Chapter 6

06

"Can you give me a song?"

"Finally, we're on the same page."

I took out a cigarette. Even though we were in the studio building's lobby, Im Hyun-su didn't try to stop me.

Yeah, who would dare to stop me?

Seeing Im Hyun-su's desperate expression, I offered him the gold pack of cigarettes.

"Would you like one?"

"…But you're an idol, right?"

"…Huh?"

Come to think of it, are idols not supposed to smoke? I hadn't considered this at all, and I scratched my chin for a moment. Im Hyun-su mumbled unhappily.

"What's this…"

Im Hyun-su, after checking my reaction, stealthily took one out and put it in his mouth.

Tap, tap.

I lit the lighter and kindly lit it for him, causing Im Hyun-su to shiver as if he were getting goosebumps.

I slowly looked at him and said,

"Mr. Composer, what I want is this. Just give me one amazing song with a high-class beat."

"Fancy and simple? Don't give me a cheap order. Huh, …one is enough?"

"Yes. I'm going to release it as a single. I'll think about the full album later."

"Concept? Have you decided on it?"

Good point.

I explained my rough idea, and Im Hyun-su started scribbling in a notebook he took out from his pocket.

Since I hadn't discussed it with the planning team yet, I could only give an abstract description of the concept, but when I mentioned the genre, Im Hyun-su seemed to understand perfectly.

"Got it. I have a general idea. Send the contract with the deposit and the duration."

"Contract?"

"What?"

"Deposit first?"

There's no way the agency would have money to send to Im Hyun-su. At least, there was no budget for the comeback song. I was certain of that.

But, Im Hyun-su still hasn't come to his senses? He's still talking about the deposit.

I said clearly,

"Mr. Composer, this is a talent donation."

Snap out of it, in this harsh world.

Im Hyun-su's mouth dropped open.

"Talent donation? Me? This Im Hyun-su…?"

I hummed the chorus of the song I had heard earlier.

"Want a drink, let's- I've always wanted to say this—"

After singing two more lines, Im Hyun-su gritted his teeth.

"I'll do it. I'll donate my talent!"

"Wow, thank you."

"Am I dreaming? I… I… became a fool?"

"It's not a dream."

I said kindly and glanced at my watch. It was time to add a counter to the deposit talk.

"It's 3 PM now. Please send me the first demo by 7 PM today."

"What? In four hours? Are you crazy?!"

"Then quit if you don't want to."

"That's…."

"I~ really like you~."

It's the chorus of the plagiarized song by Im Hyun-su.

I leaned back on the sofa, hummed, and took a strong drag on the cigarette. As the smoke rose like a cloud, Im Hyun-su muttered.

"Is this love or what~ tell me~."

"Got it, I'll do it! I'll send it by 7 PM!"

"Wow, impressive. Thanks for your enthusiasm."

He kept muttering and cursing, but I didn't care.

Ah, Im Hyun-su is easy to handle.

I felt as good as if I had drunk a soda. I watched Im Hyun-su write down the concept with a satisfied expression. When he finished, he threw the pencil.

"Write down your number."

"Sure."

I took it and slowly wrote down my phone number.

[010-XXXX-XXXX, Seo Ho-yun, please take care of me^^]

The last emoji was to annoy him. Seeing it, Im Hyun-su grabbed the back of his neck.

Since he seemed to understand, it was time to leave. I was busy.

"I'm leaving, Mr. Composer. Please take care of it."

"Wait. You really won't tell anyone about this, right?"

"Of course, Mr. Composer. I have my limits."

I would talk if it was profitable, and not if it wasn't. It was obvious.

And I was the type to keep my word.

"Don't worry. I'll be going now."

Just as I was about to stand up, Im Hyun-su urgently grabbed me. When I turned around, he muttered as if he were seeing a demon or a ghost.

"What are you really?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you have a powerful relative? Or are you a journalist? If not, what are you? Why are you so smooth-talking?"

Me? Of course, I'm a PD who gets flooded with love calls.

"I'm QBS's—"

"Pi?"

Ding!

[Choice

- Cute idol Ho Ho!

- The one to captivate you, Ho-yun!

- The forever shining star, Seo Ho-yun!]

'Wow, this is ridiculous.'

I gritted my teeth. I wanted to vomit, but if I did, I wouldn't have enough time, and a random line from the choices would be selected. I closed my eyes tightly and said,

"The forever… shining star, Seo Ho-yun."

"What… what did you say?"

"Shiny…?"

"Are you for real?"

Im Hyun-su laughed like he had lost his mind. I was the same. I wasn't in my right mind either.

"You're really a crazy kid…."

"I don't want to hear that from Mr. Composer… Whatever."

I nodded roughly and tried to leave, but I stopped again.

"Right. I'll send you my account number and the price of the tablet, so please tell me the cost."

"…."

Even in a crisis, I couldn't forget the price of my precious tablet.

*** [Sudden Quest Completed: 'Get the Comeback Song!' PD… No, Ho-yun, I thought you were a devil!

Reward: +10 Charm.]

"Hey, there's a dialogue choice…."

[Yes!]

"When does it appear? Is there a standard?"

[It's up to the system!]

"Shit…."

I was the fool for expecting a proper answer.

I took out my phone and checked the messages.

A few messages from the manager and the member from earlier.

I ignored them and clicked on the conversation with Im Hyun-su. The messages from the past few hours were visible.

[Me: Mr. Composer, is it done yet?]

[Me: Knock knock]

No reply. He had read it, though. Scrolling further, I saw that I had sent messages like a madman.

[Me: Knock knock]

[Me: Knock knock]

[Me: Knock knock]

[Me: Knock knock]

[Me: Knock knock]

[Im Hyun-su: Are you crazy?]

[Me: Mr. Composer, is it done yet? ^^]

I scrolled further.

Im Hyun-su finally sent the file.

[Im Hyun-su: Crazy bastard, it's done]

[Im Hyun-su: Eat it and get lost]

He really made the song in four hours. It seemed like he had roughly attached lyrics to the beat and recorded it, but I quite liked it.

As expected, his basic skills are solid. Why did he feel unnecessary pressure and even plagiarize… Stupid Im Hyun-su.

I called Seo Ho-jin, who was doing the dishes in the living room.

"Hey, Seo Ho-jin."

"What?"

"Come here."

Seo Ho-jin approached me, probably because he felt guilty. He still seemed to be startled by my face.

Yeah, if I were told I looked ten years younger, I'd be surprised too. I was startled when I saw myself in the mirror.

"Listen to this."

"Song? What is it?"

Seo Ho-jin listened silently. At first, he frowned, not understanding, but then he started nodding and gave a thumbs up.

"Wow, it's pretty good."

I stopped the song.

"Sing that chorus again."

"What? How can I remember that?"

Seo Ho-jin wasn't particularly talented in singing. He was closer to an average person. That's why he was a good candidate for checking.

"Is this your song, bro?"

"You don't need to know."

"Damn…."

I sent a message to Im Hyun-su.

[Me: Mr. Composer, is this the best you can do?]

[Me: I just played it for my brother, and he couldn't remember it after five seconds… No impact.]

[Me: I thought you were better than this….]

As I sent these, Im Hyun-su called me. I looked at him calmly and deliberately answered after 15 seconds.

"Yes, hello."

[Hey!! Are you crazy?!]

"It's late, but you seem very healthy."

In response to my sarcastic greeting, Im Hyun-su sputtered for a while.

[After all this effort, you say it has no impact?]

"…Oh, you're concerned?"

[I'm Im Hyun-su, you know? Blue Tiger!]

"Right…. Sigh, you're quite the big shot."

I changed the TV channel and yawned loudly, making sure Im Hyun-su could hear.

Crash, the sound of Im Hyun-su's pride shattering.

[You, you….]

"I had high expectations because you're such a big shot, but it's really disappointing to see this. Blue Tiger can only do this?"

[….Is the song really that bad?]

"Not really…."

I dragged it out, making him curious.

Originally, all creators are curious about the reactions to their works, no matter what they are.

"It's just like… you said you spent three hours getting inspired, but then you insulted me and spent ten minutes working, recorded a five-minute guide, and sent it…."

[….]

It was probably accurate. Im Hyun-su didn't answer for a while, as if he was pricked by his conscience. Then he asked me quietly.

[Did you install a CCTV while leaving?]

"Hahaha, you have quite an imagination."

[You're a scary kid….]

"Anyway, is this all you can do?"

I lowered my voice.

At this moment, there's a specific tone and voice needed. It should make the other person feel like you're expecting more, and that they can do better, instilling hope.

"I know you well, Mr. Composer."

[….]

"I know you can do better. That's why it's even more disappointing to see you do this half-heartedly and claim it's your best."

Seo Ho-jin, who was eavesdropping unintentionally, shivered in fear.

"If I'm wrong, there's nothing I can do."

I waited for five seconds for a response. Exactly five seconds later, Im Hyun-su replied.

[….Wait, just wait.]

Then the call ended. I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Im Hyun-su, what a temper."

This is a good card to play, but I can't stop with just this level of song.

In a few hours, maybe one or two, Im Hyun-su will contact me again. I just need to wait.

I stopped at an idol variety show on TV. The face holding a hammer and panting was someone I knew very well.

Joo Sung.

One of the top idols in Korea, no doubt.

'…Hmm.'

Seo Ho-jin, sitting on the sofa peeling an orange, said,

"Ah, isn't that Black Call Joo Sung?"

"Yeah, Seo Ho-jin knows a lot."

"Your tone is annoying."

It was the tone of someone who wanted to show off their shallow knowledge of idols. Sensing this, Seo Ho-jin expressed his opinion as if he were wronged.

"I know him too. My classmates praise him so much, I can't help but know. He's so popular in the department…."

"Seo Ho-jin, look up his SNS followers."

"Sure."

After a while, Seo Ho-jin showed me his phone screen.

"14th in the country. Eleven million."

"Really? Joo Sung has grown a lot."

So, Joo Sung is that popular these days.

Well, he was always popular, but…

What about Joo Sung?

I looked at Joo Sung and stroked my chin. Then I smiled.

I remembered.

Seo Ho-jin shivered again.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

"…."

"I really don't like it when you smile nicely…."

"Ho-jin, orange."

"Sure."

Seo Ho-jin, suddenly alert, quickly peeled an orange and gave it to me. As I ate it, I watched Joo Sung, who was smiling brightly on TV, unaware of his fate.

The sweet and fresh taste of the orange spread in my mouth.

The next target was set.