Chapter 24

024. Comfort (1)

‘It’s interesting, but...’

Baek Sun-hwa arrived at her father’s residence in Pyeongchang-dong after the sun had set.

Her pace quickened as she entered the mansion, a thread of worry growing in her mind.

Approaching the study, which also served as her father’s music room, she carefully opened the door.

As usual, an orchestral piece was seeping through the gap.

“Father.”

As she stepped in, the sound of the wooden floor being rubbed and a large wheel caught her eye first.

Then, her father, seated in an electric wheelchair and gazing out the window, came into view.

“You’re a bit late today.”

“Thanks to that, I had more time to enjoy the music quietly.”

Baek Sun-hwa, with her pink lips pouting, responded to his gruff tone.

She checked if there was any dust on the bookshelves or shelves as she asked,

“Did your brother come by?”

“He was here briefly this morning. It seems the distribution business is overwhelming him. He kept whining, so I scolded him for the first time in a while. He left with his mouth full of excuses. He’s almost fifty, tsk.”

Seeing her father click his tongue, Baek Sun-hwa had a lot to say but decided to hold back.

Her brother, Baek Jong-woo, had numerous issues. Listing them all would be exhausting, and even if she did, her father wouldn’t sympathize with a simple ‘Oh, that boy is really a good-for-nothing.’

Still, he was family, and the eldest son.

Moreover, she didn’t want to show such petty behavior in front of her father, who was unwell.

“So... how are you feeling today?”

Baek Sun-hwa’s concern prompted Chairman Baek Han-gil to nod reassuringly.

“Good. Professor Jang says that his anger improves blood circulation.”

Baek Sun-hwa shook her head, knowing Professor Jang wouldn’t have said such a thing.

“Don’t lie. Professor Jang specifically told me that Father shouldn’t overexert himself. And if you feel stuffy, you shouldn’t leave the window open like this. If you catch a cold...”

As she closed the door with a worried expression, she suddenly perked up her ears.

The music that had just started playing was very familiar.

“Oh, this song...”

“Hmm? Do you know it? I’m hearing it for the first time today... It seems Park Manager added it just before leaving.”

Chairman Baek Han-gil, after saying this, listened for a moment and then drove his wheelchair with interest. Baek Sun-hwa followed, and soon they reached the speakers.

“This is the insert song from the movie we’re investing in and distributing. Both the movie and the music have been well-received.”

“You must be working hard. It’s impressive that you know the insert songs.”

Chairman Baek Han-gil, with a hearty laugh, began to focus on the music with interest.

Baek Sun-hwa, seeing his unchanging, thick eyebrows, silently watched him.

Actually, she hadn’t just known the insert songs; she had seen the movie today. She didn’t mention this, as it had been quite spontaneous.

She was briefly puzzled by the question of whether she liked movies.

After hearing the age of the composer recommended by Professor Yoon, she felt both interest and doubt.

To gauge the composer’s abilities, she watched the movie.

The reason for her late visit and the worry in her mind were due to this.

She waited with an awkward smile.

Her father listened to all four consecutive songs.

The moment the last song ended, Baek Sun-hwa, who had been observing, asked softly,

“What did you think of these songs?”

“Good.”

A calm and concise answer. But knowing her father never said anything he didn’t like, Baek Sun-hwa was secretly pleased.

“Would you like to see the movie?”

Chairman Baek Han-gil shook his head and moved his wheelchair.

“No. I imagined a lot while listening. I don’t want to break that image.”

It was like finding the answer on your own and not needing to see the answer sheet.

Baek Sun-hwa nodded.

Indeed. It wasn’t something her father would particularly enjoy...

“The composer seems quite remarkable.”

Baek Sun-hwa probed.

Chairman Baek Han-gil laughed and shook his head.

“You need to relearn the basics of music from Professor Seo.”

Thinking it wasn’t that bad, Baek Sun-hwa soon realized it was the opposite.

“Just four songs, but they clearly show the composer’s talent. I should tell Park Manager to always include this song in the playlist. And I need to find out who the composer is. I should know whose song it is.”

“Is it that good?”

Baek Sun-hwa’s expression, in response, was much more lively than before.

It was as if her worries had been neatly resolved.

#

“The movie’s release has made the response even hotter.”

About ten times. A female employee, spreading her fingers to make ten, wiggled her hands and danced.

A male employee, who had been joining in the excitement, shared another piece of news.

“I saw on SNS today that students from Hwagwon High School covered Seo Ho’s song.”

Kim Yun-ju, the manager, who had been watching and smiling, lowered her gaze to the monitor and said proudly,

“They won’t even know. That the song they played was made by someone their age.”

“Right. They won’t know yet.”

“Yet?”

When Kim Yun-ju asked, the female employee explained as if it were obvious.

“He’s good-looking, plays the piano and violin, and composes. Once he starts getting known, he’ll become famous right away.”

“The problem is that getting known is difficult. It’s movie music, after all.”

“Why? What’s wrong with movie music?”

Park Jae-hoon, the team leader, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

While Kim Yun-ju looked at him with a ‘Do you really not know?’ expression, the female employee continued her imagination.

“But what if he becomes famous and agencies start looking for him? What if they want to make him an idol...”

Park Jae-hoon immediately shook his head.

“It would be a waste of his composing and performing skills to make him an idol!”

“Nowadays, idols are expected to play instruments and compose.”

“Still, no. I want to make Seo Ho the Korean Hans Zimmer.”

“Who decides that?”

After a heated debate, a guardian finally appeared.

“Are you here?”

“This isn’t a counseling room, why are you discussing career paths so seriously?”

“What’s more serious than this? What do you want Seo Ho to do, Mr. Han?”

“Me?”

Han Gi-jun, putting down his bag, blinked at Park Jae-hoon.

He had thought about it before.

But Professor Yoon had scoffed at his concerns.

As a father, he understood the worry, but whatever he thought, Seo Ho would surpass it, making it meaningless.

So, just help when needed and watch him.

Recalling this conversation, Han Gi-jun smiled and said,

“What he wants to do. Whatever it is.”

“Wow, you’re really the best dad.”

“That’s only because Seo Ho does well on his own.”

“True. It’s because he’s the best son.”

One of the employees, nodding, suddenly looked down the corridor.

“But Seo Ho isn’t thinking about leaving the studio today.”

“What’s new?”

“Still, he’s finished all his work. But he’s immediately working on something else...”

“Seo Ho has more work.”

Han Gi-jun, looking down the corridor, said.

The employees’ heads turned sharply.

“Did you give him more work?”

It was as if they had discovered a scene of child abuse. Where was the ‘best dad’ talk?

“No. I didn’t give it to him.”

Professor Yoon gave him an obre (part-time performance job).

Of course, it wasn’t a typical obre.

While it’s common for students from preparatory schools or music colleges to participate in events for wealthy families, it’s rare for them to receive a commission to compose a tribute song.

Especially for a birthday party of a chaebol like Chairman Baek Han-gil.

‘I’m disappointed I can’t go and see it.’

Ordinary people wouldn’t even get close.

Han Gi-jun, placing his laptop on the desk, genuinely felt disappointed.

But his disappointment was short-lived as intense curiosity soon flooded in.

So, what kind of song will it be?

The tribute song Seo Ho will make for Chairman Baek Han-gil.

#

...Putting aside my tribute songs, whose whereabouts I can’t even determine for now, I started thinking about the tribute song I need to create this time.

Just as I drew inspiration from the ‘story’ of the movie, I decided to find the answer in a ‘person’ for the tribute song.

Fortunately, there is plenty of information about the person who will receive the tribute song, both on the internet and in my memory.

‘Chairman Baek Han-gil.’

Thinking about it again, he’s an astonishing figure.

Not just from a wealthy family, but a chaebol. The chairman of SJ Group, which spans from movie theaters to food distribution.

But it’s a strange thing.

He’s an incredible person, and if I were the me from before the regression, I would never have met him in my life...

Yet, I’m surprisingly calm.

I’m not intimidated by the name of a chaebol or SJ Group. Instead, I’m excited to compose my first tribute song.

After all, in Brinner’s world, there were nobles with even greater power. Including ‘historical figures’ made the gap even wider.

Like Napoleon...

Anyway.

Maybe that’s why.

I can be so calm even now, waiting in the SJ Entertainment office.

Hm.

This is the vice president’s office of SJ Entertainment...

I tilted my cup and rolled my eyes.

To summarize the current situation, Vice President Baek Sun-hwa called me.

It was a natural process. To create a tribute song, I needed to hear the client’s thoughts.

Still, meeting Vice President Baek Sun-hwa directly was somewhat unexpected. I thought she would just relay something through Professor Yoon.

‘This tribute song might be more than just a birthday wish for her father.’

I sat in the spacious room, speculating, when another door inside opened.

A middle-aged woman came out, and Vice President Baek Sun-hwa approached the side where I was sitting. I stood up briefly to greet her.

“Hello.”

“Yes, hello. I’ve heard a lot about you from Professor Yoon. And I enjoyed the movie...”

She quickly scanned me, and I accepted her curious gaze.

“Thank you.”

“I know you’re a first-year high school student, but you seem quite mature.”

“I often hear that.”

Vice President Baek Sun-hwa, smiling at my answer, sat down and continued.

“As you’ve probably heard, I want to commission a tribute song for my father’s birthday from Seo Ho.”

“Yes, I know.”

Nodding at her words, I asked the client,

“What kind of song do you have in mind, Vice President?”

“Um...”

Vice President Baek Sun-hwa paused, closing her mouth. It seemed more like she was calmly organizing her thoughts rather than hesitating.

Then, as if she had decided what to say, she spoke.

“Well, it’s a story that everyone who knows already knows, so I’ll be honest with Seo Ho. My father is currently...”

Vice President Baek Sun-hwa began her story with a composed expression.

It was a story I was already familiar with.

But listening to it, it was quite a difficult story.

It couldn’t be otherwise.

Currently, Chairman Baek Han-gil is...

suffering from ALS.

#

Vice President Baek Sun-hwa, after a short but intense story, said to me,

“So, I’m asking for a song that can comfort my father.”

A song that can comfort...

“Yes, I’ll do my best.”

I answered firmly, feeling the affection in her voice.

My enthusiasm was boiling. My passion for music was secondary. There was something closer that I felt.

Empathy.

While Brinner’s condition couldn’t be diagnosed at the time, I could infer it from the symptoms that remained in my memory.

Most likely, with a 99% probability, Brinner had the same condition as Chairman Baek Han-gil.

That’s why...

By the time I finished my conversation with Vice President Baek Sun-hwa and left the SJ Entertainment office,

I had already organized in my mind what kind of song I needed to create.

Since I had experienced what Brinner had,

Chairman Baek Han-gil might be going through the same.

“...Let’s do it.”

So. Therefore.

I wanted to show him the comfort that Brinner had received.