Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 46



Only Krnovel

46. ​​This isn’t a declaration of cut-off, is it?

The office is quietly stirred by Cha Seong-jun’s sudden declaration.

“···Yeah, why are you quitting?”

“I have something I want to do.”

The team leader touched his forehead after hearing those words.

He opened his mouth with a light sigh, as if his head was throbbing and he was twirling his temples with his thumb and index finger.

“Mr. Sungjun. No, Sungjun. I don’t know what you want to do, but think carefully. It’s not easy to receive a steady salary like in a company. Our company’s annual salary increase rate is a bit low, but on the other hand, it’s not easy to get fired like other large companies. As long as there’s no major accident, you’ll be guaranteed a smooth retirement. Do you think you’ll do better than this if you leave the company? If the company is a battlefield, the outside is hell.”

There were several colleagues who once left the company to escape the life of a salaried worker.

Everyone had big dreams about my business.

However, more than half of them failed.

And Cha Sung-jun is my teammate, whether I like him or not.

I didn’t want you to walk that thorny path.

So I tried to comfort and appease Tyler,

“Thank you for your words. I’d still like to try it.”

Cha Seong-jun’s will to resign remained unchanged.

The team leader also eventually gave up, perhaps sensing that he could not break her stubbornness from her firm tone.

He sighed and put his resignation letter in a drawer.

“Okay, I understand. But company personnel matters don’t get resolved in a day or two just because you submit your resignation. If you have to deal with this and that and organize everything, it’ll take at least a week or two. Until then, if you have any vacation days left, use them to refresh yourself a bit, and think about it again. If you change your mind, come and tell me right away.”

“thank you.”

As Cha Seong-jun returned to his seat with a greeting, the team members who had been watching with their heads stretched out like meerkats also quickly sat up.

At the same time, a group messenger room was filled with noises as if heavy rain was hitting the windows.

This is a group chat room excluding the team leader.

– Why did you quit? Did you win the lottery? Your face looked good today.

– Seongjun, did the team leader scold you last time you went up to the rooftop? Was it so bad that you wanted to throw the company away?

– If it is due to mannerism, there is also a way to transfer to another department.

Heartfelt concerns and advice pour in.

They are truly grateful people.

It was because of these people that I couldn’t decide to quit my job earlier.

– I just want to try a few things.

I couldn’t just say that I wanted to sing cover songs, compose songs, and become a full-fledged singer-songwriter, so I gave a vague reason for my resignation.

– If there are many, is it a personal business? A chicken restaurant? A cafe? You have to think carefully?! I heard that tang-hoo-ru is popular these days…

– You need bullets to do business. You hit the lottery. It’s definitely the lottery.

– Senior Seongjun, honestly, I’m a little jealous of your retirement. I want to think of a business idea too.

– Jo Ah-young won’t have time to come up with business ideas. You know that if Sung-jun leaves, Jo Ah-young will have to take over Sung-jun’s work until a successor comes, right?

– Senior Seongjun. What are you talking about resigning? Don’t joke around.

······Anyway, they are grateful people.

Meanwhile, Seol Hye-yoon sent a personal message instead of a group message.

– It’s not your own business, is it? Seongjun. What’s going on?

Let’s take a quick look back and see that the other person is also glancing this way.

With eyes dripping with worry beyond the glasses.

I was planning on revealing the exact reason for my resignation to Seol Hye-yoon anyway.

Out of loyalty? Out of camaraderie with fellow YouTubers?

···Anyway, I feel like it has to be that way.

I was thinking of talking about it while we go for a walk after lunch like usual, but I gave up on the idea.

Today it will probably be difficult for the two of you to make time alone.

Because it seemed like no one, including the team leader, would leave him alone.

thus,

– Do you have time after work? If it’s okay with you, I’d like to talk to you slowly over dinner.

– It’s definitely possible.

I made an appointment with Seol Hye-yoon.

After that, I started working with a strangely excited feeling.

*

At the same time,

‘Wishes’ is a platform that means ‘all the webtoons and web novels you wish for are in one place’.

In one of the parent company’s meeting rooms, a meeting is in full swing regarding the production of the OST for [Cheonma Hwansaeng], currently the number one webtoon on demand.

“Writer Bihyung sent me the OST reference yesterday?”

“Yes. And he called me. Not for reference, but unconditionally! He said he wanted to proceed with that song.”

[Cheonma Reincarnation] Lee Won-ho, the head of Wishes’ global IP (intellectual property) business team, raised his eyebrows at the words of the person in charge.

The type of person he knows is that when it comes to his work, no matter how trivial it may be, his standards are much higher than others’.

Because of that, all the OST demos I’ve sent so far have been harshly rejected.

Anyway, it’s a song that such a picky writer personally came forward to get.

It was enough to arouse curiosity as to what kind of song it might be.

“The title is ‘Flower Dance’. The lyrics, composition, and singing are all done by, huh? ‘D.Voice’?!”

The conference room is in an uproar as the person in charge continues to speak.

“If it’s Devoice, then it’s that Devoice?! What, writer Bihyung knew Devoice? Awesome!”

“This song is definitely the one to go with! The buzz will be different! [Cheonma Hwansang] Won’t it be an even bigger hit than it is now?!”

“Wait a minute, but which one is it? ‘Nerdy’ or ‘Sadi’?”

“You said you found it at Sound Sky, so it must be ‘Sadi’, right?”

“But come to think of it, when we first got the OST demo, we also mentioned ‘Sadi’. So why didn’t we contact him?”

“Don’t you remember? I tried to contact you at first, but-”

‘Wishes’ is the leader in the webtoon industry.

These members also collect YouTube and SNS topics every day to catch and analyze the rapidly changing needs of the public and lead new trends.

Therefore, it was absurd to say that he did not know about the recent hot topic in Chang’an, Devoice.

There are differing opinions on both ‘Nerdy’ and ‘Sadi’ as to whether they are the same person or not.

When we first started planning the OST three weeks ago, these two names were naturally mentioned.

Among them, ‘Nerdy’ was excluded in the beginning.

Although it was a shame that he lacked fame and talent, what Wishes was looking for was not a ‘vocal’ but an OST demo.

On the other hand, ‘Sadi’ is a composer.

I immediately looked for the song he uploaded, but… it was ambiguous.

3 weeks ago, when ‘Aengyeonmu’ hadn’t been uploaded yet.

Both ‘Saturday Night’ and ‘My Room’ are definitely good songs, but they have a strong acoustic feel.

After all, it was different from the martial arts OST.

The global IP division is in trouble.

I was excited to try recruiting DeVoice, but the conditions weren’t right.

Even if we try to contact ‘Sadi’ just by looking at the name of the device, it is not certain that ‘Nerdy=Sadi’.

The production schedule isn’t that long either.

For these various reasons, the devise was excluded from contact.

“Okay, calm down.”

Lee Won-ho spoke as a team leader, calming down his team members.

“···Let’s listen to the song first and then judge.”

In anticipation, the ‘Aengyeonmu’ song flowed out.

An old-fashioned atmosphere befitting a martial arts webtoon OST.

The flute sound, which seems to have been added as a crossover attempt, immediately catches the ear.

‘Ah, so that’s why writer Bihyung······.’

When you hear it directly, you understand it naturally.

Why did Bihyung insist so strongly that this song had to be used as an OST?

The verse began after a hazy intro.

however,

“Huh···?”

A familiar voice is heard above the accompaniment.

It’s a voice that we’ve heard so many times on YouTube, and it’s a voice that’s eating up the cover song market in South Korea.

in other words,

“Isn’t that your ‘nerdy’ voice?!”

‘Nerdy’ and ‘Sadi’ were the same person!

The team members stood up from their seats, shouting, “Awesome!” and high-fiving each other, causing chaos.

Then, soon after seeing Lee Won-ho’s eyebrows gather in the center, he shuts his mouth and sits down.

Now I can quietly focus on the music again.

Lee Won-ho slowly scrolls down the page of [Cheonma Hwansaeng] that he had displayed on the beam projector.

The latest update is scheduled to be uploaded next Wednesday.

A scene where Cheonma-on confronts his past rival who was reincarnated like himself.

The final cut is a scene of two people facing each other, raising the corners of their lips and clashing swords.

According to the plot sent by Bihyung, the next episode is the climax of the episode where the two people dance with swords.

A production that intersects the past and present is planned.

‘If the OST were to be included now…!’

In that moment, a shiver ran through my spine.

When the song ended, the person in charge asked.

“Then… what should we do, Team Leader?”

Lee Won-ho opened his eyes.

“Let’s proceed with ‘Aengyeonmu’. Write up a contract and send it to Devoice, and prepare to release the song. Anyway, so that it can be released right away next Wednesday! Oh, and one more thing.”

Lee Won-ho quickly added a word.

“Don’t go around talking about ‘nerdy=sadi’ yet.”

It was to keep team members’ mouths clean.

“First, you need to check with the device side to see if the information is true. If not, you’re in big trouble. Ask politely when you send the contract.”

Immediately after that, the employees all rush out at the word ‘strange!’

A conference room left alone.

Lee Won-ho has once again played ‘Aengyeonmu’.

His intuition, which comes from his long career, spoke for itself.

This song may become a revolution in the OST world.

*

That evening,

“So, are you really serious about making music? Debuting as a singer?”

Seol Hye-yoon, who was about to take a bite of a sandwich, asked in surprise.

“Yes. I’m aiming to become a singer-songwriter who sings and writes songs.”

After Cha Seong-jun nodded, he took a bite of the sandwich first.

The chicken he selected and the fresh vegetable toppings blended between the freshly baked, crispy bread create a rich flavor.

After taking a sip of the tangy cola, he continued speaking.

“Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you, sir…”

Cha Sung-jun reveals about his participation in ‘Who’s the King’.

Seol Hye-yoon’s face, with her cheeks full of sandwiches and her eyes wide open, is something to behold.

Then, he heard a noise and beat his chest, then downed the cola that Cha Sung-jun handed him and shouted.

“You’ve been hiding something so important until now?!”

“Since I went to the audition while working at the company, I kept it a secret from those around me. I didn’t tell anyone, not just the manager.”

“Tch. I understand. It’s a little disappointing, but I’m not the only one who didn’t know.”

Seol Hye-yoon, who was giving me a slightly pointed look for some reason, took another bite of her sandwich.

Then he glances at her and asks.

“So, ‘Who’s the King’ is still being filmed?”

“If I tell you that, it’ll be a spoiler. I can’t tell you until the show airs. If you break the contract, there’s a huge penalty-”

“I’m just kidding, I’m just kidding. I can’t help it. I have to watch the show live, at least out of curiosity. The show won’t be long now, right?”

“Yes, because the first room is on the first Saturday of December.”

Right now, next week.

It’s so fast. How did it get that fast already?

“Anyway, there aren’t many days left until I can go to work with Seongjun. From now on, I’ll just watch him on TV.”

“I guess you’re feeling the loss of your walking partner a lot. But you’re only going to watch it on TV. That’s not like you’re declaring a breakup, right? After all, you’re a famous couple.”

“What do you mean by cutting ties? What I mean is, Seongjun is so busy that he doesn’t have time.”

“I guess I’ll have more time now that I’m quitting my job. I’m planning on sleeping in.”

At those words, Seol Hye-yoon narrows her eyes.

And then the barrage of nagging followed.

“What can a singer-songwriter do if he thinks about sleeping in late? He has to wake up diligently and write songs. And even if Sungjun wants to play, he won’t have time to play. People around him won’t leave Devoice alone. Didn’t you get a flood of advertisement inquiries after you sang a cover song for the Yejeonha OST? It’s now ranked 10th on the music charts.”

It really was like that.

What really happened is that the number of ‘Weekly Advertisement List’ sent by MXM Entertainment today has almost doubled.

Thanks to the verification of the ‘D-Voice effect’, following Yuna, Yejeonha also succeeded in climbing the music charts.

So most of the advertisements that came in this time were similar to cover songs.

Moreover, the total cost is over 3 million won.

The minimum is written as 3 million won, and the maximum is written as 5 million won.

It seems that the contract amount with Ye-seon-ha was secretly determined in the industry.

5 million won for one cover song is more than my current salary.

Even the expression “honey rain” is not enough, it’s just pouring down like a rainy season.

As I was licking my lips without realizing it, Seol Hye-yoon spoke.

“Anyway, even if you become famous as a singer, you can’t pretend not to know me. And I promised to write a song for you as a gift if you get over 1 million subscribers.”

“Of course.”

I finished my appointment with Seol Hye-yoon with another promise.

*

Meanwhile, Seol Hye-yoon returned home, put on a face mask, and lay down on the bed.

Seol Hye-yoon lets out a small sigh, wearing a pink pajama set with a cat face pattern that is hard to imagine as her image at work.

“Phew, I guess I’m really going to quit.”

My conversation with Cha Seong-jun today was shocking.

He quit his job to become a singer-songwriter.

I know this well from my younger sister, Yuna.

How difficult it is to succeed as a singer-songwriter in today’s music market where public consumption is geared towards K-pop.

Moreover, since it is a challenge for someone of the same age as him, twenty-nine years old, the difficulty will be twice as great.

but,

‘If it’s Seongjun, it’s definitely possible.’

It makes you wonder how an ordinary office worker could have such musical talent.

Not only is his vocal ability excellent, but his composition skills, which I recently heard from Sound Sky, are also top-notch.

Even now, DeVoice is a huge hit, so how great would it be if he decided to step forward as a singer-songwriter?

I look forward to hearing what he has to say and cheer for him.

But on the other hand,

‘······Still, it’s a shame.’

Seol Hye-yoon was happy to have a colleague who was living a secret double life as a part-time cover song YouTuber like herself.

Small talk shared through messengers and walks after meals have become a great source of enjoyment in her work life.

I couldn’t help but feel sad when I thought of them disappearing.

‘Seongjun looked excited, not knowing the speed of others.’

In particular, the expression on his face when he started talking about advertising was… honestly, really annoying.

Still, it is true that Cha Sung-jun seemed to shine when talking about his future plans.

The sparkling eyes are like a pure child and cute-

‘Hey, what am I thinking right now…?’

Seol Hye-yoon blinks her eyes.

I almost had a strange thought.

How can I be rude to call my coworker cute? And Cha Sung-jun is more of a manly, handsome guy.

“Whoa!”

Seol Hye-yoon suddenly sat up from the bed.

“What? Why am I like this today?”

I guess it was quite a shock when Cha Sung-jun said he was quitting the company.

To shake off my thoughts, I went into the living room and turned on the TV.

Her fingers, which had been flipping through the channels, stop.

Because a familiar song was playing.

– Do you know~

This is the OST of the drama ‘Your House’, recently covered by Devoice, ‘One Step Behind’.

By the way, it happened to be Monday.

I turned on the TV to clear my head, but something came up that made me think of Cha Sung-jun again…

The penetrative power is enormous.

“Oh my. Let’s go to sleep.”

Seol Hye-yoon took off her mask pack, turned off the TV, and stood up.

At this moment, the Durahan helmet on the desk suddenly catches my eye.

I walked over and sat down at the desk.

Then, he wrote the phrase ‘1 million subscribers reached!’ on a Post-it note and stuck it on the ball of his helmet.

“Cheer up.”

Seol Hye-yoon returned to the room after tapping the helmet on the head with a faint smile.

*

Two days later.

Today is a day off.

It’s Wednesday, so how can I have a day off? Since my team leader told me to take the day off, I confidently took my annual leave.

This is the leisure of someone who is about to quit his job.

But I didn’t oversleep.

Perhaps it is because of the bitter words of teacher Seol Hye-yoon, who said, ‘A singer-songwriter who wakes up in the morning writes at least one more song’… No, it is not because the words of encouragement are deeply engraved in my mind, but because I have a schedule.

After taking a shower, I put on the cleanest shirt and slacks I had picked out in my closet the night before.

Cha Sung-jun is showing off his cool.

That is, there is an important position.

“Well then, shall we go?”

Today, I’m going to see the show to see if I should sign with MXM Entertainment or not.

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