Chapter 20: Psychological Warfare (4)
“Wow, this is amazing.”
While Yoo Ah-ra was momentarily lost in thought, Lee Yeon-Ji murmured to herself first. However, it seemed to be an unconscious remark and she quickly covered her mouth.
Yoo Ah-ra studied Lee Yeon-Ji’s face, then turned back to me, her lips quivering.
“Um…”
“Unfortunately, there’s a problem.”
I cut her off and stood up.
“You probably know what’s going on, Ah-ra-ssi, or at least you should. Anyway…”
Team Leader Lee Ha-yeon spoke. There was a subtle hint that Yoo Ah-ra was trying to cut me out of the project, but while it might have been understandable if she had only called me, she might have caused enough trouble—it extended to other producers as well, that even Team Leader Lee Ha-yeon was helpless. This meant that she might have to brace herself for the repercussions.
At that moment, I felt a slight swell of frustration from the helplessness of being a novice.
“I made this song with Lilac in mind, but it might not be usable.”
As I spoke, a bitter taste lingered in my mouth. I only wanted to find the right color for Yoo Ah-ra, but if that came across as meddling or if she felt like unnecessary interference, then sadly, I would have to give up working with Lilac.
I was different now from the past when I had abandoned my thoughts to accommodate the singers. The very notion of ‘accommodating’ seems flawed. If I have conviction, meaning if I’m sure about what my artist should do, there’s no need to adjust to them in the first place.
And now that I could see their potential with my own eyes, I felt confident in that conviction.
“Well, I’ll be going now. The details will be explained by the team leader in a bit.”
The three of them stared at me blankly, like baby birds waking from a dream.
I lowered my head and exited the studio room.
Time flew by, and on December 15th, ‘Alleyway’ was finally released.
Promotion consisted of a few posts on the official Letter social media and exposure on the main pages of music streaming sites, along with a handful of articles. There was no extensive push or promotion, yet on its first day, it debuted at 75th place, which was a decent outcome considering the costs involved.
Honestly, while I wished for a higher ranking, placing 75th was still commendable. Yoon Hyeok-pil’s name was still not widely recognized by the public.
Still, I felt good. Not only was all the songwriting, composition, and arrangement done by ‘Heli,’ but more importantly…
[Letter’s talented singer Yoon Hyeok-pil releases a single after a year—this song is amazing!]
[This kind of song should be in the top charts…]
[Lyrics, composition, arrangement by Heli? LOL, so that’s who Hel-ssi is. Not just good at arranging, but composing too.]
Such compliments were heartening to see.
“The reviews are good.”
I muttered while lounging on the now-familiar sofa in the B-1 studio, scrolling through my smartphone. The issues for Lilac were still underway, but I had been granted permission to stay in the studio until ‘Alleyway’ was released.
In other words, if things didn’t go well, I might not be able to come to Letter Entertainment starting today.
However, I genuinely believed the chances of things not going well were slim. After all, I could feel the Lilac members’ anticipation in my bones.
“I’m checking every minute too! Hehehe.”
Yoon Hyeok-pil grinned as he fixed his gaze on his smartphone. Seeing his cheerful expression made me curious, so I asked.
“Aren’t you disappointed? It’s only the 75th place.”
I had hoped for at least a spot in the top 50. But Yoon Hyeok-pil just smiled at me, looking blissfully happy.
“My first album debuted at the 90th place.”
“…Really?”
“I’m just happy. Just being able to sing in front of people again is enough for me.”
I was momentarily speechless. As I thought about what to say to this kind and happy singer, Yoon Hyeok-pil suddenly continued, as if he had just remembered something.
“Right, Hyung. Should I reappear on ‘Singing Through the Times’? The PD reached out for a request.”
“Oh, PD Kim Tae-joo? He contacted me too.”
About a week ago, I had received a message from PD Kim Tae-joo, asking if I could join the Singing Through the Times’ team as an arranger. I had put that on hold for now, but I planned to decline when the time came.
“What should I do?”
“If you want to do it, then go ahead. But I’m not really interested. It feels too bleak. I’m okay with PD Park Jung-woo, though.”
I had even exchanged numbers with PD Park Jung-woo. I saved his contact under the category of ‘Good Connections’.
“I heard he’s going independent next January to prepare a new show. It’s supposed to be a pilot, a music program. If possible, you should go for it. It’s better to have someone you know as the main PD, even if it’s just a pilot.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. I only have memories of getting scolded by PD Kim Tae-joo…”
“For now, focus on ‘Alleyway’. I heard the team leader set you up with music shows and the variety program ‘Hello Radio’.”
Fortunately, most of the artists under Letter Entertainment were on a break, allowing Yoon Hyeok-pil to participate in the music shows and ‘Hello Radio’. I felt a bit anxious about the variety show, but I was confident he’d handle the music shows well.
“Yeah, I’m working hard on my vocal care.”
*Ding—Ding—*
Suddenly, Yoon Hyeok-pil’s phone kept pinging with messages.
“Did you already get a girlfriend?”
“No, it’s not that. Ah-ra Sunbae-nim keeps asking if you’ll produce for them.”
“Oh, really?”
Come to think of it, I realized she had been anxiously waiting for four days already.
“Just say it depends on how things go… No, just say I’m positively considering it. Oh, and mention that your persuasion seems to have worked, you might as well score some points with that.”
I definitely planned to produce for them, so it would be unwise to hold out too strongly and risk losing the opportunity.
“Hehehe. Yes. Thank you, Hyung.”
“Alright, I’m heading home now. Make sure to practice hard.”
I received Yoon Hyeok-pil’s farewell greetings as I stepped outside.
At that moment, I sensed a hurried rustling, as if someone was trying to escape quickly.
Something seemed to have hidden behind the wall… Curious if it was the Lilac kids, I approached and found a tall, dark figure pressed against the wall.
It was Yoon Hyeok-pil’s manager, Kim Woo-seok.
“Excuse me?”
“Ahem… Y-yes.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, um, Hyeok-pil-ie has a schedule at 9 o’clock today, so…”
As I glared at him, he trailed off his sentence. He actually looked quite cute in this light.
“But why aren’t you going inside?”
“Um, no, it’s just…”
“What? Are you feeling a bit guilty or reluctant because things are going well without you?”
He had abandoned Yoon Hyeok-pil when it mattered the most.
With nothing to say, Kim Woo-seok bowed his head and fell silent.
I had already heard everything about him from Yoon Hyeok-pil.
Yoon Hyeok-pil had said that Kim Woo-seok was a good person, mentioning that he had put in a lot of effort at first. It was just that things hadn’t worked out well.
“If you feel sorry, then don’t just stand around here. Go in and give it your all.”
“Uh, yes?”
Kim Woo-seok slowly raised his head.
“It seems like Hyeok-pil-ie doesn’t dwell on the past, so make sure to work hard. You need to make up for all the mistakes you’ve made so far.”
Kim Woo-seok’s dazed eyes were fixed on me. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I patted his shoulder and walked past him.
As I walked slowly, I glanced back at the elevator.
I could see Kim Woo-seok carefully grasping the doorknob. Smiling for no particular reason, I intended to step into the elevator.
But then—
“Um, Producer-nim!”
As soon as the elevator doors opened, two people rushed in.
“Aah!”
I jumped in surprise and realized it was Lee Yeon-ji and Kim Yoo-jeong.
“Here you are!”
“Hello!”
Lee Yeon-ji beamed at me, while Kim Yoo-jeong bowed deeply at the waist. They were so cute I almost reached out to pat their heads. I cleared my throat awkwardly and asked gruffly.
“What brings you here?”
“Aw, you’re being too distant! You can drop the formalities!”
Lee Yeon-ji playfully tugged at my arm. Taking the hint, I relaxed my tone.
“…What’s going on?”
Is it about the song?
“We just came to give you a gift.”
“A gift? What kind of gift?”
“No.”
Kim Yoo-jeong shook her head, correcting herself. She looked at me with wide, innocent eyes.
“Not a gift, but a bribe.”
“…Oh, really?”
So they did come because of the song.
While I was still a bit bewildered, Kim Yoo-jeong handed me a shopping bag. She then bowed deeply again.
“Thank you in advance.”
“Yeah. Uh, sure.”
With both hands full of gifts—no, bribes—I stepped out of the main entrance of Letter Entertainment and ran into Yoo Ah-ra. Dressed in a puffy jacket, she looked just like a penguin.
I was about to pass by when the penguin spoke up.
“…Going home?”
What kind of tone is that?
“Yeah, I’m going home. What about you?”
“…I’m waiting for my schedule too.”
“Oh, is that so?”
As I tried to walk away, she waddled over and grabbed the cuff of my sleeve.
“What is it? Didn’t you say you had a schedule?”
“…Let’s go together.”
“Go where?”
Without answering, Yoo Ah-ra hesitated, staring at the ground for a while, then muttered quietly.
“…The album.”
“Hmm? Really?”
I feigned surprise, widening my eyes. Yoo Ah-ra gave me a look as if to say, ‘What’s wrong with him?’.
“It seems like you really hate me. What was it… ‘pot-belly’?”
“……”
At that, Yoo Ah-ra lowered her head and bit her lip. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she took a deep breath, clenched her fist, and looked up at me.
“I’m sorry… I was wrong. But the members really want to sing that song.”
Her apology was clumsy, but I could feel the sincerity behind it. After all, if she hadn’t set her pride aside, she wouldn’t have come to me like this.
As I stared at her, Yoo Ah-ra added one last thing.
It was exactly what I had been wanting to hear.
“I’ll listen to you.”
