Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 183



Only Krnovel

183. Continue

George Brown, the head of New Era, the label that includes Justin Bieber, Ariel Grande, and Marc, and one of the top five producers in the United States.

George has one hobby that he has been pursuing since he was still unknown.

‘Sound Sky’.

It is an exploration of the sky where all the sounds of the world gather and the musician’s musical playground.

There, he worked as a named user called ‘georgeking’ and made it his daily routine to shout out talented unknown musicians so that they could shine.

Today, George logged into Sound Sky like any other day.

“Let’s see.”

His eyes carefully examine the new songs that have been updated since yesterday.

The mouse wheel goes down endlessly.

New songs piled up in countless piles, like the morning after a heavy snowfall the night before.

“There are a lot today too.”

George mutters softly.

In the past, this amount of new songs didn’t pile up in one day.

The current volume is due to the explosive activity of Sound Sky in recent times.

And the one who triggered this activation was a new user who appeared like a comet last year.

‘D.Voice’.

A genius singer-songwriter from Sound Sky who went beyond the top of the music charts in his home country and reached #1 on Billboard.

The fact that he proved that he could take over the world music market even from ‘Sass’ is what brought about the ‘Great Sass Era’, which caused numerous musicians to jump into the world of music, saying they would follow in ‘D’s footsteps’.

Whenever George saw his name at number one on Billboard, he would suddenly recall the day he first discovered him.

His talent, which appeared as if it had suddenly fallen from the sky overnight, was shocking.

He stole the heart of a top producer with just one minimal song using only three instruments.

The moment I heard his song, the bright daytime turned into a dark night, and the sunny weather turned into rain knocking on the window.

‘I was craving beer.’

Thanks to that, I still vividly remember leaving a comment without realizing it.

After that, D.Voice uploaded a few more works and then suddenly disappeared.

At that time, George was afraid.

I wonder if a musician with this level of talent has strayed from the path of music.

Fortunately, however, the concerns were unfounded.

After a while, D.Voice reappeared.

It was not a return to Sound Sky.

Korea, the land of K-pop.

There, George could immediately recognize the man who had debuted under the new name of ‘Seongjun’.

He rose to become one of the top producers in the US with ‘Listening Ears’.

There’s no way you wouldn’t recognize Sungjun’s composing style or voice.

Later, with the help of Mark, who was acquainted with Sungjun, George was able to hear that he was busking, and after visiting New York to find him, he finally succeeded in meeting Sungjun.

‘And I was able to secure a promise to share ‘music stories.’

Although he was unable to sign her to his own label, he continues to communicate and collaborate with her, including featuring Ariel Grande, who is also part of the label.

I heard that MXM Entertainment, which Sungjun belongs to, was planning to expand its branch in the United States, and at that time, they also suggested a collaboration with ‘New Era’.

If that happens, the day will not be far when I will be eating from the same pot as Seongjun, albeit in a different way.

Anyway, George discovered the ‘star’ called D.Voice in the music sky.

It was at this time that I became even more enthusiastic about exploring the Sound Sky in hopes of finding another gem like it.

“uh?”

Two new users with names I’ve never seen before appeared.

Each of them has the nickname ‘Player B’ and ‘Player D’.

“Are you a friend or acquaintance?”

On the same day, at the same time, a song with a similar name was uploaded.

George’s reasoning was quite sound.

The song titles posted by the two users also added strength to that inference.

[Player B – Game Over]

[Player D – Continue]

One said ‘game over’, one said ‘continue’.

There must have been some intention or plan on the part of the two users to choose such completely opposite song titles.

For example, focus of attention or aggro.

These days, there are quite a few cases of people using strange user names or suggestive song titles to attract clicks.

This is one of the downsides that came with the revival of SoundSky.

“I hope you’re not some sloppy aggro guy.”

George, wearing his headset, started listening to the first song.

A pretty decent introduction to the prelude, just as George had hoped.

No, it goes beyond that and smells like a pro.

Fortunately, he is not an aggro player.

‘So it was an anonymous pro?’

While I was wondering if someone was a sub-character, Player B’s voice pierced my eardrums.

At the same time, George’s eyes widen.

‘This voice···!’

It was such a familiar voice.

A voice that he discovered when he was in elementary school and has been listening to closely for over 10 years.

‘Barbie?!’

I wondered if it was just a similar voice imitating him, but the more I listened, the more certain it was Bobby.

Then George realized that the ‘B’ in Player B stood for Bobby’s first alphabet.

‘Why on earth is this guy doing this in SARS?’

Although I was quite familiar with Barbie’s countless antics over the years, this was the first time I had seen something like this, so I was taken aback.

By the way, Bobby’s song was great.

‘Game Over’ was a love song, which was Bobby’s specialty.

– The moment you look into my eyes, ‘Game Over’.

– I’m sure you’ve fallen in love with me.

The song, which seemed to be directed at the opposite sex or the fans, was filled with Bobby’s confidence.

‘When on earth was this song made?’

The voice that brings sweetness with just breathing and the familiar money code meet to create the ultimate harmony.

If the song had been officially released, it would have immediately shot to number one on Billboard.

But George couldn’t understand why he had to upload the song to ‘SAS’.

His eyes, filled with questions, soon turned to the song of another mysterious user, ‘Player D’.

‘If B is Barbie, then D is probably···.’

Suddenly, someone’s name flashed through my mind.

Just in case, I played the second song just to confirm, and this time too, the wonderful accompaniment soaked my eardrums.

It starts with the piano.

Guitar, bass, and drums follow.

Someone’s unique style is immediately brought to mind.

Then someone’s voice was added over the accompaniment.

– As long as life goes on, I’ll ‘continue’ singing

(As long as life goes on, I will continue to sing)

– As long as life goes on, I’ll ‘continue’ dreaming

(As long as life goes on, I will continue to dream)

The protagonist of the song that spoke of eternity was the man who had dominated George’s thoughts until just a moment ago.

“D.Voice?!”

Finally, a cry of horror escaped George’s lips.

I quickly picked up my phone and tried to contact both Bobby and Sungjun, but…

“···You’re not accepting it.”

There is no reply from either of them.

George put his phone down again and summarized the situation in one sentence.

Bobby and Sungjun both uploaded their songs to Sound Sky at the same time, each with the nickname ‘Player’.

So, a question arises here.

“why?”

One thing we can deduce for sure is that there must have been some conversation between the two that led to the current situation.

George could not even imagine what kind of conversation the two geniuses had had.

one side,

“As expected, everyone noticed···”

George looked into SoundSky and his brain cracked.

These two artists have strong personalities and huge fandoms.

Not only those with good ears, but even ordinary listeners could not help but recognize who they were.

In an instant, the number of plays for both songs skyrocketed, and hearts and comments began to appear like a fountain.

– Is this Barbie and Sungjun?

N yeah that seems right

N Why are these two people here? Is this noise marketing?

Well, I can’t read the way geniuses think.

N It must have been Barbie who was Barbie. Sungjun matched it with her.

– I think they might just be impersonators with similar voices. Considering they’re named ‘Player’, I think they’re just seeds that need attention.

n Similar idea, but a little different. I think they are definitely AI.

ㄴ The song quality is too good for it to have been created by AI?

ㄴ The skills of AI these days are amazing. The era of humans composing music will soon be over.

N, did you buy any AI technology stocks?

There are many arguments going on in the comments.

At the same time, the two people’s songs began to spread through various online communities, including YouTube.

And a little later.

[Connection is delayed due to a large number of users.]

[Please try again later.]

SoundSky is down.

*

“Hmm… The site is down.”

Seongjun let out a sigh as he looked at the connection error message that appeared on the screen.

He kept refreshing the page and comparing the number of views for his song and Barbie’s in real time.

But this way, we cannot grasp the trend.

I just left the site because I had no idea how long it would take to reconnect to the server.

It was a waste of time to just foolishly stare at the frozen screen, since the result wouldn’t change even if I watched it myself.

“By the way, the opponent is indeed a top singer.”

Seongjun muttered, recalling Bobby’s song still ringing in his ears.

The guy’s song was as great as expected.

It gained popularity with its familiar money code and the theme of ‘love’, and its sweet voice was a true scam.

If the song had been officially released, it would have been a given that it would have taken first place on Billboard.

But if you ask me if that means I’ve lost my fighting spirit –

‘The answer is ‘no.’

It’s true that Barbie is great, but this one is no slouch either.

All the know-how and essence accumulated over the years were put into one song.

He built up the melody and instrumentation by calculating at what moment people who enjoy listening to his songs feel the greatest joy and excitement.

I dare say that this is the song with the deepest sincerity and highest level of perfection among all the songs he has composed so far.

‘Last time I checked, Barbie was slightly ahead in plays.’

But the difference is so small that it can easily be reversed.

In the end, it seemed that only by going all the way to the very end would we be able to determine the winner.

“But why did that guy’s song have to be titled ‘Game Over’? Seriously.”

A few hours ago.

Sungjun’s eyes widened when he saw Bobby’s song uploaded at the same time as his own song.

The English word that stands in opposition to ‘Continue’ is ‘Game Over’.

If someone had seen it, they might have mistaken it as something the two had intended.

Is this a coincidence or fate?

“Well, but you can just ask him yourself.”

Seongjun checks his watch.

The period for counting the number of music streams promised to Barbie was exactly 24 hours.

Same period as applied to the bet against the Johnson Twins.

What I mean is,

“I guess I should start going out soon.”

Seongjun stood up from his seat.

He went out into the street wearing [ordinary glasses].

The path that makes your feet tremble is not unfamiliar.

Myeongdong, a place crowded with numerous foreign tourists.

When he arrives at the top floor of a five-star hotel located in the center of the city and rings the bell, a blond, blue-eyed handsome man greets Sung-jun.

“Welcome. You’re right on time.”

The owner of the top floor, Bobby, opened the door and let Sungjun in.

As we follow him into the spacious living room, we see a huge wall-mounted TV taking up one wall.

There was a SoundSky website with a message saying ‘Connection is delayed’ displayed there.

“The site should have been restored by now.”

“I guess so. But I left it alone. I wanted to see the results with you.”

After saying that, Bobby plops down on the sofa opposite the TV.

“You can sit comfortably anywhere. Think of it as my home.”

At the landlord’s kind suggestion, Seongjun also sits down on the sofa.

“Your song is killer. I’m in love with it. I can hear you put a lot of effort into it.”

“Well, you were trying really hard to sing as if nothing happened.”

Seongjun shrugs his shoulders at Bobby’s expressions that alternate between praise and teasing, and returns the same sentiment.

Then, Bobby, who had been giggling, asked with shining eyes.

“Is the song title ‘Continue’ a sign of determination as a ‘player’?”

“If you want to hear my answer, you have to be ‘qualified’.”

“That’s right.”

Bobby nodded and checked his watch.

Then he raised his hand to the laptop connected to the TV.

“Time’s up. Alright, time’s up, D.Voice.”

The promised 24 hours have passed.

As he said, it is now time to find out the winner of the bet.

Ddalgak-

Barbie clicked the F5 button, which is the refresh button.

The page is reset to a blank white screen, loading the newly updated site information.

Seongjun and Bobby’s eyes were fixed on the TV.

Numbers lined up next to two ‘Players’.

The number of digits was the same, and the first digit was also the same, but it was never exactly the same.

Two pairs of eyes quickly compared the numbers.

and,

Shhh-

Sungjun and Bobby.

The corners of both people’s lips curved upward.