Casting (1)
“The song is going up today…”
Our band’s first original track was scheduled to be uploaded sometime today.
The only reason I hadn’t uploaded it yesterday was because we couldn’t decide on a title.
Of course, the song had a title in my past life.
But since the lyrics and the vocalist singing it had changed, I felt it deserved a brand-new name.
The title I eventually settled on was…
“Some people might find it a bit cheesy, but…”
Yesterday’s Weather is Invalid.
It was a song dedicated to those who wander, carrying the message that even if yesterday was cloudy or rainy, today will be bright.
“Well, as for being cheesy…”
If the song is good, everything is forgiven. If a song is bad, it’s cheesy; if it’s good, it’s sentimental.
“I should let the others know it’s going up soon.”
I sent a message to the group chat, letting them know the track would drop around lunchtime.
After that…
“Time to wrap this up.”
I booted up my DAW.
The project’s name had officially been confirmed as Generation X.
Generation X was a five-member, multi-generational project unit consisting of all the members of Only One and Choi Taeseong. It was a special event unit created specifically for Choi Taeseong’s long-time fans.
That was likely why Bae Sol had appointed me as the producer for this single. It was a fan-service release where chart performance didn’t really matter.
However…
“Thinking back to the look in his eyes when he said he wanted to win first place…”
I couldn’t bring myself to half-ass it. I never intended to slack off in the first place, but I found myself pouring even more heart and soul into it than I had originally planned.
“I think we can push the highlight a bit harder.”
The skeleton of the track was complete, but it still needed some fine-tuning.
At the exact same time.
In the heart of Gangnam, Seoul, inside a high-end luxury penthouse worth well over ten billion won.
“…I can’t go on like this.”
A seventeen-year-old girl, wrapped tightly in her duvet, stared at a white hoodie hanging on a rack as if it were a heinous crime scene.
“I-I can’t even function normally…!”
The fact that she had spent a whopping four hours sniffing the hoodie after getting home yesterday…
“I’m literally acting like a puppy…”
It had brought immense shock to Kwon Dain.
She had sniffed the inside of the fabric, then the sleeves, repeating the process over and over until four hours had slipped away.
Of course, she hadn’t spent those four hours actively thinking about Jeong Jisul. Her mind had been agonizing over various worries, while her body simply reacted to the scent lingering on the hoodie.
But logically speaking, the fact remained that she had kept her nose buried in his hoodie for four hours.
And…
“…I really shouldn’t.”
The realization that she wanted to do it again right now tormented her.
She couldn’t let this continue. Dain quickly made up her mind.
“I need to text the girls.”
She needed a distraction.
“Seolah is always awake on weekend mornings.”
Since it was around 10:00 AM, she would definitely get a reply soon. Her hypothesis wasn’t wrong. But…
“……”
Being close friends, Dain was well aware of Seolah’s family situation. The only thing she could say here was…
That was the best she could do.
“So Seolah is out with her dad…”
But Dain didn’t lose hope. Did she only have one friend? Of course not.
“Saeron…”
She probably didn’t have much to do on the weekend. At least, as far as Dain knew.
However, Choi Saeron tended to sleep in on weekends. Considering that, she might not get a reply right away—
Buzz—
“…!”
Dain quickly checked her phone and read the messages Saeron had sent in rapid succession.
“…Ah.”
Saeron was working her part-time job. Dain hadn’t realized she worked on weekends too.
Dain sent a supportive text and collapsed back onto her bed. In the end, she had failed to distract herself. Naturally, her eyes drifted back to the white hoodie.
“Maybe I should just…”
Wash it right now. If she washed it and got rid of his scent, wouldn’t the urge to sniff it disappear?
“…But what if he doesn’t like the smell of our fabric softener?”
Dain picked up her phone again.
“I-I can at least ask him. Just to be considerate…”
Her fingers tapped the screen.
She typed it out, then quickly deleted it.
“Going straight to the point seems too cold…”
She decided to start with the most casual greeting possible.
A reply arrived shortly after.
“Working…?”
If he was working, did I interrupt him? A brief wave of anxiety washed over her, but it was quickly dispelled by his next message.
“……”
Reading his reply, she felt her heart instantly put at ease.
Dain dashed to the laundry room. She snapped a photo of the fabric softener and quickly sent it over.
“…He doesn’t mind.”
Returning to her room, Dain tossed her phone onto the bed and snatched up the hoodie.
“…Well, today is the last day anyway.”
She could only keep sniffing it until the housekeeper arrived this evening. It was 10:00 AM now, meaning she had about seven hours left.
“It’s not like I’m going to do this for the whole seven hours, but…”
Dain slipped the hoodie on and gently pressed her nose against the sleeve. Any thought of washing it immediately to get rid of the scent had long since vanished.
That same day.
A middle-aged man with dyed yellow hair smiled as he watched the live performance video of Yesterday’s Weather is Invalid.
“…This is a hidden gem.”
The big three entertainment agencies in South Korea were:
Bae Sol’s HS.
Won Jaehee’s WJ.
And Ma Seonghyeon’s Taeseong.
The man currently marveling at the song was none other than Ma Seonghyeon, the CEO of Taeseong.
“It’s definitely worth making an offer.”
He muttered to himself.
“Fuzz didn’t give them a shout-out for nothing.”
He had been dying of curiosity regarding Fuzz’s true identity. When he heard that Fuzz had shouted out a high school band, he looked them up out of curiosity—and never expected to find such a treasure.
“As expected, real talent recognizes talent.”
Looking at the video, the bassist was clearly a novice. The drummer was skilled but not a professional. The vocalist was a rough diamond who just needed some polishing. But…
“A high schooler playing like that? He’s definitely a seasoned gigging musician.”
The guitarist was undoubtedly a pro. On top of that, he had discovered that the composer of the song they uploaded today, Yesterday’s Weather is Invalid, was the band’s guitarist.
“If possible… I’d like to scout just the guitarist and the vocalist.”
Ma Seonghyeon began to formulate a plan.
“Other agencies must be eyeing them too… especially HS.”
Since Fuzz was signed to HS, they were bound to have their eyes on the band. For all he knew, they might have already signed them.
“I need to approach them as quickly as possible.”
However, contrary to his wishes, Ma Seonghyeon soon found himself scratching his head.
“…They don’t have an Instagram?”
There was no way to contact them. No Instagram, no business email. The only option was leaving a comment on YouTube.
“Don’t tell me they did this on purpose.”
Did they leave only the YouTube comments open to build hype?
“Could high school kids really think that far ahead? Was it all the guitarist’s idea?”
Ma Seonghyeon let out a chuckle.
Limiting contact to YouTube comments was a bit cocky, but they probably never expected to hook a fish as big as him.
And yet…
“Hey, it’s me. Have the content team leave a comment on the channel I’m sending you, asking them to get in touch.”
In this industry, a little cockiness was a good thing. It showed grit and confidence. At least, that was Ma Seonghyeon’s philosophy.
“Yoon Seolah is going to lose her mind when she hears this.”
Yesterday, a massive fish had bitten the hook on YouTube. None other than Taeseong Entertainment.
“It’s a bit of a shame they aren’t in the same agency as me… but Taeseong is still an amazing company.”
Deep down, I had hoped Seolah would join HS, so I felt a slight pang of regret.
I slid open the back door of the classroom and walked in.
“Hey.”
I greeted Dain as usual.
“Before I get my hoodie back, can you wake Seolah up?”
“Seolah?”
“Yeah, I have something to tell her.”
Once Seolah was awake, I explained the situation to her.
Still half-asleep, she listened to my explanation before speaking.
“So… you’re saying I might get cast by Taeseong?”
“Yeah.”
“……”
She buried her face back into her desk. Just as I was wondering why her reaction was so lukewarm, Seolah mumbled into her arms.
“I don’t want to go to Taeseong.”
“…What?”
“…You won’t be there.”
“……?”