An Unintentional Blessing

On the day of their major debut song's recording, Deputy General Manager Watanabe opened the door to the in-house recording studio with a slightly nervous heart. The moment he stepped inside, he was greeted by a surprisingly large crowd. General Manager Nakajima, Producer Ishimori, two recording engineers, and two staff members from Label Echo Sound were already there.

"You came too?"

"Well, it's a project I'm involved in, after all."

General Manager Nakajima nodded at Watanabe's reply, then turned his gaze back through the glass window toward the recording booth alongside the engineer. Inside, four silhouettes stood ready.

"Producer Ishimori, how was the pre-production?"

"Pre-production? Hmm... Honestly, it was just perfect. There was absolutely nothing left for me to touch."

"That good?"

"To be frank, I feel like I shouldn't even take royalties for this album. That's how little I actually did."

It was a lighthearted joke, but it left Deputy General Manager Watanabe utterly stunned. Ishimori was a veteran producer famous for tearing artists to shreds if their skills fell short, regardless of his own reputation. For someone like him to be completely disarmed and softened... just how talented were these girls? Just how good are they?

"Ishimori, doesn't that mean you're basically stealing your salary this month?"

"Come on, General Manager Nakajima. That's not what I meant. Have you ever seen me slack off and collect a paycheck?"

"You used to do it all the time back in the day."

"That was ages ago..."

As the staff chatted outside the booth, a quiet voice crackled through the speaker. Deputy General Manager Watanabe, suddenly remembering something, turned to Producer Ishimori.

"By the way, Ishimori."

"Yes?"

"Setting the production aside, how is the actual song?"

Ishimori pondered the question for a moment before giving a casual shrug.

"They're about to play, so why don't you just listen for yourself?"

Watanabe stroked his chin, slightly dissatisfied. Of course he knew they were about to play. He had asked for the producer's professional opinion, yet the man just told him to listen instead of giving an answer. Is he dodging the question? Because he's not sure how it'll turn out? As Watanabe let his imagination run wild during the brief silence, he was suddenly jolted back to reality by four sharp clicks of drumsticks echoing through the speakers. One, two, three, four. And then, they began.

The guitar, bass, and keyboards struck the exact same riff in perfect unison. It was a simple yet incredibly addictive hook. At the end of the first two measures, the drums lay in wait, and over the next two measures, a crisp drum fill announced the true beginning of the song. Right on cue, the three instruments that had been marching down the same path split with military precision, carving out their own distinct lanes. The bass maintained a heavy, driving groove; the guitar began churning out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a rhythmic strumming pattern; and the keyboard danced gracefully between them, filling the empty spaces with a gentle, ambient warmth.

There was no flashy, high-level technique in the performance filling the room. If broken down part by part, even Deputy General Manager Watanabe—whose musical experience was limited to messing around with instruments for a few months just to build basic industry knowledge—felt he could play these riffs with a day or two of practice. It was a straightforward rhythm built entirely on eighth notes. In any music lesson, this was the kind of difficulty where an instructor would say, "Let's start with an easy song for your first piece," around the two- or three-month mark.

Yet, the sound produced when all four instruments merged was on an entirely different level. Two gathered, then three, then four, fusing into a singular entity. And that unity felt as though it were expanding into infinity. It was as if the music itself was declaring, This is rock, and this is a band...

The bass and keyboard stubbornly held down the exact same repetitive riff. The two vocalists sang back and forth, their voices playing off one another. And just as the first verse drew to a close, a heavy, bluesy guitar solo began to wail.

"Wow... Is that kid really not even twenty yet? You've got to be kidding me," General Manager Nakajima muttered in disbelief.

Deputy General Manager Watanabe couldn't agree more. It was a heavy, solid performance that defied her age. Unlike most young musicians who let their desire to show off ruin the flow, she held back, applying only the exact amount of pressure needed. It was a solo that exuded sheer, seasoned mastery.

"Incredible, isn't it? That someone so young can play like that."

At Producer Ishimori's sudden remark, Watanabe nodded reflexively, a chill running down his spine. If I had just let those kids go back then... God, the mere thought is terrifying.

If he hadn't attended that presentation with Manager Hayasaka. If they had let this band debut under some other label. And if the rest of the industry ever found out about that blunder... I really need to do something nice for Hayasaka, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠he thought, scratching his head. At the same time, another thought crossed his mind. Group Sound must have knocked on the doors of countless other labels before landing at Zenith Music Entertainment. How would those other labels react once the band officially debuted? They would never release an official statement, but... The next time we have an industry seminar, I'll definitely bring this up. Watanabe grinned, already thrilled at the prospect of mocking his rivals at competing labels.

"Manager Hayasaka! Congratulations!"

"Are you really getting promoted this time?"

"Thanks, but there's no way I'm getting promoted already. That's ridiculous."

"Oh, look at you, you're totally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expecting it!"

While some rejoiced...

"Hurry up and run the numbers. What are the projected sales, and at what point do we start losing money?"

"Uh, Senior Managing Director..."

"You idiot! Did you not hear that song? If we're not careful, we'll have signed a once-in-a-generation rookie and end up making less profit than before because of the contract split!"

While others fretted over potentially missed profits...

"I heard the atmosphere in A&R Team 2 is absolute chaos right now."

"Why?"

"Because the project Hayasaka brought in is a massive hit. Deputy General Manager Ishikawa from Team 2 openly opposed it, but Deputy General Manager Watanabe from Team 1 pushed it through anyway. On top of that, there's a rumor that Team 2 insisted on cutting production costs to the bone and giving the band a higher profit split..."

"Oh my god. Why would they do that?"

"Well, those two teams have always had bad blood. Plus, Hayasaka was promoted not too long ago, and now he's pulled off another miracle. Manager Shinomiya from Team 2 is absolutely livid..."

"Shh, here he comes. Quiet, quiet."

While some burned with jealousy and rage over another's success, the production of Group Sound's first full-length album was moving along smoothly. The recording of the band's instruments finished flawlessly, and the addition of other instruments proceeded without a hitch thanks to the participation of professional session musicians. The only task that took a bit of time was deciding the tracklist order, but even that was resolved quickly.

"I think we should place these heavier, core-style tracks in the middle."

"Really?"

"Yeah. The songs we have right now are a bit lighter than these ones. If we bundle the longer, progressive-leaning tracks in the center and place the relatively lighter songs at the beginning and end... wouldn't it create a nice framing effect?"

This was because Suyun, who had been obsessively paranoid about the track order on their previous album, had loosened up a bit and willingly accepted the other members' input. And that wasn't the only piece of good news.

"What? Say that again."

"You know that drama airing on TV Kanto? The one with the tie-up song by Group Sound."

"Yeah, that one. What was it called... Love Can't Be Erased with an Eraser?"

"Well, the first episode completely blew up. The peak viewership rating surpassed nine percent."

"What? How on earth did that get over nine percent?"

Love Can't Be Erased with an Eraser. Even though it was produced by a major terrestrial network like TV Kanto, everyone had written it off as a fleeting, outdated 70s and 80s retro melodrama. Not just the general public, but even the production crew and the cast themselves had expected it to flop. However, the moment Group Sound's unreleased new track, I'll Wait, was featured in the drama's promotional teasers, the tables turned completely.

The bouncy bass and drum lines evoked a sense of a wealthy, carefree era. Combined with a highly distinctive guitar tone and a low, perfectly balanced vocal delivery, the song struck a chord. Paired with the slightly cheesy yet deeply nostalgic teaser footage, it triggered an explosive reaction. It reached a point where every time the drama's commercial aired on television, Twitter and Yahoo trends would go wild, flooded with searches for Love Can't Be Erased with an Eraser and Love Can't Be Erased with an Eraser commercial song.

A situation that neither the drama production crew, the label executives, nor even Group Sound and Label Echo Sound had ever anticipated was unfolding.

"Shouldn't we release it as a digital single right away?"

"Are you crazy? It's already too late for a single! At this rate, we have no choice but to rush the full album out. Tell Ishimori to wrap up production as fast as humanly possible! And set everything up so we can go straight to pressing the moment he's done!"

Lacking oars, they began paddling furiously with their bare hands to ride this unexpected wave.

"Hayasaka, the board has decided on an initial order of fifty thousand copies for the album. Fill out the order form and deliver it to the pressing plant yourself."

"Yes, sir. Understood."

"If there's any discrepancy in the quantity, it'll be a disaster, so double- and triple-check it. Got it?"

"Yes, I will absolutely make sure!"

Thanks to the cooperation, effort, and dedication of so many, Group Sound's album was finally preparing to meet the world. However, not everyone was welcoming of this success.

On the very night Manager Hayasaka delivered the album production order to the pressing plant... a figure slipped into the darkened offices of Zenith Music Entertainment's A&R department. Moving carefully to avoid the security cameras, the intruder was clearly an insider.

Hayasaka, you bastard...

And indeed, it was. The man sneaking through the office was Manager Shinomiya of A&R Team 2. He was the one who had opposed the Group Sound project most vehemently when Hayasaka first brought it in, and he had been trying to drag him down ever since.

Because of you, I'm completely finished...

Group Sound's first full-length album was practically guaranteed to be a massive hit. Because of this, Shinomiya hadn't had a single moment of peace in the office. After all, he was the one who had pressured Deputy General Manager Ishikawa to oppose the project in the first place.

Stopping that Korean band from releasing their album... No, I can't do that. That would be too big of a disaster.

Shinomiya didn't want to go that far. Crossing that line would be a serious crime and cause immense damage to the entire company. However...

If I do this, only you will take the hit. And if things go well, you might even get fired.

Chuckling softly, he reached Hayasaka's desk and began flipping through his Rolodex. After searching for a few minutes, he found the contact information he wanted. He picked up Hayasaka's desk phone to make the call, pinching his nose to disguise his voice with a nasal tone.

Hanging up the phone, Shinomiya cheered silently. What an idiot. He claims we've worked together so much, yet he couldn't even recognize my voice.

From fifty thousand to one hundred and fifty thousand... Even if it's just pressing costs, making such a rookie mistake and causing that much of a deficit will completely ruin your chances of promotion, Hayasaka. I'll feel a tiny bit bad if you get fired, though. Hehehe.

Indulging in these delightful thoughts, Shinomiya let out a quiet chuckle and quickly slipped out of the office. However, whether this act of sabotage would ultimately bring him fortune or ruin was something no one could yet foresee.