Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 159

46. Sabbath

That meant that individuals with skills, previously hidden due to working in smaller companies or other circumstances, could now emerge.

In fact, two or three new teams rose to prominence each month, and older songs even climbed back up the charts.

Because of this, third-tier idols, whose primary income came from live events, focused on creating content for small theater concerts.

You didn’t need extensive preparation for a VR concert.

A VR-compatible camera and a place to practice were sufficient.

Above all, thanks to Youngchan’s decision to launch this service with minimal maintenance costs, there was no financial burden on the company.

It was more profitable for these idols to do a room concert like this than to remain idle due to the lack of live events.

Moreover, third-tier idols, who often had almost no income, could earn the equivalent of a part-time job with just two or three concerts, so many teams performed more than twice a week.

Was it thanks to the success of VR STARS, riding the popularity of VR?

The status of K-pop didn’t diminish despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Rather, as people spent more time at home, K-pop successfully attracted those seeking new at-home entertainment, creating new fans.

As if the pandemic was an opportunity, K-pop was evolving and growing through it.

* * *

The Sabbath [day of rest] had arrived.

It was a strange gift from this monster called the pandemic.

“Is this okay?”

As always, I woke up at 6 a.m., feeling disoriented by the fact that I had nothing to do today, and I couldn’t help but mutter that.

But what could I do?

I genuinely had nothing to do.

Originally, I should have been continuing the world tour until the second half of this year.

After that, I was scheduled to tour the world with Director Bell and actor Chris to promote the second installment of ‘King of Arrogance’.

Besides that, I had quite a few other commitments lined up.

However, as everything was canceled or postponed due to the pandemic, I experienced what it felt like to be unemployed.

Even then, I had something to do until two months ago.

That was when I was initially involved in introducing VR STARS.

However, this area unexpectedly proved to be too specialized for me to effectively contribute.

It was clear that I would only cause confusion if I intervened carelessly, so I gradually stepped back, leaving it to the talented employees.

Among them, the only thing I could do was nothing particularly special.

Just approving documents and meeting with government officials to facilitate related contracts.

In fact, I primarily played the role of a figurehead, but that alone facilitated the rapid introduction of VR STARS.

Originally, it wasn’t created with that intention, but now VR STARS was like a lifebuoy thrown to people who had fallen into the water, and it quickly gained prominence.

After that, I didn’t have much to do at the company.

If there was anything, it was VR concerts, but I didn’t feel like doing one, and my uncles [referring to senior management] were against it for the time being.

‘I don’t really need to do it.’

If ’21’ [likely referring to a specific artist or group] didn’t exist, I would have persuaded my uncles to do it for promotion, and Black Tiger would have been the first to perform this VR concert.

But now that ’21’ was established, there was no reason to do that, and there was no longer a need to promote it.

“…Shall I make some music?”

I was surprised by the words I unconsciously uttered.

To think that the only thing I could think of to do out of boredom was to write a song.

At this point, it was clear that I was a serious workaholic.

“Come to think of it, I was told to take a sabbatical on this occasion.”

In a regular counseling session, the counselor recognized my stress and recommended a sabbatical.

“A sabbatical. What do people usually do during one?”

“There are many things you can do. You can go on a trip with friends, or watch all the movies you’ve wanted to see. You can read a book or try foods you haven’t had before. You might also want to try a new sport.”

Travel, movies, books, food, exercise.

These were things that people generally did when they had free time.

Among these, I often enjoyed food or movies when I had time off while working in the factory. In the case of food, most of the time I was looking for snacks that would pair well with alcohol.

Movies were about catching up on hero movies that I had missed because I was busy.

If I was lucky, I would watch a hero movie that was currently in theaters, but most of the time, I watched older hero movies.

“…Shall I watch a movie?”

That was the only thing that came to mind, so I decided to do that.

Coincidentally, M Corporation, which publishes hero comics different from ‘King of Arrogance’, was acquired by D Corporation and was releasing hero music videos in the form of movies and dramas.

“The reviews… aren’t very good, but~ still, it’s a hero movie.”

Thinking that way, some of the hero music videos of M Corporation that I watched were good, and some made me wonder why they even bothered making them.

In particular, the action scenes in the recently released drama were so terrible that I couldn’t feel any tension.

It was like watching a Power Rangers show from my childhood with an adult’s perspective.

Knowing that the punches and fights were all fake, I felt stressed when I saw the hero exchanging childish lines with the enemy.

Still, I was happy even when I was stressed out while watching those things.

After watching everything that had been released, I didn’t know what to do again.

“Ugh~ How many days have you been at home, Oppa [older brother]?”

Seeing me sitting on the sofa, staring blankly at the TV, Heejeong nagged me as if she was frustrated.

The girl who joined the YC Entertainment Europe branch a year before Corona started was recognized for her skills and quickly rose to the position of team leader.

After that, as Corona broke out, she came to the headquarters at the recommendation of her mother and me.

As a talent who had already gained internships and experience at major companies in the UK, she was quickly settling in at the headquarters.

I heard that she played a big role in establishing VR STARS and is now acting as a manager in that area.

‘My sister is so admirable.’

I couldn’t hide my smile as I watched her nagging.

Knowing that if people found out that her brother was from YC, bad rumors would spread, she hid her relationship with me and settled in like that, so I couldn’t help but admire her.

Of course, the president of the headquarters and a few others knew that she was my sister.

Anyway, Heejeong glared at me as if she was upset by my smiling at her nagging, and I suddenly thought of something and asked.

“Come to think of it, you’re… 31 years old?”

“…No, I’m not! I’m 29 years old in international age!”

I thought about how nobody counts their age in international age in Korea, but I couldn’t say that. I realized too late that I had touched a sensitive area.

‘Well, unlike when she was in Europe, she became a 30-year-old as soon as she came to Korea, so she can’t help but be sensitive.’

I heard that the age of 30 is sensitive to women, regardless of East or West.

I wondered if it was because they were socially sensitive beings, but at the same time, I wondered why I opened this can of worms.

Fortunately, however, Heejeong trembled but did not vent her anger on me.

“I’m busy, so I’m leaving… just you wait!”

“I’m… sorry. I’ll buy you something delicious later.”

“I don’t need it!”

As I watched her leave with a sulky face, I realized that a lot of time had passed.

In the past, no matter how sulky she was, her anger would melt away if I bought her snacks or ice cream, but now it seems that she can’t be appeased with food.

‘No~ In the first place, if she’s at her level, she can use the executive dining room.’

The difference between the executive dining room and the general dining room is that you can order the food you want in advance by reservation.

You can receive special meals such as diet food for diet management separately.

The taste is guaranteed as they brought in hotel chefs, so it would be better than buying most food outside.

I wondered if this was why food didn’t work, but on the other hand, I wondered if she was dating.

“Whether she’s 29 or 31, she’s not young.”

It’s not something a 38-year-old virgin should say, but I’m not doing it, and my sister is a normal person, so she should date as much as she wants, right?

“I hope she doesn’t become a workaholic like me?”

What would it feel like if my sister said that she liked her job so much that she would marry it? I shook my head as soon as I thought about it.

Just thinking about it gave me a feeling that was far from pleasant.

Anyway, the reason why my sister came to our house was not for any other reason.

“Mother sent braised short ribs.”

It was to bring side dishes sent by her mother, who lives with her sister.

It would have been easy if we lived together because the house we live in now is unnecessarily large, but my mother refused.

There was only one reason.

“I saw on TV that a man should live alone. He can bring women without worrying about what others think. You need to have that scandal or whatever.”

“…Mom. Is that something you should say to your son?”

“Why can’t I! You’re already 37 years old. In the old days, you would have been pointed at as an old bachelor!”

“Mom, it’s not like that these days. How many people don’t get married even after they’re over 40.”

“Sigh~ They at least date. But I heard from your siblings that you didn’t even have that. Is there something wrong down there?”

“Mom!”

I was furious at my mother for indirectly saying that I was impotent, but rather, my mother sighed deeply at my appearance.

“If that’s not the case, what’s wrong with you that you haven’t dated yet? It’s not like you’re not good-looking, and it’s not like you don’t have money.”

“…I’m busy these days.”

“Tsk. That’s all an excuse. People dated, got married, and had children even during the Korean War.”

“Why are you even talking about the Korean War?”

That was last year when I heard such nagging from my mother.

But I still lived a life far from dating under the excuse of being busy. But now that I’m on sabbatical, I can’t make that excuse anymore.

I thought I should date now that it’s come to this, but I couldn’t move.

“Dating… how do you do that?”

Only then did I realize that I was a dating idiot.

“How… do you date?”

The counselor looked at me with a face as if she had heard something really strange and asked me back, and I nodded my head greatly.

Realizing that I was serious, the counselor tilted her head as if she felt strange that she had to say these words.

“More than that, what is Youngchan’s ideal type?”

“Ideal type, you say?”

Ideal type. Well. Did I have an ideal type? What kind of woman do I like?

As I was confused and lost in thought for a while, the counselor continued to speak to help me.

“Usually, don’t you have a woman you had a crush on or were interested in when you were young?”

“A crush…”

She was asking if I had an experience of secretly liking someone, and of course I had such an experience.

It must have been when I was 21 years old.

“I liked Sooki noona [older sister/female friend], who worked with me at the factory. She was nine years older than me, and she was a really kind person.”

She couldn’t be said to be very pretty in appearance.

Sooki noona also jumped into factory work as soon as she graduated from high school due to family circumstances, so she couldn’t dress up well.

Besides, she liked to drink, so she was a bit chubby.

However, I really liked the noona who had kindness ingrained in her even while doing hard work, regardless of her appearance.

“…You should have confessed once.”

“Hahaha. Noona already had someone she had been dating for a long time. He was a nice hyung [older brother/male friend], and he would sometimes buy me drinks and give me money for transportation when I met him through noona.”

If I hadn’t left for the defense industry due to military service, I would have stayed there for quite a long time.

“Didn’t you have anyone else?”

“Why wouldn’t I? When I was 26, there was a store called Cat’s near the factory I moved to.”

It was a store run by a young female boss.

The food wasn’t that great, but the atmosphere of the store was good, so people in the neighborhood often visited.

“So you liked that female boss?”

“No. To be exact, I liked her younger sister who came to help the female boss. She had a cheerful and bright personality. Perhaps because of that, there were many people who liked her besides me.”

Fortunately, the guy who was considered the best among the people who liked her ended up with her.

The counselor asked with a puzzled face at my story.

“Why didn’t you confess at that time?”

“Things were very different from now at that time. Appearance, situation… so I was scared.”

That was when I weighed over 100 kg, so things were really different from now.