Chapter 5
Chapter 5
It was common for composers to be pushed around by companies.
Park Siwoo didn’t want that.
He wanted to create music that belonged solely to himself.
Starlight, a company neither too big nor too small, was the perfect place for that dream.
There was a lobbying risk, but most of those involved had already been fired by the CEO.
For writing his own music, it was more than suitable.
Siwoo tapped on his phone.
Opening NewTube with ease, he showed Cha Yeseung his profile.
The name “Guitar Hero” gleamed clearly on the screen.
“Ha.”
Cha Yeseung let out an incredulous smile.
“Figures, coming from a sales team leader. So this is how you play it? Fine.”
Brushing her bangs aside, she spoke.
“Go on. What do you want?”
“You’ll grant anything?”
“Then what choice do I have? I heard even Justin Bieber sent you an offer. Honestly, I don’t get why you’d choose our company.”
“Well…”
Siwoo shrugged.
He didn’t feel the need to explain that he wanted to keep working at the company as a fallback.
“I’m not asking for much.”
He raised two fingers.
“First, top-tier industry treatment.”
“You said you’re not asking for much.”
“I consider it basic.”
“Fair enough. And the second condition?”
Siwoo smiled faintly.
“Allow me to work both jobs.”
“Both jobs?”
She looked puzzled, and he nodded.
“Yes. I want to continue my role as a team leader. I’ll make sure it doesn’t interfere with composing.”
“Ha.”
Cha Yeseung let out a disbelieving sigh.
She picked up the pen on her desk and spun it between her fingers.
In that brief moment, countless thoughts seemed to pass through her mind, her expression changing several times.
In the end, she must have decided it wasn’t a bad deal.
After all, she had nothing to lose.
“Fine. I’ll set your royalty at 13 percent. And I’ll give you a generous fee per song. But if your team leader duties interfere with your schedule, the dual-role permission will be revoked immediately.”
It was her way of securing insurance.
Siwoo nodded.
“Agreed.”
“We’ll draft the contract tomorrow.”
“Understood. Oh, and one more thing.”
“What now?”
“I’d like my identity as Guitar Hero to remain a secret.”
Since she had no choice but to accept his terms, Cha Yeseung nodded with quiet relief.
“That’s easy enough.”
“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With a bow, Siwoo left the CEO’s office.
After work, he returned home.
Having finished most of his tasks, he could focus entirely on studying music.
‘So this is how harmonies are built.’
Siwoo had always loved music and had a solid foundation in music theory.
Deeper than most people, even.
But he had relied entirely on instinct when applying it.
‘It was all guesswork.’
Now, however, he felt like he could approach music more systematically.
‘Should I try making something right away?’
He decided to create a short experimental track.
‘Something catchy, suited for short-form trends.’
Placing his hands on the keyboard, he paused.
Normally, he never composed without deciding a title first.
But sometimes, there were days like this.
Days when you just wanted to create freely, without thinking.
Today was one of those days.
Wearing cheap 5,000-won headphones he bought from Daiso, he began playing the keyboard smoothly.
‘A chorus would be nice here.’
Unfortunately, he had no way to add one.
There was no vocalist, after all.
‘I wish I had my own studio.’
A space with soundproof walls, high-end speakers, and a powerful computer.
‘I actually tried installing soundproofing before…’
But his wife had opposed it.
‘And I was saving up my allowance for it too.’
“Ts.”
Clicking his tongue, Siwoo continued working.
The song didn’t take long.
It wasn’t long, and it had no vocals.
‘Lyrics usually take the most time.’
Experienced composers could create melodies in minutes.
Of course, Siwoo wasn’t at that level yet.
Nor did he intend to rush.
After adjusting the sound and listening carefully, he smiled in satisfaction.
‘This should be a decent application of what I learned.’
He had already been using harmonic techniques instinctively.
The difference was whether he understood them or not.
A small difference, but it made the music sound dozens of times better.
He immediately uploaded the track to his Guitar Hero account.
His subscriber count had skyrocketed over the past few days.
It was approaching fifty thousand.
Meanwhile, “Following the Milky Way,” recently covered by Lee Yena, was nearing one million views.
A full million.
‘Not something you see unless you’re a top-tier YouTuber.’
Lee Yena’s influence was immense.
‘Come to think of it…’
If the original had this many views, what about her version?
Almost unconsciously, he searched for her.
It wasn’t hard to find.
Her cover of “Following the Milky Way” was at the top.
‘The views are…’
“Ten… ten million?”
The song, built around acoustic guitar and dreamy lyrics, had a refreshing yet hazy atmosphere.
It seemed to perfectly synergize with Lee Yena.
Most of all—
‘That “Yena wink” must be trending.’
With her hands framing her face like a flower and a playful wink, she gave off a strangely alluring vibe.
Of course, the video didn’t blow up just because of her visuals.
As people said—
[The song reminds me of youthful spring days… I keep coming back to it.]
[I heard it once and hummed it all day… I think I’ve fallen under Yena’s spell.]
[Thank you to Guitar Hero for this song. It suits Yena perfectly.]
[I can’t believe a song like this was hidden.]
Siwoo’s pure style and Yena’s innocence created overwhelming synergy.
‘Even a song that was called trash…’
Can shine like this.
He clenched his fist.
Right then—
—Ring!
His phone rang.
Thinking it might be Yena, he checked—
[Seoul Real Estate]
It was a realtor.
It seemed the house he had hastily listed due to the divorce settlement had found a buyer.
“Hello?”
—Hello, this is Seoul Real Estate. Is this Mr. Park Siwoo?
“Yes.”
—A client wants to see the house. Are you available right now?
“Right now?”
It was just past 8 p.m.
He had spent two hours studying and one hour composing since getting home at five.
—They’re willing to sign a provisional contract immediately.
‘If my wife were still here, I’d refuse…’
But living alone now, it didn’t matter much.
“They can come.”
—Thank you. We’ll be there in ten minutes.
The call ended.
Siwoo quickly tidied up essentials and waited.
Exactly ten minutes later—
—Ding-dong.
The bell rang.
On the intercom, he saw the realtor.
Her large figure filled the screen, hiding the person behind her.
Only a glimpse of a hat was visible.
It didn’t matter who the buyer was.
So he didn’t think much of it and went to open the door.
“Hello.”
“Oh hello. Is your wife doing well?”
“….”
No need to make things awkward.
“She’s doing alright.”
He brushed it off and stepped aside.
The realtor quickly entered, followed by the other person.
‘A woman…?’
She was so small that she had been completely hidden.
And—
‘Why is she wearing that hat so low?’
He had seen someone dressed like that before.
Lee Yena had looked exactly the same when they first met.
‘A celebrity?’
Unlikely.
This apartment was too cheap for a celebrity.
It wasn’t in a prime area, and it was quite old.
‘Not my concern.’
He quickly lost interest.
“Please, take your time.”
“Thank you.”
As he stepped aside, the realtor passed by quickly.
Then the woman followed—
—Srrr.
Golden hair, like marigold petals, shimmered before his eyes.
At the same time, a faint floral scent brushed past him.
Everything slowed down, like time itself had decelerated.
‘What is this…?’
What just happened?
By the time the thought formed, she had already walked past.
“This is the living room, and if you look outside—see? Apartment view. It’s trending these days, right after park view.”
“….”
The woman hadn’t said a word since entering.
Siwoo stared at the back of her head.
That strange sensation from earlier left a deep unease.
‘That wasn’t just my imagination… what was that?’
Then—
He spotted a faint golden thread in front of his eyes.
His eyes widened.
It was connected to the woman’s wrist.
‘It’s tied to my arm too.’
A magic trick?
At that moment—
—Ding!
[A condition has been met. The Bond System has been activated.]
[Golden Bond: A connection that will greatly benefit you.]
A blue window suddenly appeared before his eyes.