Chapter 350
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 350
Im Hyeon-su had finished her work just as the sun was rising. After waking up late in the afternoon, she dragged her exhausted body to the studio, sucking on a packet of red ginseng extract.
"I'm here..."
The moment she pushed through the glass doors, a staff member blocked her path.
"Composer, you have a visitor."
"Kick them out."
"There you go again. It’s Kim Hee-yeong today."
"Ah."
It was common knowledge in the industry that Cheong-beom practically lived in her studio. Because of that, all sorts of people would barge in, making Hyeon-su shudder at the mere mention of a "visitor."
"If it's Kim Hee-yeong, then fine."
But fate worked in mysterious ways.
One of those "all sorts of people" had been Seo Ho-yun. Her ill-fated connection with him had persisted, and through a group formed specifically to bash him, she had become close friends with Kim Hee-yeong.
The two of them got along famously, sharing a similar sense of humor, and had been hanging out frequently of late.
Hyeon-su gave the staff member a nod and stepped into the recording room, but the interior was dim. Sensing something strange, she scanned the darkness, only to see something twitch on the sofa.
"Gah! Fuck, you scared me!"
As she let out a startled shriek, the rustling figure sat up, looking disheveled.
"Oh... Hyeon-su, you're here."
Looking closer, it was indeed Kim Hee-yeong. Judging by the glowing laptop screen, she had been working in a trance.
Hyeon-su quickly flipped the lights on and shut the door.
"I thought you were a ghost. Aren't you on vacation? Why are you working?"
"I spent so much time cleaning up other people's messes that I didn't have time for my own... I have to use my vacation as an excuse to draft some proposals."
"Ah..."
Is this how all PDs live?
Hyeon-su, who had never been tied down to a corporate job in her life, couldn't relate in the slightest. She simply scratched her cheek awkwardly.
Kim Hee-yeong, who had been staring grumpily at the screen and hammering the enter key, ran a hand through her messy hair. She reached for a hidden ashtray in the corner, only to be caught red-handed.
"...Hey. Do you think this is a smoking room?"
Hee-yeong flinched, then turned around with a sheepish grin.
"Hehe... Hyeon-su. Are you still using e-cigarettes?"
"I quit."
"Please. That 'quitting' won't even last three days..."
"Don't put a hex on me."
Hyeon-su snatched the ashtray and moved it far away. Hee-yeong let out a deep sigh and went back to dejectedly tapping on her keyboard.
She looked so pathetic that Hyeon-su decided to make an offer.
"Let's go grab a drink."
"Hmm, let's go after six. The Dawn's music video is supposed to drop then."
"Music video?"
"Yeah, their new song. The teaser is already a huge topic at the station."
Hee-yeong spoke without taking her eyes off the laptop.
It was late September. The cry of the cicadas had faded, and the sky had taken on a deeper, richer blue.
That's right...
Hyeon-su recalled hearing that their new album was coming out around this time.
She had intended to browse her own songs on the music charts as usual, but after a moment's hesitation, she turned on her computer. She searched for the sample track Kang Yi-chae had sent her months ago.
She had intentionally avoided listening to it until now.
It wasn't that she disliked Kang Yi-chae.
On the contrary, she cherished him enough to step forward during his plagiarism scandal despite the potential backlash. When she found out he had even entered a talent show just to get an album for the band his mentor loved, she found him so adorable she felt she could put him in her eye without it hurting—to use a bit of hyperbole.
However, separate from all that—
I'm scared.
She was afraid to confirm the hypothesis that Kang Yi-chae might have surpassed her.
But it was something she would have to face eventually.
"Phew..."
After taking a deep breath, Hyeon-su put on her headphones, clicked play, and closed her eyes.
The melody was catchy and public-friendly. It followed a standard progression that could have felt dated, but it was twisted just enough with a unique sense of rhythm to make it sound captivating.
Could I have made it like this?
The answer was "no."
Maybe something similar, but...
"...The song is good."
...In the end, it would have turned out differently. Their musical colors were distinct.
Her self-esteem, which she had barely managed to rebuild, began to crumble along with the melody flowing through her eardrums.
Hyeon-su listened until the very end, even as she slumped her head onto the desk. She slowly reached up and pulled off the headphones.
Just then, her phone buzzed.
[Kang Yi-chae: Composer~~ ♡]
[Kang Yi-chae: How have you been?]
As if he had been watching her, Yi-chae’s message arrived at the perfect moment.
"...How do you think I'm doing after hearing a song like this, Yi-chae?"
[Kang Yi-chae: I felt like we haven't talked in a while.]
[Kang Yi-chae: I always respect you and am so grateful to you.]
[Kang Yi-chae: I'll come visit you with the album soon!]
The text, dripping with affection and sincerity, caused Hyeon-su's heart to melt instantly.
"Ugh, I really am a pathetic, petty mentor... I'm sorry, Yi-chae..."
"What is wrong with her, seriously?"
[Me: Yi-chae, go get that #1 win.]
After wallowing in self-pity with her head down, Hyeon-su let out a sigh, looked up, and sent her reply. Then, she pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, put one in her mouth, and lit it.
"I thought you said you didn't smoke..."
"When did I say that?"
Kim Hee-yeong shook her head at the blatant lie, but she wasn't about to miss this golden opportunity. She quickly grabbed a cigarette for herself.
"Anyway, Hyeon-su, you're still in touch with The Dawn members."
"He's my true disciple. Even if Seo Ho-yun is a son of a bitch."
"Why? Seo Ho-yun is a nice guy."
"...Kim Hee-yeong, are you serious?"
"Mmm, he might be a bit reckless, but he takes good care of the people around him. He's a good person."
Hyeon-su snorted in disbelief at Hee-yeong's opinion.
"Are you insane? Are you... wearing rose-tinted glasses? I never thought I'd hear that. Hey, that guy's heart isn't just black; it's a damn coal mine. If he's a good person, then every truly good person in the world must be dead."
"Why are you so worked up? Celebrities need to be a bit calculated. If he wasn't like that, would that group have made it this far? There's even talk about them winning the Grand Prize this year."
Hyeon-su blew out a long cloud of smoke and rolled her eyes.
"Well, if it's not them, it'll be High Five. My disciple's song is killer, but mine... well, mine wasn't exactly a pushover either."
Hee-yeong watched Hyeon-su for a moment before stubbing out her cigarette in the ashtray.
"Hey. You've been in this industry long enough to know. A song isn't everything."
That was true.
Talent, looks, the song, trends, and even timing or luck—all these things combined to produce a result.
In any case, this year was almost certainly going to be a head-to-head battle between The Dawn and High Five.
"Regardless, I think The Dawn might have a sli-i-ight edge. They're ahead in what I consider the most important area."
"What?"
"Buzz."
She's bringing up something that basic?
While Hyeon-su frowned, Hee-yeong pulled her laptop onto her lap, went to Nutube, and typed in Seo Ho-yun's name.
"Here, look."
[Seo Ho-yun personality]
[Seo Ho-yun dancing]
[Seo Ho-yun singing]
[Seo Ho-yun variety show]
[Seo Ho-yun funny videos]
[Seo Ho-yun fancam]
"Let's see his personality."
"Oh, for god's sake."
Ignoring Hyeon-su, Hee-yeong clicked the last keyword in the suggested search list. At the very top appeared the Japanese fancam of "Second Chance," which was still considered legendary among Noeul.
"What is this?"
"My evidence for Seo Ho-yun's buzzworthiness."
[Seo Ho-yun 'Second Chance' Japan Fancam]
On the screen, Seo Ho-yun appeared with damp bangs clinging to his forehead. His complexion was pale, and he was breathing heavily, occasionally grimacing in pain. Yet, the moment he moved to the center or his part came up, his expression became perfectly controlled as he delivered a flawless live performance.
【Come to me, Come to me
Don't be afraid, come to me】
Hyeon-su, who had been watching with a bored expression while resting her chin on her hand, tilted her head.
"So? What about it?"
Wait, did this brat go on stage while he was sick?
The agency must be out of their minds.
Hee-yeong scrolled down to show Hyeon-su the comments.
— Found my trash can...
— Oppa... I'm sorry I'm a Noeul like this... ㅜㅜ♡
— When I first saw this, I cursed him out saying Daepasung had no taste, but looking back, there's no masterpiece like this...
— The era of peak sensitivity and pure spite... I miss this sometimes...
"What?! Are they all insane?"
Hyeon-su covered her mouth with both hands in horror and leaned back as if she wanted to get as far away from the laptop as possible. In contrast, Hee-yeong remained unfazed and spoke casually.
"Come closer and look at the view count. Even though they were starting to get their name out after winning Season 1 of Shining Star, and he was building individual recognition through Please Take Care of the Camera, Seo Ho-yun wasn't exactly 'outstanding' compared to other idols back then. Oh! Except for his face. His face is truly irreplaceable."
"..."
"Ahem, anyway. He didn't have some incredible talent for dancing or singing back then. But this one video proved it. Seo Ho-yun has a charm that just draws people in."
Hee-yeong patted the shell-shocked Hyeon-su on the shoulder and pulled up another video.
"There's this, too."
It was the final competition of Shining Star Season 2.
"...Honestly, I would have understood and edited it out even if he didn't go on stage then."
Because his family history had been leaked at the time, they had disabled comments to prevent issues, yet the view count was staggeringly high.
People had even re-uploaded it to enable comments, or created secondary videos by mashing up the footage with top-rated comments.
At the time, Seo Ho-yun had chosen to perform without a moment's hesitation. And he had reaped popularity as his reward.
Hee-yeong let out a small sigh and brushed back her long bangs, adding bitterly:
"...The timing was as perfect as a scene from a drama. Though it's a bit much that his personal business was spread to the whole nation."
"...Do you realize you're sounding like a total piece of trash right now?"
"I probably know that better than anyone... I know it so well it hurts..."
Hee-yeong clutched her head as if she were tearing her hair out and writhed in agony.
"But Seo Ho-yun clearly knows it too. He knows exactly how to grab people's attention."
She muttered this while making eye contact with the Seo Ho-yun on the monitor.
"Maybe it's because he understands it too well that it's almost creepy..."
Hee-yeong didn't finish her sentence.
Hyeon-su took one last deep drag of her cigarette, exhaled, and hit the spacebar to pause the video.
"Well, in the end, nothing beats the fundamentals. The song is what matters most."
"Oh, is that so?"
Hee-yeong laughed at the typical "Cheong-beom" response. She leaned back on the sofa and glanced at the clock, seeing it was past 5:30 PM.
"Hyeon-su, do you want to see the teaser for your 'nice' Seo Ho-yun first?"
"No."
Despite her grumpy refusal, Hee-yeong didn't care. Hyeon-su never really had a choice in the first place.
【THE DAWN - ‘Level S2’ Official Music Video Teaser】
It began with a vast desert drenched in the blue-gray hues of dawn.
【Our dawn that will never return
I don't care even if the sky falls
Come to me before I change my mind】
Faintly, the melody of "Our Brilliant Dawn" could be heard.
The camera panned quickly over the desert sands, where someone's footprints had yet to be erased. It led to a neon-pink arcade building with a semi-circular vaulted ceiling supported by numerous pillars.
The entrance, with "Level S2" written in large letters, was glowing brightly.
【You promised on the day the Milky Way poured down】
The back of a man wearing a red jumper appeared, and he was soon seen entering through the wide-open glass doors.
The interior, lined with various game machines, was strangely dark.
Following the slow footsteps, Kang Yi-chae was revealed sitting atop a cabinet. Next to him was Jeong Da-jun, frozen while holding a massive toy gun in one hand, followed by Seong Ji-won, sitting in a chair with a controller.
In front of a claw machine, Kim Seong-hyeon's eyes darted over his shoulder to watch the intruder.
【How can I live without you?】
The man pulled a small coin from his pocket and inserted it into a machine.
【I will always—】
Snap.
The music cut out abruptly.
Glitchy text began to flicker across the CRT monitor of the game machine.
【 WARNING 】
【—…THE D■■N IS COMING】
【T■E DA■N ■S CO■ING】
【TH■ ■AWN I■ COMI■G】
【THE DA■N IS CO■ING―…】
When the man gave the machine a light kick—
【THE DAWN IS COMING !】
The power surged back, and the machines lit up all at once. As if reclaiming their glory, colorful lights brilliantly illuminated the members' faces.
Vrrr—
Vrrr—
Vrrr—
Suddenly, the sound of sirens wailed from all directions, and a heavy, powerful beat flooded the room.
Before even a single bar of the melody could play, the tune snapped shut, and darkness returned to the screen.
"This is our end."
And then, Seo Ho-yun's low voice drifted out.