73 – Genius Producer. (5) 73
In my previous life, I started training at nineteen—my senior year of high school. I started out as an idol trainee. But I didn't want to become an idol.
The kind of singer I wanted to be was a solo artist, and not just that—a singer-songwriter.
Back then, I didn't know my place. I overestimated myself.
Even though I didn't have that kind of talent, I believed I could do it. Then two years later, at twenty-one, I got lucky and managed to debut as a solo singer.
Yeah. It was luck, nothing more.
But I mistook it for skill.
I debuted, but with my lack of ability, there was no way I was going to succeed. Still, I made excuses—saying the song wasn't good, saying I didn't have luck, blaming anything I could.
I didn't want to admit it.
So I persuaded the company to release a track I wrote. And that song got the best response I'd ever had.
That was the problem.
Because it did well, I gained confidence. After that, I refused to take songs from anyone else and insisted on releasing only songs I made myself.
But the only one that got a good response was the first track. After that, I failed again and again.
Naturally, the company stopped releasing the songs I wrote.
And of course they did. No company is kind enough to keep releasing albums for a singer who can't even chart and can't recoup the money invested.
That said, it wasn't like they never gave me songs.
They gave me one last chance.
That song was If You're Listening to This Song, made by CM.
And right now, that song was playing from Teacher Ha Hyoju's laptop.
I bit down on my lower lip. To me, CM was a composer from my memories.
The composer who made hit songs back when I was in elementary and middle school.
Which meant… after that, they were completely forgotten.
There were two big reasons for that.
First, a new composer came out and took over CM's position as the center of popular music.
That was Kang Seonghun.
But that part couldn't be helped. It was a natural shift. Music is heavily affected by the times—by trends.
And the more "pop" it is, the stronger that tendency becomes.
Back then, idols started rising. Songs that suited idols dominated the charts.
CM didn't fit idol work, while Kang Seonghun was a genius in that space.
So in a way, the generational change was inevitable.
Up to that point, it was fine.
Generational change is natural, and even if the market becomes idol-centered, it's not like only idols exist. With CM's skill, even if they weren't at the center anymore, they still could've done well.
Then that happened.
The incident that completely ruined CM's image.
A plagiarism controversy.
But even from CM's side, there was something unfair about it.
The company CM had signed with had been distributing songs written by other composers under CM's name.
And one of those songs got hit with plagiarism allegations.
Of course, CM posted a statement saying the company had scammed them, and filed charges against the CEO.
The problem was that people didn't accept CM's statement.
The public cursed CM, saying there was no way a composer wouldn't know a song they didn't make was being distributed under their name.
Honestly, that doubt was understandable.
And then the full story came out.
Like I've said several times already, you can't make a song alone.
Composition, lyrics, arrangement, mastering, mixing.
Different specialists work together.
So some composers don't work solo—they operate as a team.
CM was one of those cases.
The CEO of the company CM signed with was also someone who had worked in that producer team.
And that CEO took a song another composer had made, "helped" with it a bit, and then released it under CM's name.
You can't say CM had zero fault.
CM was the team lead—CM created a team under their own name, and still failed to take responsibility for it.
That's why I'm saying there was an unfair side to it.
Anyway, the court ruled in CM's favor, but the public didn't.
Because if you're not someone deeply interested in music, you don't really know how composing works.
Most people didn't even know whether CM was a team or an individual composer.
So CM's image hit rock bottom, and in the end, CM left the industry.
And it was around that time that I received If You're Listening to This Song.
Originally, the song wasn't meant for me.
Another singer was supposed to sing it, but once the plagiarism controversy happened, the company couldn't release it and just let it sit.
But later, it was concluded that it wasn't plagiarism, and from the company's perspective, they'd paid a lot of money for it—so they had to use it somehow.
That's how I got it.
In other words, I got stuck with it—classic dumping.
But that song got the best response out of anything I'd ever released, and it gave me the peak of my career.
Not that I charted.
Still, thanks to If You're Listening to This Song, I got paid for the first time, and I was able to sign with another company.
More than anything, it influenced me a lot.
My composing skills started improving drastically after I received If You're Listening to This Song and started studying it.
But I never got to thank that person.
Because they'd already gone into seclusion.
And now you're telling me that CM is Teacher Ha Hyoju?
"Why? Is the song not good?"
Seeing my blank expression, Teacher Ha Hyoju asked anxiously.
I shook my head. The person who influenced me so much in my previous life was teaching me in this life.
"…No. It's a good song."
"Right? I think so too."
I nodded.
§ § §
"Teacher Ha Hyoju?"
"Yes."
At my sudden question, Seo Chaerim frowned. She thought for a moment, then spoke carefully.
"Sure, it'd be great if we could sign Teacher Ha Hyoju too, but it won't be easy. More than anything, I can't step in directly. If a student goes around saying they're recommending her, that's… you know."
"Would it be hard to persuade the CEO?"
"I don't know. He's totally fixated on Kim Hanol right now."
Seo Chaerim sighed.
Then after thinking for a moment, she asked me—
"But why Teacher Ha Hyoju all of a sudden?"
"I heard a song she made, and I thought it'd be good to work with her."
Honestly, more than that, I wanted to help Teacher Ha Hyoju somehow.
Either way, in my previous life and in this life, she was the person who influenced me the most.
And I'd received help from her too.
So I wanted to change that future.
And more than anything, I wanted to work on If You're Listening to This Song.
Not that I meant I'd sing it—I meant I wanted to produce it.
"Well, I'll keep bringing it up to the CEO, but it'll be hard to do anything right away. Teacher Ha Hyoju is a teacher right now, so she can't sign. If she does sign, it'll probably be after she quits teaching."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
I nodded. Either way, there was nothing I could do right now. I let out a sigh and shoved it into the pile of things for later.
Then Seo Chaerim said to me—
"More importantly, you're going on Star Kingdom, right?"
"Yes. How did you know?"
"Jeong Jaeho told me. Then are you planning to keep going on those kinds of shows?"
"Those kinds of shows… you mean music shows?"
"Yeah. Auditions and stuff."
I shook my head.
"That'd be hard. I'm not a singer. And I can't sing. What would I even do on an audition program?"
"That's true. Tsk… kind of a shame."
"Why?"
"I heard they're making some audition show in the second half of this year. They'll gather people who haven't debuted yet, do a group audition, and for whoever does well, they'll make a debut album and even shoot a music video. Something like that."
"Ah."
Second half of this year—what program would that be?
There were so many singing audition programs.
By the end of this year and into next year, Korea would be swept by an audition show boom.
Solo singer audition shows, idol audition shows, hip-hop audition shows, even rock audition shows.
No matter what channel you turned on, there was an audition show running.
"You know our company isn't just an entertainment company—we also have a streaming service. We got contacted from that side. They asked if we wanted to cooperate. So we're thinking of collaborating and promoting it, and while we're at it, we wanted to send out singers or trainees from our entertainment side too."
"The only people signed to the company are me and Kim Hanol."
"Right. That's why it's a shame. You sure you don't want to be a singer?"
"Don't even dream about it."
When I cut off Seo Chaerim's subtle suggestion, she clicked her tongue. Watching her, I frowned.
Wait—second half of this year?
"When you say second half, when does it start?"
"Filming starts in September. They're taking applications until the end of August, I think? The condition is either trainees who haven't debuted yet, or ordinary people who aren't signed to a company. Basically, as long as you haven't debuted, it's okay, right?"
"End of August…"
End of August, end of August.
The Practical Music Department concert was at the end of July, so if we raised her value as much as possible then and signed a contract—
Wouldn't the timing line up?
"Why—are you going to go on?"
Seo Chaerim asked with a shocked expression.
I shook my head.
"Not me."
"Ah—then your sister?"
I nodded.
An audition program was a perfect arena for Suyeon to shine. And early audition programs were clean—no manipulation controversy.
More than anything, it was guaranteed promotion.
If my memory was right, every audition program that aired in the next year or two pulled strong ratings.
"If your sister goes on, you'll get exposure too, won't you?"
"I'm planning to make Suyeon's songs, so yeah, probably."
"Hm. Then your sister comes to our company too, right? Through my recommendation?"
Seo Chaerim's eyes gleamed greedily.
I cleared my throat.
"That depends on what you do, sunbae."
"Come on. Between us? Aren't we already in the same boat?"
At her words, I smiled.
"Well, for now, wait until the end of July."
"End of July—Practical Music Department concert?"
Instead of answering, I smiled.
The outline of the future was starting to take shape.
§ § §
After the graduation ceremony, spring break started again.
A short break of about two weeks—too short to even call it a break. But even in that brief time, I had way too much to do.
First, as promised, I headed to Haul Studio to meet Won Seongmin. Unlike usual, Haul Studio was crowded.
And most of the people there were from a broadcasting station.
Cameras were set up around the studio, and the members of Blue Aka—including Won Seongmin—were talking in front of the cameras with awkward smiles.
Looks like Star Kingdom was in the middle of filming.
I carefully asked for permission as I went inside. Won Seongmin spotted me and gave a small nod.
As soon as the interview seemed to end, Won Seongmin came over.
"This is chaos."
He sighed, and I gave a wry smile. It didn't look like he was used to broadcast cameras.
Well, Blue Aka didn't really have ties with broadcasting stations.
"What about the song? Is it going well?"
"It's coming along pretty well."
"Can I hear it?"
"…Excuse me, but who is this?"
As I talked with Won Seongmin, people who looked like broadcast staff stepped into the conversation.
At the same time, a camera moved in on me.
For no reason, I tensed up and froze.
Even if I said Blue Aka had no ties with broadcast stations, the same was true for me. I'd wanted to appear on TV badly, but no station ever came looking for me.
"Oh, this is the producer helping us."
"A producer?"
"Yes. More precisely, a producer and composer. He'll be helping me from now on."
"But he looks like a high school student."
At the same time, several cameras locked onto me.
Hmm. On stage, cameras were familiar, but this felt different from being on stage.
The cameras filmed me from head to toe. Since I came running straight after school ended, I was still in my uniform. That was probably what they were capturing.
Maybe I shouldn't have rushed over like this. I should've gone home and changed first.
As I was thinking that, Won Seongmin put his big hand on my shoulder and said—
"He's young, but he's an excellent producer. PD, you'll be shocked once you see him work."
Damn, I thought they were just staff—was he the PD?
He looked too soft, so I thought he was an assistant director.
"Is that so?"
At Won Seongmin's words, the PD looked at me with an interested gaze.
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