Damn Idol Episode 5

* * *

The devil of the crossroads.

Or the devil at the crossroads.

It's a name that seems funny at first glance, but that's not the case among musicians.

The devil of the crossroads was first introduced to the world by Robert Johnson, known as the 'Father of Rock'.

Robert Johnson made a deal with the devil at a crossroads to gain guitar skills and rock music.

Stories related to this were also released as songs, <Crossroad > and <Me and the Devil Blues>.

This had a significant influence on the fact that white people in the past called rock and blues the devil's music.

Ever since Robert Johnson, rumors about the Devil at the Crossroads have always circulated in the music world.

A photo of the Beatles crossing the most famous crosswalk on their album covers.

People used to say that this implied that they had made a pact with the devil of the crossroads.

I came across this on YouTube, and of course I thought it was gossip that was far from the truth.

Because in the 21st century, it's funny to believe in things like the devil of the crossroads.

but… … .

When the devil appeared in front of us, it was no longer a matter of gossip.

[Do you want to live?]

I raised my head to a voice that I could not believe belonged to a living being that existed in the world.

Debris from the crushed car is piercing my father's chest.

The mother, bleeding from the head, is no longer breathing.

[Or do you want to save it?]

At that moment, I think I instinctively realized that the being in front of me was a devil.

The devil waves his hand.

The fragments lodged in my father's chest disappear and the wound heals.

Mom also begins to breathe, albeit slowly.

In an incredible situation, I remained incredibly calm and cool.

It's not my will.

The devil had forcibly activated my reason and intellect.

[If you achieve your goal, they will survive.]

"Then what now?"

[It's just that he's not dead. Would you understand if we stopped in a state where death was postponed?]

"Then the goal is…" … ."

I couldn't help but think of murder, terrorism, pseudo-religion, etc.

But the devil's answer to this was absurd.

"album? "That album I know?"

200 million albums sold.

At first, I thought it was the devil's work.

Why would a being that is hard to believe exists in the world care about album sales?

Of course, now I know why the devil set this condition.

But I didn't know it at the time.

I didn't even know how difficult 200 million was.

At that moment, my mouth opened.

"for a moment! "Okay, let's do it."

[…] … .]

"200 million is too much for human purposes. "How about 100 million?"

[…] … .]

"Or allow you to count your own purchases!"

[…] … .]

"If you're going to sell 200 million copies, please include at least a digital single! "How do you only count physical albums?"

[…] … .]

"Bruno Mars only sold 30 million physical albums!"

After complaining to the devil for a while, I realized something.

It's a dog's dream.

* * *

"haha."

This is absurd.

Right after returning, I often have dreams related to the past.

Of course, the one I dream the most about is the contract with the devil, which was the starting point of everything.

However, this is my first experience making a bargain with the devil in a dream.

Should I say it's thanks to you?

The damp feeling I had before falling asleep last night has disappeared.

Moreover, even though it was just a dream, what I said in the dream was my honest feelings.

In fact, if digital singles or mini albums were counted, selling 200 million copies would not have been that difficult.

Bruno Mars' physical album sales are only 30 million copies, but if you include all single albums and produced tracks, the number is well over 100 million copies.

But what can you do?

The devil is not a being that can negotiate.

Ji-e-ing-

The phone vibrated and the name [Great Uncle] appeared on the screen.

It seemed like this guy was about to run out of patience as the phone hung up before it even rang.

"It's about time."

My great-uncle will be trying to open the door to my house this Friday, or the day after tomorrow.

Because of the special crime prevention door lock, I will not be able to achieve my goal and will go back to Gwangyang on Sunday evening.

Of course, this is not the end.

After 15 days, he will use his annual leave to guard our house for about 3 days.

Retrospection doesn't mean everything goes 100% the same, but this guy's schedule didn't change.

I think the date on which annual leave can be paid may have been set due to company circumstances.

If things were the way they were, I wouldn't have to try to avoid my great-uncle.

Because you won't be in Korea in the first place.

But this time it's a little different.

I think I will have to leave the house on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to avoid my great uncle's visit.

But that doesn't mean I'm going to spend time at a motel or Uncle Hyeonsu's house... … .

"hello. "It's a recording studio, right?"

-nice to meet you. This is LB Studio.

"I'd like to make a reservation. Full session this Friday from noon to Sunday midnight. Oh, you don't have to have drums."

-From Friday noon to Sunday midnight? You mean 60 hours?

"yes."

I plan to live in the studio and make music that I will use in my life.

* * *

A music student working part-time at LB Studio's eyes lit up when she saw the reservation ticket.

Someone rented the most expensive, high-end studio for 60 hours for a full session.

There is only one such case.

'He's a celebrity!'

Of course, indie musicians also rent studios for long periods of time to record albums.

However, they carefully calculate sleeping, eating, and resting times and rent at a tight price.

This was because the hourly rental fee was expensive.

On the other hand, celebrities often captured the recording process in music videos or made it into making films.

Inevitably, you need filming equipment to take pictures, but it is quite difficult to repeatedly set up and take down the camera.

So, we rent out a whole few days like this and use it to store equipment.

Of course, there is a possibility of filming an entertainment program.

'There's no way the broadcasting station would have paid the full price without mentioning sponsorship, right?'

In other words, this rental is a celebrity.

'Who's going to come?'

If possible, it would be nice to be an idol.

As her favorite male idol.

Of course, the probability of that happening was small.

These days, idols film a lot of concept music videos, so recording scenes are rarely included.

Besides, if he was an idol, he wouldn't have bothered to rent an instrument.

Still, you never know.

We can see our kids smiling brightly and playing the guitar, right?

At noon on Friday, with the anticipation of a part-time worker, the studio door opened.

A time commitment like a sword.

But contrary to her expectations, the visitor was a boy.

The boy looked at the posters next to the studio door for a long time and then approached the desk.

"hello."

"Are you Mr. Han Si-on, who reserved Studio A?"

"yes. you're right."

He looked quite young.

Roughly nineteen, or twenty?

However, there is a strange atmosphere that does not make you feel young.

It's a depressing yet obsessive feeling, a feeling that seems to suit the gray color.

Yet, he has a white and handsome face.

'Aspiring singer? 'Idol trainee?'

After filling out the rental contract, I asked if I needed to set up a studio, and the boy shook his head.

"I will do it."

"It might be a bit difficult to handle the equipment… … . "There are some new things that came in this time."

"If you need help, I'll let you know."

I don't really trust him, but the atmosphere was such that it was difficult to say anything more.

So the boy went into the studio, and the part-time worker devoted himself to work again.

Maybe because it was Friday, there was more work than usual.

How much time has passed?

The part-timer suddenly got the idea to monitor the sound of Studio A.

It's not something you secretly hear, it's a clause included in the rental contract.

Studio equipment doesn't cost a penny or two.

Normally we check when the renters are acting suspiciously, but in this case it was purely a courtesy.

A Studio's equipment is state-of-the-art and has quite a few complicated corners, so you might get lost.

The sound I heard like that... … .

"… … ?!"

It was a guitar performance that I had never heard even from my professors.

A sharp and nervous feeling.

But it's not that it's unpleasant to hear, it's that it drains people's soul.

Clearly, the technique itself left something to be desired.

There were frequent mistakes in picking and sliding, and there were parts where the playing pitch was unstable.

But, the feeling was crazy.

The feeling of not caring about minor mistakes is at an insane level.

It makes me wonder if Keith Richards' performance during his unknown days must have felt like this.

'What on earth does he do to play like that at that age...' … .'

At that moment, the performance suddenly stops and the boy's voice is heard through the monitoring headset.

-Oh, damn it. It doesn't work that well.

The music student and part-timer thought while listening to the genius boy grumbling.

Should I drop out... … ?

* * *

When a new session begins, you need time to tune up your body.

In my last life, I was a vocalist in a band that sold 70 million physical albums.

Of course, he sang well.

But not now.

That doesn't mean I couldn't sing, but it wasn't enough to satisfy myself.

Contrary to popular belief, vocal cords are muscles that require training, and tone takes time to tune.

They say that voice is innate, but that doesn't mean it's something that can never be changed.

In about a year, I can produce a sound that I like, and in about two years, I can reach my peak.

However, playing an instrument requires much more time and effort.

When I tried to become a producer, I was an excellent pianist and a great guitarist.

When he formed a band as an instrument player, he was an outstanding bassist.

Honestly, except for the drums (it's not popular for skinny Asians to play the drums), I can play most instruments at the top level.

But not now.

I know it in my head, but there are so many things my body doesn't follow.

I tried playing the piano once, but I stopped because there were too many missed touches, and the guitar seemed to be in a hurry to make sound, so I felt frustrated.

"shit. "It sucks."

I know it's a problem that only takes time, but I get angry every time.

No matter how great things I build up, I can feel myself collapsing in one fell swoop.

Of course, there are some fields that require no practice at all.

That is, composition.

Composing is not live, so one take is not important.

You only have to play it a hundred times and get a good take just once.

Moreover, if you have accumulated as much jjambap as I have, you can always maintain the same feel, so you can play them separately and combine them.

If that's not enough, you can also take notes using a computer program.

These days, there are more people composing with VST (virtual instruments) rather than real instruments, right?

So, I am a composer who can create hit songs at any time.

Because I have released countless self-composed songs and have succeeded.

Although I had barely made any K-POP idol music, I was confident.

In music, there are only differences in genres, no differences in levels.

All you need to do is create a good song and hire an arranger who is skilled in idol music.

With that in mind, I started setting up my equipment for composing.

The first song to be made has already been decided.

When a new episode starts, I always write a song based on my impressions of the previous episode.

It is a kind of memorial ceremony.

Since I'm the only one who remembers the previous episode, I thought I should leave at least one song to the world.

After finishing all the settings, I got lost in thought while looking at the flickering screen of the composition program.

<Session Title :>

How can I summarize my past life?

Perfect band?

Funky player?

All the sentences that come to mind are childish.

Although the tropes used to express talent are childish, funky players are a bit... … .

The GOTM members were all cheerful and friendly friends. At the same time, they were also full of passion for music.

I found and gathered those people, and those people also liked me.

At that moment, a good word came to mind.

The trickster.

No, plural would be better.

<Session Title: Crooks>

This is my first self-composed song in this life.