursing or throwing an instrument because a performance wasn't to his liking produce the desired sound?

"Anyway, it's a headache. If Seo Jin-i's album fails again, her contract renewal is out of the question…."

On the other hand, Hyun-seung was lost in deep thought.

'Her voice was good fundamentally.'

To Hyun-seung, it was a voice that could be quite useful.

The tuning was off, but the basic melody was good.

In short,

Hyun-seung saw Seo Jin-i as a 'useful instrument' that could produce a decent performance.

"Manager."

Then,

"Can I try?"

There was only one way.

"What do you mean?"

"You said she's a headache."

"Well, yes…."

"I'll give it a try."

Starting from the tuning, it would be enough.