Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: School Blues and the Music Director Call
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New tasks had cropped up for Yeonwoo, but right now, the most important thing for him was his studies.
Elementary school.
It was a place that couldn’t help but feel unfamiliar to Yeonwoo.
At least, having some friends from kindergarten in his class made it easy for him to adjust socially, but the rigid lessons wore him down.
When he was making music, forty minutes flew by in the blink of an eye, but class was different.
Boring.
Especially math—it was unbearably dull. He wasn’t falling behind, but Yeonwoo couldn’t understand why he had to learn it.
Is there any connection between music and math?
At least in Yeonwoo’s mind, there wasn’t a single link.
Safety education was the same.
He’d already heard all those warnings from Grandma, Dad, and Aunt, so sitting through them in class was inevitably tedious.
Still, there was one thing he liked.
Lunchtime cafeteria food.
It wasn’t that home cooking was bad, but the cafeteria offered all sorts of dishes he never got at home, delighting Yeonwoo.
“That’s it. School’s no fun.”
On the way home, Yeonwoo grumbled to Heo Ok.
Heo Ok looked at him and smiled.
“Yeah, come to think of it, even I used to wonder why we had to learn math when I was little.”
Yeonwoo’s eyes went wide at that.
“Grandma did?”
“Of course. I was a kid back then too. Honestly, I still kinda feel that way now. Why do we even need math?”
“Exactly!”
“Right? That’s why I never push you to study hard, Yeonwoo. We don’t even send you to cram school.”
Yeonwoo nodded vigorously at his grandma’s words. Some of his first-grade friends were already juggling multiple academies for English, math, and more.
But Grandma never nagged him to study. Neither did Dad.
“You’re still young. I just want you to do what you love and play as much as you want.”
Yeonwoo nodded energetically at Heo Ok’s words.
Heo Ok, who had pushed Jihoon so hard only to lose so much in the process, didn’t want to do the same to Yeonwoo. Jihoon, who had lived a life of being forced into things, didn’t want Yeonwoo to go through that either.
They hoped Yeonwoo could grow up doing what he wanted, what he loved, to his heart’s content.
Truth be told, both Heo Ok and Jihoon secretly thought the same.
What more could they ask from a kid already raking in a fortune with his talent?
“Shunji Grandpa’s asking me to make a singer in Japan—can I go later?”
“If that’s what you want, Yeonwoo, you should go.”
“What about school?”
“We can talk it over with the school, and it’ll be fine.”
See?
Even now, plenty of people wanted Yeonwoo to work for them—what was there to worry about?
“But will the trainees at Shunji Grandpa’s company do well?”
“Hm? Why do you ask?”
“I’m worried they’ll go and mess up, then be disappointed.”
“Hmm… Shunji’s got a good eye for talent, so it should be okay. They do a lot of stuff in the U.S. and have tons of exchanges.”
“The U.S.?”
“Yeah.”
“Is the U.S. good for music?”
At that, Heo Ok thought back to America.
America was the land of opportunity.
And like the final destination of dreams.
Countless musicians chased America, trying to nurture their dreams there.
Heo Ok had done the same.
And in the end, she’d become a recognized jazz pianist.
But how many hardships had she endured to reach that point?
There were even times she’d literally risked her life.
That’s what that place was.
Starting with not a penny to your name, you had to stake your life to succeed.
Of course, things probably weren’t that extreme nowadays.
Anyway, one thing was certain.
“You could call America the center of world music. Even now, talented people are flocking there.”
“I see. Come to think of it, a lot of good songs are in English. Jazz too.”
“Jazz wouldn’t be jazz without America. It’s where jazz was born.”
Yeonwoo nodded at that.
“Someday, I want to go to America too.”
“Yeah, let’s do that. But not yet.”
“Why not?”
“You need to grow a bit more first—mature.”
“Okay, Grandma.”
It wasn’t just about getting taller or older. He needed to build his standing as a musician before heading to America.
America was a cruel, heartless place for nobodies.
And so, with a promise to his grandma about going to America someday, time began to fly by.
* * *
School was still a place that taught boring, dull things, but he’d adapted to the class schedule in his own way. Spring had fully arrived, filling the apartment complex with blooming yellow forsythia.
April had come.
Up until then, Yeonwoo had been on a break.
There were still plenty of offers to work, but at his family’s urging, he focused on school.
That was how he managed to adapt to the boring school life.
That said, he wasn’t completely idle.
Yeonwoo was still churning out countless songs.
Around mid-April, he planned to hand over tracks for Hadass’s Japan debut, and in May, he’d take on producing a debut singer for JOP as requested.
Meanwhile, the high-teen rock ’n’ roll drama where Yeonwoo had composed the OST wrapped up prep and started full-scale filming.
From the production team’s perspective, the script was solid, the casting was satisfying, and the music—their core element—was perfect.
If things kept going smoothly, cranking in would be a breeze.
But when do things ever go exactly as planned?
“What?! No way—how’d that happen? How bad is it?”
Something no one had anticipated struck them. Who could’ve guessed their rock-solid music director would get into a car accident?
“Thankfully, no life-threatening injuries, but his arm’s broken, organs damaged—they say he needs surgery on both and months in the hospital.”
Park Sunguk could only dry-wash his face at his junior’s words.
“How the hell…?”
“Drunk driver hit him…”
“Fuck, why do drunk assholes even drive? Piece of shit.”
Park Sunguk cursed without thinking.
He couldn’t help being furious.
Forget the disruption to his plans—even personally, it hurt that someone he was close to had gotten hurt.
Setting aside personal feelings, the professional side was a problem too.
This music director was one of the top talents actively working in dramas—top five, easy.
For Avalon’s survival trilogy, he’d been reluctant to work with them, so they’d gone to greater lengths than even persuading writer Yoon Jina to recruit him.
Music was the heart of this drama, which was why they’d pulled out all the stops. And now, with filming next month, where were they supposed to find a replacement on such short notice?
Park Sunguk immediately called an emergency meeting, summoning the entire production team.
Upon hearing the situation, they all sat with grim expressions.
Park Sunguk looked at them, suddenly craving a drink.
This drama couldn’t flop.
It was a hard-won chance after convincing the parent company, Studio Tiger. If it fell through, everyone counting on him here would be out of a job.
Staring at their troubled faces, wondering how to kick things off, Park Sunguk spotted Yoon Jina’s calm expression.
“Writer, with things this dire, how come you look so relaxed?”
“Well, it’s tragic and worrying that the music director got hurt, but I don’t think it’ll derail our drama.”
“…What do you mean?”
“We’ve got composer Yuin, right?”
“Why bring up Yuin Composer?”
Yoon Jina explained.
“Why not ask her to take over as music director?”
“Huh? No, that’s…”
“Think about it. Who knows our drama’s music direction better than anyone right now? Who even made the core song?”
“Excluding the music director… Yuin Composer?”
“Exactly. And you’re a composer-producer too, right? Revived Invincible, scouted singer Chae Hayeon and turned her into a hit. What’s stopping her from being music director?”
Well, that was true.
In this industry, famous singers, composers, and producers often doubled as music directors.
Yoon Jina’s debut work, *The Male Lead Likes Me*, had a singer as its music director.
“Okay, but who’s gonna teach the kids right away? The director was supposed to handle that.”
“What’s there to worry about? Have Yuin Composer do it. Hell, her company has Invincible, led by the Emperor of Rock, Yoo Jaehyeok. Who better to mentor? Just ask Yuin to have them teach.”
Wasn’t this thinking too simplistically?
But in this mess, Yoon Jina’s suggestion seemed like the best option.
After a moment’s thought, Park Sunguk clapped his hands.
“Alright. Let’s give it a shot.”
Park Sunguk immediately called Jiyeong and explained the situation.
-Music director? Suddenly? Hmm…
“We’re really in a bind here. Crank-in next month… Feel free to turn it down, but could you at least ask Yuin?”
-I’ll talk to her and call you back.
Park Sunguk hung up.
Yoon Jina scolded him.
“Hey, I said ask about Invincible too!”
“That’s wishful thinking. It’s Yoo Jaehyeok, for crying out loud. Even if he’s a former rock emperor, he’s got pride—think he’ll teach a bunch of snot-nosed kids? You haven’t seen the guy, so you don’t know how intimidating he is.”
He said that, but Park Sunguk planned to ask his cousin later.
Waiting anxiously, his phone rang—Jiyeong.
-Um… about the music director thing.
Her voice over the smartphone sounded off somehow.
Was she refusing?
-However.
“Yes?”
-She said she’ll do it!!
“Oh, thank goodness.”
Her tone wasn’t thrilled, but hey, she’d agreed—good enough?
-But there are a few conditions.
“Conditions? Lay ’em out. We’ll accommodate as much as we can.”
-First, no one contacts Yuin except PD-nim, Writer-nim, and the four leads. Absolutely.
“…Makes sense, since she wants to keep her identity secret.”
-Right. We’ll need NDAs saying you can’t reveal Yuin’s identity.
That was acceptable. Yuin had her reasons. Hell, only seeing her in person with him, the writer, and the four leads was a luxury.
They could even handle music work remotely.
“Got it. Second condition?”
-Those four leads—their skills are too low, so she wants Invincible to teach them. Yuin’s already talked to Invincible, so if they’re okay with it, great.
“Oh…!”
If anything, they should be grateful. It was exactly what they’d have requested.
“I’d thank you for that!”
-Got it. I’ll send the contract. We’ll schedule after that.
And so, Yuin was able to reconnect with the drama that had seemed out of reach—and with Lee Sieun.