Chapter 95
Chapter 95
Translator: Penny
Chapter 95
Kim Dobin, his face pale with terror, alternated glances between Ryu Jaehee and me, stammering, "S-so the living spirit is affecting even Eden Hyung...? Was the CEO's will to create a cosmic worldview that strong? Shouldn't we perform an exorcism?"
"Hey, you brat! I told you to stop obsessing over shamanism. Just stick to your anime and manga like always."
Under my reprimand, Kim Dobin silently stuffed more egg rolls into his mouth.
"Ah, everyone should listen to the whole story! Who's trying to make someone the CEO's junior here?"
"We never made anyone the CEO's junior. We merely suspected a living spirit possession."
"That's right, youngest member. No one called you the CEO's junior. We still have our boundaries."
Ryu Jaehee, furious at being mistaken for simply echoing the CEO's ideas, slammed his hand on the table.
Of course, he immediately lowered his hand under the table after catching Gyeon Hajun's sharp glare.
"So, what was your point?"
"How about we drop the 'time-traveling' part from the 'time-traveling detective' concept and just focus on the detective aspect? But then we add a Phantom Thief element to it."
"So, a Phantom Thief detective? But wouldn't that be weird? A detective who steals and then investigates his own crimes?"
"I swear, I want to cry every time you say something like that, Hyung."
Ryu Jaehee sighed and rubbed his face dryly at Kim Dobin's remark, which sounded like it had been blurted out without a second thought.
Before the youngest member could actually start crying, I quickly signaled that I understood his intention perfectly.
"So, you're saying we should split the concept evenly between Detective and Phantom Thief? Like Sherlock Holmes versus Arsène Lupin?"
"Exactly! Wow, after listening to Dobin Hyung's nonsense, finally hearing this concise summary feels so refreshing."
Ryu Jaehee nodded vigorously, clearly frustrated by Kim Dobin's rambling.
Kim Dobin's jaw dropped as he turned to me.
"Holy crap, Eden Hyung just mentioned Sherlock Holmes and Arsène Lupin! That feels like a total character break, like the world's collapsing, and all that..."
"Who here doesn't know Sherlock Holmes?"
"Do you think Sherlock Holmes is some niche otaku thing like the anime and manga I watch?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Kim Dobin scratched his cheek and replied,
"Sherlock Holmes is mainstream, but Arsène Lupin is relatively niche, right? It's more targeted at otaku tastes."
"What are you talking about? We had the complete collection at home when I was a kid."
"Whoa, Eden Hyung actually read books?"
"What do you even think of me?"
I rubbed my throbbing temples and sighed.
Did I really seem like someone who avoided books? Of course, until high school, I definitely preferred games over reading.
"But wouldn't splitting the concept into two—Phantom Thief and Detective—make it too chaotic? Maybe it would be better to stick to just one: either Phantom Thief or Detective."
"One Phantom Thief and four Detectives would work. After all, if we're going with a Detective concept, it has to be about catching criminals."
"What about a Five-Member Phantom Thief Group?"
"Five people teaming up just to steal one treasure? That's not cool."
"Your priorities seem a bit off."
"We don't need to finalize the concept here. Let's just move on for now. We can discuss it properly at the Concept Meeting later."
This wasn't the Concept Meeting; it was just a brainstorming session for song inspiration.
We could iron out the details after the Title Track was finalized. But first, we needed to create the Title Track itself.
"Anyway, we've got the School Uniform Concept Ballad, Phantom Thief and Detective, and... what else? Keep throwing out ideas. We need more."
"Cops and Robbers?"
"Don't hold back this time. Just throw out whatever comes to mind."
"Since you said that, Hyung, I suddenly got scared and can't think of anything. Just get mad at me for joking around instead."
"Alright, if you want to release Come to My Universe Part 2, stop overthinking and just keep joking around. What if I can't overcome my slump? We'll just have to use the songs the CEO brought in or make one of them the title track and sing that."
My nonchalant words made the members even more frantic, and they began throwing out ideas in a rush.
It seemed they didn't want to recreate our debut song.
"How about a fusion of hanbok and Eastern aesthetics? Maybe incorporate some traditional Korean music? Like a fusion of Korean folk music and hip-hop?"
"That sounds good too."
"What about a musical concept? Like the perspective of an extra watching the main character?"
"Yeah, yeah, good idea."
"Retro style?"
"Retro style is good."
"Game characters! Superpowers! Villains and heroes!"
"Yeah, yeah, good job, good job."
"Wow, it's like you've mastered subculture just for this day, Hyung."
Years' worth of concept ideas came pouring out all at once.
Later, even if I couldn't squeeze out any new ideas like this, what we came up with today would be more than enough to help.
As I chewed over the members' suggestions in my mind, I suddenly stood up from the table mid-meal.
"Fuck, my slump is over!"
[Profanity detected.]
[Original Intent Score -2]
Fuck off! I almost regressed because my slump made me stumble on the path to the A-list!
Original Intent Score be damned! I'd even imagined failing to reach the A-list by retirement, becoming a 15-year-old idol without hitting 30 million fans, and regressing back to my debut days. Compared to overcoming this slump, a -2 Original Intent Score and Original Intent Pain were nothing.
I abandoned my meal and immediately rushed to the studio.
So even the members I never trusted could actually be helpful sometimes!
If it's not 100%, it's pointless.
Sitting in his studio, he tapped the edge of the synthesizer keyboard with his fingers, lost in thought.
He had two songs vying for the title track:
An electropop track built on a powerful beat and minimalist synth sounds, and a dance track featuring a drumbeat and a brass section in the chorus.
Both songs had been refined based on Ryu Jaehee's feedback.
While it might disappoint Kim Dobin, subculture hadn't proven particularly helpful in overcoming this slump.
Still, the villain and hero themes, along with the game character concepts, might be worth revisiting for future conceptual tracks.
The songs he'd finally completed after overcoming his long slump were undeniably better in quality than the rough drafts he'd scribbled during the slump. But whether they surpassed Come to My Universe? Well, that remained to be seen.
"It's 5% short. Just 5%."
I'd crammed everything I wanted into the song, just as G1 had advised, but it still wasn't enough.
Matching the level of "Jeon Gok" was unacceptable. I had to surpass it, no matter what.
I hadn't suffered through this slump just to settle for mediocrity.
So this time, instead of trying to do everything alone, I decided to ask for help.
"Hyung, could you handle the arrangement for this?"
Lee Jiwon, taken aback by my sudden request, replied that he'd listen to it first before deciding. He took the USB containing the track from me.
Wearing headphones and nodding his head to the rhythm, Lee Jiwon removed them after six minutes, nodding with a satisfied expression.
"Oh, looks like you've overcome your slump well. I like the song. What's the percentage range for arrangement?"
"As long as my original remains intact, it's fine."
"Well, there doesn't seem to be much to change anyway. I'll work on it while preserving your style as much as possible."
"Phew, I'd really appreciate that."
I gave a cheerful reply and bowed my head slightly. Lee Jiwon chuckled and patted my shoulder as he handed me the USB.
"And here's the song you asked for."
"Thank you! The friend discount was so touching."
"What's so touching about it? I'll make you work twice as hard to make up for the discount."
"Yes sir, work me as hard as you want!"
Thanks to Lee Jiwon's friend discount, I was able to get his song within the agency's budget.
LnL actually spent more than I expected. Then again, they had paid ₩3 million to ₩3.5 million for trash songs early on.
I wondered how much the CEO would make my blood boil during the Concept Meeting. I decided to treat it as advance financial therapy.
A week later, Lee Jiwon sent me the fully arranged track. It not only filled the missing 5% but added another 5% on top.
"Wow, this is insane. This Hyung's skills are truly insane."
Listening to the song, which now totaled 105%, I praised G1's blessing.
We now had eight tracks: four pre-produced before my slump, two candidates for the title track, one from Lee Jiwon, and one from Sangeol Hyung.
For the record, Sangeol Hyung didn't offer any discounts; he charged full price. Still, since he hadn't yet regained his pre-regression status as a hit-song machine, his rates were lower than G1's.
Only two more songs left.
I relaxed, remembering the CEO's recent boast that he'd handle everything himself.
He'll find the last two songs. As long as they're not Black Soul-level abominations, they'll be fine for the album.
Just keep them off the title track, and we're good.
But if he insists on making one of them the title track, that's when the war begins.
Now that I can't even use shamanic tricks anymore, how am I supposed to throw the CEO into chaos?
"Hey, Jun-a, thanks."
"Out of the blue?"
Gyeon Hajun chuckled at the sudden expression of gratitude and closed his book. "What was your advice again?" he asked.
Unable to nod while lying down, I rolled onto my side to convey my affirmation.
"I finally remembered what your advice was."
"So you're admitting you'd forgotten it all this time?"
"Hey, I wasn't really paying attention anyway. But hey, better late than never, right?"
After his glib reply, he added a sentimental remark: "Sometimes it's not so bad to rely on others for help."
Ryu Jaehee barged into the room and grumbled when he saw me sprawled on his bed. "If you're going to keep doing this, just move Hyung's bed in here. Dobin Hyung's the same—always in this room even though he has his own."
"What do I do? My roommate and I are so awkward."
Seo Yehyeon and I were currently in a very delicate situation.
We still didn't exactly like each other, but we weren't as openly hostile as before.
We weren't close enough to confide in each other, but we had reached a certain level of mutual understanding.
So I was just counting down the days until I could switch rooms. And this time, I really hoped I'd get a single room.
Oh, and as Ryu Jaehee had predicted, Kim Dobin started coming to our room every day after just a month and a half, complaining about how lonely and isolated he felt living alone.
If he was going to end up like this, why didn't he just take the 100,000 won and the solo track I offered and let me have the room? Why did he have to be so stubborn?
After hearing my honest answer, Ryu Jaehee sighed deeply and shook his head.
"Why are you and Yehyeon Hyung always so extreme? Either fighting or awkward. Can't you find some middle ground?"
"After fighting like that, it would be weirder if we were friends now."
"The only people who fight like hell in public and then act friendly behind the scenes are politicians, man."
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny