Album Release
“You have a contract with HS, right...?”
Yun Seola's face as she asked was markedly different from usual. Hesitant, perhaps. Her hand gripping my wrist was trembling slightly too.
But that wasn't what mattered right now.
How the hell does she know?
How had Yun Seola found out about my contract?
The most likely culprit is...
Kwon Dain. She was the only one at school who knew about it. And the fact that she was close with Yun Seola backed that up.
So, had Kwon Dain really told her?
No matter how I think about it, Dain isn't the type.
At least, not the Kwon Dain I knew. Someone might ask how I could be so sure after knowing her for just over a month, but I'd known her since my previous life. No way I wouldn't know.
It'd only hurt her mom or herself.
Spreading word of my contract would just smear mud on her own face. And as someone set to enter the industry, she was hypersensitive about that stuff.
No reason for her to do it at all.
...So how, then?
The mystery deepened.
No answers here.
I had no choice but to ask directly. No point racking my brain when nothing was coming up.
“How'd you find out I signed with the company?”
I opened my mouth as gently as possible.
Yun Seola reacted right away.
“...I heard it this morning. When Dain and I were talking.”
...Wasn't she sleeping?
Pretending to sleep and eavesdropping?
I was briefly thrown by this unexpected side of Yun Seola.
“I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I was just lying there, and they started talking... Lifting my head then would've been weird...”
Yun Seola quickly defended her innocence.
...Yeah, what wrong could the quiet listener do? It was my fault for not being careful.
With the 'how Yun Seola found out about my contract' mystery solved, she tightened her grip on my wrist a bit more and got to the point.
“How'd you land the HS contract...?”
Her eyes were full of earnest longing as she asked. Nothing like her usual indifferent expression.
Well, yeah. If things go canon, she'll be on Seong Haein's level someday.
Yun Seola's passion for singing was genuine. That's why she went to karaoke alone and all that.
Knowing that, I answered honestly.
“Luck.”
My answer was luck. In the entertainment world, nothing mattered more. Maybe even more than talent.
Her face twisted briefly at my reply. She'd probably hoped for some pro tip.
“...Luck.”
“Yeah, luck.”
I fleshed out my contract story a bit more. Looking for a part-time gig, turns out the cafe owner was Seong Haein. She heard my music thanks to the boss, and after proving my skills, I signed with HS.
“It happened because you've got the skills... but yeah, ultimately, luck like you said.”
“Right?”
Yun Seola's shoulders slumped a little after hearing my tale. A gesture of disappointment.
“But luck isn't everything. With your singing, you could totally break through an audition.”
I dangled a carrot to lift her spirits a notch.
“Auditions... There haven't been many solo singer ones lately...”
“Yeah, not really. Mostly girl group auditions.”
Still, solo auditions weren't nonexistent. I added that and continued.
“If you hate auditions, only way is to get an offer like me...”
To enter the industry, it boiled down to auditioning or getting scouted. Those were basically the only paths.
So what she needed to do now was...
“Wanna try YouTube?”
Prep for auditions while exposing herself online.
Why'd I start Insta? To get my face out there and build my name, right?
“YouTube?”
“Yeah, we're doing the band club, right? Film and upload to YouTube.”
Her best shot at debuting? Starting a band club YouTube channel.
“If the band club gets famous, we might get filming offers. You could turn that into a contract.”
As I finished, Yun Seola broke into a soft smile. Her eyes curving happily.
“Guess we have to. Let's do YouTube.”
Her idle left hand joined in, both now squeezing my right hand tight.
“Thanks for helping.”
Her smile deepened. Not quite showing teeth, but her emotions came through clear.
I'd always thought Yun Seola was plenty attractive up close, but her smile definitely made her even better.
**
“This is driving me nuts.”
Bae Sol pressed her forehead, letting out a sigh of awe.
“Does this even make sense?”
Making an album usually took at least three months. Writing lyrics and composing, arranging, lining up features. Then recording after all that. Even rushing, it was a minimum of three months.
The biggest time sinks? Composing and arranging, hands down. They were the core of any album, so naturally they got the most time.
Hence, even the fastest albums took about three months.
'Typically.'
“...Not much to arrange, really. The demos are already polished...”
But what if composing was insanely fast? And the initial drafts needed zero tweaks?
“If Jisul handles the whole album solo... he could pump one out a month.”
Bae Sol felt once more that Jeong Jisul was no ordinary guy.
Last week, he'd explained the revised plan. And in just one week, he'd sent five samples.
“Maybe... give him more?”
Seong Haein's album had shifted to full-length, slated for twelve tracks. Bae Sol had planned three for Jeong Jisul, but...
“At this speed and quality... half the album seems doable...”
As Bae Sol pondered deeply, her phone buzzed.
She glanced at the name, clearing her cluttered thoughts.
“It's her call in the end.”
The album belonged to Seong Haein, after all.
Bae Sol picked up and spilled her dilemma to Seong Haein.
Seong Haein's response?
“That's what I wanted to talk about.”
A perfect yes.
“That confirmed track four? Loved the sound so much, I wanna give Jisul a few more in that style.”
.
.
.
Two weeks passed.
Just two weeks, and Seong Haein's full seventh album was nearly complete.
Jeong Jisul's seven tracks in that span were key, but Seong Haein's veteran prowess—nailing recordings at that killer pace—made it possible.
Which prompted an emergency meeting at HS.
“Schedule's way ahead. Recordings down to the last track, so marketing needs to gear up.”
“Yes, sir. We've got plenty prepped. Starting the day album work wraps.”
One track left. The one to carry Seong Haein's future from here on. Not the title track, but maybe the most vital.
Entrusted fully to Bae Sol, who knew her best.
“Management's locked in broadcast slots, right? Any adds?”
“All set. Three music shows from the big three, plus one the elders love.”
“Creative team's still on MV? Editing should be wrapping soon?”
“Putting extra into it for the five-year comeback.”
“Can wrap in two weeks? No CG this time, so yeah?”
“Yes, plenty feasible.”
As Bae Sol steamrolled the meeting, Jeong Jisul—hunched in the corner—locked eyes with Seong Haein beside him.
“Tough?”
“...No, just new environment...”
Jeong Jisul had been a composer even in his past life, but this was his first time in a room full of execs. The pressure from all the 'higher-ups' was real.
“Straighten up, be confident. I see you as the album's MVP.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Jeong Jisul fixed his posture on her advice.
Time to get used to exuding confidence.
When this album dropped, he'd be a full-fledged star.
Jeong Jisul sensed it instinctively too. His composing confidence was peaking, and every output got rave reviews.
That's why he was in this meeting—HS drilling pro-star behavior early.
Time flew, and Seong Haein's seventh album release day arrived.
Communities exploded.
It wasn't the ripple from national singer Seong Haein's five-year comeback.
The debut of rookie composer Jeong Jisul—that was the spark.