The Recording Delay

◈ Song Recording Prep ◈

After barely closing out his September sales, Young-hoon headed to the Five Girls' agency office on the first Friday of October, just as he'd promised. Hye-in greeted him warmly at the door.

"Oppa, you're here!"

"Hello, everyone. Sorry I'm late."

"Well, well! Welcome, Master Composer!"

"Oh, come on, that's embarrassing. Just call me Young-hoon. The members can call me oppa, and Kyeong-hwan, you can just call me hyung…"

"Still, how could we? You're our savior."

"Aiyo, President, honestly. We're happy calling you oppa!"

"It's an honor, big brother. Please look after us."

"…Just call me oppa."

"Fine by me, Young-hoon hyung."

"Young-hoon, let's start by having you listen to the finished song. We haven't done the official recording yet."

President Lee Jae-man reined in the growing commotion and had the Five Girls members sing the song. Like a star shyly glowing through veiled clouds, a white sailboat drifts alone across the deep blue sea— When the song ended, Young-hoon couldn't help but marvel. Of course, the melody and lyrics had been good from the start, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but hearing them sing it was on a completely different level from when he'd hummed it himself.

"They really are skilled vocalists — it sounds fantastic."

"See, Oppa? When we sing it, it's going to blow up, right?"

"Yeah. I really think it will. By the way, President, when are you planning to record?"

"Once you give your final approval, we'll register the song with the Korea Music Copyright Association and then move on to the official recording."

"Sounds good. Let's move on to the next step, then."

"I think recording about two weeks from now, on a Thursday, would be ideal. We'd like you to come and observe the session as well, if you can."

"Understood. Mornings won't work for me, though. Could I stop by after I get off work in the evening?"

"Young-hoon, forgive me for overstepping, but… why don't you just quit your company? These two songs alone will have you living on a mattress of money for the rest of your life."

"I can't do that. I'm confident these are good songs, sure, but there's no telling how they'll land with other people. Once the songs are unquestionably a hit — then I'll quit."

"Aigoo, you still don't know how good we are, do you? We'll make sure we blow up, so pin that worry down and leave it at home."

"Hye-in, you just don't get it. Anyway, let's plan on meeting at the studio next Thursday. Where is it, by the way?"

"The studio's in Yeongdeungpo, close to Yeongdeungpo Station. I'll text you the address."

"Are you only recording 'A Loving Heart'? When will you record 'Longing'?"

"We'll record 'A Loving Heart' first and gauge the reaction before moving on to 'Longing.' Does that work for you, Young-hoon?"

"Either way's fine with me."

"Well then! How about a company dinner for old times' sake?"

"President, I want meat!"

The moment Su-min shouted it, the other members piled on with fervent agreement.

"Me too!"

"Me too…"

"I'm sorry, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠girls. I poured every last coin of my savings into making this song. Could tonight be pork belly instead?"

Just as everyone's faces began to fall at the cruel reality of it, Young-hoon stepped forward and declared, "The President still owes me for the songs, so consider this my treat. In exchange, Five Girls eats beef and sings her heart out."

"Whoo! Oppa, you're the best!!"

Unsurprisingly, Su-min was the happiest of all. The party moved ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to a barbecue joint and proceeded to consume truly staggering quantities of meat. The plates emptied so fast you'd wonder if these were really girl group idols. As the long stretch of eating and drinking wore on, President Lee Jae-man broached the subject carefully.

"The songs you've made, Young-hoon, are the best I've encountered in my entire life. And whatever you write for us going forward is guaranteed to be a hit. The problem is, I have precious little I can offer you in return, and it weighs on me. So once the digital single officially drops, I'll hand our company's share over to you."

"I'm sorry — what? No, what are you talking about? What would even be left for you, President?"

"Absolutely not. Think about it — once the song takes off, everyone will be looking for Five Girls. With luck, we could land them regular TV appearances, and if they work enough events, we'll be pulling in far more money than you're imagining."

"Come on, that's still not right. Look, let's talk money later. For now, let's just enjoy the dinner — the girls finally got a good meal in them, after all."

"Ah, I hadn't even thought of that. Then tonight we eat and drink our fill!"

At that point, Young-hoon had no idea what a mistake he'd just made. He could hold his liquor well enough, but next to President Lee Jae-man he didn't even rate. Jae-man was, quite literally, the God of Alcohol. The Five Girls members and Kyeong-hwan had eaten themselves into exhausted slumps, and the only one left standing against President Jae-man was Young-hoon. By the end of the night, he had solemnly resolved to never again attend a company dinner with the man.

Today was finally the day Five Girls would record "A Loving Heart." Being mid-month, things weren't particularly busy at the office, and even Young-hoon figured he'd manage a normal day's end. He was getting ready to leave in good spirits when, out of nowhere, Deputy Hong summoned him.

"Assistant Manager Kim, sorry, but today's President Cha's son's first-birthday party over at Seoul Plaza. I was supposed to go, but the Team Leader suddenly wants to grab dinner. So I'd like you to attend in my place."

"Deputy Hong, Seoul Plaza isn't even my account. And more to the point, President Cha doesn't like me. Having me show up probably wouldn't go over well?"

Young-hoon threw out every excuse he could think of in a desperate bid to escape Deputy Hong's grasp, but the man refused to hear a word of it. Deputy Hong had apparently made up his mind from the start — he clearly had zero intention of going to any doljanchi.

"Well, what can you do? Assistant Manager Park and Jin-man both say they've got other plans. Somebody's got to go, and hey, you don't have much waiting for you after work anyway. Just head over there for me, would you?"

"Deputy Hong, I have plans too. I need to leave right now."

"What nonsense is that? You, with plans? I've never once seen you make plans in your life. Don't be difficult — go in my place. Don't keep refusing when your senior's asking you to do something."

Young-hoon seethed inside, but there was no way out. In the end, he had no choice but to yield to Deputy Hong's coercion and attend the party.

"Then what about the doljanchi gold ring? A one-don ring runs over two hundred thousand won."

"Ah, that? Buy it with your own money and deliver it."

"What?! No — why should I pay for a gold ring out of my own pocket?"

"Isn't it obvious? Seoul Plaza belongs to our Marketing Team 3. So whoever attends the party pays for the ring."

"No, that still makes no sense. It's not even my account, and I'm covering for you — and now you want me to pay for the ring too?"

"Tsk… Assistant Manager Kim, you're not getting it. Within Team 3, there's no such thing as my account or your account. And you're the one eating the food, aren't you? So you're the one who pays. Now I've got to run — the Team Leader's waiting. No more backtalk. Handle it."

With that, Deputy Hong bolted out of the office like a man fleeing a crime scene. Haah… seriously, how does a son of a bitch like that even exist? God, if I just had enough money, I'd quit this damn company purely so I'd never have to lay eyes on him again — but a man's gotta eat, don't he… Aiyo, dammit all!

In the end, Young-hoon had no choice but to call Hye-in.

Having gotten Hye-in's understanding, Young-hoon started turning the gears in his head fast. The train would be quicker than driving at this hour, so he made for the subway station — stopping off at a gold-and-silver shop along the way, of course, to buy the doljanchi ring.

Young-hoon had never once handled the Seoul Plaza account, so his relationship with President Cha was a distant one — a nod of acknowledgment exchanged at dealership alliance meetings, nothing more. And so when Young-hoon of all people suddenly appeared at the doljanchi, President Cha was startled enough to ask outright.

"Wait — Deputy Hong isn't coming, and you're here instead?"

"Ah, yes. Deputy Hong had a sudden family matter, so I came in his place."

"Figures. I thought something was off the moment I heard that layabout Deputy Hong was supposed to show up. There's not much laid out, but eat plenty before you go. And Kim, you really do have a hard lot, you know. Getting used and walked over by Deputy Hong like that… even watching from the sidelines, it makes my heart ache for you."

"It's all right. As they say, you reap what you sow — Deputy Hong's day of reckoning will come eventually. Actually, President, the thing is I have another engagement, so… please forgive me if I slip out partway through."

"Of course. I know what a good heart you have, Kim, so don't you worry. Heaven will send its blessings your way one of these days. And that Deputy Hong — his day of getting taken down hard is coming too. Look, you just slip out whenever the moment's right. You don't even need to tell me. I'll understand."

"Thank you, President. I'll repay this kindness, I swear."

Thankfully, President Cha of Seoul Plaza spared no consideration for Young-hoon's circumstances. They hadn't exchanged many words over the years, but it seemed he'd looked kindly on how hard Young-hoon worked. With his heart considerably lighter, Young-hoon excused himself at the appropriate hour and set his feet toward the recording studio.

Producer Sung-hoon, who ran Solbit Recording Studio, hailed from the same hometown of Jecheon in Chungcheong Province as President Lee Jae-man, three years his junior. Five Girls had worked on all three of their albums in this studio, and the results had been dismal. Only their second album had managed even a flicker of recognition; the first and third had flopped outright, and so a corner of Sung-hoon's heart had always carried an apology owed to Jae-man.

Truth be told, Solbit Recording Studio wasn't exactly flush either. Occasionally producing albums for washed-up trot singers, it was barely keeping its head above water. Then, over the weekend, Jae-man had called, his voice thick with excitement: a song would be recorded this Thursday, so have everything ready and wait. Never in his life had Jae-man sounded so full of anticipation, and so Sung-hoon had spent the morning preparing the studio down to the last detail.

Around lunchtime, Jae-man arrived with Five Girls and their manager, Kyeong-hwan.

"Sung-hoon, you been keeping well?"

"Hyung, it's been ages. Three years since Five Girls put out their third album… a long time."

"Whew, has it really been that long?"

"So what in the world is this song you made that's got you so worked up, hyung? You've never been like this before."

"Ah! Hye-in wrote and composed a song — you need to hear it for yourself. It's absolutely killer."

"Yeah? What's it called?"

"'A Loving Heart.' And the title fits it perfectly, I swear. Just hold on a moment. Girls — warm up your voices and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠give it a sing-through right here before we record."

"Yes, President!"

"Heheh, Producer Yoo, wait till you hear us. You're going to be floored."

Five Girls squared their shoulders with confidence and began to sing. Like a star shyly glowing through veiled clouds, a white sailboat drifts alone across the deep blue sea— Sung-hoon couldn't collect himself. No backing track, nothing but raw unaccompanied voices, and yet the wave of emotion crashing over him was no joke. Among the countless songs he'd produced over the years, this stood apart, towering above them all. In a word: transcendent. He could see exactly why his senior Jae-man was beside himself, bouncing off the walls.

"Hyung! This is it — this is the one! It fits Five Girls' vocals like a glove. Once this drops, it's game over. Nobody's going to be able to stand against these girls! Total smash hit. Ha! You girls' days of suffering are over — happiness starts now!"

"See? Sung-hoon, even by your ear it's a great song, right? It's going to blow up, I'm telling you."

"Yes. Let's record the track first. We'll lay down the vocals after."

Modest as the studio was, Sung-hoon possessed genuinely superb producing skills. Thanks to Hye-in's masterful arrangements, the session work was gliding along without a hitch. Meanwhile, the other Five Girls members ran through vocal exercises, readying themselves for their turn. All that remained was for Young-hoon to arrive, and then nothing would stand in their way.

People burning with ambition. Dreaming of a rose-tinted future, standing on the very threshold of their first step toward it.

And at precisely that moment, word came from Young-hoon.

Sudden urgent business at the office. He'd be about two hours late.

A faint chill swept through the recording studio.