Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 21



Only Krnovel

21. That’s right

It’s Saturday.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I checked the number of subscribers I had on YouTube.

In the meantime, 40,000 more people have joined, making it 150,000.

“This is all Yuna’s fault.”

This is a part where we can once again feel the global popularity of top star Yuna.

Meanwhile, on MXM’s official channel, cover songs by other creators have been uploaded one by one since yesterday, and among them were some familiar faces.

A female cover song creator who covers her face like herself.

Channel name: [SHYine]. It was Seol Hye-yoon.

“What? You were invited to the challenge yourself, but you kept it a secret?”

Moreover, since it was the midnight upload that was most popular, it seemed like he received quite a bit of push as well.

I played the cover song with a happy heart.

“Wow, it’s refreshing. As expected from Sulcari Sweat.”

It was a clean cover that suited her clear voice well.

Although her vocal tone is similar to Yuna’s, the emotions were conveyed a little differently. I thought it might be because Yuna sang about her present when she was 26, while Seol Hye-yoon, who is 29, sang while recalling her past.

Oh, if I had said this directly in front of Manager Seol, I would have definitely been scolded. Like, “Are you dissing me because of my age?”

Anyway, Seol Hye-yoon’s channel also gained popularity after being exposed on MXM’s official channel.

The number of subscribers increased from 100,000 to 200,000.

Judging by the momentum, it seemed like it would easily reach 300,000.

It might be more than that since I have a lot of videos that I have been steadily accumulating.

“Compared to that, I only have this one cover song as content.”

If he had uploaded even a couple more cover songs, his subscriber count would have increased even more rapidly.

Of course, it’s not too late, so you just have to prepare quickly and seize this opportunity.

Because the cover song project contracted with MXM starts next week.

Meanwhile, some commenters linked D.Voice and SHYine together, calling them the headless couple or the ‘Durahan couple’ and requesting a duet song or collaboration. It seems that Manager Seol also saw the comments and sent a message with a captured photo.

– Do you want to make a promise, Devoice? If each of your full-version videos gets over 2 million views, you’ll collaborate on a song.

Let’s row when the water comes in.

Seol Hye-yoon is an ambitious person, despite her appearance.

– This time, the agent suggested a duet song first. What should we name it? Should we go with a song of memories? A bitter song?

– Hahaha call. Oh, right, did you apply for the silver button?

Seol Hye-yoon sent me a link when I said I didn’t know how yet.

It is faster to apply yourself than to wait for an email from YouTube.

I quickly applied for the Silver Button following the instructions.

Delivery will take about a week.

– Then I look forward to the collaboration. Have a nice weekend.

That’s how I ended my contact with Seol Hye-yoon.

Now it’s time to slowly move on to the next schedule.

I sprayed some hair spray and matched a white T-shirt with slacks for a semi-casual look. I also put on some Bulgari perfume that I had been keeping for a long time.

The place we headed to after getting all dolled up after a long time was none other than the MXM Entertainment headquarters.

Today was the day of the long-awaited meeting.

In fact, it was an agenda that could have been discussed sufficiently over the phone or by email, but

“If not now, then when else would I go to MXM headquarters?”

There were many factors that contributed to the excitement, such as the pride of being officially invited there and the possibility of seeing a celebrity.

Anyway, it felt like a light outing.

But maybe I was in too much of a hurry because I was so excited.

I ended up arriving at MXM Entertainment headquarters an hour earlier than the scheduled 1:00 PM time.

As I entered the building, there was a female employee at the front desk even though it was the weekend.

“Hello. How did you come here?”

I told the smiling employee that I had a meeting scheduled for 1 o’clock today.

“Ah, it’s D.Voice. Please wait a moment.”

After checking the list, he had a brief conversation with someone on the phone.

And then soon.

“I’ll take you this way.”

We were guided to a cylindrical elevator with a glass front.

“If you go up to the 11th floor, there will be someone there to guide you.”

The door closed, I felt a little dizzy for a moment, and then I quickly arrived at the 11th floor.

As I got off the elevator, a man in a suit was standing there. He was a man with glasses and an intellectual look.

“Are you D.Voice?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The man who heard that smiled and handed over his business card.

“Hey, hello. This is MXM Marketing Team Leader Kim Seong-su who contacted you.”

He was the person who had spoken to me on the phone about the contract.

We greeted each other with a light handshake.

“You’re early.”

“Yes, there wasn’t as much traffic as I thought.”

Of course there was no way the traffic would be blocked. I came by subway.

But I didn’t say that I came early because I was excited.

4th year of working life as a social worker.

I didn’t want to show off my excitement to the contractor.

It’s easier to get what you want if you have a certain amount of moderate pressure.

“The others still have schedules. How about a cup of coffee while you wait? Or-”

When he said that he could just tell me if there was anything he wanted to say, I thought this was the right time to ask.

“Is it possible to take a tour of the company?”

“Oh, okay. Okay, let’s go this way. I’ll guide you.”

Kim Seong-su readily accepted the invitation.

After that, I started touring around the company with him.

The first place we visited was the reception room.

“This is the reception room where guests are received.”

The spacious space was filled with soft sofas, and the walls were covered with profile photos, album covers, and posters of MXM Entertainment celebrities.

Naturally, there were the most photos related to Yuna, the MXM signboard member, and there were also plenty of photos of other male idol groups, entertainers, and actors, although I don’t know their names.

Next, we visited a restaurant with five different menus, a gym where you can work out while looking at the city view, an employee lounge, and a cafe located within the company.

As we continued to exclaim in admiration throughout the tour, Team Leader Kim Seong-su shrugged his shoulders and said,

“Hahaha. Our office building was designed by a famous foreign architect named Thomas Hedrick.”

Because of this, taking pictures of the building from outside is prohibited due to copyright issues.

Well, anyway.

Actually, the reason I asked about the company tour was because I wanted to see the practice room and recording studio, but unfortunately, they said it was difficult to open it to outsiders.

And then he said something slyly.

“Creators who have signed an exclusive contract with us can use our practice rooms and recording studios free of charge. They can also use our fitness center and eat at our restaurants.”

He subtly appealed to the merits of an exclusive contract.

If you’re curious, I guess you should ask for exclusive access.

After looking around for an hour like that.

“Okay, let’s go to the conference room now.”

When the time came, I went back to the 11th floor.

As we arrived at the conference room, we could hear conversations coming from inside, suggesting that someone from MXM was present.

“I brought you, Mr. Devoice. You came a little early so I gave you a tour of the company.”

As I open the door and go in, all eyes fly in and are fixed on me.

There were two men, and the one who greeted me first was a man with a white face and handsome like an actor.

“Thank you, Team Leader Kim. Hello, thank you for coming such a long way. This is MXM Entertainment’s Baek Seok.”

The moment he saw the face of the man handing him the business card, Cha Seong-jun’s eyebrows rose.

This handsome guy looks familiar somehow.

‘Yes, that’s the guy I met at Paradise Shopping Mall! He’s the cousin of the woman wearing a hat!’

I remember the way he looked at me with wary eyes when I approached him to help him come up with a melody.

But this guy is actually the CEO of Enter?

It was at that time that I swallowed my surprise.

“Wow, thank you so much for your time!”

This time, a man in white clothing with a bulk as large as a bear suddenly stood up and held out his large hand.

“I’m Choi Dae-heon, the CEO of MXM Entertainment. Nice to meet you. Hahaha!”

‘No, at best, why is the representative showing up at the YouTuber meeting?!’

Cha Seong-jun swallows his embarrassment at the appearance of Choi Max-heon.

A meeting that was meant to be a casual getaway with the intention of seeing celebrities, but the CEO showed up too. Was this really such an important meeting?

The question marks multiplied like mushroom spores, but I had to introduce myself first.

“Hello. My name is D.Voice.”

When we hold hands, we feel the heavy, powerful force coming from their size.

Maybe it’s the force that comes from the position of representative.

Anyway, after exchanging greetings, we had some light small talk.

Were you surprised when you first got the call? Did you have a meal? The company is really cool, etc.

As we talked, the embarrassment gradually subsided.

Well, it’s possible for a representative to come to the YouTuber meeting. Each company has different policies.

When we had run out of things to say, we got back to the main topic: the meeting.

“As I told you over the phone, I think about three songs a week.”

“Wow… that’s amazing. Other YouTubers say it’s hard to even make one song a week…”

The meeting proceeded smoothly.

Team leader Kim Seong-su’s smooth presentation played a part.

Through discussion, we decided on the songs to cover and the release order and date.

Uploading three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for two weeks starting next Monday.

We plan to cover mainly the title songs from each of Yuna’s albums.

When the meeting agenda was roughly organized like that.

“By the way, you already have 150,000 subscribers. It’s unbelievable to reach 150,000 with just one cover song video. Congratulations.”

Baek-seok started crying quietly.

“Oh, by the way, I’m late in thanking you. It’s all thanks to MXM for providing the link. MXM fans are really passionate.”

“Never mind. How could that be just our MXM fandom? Since Devoice’s skills are so outstanding, everyone naturally recognized him.”

It’s a show of humility and praise.

“We were just opening the door. As you know, inserting the link was not originally a contractual matter… but CEO Choi spoke passionately about wanting a gem like Devoice to become known globally. Right, CEO?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes. That’s right. A talent like Devois-nim should be known far and wide! Right! Hahaha!”

Choi Dae-heon flinched when Baek-seok poked him with his elbow and spoke boldly.

Baek-seok continued speaking after seeing that sight.

“So, I’m asking you, would you like MXM to continue supporting you, Devoice?”

“Supporting?”

I was about to ask back, thinking that it was a roundabout way of saying that I should sign an exclusive creator contract.

“It’s not the exclusive creator offer you rejected last time. Please think of it as just a small help I can provide when you need it, Devoice. Thanks to that, the response to this challenge has been amazing. I think it would be easier if you think of it as a thank you or a service.”

It may sound like a free, well-intentioned service, but there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Baek Seok’s words contained the intention to create a connection with Devoice in this way.

No matter how free it is, the recipient will inevitably feel a debt of gratitude.

This will serve as a defense measure in case another company makes a similar offer for an exclusive contract.

In other words, it is an appeal to secure the device in the future.

‘But that doesn’t mean there’s any reason to refuse.’

MXM Entertainment is one of the top five entertainment companies in South Korea.

Even if I’m not a YouTuber, it’s one of the companies I definitely want to sign with as a singer.

Therefore, if you continue the partnership with a moderate amount of support as suggested, there may be an opportunity to sign a contract as a singer someday.

“It may be a bit burdensome, but I would be grateful if you could support me.”

At those words, a look of relief spread across the faces of Baek Seok, Choi Dae-heon, and Kim Seong-su.

I guess he was worried that I might stubbornly refuse like last time.

“You don’t have to worry too much. We also have free supporting guidelines.”

“What are you talking about, Director Baek! We should treat Devois better! Hahahaha!”

“Yes, please take good care of it.”

The meeting ended in a friendly atmosphere.

So, it was at that moment that I was slowly trying to get up from my chair.

dripping-

Following the knock, someone suddenly opened the conference room door and came in.

She was a woman with celebrity-level looks, short hair and cat-like eyes… No, it was Yuna?!

“Huh? How is Yuna here?”

“I have something to check.”

After answering Team Leader Kim Seong-su’s question, Yuna quickly turns her head and looks at Cha Seong-jun.

Her eyes, newly raised, scanned his face.

And then soon.

“That’s right.”

Shhh-

Her lips, drawn with a line, opened.

“That’s right. Paradise Shopping Mall.”

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