A New Career Singer Who Can Read The Future [EN]: Chapter 69

I sank into deep thought. I had never liked someone so passionately before, as an ideal.

Because of that, I couldn’t understand the strange feelings the stalker had for me. Was it a twisted form of fandom? Or could it even be called a fan’s feelings?

“Doha, how is that feeling different? I can understand fandom, I think? I don’t know if my understanding is correct, but I still don’t get how it’s different.”

Doha, with a deeply troubled look, said to me,

“Um… well, fandom, based on my experience and what people around me say, I’d define it as ‘supporting the life’ of the person you’re a fan of. Like, you want to support them no matter what they do. When they live their life diligently, it makes me want to live diligently too. Even if I’m just a nobody to that person…”

Hearing the words ‘supporting their life’ made sense. I too had seniors I wanted to respect, and times when I wanted to follow in their footsteps.

I wanted them to succeed, and I supported their lives.

Ah, so that’s what you call fandom.

“Ah, okay. I get it. Stalking is just an incomprehensible realm, right?”

“Of course. You don’t want to understand stalkers, *hyung* [older brother or male friend]. It can be seen as a disease. I think stalkers are people with wrong, negative emotions. You must have had people you respected, but you wouldn’t think of stalking someone, would you?”

“Okay. Comprehension complete.”

Come to think of it, Doha is really good at talking. Listening to Doha’s words, it hit me all at once.

“Alright, I need to go for the afternoon schedule.”

“Yes, you do. Just change your clothes and come out. Makeup and everything will be done at the filming site anyway.”

“Okay.”

* * *

That’s how Dohyun finished his schedule of interviews and photoshoots following ‘You First, Me Later’ and ‘White House’.

Just because that schedule was over didn’t mean Dohyun’s schedule was finished. Dohyun had to endlessly repeat between the company and home.

It was all because of the album preparation.

The concept for this album was set as ‘Serendipity’. The title track Dohyun wrote suited Dohyun, who had gained the luck of a fourth debut by chance.

All 10 songs to be included in Dohyun’s album were decided, but Dohyun wanted to be ambitious even though it was his first full album.

He wanted to include not only the songs he wrote but also a self-composed song as a hidden track.

The fans would buy the CD and listen to the music, and he wanted to include a track just for the CD for those fans.

When he told the A&R [Artists and Repertoire] team’s Lee Junhyuk PD [Production Director] and the general director, they reacted positively.

“Hmm, Dohyun.”

“Yes?”

Lee Junhyuk PD spoke to Dohyun, who was grabbing a guitar and creating toplines and chords.

“My studio is good, but there’s a spare studio in our company. How about working there?”

Dohyun apologized, thinking he was being a nuisance, but the answer that came back was no.

“Dohyun, you’re a singer-songwriter. Even if the proportion is small in this album, we plan to increase the proportion in the future. In that case, you should have a personal studio, right? I’ve already told the company. You just need to use it. The company said they’ll provide basic equipment.”

It was a blunt tone, but Dohyun felt good, as if he had been recognized by Lee Junhyuk PD.

“Thank you!”

Dohyun’s eyes welled up, thinking he had suffered all this time to have this experience.

In his previous agencies, no matter how hard he tried, his abilities were not recognized.

Even when he was a noticeable flower boy when he was a beast idol, and when he was the second most noticeable handsome guy when he was a flower boy idol, it all ended ambiguously.

Then, in his third debut, the audition program, he didn’t receive attention and notice despite having a good-looking appearance and vocals.

The past days when he only appeared as a low-paid performer with low recognition in a program with a 0% viewership rating. The days when he had to work as a guide vocalist without an agency. That time flashed by.

“It’s all because Dohyun showed his passion for music. If you didn’t have a passion for music, we probably wouldn’t have made that choice. We treat Dohyun well because you’re good. You know that the entertainment industry is thoroughly commercial, right? Until the day you roam the festival stage as a singer-songwriter. Until the day we stir up festivals all over the world, we will support you.”

Dohyun, who heard Lee Junhyuk PD speak this seriously and at length for the first time, felt moved. He wanted to hold his hand and express his gratitude, but he refrained from doing so, thinking it might burden Lee PD.

“Then let’s move to the personal studio. The company has probably prepared all the basic equipment. I talked about it a few days ago.”

“Thank you!”

“Oh, by the way, it’s next to my room. I’m in 301, Dohyun is in 303.”

“Ah! Yes, yes! I’ll go right now.”

As soon as Dohyun came out of Lee PD’s studio, he sent a text message to Doha.

It was a message boasting that he had been given a personal studio and that it was room 303, next to Lee Junhyuk PD.

Dohyun waited until Doha came up to the 3rd floor.

“Wow, *hyung*! Congratulations on getting a studio! So now I can listen to *hyung’s* work in the studio too, right?”

“That’s right. It doesn’t seem like the door lock is set yet, so let’s go in.”

As Dohyun expected, the door lock was not yet set with a password. Dohyun set a password to share with Doha.

Then he went inside.

The moment he saw the equipment in front of him, Dohyun exclaimed.

“Wow, is this really equipment for me?”

When Dohyun exclaimed, Doha also began to estimate the price of the equipment based on his experience as an entertainment manager.

“I can tell just by looking, but the equipment here isn’t just any equipment, is it? It all looks expensive….”

“I know. I didn’t expect much because it was basic equipment, but they’re all the latest products. There’s even equipment I don’t know well. I guess there’s a lot to do to become a real singer-songwriter.”

“That’s how much the company is investing. Reading *hyung’s* future.”

“I’m so touched that I’m an artist worth this much.”

“*Hyung*, you’re really going to do well. The emotions that will pour out in the future will be more than this. You can’t be moved already.”

“Doha, I’ve seen a lot of ugly things until my fourth debut. But the treatment now… it’s more than I imagined. I want to just work on songs here every day. Oh, come to think of it, there’s something you need to know too.”

Dohyun told Doha what he had to say.

“It’s been decided that a hidden track will be included in this album.”

“Hidden track? Why?”

“It’s a CD-only track, and honestly, in this digital world, my fans are the ones who buy CDs. I’m going to release my self-composed song dedicated to the fans only on CD. As a hidden track. And it would be a great event if I sang it for the fans at the concert.”

Doha, with a touched face, said to Dohyun, who had honestly revealed his thoughts.

“*Hyung*, I told you I’m *hyung’s* fan. As the number one fan, to hear this news like this. I want to go somewhere and brag about it! I want to say that *hyung’s* album will be released with this kind of composition!”

Doha spoke with a passionate face, and Dohyun almost burst out laughing.

“Hey, it’s nothing like that. Anyway, when we make a comeback, a press release will be released and the fact that there is a hidden track will be revealed when the tracklist is released, what.”

“Then I’ll wait until then. You said you’re doing it with a self-composed song, how much work has been done?”

Dohyun shook his head. In fact, the self-composed song is a song that Dohyun composes and works on as a topliner, but he hasn’t started any specific work yet.

“No. I’ve taken the line and arranged the chords, but I also have to write lyrics, and I have to think about which instruments to arrange and how. There’s a lot to do.”

He liked that he didn’t have any unnecessary thoughts at this moment when he was talking about music.

Dohyun rattled off the story and had a pleasant conversation with Doha.

“Ah, *hyung*. The manager called me, so I’ll be back.”

After Doha left, Dohyun touched each of the equipment prepared on the table. There were some he saw for the first time, and some he was familiar with.

“I need to make a good song.”

Dohyun thought so. Imagining the fans being happy with the self-composed song he made at the concert.

Dohyun became happy imagining them singing along to the song together.

“…I need to ask about the venue schedule. I want to have a concert soon. Since it’s my fourth debut, I want to go on tour soon. There must have been many fans waiting for me.”

It’s been a while since ‘You First, Me Later’ ended. It’s been about four months since ‘You First, Me Later’ ended and ‘White House’ ended.

On Dohyun’s SNS [Social Networking Service], many fans were leaving comments waiting for album news, asking when the next album would be released.

He wanted to tell them that the album would be released soon, but Dohyun was trying to give hints without giving them away because there was an embargo.

In particular, what Dohyun showed off the most was taking a picture of a card with the phrase ‘Serendipity’ written on it from one of the oracle cards, which are cards specialized in advice, unlike tarot cards.

The company also managed Dohyun’s SNS, but the SNS manager didn’t delete this and passed it on. Fans were thinking that the next song was Serendipity.

“It would be nice to give this kind of joy. I hope I can be a chance-found luck for my fans.”

With that thought, Dohyun turned on the recording app and started recording the melody that came to his mind.

How long had it been since he had been modifying and recording the melody?

Dohyun had received a text message.

Dohyun pressed the message, thinking it was Doha.

As soon as he checked the text message, Dohyun almost screamed.

The message, which arrived with no caller ID, contained pictures of Dohyun’s empty house. It wasn’t a micro camera, but a high-definition photo with accurate focus, as if it had been taken directly with a mobile phone.

Dohyun immediately called Doha.

“Doha.”

“Yes, *hyung*. But your voice….”

“That stalker is in our house now.”

“Yes? What?”

“He sent me pictures of our house. With caller ID blocked.”

“*Hyung*, I have to go right now. This crazy….”

Dohyun told him to meet him on the first floor, closed the studio door tightly just in case, and went down.

Dohyun and Doha rushed home.

When the two arrived, the door that should have been locked with a door lock was slightly open.

“Who are you!”