Chapter 256
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 256
‘It won’t do them any good.’
Rachel pushed up her glasses as if to ward off a looming headache.
She was certain this presentation would be nothing more than a waste of time. No matter how famously eccentric Luca was, he was ruthlessly cold when it came to business. Even now, he had likely agreed to listen out of half-baked curiosity rather than any sincere intent.
The fatigue from a packed morning schedule during this short business trip only added to her irritation.
When her eyes met the man’s, he simply offered a refreshing smile.
“...Ah!!”
Just then, Luca—who had been muttering about how the man’s face looked strangely familiar—let out an exclamation of realization. He leaned in close to Rachel’s ear and whispered.
“I’ve seen that man in a drama! He appeared in Please Take Care of the Camera with Min. He played the producer who had a total trash personality!”
“...So what?”
“He was a complete devil in that show!”
He’s certainly enjoying himself.
While Rachel was forced to endure the ramblings of this overexcited K-drama fanboy, the woman who had accompanied the man finished connecting the laptop to the projector.
“We will begin now.”
With that, the man’s presentation commenced.
“The reason IRIX is looking to launch a new Korean server is—”
The PowerPoint displayed on the screen was impeccable—the fonts and sizes were appropriate, and images were placed strategically to aid understanding. It was clean, and the core message was immediately apparent.
He had even accurately grasped the exact reasons why IRIX wanted to launch a new Korean server.
While Korea being a gaming powerhouse was a factor, the primary driver was the decision that they needed provocative content targeting the new generation. Thus, discussions had been held to expand the game’s lore while simultaneously collaborating with K-POP, which enjoys absolute support from the youth.
The man continued his explanation in a smooth baritone, hitting every key point with precision.
‘Just how did he research this to get information of this depth?’
The slides contained everything from news reports from IRIX’s initial release to details scattered across communities and promotional articles.
“Luca, in a recent interview, you said, ‘Day and night in Korea are very different. Walking the streets at night feels like entering a new world.’ Is that correct?”
“That’s right. It’s quite wonderful. Every country has its own unique charm, but Korea was very special to me.”
The man’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
“I considered that interview to be a sort of hint.”
“Haha.”
Instead of saying more, he pressed the button on the projector remote.
“This is The Dawn’s Fantasy Reincarnation.”
Right on cue, the lights in the conference room dimmed, and a dark, gritty street on a rainy night appeared before them.
“Based on the Buddhist concept of the Six Realms of Rebirth, it tells the story of someone who will find and tear apart their rival, even if they have to go through the cycle of reincarnation to do it.”
The 2nd Competition of Shining Star Season 2: Fantasy Reincarnation.
A trendy track blending Oriental aesthetics with hip-hop melodies began to play.
A man wearing skin-tight latex leather pants and a modernized durumagi—an overcoat—elaborately embroidered over a rash guard sat astride a matte black, menacing motorcycle.
【Are you ready?】
It was the man who had been leading the presentation until now: Seo Ho-yun.
“PD Lee Jeong-hun, he really is a celebrity...”
Overwhelmed by the intensity, Rachel and Luca stared intently at the screen.
【Even if I have to turn the six-spoked wheel
I told you I’d find you
Do you believe me now?】
The balance between the five members of the group called The Dawn was better than expected. Each member’s individuality stood out, and the parts seemed well-distributed to suit them. Furthermore, the storytelling and immersion of the stage were outstanding. The performance, set against brilliant cinematography, felt like a movie.
‘Ha, at this rate, we might actually have to revise the contract.’
Glancing to her side, Rachel saw Luca watching the screen with sparkling eyes, his hands covering his mouth.
‘The concept itself aligns with the direction we want...’
From the perspective of someone planning ‘Cyberpunk Korea,’ The Dawn’s stage was certainly impressive. However, it wasn’t just about the image; public recognition to serve as promotion and the skill to brilliantly decorate the RIX Cup opening stage were also vital.
After IRIX became a sensational hit upon its release, Karis Games began hosting its largest tournament every January, and it had soon established itself as a major festival. This K-POP collaboration was intended to be this year’s IRIX theme song. And the opening of the RIX Cup final match always kicked off with that year’s theme song.
Naturally, since it was a 100% live performance held in a large stadium, skill was of the utmost importance.
As a first-tier group, A:STAR had no flaws in terms of skill, but The Dawn’s performance felt raw and unrefined, with a powerful, wild energy.
‘They’re good, but...’
The beat, which had been climbing steeply toward a climax, suddenly dropped. Amidst the silence, the melody of a sogeum—a small flute—echoed out, and the video cut off. It seemed they had edited it to finish the presentation within the time frame previously sent via email.
“Was this stage lip-synced?”
“It was live.”
Come to think of it, had she heard that Korean idols were accustomed to live stages? According to the research she’d done for this project, that was the case. It was hard to believe they could maintain such powerful movements while singing without a tremor, but looking at the man’s serious demeanor, it didn’t feel like a lie.
“Hmm...”
It felt as though nothing could fit the setting IRIX was pursuing better than this. The pervasive Korean aesthetic. The exotic atmosphere. The warrior tearing apart his rivals.
‘Besides, Luca goes crazy for this kind of thing.’
Of course, she trusted that Luca wouldn’t make a choice based solely on personal preference. Just looking at the PPT and the stage video, she could tell The Dawn was a good group.
However, while they hadn’t officially signed with A:STAR yet, it was almost a done deal. Moreover, A:STAR’s recognition was significantly higher.
For now, Rachel decided to lighten the atmosphere by tossing a casual question to Seo Ho-yun.
“Ho-yun, are you good at games?”
“...Ahaha.”
After a brief silence, the man smiled gently.
“I do enjoy them, of course.”
Suddenly, the woman sitting at the laptop glanced at him.
Luca, who had been quiet, spoke up.
“By any chance, what kind of ga—”
“However, in our team—”
The man, seemingly not hearing him, moved to the next slide.
“—there is someone who loves games even more than I do.”
A familiar screen appeared, one that Luca and Rachel had seen tens of thousands of times. It was an IRIX profile, featuring a large, luxurious rank emblem surrounded by a shimmering, auroral glow.
“This is the IRIX rank of our group’s main rapper, Kang Yi-chae.”
“...!”
That rank, which only the top 1% could reach.
That alone was impressive enough, but Seo Ho-yun snapped his fingers as if he had more prepared.
“He was inspired by IRIX to compose a song. It’s only the melody for now, but I’d like to present it here.”
The woman, who had taken the projector remote, quietly pressed a button. A melody began to flow through the conference room.
It was a dark, grand, and fiercely swirling beat. Furthermore, it even incorporated sound effects from IRIX.
‘This is actually really good.’
He said he liked IRIX, and it felt like the track could be released right now without any sense of mismatch.
‘He must have put a lot of effort into this.’
Unaware that this was the result of only half a day’s work after receiving the IRIX information, Rachel listened to the song intently.
“The Fantasy Reincarnation I showed you earlier was also produced by the same member. He has prepared a few more sample demos.”
“...!!”
What followed was a feast of melodies.
And a continued, logically sound explanation.
The more Rachel and Luca listened, the more they felt stirred, as if under a spell. Luca frowned and rubbed the bridge of his nose, while Rachel’s eyes sharpened as she pushed up her glasses.
“Understanding of IRIX, an image that fits the game perfectly, and above all, our solid skills.”
The man smiled like a victor.
“Is there any reason to hesitate further?”
*
[Me: Success]
I sent a text to Kang Yi-chae.
After finishing discussions with the IRIX General Producer and the promotional video team director about working together, we agreed to sign the formal contract in a week. This was because Daepasung needed time to review the document.
After returning to the company with Lee Ji-hyeon, I was going to head to the dorm, but then I decided to go to Yi-chae’s studio to take some credit.
‘The brat, I’m doing so much for him.’
Of course, I’d put him through some emotional distress due to health issues and whatnot, but it was still annoying that he hadn’t even replied to his hyung’s text.
As usual, I skipped the knocking and swung the studio door wide open.
“Hey, Kang Yi-chae—”
Pop!
With a loud noise, a party popper went off, and out of nowhere, the sound of a piano drifted out.
“Ooh— Ooh— Ooh—.”
Tinkle, tinkle~.
Red hair and a neon green hoodie.
From the front, the side, or the back, Kang Yi-chae—who practically oozed delinquency—smiled at me while pressing the piano keys.
“This is a song by the IRIX top 1% cutie.”
While I watched this absurd situation in silence, Kang Yi-chae spoke as if singing.
“Seo Ho-yun is a God.”
Helium balloons floated in the middle of the studio, and flower petals were scattered here and there on the floor. Behind him, a large banner was pinned up: ‘Congrats! Secured the IRIX Contract!’
“You are an angel... Angel~ Rabbit~.”
As if to demonstrate what a waste of talent looked like, Kang Yi-chae improvised a song and hummed along.
“Fuck...”
Deciding that leaving was the only answer, I turned around, but Kim Seong-hyeon blocked the door, grinning slyly as he gestured with his chin.
“Where are you going? You have to see that part at least.”
Following Seong-hyeon’s gaze, I saw a letter from Kang Yi-chae scrolling up line by line on the projector screen we sometimes used for concept meetings.
Hyung, hello?
I’m currently writing a fan letter to you because I can’t contain my overwhelming emotions.
“Ah!! Dammit! My eyes!”
“Oh~, even your curses are beautiful~.”
No, I mean, IRIX?
♡IRIX????♡
If I listed all your annoying traits, there’d be no end to it, but I’m so proud and impressed by your ability that I can forget all that for a moment♡
“Please, just say it with words. Don’t do this, it’s giving me goosebumps.”
“Why? Is it hard being on the receiving end for once?”
I pressed my fingers against my furrowed brow. Kim Seong-hyeon, who was filming the whole scene with his phone, was laughing his head off. Seeing even the corners of Kang Yi-chae’s mouth twitching, it was clear that neither of them was sincere; they were definitely just trying to screw with me.
“You are my~ wow-wow-wow~ the lead vocal who always wrecks everything~.”
“...”
I won a contract for him, and this is how he treats me?
I had to silently endure the spectacle.
Once the piano piece ended and I was finally released, I felt completely drained. I stripped off my uncomfortable jacket and shirt. I pulled on a sweatshirt that was rolling around on the studio sofa, flopped down, and flipped Kang Yi-chae off.
“Aing~.”
Look at him, smiling shyly without losing an ounce of spirit. No matter how I looked at it, that brat would survive even on a deserted island.
“Hey, why didn’t the maknae participate? He’d be jumping for joy at stuff like this.”
“His birthday is coming up. The timing worked out, so we’re going to pretend we’re on bad terms and pull a surprise camera prank on him.”
“What is wrong with our group?”
“Seo Ho-yun, you really don’t know?”
“...”
Am I supposed to know?
Clicking my tongue, I reached out, grabbed a candy scattered randomly on the nearby table, and unwrapped it.
“Anyway, hyung, thanks a lot! If there’s anything you want, just say it! I’ll buy it for you!”
After tinkering with the piano a bit more, Kang Yi-chae headed to the dorm, saying he had to go show off his ‘angry’ act in front of Jeong Da-jun. Kim Seong-hyeon approached me, still recording with his phone.
“Anyway, good job. If there’s nothing you want, is there anything you wish for?”
“I just want to smoke a cigarette.”
“...I can’t use this part of the video.”
“Then money.”
“Just forget it.”
Grumbling, Kim Seong-hyeon turned off the camera app and lowered his phone.
I sat up sluggishly and pulled over Kang Yi-chae’s laptop, which was still left open and vulnerable on the table. Isn’t he being too careless, thinking it’s safe just because the studio door locks automatically?
The update still hadn’t finished.
Naturally, I clicked to extend the session and, out of habit, accessed an online community to search for reactions.
[Title: SHY Sighting
I saw SHY coming out of a conference room at the XX Hotel today. What’s up??
He was all dressed up today.
└Eh, is it for self-produced content??
└└Don’t know;;
└I thought he was going to collect a debt.
└└Debt collection, lmao wtf]
Sightings were already being posted. They seemed to have no idea that there had been a meeting regarding IRIX.
As for snatching the deal away while they were in discussions with A:STAR...
‘Should I keep it a secret for now?’
I racked my brain and searched for a few more keywords, but things were still quiet.
“Or you could think about it and let me know by your birthday.”
“Forget it. We’re going to be busy now, so let’s just share some modest sincerity.”
The IRIX contract, composing and lyric writing, concept discussions, music video filming, and preparing for live stages. We were even working on a full-length album.
The Dawn was about to get very busy.
As I was giving Kim Seong-hyeon a half-hearted response, a post appeared on the community.
[Title: But does The Dawn have no live vocal controversies?]
Controversy.
The appearance of my favorite word made the corners of my mouth rise involuntarily.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
It seemed like a birthday present would roll in on its own when the time came, even if I didn’t bother looking for one.