Yumi sat in front of her computer, deep in thought.
“Just wing it,” she muttered. Her unfocused eyes drifted to the master keyboard.
“Just wing it.”
Recently, she was getting the hang of it. She hadn’t planned on composing EDM, but it just came to her while arranging a track. She wasn’t entirely confident about the song, but maybe that was the right approach.
President Kang told her to just wing it. Nodding to herself, Yumi opened her music composition program.
“Let’s start with… Daft Punk’s second album.”
It wasn’t like she was a fan of Daft Punk or anything like that. It was just that their free and unique style made their songs great references.
‘Plus, President Kang complimented me for it.’
Yumi began rearranging the entire second album. However, she realized that classics were classics for a reason. She felt she was ruining the original songs, no matter how she arranged them.
Even ‘Technologic,’ which she played for Hyuk, ended up that way. Still, she wasn’t discouraged.
‘These guys have won Grammy awards. I’m just a beginner.’
It was better not to be too greedy. She just needed to rearrange things however she felt like it, by winging it. Yumi felt less burdened, and she continued to rearrange the tracks by just going with the flow and following her gut.
One song per hour.
Depending on how you looked at it, this could be fast or slow, but Hyuk would have been shocked to see her work process.
She deconstructed and reassembled songs, altering them as she wished, then deconstructed and reassembled them again. Since Hyuk told her to do it freely and just wing it, there was no need to stick to conventional rearranging.
Her process was so uninhibited that the songs became almost unrecognizable from the originals. It was more like she was recreating than rearranging. With her workflow, finishing one song an hour was incredibly fast.
“Hmm.”
Yumi listened to the track she had just finished, which was more like a composition than a rearrangement. She nodded, saved it separately, and began deconstructing the original again. She wanted to try rearranging it from another angle.
One song per hour.
In three hours, she turned one song into three completely different tracks. After listening to the songs, Yumi nodded slightly before moving on to the next one.
“Oh! He said I should upload them, right?”
One of her composed songs was already uploaded, and Yumi uploaded the three new tracks in quick succession.
The titles were [Daft Punk – Harder Better Faster Stronger (Yumi Remix Ver.1)], and versions 2 and 3.
After finishing the uploads, Yumi turned off the internet and started rearranging again.
One song per hour.
She continued creating rearrangements that felt like compositions.
**
Meanwhile… At that very moment, a long sigh escaped Hae-yeol’s studio.
“Why can’t I get anything decent to come out? At this rate, President Kang will fire me,” Hae-yeol said.
He was eager to work with Hee-yeon, but he couldn’t come up with a song that seemed perfect for her, like ‘Wish Upon a Moon.’
Feeling frustrated, he opened YouTube and searched for Hee-yeon. It was to see the daily fancams and to rewatch her 40-minute cover video.
“How many times have I watched this already?”
This time, Hae-yeol really wanted to do well. After so long, an artist who reignited his passion had appeared so he didn’t want this to be just another piece of work. Despite watching the videos, though, he couldn’t come up with a song that satisfied him.
“I feel like I know how to approach it, but…”
But he couldn’t create a masterpiece like ‘Wish Upon a Moon’ that managed to fit her perfectly. After pondering for a while, Hae-yeol nodded as if he made a decision.
“Sure. Who cares if he’s a rookie composer?”
We learn until we die, and they say you should even heed a three-year-old’s words. Hae-yeol immediately called Hyuk. Blue Sherbet’s debut song played until he heard a voice on the other side.
– Hello, President Hae-yeol. This is Hyuk.
“President Kang, I’m sorry for the sudden request, but could you connect me with composer LOAN?”
He proposed a joint composition with LOAN to create a song for Hee-yeon.
***
“Haha!”
What on earth was happening? Hae-yeol wanted to collaborate with LOAN to create a song for Hee-yeon?
“This is crazy…”
What kind of song would be born when Hae-yeol’s vast experience and knowledge met LOAN’s talent? This proposal was not only a chance to produce another great song for Hee-yeon but also an opportunity to improve LOAN’s already solid skills.
There was no need to hesitate. I immediately set up a meeting at Hae-yeol’s company, and I took the opportunity to pick up LOAN from Uijeongbu.
“You really didn’t have to come all the way here, President Kang.”
LOAN was dressed in a sharp suit with his hair neatly styled. He smiled sheepishly, aware of my gaze.
“Well, today’s meeting is with someone really special. Haha,” I responded. “In fact, President Hae-yeol holds you in high regard. Why else would he ask for help?”
LOAN frantically waved his hands in denial.
“Oh, no! It’s not like that. There’s nothing to help with. I can’t even compare! Compared to him, I’m not even a drop in the ocean!”
“You’re too humble. Have more confidence in yourself.”
We got into the car, and I carefully broached the subject. I was hoping to resolve a long-standing question.
“By the way, LOAN.”
“Yes?”
“Is there a reason you keep postponing going independent? I think you would find it much easier if you set up a company.”
“…” LOAN remained silent.
I had tried to support LOAN because I was worried that another company might snatch him away. I pushed for his independence, but he kept postponing without any specific reason.
“We’ve had so many requests for collaborations with you.”
“Oh! I-I’m sorry about that.”
“No worries. I only connected a few people with you. Don’t people contact you directly now?”
“Yes, you’re right.”
Everyone wanted to use LOAN’s music while they could still afford it.
LOAN sighed and said, “It’s a bit exhausting.”
“That’s why I suggest you set up a company instead of freelancing. Most composers at your level work that way.”
“…” LOAN swallowed his response again.
I couldn’t push him further, and the car fell silent. Many moments passed before he spoke cautiously.
“Um…”
“Yes?”
“I want to join K Management.”
“Oh.”
He wanted to join my company. I hadn’t expected that. It was a possibility I dismissed after considering it with about 0.1% of my brain.
Who knew he would still be holding on to the proposal I had made some time ago? Given his rising status, he could be more ambitious.
I guess that’s LOAN for you.
“I would love to have you, but we don’t have the capacity to support you properly yet. We can’t even provide a studio or staff.”
“I can take my time finding a studio. I can rent one or work from home like I do now.”
“But then how is that different from freelancing? I can’t let your talent go to waste like that.”
“Sorry?”
“My trainees. They all have overwhelming talent, but I feel guilty because they can’t spread their wings under my care.”
That was before my return. Things were changing, but the fact that their debuts had failed remained. Maybe it would be different in the future, but right now, I had my hands full just trying to help the girls realize their potential.
I hated to lose LOAN, but knowing he felt this way was enough. He would always be willing to help me, and not having him join HS Entertainment was already a win.
“To support someone of your caliber, we at least need a proper studio. I can’t keep having you buy new equipment with your own money. It’s better if you set up a company and manage it yourself.”
“…”
“I can help you establish the company and set up a system. You don’t owe me anything, but if you want to repay me, just do what you can. Don’t overextend yourself.”
LOAN fell silent for a while before nodding heavily.
“I’ll do my best to help within my limits,” I continued.
“Thank you.”
One thing Hyuk didn’t realize was that LOAN’s sense of debt to him was deepening by the minute.
***
After dropping LOAN off at Hae-yeol’s studio and chatting with them briefly, I left. Given LOAN’s style of working directly with artists, they would probably call Hee-yeon in soon. Not today, though.
I headed straight to the practice room. Today was Yoon-jung’s evaluation.
While I had been focused on Hee-yeon, Yoon-jung made significant strides on her internet streams and YouTube channel. Her average viewership had reached 1.2k, and her YouTube subscribers had nearly hit 80k. It was impressive growth, but knowing her potential, I wasn’t surprised.
Her main content was still dancing. Everything else was just extra, but she couldn’t dance all day long. Plus, the streams were beneficial financially and promotion-wise, so it was good to keep them up.
As I entered the basement of the shabby villa on the outskirts of Ilsan, I finally heard the blaring music. The soundproofing was excellent, at least.
“Haa… President Kang. Haa… You’re here,” she said, panting.
“Yeah. Take a little break.”
“Okay.”
She plopped down on the floor, catching her breath. I had seen her like this many times, but her eyes and expression were much brighter than before.
“Your streams are going well?”
“Yes. I even started doing mukbangs.”
(T/N: Mukbang is an online trend where hosts live stream themselves eating large amounts of food while interacting with viewers. It originated in South Korea and gained popularity around the world.)
“…?”
“I used to stop streaming to go eat, but people kept telling me to just eat on camera. They seem to like it, and I’ve been getting a lot of donations.”
Even though Yoon-jung loved eating, she couldn’t eat a lot, so it wasn’t as if mukbangs really suited her. Maybe the viewers liked mukbangs because they got to see more of her face? Until now, they had only seen her pretty face in a small window while she was gaming.
“How much do you make in a day?”
“Well, it varies, but I think I make about 600,000 Won a day.”
(T/N: About $600!)
“…”
Wasn’t that more than Hee-yeon made? She earned more revenue from streaming than our company. Hee-yeon had to take breaks and there were other expenses to cover, after all.
“Wow, that’s great. You’re making a lot.”
“Yeah, so I’ve been treating the others to nice meals a lot.”
I couldn’t help but feel a bit envious.
I masked my expression and said, “Can I take a look?”
“Sure!”
She jumped up and smiled brightly. It was nice to see her this confident. It must have meant that her dancing skills improved by that much, too.
With the future dance star full of confidence, I couldn’t wait to see what else she had in store.
—