Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 61

The More, The Better (2)

2021.12.31.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am that you agreed, Yeonwoo. Seriously, I was panicking about the potential cancellation.” The radio writer, whom I’d met before, smiled in relief. They had just finished drawing up the appearance contract with the lawyer and Kwon Seong-hyeon. The radio writer, who had been restless until right before stamping the contract, sighed in relief and smiled as soon as the stamp was done. “Wow, this is the first time I’ve ever seen my sister smile so genuinely.” “Lee Juha, I told you to watch your mouth! Especially in front of Yeonwoo and Seonghyeon! Why are you so immature when you’re a public figure?” Smack! The writer sharply slapped Juha’s thick, muscular arm before turning back to Yeonwoo. “As I mentioned during the contract signing, we will guarantee Yeonwoo’s autonomy as much as possible. As long as you stick to the minimum format, like audience participation, we won’t interfere much with the program’s progress. You can do whatever you want.”

Lee Juha, who had been fidgeting, suddenly perked up at the writer’s kind words. “What’s this discrimination?” “If we let you do whatever you want, you’ll just play music all the time! You won’t care about stories or participation. How can we leave you to your own devices?” “What’s wrong with my music? Our listeners like my music too, you know?” “Of course, they like it, but who’s going to listen if it’s just music without any commentary? Why have a writer and a PD [Production Director]? Are you trying to make me unemployed?!” “No…” He seemed used to being cowed by the writer, who was much smaller than him. More than that, Yeonwoo was curious. “Is it okay to play music I made myself?” “We don’t mind. In fact, some people wait specifically to hear your songs, and it’s good for promotion. It’s like a special that you can’t hear anywhere else—it has a bit of a premium…”

But the problem was that he went too far. “But this guy takes it too far. In the beginning, he would only play songs. He wouldn’t even read the script I gave him. I really thought he was just an animal, body and mind.” “Hey. An animal…” “Why? Isn’t it true?” “Will you be like that with Yeonwoo, who also composes?” “No? That’s not going to happen.” “…?” “Why should I treat Yeonwoo like you when it’s obvious she won’t be like that?” “Wow… favoritism.” From their conversation, Yeonwoo could tell one thing. ‘I’m glad I signed the radio contract.’ They would play even rough drafts that weren’t officially contracted as music if he wanted. He didn’t know about other radio stations, but ‘Midnight Stroll’ had such a clear image that Lee Juha had created that the listeners welcomed it. “There’s no way you’d agree to some guy tinkering around, saying he’s going to make music, so why would I object? Since you’ve acknowledged it, there’s no need to worry about Yeonwoo’s work.” “Wow… this sister is playing me.” “This is the power of a writer with seven years of broadcasting experience.” Fortunately, it seemed like they would let Yeonwoo play his own compositions as well. “Then Hansan will be the first to hear Yeonwoo’s self-composed songs? Can you tell me when it’s possible? It’s better to announce these things in advance for a better response.” “You’d do that for me?” “Of course. I may nag him, but Juha has very high standards. But I can tell just by looking at you that you’re the real deal.” “I’m about to be moved…” The writer ignored Lee Juha, who was standing behind her with her hands clasped to her chest, her eyes shining as if she was deeply moved, and continued. “He’s a bit slow, but he’s not the type to lie about things like that. I’ve heard things too… If you let us know in advance, we’ll arrange a special or something. You might even get an article.” “An article?” “There are more than a few places paying attention to Yeonwoo. If they know you’re coming to our station, that’ll be an article right away? I’ve heard that there are a couple of dramas in the works that are interested in Yeonwoo.” “Is that so?” He had heard similar stories from Kwon Seong-hyeon. The problem was that Kwon Seong-hyeon had a very biased view. But. ‘I thought they were just trying to promote me.’ Hearing the writer’s words, he felt strangely new. He was a fan, but this was business. Now that the contract was signed, there was no reason to give unnecessary lip service. Besides, for some reason, the writer’s face was full of pride, as if she was 100 percent sincere. “Yes. And actually, an acquaintance of an acquaintance was a Soul Change staff member. They said your performance skills were so outstanding that it felt like they were at a concert, so I’m even more excited. Anyway, we welcome anything Yeonwoo does!”

Yeonwoo was to replace Lee Juha in two weeks. When he asked why they had so much time, considering how much they had been pestering him, he got the answer: -I didn’t think you’d agree, so I deliberately set a long period to try to woo you. I had to get through Kwon’s guard, so I set it for a loooong time, but you agreed sooner than I expected? It’s a very fortunate thing.

Well, thanks to that, he had time to leisurely look into the radio show, so it was a good thing. Before they parted, the writer once again sparkled her eyes and said, “I’m looking forward to the day Yeonwoo appears on our show. And the day Yeonwoo’s new look is broadcast for the first time on our show. I’ll be waiting!” The writer’s send-off, already full of anticipation, was truly energetic. But unfortunately.

“I-I’m sorry…!” The writer’s wish was shattered before it could even be fulfilled. The news began with a sudden visitor deeply bowing from the waist with an uneasy look.

***

He was doing analog work with just a piano and violin, leaving behind all the fancy, state-of-the-art equipment in the luxurious studio. “Yeonwoo. I’m sorry, but can you come out for a moment?” Kwon Seong-hyeon, who frequented his house like his own, was someone who didn’t bother Yeonwoo when he was in the studio. “What’s going on?” Surprised by the unexpected situation, he got up and went outside, where the situation unfolded. A man with an uneasy look was bowing as if his back would break. “I-I’m sorry…!” “…?” What is this? “He’s the original distributor.” “Distributor?” Distributing what? “Doesn’t his face look a little familiar?” “His face?” Yeonwoo glanced at the man, who flinched. A small, frail figure. Arms and legs that looked skinny at first glance. ‘Come to think of it, he looks familiar?’ As he searched his memory, one person came to mind. He was one of the camera staff who was filming with equipment that looked heavy. “Ah. I remember. But why is he apologizing?” “He’ll tell you himself.” As Kwon Seong-hyeon crossed his arms, the staff member opened his mouth with an uneasy look. “So… well, you see. I didn’t mean to do it on purpose. I’m fully aware that it could be misunderstood, but I hope you don’t misunderstand. It was just my personal channel, but I don’t know how it happened… It spread so suddenly that I was also embarrassed…” The staff member spoke incoherently, unsure how to explain. After a moment of patience, Yeonwoo understood what the other person was saying. “So… you uploaded it? The one where I played the piano?”

***

The staff member’s apology, full of excuses, went like this. “That’s… I didn’t do it on purpose. I’m really sorry for the damage I’ve already caused, but at the time, I just reflexively recorded it like a work habit…” It turned out that the staff member had secretly recorded Salieri playing with Yeonwoo’s arms possessed. After returning to Korea, he uploaded the vacation records to his personal channel, where he uploaded various miscellaneous records, and inadvertently found Yeonwoo’s performance video. It had already been several days since he had spent his dreamlike vacation. He couldn’t even remember what he had eaten yesterday, so there was no way he could remember what had happened a few days ago. The staff member didn’t even remember who the performer was, as he was almost invisible behind the large grand piano, so he just thought, -Pretty good? Is he a pianist I saw at a tourist spot? And uploaded it without thinking. But. ‘It was a big hit.’ The number of views was a whopping ten million. “I was so surprised that it suddenly became so popular that I tried to check and contact you… But Kwon Seong-hyeon contacted me first… So I came to see you like this.” It is almost impossible for a video on a remote personal channel, not a proper commercial channel, to be such a big hit. The manager, who had been standing awkwardly between Kwon Seong-hyeon and the staff member, slowly approached and handed over his smartphone. There were over 3,000 comments, full of English and various other foreign languages. Among them, Yeonwoo’s gaze turned to the top comments. -Oh my god. Such beautiful music. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t heard it with my own ears!

-Who said classical music is old-fashioned?! This is a revolution in classical music! It feels like a post-modern deconstruction of form!
ㄴCan someone explain this comment:(?
ㄴIt means it’s good because it doesn’t sound like classical music:)

-Did anyone else have a strange dream? I listened to this music on YouTube and went to sleep, and it felt like I was time-traveling between the 18th and 21st centuries! It was like a movie, with two hundred years of history disappearing and then being rebuilt before my eyes!
ㄴMaybe you just had a good dream?
ㄴOh. No, friend. I’m the person who left this comment the other day, and I had the same dream yesterday! Surprisingly, this time I could even feel the emotions of the changes as if I had become the main character in the movie!

-Friend above! I had a similar experience! But I was a little different.
ㄴOh? What was it like? I’m curious!
ㄴI had a dream that I was burning. It was incredibly painful and hurtful. But after the pain subsided, I felt trapped in a stuffy place. I wondered what it was, so I tried hard to get out… The thing I was trapped in was a huge egg! I had just hatched! Like Abraxas in Hermann Hesse’s Demian [a coming-of-age novel]! I felt so moved and ecstatic at that moment. I felt like all my long-standing worries and concerns were gone!

-I saw something like a fantasy. It was a kind of vision. All my pain disappeared and I felt full of happiness while listening to the music. Even the surroundings, which were always the same, were completely different after listening to the song. My wife and my children said that the atmosphere surrounding me had changed. This is truly miraculous music!

I’ve only read the ones I can read, but the reactions are all described as if they’ve seen a miracle. ‘Was it influenced by Salieri’s abilities?’ Salieri’s performance was one that drew out emotions. The performance of a master, whose heart could be felt just by listening, had an even more tremendous influence than expected. So much so that even Yeonwoo, who was insensitive to music, was absorbed in it. ‘Then it’s possible enough.’ Yeonwoo alone had seen people influenced by his acting spend their lives. It was the same with TV broadcasts, so it wouldn’t be any different with YouTube. Especially since it was Salieri’s performance. There was no need to say more. “I, I didn’t even know it would become so famous.” That was understandable. The screen was zoomed in from afar, and the sound quality wasn’t very good either. It was fortunate that it was a concert hall optimized to allow all sounds to resonate beautifully. If that wasn’t the case, the sound of the grand piano wouldn’t have been properly captured in the video, no matter how good the resonance was. But. ‘What a coincidence.’ It was a coincidence that the place was a deep, historic royal banquet hall, and the video filmed there had a tremendous ripple effect. It was a very strange coincidence.