Episode 20
Episode 20. I Miss You
The comment section was in chaos.
[What is this song? It’s insanely good. When is the official release coming out…….]
[Wow…… both the powerful chest voice and falsetto are unbelievably good…….]
[The female vocalist’s tone is quite unique. It’s like a textbook example of an idol.]
[The original was already great, but this is truly a transcendental cover. The composer really found the right singer.]
[Everyone!! Wait a moment! You should know the original creator! This is Guitar Hero! The composer who made <Follow the Milky Way>, covered by Yena! And the group that covered the song, Neon Heart, is an indie band!]
[Oh, right. Thank you so much for making such great songs like <Follow the Milky Way>]
[So, is Neon Heart going to debut?]
[I’m not sure about that either!]
Having reached 1 million views, it was only natural.
After confirming that the video he uploaded had reached #1 on trending, Park Si-woo turned off his phone.
Then he lifted his head.
He was currently in a back staircase.
In front of him stood Lee Seung-woo with an uncomfortable expression.
Park Si-woo spoke quietly.
“The view count has surpassed one million, and it will likely continue to rise.”
Songs that gained this level of popularity inevitably led to challenges.
Various celebrities would dance to the song.
As that happened, Neon Heart would naturally gain media exposure, and the video Park Si-woo uploaded would become even more viral.
In other words, the view count would far exceed one million.
Lee Seung-woo seemed to understand this as well, as his expression grew darker and darker.
Park Si-woo drove the final nail into his chest.
“Please resign.”
“…….”
Lee Seung-woo did not respond.
Seeing how red his face was, he must have been extremely frustrated.
‘You should have known your place from the beginning.’
Park Si-woo shrugged his shoulders.
Lee Seung-woo was dumbfounded.
He hadn’t expected Park Si-woo to come so quickly.
He had thought it would take about a week to reach 100,000 views, and that things would then slow down.
But to show up in just three days.
And to top it off, showing a video that had already reached one million views.
‘Is Guitar Hero’s influence really this strong?’
To hit one million in just three days?
Lee Seung-woo bit his lip.
Seeing Park Si-woo—young, handsome, and talented—made his chest twist with jealousy.
“Damn it!”
Unable to contain his frustration, he opened the staircase door.
His capacity was so small that he couldn’t even say a single word to Park Si-woo, fleeing the staircase as if escaping.
Park Si-woo watched him and let out a sigh.
‘With people like that in key positions…’
It’s no wonder Starlight has no progress.
He stared blankly at the closing door.
He had briefly wondered if Lee Seung-woo might refuse to resign, but then shook his head.
‘He made such a bold declaration in front of so many people.’
Even if he didn’t resign, no one would listen to him anymore.
He had effectively become invisible.
Of course, he would definitely resign.
Unlike his small capacity, Lee Seung-woo had overwhelming pride and inferiority.
He wouldn’t be able to go back on what he said in front of all those people.
‘I should head back in.’
Today was the day for final checks on all the songs.
‘It was pretty tight, but…’
Still, we somehow managed.
Park Si-woo moved his steps.
When he entered the recording studio, Cha Seung-joon greeted him.
“Oh, you’re here.”
However, his condition was far from normal.
He hadn’t looked like this three days ago.
It seemed like he had spent all three days in the recording studio.
Blankets were scattered messily on the sofa, and the desk was covered with coffee cups.
Looking at his dark circles, Park Si-woo spoke.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes… pulling all-nighters is just part of the job. This is normal before debut.”
Park Si-woo thought for a moment about how to respond, then spoke quietly.
“Please bear with it for a while.”
“Yes.”
Cha Seung-joon nodded with a bitter smile.
‘I should buy him some coffee later.’
Thinking that, Park Si-woo approached him.
He cleared away the precariously stacked coffee cups and looked at the computer.
“Where are we with the work now?”
“All songs except the final one are ready.”
“Let’s listen once.”
“Yes.”
Cha Seung-joon handed him a pair of headphones.
Park Si-woo put them on, and the song began immediately.
‘Clean.’
No unnecessary elements.
However,
“The vocal sounds a bit quiet.”
“Right? I’ve been thinking about that too, but I think increasing it would be better.”
As he said that, he began typing on the keyboard.
“Let’s listen again.”
“Mm.”
It was clearly better.
As Park Si-woo nodded, Cha Seung-joon clenched his fist.
Then he said, slightly surprised,
“Producer-nim, you really can do everything, can’t you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Being able to immediately pick out what’s lacking just by listening… that’s not something easy. Even for someone like me whose job it is, I couldn’t make a judgment after staying up all night thinking about it.”
“Hmm.”
Park Si-woo let out a soft hum.
He hadn’t realized it was that difficult.
‘It just stands out when you listen. Is that hard?’
He didn’t say it out loud and simply nodded.
“Let’s listen to the next song.”
“Yes.”
The rest were not bad.
Cha Seung-joon was a good engineer.
“Let’s wrap up for today.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“You’ve worked hard as well, engineer.”
Saying that, Park Si-woo took out his wallet.
He picked up a black card and handed it to Cha Seung-joon.
Cha Seung-joon looked at him with wide eyes, as if asking what it was.
“It’s a corporate card. Go grab something to eat. You said you’d be pulling all-nighters today too.”
“Well, that’s true… thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll get going now.”
“Alright! Take care!”
Receiving his brighter farewell, Park Si-woo left the recording studio.
At that moment, his phone rang.
[Design Team, Ju Ye-rim. The cover you requested is ready. Where should I send it?]
Park Si-woo immediately replied.
[Please send it to my email. PNG file, if you could.]
[Yes! I’ll send the PNG file to your email, producer-nim.]
At the same time, an email arrived.
It seemed to be the cover he had mentioned.
The “cover” here referred to the album cover.
Of course, it wasn’t a flashy cover showing all Neon Heart members’ faces.
It was a simple black background with the pre-release schedule, the band name, and the album title written on it.
Park Si-woo planned to upload this to his NewTube channel.
Of course, he would also upload it to the Starlight Entertainment channel.
If he did that, it would serve as better promotion for Neon Heart than any advertisement.
‘Let’s go.’
A faint smile appeared on Park Si-woo’s face.
After returning home, Park Si-woo immediately uploaded the album cover he received by email to NewTube.
By the next day, quite a lot of reactions would likely accumulate.
Even now, he could see several comments being posted, but Park Si-woo chose not to check them.
After finishing his work, he leaned back on the sofa.
Ding!
At that moment, his phone rang.
Since work-related messages often came even after hours in the entertainment industry, Park Si-woo immediately picked up his phone.
The message was from Lee Ye-na.
[Si-woo, are you available?]
Park Si-woo thought for a moment.
Then he sent a reply.
[I am.]
For some reason, talking with her felt comfortable.
Honestly, it was even a bit enjoyable.
Ring ring.
After a short wait, a call came in from Lee Ye-na.
“Hello.”
— Hello, Si-woo, is that you?
As always, the same greeting.
“Yes, it’s me.”
— I saw NewTube. Are you preparing a band?
So the news had already reached her.
Well, it made sense that she wouldn’t know about a video that had surpassed one million views.
Park Si-woo nodded.
“Yes, it just happened that way.”
— Wow, it’s real. When is the debut?
“Yes, I think next month.”
— Next month… I’ll be in Korea then.
“Yes, that’s right. A-yeon will be returning next week.”
— A-yeon…?
Ah, right.
Park Si-woo smiled awkwardly.
He had been working so closely with Seol A-yeon that her name had naturally stuck in his speech.
“Ah, sorry, Ye-na. That slipped out.”
— It’s okay. But… who is A-yeon?
Her voice seemed a bit colder. Was it just his imagination?
“She’s an artist I’m working with.”
— The band you’re building this time?
“Yes.”
— And you’ve already gotten that close?
“Not really close… just colleagues, I guess.”
— ….
For a while, there was no sound from the other end of the line.
“Ye-na?”
Park Si-woo asked, and only then did Lee Ye-na respond.
—I’ll catch a flight back within two days.
“Pardon?”
— I’ve finished all my schedules, so I think I’ll return early.
“You’re leaving this suddenly?”
— Yes.
“Why?”
— Because I miss you.
At those words, Park Si-woo flinched and asked again.
“Ye-na, what did you just say?”
— I said I’m coming back early because I miss you.
“What….”
As his words trailed off, ding.
A notification rang.
[NVidia limit order alert.]
[Reached $60.]
The stock he had bought had doubled in value.
Park Si-woo’s head felt like it was about to explode.