Chapter 179: Company Theme Song (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 179: Company Theme Song (2)
"Rejected."
"Pardon?"
"I said it’s rejected."
Ji Seong-in’s hand lightly shook the folder. His eyes remained fixed on his monitor. It was a clear signal to take it and get out.
"May I ask why?"
Seon Gu-an didn't take the folder. Instead, he challenged the decision with a question.
Only then did Ji Seong-in’s gaze shift toward him.
"I should be the one asking you that."
"..."
"Is this really the only reason you have for changing the components of a perfectly good product?"
Silence fell over the office.
Seon Gu-an was certain. The profitability of 'Yubyeong Corporation' had almost reached its limit. At this point, they had to switch to 'Bea,' where good news was expected to break soon.
However, there was no way to explain that. It was a fact visible 'only to Seon Gu-an.'
"If you have nothing more to say, take this and go back to your desk."
"..."
"And stop wasting time on useless things."
In an asset management firm that lived and breathed data, Team Leader Ji Seong-in communicated only through numbers. For the first time, Seon Gu-an felt despair at the realization that he couldn't overcome that wall with his eyes alone.
The red flags for Yubyeong are already visible! What am I supposed to do?!
Back at his desk, Seon Gu-an frustratedly clutched at his hair.
This is all because of Team Leader Ji.
The previous team leader had been a man with zero ambition.
Having a boss like that had made work easy. Seon Gu-an had a knack for always making choices that avoided losses, and thanks to that ability, he had been promoted quickly.
But everything had changed since Team Leader Ji arrived. Reports cobbled together with plausible excuses no longer worked.
He was now in a situation where he had to explain information gained through intuition using hard data. This was the reason Ji Seong-in and Seon Gu-an clashed every single time.
So annoying, such a jerk. Don't come crying to me after Yubyeong Corporation goes under.
Muttering to himself, Seon Gu-an stood up. He planned to pick up some documents he had scheduled for printing.
Standing in front of the multifunction printer was his junior, Do Yeong-hwan.
"Did you happen to print these?"
"Oh, yeah. Here."
Do Yeong-hwan neatly organized the printed pages and handed them to Seon Gu-an.
The printer continued to spit out more pages.
Waiting for the printing to finish, Seon Gu-an leaned against the wall next to the machine and asked, "Come to think of it, Yeong-hwan, you’ve never been chewed out by Team Leader Ji, have you?"
"How much of a scolding counts as being 'chewed out'?"
"As much as I got today?"
"Nothing to that extent yet."
"Must be nice for you."
Seon Gu-an stared at Do Yeong-hwan before asking, almost to himself, "Is data really essential to communicate with Team Leader Ji?"
Could there be a stupider question for someone working in the financial industry? Seon Gu-an laughed awkwardly.
"Are you feeling frustrated?"
"A little."
Seon Gu-an gazed at Ji Seong-in through the glass partition. He could see the man’s neatly groomed head held high and stiff.
Can I keep working with this person?
Suppose he provided the data exactly as Team Leader Ji wanted.
But what if that company was on the verge of being delisted?
And what if, after someone had painstakingly manipulated the documents, they 'just hadn't' been caught yet?
What if the decision was made to invest there?
Seon Gu-an’s eyes could discern the truth. But they didn't show him the evidence that the documents were forged. Investigating, finding proof, and persuading others—that was Seon Gu-an’s job.
Beep, beep—
A warning sound chirped at his feet. It was coming from the printer.
"I don't think you necessarily have to communicate using only your strengths."
The noise stopped as Do Yeong-hwan opened the paper tray.
Rolling up his sleeves, Do Yeong-hwan pulled out a fresh pack of paper, tore it open, and refilled the tray. The printer began to whir again.
"If Assistant Manager Seon, with his great instincts, lists the options, and the meticulous Team Leader Ji approves them, wouldn't the two of you make a great team?"
"..."
"The list just needs a bit of persuasiveness. I don't think you need to feel so burdened."
The printer stopped. Do Yeong-hwan took out the thick stack of printouts, straightened them perfectly, and handed them to Seon Gu-an.
"Isn't that why you printed these? This data."
"Yeong-hwan, you're so smart it's actually scary sometimes."
Seon Gu-an let out a short laugh.
He started to head back to his seat but stopped and looked at Do Yeong-hwan, who was still standing by the printer.
"But really, Yeong-hwan, have you never been worried because I'm your senior? The guy teaching you the ropes is always talking about 'instincts' and 'hunches.'"
Do Yeong-hwan replied with a stoic expression, his eyes fixed on the paper coming out.
"The moment I start worrying, I'll find a way to save myself and run away."
It was a cute display of trust. Seon Gu-an’s footsteps were light as he headed back to his desk. He wanted to shove his revised report back in front of Team Leader Ji as soon as possible.
"Whew..."
I let out a long breath while the directors reviewed the footage.
Ad-libbing is always tough, but this one was truly insane.
Especially since I was the one who started it!
I didn't expect the paper to actually run out right then.
This scene was crucial for showing the emotional shift in the protagonist, Seon Gu-an.
It was the moment where his feelings—the helplessness of hitting a wall despite his talent and his sense of duty toward his profession—mingled to help him decide how to approach his new team leader.
On top of that, the two leads had been filming emotional scenes on the rooftop in the autumn wind and had just taken a break to warm up.
The weather was harsh, the flow of emotion was interrupted by the break, their stamina was draining, and yet they had to deliver acting convincing enough to persuade the viewers.
I didn't expect the printer to act up so mindlessly at such a critical moment. For a second, my mind went as blank as a sheet of A4 paper.
So, I just threw out an ad-lib before anyone could yell "Cut." I worked hard to refill the paper to stop the beeping. I even regretted it while I was loading the tray.
The good news was that the filming didn't stop. Ha Seo-myeong followed my lead perfectly.
The bad news was...
"Iwol, let's do one more one-shot and one more half-body shot for Do Yeong-hwan's part!"
They decided to do additional filming specifically for my part.
Dammit. I wish Jeong Seong-bin’s OST would just come out already.
While filming a drama took up a lot of time, there were definite benefits.
I started thinking from various angles about how to look good on camera.
For an idol, the most important thing is giving eye contact to the camera, but for an actor, you have to act as if the camera isn't there.
Since I couldn't use my gaze to create immersion, I had to pay attention to every single movement to make it look natural. Because of that, I started practicing not just facial expressions but my overall body movements. I became able to make choreographed actions look like everyday habits to anyone watching.
Furthermore, when standing on stage as an idol, my goal was to make sure the camera didn't catch my lack of detail in dance lines.
In acting, however, unless there's a specific directorial intent, a bust shot is the bare minimum. This means your face is constantly on screen unless they're filming just your hands or shoes for effect.
In this environment, I realized that even whether the shadow of my bangs covered the glint in my eyes made a huge difference.
If things like that aren't consistent, it really bothers me.
So, I spent all day at the dorm with my bangs down.
A few of the guys asked if I was in a bad mood, but thanks to that, I became able to act with "dead eyes" regardless of where the lighting was placed.
Meanwhile, there was someone whose eyes were just naturally dead, regardless of his bangs.
It was Lee Cheong-hyeon, sitting in the kitchen with a headset on, typing away at his laptop. I had bought him that headset recently, worried his ears would get damaged from using earphones too much.
When I lightly tapped the table, he looked up, revealing eyes that were hollow yet possessed a deep, abyss-like beauty.
"You're back, Hyung? What's up?"
"Are you working on the OST?"
On Cheong-hyeon’s laptop, a composition program was open with the title 'In-My-Office_2ndED_Ver.5'.
"Yeah, that's how it turned out."
"Everyone’s having meetings without me lately, huh?"
"Should we hold a video call with you when you leave in the morning and come back at night? Just be grateful your younger brothers are growing up to be independent."
"You really don't let a single word slide anymore, do you?"
"Of course not. Next year, I'm thinking of not even calling you Hyung."
Despite the silly banter, Cheong-hyeon’s hands didn't stop. The screen was packed with tracks, as if he were trying to layer countless instruments.
"Want to hear it?"
"If that's okay."
Cheong-hyeon handed over the headset. His expression wasn't exactly bright.
Was it because it was his first time doing a ballad? He wasn't the type to struggle with genres, though.
When I pressed play, a sad melody flowed out.
It was lyrical and emotional. It had the perfect vibe for a scene where lovers face a crisis or break up.
The instruments that swelled in the latter half were classical and grand.
But...
"You don't like this, do you?"
"How did you know?"
Cheong-hyeon asked, his eyes widening like a startled squirrel.
"It's not your style."
"What even is my style?"
"Could you refrain from asking 'What even is me?' type questions? It makes it hard for me to figure out how to answer."
Despite my request, Cheong-hyeon grabbed both my forearms and wouldn't let go.
"I don't like it! There's nothing unnatural about the harmonies or the melody, right?"
"Right, right."
"But there should be something that sticks—either catchiness or a high point. But this has nothing. It's bland. If you turned Je-ho Hyung lying on the sofa into a song, it would sound like this!"
"Why are you attacking me all of a sudden?"
Choi Je-ho, who was sprawled on the sofa, called out from a distance. We had no intention of listening, and Choi Je-ho himself didn't expect an answer, so it didn't lead to an actual conversation.
"I can tell you used famous OSTs as references. I see that it's based on a ballad. I also like that you had Seong-bin’s voice in mind for the vocals. I think it'll get much better once you record a guide and layer it. The problem is, there's no image."
"You mean it doesn't make you think of the drama?"
"I mean it's an OST that 'wouldn't be weird in any drama.'"
At my words, Cheong-hyeon started to frown but stopped himself. Instead, he used his thumb to vigorously smooth out the space between his eyebrows.
"Still, it's impressive. How did you end up taking on the OST work?"
I had thought he needed a break from creating, so I hadn't intended to give the OST task to Cheong-hyeon.
I didn't expect him to volunteer for the work himself.
"Well, Spark might make a comeback with a ballad later."
"What a thoughtful idea."
"I've always been thoughtful. Brothers like me are rare, so you'd better treat me well."
With that, Cheong-hyeon began typing my comments into a notepad.
'Something that evokes the drama,' 'Specialized for In-My-Office'... Cheong-hyeon’s hands stopped as he was writing.
"But Hyung."
"Yeah?"
"What is the life of an office worker usually like?"
Ah, so that's where you have to start.
It can't be helped. I hereby invite you to a UA Planning meeting (Note: 3 days before the deadline).