The Hidden Melody
The chat room buzzed at Park Jihun’s words.
After a short silence, the woman spoke.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Mint0304 caught her breath and continued. “Which of the two should I choose?”
The question was forced out, her voice heavy with deep concern. Park Jihun tapped his desk once with his finger.
Tap.
His gaze fixed on empty space. The first song was the one the company was pushing as the title track. A clean production with a provocative chorus that hooked the listener immediately. The problem was that was all it had. It was a song that would shine for a moment and then be buried forever.
Behind that, he saw an empty waiting room. The members sat in silence. Though they tried to comfort one another, their faces were all stiff. He saw them eventually breaking down in tears, clinging to each other. The end was disbandment.
Tap.
Park Jihun tapped the desk again with his fingertip. This time, it was the song Mint0304 was pushing for. It had a different vibe from the company’s track. It was less cliché and more sophisticated. But its performance wouldn't be good either. It would just shine a little brighter, failing to turn the tide. It was a song destined to be consumed only within the fandom before fading away. Again, the same conclusion: disbandment.
Park Jihun opened his eyes.
Park Jihun spoke coldly. “Neither of them.”
The Discord channel went silent. The chat stopped for a moment before messages began to flood in.
Mint0304 asked cautiously. “Neither of them?”
“That’s right.” Park Jihun’s voice was short and firm. “The company’s song and the one you’re pushing—they’ll both fail.”
He heard the faint sound of someone swallowing hard over the Discord call. After a long, breathless pause, Mint0304 asked in a calm tone, “Then… what should we do?”
Park Jihun didn’t answer immediately. Another vision had flashed before him. An apartment that looked like a dorm. Someone composing in the corner of a room. It was the member who was quiet and introverted, rarely stepping into the spotlight. She was tinkering with a beat, stopping and stitching it back together repeatedly. It wasn't an official demo. She had never submitted it to the company. It was a self-composed track she hadn't properly played for anyone yet. But the moment he chose that song, the picture changed completely.
Short clips flashed by one after another. Times Square, filled with flashy billboards. People wearing earphones walked down the street, mindlessly humming a line from the chorus. It wasn't a provocative melody, but it stuck in the ear strangely. It didn't hit hard, but it kept rolling off the tongue. It caught fire from the outside first.
Park Jihun spoke slowly. “You have a hidden song.”
Mint0304 asked back in a flustered voice. “What? A hidden song?”
Park Jihun cut her off sharply. “Yes. One you don’t even know about yet.”
Mint0304 held her breath, unable to believe it. Park Jihun stared at his monitor and added, “That song will blow up overseas first, and everyone will be murmuring that chorus.”
Park Jihun didn’t hesitate. “If you want to save the team, go with that song.”
Even after the broadcast ended, Rabin couldn't put her phone down for a long time. Park Jihun’s words kept echoing in her ears: "One you don’t even know about yet."
A-Bloom was a five-member girl group in their sixth year since debut. They weren't a failed team, but they weren't exactly a breakout success either. Plus, their contracts would end next year. Though no one said it out loud, every member knew deep down that this promotion might be their last.
Yet Park Jihun had said both the company’s song and the one she was pushing would fail. Instead, he spoke of a hidden song.
Rabin closed her eyes, then opened them. "If you want to save the team, go with that song."
One person’s face came to mind: Harin. She was the quietest member, the one who always holed up in her room with her laptop the moment their schedules ended.
Rabin headed straight for Harin’s room. When she knocked, a small voice came from inside. “Who is it?”
“Harin, it’s me. Can I come in?”
“Yes, you can.”
She opened the door. Harin was sitting on her bed, leaning against the headboard, and looked up. “Is something wrong, sis?”
Rabin closed the door and asked, “Harin, do you have any songs you’ve written?”
Harin’s eyes wavered. “...Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
“If you have one, can you let me hear it?”
Harin fidgeted with her fingers, looking anxious, and said quietly, “I just messed around with it on my own. It’s not really good enough to show anyone. I was just thinking maybe I could put it in a B-side later...”
“It’s fine, don’t worry. Let’s listen to it together.”
Eventually, Harin cautiously played the demo file. A calm intro began to play. Rabin listened intently. ‘This song works overseas?’ She shook her head. It was too plain. There were no provocative beats or high notes to grab the ear immediately. Harin said, looking at her nervously, “See? I told you it wasn’t title track material.”
Rabin didn’t answer. Then, the chorus hit.
I gave my heart one more try
I guess I'm the only one who cared again
At that moment, Rabin’s expression changed. Even though it didn't push hard, the chorus kept lingering in her mouth. When the song ended, Rabin said briefly, “Again.”
“What?”
“Play it one more time.”
The chorus played again.
I gave my heart one more try
I guess I'm the only one who cared again
Rabin found herself humming along to the chorus under her breath. Harin’s eyes widened as she heard her. Rabin looked up. “Harin.”
“Yes?”
“Why have you kept this hidden all this time?”
Harin parted her lips. “Well... I wasn’t confident.”
“You’ve never played this for the company, right?”
“No.”
Rabin felt frustrated. Frustrated at Harin for writing a song like this and hiding it, and frustrated at herself for not knowing until now.
“I’m going to push for this song.”
Harin froze. “What? What did you say?”
“I’m pushing for it as the title track.”
Harin let out a dry laugh. “No way, the A&R team will cut it immediately.”
“No,” Rabin cut her off. “A song like this shouldn’t be left to rot.” She added, “At first, I wondered if it was really that good. But the moment I heard the chorus, it got stuck in my ear.”
“...”
“It’s not a song you listen to once and forget; it’s one you’ll keep looking for.”
Harin still looked anxious. Rabin didn’t waver. “Organize the audio file and give it to me.”
Harin hesitated. “...Right now?”
“Yes. Right now.” Rabin looked Harin straight in the eye. “Trust me.”
Only then did Harin nod, very slowly. After leaving the room, Rabin pulled out her phone. She sent a message to the A&R team leader immediately.
The next morning, Rabin sat in the agency’s conference room. The phone in her hand contained the audio file Harin had organized overnight. A moment later, the door opened, and the staff began to file in: the A&R team leader, two planning A&R staff, one production staff member, and one from the marketing team. They all looked unhappy about the suddenly scheduled morning meeting. The team leader sat down and said, “I saw your text. You said there was a song we needed to hear right now?”
Rabin nodded briefly. “Yes.”
“Rabin, you know the title track candidates are practically finalized, right?”
“I know.”
The team leader hardened his expression. “The company’s policy is the same. We intend to go with [Company Song] as the title track.”
An A&R staff member added, “We finished reviewing the song you were pushing, too. It’s not bad, but we’ve concluded it’s not title track material.”
Rabin looked at them and said, “The song I said you needed to hear is a new one.”
The air in the conference room turned cold. “What? A new song?”
The production staff member sighed. “Are you asking us to look at this again? The choreography draft and music video concept are almost all set.”
“I know.”
“If you know, why are you doing this?”
Rabin countered directly. “I’m doing this because I know.” She clasped her hands on the desk and muttered quietly, “Because this promotion might be our last.”
At those words, the conference room fell deathly silent. A-Bloom’s contract expiration—it was something everyone knew but was reluctant to bring up. The team leader rested his chin on his hand and asked, “I see. What kind of song is it?”
“It’s Harin’s self-composed track. Please, just listen to this song once, all the way through.”
“Wait, Harin wrote and composed this?”
“Yes. Please, just listen once.”
The team leader narrowed his eyes for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. Just this once.”
The marketing manager reopened their laptop screen to check the schedule. It was packed with next week’s choreography meeting, concept board revisions, and teaser filming schedules. Anyone could see this was not the time to bring in a new song. One of the planning A&R staff clicked their tongue and muttered, “I hope this is really the last time.”
Rabin didn’t respond. She gripped her phone a little tighter. She connected the audio file to the speakers. The calm intro spread through the room. The initial reaction was lukewarm. The marketing manager just stared at their laptop screen, and the production staff member fooled around with their pen. The planning staff member looked like they were fighting back a yawn.
Then, the chorus played.
I gave my heart one more try
I guess I'm the only one who cared again
That was the moment. The A&R staff member who had been staring out the window turned their head toward the speaker. The atmosphere, which had been dismissive just a moment ago, vanished completely. After the chorus played once, no one did anything else. Everyone was rolling the same melody inside their lips.
Rabin didn’t say a word. There was no need to explain. She just needed them to listen to the end. Eventually, the song finished.
“It’s good, isn’t it?”
“This might actually work.”
The lukewarm atmosphere from moments ago was already gone. Now, everyone was thinking the same thing: ‘Can we really just pass this up?’ ‘Can we really pretend we didn’t hear this and push ahead with the original song?’
Rabin held her breath and looked at the team leader. After a moment, he spoke slowly.
“...Rabin.”
“Yes?”
He narrowed his eyes and asked cautiously, “Could we listen to that song one more time?”