Chapter 40

The song ended.

I experienced a bizarre silence unlike anything I had ever felt before.

Why are they acting like this?

“……”

I looked around at the A&R team members.

There were engineers who tuned the music, composers, and staff responsible for other tasks.

A diverse group of people with unique personalities.

But the expressions on their faces were all the same.

It had been like this since the song started.

They looked as if they were witnessing something incomprehensible.

I wanted to use my ability to mimic expressions to copy theirs right away. Then I would know what emotion was behind that expression.

The only emotion I could read in this situation was the awkwardness felt by my juniors.

Frustrated, I opened my mouth.

“Um… how was it?”

“Hmm?”

The staff blinked at my words.

“Well, that is….”

“This is….”

But they all stopped mid-sentence.

Perhaps it wasn’t the situation they had expected. As the staff members narrowed their eyes, seemingly pondering an appropriate response, it was Director Jo who spoke from his seat.

“You did a great job.”

“It’s much better than I expected. Of course, it needs some adjustments, but for a first-time composition, it’s really good. This quality is good enough to be included in the debut album.”

“Thank you.”

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to give feedback on the song right now. I’ll share it with you later after getting the opinions of our team members.”

Director Jo’s gaze turned to the A&R team leader sitting next to him.

For a moment, a silent exchange of glances passed between the two men.

When the A&R team leader nodded, our producer spoke.

“Well, then….”

His tone was casual, but I could sense something was off.

“You’ve worked hard. New Black, you can go ahead and leave. We’re about to have a meeting, and it’s likely to involve some sensitive topics.”

* * *

As the New Black members left with anxious faces, the meeting room fell silent again.

It was natural that Seonwooju couldn’t read the atmosphere.

It included both positive and negative elements.

On the positive side, the song was really good.

When you work on album production, you end up evaluating and reviewing songs sent by composers every day.

Naturally, you become better than anyone else at recognizing what makes a good song and what suits a singer.

To them, the fireworks were a gem.

Like the universe’s goal of attracting potential fans, the song was meticulously crafted for easy listening.

It was a pleasant and comfortable song to listen to, and the chorus was addictive.

Instead of trying to preserve the original source, he made a brilliant choice to completely rework it.

If he had tried to keep the original source intact, Seonwooju would have failed just like the senior composers.

But he used the material to create an entirely different melody, like a skilled chef using dried chilies in pasta.

The original source was so altered that it was barely recognizable, but the addictive quality remained, like a spicy aroma.

Some people were already thinking about the catchy chorus melody that lingered in their ears and wanting to hear it again.

An easy-listening song with strong addictiveness.

Could there be a more suitable song for the summer season?

Of course, the sloppy tuning, the odd use of instruments, and the somewhat rustic bridge part needed immediate improvement, but the foundation was excellent.

And that was the problem.

The reason everyone in the room felt conflicted was that the quality of the song Seonwooju had created was too good.

Good is good.

The issue was that it was so good that it disrupted the plan.

The A&R team had been holding internal planning meetings since the day New Black and Jang So-won appeared on a music show.

They had a rough outline.

The documents on the table contained all that information.

Everything was decided from the beginning.

The main reason Director Jo and the A&R team decided to have Seonwooju compose an original song was for business purposes.

While it was also a goal to give Seonwooju practice in composing, it couldn’t be the primary objective.

The agency was, after all, a business.

What were the chances that a beginner composer would create a good song?

Expectations were zero from the start.

What they needed was the image of a "composer idol" to promote the debut album after "Something."

Therefore, they had a lenient attitude toward the song, thinking it would be fine no matter what.

Honestly, not many people would listen to the B-sides properly, and they planned to outsource the title track to a famous composer.

If it weren’t for the fireworks that Seonwooju brought as an original song, it would have been fine.

'The song is just too good.'

What they had hoped for was a song that listeners would think, "Not bad."

A smooth song that fit the album.

But the fireworks were not only good but also perfectly suited to New Black’s style.

And it was intense.

It was the worst condition for a B-side.

You can’t cast a more handsome actor in a supporting role than the lead.

So, there were three conclusions:

1. Release it as a separate digital single.

2. Include it as a B-side.

3. Scrap the current plan and restructure the album.

The A&R team members leaned toward option 1.

They didn’t want to ruin the plan they had worked on for nearly two months.

But if they did that, the promotional plan to promote the "composer idol" image would be disrupted.

Option 2 was risky.

Fans who heard the album would likely react, "Is the company crazy? Why not push this as the title track?"

Everyone was lost in thought when the A&R team leader sighed.

“He was supposed to bring a B-side, but he brought a title track.”

Laughter erupted from various corners of the room.

Everyone felt the same way.

The first to speak was Director Yun Seok-hwan.

“From what I heard, the song quality is good and it fits the boys’ style well… but considering the hard work the A&R team has put in over the past few months, it might be best for you to decide the fate of the song.”

“Well, the situation is a bit ambiguous now….”

The A&R team leader turned his gaze to Director Jo.

“It would be best for you to make the final decision. You’ve always made the right choices in the past.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

In major decisions at Lemon Entertainment, Jo Kwan-hwan always made the best choices.

What decision would he make this time?

Everyone’s gaze turned to the producer, who was sitting with his legs crossed, lost in thought.

Five minutes passed.

Finally, Director Jo Kwan-hwan adjusted his posture.

“Well….”

The producer’s gaze fell on the planning document on the table.

He seemed to have made up his mind and flipped the paper without hesitation.

“We need to reconsider everything from the beginning.”

* * *

A week had passed since the A&R meeting where the song was presented, but there was no news from the company.

Director Jo Kwan-hwan, who had promised to give feedback, was also silent.

I thought about going to the A&R team to ask, but seeing them busy with meetings, it didn’t seem like the right time.

I tried to casually ask Seok-hwan, but he wouldn’t say anything, as if it were a big secret.

As for Min-ki….

“Thank you, I’ll really enjoy it!”

He was grinning widely while receiving snacks from senior Jang So-won.

Seriously, this guy.

Our manager should have been Sugar Fish’s manager.

This was the waiting room.

Today’s recording schedule was for "Midnight Concert."

Airing every Sunday evening, "Midnight Concert" aims to be a musical platform for all generations.

With a diverse music spectrum, it features both trot singers and idols, and is one of the long-running flagship programs of PBS.

This recording was also a result of our performance at the music cafe.

A responsible PD who liked "Between" requested our appearance.

I heard that the music cafe PD and senior Ha Seung-ju strongly recommended us.

The original schedule was set for an earlier date, but it got pushed to now.

Well.

Although it’s a bit of an in-between time, it’s still nice to be back on TV.

Of course, my mind was still preoccupied with the song.

Sitting on the sofa, I saw fluffy desserts floating in front of my eyes.

“Bro, look at this. It’s a soufflé. Soufflé~”

“Yeah.”

“It’s a soufflé, okay?”

“It must be delicious.”

“What’s wrong, why no reaction? Souff… why?”

The youngest member, who was teasing me excitedly, turned to look at Ri-hyuk, who had poked him in the side.

“Leave it. This guy’s been in a bad mood lately.”

“Oh.”

Ji-ho seemed to understand and closed his mouth.

For a while, he slumped like a sad dog, and then Jang So-won, who was chatting with Min-ki, asked.

“Why is our youngest so down?”

“Well, senior, it’s because he doesn’t react to the teasing anymore. Teasing with soufflés was his life….”

“Why is the leader in a bad mood?”

“I’m fine, senior.”

I smiled at her, who was tilting her head.

“They’re just spreading rumors.”

“Wow, look at that smile. He never smiles like that for us.”

Ji-ho pointed at me as if to say, “Look at that shameless face!”

Jung-hyun, munching on a bread, said,

“I can’t even remember the last time I saw Seonwooju smile.”

“Hey, Kim Jung-h