Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 160

‘Was it when it was snowing?’

That day, carols were playing on repeat everywhere.

I bumped into old colleagues downtown, reminiscing and heading to a second bar, when I saw them.

Like characters in a movie, the two were walking down the street together, getting dusted with snow.

And it hit me.

I liked her more than I thought.

Maybe it was the alcohol, but her image at that moment played out like a slow-motion scene in a movie.

‘An extra’s love…….’

If life were a movie, that would have been my role. Just like one of the nameless faces who pines for the beautiful female lead. This nobody was a role that suited me perfectly at the time.

But as always, time diluted and erased many things.

I could tell just by the fact that I can no longer clearly picture her face, even though I liked her so much.

While I was briefly lost in old memories, the counselor asked me.

“So, have you liked anyone since then?”

“……I don’t think so.”

“Hmm.”

After a moment of thought, the counselor asked again.

“You’ve said that girl groups helped you get through tough times in the past, Youngchan.”

“Yes.”

It was a story I had told many times, so I readily agreed.

I had actually scouted them and successfully relaunched them all as girl groups.

If I could have, I would have brought in all those who gave me strength back then, but I was disappointed that I couldn’t.

“Do they still give you strength now? Or has that changed?”

“……It’s inevitably different.”

It couldn’t be helped.

As I treated them as a producer and the head of the company, not as a pure fan and star, I couldn’t purely pour affection into them.

As my perspective changed, so did my feelings.

“Usually, the feelings of fans who love idols are similar to romantic love. Unlike overseas, the reason why we have to be so careful about scandals is because we are commercially capitalizing on that pseudo-romance.”

“Yes, I suppose that’s the only way.”

That’s why fans’ reactions are so intense when scandals break out.

They discover that their lover, whom they supported materially and emotionally, cheated on them, so the betrayal is devastating.

In the process, fans become anti-fans, but domestic anti-fans are relatively tame.

Most of the extreme anti-fans overseas were psychos who threatened to destroy everything, from acid attacks to gun shootings.

“The reason why you haven’t dwelled on past relationships for a long time is probably because of this idol fandom. Even if it wasn’t at the level of pseudo-romance, it would have filled the void to some extent.”

“That could be.”

But isn’t that not the case now?

So, when I expressed my curiosity about why I don’t feel any emotions about dating, the counselor continued with a look of genuine interest.

“That’s why your current state is unique. If you’re being honest with me, this current state doesn’t make sense.”

“???”

The counselor, who made me question myself, slowly continued.

His words went something like this:

In the past, he was someone who valued pure love, an emotion, rather than physical intimacy. However, in addition to that past, I also saw the habits of someone who only pursued carnal desires and pleasures.

There was only one reason why these two conflicting images were appearing simultaneously when it came to love.

‘It must be because of that guy in my memory.’

He had countless relationships with women as he rose to stardom as a child.

Since he wasn’t an idol, he had more freedom when it came to dating in the rock genre compared to other singers.

Genius, talented musician, rocker!…… etc.

Various factors only amplified his free dating life.

There were many women who rose to stardom through scandals with him, making it perfect for creating buzz.

He knew that, but he thought it was fine.

Having discovered the pleasure of sex early on, he was able to meet new women, especially beautiful women, without much responsibility.

At least he was calm in Korea.

After serving in the military and advancing overseas, his pursuit of sexual pleasure became a little more pronounced.

‘I felt the emotion called love in the process.’

Although physical pleasure was the main thing, what he felt was definitely love.

Anyway, the counselor seemed to be really skilled.

He recognized my state where my past and his past coexisted.

“……Perhaps, because these extreme views on love conflict, I haven’t had any feelings about dating.”

“Then what should I do?”

“You have to give up one of them, or accept both. If possible, it would be good to accept both. It’s an extreme case, but usually the best thing about love is to have both physical and mental connection.”

“…….”

I nodded at those words, and he continued.

“I think it would be good to start by opening your heart to dating. I think it would be good to open your heart to physical contact as well. In that way, it would be good to gradually open your heart to someone you like, if possible……”

“If possible?”

The counselor stared at my face for a moment and then shook his head.

“The problem is, I don’t know if the other person will match that pace.”

“……?”

What do you mean? But soon I had to laugh awkwardly at the idea that it would be difficult for women to keep up with my slow and cautious approach.

After that, I continued to worry about dating, but I didn’t achieve any particular results.

It was difficult to meet someone who would spark romantic feelings in the Corona era, when it was hard to meet people in the first place.

Moreover, it was even more so in a situation where there were many reporters looking for scoops, requiring constant protection from bodyguards.

So, just when I was about to give up halfway.

Something happened that shook me.

“I have someone I’m dating!”

“……What?”

It was when my younger sister confessed that she actually had someone she was dating.

“I’m seriously dating him.”

I knew what it meant to be seriously dating at her age. It meant that she was even thinking about marriage, which was not something I could easily accept.

“Mom knows too.”

“Mom too? ……What does he do?”

“It’s someone you know too, oppa [older brother].”

“I know?”

I was thinking, what are you talking about? But I really did know who he was.

He was one of the people who helped my sister and mother when they were in need during the concert in England.

He was a Korean student like my sister, and now he has come to Korea and is working in the securities division of a famous overseas corporation.

He is four years older than my sister, and he’s not conventionally handsome, but he has a pleasing appearance.

Having exercised when he was younger, he has a good physique, so even a man can’t help but think that he is a great guy.

I remembered that he had a good personality, so I was rather relieved.

I had thought that there was no way that such a handsome guy would like my sister, who was less conventionally attractive than the objectively sexy women around him.

But tastes always surprise me like this.

‘What’s so pretty about her? It’s not like…….’

I felt an unknown sense of rejection and impatience at the fact that my sister was dating, even seriously dating with marriage in mind.

A seven-year age difference.

It’s not that big of an age difference, but wasn’t my sister someone I raised with a daughter-like affection because of our family situation?

I couldn’t easily suppress the rejection that was burning within me when my sister was dating.

“It’s Hyuncheol. Kim Hyuncheol.”

“Sigh~”

Seeing her say his name to me as if to quickly engrave it in my mind, it seemed like she really had marriage in mind.

I was upset that my sister was like that, so I continued.

“You know? There’s an order to marriage in Korea. Your marriage is only possible if I get married.”

“……Who decides that!”

“Who decides that? Isn’t that obvious?”

“It may be the case in other families…… Are you going to get married, oppa? Do you want to condemn your sister to spinsterhood?”

“Why are you saying that so harshly?”

I got up, feeling dumbfounded at my sister’s face, as if she couldn’t imagine me, an oppa who can’t even date, getting married.

“Just watch. I’m going to find my match this sabbatical.”

“If that’s the case, don’t try to find it far away.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Rather than trying to meet new people, I’m telling you to look around you. In fact, all of my uncles except for one met people they already knew.”

“Hmm.”

I was thinking about a matchmaking company, but I decided to seriously consider my sister’s words.

It was because I thought that if I, who have a confused view of love right now, try to narrow the distance slowly and gradually, it would be better to target the people around me who have some existing connection.

“But…… is there such a person?”

I voiced my doubt, but before long, I realized that there were several such people around me.

“Jamie?”

“Ah! I’m sorry. CEO.”

“No. Anyway, it’s been a while. How can things be going so well when it hasn’t been long since you started working again?”

“Hehe.”

Jamie made a comeback at the end of last year after her mental health had somewhat recovered, and she gained tremendous popularity.

-The Queen of America is back!-

-Her soul has deepened even more. Her appearance has become even more beautiful! Now is Jamie’s era!-

-Billboard Hot 100 #1 for 7 weeks!-

-Achieved Diamond status in 10 days of the new album!-

If everything had gone as planned, she might have been holding a large-scale concert like the Black Tiger’s US All-Stadium Tour by now.

However, with everything disrupted due to Corona, she left her confusing yet glamorous life in the United States and returned to Korea a month ago.

The fact that she returned to Korea, not the United States, was entirely her decision.

When I asked her manager about the reason for this, an unexpected answer came back.

Korea, specifically the YC Entertainment headquarters, was the most psychologically stable place for her, so she made that decision.

Her mother, her only family member who lives with her aunt, still has many unstable issues, so it’s hard to rely on her.

On the other hand, YC Entertainment feels like a hometown to her, perhaps because it is a place that allowed her to become self-reliant during her most difficult times.

“In fact, there is another important reason besides that.”

“……You’ve grown a tail [implying she’s become more cunning].”

Semi, who had shown what seemed like three or four tails in the past, has been traveling around the world with Jamie, and now she has become a great fox with more than seven tails [a metaphor for becoming very sly and knowing].

I was the one who got tired of talking to a guy like that, so I roughly wrapped up the conversation with him.