The day after I left with Baek Ye-rin to find inspiration for the song.
“Hmm. Of all days, why during a holiday? A rumor that Ye-rin appeared at a streetside karaoke booth…”
“…”
“And she’s even dressed so nicely? Could she possibly be on a date with someone? Mr… who is it?”
The moment I saw the mischievous look on Kang Beom-jun’s face, I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Stop teasing me. We just wandered around various places together. Though… her appearance at the streetside karaoke booth was never part of our plan.”
There had been no prior agreement between us, so we had no choice but to take separate taxis home to avoid people’s attention.
Still…
“Didn’t you create another trending video thanks to this?”
When Baek Ye-rin suddenly showed up at the streetside karaoke booth and started singing before disappearing, she caught everyone’s attention.
Even though the crowd was so dense that no one could see her face directly, Baek Ye-rin managed to stop the footsteps of countless passersby with just her voice.
Through this, Baek Ye-rin reaffirmed to everyone:
No matter the condition of the microphone, the location, the sound quality, or the clarity of the audio, none of that matters when you’re among the best singers in the world.
While there are many people in the world who sing well, true singers stand out in a completely different class.
Naturally, the speed at which the video of Baek Ye-rin singing in the street spread was incredible.
“Anyone who sees this is going to assume it was a surprise marketing tactic from RT Entertainment. But we had no intention of doing anything like that.”
“Who could ever imagine that the reason Ye-rin sang on the street, even revealing her identity, was solely to help a composer find inspiration?”
“…Isn’t that right?”
“So, did it help at all?”
I smiled faintly and nodded.
“Yes. Thanks to it. Although… it just gave me an idea for one song.”
“So? Do you have any intention of immediately releasing that song?”
“That depends on the result, doesn’t it? Why do you ask?”
“I just really want to take a break this year-end.”
Kang Beom-jun continued with a slightly saddened expression.
“Ryu Won, how long has it been since we first met?”
“Eight years… no, a little over one year?”
“Yes, one year! It’s barely been one year since the day you sent me an email asking for a critique!”
“Ah, hearing you say that, the memories of that time come flooding back. Time really does fly.”
It was the moment I sent Kang Beom-jun an email asking him for feedback on my music, and we ended up going together to see Baek Ye-rin perform at a festival, that our connection in this life truly began.
Following that, the debut album of Baek Ye-rin, her first concert.
And finally, my sister’s joining of RT Entertainment.
“Were there ever any newly established management companies that grew this fast? This year, we’ve presented some incredible performances one after another. So let’s quietly wrap up this year and slowly plan for next year.”
Kang Beom-jun’s reasoning was sound.
RT Entertainment had pushed itself too hard during the last year.
Now, it was indeed time to rejuvenate a little.
However…
“I sincerely hope you don’t cause any more chaos. Whether or not we can rest depends entirely on you.”
My head couldn’t help but tilt in confusion at that remark.
Kang Beom-jun, on the contrary, looked at my reaction, made a face of slight bafflement, and said,
“Is there a single thing we’ve done so far that didn’t originate with you?”
“Hmm… Well, there’s the matter of my sister’s joining.”
“Yes. You understand now. Exactly.”
“…?”
Does that make me the villain here?
To be honest, I feel a bit wronged.
It’s not like everything I did was on purpose.
I truly just wanted to release Baek Ye-rin’s third album and end the year on a positive note.
“Mr. CEO, I just had an interesting thought.”
“Oh, please don’t.”
“Don’t panic. How about this: let’s host a winter concert where my sister and Ye-rin perform together? We could also quickly write a duet song for them to perform.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course not, it’s just a joke. Let’s peacefully plan for next year together.”
Relieved, Kang Beom-jun sighed.
Now, thinking about it, the year is ending…
I suddenly realized I was about to face a significant choice:
Whether to continue my high school education.
*
High school is not mandatory like middle school.
So why not simply use that time to compose?
That’s what I did in my previous life.
At the age of 17, when I decided to become a composer, I quit high school to focus solely on composing.
And thanks to that, I am who I am now. But…
“Maybe this time around, I’ll try something different.”
This time, I plan to attend and complete high school.
With two objectives in mind.
1. Experience a real youth that I lacked in my previous life!
2. Discover truly talented people!
And that’s about it.
Frankly, I don’t expect much from the first one.
Who attends high school these days hoping to find youthful romance and nostalgia?
That’s why the second is so important.
Assuming I continue working for RT Entertainment, I can’t possibly keep handling all the composing tasks by myself. If we continue to sign more artists in the future…
Hmm. No matter how I think about it, it’s not going to be easy.
And for some reason, Kang Beom-jun doesn’t seem to feel the need for additional support.
So, it’s up to me to make the necessary move.
I plan to build a team with a partner to work alongside me.
And the school I need to attend? Already decided: Seolhwa High School.
A place where the future leaders of the music industry gather.
That’ll work nicely, especially because it aligns with the young talent-centric values of RT Entertainment. Kang Beom-jun would surely accept my decision, wouldn’t he?
There was, however, something nagging at me.
Firstly, my sister is currently attending Seolhwa High School.
Secondly, with her current status as the younger sibling of Ryu Se-ah, who’s an active singer under RT Entertainment, she’s bound to attract attention.
I suppose as long as we keep our distance within the school, we should be fine… right?
“Smart little brother, you’re smart, right? That means you have to come to Seolhwa with me.”
“Why?”
“Because I need you to collaborate with me at school as well.”
“Never. Even if I go to Seolhwa, I’ll never collaborate with you.”
“Hmph…”
I’ve already stated my position, but my sister is truly an unpredictable variable.
That concerns me a bit.
And then there’s this:
“Which school are you planning to attend? Obviously Seolhwa High, right?”
Kim Tae-hwan… He gives off the vibe that he’ll be attending Seolhwa too.
Actually, given his talent, it’s certain that Kim Tae-hwan will join Seolhwa.
“Recently, I heard some rumors. Supposedly, Ha-on is interested in Seolhwa because your sister caught his attention. Could it be that if I go to Seolhwa, I might also catch Ha-on’s eye, like your sister? Heh-heh.”
“…”
“Plus, frankly, I don’t have many other options. Seolhwa’s reputation as the best high school is well known. So, it’s natural for me to attend, right?”
Certainly, for Kim Tae-hwan, who aims to become a famous singer, Seolhwa offers the ultimate platform.
He’ll probably go for the vocal major in the contemporary music department.
That’s when Kim Tae-hwan looked at me curiously, asking,
“But why are you suddenly asking me this?”
“I also plan to enter Seolhwa High School. Preferably in the contemporary music department.”
“Huh? Are you crazy? No, wait. You’ve always been crazy.”
In response to my declaration, Kim Tae-hwan rubbed his forehead, clearly exasperated.
A very normal reaction.
Kim Tae-hwan must see me as a civilian who knows next to nothing about music.
And such a person saying they plan to join Seolhwa?
“Alright. Wait a second… Are you going for the vocal major?”
“No, I think I’ll go for the composing major.”
“… Let me just ask this: Are you going because of your sister?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Alright. I think I know the answer now.”
Ah!
Kim Tae-hwan has a pretty good sense.
So, naturally, I was curious about the conclusion he had reached.
But then, I heard something completely unexpected from him.
“You don’t seem to like the idea of being apart from me, even in high school, do you?”
“What?”
What nonsense is this guy talking about?
While I internally cursed him for his ridiculous assumptions, Kim Tae-hwan smirked confidently and declared,
“Alright! I’ll cut you some slack. If you pass the entrance exam, as a reward, I’ll personally sing a song composed by you. No matter how bad your composition is, it’ll sound different when I sing it. Besides, getting into Seolhwa already indicates you have some talent.”
Then he patted my shoulder.
He seemed to be encouraging me to try my best in the difficult entrance exams for Seolhwa High School.
“Damn… retract that about you having good instincts.”
As I watched Kim Tae-hwan walk away, I couldn’t help but mutter.
Do I really have to go to Seolhwa High School?
I was having this fleeting thought.
But little did I know, a much bigger problem was still waiting for me…
