The Producer Who Draws Stars

Chapter 4: Hitting the Pavement (2)

 

I went straight to Ilsan NBC. On one hand, I held about 20 cheap 500-won CDs with my demo songs on them and to avoid looking like a suspicious person, I was wearing a decent-looking coat.

It took just a 30-minute walk to get there without needing any bus fare.

However, once I stood at NBC’s entrance, I suddenly felt uncertain. 

A man has his pride, after all. Did I really have to go this far?

“I have to.”

My first hesitation quickly faded. Pride won’t feed me, I couldn’t let my pride get in the way of making a living.

Next, I wondered whether to wait in the underground parking lot or at the ground-level entrance. 

This took me about three minutes to decide. 

The underground parking lot seemed the better option, so I slowly made my way there.

There was, of course, a security guard at the parking lot entrance. I tried to look as nonchalant as possible as I walked in, but since it’s unusual for someone to just walk into the underground parking, the guard stopped me.

“Excuse me. What brings you here?”

Fortunately, I had something prepared for this situation.

“Haha, you’re working hard. Here, this is my business card.”

I casually handed him the business card of my friend, Yoon Seong-woo, who works at JM Entertainment. He was, actually, not just a manager, he was a department head there. The guard glanced at me and then took the card. I felt a bit tense—surely, they wouldn’t ask for ID just to enter the parking lot, right?

Luckily, the guard smiled slightly and pocketed the card.

Oh, wait. I need that card back. You never know when you might need it again.

As I hesitated and fidgeted, the guard spoke first.

“So, you’re with JM Entertainment. Here on business?”

“Yes… something like that.”

“Haha. Well, have a good day.”

“Oh, yeah.”

He clearly had no intention of returning the card. 

I felt annoyed but couldn’t do anything about it.

I went down to the chilly, empty parking lot and positioned myself where I could see incoming cars clearly. 

After waiting for about 20 minutes, at around 2:40, a van that clearly belonged to a celebrity pulled into the parking lot. It stopped in a corner spot, and a sturdy yet simple-looking male manager got out first.

“Ji-hye-ya.”

Almost simultaneously, a female singer wearing sunglasses emerged from the back door.

Oh, it’s Seo Ji-hye. She’s a talented idol who has won on ‘Singing Through the Times’ twice.

“Are you feeling good today?”

“Yeah, I think I can make it to the top three.”

“Excuse me~? Hello, you two over there~?”

I approached them calmly. Seo Ji-hye flinched at my sudden appearance, and the manager’s eyes sharpened.

“Who are you?”

The manager blocked me first. I made sure to only look at him, conveying that my interest was in him, not Seo Ji-hye. Fortunately, he got the hint and told Seo Ji-hye.

“Go ahead.”

“Alright.”

It was the answer of someone who had seen a lot of the world.

As Seo Jihye disappeared into the elevator with her stylist, the manager looked me over with a much friendlier expression than before.

Thankfully, my appearance was a bit of a blessing in this situation. Even though I had gained some weight, I wasn’t considered unattractive. Though people often said my face looked sharp when I frowned.

“What can I do for you?”

“Oh, yeah. Well, it’s like this…”

The only issue was that I had brought a song for a male voice.

A pang of regret shot through me as I realized my oversight. I should have known to prepare a song for a female singer too.

As I hesitated, the manager glanced at his watch, growing impatient. Finally, I got to the point.

“Here, this is a demo CD. Please listen to it…”

“I’m going.”

“Oh, wait. The song is really good. Please, just listen to it once. My contact number is on it, and I won’t even charge you for the song…”

“I’m sorry, but I’m only in my second year, so I don’t have much influence.”

For someone who’s probably been through a lot in those two years, he was surprisingly kind. Except for those long legs of his that were striding towards the elevator.

“Please, at least take it. You can listen to it on your way home! It’s really… really good…”

---

“My body aches.”

It was 3:20 PM by the time I handed out a total of eight CDs. There were seven contestants, so how did I end up using eight CDs? I gave two to the parking lot security guards, suggesting they listen to the music when they have some downtime.

“One person is missing.”

However, there were two parking security guards and six managers of the celebrities appearing on ‘Singing Through the Times’. That makes eight in total. So, one person was still missing.

But there’s no way that guy would be late for the recording.

The person who hasn’t shown up yet was Yoon Hyeok-pil, the male singer who had been humiliated by Shin Seung-yeon in the previous episode. 

Desperate and with nothing to his name, as a struggling celebrity in his second year, he wouldn’t be late for rehearsal unless he had given up. 

But why couldn’t I see him?

“…Oh, no.”

A worrisome thought struck me. 

Does he not have a car?

It is possible. Struggling celebrities who can’t afford their own cars often face extreme discrimination than you’d think. 

If that were the case, it means he’s entering through the main entrance rather than the underground parking lot. The current time was 3:15 PM. Rehearsal has already started, which meant I already missed my chance and would have to wait until the recording is over. 

They said the main performance starts at 6 PM, so it’ll probably end around 8 or 9.

Would I have to wait standing until then? That was not ideal…

“Aah.”

I could just go home and come back. 

I scolded myself for being so stupid and turned to leave.

As I headed towards the entrance, the security guards at the exit smiled and greeted me.

“Hello, Producer. Your song is really good. Are you done with your work?”

“Haha, thank you~ But my work isn’t over yet, so I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Alright, take care!”

I said goodbye to the guards who suddenly felt familiar and walked past the entrance of the NBC Cultural Center—

“Ack!”

I almost ran into a disaster. 

I quickly hid behind a nearby signboard, biting my lip at this sudden and unexpected encounter.

In the distance, at the very edge of my sight…

There was a celebrity.

Jung Ha-yeon.

A top star at the pinnacle of the entertainment industry, excelling in both singing and acting. 

She was the brightest star in the entertainment industry and also my high school classmate. Although it felt strange to call her a classmate now, considering the vast difference in our statuses. Back then, she was the leader of our school band, while I was just an aspiring composer with mediocre skills.

“Oh? Oppa, were you waiting for me?”

Her still beautiful voice and familiar silhouette pulled me back into the past. 

The memories of us laughing together, her teasing me about my terrible songs, and all those hastily ended, faded blue memories.

“Of course.”

“They said I could come alone without a manager today.”

“If you took the subway, it would cause chaos. That would be a nuisance. More importantly, how was the shoot?”

A man’s deep voice shattered my memories.

“It was fun. The director seemed to like it too.”

“Really? …But you don’t really need to appear on variety shows. You’re already your own promotion.”

As her manager said, someone like Jung Ha-yeon didn’t need to appear on such shows, especially not for promotional purposes. 

Just by appearing, investors would come running, the public would be captivated, and the status of the co-star would rise. That was her current position.

“Still, it only takes three hours, so why not? It was fun too.”

Even now, she was still so humble.

Her young manager smiled at her like a proud father. He was quite handsome too. 

For some reason, I felt a pang of jealousy, but I would have probably smiled the same way if I were in his position.

“That’s true, but still… anyway, let’s go.”

“Okay.”

After their brief conversation, she got in her luxurious van and left.

A van that probably cost around three hundred million won…

I stood leaning against the broadcasting station’s wall for a long time before finally turning around when the sun had completely set and became colder.

I walked away.

My footsteps echoing heavily on the pavement.