Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 1

Birthday Blues

-Beep! Beep! Beep!-

I woke up to the jarring sound of the alarm.

“Haaam. I never get enough sleep.”

I’m almost thirty, and the fact that I’m not recovering from fatigue as easily suggests I really need to take better care of my body.

“…Sigh.”

Whether my body felt heavy or not, I had to go to the factory. Duty calls.

There was nothing special to prepare for work. I just needed to grab the jacket I took off yesterday and a pair of pants lying on the floor. Standard operating procedure.

-Whoosh!-

The moment I opened the door, a fierce wind greeted me.

“Ugh. It feels colder than yesterday.”

The biting cold made me reluctant to leave the house, but I soon left with the feeling of a refugee fleeing a war. Anything to escape the cold.

“One toast and one banana milk, please.”

“You’re out early, young man.”

“Haha… here you go.”

I felt a little overwhelmed by the toast lady’s friendly greeting, so I gave an awkward smile and quickly paid. Small talk wasn’t my forte this early.

-Crunch, crunch…-

The margarine smelled particularly strong today, but the sweetness of the banana milk I bought with it calmed me down. A simple pleasure.

-Vroom!-

“Crap!”

Seeing the bus I needed to catch arriving earlier than expected, I quickly shoved the remaining toast into my mouth and jumped into the crowd. Gotta make that bus.

Thanks to rushing, I was able to secure a seat. I was especially pleased that it was a seat where I could sit alone without anyone next to me. A rare win.

Since I never weighed less than two digits [referring to kilograms, implying a heavier build] after being discharged from the military, it’s hard to travel comfortably unless it’s a seat like this. Legroom is a precious commodity.

Soon, I arrived at the factory, having taken a light, and not particularly restful, nap, with the bus engine noise as a constant vibration. The soundtrack to my commute.

8:40 AM.

With 20 minutes left until work, I loitered in the cold, looking at my smartphone to pass the time. Anything to avoid going in early.

‘There’s no point in going in early.’

Despite the biting wind, I somehow managed to kill time until just before 9 AM before entering the factory. Procrastination at its finest.

As I entered the factory, the night shift foreman handed over the work, reeking of coffee and cigarettes. A potent combination.

“It stopped again last night. If you’re going to fix it, spend some money and replace the parts? Are you going to wait until someone gets hurt to replace it?”

The handover content was full of relatable complaints that made me feel suffocated just listening to them, but I didn’t agree with the last part. The usual litany of woes.

‘That cheapskate wouldn’t replace it even if someone got hurt.’

If he was going to replace it, he would have done it years ago. Wishful thinking.

Anyway, since I could be the one getting hurt, I couldn’t help but say something to the grumbling foreman.

“That’s why you should just leave it alone when it breaks down. The boss is acting like that because you keep fixing and running it.”

“Ugh. Damn it!”

Even at my words, the foreman just frowned without saying anything. He knew I was right, but what could he do?

Logically, I was right, but how could a small company like this operate logically? Logic and small businesses rarely align.

I didn’t know the foreman’s situation, where his position in the factory would be threatened if his workload decreased, so I didn’t say anything more. Best to leave it alone.

“Alright, let’s start the meeting.”

Around that time, the team leader gathered us and started the meeting. The dreaded meeting.

The faces of the night shift workers instantly soured. It was because their quitting time was delayed due to the meeting. Every minute counts.

Fortunately, the meeting content wasn’t anything big. A small mercy.

He babbled on for a while with nonsense about handling the machines carefully and not trying to rest outside of the scheduled break times, and as always, he ended with words about how the company was in trouble. The usual corporate spiel.

“….”

And so, another day of a factory worker began. Groundhog day.

As the team leader said, the company wasn’t doing well, and some investors came to the site and whispered among themselves not long after I started working. Always a sign of trouble.

Of course, I was careful to show them how hard I was working. From experience, I knew that I would benefit if they invested. Appearances matter.

‘Maybe they’ll replace this old thing.’

After spending time like this, a welcome sound rang in my ears. The sweet sound of freedom.

-Beeeep!-

It was the alarm signaling lunchtime. Salvation!

Finally, at lunchtime, I roughly wiped the oil off my hands with a rag and let out a long sigh. A moment of respite.

“Hoo~. Time really doesn’t pass.”

Maybe it was because of fatigue, but it felt especially so today. Time stood still.

I ate the tasteless and nutritionless meal from the restaurant contracted with the factory in about 10 minutes and sprawled out around the factory. Fueling up for the afternoon.

It was winter, but the sunlight was good, so it was warmer than inside the factory, where they didn’t even turn on a heater. A little bit of sunshine goes a long way.

“Let’s see. Oh? Aria is making a comeback?”

I was happy and worried about the welcome news from Aria, one of the girl groups I followed. A bittersweet moment.

It was a comeback after a year and a half, and it was obvious what would happen if they didn’t show proper results this time. High stakes.

Aria’s agency, Rainbow, was a large company that could be called a mid-sized agency. Not a small player, but not a giant either.

Nevertheless, the reason why Aria couldn’t escape being a third-tier group was that their agency was a specialized actor agency. A square peg in a round hole.

Although it’s the same entertainment industry, planning for actors and singers is a completely different field. Different skill sets required.

The preferred looks and abilities are different, and the way to market and promote them is also different. Apples and oranges.

Because of these differences, Aria was being put on unreasonable test benches every time and suffering damage. Set up to fail.

“If you don’t know, hire from outside!”

The heads of this agency must have been shot in the head because they’re not even thinking about that. Utterly clueless.

‘If Aria didn’t have any talent, then maybe I’d understand.’

On the contrary, each of the members was a skilled person who would be placed in the upper ranks even in this jungle-like idol scene. Diamonds in the rough.

If only one thing could be opened, they could rebound greatly, but it was frustrating because the company seemed to be blocking their path. So close, yet so far.

After looking for more articles about Aria for a while, I got up to avoid the group of women coming to the factory while smoking. Gotta avoid the smoke cloud.

The rest of the day was the same as any other day. More of the same.

At 7 PM, I ate dinner roughly and started overtime. Still, with quitting time in sight, the entire gloomy factory seemed to be a little more lively. The light at the end of the tunnel.

More than anything, it was even more so today because tomorrow was the weekend. A reason to celebrate.

Even if it’s the weekend, it doesn’t mean I don’t go to work, but I could at least not see the annoying team leader. A small victory.

“Actually, this is a decent place.”

I think so, having wandered around several factories half voluntarily, half involuntarily. Seen worse, definitely.

It can’t be called a small business, but it’s somewhere between a shitty company and a small business. A middling existence.

Even though it’s hard, the salary comes out well without ever being delayed, and they even give an extra 200,000 won [approximately $150 USD] for working on Saturdays and weekends. Not bad, all things considered.

Considering that the first factory didn’t give anything at all, and after that, they gave about 50,000 to 100,000 won more, it’s not that bad. Perspective is everything.

“Still, the comprehensive wage system is definitely terrible…” [This refers to a system where overtime pay is often included in the base salary, potentially leading to exploitation]

I wonder when this law that created shitty companies will change. A systemic problem.

-Beeeep!-

Finally, at 8 PM, overtime ended and it was time to leave work. Freedom!

I handed over the work to the night shift foreman, but the foreman’s face wasn’t good. He looked exhausted.

He must not have rested properly. I’m worried that if the machine stops like that, there might be an accident. A recipe for disaster.

I arrived home close to 10 PM, took a quick shower, and lay down, munching on snacks I bought from the neighborhood supermarket. The simple joys of life.

I ate a whole bag of Karaoke Shrimp crackers [a popular Korean snack] that my hand reached for, and then I turned on the PC and looked for news about Aria and other girl groups I followed, as always. My nightly ritual.

“Crunch, crunch. Should I say no news is good news?”

Unfortunately, there was no special news from anyone else, as usual. The usual quiet.

That’s why Aria’s comeback was like a ray of hope for me in my frustrating, hamster wheel-like daily life. A glimmer of excitement.

-Rustle, rustle-

Like a lie, there were no more Karaoke Shrimp crackers in my hand, but I still sucked my fingers in the emptiness that wasn’t filled. Empty bag, empty feeling.

“Should I eat a cup ramen?”

It was already past 11 PM, and I finally got up at the temptation that came in the midst of 고민ing [pondering/worrying] whether to sleep or not. The siren song of instant noodles.

While boiling water for ramen, I saw the kimchi container I took out of the refrigerator and couldn’t help but sigh. A sad sight.

“Aigoo, I ate it sparingly, but it’s already running out.”

I often made kimchi pancakes with the kimchi juice, so I was even more upset to see the clean bottom. The end of an era.

“I have to call Mom.”

I wanted to go home and get some, but as a pedestrian without a car, it wasn’t easy. Logistically challenging.

No, even if I had a car, I would be reluctant to go home easily. The thought alone was daunting.

“If I go down, I’ll just get a barrage of nagging.”

The nagging that started when I turned thirty got worse as the years went by. The gift that keeps on giving.

Have you given up on losing weight? Are you still drinking and wandering around at night? Don’t you sleep on the street anymore? etc. The usual suspects.

It’s as if she’s been gathering energy, and even I, who’s tired of a long social life, find it difficult to endure my mom’s diss rap that 몰아붙이는 [unleashes/bombards] without a break. A verbal assault.

I shook my head and turned my gaze to the screen that finally turned on. Distraction is key.

Then, the girl group’s photo greeted me, tired of everyday life. A welcome sight.

These beautiful girls, who are not enough to be called pretty, felt like they were dazzling with energy just by looking at them. Beacons of hope.

Yes, they were worthy of praise and admiration from many people. Deserving of recognition.

But the reality often flowed differently from common sense, and their case was no different. Reality bites.

Compared to their outstanding talent, their awareness was terrible. Underrated and underappreciated.

Some people said it was because of the limitations of a small agency, but I couldn’t just pass it off as that because the talent I saw in them was brilliant. More to the story than meets the eye.

More than anything, it was even more incomprehensible considering that some of them were from large agencies comparable to the top 3 agencies. A real head-scratcher.

If they had known that the future they had been running for since they were young would be like this, would they have chosen it? A question for the ages.

In a bleak reality, they were still running their best. Against all odds.

“I want to help.”

I want to help them achieve that dream. I want to help them get rewarded for their efforts. A noble aspiration.

I looked at them for a while, then smiled bitterly and picked up the cup ramen that had already 불어진 [swollen/overcooked]. A sad consolation prize.

-Slurp-

I ate it roughly as if I was drinking it, and today, as always, I was beaten up in the game with the 고인물s [veteran/high-level players] and turned off the computer in less than an hour. A familiar defeat.

-Creak! Creak!-

The bed, unable to withstand my weight as I jumped onto it, creaked for a while, and by the time the 울림 [echo/vibration] stopped, I looked for my cell phone and frowned. The sound of protest.

“…..Birthday.”

As soon as I realized it was my birthday, I struggled not to fall asleep for a long time even though fatigue was coming, but at some point, I finally collapsed from the 몰려든 수마 [rushing sleep/fatigue]. Sleep won.

It’s already been 15 years. A somber anniversary.

On my 15th birthday, my father, who was supposed to come early, was in a car accident. He was taken to the hospital before he died, but the situation did not improve. A tragic turn of events.

My father, who never regained consciousness after two major surgeries, died like a lie. Gone too soon.

But misfortune had only just begun to stretch. The beginning of a long road.

The beginning was when the conclusion was reached that the cause of the car accident was my father. A cruel twist of fate.

As a result, I had to face the anger of the victims, and it was 정말이지 피를 말리는 일 [truly a blood-drying thing/extremely difficult]. A harrowing experience.

In the trial that went to civil court, we had to pay a considerable amount of money, and we had to sell our house to give that money. A devastating blow.

In an instant, we became what is commonly called 흙수저 [dirt spoon/born into poverty]. From middle class to struggling.

The house got smaller as the years went by, and my mother’s shoulders got heavier. The weight of the world.

She had never done anything other than housework in her life, so she jumped into earning money, and my mother’s face never 필 줄 몰랐다 [bloomed/smiled]. A life forever changed.

‘I have to make money.’

I couldn’t think of anything but wanting to make money quickly. Driven by necessity.

My thought was to rebuild the collapsed family, but more than anything, I wanted to protect the future of my smart younger sibling, unlike me, who was a 돌대가리 [stone head/not very smart]. A selfless motivation.

‘I hope my little sister, who doesn’t even remember my father’s face, will have a lot of laughter in her future.’

Based on that earnest wish, I went to a vocational high school and jumped into the job market as soon as I graduated. A practical decision.

Since then, I’ve lived really hard and busy. A life of hard work.

In the process, there were good and bad things. When the factory went bankrupt and I was ripped off, it felt like the sky was falling, but when I was able to enter a decent defense industry company, I was greatly relieved and happy. Ups and downs.

But the happiest thing was when my smart younger sister, Hee-jeong, was accepted into S University [Seoul National University, one of the most prestigious universities in Korea]. A moment of pride.

It was an unbelievable 경사 [auspicious event/celebration] that she entered Korea’s best university even though I couldn’t even send her to a proper academy, let alone private tutoring. Against all odds.

After being accepted into S University, my sister no longer tried to receive an allowance. Independent and driven.

“I make a lot of money tutoring. I’ll take care of my tuition. So now I want you to spend money on yourself.”

“Hahahaha. Wow, our Hee-jeong has grown up.”

“Idiot.”

I said I understood in front of her, but I told my mother to start putting money into a savings account in her name. A secret plan.

It was because I wanted to add it when she got married later. A brother’s love.

But this savings account was used in a different place than I thought. In the midst of the crazy spec war [competitive job market], Hee-jeong decided to study abroad, and naturally this money became the study abroad fund. A different path.

Knowing Hee-jeong’s personality, she probably wouldn’t have used the money I had saved, but she didn’t refuse when I said it was part of the compensation for my father’s car accident in the past. A convenient excuse.

From the news I often hear, she’s getting a scholarship there, so I thought studying abroad was a really good decision. Thriving abroad.

‘Hahahaha. Looking back now, they weren’t all bad days. Well, that doesn’t mean I want to go through this again.’

I was reminiscing about the past, and I was already facing the nightmare that has been repeating for 15 years. The recurring nightmare.