5
Chapter 5
It took about a week to work on the new song.
It was an incredibly fast pace. It was only possible because he had already prepared a rough blueprint before enlisting.
Now, all that was left was to write the lyrics and record it, which would make it truly complete, but given the
circumstances of the military, that seemed impossible for the time being.
Instead, he listened to the new song every day in the computer room, checking to see if there was anything that needed
to be revised.
‘It seems pretty decent.’
Just as he was feeling satisfied with the result, Nam Dong-yoon suddenly came to see him.
“It’s definitely a new song written by a legendary American rapper!”
He was seriously spouting such embarrassing praise that, if he left him alone, it looked like he might even start doing
somersaults. In the end, Kim Jin-woo awkwardly cleared his throat and said,
“I made that.”
“…No way.”
Nam Dong-yoon’s mouth fell open, and an incredulous voice escaped him.
That lasted only for a moment. Realizing his mistake belatedly, Nam Dong-yoon hurriedly lowered his head.
“I’m sorry!”
Kim Jin-woo merely laughed.
He wasn’t so narrow-minded that he would chew out someone over such a trivial mistake.
Besides, wasn’t that reaction because Nam Dong-yoon had been genuinely impressed by his new song? Until just moments
ago, Nam Dong-yoon had been showering him with praise so enthusiastically that spit was practically flying from his
mouth.
Artists naturally tended to have a strong liking for people who praised their creations.
Kim Jin-woo was no different.
“Dong-yoon. You like hip-hop?”
So he asked with a very kind smile.
“Yes!”
At those words, Nam Dong-yoon immediately raised his head.
“Actually, before I enlisted, I was an active rapper…”
He even proceeded to reveal everything about his past that he had kept hidden until his fourth month as a corporal.
If Kim Jin-woo had developed a slight liking for Nam Dong-yoon, Nam Dong-yoon felt a strong sense of closeness toward
Kim Jin-woo.
It was similar to how a beginner at the gym would naturally admire an experienced lifter who could bench, squat, and
deadlift a combined 500 kilograms.
For Nam Dong-yoon, an active rapper, it was only natural that he would like Kim Jin-woo, who had created such an
incredible beat.
‘He’s really that good?’
At the same time, Kim Jin-woo was quite surprised after learning about Nam Dong-yoon’s background.
He had thought he was simply receiving high praise from a hip-hop fan, but now that he knew the truth, it was
practically the same as receiving an extravagant compliment from someone actually working in the field.
‘I only finished an old song because I wanted to get back into composing after such a long time…’
For some reason, his heart felt restless.
At that moment, Nam Dong-yoon cautiously opened his mouth.
“May I ask when you plan to upload the song?”
“Upload it?”
Kim Jin-woo tilted his head and asked again, but Nam Dong-yoon looked even more puzzled as he answered.
“I assumed you’d monetize it since you made the track…”
It was something Kim Jin-woo hadn’t even considered.
It wasn’t because he had no desire for money. Rather, he had already given up on that path long ago, so monetizing his
music hadn’t even been an option in his mind.
Since he had once been deeply interested in composing, Kim Jin-woo knew how to monetize music.
He had simply failed at it every time.
‘I failed miserably.’
The field Kim Jin-woo wanted to pursue was closer to that of a producer. Someone who set the overall direction of an
album and participated in the entire production process.
A versatile producer who could handle both the roles of a composer and a musician.
People usually thought producers worked after signing contracts with entertainment agencies.
That was a serious misconception. Only a very small number of producers were actually hired directly by agencies.
The rest, especially newcomers, had to find their own opportunities.
They had to build up their portfolios little by little by looking for commissions on freelance websites or uploading
their own compositions to platforms, and then use those portfolios to find work.
‘But I got stuck at the gateway to building that portfolio.’
Kim Jin-woo hadn’t even managed to pass the first hurdle.
Even with the plagiarism incident that had recently earned him 2 billion won, most people had been amazed that anyone
could have plagiarized the song of such an unknown composer.
That was why he had never thought about monetizing his music.
He had given up from the beginning and only intended to enjoy it as a hobby.
“Wouldn’t it be a waste?”
Nam Dong-yoon spoke cautiously.
“In my opinion, it will definitely sell.”
“Really?”
“I’m embarrassed to say this myself, but I’m a rapper whose skills are recognized to some extent in the hip-hop scene.
I’ll stake my career on this. With a beat and melody this good, all kinds of rappers will come running with their mouths
watering.”
Nam Dong-yoon looked at Kim Jin-woo with absolute confidence.
“The fact that there are no recorded lyrics is also an advantage. It means anyone can buy it with money and use it as
their own song.”
He spoke so passionately as if it were his own business that Kim Jin-woo slowly began to feel tempted.
At first, he had intended to enjoy music purely as a hobby.
But if he could make money while enjoying his hobby and doing something he loved, wouldn’t that be even better?
It was practically everyone’s dream.
“Then should I try uploading it?”
When Kim Jin-woo cautiously brought up the idea, Nam Dong-yoon vigorously nodded.
“That’s a great decision!”
After that, everything proceeded smoothly.
With Nam Dong-yoon’s enthusiastic assistance, Kim Jin-woo began uploading his new song to the website.
“Do I just sign up for this site?”
“Yes! That’s right. But… Sergeant Kim, you haven’t even signed up here?”
Nam Dong-yoon couldn’t hide his momentary disbelief.
After all, this was a website used by virtually every composer, from newcomers to veterans.
And in Nam Dong-yoon’s eyes, Kim Jin-woo’s skills were far beyond those of even most veterans.
It was like encountering an absolute master in a martial arts novel.
Yet he didn’t even have an account on this website?
“This is my first time properly completing a song and monetizing it.”
As a result, Kim Jin-woo created a new account.
Surprisingly, he also learned several useful tips from Nam Dong-yoon.
“As you know, there are trends in the music industry as well. Genres that are popular tend to attract more traffic, so
if you compose another new song in the future, it would be good to check what’s trending. Oh, and you also need to make
a one-minute highlight sample. That won’t take long. You can just cut a section out.”
They had finished all the preparations and were just about to upload the song when a thought suddenly crossed Kim
Jin-woo’s mind.
“Wait!”
“What is it?”
“No, we’re soldiers. Is it really okay for us to upload songs like this?”
It was an issue that absolutely had to be addressed.
He didn’t want military police suddenly showing up when he was trying to get discharged later.
But despite the fact that Kim Jin-woo had stopped in alarm, Nam Dong-yoon simply chuckled and shook his head.
“There’s absolutely no problem.”
“Huh?”
“We’re not going to immediately make money just because we upload a song. Even if the streaming views are high enough to
generate a small amount of revenue, you just have to avoid withdrawing it. Collect it after you’re discharged.”
“…Isn’t that a loophole?”
“So what? It’s not illegal. Honestly, we bust our asses in the military and get barely a measly 100,000 won a month at
best. Isn’t it only fair that we have at least one little loophole like this?”
Kim Jin-woo found himself strangely persuaded by Nam Dong-yoon’s argument.
So without any further objections, he pressed the upload button.
Even though Nam Dong-yoon was his junior, the truth was that he had been a great help, so Kim Jin-woo bought all kinds
of frozen food and drinks from the PX for him.
While eating the frozen food with Nam Dong-yoon, Kim Jin-woo suddenly asked something that had been on his mind.
“Do you think anyone will contact me about buying the song?”
“Someone definitely will. Still, don’t get your hopes up too much. Things like this require patience. It’ll probably
take at least a month, won’t it? If you don’t hear anything for a while, I’ll even contact all my acquaintances for
you.”
“Forget it. I don’t want to push it that far just to sell it.”
Kim Jin-woo chuckled and waved his hand.
He suppressed the expectations Nam Dong-yoon had created as much as possible.
The more you expected something, the greater the disappointment would be when those expectations were shattered.
‘It’d be nice if it got around 100 views.’
Even that would be enough to set a new career high for him.
‘Surely nobody’s going to plagiarize it again, right?’
A certain thought suddenly surfaced in Kim Jin-woo’s mind.
‘I’ve already made 2 billion won. For another song I wrote right after that incident to blow up too would be asking for
too much.’
Even he thought it was a pointless fantasy, so Kim Jin-woo clicked his tongue and pushed the thought aside.
He seemed to have lost touch with reality after handling such a large amount of money lately.
Ruby Entertainment.
It wasn’t one of Korea’s Big Three entertainment agencies, but it was still considered a respectable mid-sized company.
A heavy sigh echoed through one of the offices in the building.
“We have no talent. No talent at all.”
The man complaining was Choi Min-heon, the general producer of Ruby Entertainment. In terms of rank, his position was
equivalent to that of a division head.
There was a simple reason why someone in such a position was grumbling with a frustrated expression.
“Hyung! I’m telling you, we need to hire new people now! I can’t manage everything by myself!”
They were short on producers.
“We’ve already expanded the number of idol groups like we’re running a tentacle operation, and now you’re bringing
rappers into the company too? Do you really want to watch me go insane? Do you want to see me die from overwork?”
“Hey, why are you taking it that far…”
Im Kwang-soo, the president of Ruby Entertainment, spoke awkwardly.
“It’s not like I told you not to hire anyone new. I told you to hire anyone you liked…”
“There’s nobody I like!”
Even though Choi Min-heon was the general producer, he was still an employee.
There was a simple reason he could talk back to Im Kwang-soo, the company president.
The two had been friends and colleagues who had shared both good and bad times for more than twenty years.
“I’m the idiot. If I hadn’t left when you begged me to join you in starting this new company, I’d still be treated well
at YK Entertainment. But after coming here, all you gave me was a fancy title, and now you’re working me like a slave.”
Im Kwang-soo had practically grabbed onto Choi Min-heon’s pant leg and begged him to leave his old company and join him.
“You’re being too harsh…”
“Whatever. What are you going to do? I’m already busy taking care of the idol groups. There’s no way I can also worry
about the new song from that rapper we brought in.”
“Can’t you somehow manage? We have plenty of time, so deal with the urgent matters first… I’m doing my best to ask
people around me if they know of any decent producers.”
Choi Min-heon clicked his tongue.
“You know it too. All the capable producers have already been taken by the Big Three agencies.”
“…That’s true. I’m sorry. I only made things more difficult by bringing in more work.”
Im Kwang-soo lowered his shoulders with a bitter expression.
Choi Min-heon suppressed the sigh that was about to escape and spoke.
In the end, just as always, he had no choice but to be the one to back down.
“Fine. I’ll handle it.”
“Min-heon!”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. This really is the last time. If you bring in another project that we can’t handle, I’m
submitting my resignation.”
“The company would collapse without you.”
“That’s why you should do a better job.”
“Okay! Thanks as always, Min-heon. I’m counting on you.”
The gloomy expression on Im Kwang-soo’s face disappeared as if it had never existed, replaced by a bright smile.
Choi Min-heon muttered a small curse under his breath as he left the president’s office.
Then he returned to his own office and sat down in his chair.
‘Let’s clear my head.’
A headache began to creep in as he thought about handling the mountain of work before him.
He pressed his temples with his fingers while staring at the monitor.
Browsing indie music sites.
It was an extension of his work, but also a long-standing hobby.
‘There’s nobody useful.’
They desperately needed manpower.
The president had given him permission to hire a producer whenever he found one, but he simply couldn’t find anyone
suitable.
Ruby Entertainment might not be as powerful as Korea’s Big Three agencies, but it was still a mid-sized company.
That meant that no matter how short-staffed they were, they still had to hire people with at least a minimum level of
ability.
‘I’m not asking for some mythical unicorn.’
He wasn’t even looking for someone who was talented in every possible field from the beginning.
A newcomer was fine. As long as they had basic skills.
But even that was proving difficult.
‘There used to be decent songs popping up every now and then…’
After browsing the music site for some time, Choi Min-heon couldn’t hide his disappointment.
‘How did the quality drop this much?’
He was just about to listen to one last song before closing the site.
“...Huh?”
When the song he had clicked began playing, Choi Min-heon’s eyes widened.
‘This is pretty good.’
That thought disappeared after only five seconds.
“Crazy!”
It wasn’t merely decent.
Without even realizing it, Choi Min-heon checked the profile of the composer who had uploaded the song.
‘This person is unknown?’
He couldn’t believe it.
The fact that someone with this level of composing skill, this much sense, and this kind of beat was an unknown
completely shattered his understanding of the industry.
Therefore, Choi Min-heon was certain.
“I found him.”
And he immediately called President Im Kwang-soo.
“Hyung! I found someone!”
“Uh?”
“I found the producer we should bring in!”
“Really? That’s good. Bring him in quickly.”
The indifferent response only made Choi Min-heon more frustrated.
Before he could even explain how incredible the song he had found was, Im Kwang-soo casually said,
“If you’re saying that, he must be pretty useful. But would someone like that really be a freelancer without a job?”
That was certainly something worth considering.
After a brief silence, Choi Min-heon said,
“Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to recruit this person no matter what it takes.”
“Hmm… okay.”
“Don’t stop me. I’ll persuade him somehow.”
“Min-heon, you know the company isn’t exactly swimming in money these days…”
Choi Min-heon narrowed his eyes.
“I’m resigning.”
“Sorry. Do whatever you want.”
And that was the end of the conversation.
With an excited heart, Choi Min-heon sent a message to the composer who had created this fascinating new song.