The middle school I currently attend, Hye Sung Middle School, was as peaceful as ever today.
During lunchtime, I felt the gentle spring breeze while sitting on the bench, and the sight of male students playing with a ball on the playground looked truly energetic.
From the music room on the first floor, the sound of an amateur playing the piano could be heard, and as always, here and there in the classroom, female students were chatting with each other and giggling.
Hmm. To anyone, this looked like an extremely peaceful middle school setting.
Well…
“Shit!! What the hell is this song??!!”
The peace was rather loud, though.
I looked at the culprit who had screamed with an indifferent expression.
Kim Tae-hwan.
The guy had one Bluetooth earphone in his ear and was yelling with an excited voice.
“Are you trying to make me hear this?”
“Of course! So can you quickly empathize with me? You must have heard those songs, right?”
“Baek Ye-rin’s songs?”
“More precisely, the songs of Baek Ye-rin and Ha-on.”
Baek Ye-rin and Ha-on.
They were the names of the newly debuted singer and songwriter who had just joined RT Entertainment a few days ago.
And the world was currently buzzing with their stories.
[An unprecedented performance: A rookie releasing their third album. Everyone who bought the album out of curiosity showered it with praise…]
[The true identity of this rookie releasing their third album turns out to be a mere 16-year-old middle schooler?]
[Massive influx of Baek Ye-rin’s songs into the top 30 of the music charts! One track easily topped the charts after being released for just one day, causing a massive upheaval in the music industry.]
Initially, many people thought it was simply a noise marketing strategy, but as soon as they heard the songs, their reactions became crystal clear.
Moreover, the singer was revealed to be a 16-year-old middle school girl…
Not only that, she was so pretty, had a great voice, and sang incredibly well, earning the title of a “genius singer,” which made her the subject of the “cheating character” talk.
It was then that people began to understand why Kang Beom-jun had made the bold decision to invest in a third album for a rookie.
This was a very satisfying sight, in my opinion.
Her historic debut turned out to be incredibly special.
Even though I had worked hard for a few months to make that happen, I didn’t regret it at all.
I’m sure all the people at RT Entertainment think the same way.
-Hey… President. We already have a lot to handle, but there are too many inquiry calls. I might just cut off the lines.
-Me too, I receive over a hundred interview requests daily. Let’s all just suffer 24 hours a day! Hahaha.
-President! My nose is bleeding!
Hmm… Probably?
I smiled contentedly and said to Kim Tae-hwan.
“If it’s Baek Ye-rin’s songs, I’ve probably heard them all. It feels like I’ve instantly become a fan.”
“Oh, then what do you think about Haon, the composer?”
“Why bring up the composer all of a sudden?”
At my question, Kim Tae-hwan sighed deeply for some reason.
“Man, do you not get what the real core of this situation is? The appearance of a genius singer? Okay, I agree with that part too. But what really made Baek Ye-rin stand out is nothing other than the songs themselves.”
“Uh…”
“Anyway, all these songs of exceptional quality were created by one person. What does that mean to you?”
“The composer’s abilities are outstanding?”
“Beyond outstanding—it’s just a madman.”
Sorry, but that “madman” happens to be standing right in front of you.
By the way, Haon is my stage name as a composer.
-Why did you choose ‘Haon’?
Suddenly, a conversation I had with Baek Ye-rin a few weeks ago came to mind.
-It doesn’t really have any special meaning. I used to be named Ryu Ha-on, and that name popped into my head, so I just casually picked it.
-So your current name is a changed one?
-Yeah. My parents went to some temple where a famous monk recommended the name change…
I don’t know the exact reason either.
Thanks to that monk’s suggestion, my name changed from Ryu Ha-on to Ryu Won, as my mother told me.
And my real name isn’t that important.
What matters is that by keeping my identity hidden, Baek Ye-rin shines even more.
Just check the reactions on online communities—everyone’s praising the debut of a genius singer.
As long as the spotlight continues on her like it is now, there’s no way Haon, the composer, is going to float to the surface.
At least, that’s what I thought.
*
After Baek Ye-rin’s album was released, an interview with a famous figure was uploaded to various media outlets.
He had this to say:
-The singer’s talent is undoubtedly remarkable, but this simply comes down to the songs themselves being great.
If an ordinary person had said that, it would have gone unnoticed and forgotten.
But this time, things were a bit different.
Lee Ji-hak. Age 50.
A music critic and renowned composer, as well as the CEO of one of the top three entertainment companies, Queen.
He was one of the key figures leading South Korea’s popular music scene.
-I listened to the songs from the controversial recent album to check what Kang Beom-jun is up to. I was shocked. Especially the title track from the first album, <Rewind>, it felt like sinking into a swamp. A deep sense of regret and the desperate hope for a miracle to fix it all. It’s a very typical story. But precisely because it’s typical, it resonates. And the delicate melody and lyrics elevate it to a whole different dimension.
And he praised it to no end.
To the extent that he made a request.
-Thanks to this, I was spellbound and ended up listening to all the songs in the album. The fact that all the lyrics and compositions were done by one person astonished me and made me incredibly excited. I really wonder what kind of person Haon, the composer, is… Therefore, I hope Kang Beom-jun introduces Haon to the world as soon as possible. He deserves the same recognition and attention as Baek Ye-rin.
By the way, Kang Beom-jun gave the same response during another interview.
Since the composer only wants his music to be evaluated, there will be no disclosure of his identity moving forward.
…
…
…
[The true identity of rookie composer Haon? Or is he even a rookie? The name keeps being mentioned among experts, and speculations are rife.]
[CEO Lee Ji-hak, “There’s no way someone could compose songs of this level and be a rookie. If he really is a rookie…”]
“See? Didn’t I say that Haon’s name would surface within a few days?”
Kim Tae-hwan proudly shared the recent news about Haon with Ryu Won.
People still remained focused on the appearance of the genius singer Baek Ye-rin and the excellence of the songs.
Because for them, those two positive facts alone were enough to give them satisfaction.
However, the stance of professionals in the industry was a bit different.
There was no way they wouldn’t be curious about the identity of Haon.
Why?
Because, unlike Baek Ye-rin, who is a singer, Haon is a composer.
A composer’s activities can remain relatively unrestricted.
Moreover, since everyone in the music industry tends to know each other, exchanges tend to be active.
Simply put, the moment you build a relationship, the possibility of collaboration arises anytime.
But if the identity remains secret and the activities continue, contact becomes difficult, creating a scenario where RT Entertainment completely monopolizes Haon.
“So instead, they’re criticizing Haon and RT Entertainment. Saying that there must be some nasty reason why the identity isn’t being disclosed.”
“Really ridiculous talk.”
“Yeah, it’s ridiculous. But I bet RT Entertainment will handle that part properly, won’t they?”
Ryu Won smirked at Kim Tae-hwan’s words.
There won’t be any handling because it’s unnecessary.
After all, they still had the strongest ace they hadn’t shown to the world yet.
Ryu Won remembered.
A truly unforgettable and special moment from a certain singer that he had witnessed in his life.
“Ye-rin, we finally have the schedule for your first stage.”
And that moment was just around the corner.
Issues are usually overshadowed by bigger issues.
When Baek Ye-rin steps onto the stage and sings in front of people, the attention towards Ha-on will completely fade.
Ryu Won was confident of that.
‘Of course, assuming things go smoothly.’
However, recalling a certain incident from his previous life, a slightly uneasy thought crossed his mind.
No matter how strong a person’s mental resilience, and how bright a young girl may be…
“Really a genius, Ye-rin is. If people knew that you’ve only been seriously studying singing for a few months, they’d fall off their chairs in surprise!”
“That was perfect acting just now! The music video shoot went so smoothly, it’s a first. Truly, a genius singer is different from the start.”
“All of these gifts are from your fans. Even though a fandom hasn’t fully formed yet, I couldn’t believe it would get to this extent…”
Because too much expectation and attention could sometimes lead to negative outcomes.
