Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 11

Chapter 5. Jang Tae-shik

My first teacher was special among all my teachers.

It wasn’t just because he recognized my talent for music and guided me. It was because, despite his rough exterior, he was unusually soft-hearted.

He was also the last person who tried to help me when I was falling apart, which made me want to see him even more.

“It’s been a long time. Fifteen years.”

However, finding him wasn’t easy, contrary to my wishes.

The tutoring center where he taught had already gone bankrupt ten years ago, and around that time, my teacher had also moved away.

“Going to a private investigation agency would be an overreaction, right?”

So, I decided to change my original plan.

Instead of searching for the guitar teacher, whose whereabouts were unclear, I decided to visit the keyboard teacher, whose location I knew for sure, first.

“He said he was going to open a big club bar in Hongdae [a vibrant district in Seoul known for its indie music scene and nightlife].”

In fact, he was running a club bar when I first met him.

Like most businesses, especially club bars, they often fail within a few years.

They are heavily influenced by trends, and since they are basically bars, there are many unpredictable factors.

In that sense, it might be unreasonable to assume that he is still running a club bar.

But if it was him, it would be a different story.

That’s because his innate talent was actually more specialized in business than music.

In fact, the reason why YC Entertainment, which was disorganized in its early days, was able to quickly establish itself was thanks to his business skills.

He seemed like a seasoned professional businessman.

The drum teacher was often dumbfounded by that aspect of the keyboard teacher.

“If he had even half of his business talent in music, he would probably have become a pianist representing Korea.”

“Hmph! If that were the case, a third-rate drummer like you wouldn’t even dare to talk to me.”

“Third-rate… You bastard?”

“Bastard? Come outside! Consider your drumming career over after today!”

“Okay, I’ll make sure you only do business from now on.”

“You crazy wild boar bastard!”

Unlike his intellectual appearance, he had a fiery temper and often fought with the drum teacher, who was called a Yakuza [member of a Japanese organized crime syndicate] because of his rough appearance.

‘I was really embarrassed at first.’

I reminisced about memories that were no longer just memories with a hollow feeling, and after a long time, I set foot in Hongdae.

“Here it is. Que Sera, Sera.”

-Que Sera, Sera-

In Spanish, it means ‘What will be, will be.’ More directly, it means ‘Whatever happens, happens. It’ll be alright somehow.’ This was a phrase that my keyboard teacher often said.

Considering the life of my teacher, who abandoned S University’s law school, which is difficult to enter, and jumped into music at a late age, Que Sera, Sera can be said to be his philosophy of life.

But being a musician…

The life of a musician with mediocre talent was not easy.

Eventually, he started a very small club bar, making use of his business talents.

Before we formed a band together, he was doing quite well, with two locations.

So, I sometimes wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t formed a band with him and he had continued on that path. The result was more amazing than I thought.

There are two locations in Seoul, where the main branch is located, and five branches in other regions, including Incheon and Busan.

The most famous branch among them is the rock cafe where I have arrived now.

This place, which has a land area of 200 *pyeong* [approximately 7,100 square feet], has a three-story structure, and the first and second floors have a semi-open high ceiling.

It is designed for concerts, and since 1,000 people can usually attend, famous rock bands often perform here on weekends.

On weekdays, up-and-coming indie bands perform, and if their recognition increases, they can perform on weekends as well.

In addition, they can do a Que Sera, Sera tour, and through a simple contract, they can receive transportation expenses from Que Sera, Sera.

Since they also have a system that promotes and sells albums, it was like a mecca among unknown indie bands.

“He really succeeded.”

Considering the current land prices in Hongdae, this building alone, which must be his own, is an enormous asset.

“And the real estate prices will continue to rise like crazy…”

In addition, there is another main branch and a branch in Seoul, and the locations of the Que Sera, Sera branches built in other regions such as Incheon are also in prime locations.

This is more than enough to put him in the top 1%.

“What’s even more amazing is that this is the result of my teacher’s restraint.”

The structure of the business itself was to nurture talented juniors, but if he had not done that and had only run for profit, he would have achieved ten times more wealth than he has now.

“Seeing him like this makes me worried.”

Now that he has succeeded in business like this, I couldn’t help but worry if he was still playing music.

However, it seemed certain that he still liked music, so I decided to think positively.

Surprisingly, it was open even in the bright daytime, operating as a cafe until 5 PM.

“Ugh! It’s more than twice as expensive as Star00 [likely a reference to a popular coffee chain, similar to Starbucks].”

I couldn’t help but hesitate for a moment when the cheapest iced Americano cost a whopping 8,000 won [approximately $6 USD]. But since I had to order something to stay, I placed an order and took a seat in a corner.

Only then could I take a closer look at the store.

“It’s cool.”

The spacious store, which is over 200 *pyeong*, was already more than 50% full.

Most of them were couples or women.

I figured it was because the spacious and stylish interior and the pretty and cute cakes and other foods were perfect for taking pictures to upload to trendy social media.

In addition, jazz, not trendy pop songs, was playing on the expensive large speakers, adding to the luxurious atmosphere, so it was inevitable that the word would spread.

A man sitting alone in such a place didn’t look very good, but I shamelessly fiddled with my phone and passed the time.

“First, I need to find out if he’s running this place.”

Considering his unique meticulous personality, he would definitely be working hard during the day.

‘Strangely, most of the employees here are musicians.’

They had thick fingers with calluses, which are common among those who play instruments. Seeing this, I thought that some of them might be performing on that stage themselves.

“Well, most musicians make a living by working part-time.”

Not only amateurs but also many professionals were in such poor conditions.

It is not easy to make a living with music alone unless you are in the top 10% of professionals.

“He’s here!”

After another hour or two, when the store was almost full, the teacher appeared.

Teacher Jang, who had a fairly sturdy physique, bright brown dyed hair slicked back, and sunglasses, appeared.

I was momentarily taken aback by the sight of Teacher Jang, who looked 10 years younger despite being over 50 years old.

“You’re still a fashionista.”

The teacher looked around the store and greeted regular customers kindly, and then talked to a female employee who appeared to be a manager for a long time.

For some reason, both Teacher Jang and the female employee looked quite serious, so it seemed like there was a problem.

Before long, the manager left her seat for a while, and when she reappeared, she posted a paper not far from me.

There was a lot of content, but to summarize it, it was like this:

-We are looking for someone to replace the Shin Si-hyun band. Auditions will be held at the main branch today and tomorrow.

We ask for your interest.-

It seems that the contract with those who were performing here has not been renewed.

Or maybe the guys called the Shin Si-hyun band unilaterally changed their minds.

“Either way, it’s good for me.”

I was already worried about how to approach Teacher Jang.

But it was fortunate that this event happened as if I had been waiting for it.

“Let’s see. Wow~. The conditions are so good.”

The salary was also considerable.

Usually, those who perform in such places either don’t get paid at all or receive a portion of the liquor sales, but Teacher Jang generously paid and promised 5% of the liquor sales on that day.

“He’s giving away so much? Why did the Shin Si-hyun band guys leave?”

Of course, considering that a performance band has at least four members, the share they take when divided is not that large.

Even if they receive 1 million won [approximately $750 USD], only 250,000 won falls to each person.

If they do this kind of performance 3-4 times a week, they earn about 700,000 won a week. That’s 2.8 million won a month, and if you consider the money spent on maintenance, they barely earn 2 million won.

This is only when things are going well to some extent.

“It’s a good thing in many ways.”

Money is good, but I was longing for a proper stage.

I was unknowingly getting fired up as I was teaching the inexperienced but passionate guys.

“If I had known this would happen, I would have brought my guitar.”

I really regret leaving it behind in the middle of summer because it was heavy.

If I had known, I could have auditioned today.

“It’s a shame, but I have to book an audition for tomorrow.”

The number of slots for the audition was limited, and they were quickly disappearing, whether they had posted it on social media before posting the poster.

Well, it was not surprising to get a chance to perform at that Que Sera, Sera, the most famous branch, even though it was a weekday.

I booked an audition for tomorrow afternoon, which was almost the last slot.

++++++++

“How come you don’t like any of them?”

“Hahaha. It’s because the boss’s standards are too high. Honestly, the Shin Si-hyun band’s level is not common, right?”

“Ugh. Those bastards, even though they’re going to the major stage, they’re clearing things up so quickly.”

“What can we do? The entertainment company is the boss now.”

“Yeah, you have to become famous even if it’s disgusting in this industry.”

From the perspective of Jang Tae-shik, who abandoned everything and jumped into music 30 years ago, he was actually envious of the Shin Si-hyun band’s situation.

As if knowing Jang Tae-shik’s heart, Lee Ah-hyun, the manager of the Que Sera, Sera main branch, said with a subtle look.

“If you really don’t like it, why don’t the boss and your friends perform? You’re good at it.”

“…Ugh. What can I do with those old geezers? They’re all old and have no energy.”

“But you used to get together and perform often, didn’t you?”

“That was a while ago. It’s not like we’re competing anymore, and if we’re still gathering and acting like that, we’ll be told we’re senile.”

But unlike what he said, Jang Tae-shik’s face showed a subtle excitement.

Just looking at the fact that he only does business in club bars compared to his business skills, you can see how much he loves music.

Lee Ah-hyun, who has been with him for 15 years and is the general manager, knew the president’s wishes. So she brought it up, but the president didn’t seem to be willing to admit it.

Because the atmosphere was somewhat depressing, Lee Ah-hyun quickly continued.

“But the ‘Pink Dragon’ kids we saw yesterday were okay, weren’t they? The song selection is a bit of a problem, but I think it would be okay to develop them if it’s just me.”

“Ugh. Can you really handle those hopeless *otaku* [people with obsessive interests, commonly associated with anime and manga] bastards? I told them to change the song, but they only change the anime genre. Those guys have to go completely in that direction. I can’t handle it.”

“Hahaha. Then we have to pray that today’s interview goes well.”

“Well, I think the kids who made a name for themselves came on the first day.”

As always, Jang Tae-shik, who thought that finding talent was the most difficult thing, naturally thought of the cigarettes he had been trying to quit.

As Jang Tae-shik worried, it was true.

He had met five teams in the morning alone, but none of them were satisfactory.

The guys who came for the interview in the afternoon were even worse. Most of them were not able to escape from being amateurs.

“I’m going crazy. Should I really call the Pink Dragon kids and persuade them?”

While he was worrying like that, manager Lee Ah-hyun contacted the last team.

“Black Tiger, right? You can come now. Do you know where it is?”

“Ah, yes. I know.”

Although it is the main branch, the size of the Que Sera, Sera main branch is relatively small.

Compared to the branches with a land area of over 100 *pyeong*, it is only about 50 *pyeong*.

However, the reason why this place is called the main branch is because this was actually the beginning of Que Sera, Sera.

Now, it is only frequented by Jang Tae-shik’s old acquaintances and regulars, and it is actually operating only to maintain its image.

So, even though amateur-level bands performed, the customers seemed to enjoy it rather than booing.

They were intoxicated by their dreams, their youth and passion that they did not have, rather than the music.

Unlike those customers, Jang Tae-shik, who was considering the extreme idea of Pink Dragon, was almost passed out.

Whether it was because of the great consumption of mental energy, he looked his age today.

-Ting-a-ling!

At that time, a man with a guitar on his back entered the main branch with a loud bell sound.

He was a middle-aged man in his 30s, and his handsome appearance stood out. If he cut his slightly long hair, his appearance would be better, but since it was rare for those who do rock not to have long hair, no one in the main branch thought it was strange.

As soon as he entered, he approached Jang Tae-shik and greeted him.

“Hello. I’m Black Tiger, here to audition.”

“Ah, yes. Hello. It seems your colleagues haven’t arrived yet.”

To Jang Tae-shik’s words, who thought that it could be because the main branch was located in a corner of Hongdae, the man shook his head greatly.

“No. I’m alone.”

“Yes?”

“Is it not possible? I don’t think there was any such requirement.”

“No. Usually, we’re talking about a band… Ah, I don’t know. Okay. Then can you go up right now?”

“Hahaha. Yes. I’ll finish preparing soon.”

As if not knowing Jang Tae-shik’s inner thoughts, who was thinking that he was having bad luck until the end, the man went up on the stage with a good-natured face.