‘Six-Seven’ was a hip-hop label that gathers the country’s top rappers and producers. Among them, Crescendo was a rap star whose skill and popularity ranked second to none.

Right now, that very rap star was in the company studio neck-deep in a comment war — with a YouTube account that concealed his identity, of course.

“You’ve got to be kidding. Doesn’t seeing the name Yumi make it obvious she’s Korean?”

Although most people agreed that Yumi’s nationality didn’t matter, a vocal minority still waged fierce debates over it. Even though her music had been featured in foreign films and commercials, gradually revealing that she was Korean, the fact still wasn’t widely known.

“Yumi is definitely a Japanese name? Hah, unbelievable.”

Crescendo typed furiously, going at it with the Japanese commenter. His sunken cheeks and intense gaze gave him a downright intimidating look.

It hadn’t been long since Crescendo became Yumi’s fan. He only discovered her after she started doing hip-hop. Back when she was making EDM, he never knew someone like her existed. It didn’t matter how long he’d known her for him to fall hard.

“She does what she wants without looking back. Mad respect from me.”

When she started gaining popularity attention, she boldly switched genres. Despite how she was becoming popular, she never revealed her identity and quietly focused on her craft. Her creativity and inspiration was a sign of her genius. More than just her music, Yumi herself struck him as remarkable.

“She’s making music much more freely me.”

You only had to listen to her EDM tracks to understand she was a free spirit. She was obsessed with music and clearly hated being tied down. Her musical range was infinite, and she was a genius artist with the qualities that commanded respect. 

Hoping to collaborate with her, he passed Yumi’s channel to the label’s president but got no response from her. It was disappointing, but at the same time, a little gratifying.

“This is Yumi we’re talking about. Of course it turned out this way.”

She was a free spirit beyond anyone’s control. Like many of her subscribers, Crescendo had built up an idealized image of her.

“But still, Japanese?”

After wrapping up the epic comment war, Crescendo replayed her latest upload. He closed his eyes and swayed, completely immersed in the music until the very end.

“I wish we could meet and talk in person…” He said faintly as someone opened the studio door.

It was Trezis, the label’s president.

“Oi, you know Blue Sherbet?”

“Of course I do. Why?”

Trezis grinned. “Apparently, their CEO’s here. He said he wants to discuss a project with you.”

“Really? That’s awesome!” Crescendo’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“It’ll probably be between Hee-yeon Lee or Jin-ah Choi. You cool with either?”

“No problem. They’re different from the other idols.” He paused to think. “But I’m leaning more toward  rock than Jin-ah. Something similar to the feel for ‘Walk This Way.’”

Back in 1986, a popular American band called Aerosmith collaborated with the hip-hop group Run D.M.C. to re-imagine ‘Walk This Way,’ a hit song from Aerosmith’s third album. At the time, hip-hop was constantly dismissed by mainstream media. Their collaboration laid the foundation for hip-hop to break into mainstream music. 

It became one of the most iconic moments in music history. Even now, whenever rock and hip-hop came together, people inevitably thought back to that first collaboration. Rappers and bands dreamed of the day they could do a collaboration that would hit it big.

“Sounds fun. Why don’t you pitch it? I bet our producers would jump at the chance to work with you and Hee-yeon, and say something like how it’ll be fun. If it goes well, you might get more than just one track out of it.”

“It’s been while since I’ve been this down for something.”

Trezis and Crescendo headed to the conference room.

“Hello, my name is Hyuk Kang.” 

After they each received a business card, they pulled out a chair and sat down.

“I’m a big fan of Blue Sherbet, President Kang. Hee-yeon and Jin-ah are incredible.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

Crescendo’s sunken cheeks framed his smile.

“Judging by how things are going for Blue Sherbet, a new release would absolutely take over the industry. Haha! Looks like it won’t be a good time to release my own album, for sure.”

“If your album comes out, we’d be the ones stepping aside.”

The mood was light and friendly. 

No one knew that this was about a collaboration with Yumi, but judging by their attitude, it was clear that they thought highly of Hee-yeon and Jin-ah. My expression softened.

“What style were you going for? A feature?” Trezis asked, cutting to the chase.

Instead of answering him, I wasted no time in getting to the point and asked him a question. 

“Have you heard the song from that Heung-min Son commercial? With Yumi’s song.”

It was the kind of random comment that might have confused someone else, but he just nodded as his face lit up.

“Of course! I’m a huge fan. I was actually just listening to her music on her channel,” he said as he motioned toward his studio.

I said nothing more, just smiled as I watched him. Crescendo looked puzzled, but beside him, Trezis’s face shifted through a range of expressions. He seemed to catch on fast.

“Huh…? What… Huh? What! No waaay!” Trezis’s pitch increased with each realization, and he pointed at me. 

Crescendo looked at him like he was being weird.

“Hyung, what’re you doing… Huh…? Wait a minute.” 

Crescendo’s gaze swiveled to my location as he finally caught on. His eyes widened as far as they could go.

“You’re not telling me… that… Yumi…?”

I nodded, then casually announced, “Yumi wants to work with Crescendo.”

“Yumi from Blue Sherbet is… the YouTuber Yumi? Seriously?!” Maybe it was the shock, but he let out a freeing shout that boomed through the room.

President Trezis looked dumbfounded.

“Can you confirm that with us? You’re saying that the Yumi behind the Heung-min Son commercial track was Blue Sherbet’s Yumi?”

“Yes. She’s our Yumi.”

“…That’s one hell of a twist.”

“Wow.”

They both laughed in disbelief.

“You must be pretty shocked,” I said. 

Crescendo shook his head, pressing his palms into his eyes.

“Honestly… this was beyond shocking. She’s a bit different from what I imagined.”

Watching their reactions was a nice feeling, and their current state made me happy. I wondered if the public’s response would be similar. I was very much looking forward to it.

“How did you imagine Yumi?” I asked.

“Yumi is… well, the YouTuber Yumi felt like… how do I put it… She seemed free from constraints, infinitely talented, cynical, prickly, stubborn– something like that.”

What could I say? I mused. Most of that was wrong. The only thing he got right was that she was infinitely talented.

“So, are you disappointed?” I asked, a teasing smile on my lips.

He stared at me fiercely, then chuckled.

“Disappointed? I’m so over the moon, I don’t know what to do with myself. No matter what illusions I had about Yumi, the reason you came here was because she wants to work with me.”

“True.”

His grin grew even broader.

“It actually works out better this way. If she’d been the Yumi of my daydreams, there’s no way she’d ever collab with me. But since reality was different, here we are with an opportunity. It’s an honor for me. Even if she’s not exactly who I imagined, she’s still an artist I respect.”

At that, Trezis suddenly let out a snort-laugh from beside him.

“Huh? Wait, I… pffft!”

“Hyung, what’s so funny?” Crescendo asked.

“Oi. When you hear Yumi of Blue Sherbet, what’s the first thing you think of?”

He was talking about the rumor that she was holding the group back with her incompetence. Crescendo’s eyes went wide. I wondered how many times I had seen their shocked faces in such a short time span.

Crescendo finally blurted out in a loud voice.

“That’s fucking crazy. Yumi’s incompetent? Where’d you even hear that?”

“Dude, gives me chills. That means the controversy left alone on purpose.”

“Isn’t that like a lot of pressure? Would working with me have enough of an impact on that? If Yumi’s about to reveal her identity, she’s gonna need to pull a real one.”

I shrugged.

“No need to worry about it judging by the reactions from the two of you. Besides, there wasn’t any other candidate. When I asked who she wanted to work with, she named only you.”

His excited expression suddenly turned sharp, and he asked a serious question.

“Can we hear the track? I want to listen and get started right away.”

“Hm. Should I just have Yumi come here? I only came for the initial contact today, but.”

They both nodded eagerly. I excused myself, stepped out of the conference room, and called Jung-han.

“Hey, can you bring Yumi over? They want to hear the track and start working right away.”

***

Not long after, while they were still talking about Yumi, there was a knock at the door.

“…!”

“…!”

The two of them, who had been loudly trash-talking the rumors, suddenly fell silent. They stared at the door without a word.

When it opened, the first person to step in was Jung-han with his broad shoulders filling the frame. Our eyes went to the person behind him. After Jung-han came in, the person who followed was…

“Yumi…”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. What on earth was she wearing?

Half her face hidden by oversized sunglasses. Lips painted a vivid crimson. Massive hoop earrings. A thin leather jacket slung over one shoulder. Leather pants shredded along the seams. Jet-black combat boots.

Her little frame and cherubic features contrasted wildly with this over-the-top, rock-star look. Crescendo and Trezis clenched their lips, trying not to laugh as their bodies trembled. Jung-han stood behind her and avoided my gaze sheepwashly.

“My name is Yumi from Blue Sherbet. Nice to meet you.”

“Yumi… Have a seat first.”

“Okay.”

She lifted her chin proudly, strode over in huge steps, and plopped down beside me. Unable to hold back, Crescendo and Trezis pounded the table and exploded into laughter.

“Gahaha! Hahahaha!”

“Ugh… Pfffft. Umph. Hahaha!”

Yumi’s ears flushed bright red. She looked stunned, her mouth opening and closing as if this wasn’t part of her script. She must not have realized how, well, adorable she looked.

I blinked at her and finally asked, “Why did you dress this way?”

“Is it… strange?”

“Were you trying to look tough because you’re meeting rappers?”

She had no answer. Watching her reaction, the two rappers were practically in tears from laughing so hard. By the time their giggles subsided, they were panting as if they ran a marathon.

“Ah… I’m so sorry. I know it’s rude, but you’re just too cute…”

Her bottom lip stuck out in a perfect pout, defiant even in embarrassment. Yet the two of them gazed at her with looks that said she was adorable.

Trezis wiped tears from his eyes and tried soothing her.

“We really love your music, Yumi. We’ve wanted to meet you forever. We even contacted you about joining our label. That’s how much we respect your work. Just before I came in, this guy was in the studio listening to your music. I bet your channel’s still open on his computer right now.”

Her pout softened as the praise sank in. It was almost comical how easily she was mollified.

Crescendo chimed in, too.

“I wasn’t big on EDM, but I’ve replayed yours so many times. Your ‘About Us’ track is so warm. Even without lyrics, the title makes perfect sense. It reminded me of hanging out with our label family.”

“Really…?”

“Really!”

They spoke in politely, but their tones were pure doting uncle. The president, Trezis, may be older, but Crescendo wasn’t even thirty. Still, they both wore proud, father-like smiles as their eyes brimmed with delight. They almost looked alike, having spent so much time together.

After a few more compliments, Yumi’s tension melted away into a bright, shy grin.

“Would you like to hear the track?”

Her casual offer changed the atmosphere instantly. Crescendo leaped to his feet, unable to hide his excitement.

“Let’s go!”

As we left the conference room and headed back to the studio, Yumi spoke to me in a soft voice.

“They don’t seem as scary as they look.”

“You don’t have to try to look tough for them. Just focus on the music.”

“Not that. It’s not about the music. It’s hip-hop culture itself.”

Her outfit screamed rock more than hip-hop, but I decided not to point it out.

“By the way, does this not look good on me? It’s Yoon-jung’s.”

She actually asked that. Didn’t she see how much they were laughing? But my reply came in the smoothest voice I could muster.

“Whatever you wear, you’ll pull it off. You look too cute to go wrong.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

With those words, Yumi’s steps toward the studio grew even lighter. Pitter-patter, pitter-patter. She was so sweet, but her innocence worried me more than anything.

—

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