Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 34



Only Krnovel

Episode 34. Bravo My Life (2)

I never thought about it before time slip.

There’s something I often think about after time slipping.

Time is truly a scary thing.

When I was playing the guitar in my small room, I wanted to grow up quickly.

So I play in front of people, sing, love, and make money.

I thought I’d be able to do anything when I grew up.

However, when adults actually become adults, they find themselves unable to do many things compared to when they were children.

I was looking at an adult.

The road is noisy, but for some reason I can hear things well.

“Sorry. I have filed an insurance claim.”

“Sir, you should go to the hospital right away. Are you really okay?”

“Huh? Oh… … It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“You’re bleeding a lot… … .”

“It’s just that it got rubbed, but it’s not broken or anything, so don’t worry too much about it.”

As Dong-sik said that, he walked out onto the road dragging his broken motorcycle.

Then he plopped down next to the motorcycle and put back on the helmet he had taken off when responding to the accident.

Are you writing this because you’re going to ride a motorcycle again?

That’s ridiculous.

The motorcycle is literally completely destroyed, how can you ride it?

That’s not a helmet re-wear, it’s a cover.

Dong-sik Hyung’s shoulders shake as he wears a helmet.

He hid in the darkness and spoke to his brothers.

“Adulting is so difficult.”

At my words, Youngpil puts his hand on my shoulder.

“Can’t it be today?”

I want to go quickly and take care of him and ask if he’s okay and if he’s hurt badly.

And I wish we could meet again soon, talk about music, and pester him to join the band.

I nodded my head in pity at the sight of an adult who couldn’t even shed tears freely.

“Let’s follow him and see if he gets home safely.”

We watched our drummer like that for a while.

Then suddenly.

“How did our brother Dong-sik live?”

I was curious about how short 30 years could be.

“Sometimes it’s better not to know.”

“No. I want to know. And I have a duty to know.”

It wasn’t that I was stubborn because I wore the petty title of leader.

It may be selfish of me to say this, but even at this moment, inspiration comes over me. I am ashamed of the songs from the album that were canceled right before my debut due to an accident.

Only a year has passed.

I didn’t receive any musical practice or instruction in the meantime.

Separation from father.

A friend I met after 30 years.

The incomprehensible experience of time slip.

Traffic accident.

The experience of auditioning for an idol and meeting dance music.

The world of 21st century music and media is rushing towards us like a wildfire.

In addition, my brothers’ experiences are another experience for me. Although it is an indirect experience, I can feel it because it is close to me emotionally.

That’s how the song came to be for Youngpil.

I had a duty to listen to Dong-sik’s story.

That’s the gift I can give to my brothers, even though I’ve been gone for 30 years.

What I lack is experience and the various emotions that come with it.

An experience that no one can easily have becomes fertilizer, and the tree of music grows inside me amazingly quickly.

“Please, Taeju hyung.”

At my words, Tae-joo handed me his cell phone without saying a word.

It contains a file sent by Chief Secretary Kwak Moon-ki.

[Company: Daeryun Industry.]

[Length of service: 23 years.]

[Position: Sales Department Manager.]

[Residence: Ojeong-gu, Bucheon-si… … .]

[Family Relationships: Wife Choi Mi-yeon (49 years old), daughter Kim Do-ah (3rd year middle school student), son Kim Do-hyung (1st year middle school student…)]

The endless string of letters gives me a lot of information.

[Special note: Recent instability in his position within the company. The president’s son, Han Dae-jun (29 years old), joined the company as a vice president a month ago, and during the succession process, he is trying to get rid of employees with accumulated experience and fill key positions with his own people… … (omitted)… … In the process, he seems to have become an outcast within the company… … (omitted)… … Nevertheless, he seems to be holding on for the sake of his children’s high school advancement and loan issues. He registered as a delivery rider three months ago, and without telling his family… … .]

“This… is cruel.”

Thanks to this file that arrived on the way to Bucheon, I was able to find my brother Dong-sik, who was on the way for delivery… … .

It’s so detailed it’s ridiculous.

Taeju hyung smiled bitterly.

“It’s cruel. It’s just putting a man’s life into words.”

My speed is three times.

30 years ago, the indie scene was more violent and shameless than you might think.

The two brothers behind me?

It’s better now that I’ve grown older, but back then, we were both so skinny that if you hit us, it felt like our bones would break instead of just give us a bruise.

I… … was… … a high school student. And it’s okay if I’m good at music, but is it okay if I’m good at fighting too?

Despite being like that, the reason we were able to perform without any particular threat was because of Dong-sik hyung’s presence.

He has a fierce appearance, and once they actually fought, and the opponent was knocked out with one blow and was unconscious for about a minute.

―Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to meet my grandmother who passed away when I was young. She was shedding tears at me. Live well, Moon-sik… … She said that. I will live well from now on, just like my grandmother said.

He got up and started talking nonsense like that.

Anyway, he was such a dependable older brother… … .

No.

Rather, it is at times like these that we need to be positive.

“It’s better this way.”

“What does that mean?”

Instead of answering, I looked at Taeju hyung and asked.

“Brother. Can you load our instruments into the car and shoot them here?”

“until when?”

Taeju hyung doesn’t ask me why.

I thought maybe this was Taejoo hyung’s way.

“It just has to fall within tomorrow.”

“Okay, I understand.”

* * *

“Manager Kim.”

Someone called Kim Dong-sik.

The caller is a twenty-nine-year-old employee who just joined the company a month ago.

To be exact… …I should say executive?

“yes.”

But Kim Dong-sik answered politely and ran to the young executive.

This is what a small and medium-sized business is like.

He is the CEO’s son and comes down with the title of vice president.

A high-end parachute among parachutes.

But can we really blame that?

My father said he would pass on his workplace and property to his children.

Moreover, all large corporations are passed down to their children.

And an ownership structure without professional managers isn’t all that bad.

Because we manage the company with a long-term perspective, not a short-term one.

The problem was that it was by no means a good situation for Kim Dong-sik.

“Manager Kim, if you organize the documents like this, it will be difficult for me to understand them at a glance. Isn’t that right? Could you please reorganize the documents into an Excel file?”

“all right.”

“Do you like hearing unpleasant words from a young person? It makes me uncomfortable too. Let’s do this right this first time. Okay?”

“yes.”

“Let’s go and see.”

Senior parachute chief Han Dae-jun calls back Kim Dong-sik, who is leaving.

“again.”

“……yes?”

“Again! Isn’t this the company? You just turn around and leave after reporting to my father?”

“sorry.”

Kim Dong-sik bowed.

I understand that the CEO’s son comes in as a parachute, but it’s frustrating that he pretends to be superior when he can’t do his job.

What do I do if I re-create this report and insert a diagram?

What’s important is the relationship with the original contractor and not missing the delivery deadline.

Practical things like managing inventory.

If you make a good diagram, they’ll find something else to nitpick.

At first, I was scared when I saw what was happening, but that didn’t last long.

I confirmed that I was indeed the superior, and that Chief Kim Dong-sik was an ordinary man with a lot to protect.

“after…….”

As I walk to my seat… … I hear the employees whispering.

“Manager Kim, do you think it was captured properly?”

“New wine should be put into new wineskins. The deputy chief is trying to fill the position with his own people, but honestly, it’s uncomfortable to have a man in his fifties holding it in.”

“Should I just leave after being careful? If I hold out, I’ll still get severance pay and unemployment benefits… … Hey, it’s coming, it’s coming.”

I sat down and pretended not to hear.

What would happen if I told you I heard it?

If you’re not going to leave like the other employees said, you have to hold out as long as you can.

I’m tired both physically and mentally.

It’s a small business, but if you quit at this age, you have nowhere to go. People grumble that they have to open a chicken restaurant after they retire, but that’s something they can only think about when they retire from a large company.

Even if you quit a small or medium-sized company, you won’t get much severance pay.

I picked up my phone, which was ringing in my arms, and checked it.

-Dad. I don’t need the guitar, so come home early.

She is a daughter.

Last night, I went home late, but I got caught this morning. My arms and legs were all covered in wounds, so I couldn’t not get caught. I lied about falling down after drinking, but my wife must have told me. It’s puberty, so I’m a bit shy, but I guess my daughter is a daughter.

Parents are the ones who can differentiate between things like, “You don’t need it, so you don’t have to buy it for me,” and “It’s hard for Dad, so you don’t have to buy it for me.”

And the more that happens, the more heartbroken the parents become.

‘Let’s think about it one day at a time. If I can endure today, I will endure tomorrow.’

The rules of the game have long since become irrelevant.

Round 12 has passed, round 15 has passed, but the bell has not rung.

Running is Dad’s life.

But it was such a harsh reality that Kim Dong-sik might have imagined it.

‘I want to dream again too.’

and.

‘Metallica… … I want to play it again.’

I’ve been holding on silently, but why do I feel like holding the drumsticks that I let go of today, and why am I suddenly thinking of Metallica?

“What is that in front of the company?”

“What are those people?”

Kim Dong-sik suddenly came to his senses, walked to the window, and opened the blinds with his hand.

The wing top of the container on the back of a large truck is open, and there are three people in it.

It was hard to see who it was because it was far away, but… … I thought I knew who it was, Kim Dong-sik.

It was just a feeling.

So, rather, it doesn’t feel like a sense of reality.

What the heck is this?

The company was established in Bucheon, an industrial complex where land prices were low.

Even the general floating population, aside from the employees working here, is limited, as the area is full of factories, containers, and low-rise office buildings.

Something that would never happen under normal circumstances.

“What song is that?”

“Is this the song? It’s just so noisy, jang jang jang.”

“Isn’t that a nuisance? Why are you doing that in front of someone else’s company?”

“What is the security guard doing? He’s not stopping it.”

“Honestly, I like it, but… … .”

Before we knew it, the employees had raised all the window blinds and were huddled together looking out the window.

The murmur of people tells Kim Dong-sik that the current situation is real.

But is this reality?

When I was drinking soju alone, I would sometimes think of my friend and older brother from back then. After decades, they showed up with instruments on a truck and played and sang Metallica with some young friend in front of the company.

Even in the midst of all this, this thought occurred to me.

‘The guy holding the guitar is also a vocalist? But the vocalist is just like Dong Ha? Especially when he hits high pitch, he makes a deep and loud sound.’

At that time, he was a young executive and the son of the president.

A paratrooper with the title of deputy representative stood up from his seat.

“What are you doing in front of someone else’s company?”

And then he goes out the door curiously.

It was likely to happen.

They say even dogs eat and go home in their own neighborhood, but this is my father’s company and soon it will be his company.

To think that they would do something so ridiculous at the entrance of such a place.

“Let’s go out too.”

“Let’s go. There’s going to be a fight. If there’s a fight, we have to break it up.”

“I wonder. What on earth is it?”

The staff members followed the deputy chief in droves.

If there is a situation where I have to show loyalty, I will do so.

What’s bigger than that… …I’m curious.

Kim Dong-sik also came out to the building entrance, mixing in with the employees.

There was a wing body truck right at the entrance of the building, so I thought I would be able to see it right away.

“Look at this… … .”

The young deputy was immediately subdued by several men in suits who appeared out of nowhere.

Then, after listening to a long conversation, a man in a suit shows something and walks towards me with a limp.

“Vice President… … ?”

“What is it?”

“Shall we come forward?”

The employees rushed to speak out, as if to show their loyalty to the new king.

Han Dae-jun, the man who would become the king of the new era, looked at Kim Dong-sik with unfocused eyes.

And after some hesitation, he opens his mouth.

“Jaemin Group… … Chairman Yoon Tae-joo… … What is your relationship with… … Manager Kim Dong-sik… … sir?”

The faces of the employees who were there were filled with bewilderment at Vice President Han Dae-jun’s words.

Chairman Yoon Tae-joo is the chairman of one of the largest conglomerates in South Korea, so much so that it would be strange even for the average person not to know him.

Although it is not a direct original contractor, it is a small and medium-sized company that operates through personal connections, so it is a name that cannot be ignored.

And… … how many people among those who run a business would ignore Chairman Yoon Tae-joo?

Anyway, why is Director Kim’s name behind the name of such a big shot that cannot be ignored?

By the way, isn’t that young guy playing guitar over there moving?

The movement of Naeppodol, who was at the center of the issue just a month ago.

Even if you don’t watch the program, if you turn on YouTube or Stargram, you can’t help but recognize this face because it appears briefly.

When the employees who recognized Lee Dong-ha hurriedly picked up their cell phones, men in suits approached them and politely refused.

It was polite, but… … it looks like no one picked up their phones again… … .

“Director Kim Dong-sik… … Are you listening to me… …?”

“… … .”

Director Kim, or rather, Kim Dong-sik, walked forward without answering Vice President Han Dae-jun.

This time, the men in suits don’t stop them.

The ongoing performance finally stopped.

Seoul dialect and Busan dialect come out of Kim Dong-sik’s mouth in a jumbled manner.

“Am I dreaming right now?”

A young man with a guitar on top of a truck answers.

“You will start dreaming from now on. Look forward to it.”

“You… … Dong-ha? The Dong-ha I knew… …?”

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you. What happened? Don’t you watch TV? Still, you’ve become famous, so it’s a shame.”

“TV… … ?”

Who would have time to watch that kind of stuff?

In fact, even though I had time, I lived more deliberately ignoring it.

I turned off the music.

But when I turn on the TV, all that comes on is music.

So I turned off the TV.

As the 21st century began, computers became widespread and the Internet revolution took place.

As the digital revolution took hold again, smartphones quickly became widespread.

I never turned on my computer unless it was work-related, and I never touched the smartphone I had to buy for work, except for one messenger app.

ah…….

I often turned on the camera app to take pictures of the kids.

Anyway.

Kim Dong-sik was that kind of man.

Honest and solid… … .

So I lived without knowing.

But Dong-ha, old Tae-joo, and old Yeong-pil, who look exactly like they did 30 years ago, look at Kim Dong-sik and smile like they did then.

moment.

Sunlight poured down over Dong-ha’s shoulder as he looked up.

Lee Dong-ha’s hand, which had disappeared into the sunlight, suddenly appears before Kim Dong-sik’s eyes.

It feels like a helping hand.

The situation was so unrealistic that Kim Dong-sik actually believed it.

“What are you doing? You’re not riding.”

“what?”

“Oh, I thought you were going to die from boredom playing Metallica, which you don’t even like. Playing Metallica without drums is like drinking flat cola.”

“If this is a dream, I really don’t want to wake up.”

“It’s a hormonal issue. Everyone just gets more sensitive as they get older.”

“… … That’s right. Our Dong-ha.”

“That’s right. I came here to keep my promise to my brothers.”

“You… you took too long.”

Kim Dong-sik grabbed Lee Dong-ha’s outstretched hand and tried to climb up…

“Why is it so heavy? Who is holding it from below?”

“… … .”

“It would be nice if this could be done all at once like in the movies. Dude, you’ve gained too much weight.”

In the end, it was only after Yoon Tae-joo and Hong Young-pil joined forces that they were able to pull it up.

“Complete fusion.”

After 31 years.