Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: Hendrix's Little Shadow
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The song Yuin had given him belonged to the house genre.
Ellis tilted her head after listening to it several times.
“This is supposed to be a song aimed at America?”
It was too Korean for that.
It was overflowing with Korean clichés.
For example, the bass...
“It’s trot?”
Who could have guessed trot would be blended into house music?
It was so blatant that any composer would spot it the moment they saw the sheet music. No, some would probably catch it just from listening.
But...
“Americans won’t get it.”
They’d just think it was something unfamiliar but addictive, with its fast beat and catchy sound.
“Yuin...”
Anyway, it was good.
The more she listened, the more she learned from it.
Ellis murmured his name with respect, then opened her smartphone.
A photo of her and Yeonwoo standing side by side.
“Cute...”
Blushing as she gazed at the beaming Yeonwoo, Ellis smiled warmly before shaking her head and looking to the side.
A Black friend who screamed “I’m hip-hop” was checking the recording studio equipment.
He was the engineer from the studio they’d booked for the new song recording.
They’d said he was skilled, and unlike his initial swaggering Black-guy vibe when they first met, he was all pro while setting up.
“Hey, MR?”
Knowing Ellis wasn’t great with English, the engineer asked, and she transferred the track to the computer.
By the way, why hasn’t he shown up yet?
“It’s about time...”
Clunk.
“The king has arrived!!”
Defying New York’s chilly weather, Kim Beomsin appeared with an iced Americano in hand, proving his Korean roots.
Looks like he wasn’t destined to be nobility after all.
“Why’d you pick a recording studio in New York, of all places? I was chilling in sunny LA.”
“You were here when we booked it.”
“Right, boss. Who’d have thought you’d be zipping east to west like lightning?”
In Korea, a few hours’ drive was the max, but America was on another scale.
Even flying took longer than in Korea.
“True... Being here, I get why big American stars charter private jets. Man, what a massive country.”
“When you make it big, buy one yourself, boss.”
“Pfft, let’s drink that kimchi soup later. Alright, recording ready?”
“Just waiting on you, senior.”
Kim Beomsin nodded and stepped into the booth.
-Ah, ahhh! Brrr, ahhh!
As he warmed up his throat, his voice faintly carried through even though the mic wasn’t on.
Ellis stuck out her tongue listening to it.
‘That voice is the real deal...’
Calling it a national treasure wouldn’t be an overstatement.
Maintaining that voice and skill past fifty was impressive.
Maybe that’s why Yeonwoo kept giving him songs.
He seemed like a neighborhood dimwit uncle usually, but in the booth, the real-deal uncle quickly warmed up and beckoned Ellis.
-Hey, hey, let’s start!!
...A bit frivolously.
“Yes... Let’s start.”
But that lasted only a moment.
Once the song began, Kim Beomsin was Kim Beomsin. Truly a voice from the heavens.
* * *
It had been nine weeks since “Homeward” entered the Melboard Hot 100.
After climbing to No. 3 last week, it held steady at No. 3 this week too.
- Stuck at 3 ㅠ
- Can’t be helped lololol No. 1 and 2 are too OP lolol
- Fr those two dropping at the same time is cheat mode, how do you beat that?
- Locking in 3 is a full comeback already
- Oppa... You went through so much, now on Melboard too... Feels emotional
- Fighting oppa ㅠ We’ll cheer with our son
- You two up top remind me of my mom lololol
- I’m auntie lololol
- You too? ㅋㅋ My mom and sis keep asking how to check Melboard rankings haha
- Living to see a regular singer hit Melboard lol
- Even idols struggle for top 10 these days lololol
- Four Heavenly Kings, Kim Seongyun-whatever, now Kim Beomsin’s the baseline, hierarchy sorted
- That’s a bit much ;; Yoo Jaehyuk’s killing it, and Kim Seongyun sings better than Beomsin
- They ever hit Melboard?
- Fr lololol Hit Melboard first then talk lolol
- Talking big without even entering Melboard lololol
- lololololol
It felt like the domestic vocal rankings had been settled.
Who could argue against a voice the world itself acknowledged, skill aside?
But some were saying otherwise.
- Am I the only one who thinks Kim Beomsin’s success isn’t all him?
- Then what?
- Honestly, I think it’s Yuin carry
- Fr Yuin turned a has-been into this
- lololol overkill, Kim Beomsin was always big
- Big recently? Albums bombed for 10 years afaik?
- Yup lolol Basically end of career
- Yuin grabbed him by the collar and dragged him up
- And now Melboard too
- Normies might not get it, but as composers, Yuin’s tracks are insane
- Honestly, topping Korean charts with country music is more impressive
- Me too 22222
- Screw trends lolol I do my own thing
- Kid’s got guts
- Fr lolol Like “I’ll flop at 7” mindset
- This is real genius lolol Not chasing trends, leading them lolol
- Can’t ignore Beomsin’s voice, but Yuin did like 90%
- Beomsin just swallowed what was fed lolol Our Yuin like this lololol
They claimed Yuin’s contribution outweighed Kim Beomsin’s.
Their logic held water.
Before Yuin’s songs, he was a total has-been, living off past glory—no signs of revival.
With just two songs from Yuin, he was soaring, so Yuin’s credit couldn’t be dismissed.
Thus, Yuin’s talent and fame, already conquering Korea and Japan, now extended to America.
The man himself, though...
“The guitar isn’t everything, huh?”
He was lost in guitar trance.
Yeonwoo strummed until his fingers blistered.
Jimi Hendrix’s fairy had taught him much.
He didn’t need to change Wes Montgomery’s techniques; instead, he built on them, teaching Yeonwoo a style infused with his own emotion and flair.
On the other hand, he taught amp and effector use, how to craft songs with noise and dissonance (red fairy, by Yeonwoo’s standards).
One might think a mere fairy clone taught a ton, but Yeonwoo absorbing it so fast was more amazing.
Even the fairy, born from and watching a century’s genius guitarist god, was stunned by Yeonwoo.
The pity was no one appreciated it yet.
“No. I just need to show them.”
Yeonwoo corrected himself.
No one knew because he hadn’t shown. Show, and they’d know.
So, who to show?
“Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk.”
He wanted to show guitarist Grandpa Shuji, but Shuji was in Japan.
Yeonwoo called right away.
-Yeonwoo?
“Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk.”
-Yeah, Yeonwoo.
“Uncle, I’ve been practicing guitar—come watch!!”
-Now?
He wanted to say now, but he was Shin Yeonwoo, not a whiny kid.
He was seven.
Almost eight.
Thinking that, Yeonwoo said,
“No, whenever you’re free.”
-Actually, nothing special, heading to the studio. Want anything to eat?
Yeonwoo grinned wide at Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk’s words.
“Perfect!! But food? Uh... something to eat...”
Yeonwoo pondered.
Not lacking ideas—too many.
Stay calm.
Pick wrong, force it down, miss dinner faves.
Yeonwoo checked the time.
3 PM.
Four hours to dinner.
“Uncle, when’ll you get here?”
-If straight there, 40 minutes?
Factor eating what uncle buys: dinner in 2-3 hours.
So, nothing heavy.
“Me, um... uh...”
Then it hit him.
“Tteokbokki! I want tteokbokki!”
-Tteokbokki? Won’t it be too spicy?
Such a thoughtful question from Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk—Yeonwoo firmly replied, “No.”
“Uncle, get it from Mashna Snacks on the first floor next to the studio building.”
-Ah, think I saw a snack shop passing by. Got it.
Hanging up, Yeonwoo jumped up.
Jimi Hendrix’s fairy gestured mid-strum, like “Where to?”
“Gotta set up early.”
What?
Ignoring the tilting fairy, Yeonwoo left the workshop and set chopsticks and side plates at the studio’s table.
Tteokbokki.
Yeonwoo, who hated spice as a kid, recently tried Mashna Snacks’ version and got hooked.
Spicy, but the chewy texture and sweet-spicy sauce were addictive.
“Ah... Forgot to ask for oden broth.”
Mashna gives free oden broth if eating in.
They do for takeout if asked, but not otherwise.
Too bad.
That broth was unmissable.
But asking Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk felt bad, so Yeonwoo sat at the table, smacking his lips regretfully.
Waiting excitedly, Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk entered.
“Uncle!!!”
Yeonwoo rushed over, gave a belly bow, and eyed his hands.
Seeing Yeonwoo staring holes through the bag, Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk chuckled.
“Eat first?”
“Yes!!”
Yeonwoo unpacked the tteokbokki with Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk.
“Whoa! Oden broth!! How’d you know?”
“Lady saw my face, asked if heading to this studio? Packed it herself. Knows you? Said it’s Yuin’s fave.”
“Oh.”
Yeonwoo felt glad for the fame.
Perks like free oden broth.
Yeonwoo devoured the tteokbokki with broth.
“So, guitar practice?”
As Yeonwoo set down chopsticks, full, Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk asked.
Yeonwoo nodded.
“Can I play for you?”
“Of course.”
Yeonwoo fetched his guitar from the workshop.
Yeonwoo’s was a recent buy: Fender Stratocaster, like Jimi Hendrix’s.
“You bought that?”
“Yeah, asked Jaehoon hyung to get it. Cool, right?”
Yeonwoo’s was blue, like the fairy’s glow.
Cute compared to Hendrix’s.
“I’ll play!”
Yeonwoo launched into a signature Jimi Hendrix Experience track he’d practiced.
Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk’s eyes went wide.
Yeonwoo added his own cool arrangement, playing for 10 minutes.
The guitar was big for Yeonwoo’s body, but he nailed it flawlessly, then looked at Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk.
“How was it, uncle?”
“Uh... Did Jimi Hendrix’s ghost possess you or something? Your style’s just like his in the time I wasn’t looking...?”
“Hehe.”
Yeonwoo just smiled.
Not Hendrix himself, but his clone fairy smugly shook its afro atop Yeonwoo’s shoulder.