Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: The Law of OST (1)
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Meanwhile, in an office on the top floor of the LPY Entertainment building.
A middle-aged man sat at the large desk in the center.
Aside from the faint wrinkles around his eyes, he was the kind of handsome guy who could turn heads anywhere—a so-called hot middle-aged hunk.
He was Lee Pyung-yoon, once a dance singer who dominated the music scene and now the president of LPY Entertainment.
Lee Pyung-yoon was peering at the computer screen on his desk with a hugely intrigued look on his face.
A lively tune poured out from the high-end speakers next to the computer.
- Oh baby you
My wish is only you
Saying "I love you" just once isn't enough
I want to be with you forever
"A rookie group, huh... They're pretty good."
A satisfied smile spread across Lee Pyung-yoon's face as he watched the performance.
Just as he was totally absorbed in the song, someone knocked on the office door. It was his secretary.
"Sir, Director Choi Yoon-jong is here. He says it's about the drama project."
"Oh, tell him to come in."
"Got it."
The secretary left the office, and moments later, a middle-aged man with messy hair and glasses walked in.
He bowed his head to Lee Pyung-yoon as soon as he entered.
"Hello, President Lee. I'm Choi Yoon-jong. I'm here about Butterfly's drama appearance and investment."
"Oh, Director Choi! Come on in. I've been waiting. Have a seat here."
Lee Pyung-yoon stood up and greeted the director politely.
Director Choi sat in the spot Lee Pyung-yoon indicated and glanced around the office.
"As expected from the president. This office is amazing."
"Oh, thank you. I put a little effort into it."
By the way, whose song is this? Director Choi tilted his head at the music coming from the computer Lee Pyung-yoon had been watching.
'The voice has such great tone.'
It was a familiar melody he'd heard somewhere before, paired with a unique timbre he'd never encountered.
It felt like it straddled the line between a boy's and a young man's voice. A deeply emotional tone that tugged at the heartstrings.
In the meantime, Lee Pyung-yoon paused the video and sat down across from Director Choi.
Now that the song he'd been listening to intently had stopped, curiosity bubbled up. What song is it?
Unable to hold back, Director Choi asked Lee Pyung-yoon.
"By the way, that song just now. It sounded familiar. Who sings it?"
"It's mine. Well, I released it 15 years ago."
"Ah! That explains it—I thought I'd heard it before. But it didn't sound like your voice, President."
Lee Pyung-yoon nodded at Director Choi's question.
"Apparently some idol group performed it on the Masterpiece Song Festival. They did a solid job, so I was checking it out."
"I see. It definitely sounded good to me too. What's the group's name?"
"EverPlanet, I think... But why do you ask?"
At Lee Pyung-yoon's question, Director Choi waved it off like it was nothing.
"Oh, no reason. The voice just had such a great tone, so I got curious."
"Ah, got it."
Just then, the office door opened again. It was the secretary.
She placed warm tea on a tray in front of the two men.
In the meantime, Director Choi thought for a moment.
'The sound director was stressing a few days ago about not having a vocalist for the OST.'
Someone with that level of skill wouldn't be a bad fit for this project's OST.
More than anything, that tone matched the drama's vibe perfectly.
Plus, being rookies, their fee would be reasonable. It checked all the boxes.
'I should mention this to the sound director.'
EverPlanet, right? The ones from Masterpiece Song Festival.
Director Choi smiled, mentally noting the group's info from Lee Pyung-yoon.
It felt like he'd unearthed a gem from the unlikeliest place.
* * *
Our appearance on Masterpiece Song Festival created massive ripples in our careers.
After the broadcast aired, EverPlanet—which had been modestly known in entertainment communities as the "trainwreck concept"—instantly transformed into "talented rookies."
The power of TV was insane. Depending on how you hit the airwaves, your image could flip in a heartbeat, and public opinion could shift. It was my first time experiencing it firsthand, and I was just floored.
Especially me... I even got saddled with the nickname "A Cappella Live Guy." Every time I saw clips of myself circulating online, it was mortifying...
- Our Jae-oh is a tone genius, song genius ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Everyone, our baby's the A Cappella Live Guy ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ I wanna strut him out like the Lion King in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Dying laughing
- But the kids are all seriously good... Rewatching stage clips like a million times, total addiction
Seeing fans who loved us like that, I decided to take it in stride as positively as possible.
Once our song started spreading, some unexpected happenings popped up too.
"Guys. Big news."
"What is it, Jae-oh hyung?"
"...Our song's charting again. Lime #70 right now."
"What?!"
"Jae-oh hyung wouldn't lie though?"
"Whoa. It's real."
Our second album's title track [Dye (Bloom)] had reverse-climbed all the way to #70.
It was incredibly rare for a song whose music show promotions had long ended to chart again like that.
But we'd pulled it off.
"Search says Sunlights are going hard on streaming right now."
"So grateful... seriously..."
A quick online search showed Sunlights had banded together for a streaming surge post-broadcast. Add in new fans from Masterpiece Song Festival checking it out, and boom—momentum.
We poured out fan service on vlogs, fan cafe letters, Flitter—everything we could do.
It was the only way we could repay the love we got for free.
With the song reverse-charting and stage clips from Masterpiece Song Festival making the rounds, EverPlanet's recognition kept skyrocketing.
Then, one person messaged me first.
[YourM Yoon Da-on sunbae: Junior~]
[YourM Yoon Da-on sunbae: Saw the broadcast lol]
[YourM Yoon Da-on sunbae: Way better than I expected? Who knew you were this talented ^^]
Yoon Da-on from YourM, whom I'd met by chance recently.
It was a bit overwhelming, but I replied calmly.
[Me: Thanks for watching kindly, sunbae.]
Yoon Da-on's reply shot back lightning-fast.
[YourM Yoon Da-on sunbae: We're gonna keep being close from now on, right? lol (thumbs-up bunny emoticon)]
Even when we met in the bathroom, she'd shown this weird fondness for me. Hmm, still kinda overwhelming. What do you even reply to that?
After a moment's thought, I sent another reply.
[Me: Yep. Looking forward to it. ^^]
It was the perfect balance—not rude to a Sunbae, but leaving room for future camaraderie.
I smiled satisfactorily at the chat with the 1 gone.
Meanwhile, CEO Oh was grinning ear to ear thanks to our broadcast success.
The day it aired, he took us back to that exact barbecue spot from the night before debut. That said it all.
"Alright, kids! Eat up!"
"Thank you!"
[You have consumed truly delicious food. Stamina and passion recovery speed +20% for 1 hour.]
Thanks to that, I got to see that absurd notification again.
CEO Oh watched us chow down happily and boisterously ordered drinks. But we didn't know. His tolerance was... extremely low.
"Kids! This is just the start for us. Got it? Huh? Our lucky charms. You've gotta do tons of performances now, schedules rolling in. So eat big, stay strong, and earn big!"
After one beer bottle, CEO Oh's face was red like autumn leaves. It was fall, sure, but he didn't need to maple himself...
"CEO, you a lightweight?"
"N-No, Teddy, don't say that."
"CEO, you should stop drinking."
At least he looked super happy. That was fine, right? I thought, patting his back.
* * *
The day after our awesome barbecue dinner.
Me and the members were enjoying a rare day off.
Jae-oh, Teddy, and Park Su-rim hit the gym, while Han Tae-hee stepped out to meet a friend.
I... almost got dragged to the gym too, but barely escaped by promising home training with Jae-oh in the evening.
'I don't wanna go to the gym on my day off...'
With the hard-won free time, I lounged on the sofa, reading a book leisurely.
That's when Kim Kwang-myeong—perpetual late sleeper—shuffled out of his room, rubbing his eyes. He chugged a bowl of cold water from the fridge and talked to me.
"Hey, A Cappella Live Guy."
...Ugh. This had been going on for days.
Lately, every member except Jae-oh called me A Cappella Live Guy. They said my reactions were funny.
"I told you not to call me that."
"What else am I supposed to call the A Cappella Live Guy if not A Cappella Live Guy?"
"..."
"Hilarious."
I fixed the cheeky punk with a sharp, silent stare.
Go Eun-young cackled from the living room computer where she was gaming, as Kim Kwang-myeong snickered and offered an apple.
"Alright, sorry. Let's hit the studio, hyung."
"...Now?"
"Gotta finish learning mixing. You wanna learn or not?"
I did.
I glanced at the clock. Perfect—lunchtime.
"Wanna grab lunch first? Timing's awkward."
"Sure. What to order?"
"I want pizza."
"Got it. Calling Pizza Cold. Cool?"
I nodded at Kim Kwang-myeong's question.
"Get combo. Add cheese crust too."
"I'm not big on cheese crust."
"Whoa. How?"
As we bantered nonsense, my phone suddenly buzzed. A call from CEO Oh.
Why's CEO Oh calling me? Recalling his drunken antics yesterday, I picked up.
"Yeah, CEO? What's up?"
-Hey, Jae-oh. You guys free tomorrow?
"Yeah, off till tomorrow."
-Good. Come to the office tomorrow?
"Sure. All members?"
Usually, if it's everyone, he'd call Park Su-rim, not me.
-No, just you, Jae-oh. Got something to discuss.
What could it be that needs just me, no other members?
I thought for a sec, but nothing came to mind.
Still, if he's calling, I gotta go. I nodded unconsciously.
"Got it. What time tomorrow?"
-Hmm... Noon.
I hung up after saying okay.
Then, Go Eun-young—gaming on the living room PC—asked casually.
"CEO?"
"Yeah. Wants me at the office tomorrow."
"Just you, hyung?"
"Yep."
She clicked her mouse flashy-style and tilted her head.
"Why just you? Didja do something wrong?"
"...Probably not?"
I think. Couldn't be sure, but nothing major.
I scratched my cheek, reviewing my actions. Nope, seemed fine...
'Guess I gotta go since he called.'
The next day, still clueless, I headed to the company.
An employee guided me to the meeting room on the company floor.
I took a deep breath in front of the firmly shut door, then opened it.
Someone was already seated inside.
"Oh my, Jae-oh!"
Huh? My eyes went wide at the unexpected voice.