Chapter 29: New Album (2)
“Ah, Hyung, that’s going to be a bit tough.”
Letter’s exclusive producer, Kim Yo-han, was on a call in his private studio. His tone sounded strangely submissive, but his posture—legs crossed on the desk—oozed arrogance.
-Doesn’t matter to me. I can just hand it over to the ones I promised before.
“Oh, really? Hah, well, sorry about that. Our team leader is as stubborn as a rock, and the team members are all hung up on this Heli guy or whatever he’s called.”
Heli—a newcomer with a stage name that irked Kim Yo-han from the get-go. A nobody, here to scrape by on whatever crumbs of attention he could drum up.
…Or so Kim Yo-han had already decided.
-Hmm. Heli, huh? I’ve heard of him. ‘Mountain Scenery’ wasn’t bad. How’s his track for Lilac this time?
“Well, the results aren’t terrible, but Hyung’s are way better.”
Was it because he had a preconceived bias against an amateur composer? Or was it confidence from years of experience in the industry? Maybe Heli’s style just wasn’t to his taste. Whatever the reason, Kim Yo-han simply found Heli’s song lacking.
-What about the CEO?
“Ah, you know how the CEO just melts when it comes to Lee Ha-yeon. He practically worships her—it’s an obsession at this point.”
-Hmm… alright. Just keep in mind that Lilac’s song is going to be competing with mine.
“It’s not like it’s Lilac’s first time dealing with tough charts or music show schedules, you know? It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine.”
Kim Yo-han narrowed his eyes, thinking back to recent events. After all, he was the one who produced Lilac’s previous album.
-Shame. I was hoping Lilac could push a bit higher on the charts this time. They’ve been working hard.
Kim Yo-han smirked silently.
Jellay—the Midas of the music industry. Over the past five years, he had produced title tracks for six girl groups and four boy groups, and every one of them had been a hit.
Yet, Kim Yo-han found Jellay’s attitude hard to stomach.
‘Just because he’s successful, he acts like some kind of savior. Who does he think he’s saving, really? He only picks groups that are already on the rise, so there’s nothing to ‘save’.’
Now that Lilac is trending, he’s just trying to add to his success story.
But, setting aside his thoughts, Kim Yo-han’s voice took on a sugary tone.
“Hahaha, well, they’re lucky. If this album flops, Lee Ha-yeon won’t look good either, you know? To turn down Jellay’s song like that… Hahaha.”
-Don’t be too harsh, anyway, the song’s going to Pluto. I’ll call you back later.
“Yes, yes, take care, Hyung. I’ll be looking forward to your feedback on my next track~”
-Sure.
The call ended from the other side. Kim Yo-han clicked his tongue, muttering to himself.
“Pluto, huh…”
He could only imagine the frustration of the producer already working on Pluto’s album—now forced to fit in Jellay’s song out of nowhere. And with ‘VBlue’ set to release a mini album soon, Jellay’s song with Pluto would create yet another big competitor for Lilac.
“Well, it’s your luck to deal with it.”
He said with a smug smile, imagining the challenge Lilac’s team would face against such powerful rivals.
The title track for Lilac’s new release, ‘Lonely Flower’, had finally been decided—it was ‘Idol’. With that settled, there was nothing more I needed to worry about.
Things like choreography, stage setup, and promotions would be handled by the company.
Top producers might have some influence over those non-musical elements, but I wasn’t one of those ‘star composers’.
Since there was no longer a reason to go to Letter, I found excuses every day. Whether I was exercising or composing, I made sure to head to Letter an hour before midnight.
In the first-floor lobby, I’d wait around, pretending not to. Sometimes, I ran into her; other times, I didn’t.
“A survival show?”
On lucky days like today, we’d exchange a few words in the lobby for about three minutes, until CEO Ji Hyun-wook or her driver came to pick her up.
“Yes, the trainees are doing a survival program against each other.”
“Ah, I know what you mean.”
Although it’s not aired on TV, the world of trainees is intense. It’s practically a battlefield, full of jealousy, direct competition, and ironclad rules.
Forget dating—even just being caught talking to someone of the opposite gender could get you dismissed.
“They usually split them into boys and girls, don’t they?”
“This time, with Cadillac debuting, there are only female trainees left.”
“Oh, really? And how does it work?”
“They’re ranked on dance, singing, and a special skill. The judges are the company producers.”
The lobby at Letter is spacious, but even at a relaxed pace, it only takes three minutes to reach the front entrance. Ji Ah-young tends to walk quickly.
“What’s your special skill, Ji Ah-young-ssi?”
“Acting! It’s really fun. I even got quite a few compliments.”
She then smiles brightly, her profile looking as if it were drawn to perfection. Caught staring for a moment, I quickly asked another question to keep the conversation going.
“Oh, really? How about vocals?”
Her eyes subtly shift, a slight furrow at the edges. Her lips are still smiling, but not her eyes. One of Jeong Ha-yeon’s many little habits.
My heart sank for a moment.
“Hmm… I’m working on it, but my evaluations have been pretty harsh. I’m starting to wonder if I just don’t have the talent for it.”
“What? Your singing?”
Why? Objectively, Ji Ah-young has got to be one of the best. Have the producers suddenly gone tone-deaf?
“Yes, and I completely flunked the dance, too.”
The dancing part I could understand—she doesn’t seem like the best dancer. But the singing evaluation still bothered me. Who would give her that kind of review, and why?
I paused, holding the front door handle, and looked at Ji Ah-young.
“Ji Ah-young-ssi, if you feel unsure about your vocals…”
She met my gaze, her clear eyes making me feel unexpectedly self-conscious. I quickly looked down.
“I could help you out. I am a producer, after all…”
Before I could even finish, she shot me down with a smile.
“No, that’s okay. This is something I need to work through on my own.”
“…Ah, okay.”
“Well, I’ll be going now.”
Outside, her driver was waiting. Without looking back, she walked straight to the car.
The driver and I exchanged a quick nod before I watched the car, carrying Ji Ah-young, disappear down the street.
“…She’s like a fortress.”
I clicked my tongue, sighed, and pulled out my phone to call a taxi. I’ve been using taxis more these days since money’s finally starting to come in.
January 15th.
The team wanted to watch the shoot, so we headed to the set of Lilac’s new music video. It was in a studio in the heart of Seoul, and the concept was that the current idols (three members of Lilac) wistfully recall their high school days, watching a young couple with a sense of longing for the past they can’t return to.
The story featured a separate female lead and male lead—played by actress Jin Hyeo-yeon and Chan-hyeok from the boy group ‘Romeo’.
Rumor has it he begged for the role himself. Chan-hyeok is currently at the height of his popularity, so the company jumped at the chance and cast him.
While I was sitting idly on a staff chair, watching the scene unfold, someone approached me. She was an attractive young woman.
“How far up do you think it’ll go?”
The question caught me off guard. Noticing my puzzled look, she calmly introduced herself.
“I’m Oh Hae-young, an entertainment reporter for EN Seoul.”
She offered a handshake and handed me her business card. Not knowing what else to do, I accepted both—the handshake and the card, my first time dealing with a reporter.
“And what exactly do you mean by ‘how far’?”
“‘Alleyway’. It’s been trending lately, climbing back up the charts.”
“Oh. Well…it’ll probably climb a bit more, then stop eventually.”
Currently, ‘Mountain Scenery’ is at fifth, and ’Alleyway’ has reached seventeenth place. I’ve heard my alias (Heli) has been showing up in articles, but the spotlight for this chart-climbing phenomenon is ninety percent on Yoon Hyeok-pil. And that’s how it should be. After all, he’s finally getting the recognition he deserves; I have no intention of taking any of that away.
“Hmm… ‘Heli-nim seemed uninterested in the resurgence of his song…’”
“Excuse me?”
“Kidding, just kidding. But you haven’t signed any exclusive contract with Letter yet, right?”
“Well, no.”
I’d already received a contract from Team Leader Lee Ha-yeon, but there was no point in telling the reporter that.
“When Lilac’s album drops, JKY will likely reach out soon after—assuming this album performs well. Their main girl group will be starting album production soon, too.”
“…Are you by any chance a headhunter?”
“Oh, no, no. Just curious, really. Actually, I came here today because of them—Chan-hyeok and Yoo Ah-ra.”
Her words piqued my curiosity, and I turned my head toward Yoo Ah-ra and Chan-hyeok’s direction.
-Let’s take a short break!
There wasn’t much to look at. The director had just announced a break anyway.
“But how did you even get in here?”
“I said I was writing an article about the music video concept.”
Oh Hae-young glanced over toward Chan-hyeok and Yoo Ah-ra.
“I thought there might be some rumors, but… the way he’s acting, he just looks like he’s throwing himself at her.”
I followed her gaze.
“Noona, will you model for me?”
Chan-hyeok was sketching something on a prop easel, bothering Yoo Ah-ra instead of actually resting.
“Be quiet, I’m trying to relax.”
Yoo Ah-ra shot back curtly and walked over, sitting next to me with quick strides. Even so, Chan-hyeok wasn’t ready to give up.
“Then at least just stay right where you are.”
“…What exactly are you doing?”
I asked, genuinely curious about his antics. Chan-hyeok looked at me, frowning, as if I should already know the answer.
“Drawing, obviously.”
“Just out of nowhere?”
“I got inspired by the props here. I was in the art club up until high school, you know.”
“Oh.”
I nodded, not particularly impressed. Art club, after all, just means he liked drawing in school.
“What’s that reaction about? I even won a few awards.”
“…He is actually pretty good at drawing.”
Yoo Ah-ra backed him up, albeit reluctantly, as if acknowledging an annoying fact.
I just chuckled to myself. Was this how professors felt when they looked at me when I was ten?
Yoo Ah-ra tilted her head, curious at my nonchalant attitude.
“Oppa, are you good at drawing too?”
“Well… by an average person’s standards, you could say I’m pretty decent.”
“Oh, what’s this? Confidence, huh?”
Just then, Chan-hyeok boldly put down his pen and walked over to me. Maybe it was because it was break time, but I could feel some attention turning our way.
“Then how about we make a bet?”
“A bet?”
“Yes. We’ll each draw a portrait of Ah-ra Noona, and the loser… well, what should the loser have to do?”
He crossed his arms, looking supremely confident.
A wager? I’d heard of betting on pool games, but betting on art was a first.
“The loser has to pay the winner 100 million won.”
“…What?”
Chan-hyeok’s eyes went wide. I chuckled.
“Kidding, kidding. Honestly, looking at you, I think you’re the better artist here. I’ll just take the loss.”
I tried to play it off as a joke, intending to step back gracefully. After all, I understand the urge to impress someone. Art, music—both are classic ways to catch someone’s attention. There was no need to crush his spirit right in front of everyone.
“It doesn’t matter to me.”
…If only he hadn’t said that next part.
“Because there’s no way I’m losing.”
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