Chapter 21
The Song That Will Rise
A week after the release of the song.
As usual, I was sitting in the recording studio on the second floor, taking lessons from Director Jo Gyu-hwan.
Break time.
Director Jo, who brought coffee, smiled at me.
“You look down.”
“Huh?”
“Are you disappointed that the song didn’t do as well as you expected?”
“No.”
I waved my hand with a smile, but it was true.
The human heart is so fickle that, even though I think the process is more meaningful in my mind, I focus on the outcome.
The continuous chart out.
Maybe this result means that our song is not good. Then was our effort wrong?
That was the situation where such thoughts followed one after another these days.
He smiled as if he knew how I felt and said.
“Don’t worry.”
I was surprised by what he said next.
“Your song will rise.”
“Huh?”
“Your song, I think it will rise.”
If someone else had said that, I would have scoffed, but it felt different when he said it.
Jo Gyu-hwan.
A copyright holder who owns nearly 300 songs and the Midas of Lemon Entertainment.
That’s why I had no choice but to be surprised.
“There’s a saying in baseball, DTD. Have you heard of it?”
“No.”
“It means the team that will go down will go down.”
Director Jo said.
“The music industry is similar. The song that will rise will rise. That’s the natural law of this business and what I’ve experienced so far.”
“I appreciate your words, but honestly, this time-”
“It’s not just a hunch.”
The composer continued to explain.
“The song itself is good.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you did a good job.”
I felt good as if I was recognized.
“The duet part distribution is well done and the overall color of the song is good. The melody is fresh and the medium tempo is perfect for the upcoming spring season. And most importantly, the chart is now a free-for-all.”
“A free-for-all?”
“Sixty Seconds, the fandom powerhouse, is gone. They had 10 songs in the line-up.”
“Oh…”
“Girls On Top is also faltering. TNT is coming back soon, but they are out of the question anyway, so there’s no real rival. If you do well, you can rob an empty house.”
Director Jo, who was browsing the chart on his smartphone, said.
“From what I see, the song is good, and the environment is also favorable. Here, if there’s just one good opportunity, it would be great…”
“A good opportunity.”
I repeated his words and asked him.
“Then how can we make that opportunity?”
“Huh?”
“What can I do…”
Before I could finish, Director Jo laughed. Then he burst into a hearty laugh.
I was confused and asked.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you’re cute.”
I’ve heard a lot of compliments on my looks, but this was the first time I was called cute.
“Why do you worry about that?”
“Huh?”
“I know you’re always thinking about how to make the team better because you’re the leader, but your main job is to be an entertainer.”
“Ah…”
“Why do you think we have an agency? We’re here to tell you to just practice and not worry about anything else, but if you do everything, we won’t be able to make a living.”
He looked at me with admiration and said.
“Right now, Yoon manager is going around the broadcasting stations and promoting your song, so don’t worry.”
“Really?”
“Didn’t you notice that he’s been gone lately?”
I imagined Yun Seok-hwan, who was going around the broadcasting stations, begging them to play our song while holding his head in pain.
He already had a herniated disc, so it must have hurt to bend his back.
Director Jo Gyu-hwan smiled at me as if to reassure me.
“All you have to do is spread your wings. We’ll attach them for you.”
***
Maybe it was thanks to Yun Seok-hwan’s hard work.
Sometimes, our song Something would play on the radio, and we would briefly enter the top 100.
It was disappointing that our overall performance was low, but it wasn’t a total loss.
At least, our recognition had increased.
The views on our dance videos, practice videos, and collaboration videos that were uploaded on the company’s YouTube account steadily rose.
Most of them were from people who subscribed to Lemon Entertainment’s account, but there were also some who came after listening to Something.
They were not many, maybe a few hundred at most.
What should I say?
They were like those people who look for hidden gems in the alleys of tourist destinations.
-I loved Something!! I’m rooting for New Black!
-I searched for you guys after hearing the song lol you’re all handsome
-I’ll keep an eye on you lol
These comments, though few, were a great source of strength for us.
When we were tired from practice, we would look at them and heal ourselves. That was a new habit we developed lately.
Of course, there was a bigger reward for us.
Me [Grandma, how do you like my song?]
KingGodKimDeoksoon [Good]
KingGodKimDeoksoon [Send me a cassette tape I’ll play it at the store]
Me [Where do you find tapes these days? It’s all digital]
Me [Anyway, just wait a bit]
Me [Maybe we’ll hit the jackpot soon ㅇ]
KingGodKimDeoksoon [You’re amazing]
I knew my grandma wouldn’t be so nice.
KingGodKimDeoksoon [Did you think I’d say that you bastard]
KingGodKimDeoksoon [Stop wasting your time and practice until you bleed]
Seeing her reply full of curses, I felt relieved.
Maybe I wasn’t normal either.
But she was just saying that.
I could see how proud she was of me.
She must have bragged to everyone around her.
“My grandson is a singer! An idol singer! He even released a song!”
She would say and promote us.
I felt happy that I could give her a gift.
I hadn’t achieved anything until now.
She only cared about me.
“Hyung.”
Bi-ju poked me in the side.
“Yeah?”
“Ji-ho is waving at you.”
“Oh.”
I looked down and waved back.
Among the boys and girls in middle school uniforms, our youngest brother was waving his hand with a bright smile.
February 13th.
Today was Ji-ho’s middle school graduation ceremony, just a day before Valentine’s Day.
***
“Who are they?”
“They’re celebrities. Celebrities.”
“Do they appear on TV?”
“Mom, they’re not celebrities, they’re trainees. They’re like interns who work at a company.”
“Our Sooyeon knows everything.”
“Mom, you’re so out of touch. Even elementary school students know these things nowadays.”
“They’re so handsome.”
“See that guy in the middle? Doesn’t he look like he’s good at studying as well as being handsome?”
Yes, ma’am. I bow.
“You’re too much. He’s a troublemaker, what do you mean he’s good at studying?”
“No, I mean he looks like that.”
“Well, at least they don’t act arrogant. I thought celebrities would be flashy and all, but they all look so innocent.”
We heard whispers from everywhere about us.
We pretended not to hear and leaned on the railing with relaxed gestures, but we actually heard everything.
Our smiles widened whenever we heard words like ‘handsome’ or ‘cute’.
Ah, I’m happy.
I love attention. We love attention.
“It feels like we get some respect when we go outside the company.”
“Right?”
Bi-ju answered.
“I haven’t heard anyone say I’m handsome in a long time.”
“You?”
“The staff said I have a face that’s buried in the entertainment industry.”
“They must not look in the mirror.”
By the way, our youngest brother is really handsome.
His face stood out among hundreds of people in the auditorium.
The girls who were watching Ji-ho’s every move were also numerous.
Sometimes, when Ji-ho waved his hand, they glanced at us and giggled among themselves.
Well, they must not be saying anything bad.
On the other hand, the boys looked at the girls’ reactions and snorted at us.
I chuckled quietly.
I could guess what those kids were thinking. And it showed on their faces.
They’re so young and naive.
Their skin was fair and their vibe was lively.
“Youth is the best.”
“Stop talking like an old man.”
Ri-hyuk, who was nagging me, pointed his finger.
“Ji-ho’s parents are here, let’s go say hello later.”
“Where?”
“Over there, the group of four women.”
“Wow.”
Jung-hyun’s exclamation represented all of our feelings.
Didn’t he say he had three sisters?
There was a dignified middle-aged man and a gentle-looking middle-aged woman, along with three women in their twenties who had model-like poses.
The power of genes was amazing.
There were more than a few glances at Ji-ho’s family, full of handsome and beautiful people.
But what caught my attention was Ji-ho’s father.
He had a vibe of a corporate executive, and he was covered in luxury suits.
“About Ji-ho’s father.”
“Yeah?”
“Didn’t you say he was a chicken shop owner?”
Bi-ju smiled awkwardly at my question.
“He is an owner. Why?”
“He looks like a corporate executive. I had an image in my mind when he didn’t come to the year-end evaluation last time. But when I saw him in person, he reminded me of Park Taejoon, the chairman of TJ Entertainment.”
“Bi-ju hyung.”
Ri-hyuk cut in.
“Don’t beat around the bush and just say it.”
“Say what?”
“Ji-ho’s father is the president of a chicken franchise, hyung.”
While I blinked, Bi-ju typed the name Wang Hyuntak on the search bar and showed it to me.
-A businessman born in 1957.
-The president of HoHo Chicken.
HoHo Chicken was one of the top three chicken franchises, wasn’t it?
“…”
No wonder Ji-ho’s stuff was so expensive.
He wasn’t just running a chicken shop, he was running that chicken shop.
I saw the sympathetic expressions on my siblings’ faces as they looked at me in disbelief.
They seemed to say, ‘We felt the same way at first.’
He was really a rich kid.
It was the first time in my life that I saw a billionaire, so I was amazed when I saw Ji-ho’s father.
Buzzing.
The eyes of the people who were looking at us rolled to the other side.
Naturally, my gaze followed them.
The entrance of the auditorium.
A bunch of cameras appeared with the sound of shutters from somewhere.
It was a face we had forgotten.
“We forgot about them.”
“Right. They went to the same school as Ji-ho, right?”
The youngest member of Girls On Top, Gil Chaekyung.
It seemed like a long time since I saw her after she picked a fight with Ji-ho.
“She looks so innocent.”
“That’s her. Our son always gets excited and talks about her whenever he goes to school.”
“I thought she would look like a fox, but she’s pretty. She looks like our daughter.”
“She’s much prettier. Yesuh looks like you, so she’s ugly.”
“Can you please shut up for once? You make me angry every time you talk.”
Gil Chaekyung’s appearance was impressive enough to elicit favorable reactions from people.
She had a fine and gentle beauty that adults liked.
As she walked, Gil Chaekyung glanced at Ji-ho, who was waving his hand at us, and then turned her eyes to us for a moment.
Then she smiled.
It was a smile that seemed to have something up her sleeve.
“I’m going to sit next to Ji-ho, okay?”
“What?”
“There are so many seats, why do you have to go there…?”
What the hell. What’s her scheme?
***
Gil Chaekyung was very annoyed.
It was because of the attention that was focused on Joo Hana, who was identified as Juwan’s girlfriend when the controversy erupted.
She was excited when the reporters gathered, but only for a moment.
Most of the questions were ‘How is Hana doing now?’, ‘How do you feel?’ and other things that were extremely unpleasant.
‘Ask me about my graduation.’
At least for today, she should be the protagonist.
She was angry that her sisters couldn’t come to the graduation because of the controversy, she hated that the reporters kept asking weird questions, and most of all, she hated that Wang Ji-ho was happily greeting his brothers.
‘I hate seeing that.’
Why are you smiling like that?
I hated his look so much that I deliberately sat next to Wang Ji-ho.
I’ll make him eat some dirt.
She smiled brightly at the other students who widened their eyes.
“Hi, Jieun and Youngsun.”
We only saw each other once or twice a year.
But they were thrilled that the celebrity in our class knew their names.
Thanks to that, Gil Chaekyung was able to start a friendly conversation easily.
‘These kids are easy to handle.’
It was an easy task for Gil Chaekyung, who had been in the entertainment industry since she was in seventh grade.
She quickly moved on to her plan.
“Hi, Ji-ho. Long time no see.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while.”
“We keep seeing each other at our agency, right? It’s amazing to see you here again.”
The others exclaimed at her words.
“Wow. You’re in the same agency?”
“No.”
“Then how did you meet at the agency?”
Gil Chaekyung whispered in a conspiratorial tone.
“Ji-ho came to get a song from my senior at our agency.”
Strictly speaking, it was a collaboration, but if he objected here, he would only look bad.
Gil Chaekyung smiled sweetly and said.
“By the way, the song came out, right?”
“Really? Ji-ho, you didn’t tell us that.”
“I was a bit embarrassed…”
But Gil Chaekyung’s scheme didn’t seem to work very well.
Ji-ho, who should have blushed a little, was smiling like a puppy.
“What’s the song? No, what’s the group name?”
“It’s not very famous yet, so it’s hard to say…”
Gil Chaekyung answered as if she caught his words.
“It’s New Black.”
“New Black?”
“Right, Ji-ho?”
This was the time when they should have reacted like ‘Who are they?’.
But the situation went in a different direction.
The air around them seemed to freeze for a moment at the name New Black.
‘What?’
A murmur spread like a wave along with an inexplicable silence.
“Did you say New Black?”
Soon, the whole auditorium was filled with whispers, and Gil Chaekyung was stunned.
‘What?’
What is it?
This feeling that I unintentionally gave them a huge promotion.