Chapter 75: Song Completed
After I finished chauffeuring Yoo-Jin to and from the shooting set every day, I would head to Park Seon-Nyeo's aerobics studio each night to mark my attendance. After a week of this routine, Park Seon-Nyeo finally called me into her office.
"Mr. Jung Yoon-Ho."
"Yes, ma’am?"
"Could you come see me for a moment?"
Since my face had often appeared in entertainment news articles thanks to Yoo-Jin, I thought that she had recognized me. I had planned to approach her myself if she didn’t call me in, so this was a relief.
When I walked into the office, Park Seon-Nyeo looked at me somewhat skeptically. "You're from an entertainment company, right? I've seen you in the newspaper, so don't even think about lying."
As expected, she knew who I was.
"Yes, ma'am."
Park Seon-Nyeo sighed. “Then would you mind leaving?"
‘What? Just like that?’
I wanted to at least discuss the conditions, but Park Seon-Nyeo shook her head. "Don't bother if you're not really interested in learning aerobics. I'll refund your fee right away."
‘Wait. She thinks I’m not interested in learning?’
"Ma'am, it's true I came to offer you a choreography job. But to say I have no interest in learning aerobics? That's unfair!"
For a whole week, I had checked every night if my hamstrings were still attached. My body was covered in patches due to muscle pain. Even Yoo-Jin joked that I smelled like I was undergoing chemical warfare training.
This was so unfair that I couldn’t bear it.
‘It’s not fair that she thinks I have no interest in learning just because I suck at aerobics!’
"It's been a week and you still can't do the basic moves. Don’t you think you're being a bit shameless?"
‘...Oh. I thought I was doing well.’
Tears clouded my vision. "So you think I’m not interested in learning because I can’t dance... sigh, that's definitely not it!"
My passionate defense made Park Seon-Nyeo hesitate. I briefly forgot about the contract and demonstrated how hard I had practiced every night.
For a moment, Park Seon-Nyeo flinched. "You... you just happen to be a terrible dancer. I see. I-I didn't realize. Um."
Her blunt truth nearly stopped my heart. "Was it necessary to say that out loud...?"
After realizing that I was indeed a terrible dancer with bad motor coordination, Park Seon-Nyeo finally apologized. "I-I apologize for that. But you did come here to make a deal with me, didn’t you!?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"You must have heard I arranged choreography for TK Entertainment and Big Star Entertainment. But I’m not doing idol choreography anymore."
Disappointed with the treatment from Korean agencies, it was no surprise that she was set on drawing a line with me as well. But I was ready to convince her.
"Please just hear out my conditions."
Park Seon-Nyeo gestured dismissively. "No. I’ve been disappointed too many times..."
I cut her off. "20 million won as a contract fee!"
"What?"
"Plus, a 10 million won incentive if we reach the top three, and 20 million won if we rank first! How about that?"
Park Seon-Nyeo was left speechless. "That’s... that’s ridiculous..."
It would be another year before she received such an offer from an American producer. For this reason, I figured the words I brought up would be a much more valuable proposal to her at this moment. In return, I made an additional request.
"In return, please help with the girls' lessons. The Cherry Blossom girls have real potential, but they haven’t been able to bloom yet. Please help us!"
I bowed my head deeply before playing a video of the lessons Cherry Blossom received from the company.
After a while, Park Seon-Nyeo nodded her head. "The choreography...can't keep up with the girls’ skills. Oh, what I mean is that the potential of the Cherry Blossom girls isn't being fully unleashed."
Feeling the time was right, I handed her the contract prepared by Lee Dong-Min. It was a contract from the company stating they would not intervene in Park Seon-Nyeo’s choreography in any way.
After reading the contract, Park Seon-Nyeo spoke heartily. "Okay. I guess it would be rude of me to reject your offer with this condition."
Park Seon-Nyeo finished signing the contract and took my hand. What she wanted was not only money but also respect as a choreographer. Apart from securing the contract with Park Seon-Nyeo, it was also a victory for my hamstring, which had held out for a week.
But after signing the contract, Park Seon-Nyeo opened her mouth again. "Oh right. Since I misunderstood your intention, I'll drill rhythms into that stiff body of yours from today. Let's go~! Ho~!"
And that day, I realized she was a born teacher to the point where she could forcibly implant a sense of rhythm in me, who was rhythmically challenged.
***
After finalizing the contract with Park Seon-Nyeo, I immediately set out to find a lyricist.
The lyricist I had in mind was Jang Ye-Bin, a web novelist who wrote entertainment-themed stories on Cameo Page. I sent her an email regarding the lyricist offer. Thankfully, her email address was easy to remember.
Jang Ye-Bin promptly responded to my email and met me at a cafe near the office. She appeared weary, with her hair tightly tied back and dark bags hanging under her eyes. She explained she had stayed up until dawn writing and hadn't slept at all after receiving my email.
Jang Ye-Bin took a sip of her matcha drink with whipped cream. “Um, how much can I earn for writing lyrics?”
She was currently an unpopular web novelist, barely earning a million won a month. But in a year, she would become famous after writing lyrics for a song sung by the protagonist 'Hee-Yeon' in her novel, which was picked up by TK Entertainment's Petite More. After that, she would fully transition into a lyricist.
Knowing her future success, I offered her a generous deal.
“We are thinking 2 million won per song. This is an A-grade treatment, Ms. Jang.”
Jang Ye-Bin’s expression brightened. “...2 million won per song? Really?”
“Yes.”
“How many songs do you want me to write lyrics for?”
I answered while catching her bloodshot tired eyes. “More importantly, Ms. Jang—would you consider an exclusive contract? If so, I can offer up to 3 million won per song. Of course, the royalties would be all yours."
My proposal seemed to immerse Jang Ye-Bin in deep thought. "Do I need to come to the company every day? I really don't fit well with office life..."
I responded with a smile. "It's a remote job. If you're not comfortable with your working environment, we can set up a studio for you at the company."
Jang Ye-Bin's face brightened again at this. "When can I start?"
"If you could start immediately, that would be great. We're in a bit of a rush."
"Do you have a song ready now?"
"We do."
"Then let's write the contract first. I'll start writing lyrics right away."
"Pardon me?"
After she signed the contract I had handed her, Jang Ye-Bin plugged in her earphones and began listening to the song composed by Bang Seon-Woo. Jang Ye-Bin swayed to the tune and then pulled out a palm-sized notebook and started writing at a rapid pace. Her handwriting seemed chaotic, almost like a self-encryption. The characters were unmistakably Korean, but utterly indecipherable.
Soon after, she wrote the title at the top of the page with a satisfied look on her face: ‘Hurry Up!’
Just like that, Cherry Blossom's next song was born in a corner of the cafe.
"How is it? I think it turned out really well..."
"H-how did you do this so quickly?"
"Composing lyrics on the spot while listening to music is my hobby."
That explained how she managed to produce dozens of songs in a year in my past life.
"Um, sorry, but I can't read your handwriting. Could you send the lyrics to me over KkTalk?"
Jang Ye-Bin's face flushed with embarrassment. "I’m sorry..."
With an awkward expression, she sent the lyrics via KkTalk message. As soon as I received the lyrics, I silently let out a cheer—her lyrics were almost identical to her biggest hit ‘Wake Up! Follow Me!’
But I managed to hide my excitement and forwarded her message to Lee Dong-Min.
A minute later, my phone rang.
-That’s amazing! Yoon-Ho, did you get her to sign the contract? Please tell me you did!
"Hehehe, of course I did.."
-Good job! Seon-Woo loves it too! But how did you get the lyrics so fast? It wasn't pre-written, was it?
"No, sir. She wrote it on the spot. She's a genius."
-No way...
When Lee Dong-Min switched the call to Bang Seon-Woo, he was also delighted that the lyrics perfectly captured the vague image in his mind.
With the composer and producer's approval, I confidently proceeded. "Should I transfer the payment to your account number here, Ms. Jang?"
Jang Ye-Bin smiled. "I look forward to working with you, Mr, Jung Yoon-Ho."
Finally, Cherry Blossom's new song was complete.
***
"Here you are, Yoon-Ho!"
For my promotion celebration, I met up with my colleagues at Albongi Fried Chicken near the company. Out of the 20 talent agents who joined the company in the same year as me, only five remained, including myself. Excluding Yung-Jin from Actor Division 2, there was Han Jin-Tae from Actor Division 1, Choi Myung-Seok from Actor Division 3, and Do Ran-Hee from Singer Division 1.
"Hey, how have you been?"
"Good."
Though it was a celebration for my promotion to assistant manager, we treated each other like friends outside of work since we were of the same age, except Do Ran-Hee who was younger. As the drinks went round, everyone got tipsy and opened up.
Han Jin-Tae, with the lowest alcohol tolerance, let out a deep sigh. "Sigh. You're already an assistant manager, but what am I doing?"
"Hey! Yoon-Ho is the odd one here. We are doing fine too."
Han Jin-Tae laughed at Yung-Jin’s words. "Are you kidding? There's not a day I don't get scolded. From sunbaes at work to PDs and ADs at the broadcasting stations, they all seem eager to devour me."
“Hey, you think you're the only one? At least the actor you’re in charge of is decent. My actor is a nightmare... Honestly, I secretly cry every day."
They began to compete over who had it tougher, but there was someone who envied me among them.
"You might not see it now, but only time will tell who will really make it, right? Yoon-Ho, you've been showing off too much lately, you know that?"
The atmosphere quickly changed when Choi Myung-Seok from Actor Division 3 suddenly spoke.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
Yung-Jin tried to intervene, but Choi Myung-Seok brushed him off. "What? Can't I even say that?"
I stopped Yung-Jin. "It's okay, Yung-Jin. And Myung-Seok, I'm sorry. I've been struggling to survive as well. Don't be angry. It’s not like I’m flaunting on purpose, am I?"
In my past life, I might have already grabbed Choi Myung-Seok by the collar for such rude words. But after traveling back in time, jealousy from someone ten years younger seemed like watching a children's play.
My goal was to lift Faithful and bring down Kim Dong-Soo anyway. To do so, I had to draw these colleagues to my side. Choi Myung-Seok wasn't inherently bad-natured, but being under Kim Dong-Soo appeared to have influenced him negatively.
I poured more drink into his empty glass.
"Myung-Seok, let's not turn against each other because of the higher-ups' fights. Frankly, you might get promoted to team lead before any of us. Isn't the actor you’re managing doing the best among us?"
Currently, Choi Myung-Seok was the talent agent for Lee Byung-Jun, Actor Division 3's top star. Technically, his superior Na Gyu-Cheol handled most of the work but it was still possible that Choi Myung-Seok might be promoted.
"W-well, that's true..."
“I just got lucky. Besides, Mr. Kim Dong-Soo scouted you himself because you’re competent.”
Choi Myung-Seok straightened his shoulders as I boosted his ego. After all, he was indeed the most competent out of all the colleagues. Though he might have felt bitter about lagging behind in promotions, I knew he didn’t truly hate me.
"Ah, this is embarrassing... Alright, alright! Fine! I'll do my best so I can become a team lead before you."
As Choi Myung-Seok softened his expression, the atmosphere lightened again. Then, Do Ran-Hee from Singer Division 1, who had been quietly eating fried chicken, approached me.
But she said something strange.
"Oppa, did you know there's a rumor that the composer you brought in plagiarized someone’s work?"
At that moment, my mind which had been slightly clouded by the alcohol instantly cleared.
‘What is she talking about? Bang Seon-Woo is a plagiarist composer?’
Then, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
'Absolute pitch.’
Bang Seon-Woo's ears were different; he could catch every sound in the world, unlike ordinary people.
‘Could he have unintentionally picked up someone else's melody?’
But I shook off that thought.
'That doesn’t make sense. Seon-Woo remembers every sound he's heard which means there’s no way he would write a similar melody as someone else’s.'
Only now did I seem to catch a clue relating to the incident of Seon-Woo’s death on my planner. I took Do Ran-Hee outside where the noisy streets naturally muted our conversation.
"Tell me in detail. What do you mean Seon-Woo is a plagiarist composer?"
"This is an S-class secret. You know fried chicken isn't enough for this information, right?"
Do Ran-Hee knew when to strike a deal. She was a fearsome woman indeed.
"Alright. I’ll buy you whatever you want, Ran-Hee!"
"Hanwoo. Deal?"
She had already eaten four drumsticks and was now asking for Hanwoo. But I wasn’t surprised as this was typical of Do Ran-Hee.
"It’s a deal. But let's pick a day when those hyenas aren't around, okay?"
Do Ran-Hee glanced inside and nodded. “Totally. I won't get a single bite of meat with those hyenas around."
"Now, tell me. Where did you hear that Seon-Woo is a plagiarist?"
Do Ran-Hee began to spill what she had heard on the condition that I wouldn't reveal her as the source.
"Don't worry. You know I can keep a secret. I keep secrets even if someone rips open my lips."
"Alright. So, here's what happened..."
The clue to Seon-Woo's death started coming out of her lips.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om