Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 24

Legends of Rock

“He’s just as broken as I am.”

That was Youngchan’s first impression of Hong Euichan, upon meeting him for the first time.

Just like Youngchan, who had neglected his health while toiling away as an engineer, Hong Euichan’s appearance was also a mess.

The man rumored to be seen with models and celebrities, the man who looked great in a suit and even earned the nickname ‘Suit Guy’ on a TV show, was gone.

Instead, a chubby, bearded, middle-aged man, worn down by life, stood before Youngchan.

“Go again? Let me rest!”

“Hurry up and go! Using a service costs money. Money!”

“……”

“Here’s the address! Hong Euichan, show them what you’re worth. Hurry! Go like hell! You know what happens if it gets cold and the star ratings plummet, right?”

“Ugh… Just let me have some water before I go.”

Having scraped together every penny to start a chicken restaurant, he couldn’t dare to resist.

“…That bearded guy is Hong Euichan?”

His appearance had changed so much more than he had imagined that Youngchan wouldn’t have easily recognized him if he weren’t his business partner.

‘Is he also cursed with thick layers of fat like me?’ Youngchan thought, enjoying his daytime beer and chicken.

At the same time, he surfed the internet on his laptop.

Then, at some point, he started scratching his head and writing something, looking like a ‘coffee shop studying’ student.

“…..”

How many hours had passed?

Hong Euichan’s partner kept giving him the side-eye for taking up space in a restaurant where customer turnover was important, but Youngchan ignored her with an indifferent face.

“Ugh, I’m going to die.”

It was around then that Hong Euichan came back into the restaurant, sounding like he was dying.

Having finally gotten a break after the busy hours, Hong Euichan took off his helmet and leaned back in his chair as if collapsing.

As Hong Euichan wanted to close his eyes for a moment, his partner approached him as if it was perfect timing.

“Hong, get that guy out of here.”

“Ugh! You do it. I’m tired.”

“He looks like a troublemaker. Do you think he’ll listen if a woman like me goes? Go and talk to him nicely. You’re good at talking.”

“…Only a woman at times like this!”

However, Hong Euichan eventually got up, disgusted by her appearance, which reeked of chicken grease that was now more nauseating than savory.

‘Tch. He’s unlucky to be so handsome.’

When a man thinks that, it means the other person is *that* handsome.

His praise changed as he got closer to Youngchan.

‘Wow~. He’d look great on camera. He’s the type that comes alive on screen. A very unique case.’

He didn’t have the alien-like proportions of a model, but there weren’t many cases where full-body shots were taken anyway.

Even if there were, it was easy to make a 6-head figure look like an 8-head figure depending on the camera angle. [In Korean beauty standards, having a head that is a smaller proportion of your overall height is considered more attractive.]

In fact, in the case of a top actress known to everyone in the country, full-body shots are usually avoided.

This is because, unlike her innocent and clear-looking face, her overall proportions aren’t very good. For this reason, full-body shots are filmed when she is sitting or by twisting the angle.

What’s important when capturing on camera is the image that person exudes.

For this reason, camera directors preferred faces that seemed somewhat lacking but gave off a unique vibe, rather than faces that looked medically sculpted.

That could be explained by the suit fit image that ordinary people think of.

In the former case of a model-like proportion, a suit fits better, but until people actually compare, they vaguely think that the latter will look better.

What makes that possible is the world beyond the lens.

In that regard, Youngchan, as seen by Hong Euichan, is a very attractive case.

Now, without even putting him in front of a camera angle, diverse and intense images of Youngchan were constantly visible in his field of vision.

‘Wow! He even has a decadent beauty?’

It wasn’t a watered-down, manufactured decadence, but a decadence that anyone would recognize.

The moment he discovered that decadent beauty, Hong Euichan had to stop walking and stare at Youngchan’s face.

He knew better than anyone how fraudulent that decadent beauty was.

It’s like a cheat code that doesn’t distinguish between East and West, and especially in the West, they go crazy for this decadent beauty.

There is a legendary work that is often mentioned when it comes to decadent beauty.

It’s Edward Furlong’s CK [Calvin Klein] pictorial.

This black-and-white pictorial, in which he wears a suit and is blown by the wind, attracted the attention of everyone, regardless of gender or age, and became a hot topic.

Afterward, many attractive stars remade this photo, but none of them could show the force contained in this pictorial.

What’s amazing is that among them, there were more than one or two who had more handsome looks than Edward Furlong in his prime.

Decadent beauty has such an overwhelming power that it ignores the gap in appearance.

Also, it was so rare, but the decadent beauty of Youngchan that Hong Euichan saw was that overwhelming.

“Hey! You punk… Is he scared? Hong, Hong. Hey, you punk!”

His partner called out to him as Hong Euichan stood still, leaving the customer he was supposed to chase away just a few steps away, but her voice didn’t reach him.

In the end, should this body move instead of that useless guy? As she was contemplating, it was Youngchan, who came as a customer, who heard her voice.

Youngchan, who was naturally facing his laptop, made eye contact with Hong Euichan, who was staring at him.

“Wow! This is crazy!”

And Hong Euichan, who made eye contact with Youngchan for the first time, had the same thought.

-Thump, thump!-

The moment he made eye contact, Hong Euichan’s heart started beating like crazy.

Even when he saw the movie ‘The Sound of Music,’ which made him decide on the path he should take in an educational broadcast he happened to see as a child, his heart didn’t beat like this.

The thing that was in Youngchan’s eyes, as seen through Hong Euichan’s eyes, or rather, through his virtual lens, was absurdly overwhelming.

It was like that of a master who had reached the end of a field, but at the same time, the passion of starting something new coexisted, and this irony was sure to be something that would never exist before or after.

In the first place, it is a bizarre thing that an absolute being and a beginner can come together.

What’s even more bizarre is that even decadent beauty can be strongly combined here.

“If I could only capture this…”

Hong Euichan was sure that if he could capture even one-tenth of what he saw on the lens, people would not be able to come to their senses from the emotions they had never felt before.

-Slap!-

It was none other than Kim Doah, Hong Euichan’s partner and his bride-to-be, who woke him up from his reverie.

“I’m sorry. He must have eaten something wrong today. It’s not much, but I’ll take off the price of a beer as a service.”

She said that and forcefully pulled Hong Euichan, who was twice as heavy as her, back.

“No, no!”

Hong Euichan, who had not yet completely escaped from his world, mumbled and struggled, but could not escape Kim Doah’s strong hands.

Only after getting out of Youngchan’s sight, Kim Doah grabbed Hong Euichan by the collar and shook him.

“I told you to chase him away. Did I tell you to pick a fight? You crazy bastard!”

“Ugh… Ugh!”

-Ding! Order! Order!-

It was the delivery order notification that saved Hong Euichan, who was unable to come to his senses from her strong hands.

Only then could Hong Euichan take a breath as she hurriedly took the order and entered the kitchen to fry the chicken.

“Hoo. I’m alive. No, more than that…”

Hong Euichan carefully peeked out, watching Kim Doah’s reaction.

“Huh? Huh!”

He was going to see Youngchan, but Youngchan had already gotten up from his seat and was approaching him.

“Check, please.”

“Ah! Yes.”

Hong Euichan, who was glancing at him while calculating, was once again convinced that what he saw was correct.

As he was about to hand over the card and receipt, Youngchan handed him his business card and a USB.

“I’m Park Youngchan, the CEO of YC Entertainment. I came to you about the music video you refused. I’ve put the concept I have in mind and the information about the team you should film on this. Please think about it again and contact me.”

“Ah, I understand.”

“Then.”

Watching him leave the store, Hong Euichan fiddled with the business card and USB in his hand.

The chicken restaurant didn’t close until 1 a.m.

Unlike Hong Euichan, who was somewhat dazed, Kim Doah grumbled as she locked the door.

“I used to love chicken so much, but now I get chills just hearing the word chicken.”

Kim Doah, who was even called a ‘chicken maniac’ by her friends, couldn’t help but change her mind after frying more than 100 chickens every day.

As Kim Doah was talking nonsense, saying, ‘Is this why you shouldn’t make what you like into a job?’, she wondered why Hong Euichan was so quiet today.

“Hey! Hong! Why are you like this today?”

Kim Doah was subtly worried because Hong Euichan, who should have been groaning and complaining as usual, was unusually quiet today.

As she unknowingly watched him and silently followed his shadow, Hong Euichan suddenly called her.

“Doah.”

She raised her head at the sound of him calling her, and her eyes met Hong Euichan, who had turned around.

At that moment, she couldn’t help but pause for a moment.

It was because she was reminded of the time when he approached her as a freshman and suggested that she join the film club.

Although he had gained a lot of weight, grown a beard, and aged compared to that time, he was Hong, whom she admired at this moment.

-Gulp-

Because of this, she swallowed hard without answering, and Hong Euichan hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“Can I try one more time?”

“…What?”

“I want to try again. Is that okay?”

“…..”

She couldn’t answer Hong Euichan’s words.

It was because she knew better than anyone what Hong Euichan was talking about.

In her eyes, he was a talent who would shine more brilliantly than anyone else, but the world never gave him a chance.

That’s why Hong Euichan ended up putting down the camera after the last short film festival.

It was like putting down half of his heart. She had seen how hard he struggled and how much he writhed in pain by his side.

Therefore, it was only natural that she could not easily answer his question.

She didn’t want the person she loved to suffer again.

But the answer she gave after a long silence was different.

“Of course. I’ve been waiting for you to say that.”

“…Thank you. Really.”

Hong Euichan felt sorry and grateful to her for supporting him to the end, even though she could have cursed at him and hit him.

He couldn’t help but hug her tightly, and she shook her head at this.

“Don’t hug me. I smell like oil.”

“You don’t.”

“You do. You idiot.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If you know, treat me well.”

“…Okay.”

Hong Euichan and Kim Doah, who shared words that were short but contained a lot, hugged each other for a long time afterward.

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