CH26

As soon as I hit home, I crashed out and woke up at 6 P.M.

It must've been a 15-hour snooze.

Yet, I kept yawning.

"Hwaaaam."

Korean broadcasters are amazing.

They said it'd be a quick 1-night, 3-day gig, but damn, they're putting us through the wringer.

Even in the U.S., where they're notorious for playing fast and loose with schedules, this level of grind is rare.

So, I'm pondering this whole ordeal, and it looks like I've missed calls from my great-uncle.

I accidentally answered it.

-You, you little rascal! When an adult calls…!

I hit record on the call that I accidentally answered and tossed the phone under the blanket.

His voice is so loud and noisy.

I could've just blocked him, but hey, this is all part of the process.

Attorney Choi Ji-Woon would have a field day dissecting the antics of my uncle, who's been pestering his nephew.

So, I kept ignoring the calls and forwarding the text rants to Choi Ji-Woon.

This should be enough on its own, but it's not bad to occasionally record calls.

So, I shuffle to the kitchen for some coffee, and lo and behold, my uncle's still spewing out curses on the other end.

"Leave me alone!"

I said that. Then I hung up.

This guy could've made it big in rap, with that flow of curses mixed with money talk.

I wonder if he's got any hip-hop talent.

With my coffee fix kicking in, I cleared my thinking. I dialed up Team Leader Seo Seung-Hyun of BVB Entertainment.

"I heard a rumor that Dropout received an outside composer's song as their exclusive title track. Double M's a bit shocked, but they're cool with it after listening."

Team Leader Seo Seung-Hyun's looking kind of hyped as we chat over at the coffee shop.

I don't think he's excited about any crumbs falling his way but rather about Dropout choosing my song as the title track.

Well, Dropout was the kingpin of K-pop before LMC and Prime Time came out.

"Yeah, cool beans."

He made a face of shock at my lukewarm attitude.

"The song is good. But I'm surprised you're not surprised."

"No, I saw it coming."

"How much should we charge? We're sitting pretty comfortable here."

"I'll take up to 70% of your max estimate. Hmm, 60% works fine too."

Selfish is fire, but it isn't for everyone to sing and succeed with.

With its fundamental concept of a heartfelt love song, it captures a nostalgic sensation, but there aren't many K-pop idol groups that can deliver such a vibe.

Dropout's the perfect fit, no matter how I look at it.

I'm also curious about Selfish's future, so I don't want it to be a flop.

"Are you saying we should sell the other songs like that too?"

"No. Only to Dropout. For the rest, milk them dry and sell to whoever's paying top dollar."

"Understood."

Seo Seung-Hyun is the guru about how much K-pop entertainment companies can spend on a single song.

He's the head of AR at BVB Ent., the company that created NOP.

He updates me on sales and contracts, and it looks like NOP's rolling with "I'm not your man" next.

Seo Seung-Hyun then shares with me the progress of the song sales and related matters.

BVB Ent. has also confirmed <I'm not your man> as NOP's follow-up song, and they'll soon be drafting the contract.

"Few companies are sniffing around the other songs too."

"We'll play it cool. Wouldn't they sell the highest around the time Dropout releases <Selfish >?"

"That's true."

"If they pay a reasonable amount, it's okay to sell it now."

Because I'm curious about how the K-pop industry will interpret, arrange, and sell my songs anyway.

"Oh, by the way, Mr. Han, Dropout contacted me saying they want to dine with the composer."

"Please decline them politely. Contracts go digital, and I'm not opening up my personal details."

"Should I skip the meetings too?"

"Yes, just sell it. After all, when it comes to K-pop, the arranger becomes the main focus once it enters the producing stage, right?"

"Still, with this kind of response, the composer can become the main focus as well. Connections are also assets, so why don't you attend the concept meeting at least?"

Huh, unexpected.

From Seo Seung-Hyun's viewpoint, keeping my identity under wraps is convenient.

That way, he can gain power by selling my songs without the hassle and nagging.

To be real, if Seo Seung-Hyun wanted to play dirty, he could've teamed up with the entertainment's side of people to pull one over on me.

I'm not saying I'd get played easily, but hey, it's not off the table.

However, his advice right now was out of pure goodwill, excluding any benefits.

Should I call it the occupational disease of a regressor?

I like to see someone's true colors.

Life throws a bunch of choices at you, shaped by all sorts of stuff outside, but folks usually just follow their gut or default setting.

And if this move by Team Leader Seo Seung-Hyun is his go-to, then this person is really trustworthy.

Sure, I still have to keep an eye out a bit longer to be certain… but I've come to like this person a little.

"Mr. Seo, you can handle those connections. I think I'll be staying incognito."

"Why's that?"

"It's awkward because they're bigwigs in the industry, you know?"

"Seniority isn't exactly the norm for singers and composers."

"Oh, I didn't mention it? I'm on <Coming Up Next>."

"<Coming Up Next>…?"

"You're clueless?"

"Ah, that wild show Lion Ent.'s got going…"

Seo Seung-Hyun paused in mid-sentence, so I saved him the trouble.

"Yeah, that crazy program."

"I mean, why'd you sign up?"

"Why not? I thought it looked fun."

"You're better off getting a referral to a good company through HR, or maybe even I can help you out."

"Oh, I forgot to mention. HR was a lie."

"What?"

I mixed a bit of truth and lies as I laid out the situation for Team Leader Seo Seung-Hyun.

I told him my earlier visit was just to peddle my songs to the industry.

Seo Seung-Hyun was shocked that HR got duped so easily, but hey, what's done is done.

He's sitting pretty here, thanks to that connection, too.

Finally, he shakes off the shock with a cup of joe and comes to a conclusion.

"Well, guess it doesn't matter."

"Anyway, I have to go to the dorm soon. I might not be able to get back to you instantly."

"But imagine if you debut, Si-On. You'd be the composer behind Dropout's first external title track as a rookie idol."

"If it ever comes out, yeah."

I have no plans to spill the beans, though.

What I'm aiming for is your typical idol life.

I want to live a very typical idol life.

Doing it this way, I can snag sensitive information and the specifics…

But hey, I don't know how things will turn out. I might have to spill the beans someday.

But when that moment hits, I'm not going to do it all wishy-washy.

The way you drop a secret is just as important as the secret itself, you know?

"While we're here, you want to scope out the conditions for 'I'm not your man'?"

"Sure thing?"

***

At first glance, Lee Hyun-Seok of LB Studio just seemed like a guy who ran a recording studio and lived off of it.

That was not wrong.

That was how he wanted to live, and that was how he actually lived.

However, did that mean Lee Hyun-Seok had little influence in the Korean music industry?

Absolutely not.

In the music industry, it is surprisingly common for failed musicians to lead the industry.

Successful musicians remain as musicians, but the ones who cannot cut it pivot to business or producing.

Since they cannot achieve brilliant artistic accomplishments with their own talent, they change their career path to make others' talents shine.

Even CEO Choi Dae-Ho of Lion Entertainment was a failed singer back in the 80s, and there were many failed indie singers among the A&R partners and producers.

That was why Lee Hyun-Seok was so influential.

Among the failures he had offered help to, there were quite a few who were now top dogs in the industry.

And Lee Hyun-Seok finally showcased his influence after a long time.

"So, I'll leave it to you, Mr. Lee Hyun-Seok."

"You can leave it all to me."

Lee Hyun-Seok's LB Studio would be in charge of producing the audio source for <Coming Up Next>.

Which, frankly, was pretty unusual.

No matter how good the conditions LB Studio offered, it would not be better than producing in-house.

In addition, Channel M Show had its own recording studio, so there was no reason to outsource the production of the audio source.

Nevertheless, the reason why this was possible was…

'Han Si-On already sang three songs? And one of them will be released as a single?'

It was all thanks to Lee Hyun-Seok's persistence and his curiosity about Han Si-On's music.

He even convinced Jo Gi-Jeong, the original singer of <Under The Streetlight.>

Jo Gi-Jeong had turned down Channel M Show's offer for a remake.

If it were simply a cover, he would have agreed, but he did not allow it because they had changed the song a lot.

Audio stars inevitably have prejudices against video stars.

Whether it was distrust of their skills or an inferiority complex about their appearance.

And idols? They're the ultimate existence of video stars.

However…

"Big brother. Don't you know he's a genius? Not just a genius idol, but a musical genius. Take my word for it."

One call from Lee Hyun-Seok, and Jo Gi-Jeong was onboard.

After seeing that, M Show also gave the final okay to Lee Hyun-Seok's audio source production.

And with everything squared away, Lee Hyun-Seok finally reached out to Han Si-On.

"Si-On. How've you been?"

"Oh, nothing much, just got hooked up with M Show. Yeah, <Coming Up Next>."

"So, are you free today?"

After lunch, I swing by the LB Studio building.

The audio source recording for <Under the Streetlight> was initially scheduled for tomorrow, but Lee Hyun-Seok asked me to visit.

What's on his mind?

As I opened the door with that thought in mind, CEO Lee Hyun-Seok and his nephew, the part-timer who he said to be his nephew, were waiting for me.

"Did you do well on the shooting?"

"It was a good hustle."

"Are the kids doing alright? I heard from my friends at M Show that they're not half bad."

"They were much better than I expected. I was very surprised."

"Who is the best?"

I tilt my head at the sudden question that the nephew butts in.

They're all just wannabe idols. Would they know if I told them their names?

"Hey, Young-Ha. Keep an eye on the counter. We're heading in."

"Why?"

"It's noisy here."

"But…"

Lee Hyun-Seok notices his nephew itching to jump into the chat, but he has him handle the counter and then pulls me into the conference room inside the studio.

"Mr. Han."

"Mr. Lee. Keep it casual. We'll be seeing each other a lot."

"Oh, will we now? Well, I'll be popping in for the audio source, so that would be better."

It would be embarrassing if others saw us.

CEO Lee Hyun-Seok doesn't even consider the possibility of me bailing on <Coming Up Next>.

And in some way, it makes sense.

The person who has listened to my music most closely in this life is not Seo Seung-Hyun, nor are the judges of <Coming Up Next.>

It's Lee Hyun-Seok.

He watched my performance and music for three days while I was staying at LB Studio.

I don't know much about him, but he's sharp enough to spot my talent.

"Alright then. Call me seonbae, I guess."

"Shouldn't it be 'teacher'?"

"What can I teach you to be a teacher?"

Lee Hyun-Seok settles into his chair and speaks in a low voice.

"I saw the video M Show sent me."

"Oh, yeah? What'd you think?"

"It's solid. Really solid. It surprised me, actually… Looking back, I'm kind of disappointed."

"In what way?"

"A masterpiece isn't supposed to just be surprising, is it?"

I guess I can bump up my evaluation of Lee Hyun-Seok a notch.

The guy's sharper than I thought.

TL/n - 

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