Remake (2)
On the day Kim Se-jun signed his contract with Ares Music, he sat down for drinks with Kim Se-hoon. His cousin had been endlessly curious about how things were going, calling without fail every single day to ask, so Se-jun had agreed to meet and tell him in person.
"So you ended up at Ares Music after all. Congratulations."
Kim Se-hoon offered the toast with a shot of soju, and Kim Se-jun accepted the congratulations gladly enough — even as he shook his head.
"Thanks. But this is just the beginning. I'm still a singer who hasn't even put out a single album."
"Eh, you'll drop one soon enough. They're not gonna let you rot there forever, are they?"
At those words from a man who knew nothing of how the industry worked, Kim Se-jun could only manage a bitter smile. How hard it was just to put out that one album. Of course, these days anyone could release a record on their own — but that kind of self-made album wasn't his goal. He wanted a song that could capture the hearts of the masses, and to put out a song like that, management wasn't optional. It was essential. And even under management, singers who crashed and burned were as common as stones in the street. Hadn't Idress, the group he'd loved in his previous life, been called a miracle for succeeding under a tiny management company?
"So when's your debut, then?"
"I don't know either. I just signed the contract. Who's thinking about a debut already?"
Talk about counting your chickens before they hatched.
"Still, they'd at least give you some kind of timeline, right?"
"No. Nothing. I haven't heard a word. I signed today, hyung."
At Se-jun's firm denial, Kim Se-hoon scratched the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed.
"Well. Ares Music isn't some hole-in-the-wall shop. They'll debut you eventually."
This time, Kim Se-jun nodded in agreement. His cousin was right — it would happen eventually. The sooner, the better.
I'd like to debut by the second half of next year at the latest.
It was October 2015. A debut this year was, realistically, impossible.
"Hey, Se-jun. If your song ever came out of a shop speaker like this one, that'd be pretty wild."
Kim Se-hoon pointed at the speaker tucked into a corner of the bar's ceiling. Sure enough, a song sitting high on the music charts was pouring from it.
"This is a Twinia song, right?"
"Yeah. Girl group. I like Childhood Friend better than Twinia, though."
This was right around when idols were at the peak of their popularity.
It was an era when idols swept the top of the charts. Almost without meaning to, Kim Se-jun found himself thinking about what music had been popular the following year.
It was pretty similar to now, but one song in particular still sticks in my mind.
Was it because he'd loved it so much? One song was burned so deeply into his memory that he even remembered the exact year the album dropped. Lee Jin-ah's Lotus. The original had been a song by Bae Jin-goo, a singer who'd defined an era in the early nineties, and Lee Jin-ah's remake of it had taken the country by storm.
Lee Jin-ah is under Ares Music, isn't she? She's going to blow up next year.
Thinking of the Lee Jin-ah who would explode in popularity, Kim Se-jun felt a twinge of envy.
But then again — as long as I get to start working...
He had a rough idea of which genres would trend from here on out. If he could just stay active, winning over the public wouldn't take long at all.
"Hey. What are you thinking so hard about? Drink up."
Kim Se-hoon called him back from his thoughts, and the two of them clinked their soju glasses in a toast.
Three days later, Kim Se-jun headed back to Ares Music Headquarters. The call had been about introducing him to company people, including Vice President Ha Dong-jun — and about a proposal they had for him.
Ha Dong-jun was a man Kim Se-jun knew well. Some people even said Ha Dong-jun was the one who'd truly built Ares Music; his influence inside the company was enormous. Compared to Lee Hae-jin, who had a somewhat romantic streak, this was a man of cool-headed, thoroughly businesslike temperament.
If I hadn't written those extra songs, Ha Dong-jun probably would have found a way to cancel the contract.
Se-jun had heard the rumors about the man, which was why he'd spent a week frantically composing two songs.
They weren't bad... right?
Worried about how Ha Dong-jun and the rest of the company would judge him, Kim Se-jun stepped into Ares Music Headquarters with a trembling heart. When he approached the reception desk, the same staff member from before smiled brightly and offered her congratulations.
"I heard the news. Congratulations."
Kim Se-jun smiled back.
"Thank you. I'll be seeing you around a lot, so I look forward to working with you. I'm here to see the vice president — where should I go?"
"The vice president's office is on the fourth floor. Second room from the far right."
At her kind tone and bright smile, Kim Se-jun bowed in thanks and headed on. The welcome from a woman whose name he didn't even know seemed to settle his nerves, just a little.
I should memorize the building layout soon.
From now on, this was a place he'd be visiting like a second home. Riding the elevator, he wondered if he might bump into a singer the way he had last time — but that kind of coincidence didn't repeat itself. He simply shared the car with a few people who looked like staff.
"Is that the guy?"
"I think so? The one the president fell so hard for that he signed him out of nowhere."
They were whispering among themselves, but every word reached Kim Se-jun's ears with perfect clarity.
"Well, it wasn't just the president. I heard the vice president signed off on it too."
"Apparently the songs are incredible."
"I'm curious. How good do they have to be for the president to just sign someone like that? Meanwhile some of us..."
At the mention of himself, Kim Se-jun's face turned slightly toward them. The staff caught his glance, flinched, and fell silent. Then the elevator stopped on the third floor. They bowed their heads and got off, and Kim Se-jun allowed himself a small smile.
The reputation isn't bad, at least.
So those sleepless nights spent composing two songs in a week had been worth it. The staff's positive reaction washed his worries away like water, and he went to find Ha Dong-jun with a lighter heart.
"Hello. I'm Kim Se-jun."
"Ha Dong-jun."
Whoa. I thought that was Se-hoon hyung for a second.
Ha Dong-jun's first impression was that of a middle-aged Kim Se-hoon. The solid muscle, the massive frame, those thick burly forearms — the moment Se-jun saw them, he thought of his cousin.
"Have a seat first. I've got a proposal for you before I introduce you to everyone."
Ha Dong-jun's office was nothing like Lee Hae-jin's. There wasn't a single album or fan gift to prove anyone here had ever been a singer — nothing but books and documents, wall to wall. Just looking at it felt cramped and bleak.
"First off, congratulations on joining the company."
"Thank you, Vice President."
"I listened to the songs myself, and honestly, I couldn't believe it. To think a composer like this existed. It reminded me all over again how lucky the president is. Finding someone like you on an event stage, of all places."
The Ha Dong-jun who smiled as he said this was nothing like the man Se-jun had heard about in rumors. His appearance was imposing, but he was kind, and his speech was full of consideration.
"What I want to propose to you today is also connected to your debut."
Kim Se-jun's eyes widened. A debut already? It had only been three days since he'd signed. He didn't know the industry inside and out, but wasn't this far too soon?
Ha Dong-jun waved a hand at his puzzled expression.
"Ah, I don't mean right this second. Even if things go well, it'll be next year. By the way, mind if I drop the formalities?"
"Of course. Please do."
Ha Dong-jun took a sip of water to wet his throat, then continued.
"The thing is, a kid named Lee Jin-ah is scheduled to promote next year. I'm assuming you know who she is — I'm thinking of putting you on the track as a featured artist."
"As a featured artist?"
"Yeah. Don't be too disappointed it's just a feature. Rookies usually can't even get a featuring credit. It's more common for active singers to feature on a rookie's song — to borrow a little fandom firepower."
Come to think of it, that did sound about right.
"Anyway, there's a bit of a problem right now. If you can just solve that problem, Se-jun, the featuring spot is yours for sure. You get to debut faster, Jin-ah and the company get their problem solved. Two birds, one stone. Mutual benefit. Have your cake and eat it too. You follow?"
The way he poured words out without pausing seemed to be Ha Dong-jun's natural style. Watching the man ramble on without waiting for an answer, Kim Se-jun responded calmly.
"I think you'll need to tell me what the problem is first."
"Ah, the arrangement. The arrangement. Jin-ah's going to promote with a remake this time, but apparently the arrangement isn't coming easy. You get the picture, right? I want you to take on that remake arrangement, Se-jun. If the result is good, you go straight onto the featuring."
Is he talking about Lotus?
The only song Lee Jin-ah would release next year was Lotus. The track had been such a hit there hadn't been time — or reason — to put out anything else. Kim Se-jun's heart began to race. He could say with confidence that no one alive right now knew better than he did just how popular Lotus had been. The thought of arranging a song that had been that big sent a rush of excitement surging up from deep in his chest.
Of course, I'll have to arrange it differently. In my own way.
Copying a future hit note for note would be no different from plagiarism. Even without pulling a stunt like that, Kim Se-jun was confident he could arrange Lotus brilliantly.
"I'll do it!"
Kim Se-jun's bold declaration seemed to please Ha Dong-jun, who let out a hearty laugh.
"Hae-jin was right — ah, I mean the president. You've got guts. All right, let's head down to the studio and talk with Jin-ah and the composer. The main artist on the track is Jin-ah, after all, so we need to discuss the mood and concept she wants."
Kim Se-jun answered once more, and the two of them stood and left the office. They took the elevator down to the first basement level, where Ares Music's studios awaited him. The entire floor was nothing but studios, a considerable number of rooms. Some stood empty here and there; in others, people were already seated and so absorbed in their work they didn't even notice the vice president had arrived.
"Oh. Vice President?"
"Vice President. You've arrived."
When they knocked on the door of a studio occupied by a man and a woman, the pair greeted them with startled expressions — or rather, they greeted Ha Dong-jun.
"Hey. How's it going? Introductions. This is the rookie singer I mentioned yesterday. Kim Se-jun. And this is our artist Lee Jin-ah, and our in-house producer, Song Dae-jun."
"Hello."
"Hello."
Lee Jin-ah's reaction could hardly be called a warm welcome, but producer Song Dae-jun was openly hostile. Even at Kim Se-jun's greeting, he only jerked his chin in a nod, making no effort to hide his displeasure.
"Right. I'm not asking you to work together today or anything. I just called you in to say a quick hello and talk a little."
At Ha Dong-jun's words, Lee Jin-ah gave a slight nod. Song Dae-jun muttered something and clicked his tongue. Ha Dong-jun and Lee Jin-ah didn't seem to have heard, remaining unfazed — but Kim Se-jun caught every word.
A blatant dismissal. But Kim Se-jun only smiled, just a little.
I know how. I've remade this song before.