In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 40

After the song ended.

I experienced a strange silence that I had never felt before.

Why are they acting like that?

“…”

I looked at the faces of the A&R staff.

There were engineers who tuned the sound, composers, and other staff who handled various tasks.

People with different personalities.

But the expressions on their faces were all the same.

They were like that since the song started.

They looked as if they had seen something incomprehensible.

I wanted to copy their expressions using my mimicry ability right away. Then I would know what kind of emotion they were showing.

The only emotion I could read in this situation was the confusion of my siblings.

I opened my lips with a stifled feeling.

“How… was it?”

“Huh?”

The staff blinked their eyes at my words.

“Uh, I mean…”

“This is…”

But they all stopped talking.

Was this not what they expected? 

As the staff narrowed their eyes as if they were thinking of a proper reaction, our producer opened his lips.

“Well done.”

It was Director Jo who was sitting in the upper seat.

“You did much better than I expected. Well, it needs some editing, but it’s really good for your first composition. I think it’s good enough to be included in the debut album.”

“Oh, thank you.”

“I’ll give you feedback on the song later. It’s not appropriate to do it here. I also need to hear the opinions of our team members.”

Director Jo’s gaze turned to the A&R team leader who was sitting next to him.

There was a silent exchange of glances between the two men.

The team leader nodded, and our producer opened his lips.

“Okay, then…”

It sounded casual, but I felt something in it.

“You worked hard, and New Black can go ahead. We’re going to have a meeting now, and I think there will be some sensitive talk.”

***

As the New Black members left with anxious faces, the meeting room was silent again.

It was natural that Seon Woojoo couldn’t read the atmosphere.

It contained both positive and negative aspects.

On the positive side, the song was great.

Working on album production, they had to evaluate and review the songs sent by composers every day.

That way, they naturally learned which songs were good, and which ones suited the singers better than anyone else.

Fireworks was a gem in their eyes.

The song was written thoroughly with the intention of easy listening, as Wooju’s goal was to attract potential fans.

It was a pleasant song that was easy on the ears.

And the Chorus was addictive.

It was an excellent Joice to rewrite the original source completely, rather than trying to preserve it as much as possible.

If he had tried to keep it as it was, Seon Woojoo would have failed just like the senior composers.

But he wrote a completely different melody with it, like a skilled chef.

Like dried peppers in pasta, the original source was so mushy that it was hard to recognize.

But the addictive flavor remained.

Even now, some of them wanted to listen to it again, remembering the Chorus melody that lingered in their ears.

Easy listening with strong addiction.

Could there be a better song for a summer season song?

Of course, the sloppy tuning, the inappropriate use of instruments, and the somewhat cheesy bridge part needed to be fixed right away, but the skeleton itself was very good.

And that was the problem.

The reason why they felt complicated emotions was because the song that Seon Woojoo made was too good.

Good is good.

The problem was that it was so good that the plan was messed up.

The A&R team had an internal planning meeting on what kind of album to make from the day New Black was Josen to perform with Jang So-won on a music show.

So they had a rough idea.

The documents they put on the table were all about that.

Everything was decided from the beginning.

The reason why Director Jo and the A&R team decided to let Wooju write his own song was mostly for business reasons.

My goal was to give Seon Woojoo some composing practice, but that wasn’t the main purpose.

The agency was a place to make money, after all.

What were the chances of a novice composer who just started composing to make a good song?

They had zero expectations from the start.

All they needed was the image of a ‘composer idol’ to promote their debut album after Something.

So they were generous and said it didn’t matter how the song turned out.

Honestly, not many people would listen to the B-side tracks anyway, and they planned to outsource the title track to a famous composer.

That is, unless Seon Woojoo brought this Fireworks as his own song.

‘The song is too good for no reason.’

What I expected was a song that would make the listeners say ‘Well, it’s not bad’ at best.

A smooth song that would fit the album.

But the Fireworks he brought now was not only good, but also matched New Black’s color perfectly.

And it was intense.

It was the worst condition for a B-side track.

You can’t cast an actor who is more handsome than the lead actor as an extra.

So there were three options.

1. 1. Release it as a separate digital single.

1. 1. Keep it as a B-side track.

1. 1. Scrap the current plan and restructure the album.

The A&R staff’s hearts were leaning towards the first option.

They didn’t want to ruin the plan they had worked on for almost two months.

But if they did that, the promotion plan to use the ‘composer idol’ image would be distorted.

And the second option was too risky.

The fans who listened to the album would say ‘Are they crazy? Why don’t they push this as the title track and push something else?’

When everyone was silent and lost in thought, the A&R team leader sighed.

“He came with a B-side track, but he made a title track.”

At that, laughter erupted here and there.

Everyone felt the same way.

The first one to open his lips was Manager Yoon Seok-hwan.

“First of all, I think the song quality is good and it suits the kids’ color well, but… I think it would be better for the A&R staff to decide on the fate of the song, considering how hard they worked on the album planning for the past few months.”

“We’re also, well, in a tricky situation right now…”

The A&R team leader turned his eyes to Director Jo.

“It would be best if Director Jo made the final decision. He always made the right decisions in the past.”

Everyone nodded at that.

At Lemon Entertainment, Jo Gyu-hwan always made the best Joices in the maJor decisions that determined success or failure.

Then what would he decide this time?

Everyone’s eyes were on the producer who was sitting cross-legged and immersed in thought.

For five minutes.

Finally, Director Jo straightened his posture.

“Well…”

The producer’s eyes landed on the planning document on the table.

He flipped the paper over without hesitation, as if he had made up his mind.

“I think we need to go for a full review.”

***

A week had passed since he presented the song at the A&R meeting, but there was no news from the company.

Director Jo Gyu-hwan, who said he would give feedback, was silent.

He thought about going to the A&R team and asking, but they seemed to be busy with meetings lately.

He casually asked Seok-hwan hyung, but he wouldn’t tell him what the secret was.

And Min-ki hyung…

“Thank you, I’ll enJoy it!”

He was smiling brightly as he received a snack gift from Jang So-won sunbae.

That hyung.

He should have been Sugarfish’s manager, not ours.

This place was the waiting room.

Today’s recording schedule was <Midnight Music>.

Midnight Music was a program that aimed to be a music festival for all generations, airing every Sunday night.

The music spectrum was diverse, so both trot singers and idols appeared without discrimination, and it was one of the PBS’s flagship programs that had been going on for a long time.

This recording was also a result of Music Cafe.

A PD in charge liked Between and requested our appearance.

He heard that the Music Cafe PD and Ha SeungJoo sunbae strongly recommended us.

It was supposed to be a recording schedule that was set earlier than the original one, but somehow it got pushed back to now.

Well.

It was a bit of an awkward time to come out, but I felt good to be at the broadcasting station after a long time.

Of course, my head was still occupied by the song.

As I leaned on the sofa blankly, I saw the cozy desserts wrapped in vinyl flying around in front of me.

“Hyung, look at this. It’s soufflé. Soufflé~”

“Yeah.”

“It’s soufflé, you know.”

“It looks delicious.”

“What’s wrong with you? Why no reaction? Soufflé… why?”

The youngest, who was teasing me excitedly, turned to look at Rihyuk, who had poked him in the ribs.

“Leave him alone, he’s been in a bad mood lately.”

“Ah.”

At that, Jihoo closed his mouth as if he understood.

He stayed like that for a while, with his shoulders drooping like a puppy, while Jang So-won, who was chatting with Minki hyung, asked.

“Why is our maknae so low on energy?”

“Well, sunbae-nim. Lately, Woojoo hyung doesn’t react even when I tease him, so it’s no fun. Teasing him with soufflé was the Joy of my life…”

“Why is the leader in a bad mood?”

“I’m fine, sunbae-nim.”

I smiled at her, who tilted her head.

“They’re just teasing me.”

“Wow, look at him smile. He never smiles like that to us.”

‘Look at that shameless face!’ Ji-ho pointed his finger at me, as if to say, and Jung-hyun said, munching on bread.

“I can’t remember the last time Woojoo hyung smiled at me.”

“Hey, Kim Jung-hyun, you too…”

“I can’t lie, you know. Hyung.”

That’s true.

But was my expression really that bad lately? 

I looked around and there was no one who said otherwise.

I felt embarrassed.

I said I was going to get a drink and left the waiting room.

“I’ll go with you.”

I walked down the hallway with our team’s main dancer, who smiled brightly, and I asked him.

“Was my expression bad lately?”

“They’re just joking, you know.”

“It seemed half-serious to me.”

“Um… Actually, you did look a bit stressed after you started composing. I’m not saying anything bad about you. It’s normal, you know. When you’re tired, you get annoyed and angry and stuff.”

“It sounds like I did something really wrong when you say that.”

I guess it was pretty bad if he said that to me.

I felt a lot of pressure after I got the studio.

I had to show some results, since I got this somehow.

I was stressed out by myself, even though no one expected anything from me.

Thanks to that, I came up with a good song, but I was only focused on that.

“Don’t take it too seriously. They’re saying that half-jokingly, and half-worriedly.”

“About me?”

“You were stuck in the studio every day. Your eyes were sunken, and your cheeks were thin. You might say you weren’t that bad, but you were. It was worrying to see you like that.”

“…”

“So when the song work was done, we were all happy. Of course, the song was good, but it also meant that you were back to normal.”

That’s what I should have done, but I guess I’ve been acting sensitive since the A&R meeting.

Bi-ju said with a smile.

“They’ve been asking me to talk to you for a few days.”

“What did they say?”

“They said it’s okay to relax a little.”

What does that mean?

“We want to go up too, just like you. But you’ve done enough, you know. I told you before at the music cafe, we wouldn’t have gotten this far without you. We haven’t even debuted yet, and this is more than enough.”

“…”

“So please, take it easy, and don’t feel too burdened. It’s okay to be relaxed sometimes.”

Bi-ju added with a smile.

“And if possible, have some fun with us too.”

I felt grateful to him, who lightened the mood with a Joke. And to the others, who wanted to say the same thing behind him.

Come to think of it, I’ve been too absorbed in my own thoughts lately.

I pushed them too hard, thinking that they had to do well.

I shouldn’t have cursed at those extreme parents on TV.

Whenever I saw those news, Ri-hyuk would look at me with a lot of things to say.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. Oh, Bi-ju is here. I’ll have this drink.”

“Okay.”

We pressed the buttons on the vending machine. Jang So-won Jose black coffee, Ji-ho picked soda, and Jung Hyun got a pine drink.

Bi-ju held the drink can in his hand and smiled.

“They sell this at the broadcasting station too. I’ve been looking for this, but I could only find it at the hospital vending machine.”

“Hospital? What hospital?”

Bi-ju flinched for a moment.

“…Huh? Hospital?”

“You just said hospital.”

“Oh, I had to go to the hospital briefly the other day.”

He seemed to be fumbling with his words, but I decided not to ask further.

I didn’t want to ruin the good mood.

I thought I had to smile and greet the members when I went back to the waiting room.

As soon as I opened the door, I felt a frantic atmosphere.

“Hyung.”

Jung-hyun called me with a rare flushed face.

“What’s wrong, why are you like that?”

“It’s our song, Fireworks.”

“Wait, what?”

“They decided to make it the title song at the company.”

***

“Is that for real?”

I looked at my manager to check if he was telling the truth, and Yoon Seok-hwan smiled and handed me the phone as if to say, take it.

“Hello.”

-Hey, it’s me. Sorry for the late news.

I heard Director Jo’s voice.

-I just finished a meeting with the CEO.

“Director, is this really happening? Is my song going to be the title song?”

-That’s the conclusion they reached. They voted after gathering opinions from the A&R team, the management team, and the PR team. It was 47 to 3. The CEO and the head of the department also confirmed it after listening to the song themselves.

“…”

-Are you listening?

“Yes, I’m just feeling overwhelmed.”

I heard a faint laugh from the other side of the phone.

-I wanted to give you a heads-up, but I didn’t want to disappoint you in case something changed. Anyway, you did a great Job, and congratulations.

He said that the work wasn’t over yet, and that there was a lot of editing left to do, but I didn’t hear anything.

My song was going to be the debut album’s title song.

I thought that someday I would sing this song at a concert or something.

But I never imagined that I would stand on a music show stage with it as the title song.

I felt so good that words couldn’t describe it.

I was already overjoyed when I got the studio, so this was beyond words.

When the call finally ended, I flopped down on the sofa and laughed.

“Bro! Congratulations!”

My excited siblings jumped on me.

I could barely breathe under their weight, but I couldn’t stop smiling.

It felt like my chest was wide open and refreshed.

***

Jo Gyu-hwan hung up the phone after hearing the last of the noisy laughter from the other end.

‘Was today’s schedule the recording of the Midnight Music Show?’

Judging by the mood, he didn’t have to worry about the stage quality.

He smiled as he imagined the face of Seon Woojoo, who would be laughing at the broadcasting station.

Then he put his smartphone on the desk.

As his long finger touched the screen, the prelude of Fireworks filled the office.

‘It’s good to listen to it over and over. It’s addictive too.’

He closed his eyes and savored the melody.

He didn’t know if it would be a hit song that would top the charts or break records, but he was sure it would be a song that would last for a long time.

It was addictive, but not easy to get tired of.

Maybe it was because of the source he used as the basic base.

He suddenly remembered the conversation he had with Seon Woojoo a while ago.

-I have a question, why did you break and remake the original source in this song instead of applying it like other people?

-Well, that’s because it sounded weird when I listened to it.

-Weird?

-Yes. At first, everyone said it was strange, so I thought so too. I thought it would be great if I fixed it well. But the more I listened, the weirder it was. It might just be me, but.

Wooju said cautiously.

-It’s like the final product that’s already been fixed. It pretends to be a raw stone that hasn’t been touched by human hands, but it’s not a stone. Someone tried to make a gem and failed completely, and it looked like they carved it to look like a raw stone again. Whoever made that source, they were amazing. They didn’t want it to look like a failed source, so they deliberately made it strange.

-…

-Sir, what’s wrong?

Jo Gyu-hwan slowly opened his eyes and gave an awkward smile.

Well. Everyone has a dark past.

He looked at the documents on one side of his desk.

A folder with photos and personal information of the New Black members.

At the top, Seon Woojoo’s smiling face caught his eye.

He tapped his face with his finger and smiled.

‘I’ll have to raise him well.’

He wondered.

How far could this talented guy grow if he raised him well?

He enjoyed his imagination and listened to the song.