Chapter 5
Blue Tiger, real name Lim Hyeonsu.
She was a musical prodigy who stayed on top of current trends while maintaining a solid foundation of skills. She recently delved into songwriting, and her reputation skyrocketed because of her clever lyrics.
She was a surefire bet for success, with her bank account overflowing with wealth
But why should that even matter?
She wasnt feeling well at the moment.
To add to her troubles, she was grappling with the challenge of creating the title track for the upcoming comeback of the renowned girl group White Cherry, who were making waves in Korea and even in the United States.
But she couldnt find a satisfactory melody, which frustrated her to no end.
Lim Hyeonsu became extremely irritable whenever this happened, and the studio staff avoided her.
However, today, something was different.
Hey, didnt I tell you not to let outsiders in?
An outsider was in the studio for crying out loud!
The staff trembled as they saw the man sitting in the studio lobby. He seemed to be in his early 20s and gave off an aura of someone not to be messed with.
He was handsome enough to be a celebrity, but the staff couldnt recall ever seeing him on TV.
Hello, Im Seo Hoyun.
Who?
Seo Hoyun.
The man smiled impudently and greeted her. The staff shuddered.
Shed never heard of him. Lim Hyeonsu gave him a cold look and turned her back to the staff.
Get him out of here.
Yes, yes.
Can I have a word with you for a moment?
Where were you going? I turned to Lim Hyeonsu and spoke to her, grabbing her attention. She looked at me irritably.
Excuse me, Im busy right now.
Yes, I understand. I wont take up much of your time.
I dont have time for that either.
Lim Hyeonsus temper hadnt changed. I looked at the system window hovering above her.
[Lim Hyeonsu
Musical genius
Sometimes she works as a lyricist as well.
Note: Her temper is very, very, very bad.]
I knew that. Didnt you know Ive worked with Lim Hyeonsu several times? Id been cursed at by her on more than one occasion for making a mistake.
As she glanced at me from head to toe, shaking her head in disgust, it seemed she didnt really remember. I realized again that I was really in a game. I held out the shopping bag Id brought with me.
Whats this?
Lim Hyeonsu was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the shopping bag, but I seized the opportunity.
Ms. Composer, I heard that you like this particular sake from Hokkaido, so I looked it up and brought it for you.
What? This is hard to find in Korea.
Lim Hyeonsu took the sake out of the shopping bag and examined it closely. I could tell from her expression that she was thoroughly enjoying it.
Yeah, thats right. It was hard to find.
Despite being wary of me, Lim Hyeonsu accepted the gift without any resistance. It seemed she didnt want it because she thought I was expecting something in return.
Why are you giving me this?
Ms. Composer, Im sorry for dropping in on you so suddenly But its important to prepare even the smallest things.
Hmm.
I chuckled quietly while smacking my lips. This was my typical sales approach. Perhaps my flattery had some effect because after contemplating for a moment, Hyeonsu glanced at the sake and took a seat in the lobby.
You must have gone through a lot of trouble to get this, so it would be impolite to turn you away like this. I can spare you five minutes.
Thank you.
Great, thats half the battle won.
So why did you come to see me? I mean
Im Seo Hoyun.
Okay, Seo Hoyun. What do you do?
Yeah, I knew this question was coming.
Im an idol. Were preparing for a comeback right now.
Ha. Lim Hyeonsu laughed.
Okay, an idol.
The suspicious look directed towards me contained a hint of mockery, suggesting that someone like me wouldnt appear alone out of nowhere.
Lim Hyeonsu was a surefire path to success, causing idols struggling to follow in her footsteps to become nervous and uneasy.
Seo Hoyun? Ive never heard of you before.
Im from Daepaseong Entertainment, an actor management agency that still lacks a lot of push toward idols. I think its natural that even a composer hasnt heard of me yet.
Well, youve been through a lot.
She said so, but Lim Hyeonsu was already ignoring me. Lim Hyeonsu, who had crossed her legs slowly, looked at me.
So, why did you come to me?
Anyway, Lim Hyeonsu liked it when people got to the point.
I smiled.
Im here to ask for a song.
Hahaha!
Lim Hyeonsu burst out laughing, which caught me off guard. I waited in silence until she eventually stopped.
Wow, these days, idols are truly incredible. They come straight to us without even involving their managers or agencies
Thats because your skills as a composer are so impressive.
Hey, Seo Hoyun. I understand the kind of delusions you have in your mind. Do you think you can achieve everything just by relying on one talent? Youre not the only one who approaches me in this manner.
I simply listened attentively to her words. Lim Hyeonsu rose to her feet, flicking her nails as if she considered it a waste of time.
You must have watched too many dramas. Ill be leaving now.
This was the response I expected. But what came next, even Lim Hyeonsu wasnt able to predict.
Lets have a drink?
What? With me?
No, thats the title of a song.
I didnt suddenly go crazy and asked Lim Hyeonsuto to have a drink.
Lets have a drink? was a song that Lim Hyeonsu released a year ago that topped the charts. It was a safe beat and melody development for Lim Hyeonsu, but it still took first place. I heard people say once again that Lim Hyeonsu was a composing genius.
But its not true.
Lets go to the moon.
That, thats why are you
Between you and me, Lets stop this, Be the Monster, etc.
I kept murmuring to myself, and those who heard me for the first time might wonder what it all meant. And unless it was Lim Hyeonsu or me, they wouldnt be able to understand the words.
But Lim Hyeonsus complexion was getting paler and paler.
These songs have three things in common. First, theyre all Blue Tiger, Lim Hyeonsus compositions. Second, they all topped the charts up to the fifth place.
And I raised my third finger.
And lastly, they have all been manipulated to attain high rankings.
W-What are you talking about?
Oh no, Lim Hyeonsu was trying to deny it.
But I didnt overlook it.
Oh, come on, suddenly coming here and talking nonsense
I took out my tablet, and, fortunately, some data remained, which was separate from my lost save file. With a smile, I showed it to her.
These are records of bank transactions between the singer or the affiliated management agency and the music broker. Oh, there are even some cases where they traded directly with the composer.
Lim Hyeonsu accepted it with trembling hands. And soon after, she gnashed her teeth.
How did you get this?
Lim Hyeonsu asked in a soft tone, displaying a hint of acknowledgment.
Oh, does that matter?
Haha, are you a genius? Do you have any journalists in your family or something?
Lim Hyeonsu raised one corner of her mouth while frowning. She still seemed unfazed. She stared at me for a while.
Why did you manipulate the ranks? Youre talented.
So what?
I shrugged.
Then what do you want me to do?
I just had bad luck.
Oh, its coming out stronger than I thought.
I raised my chin and looked at her.
Ill admit that youre amazing for doing it alone. I dont know how you found out, but manipulation? I dont even know how to do it, and even if its true, its not that big of a blow to me.
She shamelessly raised her chin.
So many singers today are shamelessly engaging in manipulation. Do you think itll be a problem?
That was true. Lim Hyeonsu looked around to see if I was recording. When she realized I wasnt, she waved her hand.
Just leave. Dont act like youre tired.
What should I do? I want to act more tired.
What?
Lets hear it for Korean.
Did I bring only one thing with me?
Lim Hyeonsu paused and froze at my words.
Flip the tablet screen.
.
Hurry up.
I gestured to her with a friendly smile. Lim Hyeonsu hesitated but couldnt resist her curiosity and flipped the tablet. A piece of music began to play.
It was a song from a male idol that topped the charts last year. A Blue Tiger composition.
This song was really well done.
I just said that, but Lim Hyeonsu slammed the tablet on the desk. It looked like it was thrown away like a piece of junk that had been used for about ten years. She didnt know the value of money.
My tablet.
You, F-fuck How did you?
Lim Hyeonsus face turned pale. I looked at her happily.
How did you get this?!
The song on the tablet earlier was not a Blue Tiger composition.
It was composed by an unknown indie band guitarist.
Thats right.
Lim Hyeonsu plagiarized it.
You, you!
How many times did you meet the guitarist at a drinking party? Was it at Hapjeong? You met two or three times at the izakaya over there and even received a USB from him.
As I spoke fluently, as if I had been present there, Lim Hyeonsu trembled as if she had seen a ghost.
Music manipulation, right It may pass by as if its nothing or the truth has been distorted.
But what about plagiarism? As soon as this goes out into the world, people will know its not an original unless theyre completely clueless. Then everyone will speak up.
Stop it.
I clapped my hands.
Ah, Blue Tiger plagiarized!
Lim Hyeonsu glared at me as if she could strangle me at any moment.
Ah, I feel so satisfied.
I didnt know that my investigative program would come back so rewarding. Fortunately, I was in charge of assisting with producing a program about music manipulation. And it was also fortunate that Lim Hyeonsu was still alive in my reality!
[Are you trash?]
Dont ruin the mood.
This was a chance given to me by God to threaten Lim Hyeonsu, who still trembled cluelessly.
[Excuse me, did you plagiarize anyone else?]
Im sorry, but Im in a hurry.
I lowered my eyebrows as if I was really sorry. I carefully chose only words that would provoke Lim Hyeonsu.
What about our composer? Youre working on a White Cherry song right now, and youre also working on several ballads Youll have to pay a lot of penalty fees if theres a plagiarism controversy.
Now, what kind of reaction would she show?
Would she shout at me to leave immediately? Or would she be defiant and dare me to try? Or will she strangle me?
Either way, it doesnt matter. But the last one was a bit scary, so lets call the police if that happens.
No, I knew Lim Hyeonsu well.
I spoke gently and even imitated her by flicking my nails as she had done earlier.
You suddenly became quiet.
Three.
Should I go now?
Two.
You must be very busy.
One.
I was about to stand up when Hyeonsu grabbed my arm.
Just a moment.
Yes?
What do you want?
Ah, this is why I liked Hyeonsu.
She adapted quickly to reality. I chuckled.
Oh, Ms. Composer, youre trying to take advantage of me. Do I have to spoon-feed you the answer?
You should think for yourself, right?
Ding!
[Seo Hoyun, are you the devil?]
I was pissed off because my tablet was broken, so I hit it once.
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