CH9

In fact, Team Leader Choi Soo-Yeon had a liking for Han Si-On from the moment he entered.

She did not know why somebody would do such a clumsy job taking their profile picture (it was a selfie), but he looked way hotter in real life.

Or, to be more precise, his vibe was overwhelmingly cool.

There was a sense of melancholy for some reason and, at the same time, a compulsive feeling.

On top of that, he also gave the impression that screamed, 'Don't mess with me.'

"I didn't prepare for playing or composing, sorry."

"…Okay. If you say so."

Contrary to Han Si-On's guess, Choi Soo-Yeon was not ticked off during that conversation.

She was shaken because it felt like Lion Entertainment dropped the ball for not briefing him, even though he did say "sorry."

In fact, even though she would normally listen to the free-choice song first and then the designated song, she gave Han Si-On the choice of what to sing first without realizing it.

Considering Choi Soo-Yeon had seen countless trainees and aspiring entertainers, this was not a normal norm if she felt it that way.

But looking back, even that was nothing.

The real thing started when Si-On started singing.

When Han Si-On sang "Flower Language," Choi Soo-Yeon was shocked.

He's good.

Scratch that, too good.

Of course, Take Scene is good at singing, too.

The main vocalist of Take Scene received praise within the company for being the best singer in Lion Ent.'s history.

But that was next level.

Hard to put into words, but it was the kind of vibe you get from top-tier singers who get called "teachers."

The alarm for a sense of crisis rang.

This won't do.

We can't have him on the same stage as Take Scene.

We haven't decided exactly how much to reflect viewer voting yet, but he will definitely get votes for sure.

But…

"Am I supposed to let this talent go?"

She thought she should put him in Team B and twist it later as a trainee.

But that thought went out the window the moment he sang his free choice song.

Melisma, <Tony Bright.>

It was a song title and artist name she had never heard before in her life.

Originally, talent scouts do not greatly emphasize musical literacy.

They're not picking singers; they're picking products.

It is up to the training team to turn those picked products into singers.

Si-On said he arranged a 1940s blues song himself, so she thought he had an indie mindset.

But as the song started, everything changed.

This dude's crazy.

What crazy guy sings a song like this at an idol audition?

And why the heck did he leave looking like he got punched in the face?

Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?

That kind of stuff exists.

You know, like when they disguise a famous pianist as an amateur for a prank.

Yeah, that's gotta be it.

This guy must be a pro singer from New Orleans or Berklee…

'But he's only twenty!'

The CEO said to stuff Team B with unique characters.

But the ability Han Si-On showed was not just uniqueness.

It was a nuclear warhead fired from individuality.

That was troubling.

There's no way not to pick him, but it's scary to think what might happen if we do.

In the end, Choi Soo-Yeon concluded.

It's best if CEO Choi Dae-Ho eliminates him…

"Ms. Choi."

"Oh, nah, I was just thinking out loud."

"Pardon?"

"Uh… Nothing. Why?"

"You just asked to play the original song, right?"

"Oh, right. Let's listen to it. I don't know how much arrangement was done."

So they went on YouTube and listened to Melisma's "Tony Bright," but…

"Can this even be called an arrangement?"

It was just a pretty decent guitar blues.

There was no electronic sound at all.

At this level, it was like he just took the lyrics and made an entirely new song.

Moreover, looking at the comments and views, the singer did not seem that famous.

After thinking for a while, Choi Soo-Yeon made a decision.

"Let's leave it to Mr. Choi."

"I guess that's the call."

"He's gonna blow up for sure. He might even join Take Scene."

Whether to use him to explode viewership in Team B or create a spot for him in Take Scene was not something she could decide.

"Send today's footage to me ASAP… Good work today, everyone."

"Uh, Ms. Choi."

"Yeah?"

"There are still participants waiting."

"Oh, right. Gotta keep watching."

"And something just came to my mind."

"What is it?"

"We haven't seen the dance of participant Han Si-On yet…."

"Ah, right…."

"What if he can't dance?"

"But wouldn't that be kind of okay? With his level of skill, it's fine to have a weakness."

"Oh, is that so?"

In the end, that was how they rationalized it.

As I left Lion Entertainment, I checked my phone and saw that I had a bunch of missed calls from BVB's Seo Seung-Hyun.

Without hesitation, I called back right away, and a question came flying as if he was about to run out of breath without even a greeting.

– The songs you posted on SC, you composed them, right?

"Yeah. Why?"

– Oh, have you sold them yet by any chance?

"Nope, not yet."

-Not even one?

"Not a single one."

-Uh, seems like there might have been a mistake. You've entered my email in your SoundCloud account?

"It's not a mistake."

– Is that so?

"I did it on purpose. I wanted to meet you privately, Mr. Seo."

– You wanted to meet me, privately…?

"...What? What are you talking about?"

What a weirdo.

"I need someone to sell the songs to. Someone who knows the idol scene inside out."

-I'm with BVB, though.

"Composers and trainers in the show business are free to change jobs, and there are a lot of freelancers, right? You know why?"

– Well…

"It's because their professional skills don't rely on the company's infrastructure. I think it's the same with the A&R team's song development."

Discovering good songs, attaching good arrangers, and outsourcing to good producers.

This work is crucial for an artist's career but isn't as standardized as you might think.

It relies entirely on the A&R producer's connections.

They try to address this issue with song camps and seminars, but individual skill still plays a big role.

"And aren't restrictions on concurrent business for A&R teams accepted a bit too generously?"

It is quite common for A&R teams to help connect with star composers to get close to them.

There are cases of returning favors.

"Just try selling six songs for now. I think one of them will suit NOP, so there's your justification."

-Pay would be…

"Half of the song selling price."

– …! Are you serious?

"Yes."

If I give 10%, he'll think it's worth cooperating.

If I give 20%, he'll think it's worth collaborating.

But if I give 50%, he'll think he won the lottery.

No one's too lazy to cash in a winning ticket.

Being financially free has its perks.

Others don't have that freedom.

"Let's write up a contract today. What time do you get off work?"

The talk with Seo Seung-Hyun went well.

We decided to sell the song <I'm Not Your Man> to BVB Entertainment as NOP's follow-up song.

Seo Seung-Hyun also said the song <Selfish > would suit NOP well, but there was a bigger fish to fry.

"Try selling Selfish to DROPOUT as a title track."

Although I've forgotten a lot about Korea, there are some presences I can't shake off.

I know who the current President of Korea is, and I know who's killing it in the soccer team.

And I also know who's the top dog in the entertainment industry.

DROPOUT.

A five-member boy group.

I'm not up to speed on their career years or album sales.

But who doesn't know DROPOUT?

Even my money-hungry great-uncle probably jams to a DROPOUT track or two.

They're not just top-tier; they're the champs.

They are the only boy group that can make soldiers sing along at a military concert.

"DROPOUT? They don't take songs from outsiders as title tracks. Everything has been self-produced since their first album."

"Still, give it a push."

"No comeback news. It might take years."

"They'll be back soon. Trust me."

I don't know the exact timing, but soon.

I'm not sure when, but it's happening. This year or the next, whatever.

The reason I want to sell Selfish to DROPOUT is simple.

These guys have been belting it out at every encore concert.

I've seen interviews where the members pick "Selfish" as their fav track, and they've even cooked up special arrangements for it.

Among the songs I've composed, Selfish is very versatile.

Although we didn't release it when promoting as GOTM (it doesn't suit the image of a traditional band player), I usually got my first Billboard #1 with Selfish in my career.

It suited my voice well and was also a song that would go well with the time, so to speak.

What this means is that releasing it in 2019 could hit #1 on Billboard, and releasing it in 2024 could also hit #1 on Billboard.

Of course, you can't just release it. Proper marketing is still necessary.

But it speaks to how powerful the song itself is.

I don't know DROPOUT's taste that well, but it looks like a song that would be a bullseye to their style, so I wonder if it wouldn't sell as well as a title track?

Of course, someone might think it would be better if I sang it myself.

But that's a job for another life.

In this life, I will just watch how DROPOUT arranges Selfish in a K-Pop way, how they add boy group-appropriate lyrics, and how they promote it.

I'm curious about how it'll perform.

Besides, it's not like I don't have other songs as good as Selfish.

"Would they want it as a B-side?"

"Hard pass. It's title or nothing."

"Gonna be tough, but… got it."

"I don't have any specific plans for the rest, so sell them properly. I'll send more tracks your way soon."

"But, Han Si-On…"

"Yes?"

"Why did you choose me…? With songs like these, you could contact companies directly and sell them yourself."

Indeed, money talks.

He subconsciously accepts that he is the chosen one because I offered half of the song fee.

The reason I chose Seo Seung-Hyun was simple: to build connections naturally.

The word "connections" means something different to regressors than it does to ordinary people.

Even if I had deep ties in my past life with NARAS members who served as judges for the Grammy Awards, it returns to zero with one regression.

There is no guarantee I will become close again just because we were close in a past life.

My life could naturally turn a close fellow singer into an enemy just as naturally.

Thus, to me, connections are 'those whose behavior patterns I can accurately predict'.

Those whose relationship with me can grow closer or more distant based on my actions.

Those who can either come to trust me or grow to distrust me.

By accumulating such connections, a twenty-year-old newcomer from the East (eighteen in the States) can debut with a song that hits number 1 on the Billboard charts.

But you can't network with a goal in mind.

Wandering around LA to learn "how to top the Billboard charts" won't help you gain valuable connections.

You need to immerse yourself in the industry.

By doing whatever jobs come your way, connections are made, either accidentally or unavoidably.

Isn't that the case with Lee Hyun-Seok, the CEO of LB Studio?

If I need a link to the indie connections in my next life, I'll head there.

And I'll record the same songs. At the same time.

To me, that's what connections are.

And currently, Seo Seung-Hyun is the only person in the K-Pop industry I have properly met face-to-face.

He's also working for a pretty big company called BVB Entertainment.

Although I didn't have much choice, it was also a very attractive starting point.

But I can't say that.

"I just… liked your taste, Mr. Seo."

"You matched my taste?"

"Man, you've been saying some weird stuff."

And so, Seo Seung-Hyun started working for me.

Originally, I was trying to debut through BVB via Seo Seung-Hyun, but when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, right?

Now, just gotta get picked by Coming Up Next…

I don't know, though.

Ms. Choi Soo-Yeon didn't look too happy during my interview.

Maybe because my style is quite far from K-pop, maybe they sensed my professional reluctance.

Things might have been different if I had more overwhelming skills.

I should practice.

TL/n - 

You can read 5 chapters in advance on p@treon.com/inkbound