Can You Give Me Your Number?
Humans are creatures that crave recognition, and in a way, our lives might be nothing but one long struggle for acknowledgment.
That's because most people place tremendous value on the recognition of others.
Why do people attach such importance to the Nobel Prize? Why do they strive to get into good universities or chase high grades and glowing evaluations?
Because that's how they earn acknowledgment as exceptional individuals from the world around them.
There was a time when I, too, desperately sought recognition from others.
I dreamed of becoming a top-tier composer whose work would be celebrated by the public, and in the end, I achieved exactly that.
But somewhere along the way, I had forgotten the most important thing of all.
Why I had wanted so badly to become that first-class composer in the first place.
Why I had craved anyone's recognition at all.
Even when people praised me as a genius composer and showered me with acclaim, it never brought me any real joy.
Because I had never received recognition from the one person who truly mattered.
But thanks to some miracle that had been granted to me...
It seemed I had finally received that recognition from her.
They say that being acknowledged by others usually brings satisfaction and happiness, and if the recognition is significant enough, even a rush of pure ecstasy.
......How should I put it.
I finally felt like I truly, completely understood what those words meant.
But for some reason, a warm sensation lingered in my left hand.
Puzzled, I turned my gaze downward and saw that Baek Yerin had grabbed my hand at some point. Her face was lit up with pure excitement.
If I had to compare it, she looked like a child watching a magical trick unfold right before her eyes.
The girl who had seized my hand without asking continued.
"Do you have any other songs?"
"Uh... yeah, I do have some."
"Then play me something else."
"That probably won't be possible."
At my answer, Baek Yerin tilted her head in confusion.
Her expression seemed to ask, Why not?
But there was nothing I could do about it.
"We've arrived."
Just as Kang Beom-jun said, we had already reached the front of Baek Yerin's house.
Baek Yerin blinked while looking out the window, as if she'd momentarily forgotten that fact.
Then, for some reason, a faint look of disappointment crossed her face.
The moment I saw that expression...
"Can you give me your number? If I want to listen to more, I'll send them separately."
I found myself saying the words before I even realized it.
"After all, they're all songs I want you to sing... songs made just for you."
Baek Yerin had left.
The moment that fact sank in, I felt my racing heart finally begin to settle.
I knew a side of her that even Baek Yerin herself didn't know.
The version of her I had fallen for as a fan—the one who shone more brilliantly than anyone else on stage.
Today, through the festival performance, I had caught a glimpse of that fragment, and ever since, the Baek Yerin I remembered from the past kept overlapping with the girl right in front of me.
So of course I couldn't help feeling nervous.
Just think about it.
The celebrity you genuinely admire is standing right in front of you, and you're having a casual conversation with her like it's nothing?
That isn't easy.
But I had pulled it off.
Well done, Ryu Won!
'......Though this really isn't the time to be patting myself on the back.'
All sorts of emotions swirled inside me.
Today had been an incredibly meaningful day.
I had witnessed her stage again—the one I thought I'd never see again.
She had listened to my song.
And...
I had received that evaluation from her.
Honestly, it felt amazing.
Hearing those words from the one person whose recognition I truly wanted naturally made me happy.
So I wanted to hear more of her thoughts on my music. I wanted to talk with her longer.
If I had asked Kang Beom-jun for permission, it would have been entirely possible.
But I couldn't bring myself to do it.
I didn't want to.
I smiled bitterly and gazed out the window.
The sky was a clear blue, dotted with soft white clouds. Against that backdrop, my own youthful face was reflected.
The moment my eyes met the boy wearing a strangely relieved expression, a thought suddenly came to me.
It was about my dream.
I still remember it vividly.
I was seventeen.
Back then, Baek Yerin was a rising star shooting to fame overnight, so encountering her music felt almost inevitable.
You and Me.
That was the title of the song.
Ironically, at the time I hadn't thought much of it.
The only things I liked were Baek Yerin's tone and her vocal ability.
It felt like such a waste. I even thought that if I made a song, I could do better than that.
So on a whim, I tried composing with a free program... and it was incredibly fun.
The fact that I could create the kind of music I'd only ever listened to felt miraculous. I found myself imagining what it would be like if Baek Yerin sang one of my songs.
Before I knew it, that imagination had taken root as a dream.
Making music was so much fun. It felt right.
Someday, I wanted Baek Yerin to sing a song I had created.
I wanted to show that dreamlike scene to other people as well.
Yes. That was the true essence of my dream.
But the me from the past had lived a life that strayed far from that essence.
Because I didn't believe in myself, I couldn't find the courage to approach her. I was terrified she might react negatively.
A dream that deviates from its essence can no longer be called a dream.
It's nothing but colorless ash left after the fire has burned out.
The moment I realized my once-blue dream had lost all its color—just like the sky I was looking at now—I felt ashamed of myself.
Ashamed, and for some reason, sad.
Even though the joy of hearing her praise had been so overwhelming, that happiness hadn't lasted long.
"Did dust get in your eye?"
"...Something like that."
When I came back to my senses, tears were already streaming down my cheeks.
Kang Beom-jun, who had noticed, handed me a tissue.
I must have been too quiet in the back seat, so he had checked on me through the rearview mirror.
He asked gently.
"Was being called a genius by that girl really that moving?"
"...It wasn't because of that."
"Really? Then that's a relief."
After that, an awkward silence filled the car once more.
Man...
As expected, Kang Beom-jun didn't ask me a single question.
Why I had cried. How I knew Baek Yerin. None of it.
The man I remembered had always been like this.
Sharp as a tack, endlessly attentive to the people under his care, and surprisingly optimistic.
Knowing that about him was exactly why I had approached him again in this life to build a connection. As thanks, I figured I should at least answer a few things sincerely.
I opened my mouth carefully.
"Aren't you going to ask?"
"Ask what?"
Kang Beom-jun answered in a completely dry tone.
It sounded like he had zero interest, but I knew that was an act.
After all, the man was terrible at lying.
"The reason. Aren't you curious about a lot of things regarding me? If I were the CEO, I'd definitely be wondering."
"Not at all? ...Well, even if I say that, there are quite a few strange points."
"See? Then—"
"But if you don't want to talk about it, I won't ask. Ever."
Kang Beom-jun cut me off cleanly and emphasized the point.
While I blinked in surprise, he continued.
"Composers as a species tend to hide a ridiculous amount inside. But ironically, composing is also a job where people are terrible at lying."
I had to agree with that.
No matter how hard you try to hide something about yourself, it unconsciously seeps into the music you create.
Ah, and yes—that's about me.
"So don't overthink it. Just focus on composing. If a composer can make good songs, there's no greater composer than that. Of course, character matters too. No matter how talented, if someone's personality is rotten..."
"CEO."
"Hm?"
"You do remember I haven't signed the contract yet, right?"
"......"
Kang Beom-jun let out a deep sigh, as if he had completely forgotten the condition I had set.
The only time I would sign the contract he offered was the moment Baek Yerin's casting was confirmed.
"Looks like I'm in for a rough time for a while."
Watching him agonize over how to move forward from here brought a faint smile to my face.
I looked at the window once more.
Unlike the colorless version of me from the past, the boy's face reflected there held color.
It was as transparent as the tears that had slid down his cheeks.
Nothing but pure white for now.
Because depending on the choices I made from here on, it could become any color at all.
A few days later.
"Ha... I'm dying of curiosity."
Ever since the day of Baek Yerin's festival performance, one guy at school had been sighing nonstop.
Kim Tae-hwan.
The two of us share a pretty stubborn bond.
Our houses were close, so we naturally became friends as kids. In my previous life, we attended the same schools all the way through—except for university.
We were so close that we were practically glued together at school all day, so we knew each other inside and out.
From that perspective, the guy named Kim Tae-hwan...
"What exactly are you so curious about?"
"Hmm? There's this rumor that a few days ago at Haneul Middle School, one female student completely rewrote the legend of the festival stage with a single song. But the video of her performance is suspiciously absent from the net. What do you think that means?"
"...What do you think it means?"
"Maybe some agency that spotted her talent is blocking the video from spreading. Though their response seems way too fast for that."
His instincts were as sharp as ever.
Originally, this was the time when videos of Baek Yerin's festival stage would explode across the internet, drawing the attention of countless agencies.
In a way, it had been the decisive moment that launched her entertainment career.
But Kang Beom-jun and his company were blocking it with everything they had.
This showed their absolute determination not to lose her to any other agency—and from my perspective, it was fascinating news.
While I was thinking that, he added.
"And coincidentally, my friend who wasn't even sick that day took an early leave from school? What do you think that means?"
I sucked in a breath.
I knew his senses were sharp.
But this was honestly a little scary.
I let out a sigh and answered.
"Stop talking nonsense."
"Haha. I'm kidding. Even if I think about it, there's no reason for you to go all the way to Haneul Middle School and take an early leave."
Yeah.
I think so too.
If I hadn't returned to the past, that is.
Anyway, Kim Tae-hwan made a confident prediction in a voice full of certainty.
In about a year or two, a monster rookie would shake up the entire entertainment industry, and it would be that female student who had rewritten the legend at Haneul Middle School.
One year? Two years?
Well...
It felt like half a year would be more than enough.
I read the text from Kang Beom-jun and let a faint smile touch my lips.