Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 26

I received another call from Director Hong Ui-chan this morning, exactly one month later.

“I’ve finally reached you.”

“Who… Oh! Director Hong Ui-chan?”

“(Gritting teeth) Yes. That goblin-like person.”

I had to chuckle inwardly at the sight of the usually gentle Chief Secretary grinding his teeth.

Perhaps because my mind is always filled with thoughts of video production, but Director Hong Ui-chan definitely lacked social intelligence (the ability to navigate social situations and relationships effectively).

This was even worse when he was engrossed in video-related work.

I mean, this was the guy who would disappear for over ten days just to get one decent shot, resulting in losses exceeding 100 million won (approximately $75,000 USD).

‘The problem is, the music video he made was absolutely amazing.’

With that one music video, Black Rabbit made their debut and entered the Billboard charts.

YC Entertainment had become a global entertainment company at the time, but it wasn’t easy for a newly debuted rookie to break into Billboard.

It wasn’t something that could be achieved just with good music; the music video made it possible.

At that time, short-form videos were trending on social media. Naturally, people who were impressed by that scene in the music video edited and uploaded it as short videos.

More than anything, the song part that accompanied the video was a highly addictive hook, so it was inevitable that it would gain fame.

The results were so insanely good that no one dared to say anything to Director Hong Ui-chan.

In fact, they secretly hoped he would pull off such unexpected behavior when filming their projects.

And then he had been out of touch for a month.

Whether he had soared into the sky or sunk into the ground, if he had used the corporate card, they could have at least guessed where he was. But it was as if he had lost the card, with no trace of it being used.

Frustrated, I went to Kim Do-ah, his partner and practically his fiancée, to ask, but she said she hadn’t heard from him either.

It would be unsettling if a loved one was out of contact like that, but she showed no signs of anxiety.

“Don’t worry. He’s just the type to get completely absorbed in one thing when he gets hooked on it. But he keeps his promises, so he’ll contact you before a month is up.”

“Don’t you have any idea where he might be?”

“That’s the thing, I can’t predict what my brother will do once he gets going…”

“Well, please tell him to give me a call if he gets in touch.”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

True to Kim Do-ah’s words, I received a call before a month had passed.

The Chief Secretary trembled as soon as he received the call, but he didn’t utter a single curse word.

‘He’s truly a great person.’

Just looking at him, I could tell he was a different kind of adult than my immature uncles.

I waited for the Chief Secretary to calm down and asked,

“So, where was he?”

“…He says he’s in Hong Kong.”

“Hong Kong?”

“Yes. He just called to say he’s boarding a plane. I’m about to go pick him up… I mean, escort him. Would you like to come with me?”

“No. I have an assignment to give to Lee Na-eun today.”

“Understood.”

After parting ways with the Chief Secretary and returning to the company after giving Na-eun a terrible assignment, Director Hong Ui-chan was waiting for me with sparkling eyes.

++++++++++++++

“You… You look good?”

“Hahaha. Do I?”

It seemed that Young-chan wasn’t the only one who thought so after seeing Hong Ui-chan for the first time in almost a month. The Chief Secretary was also looking at Hong Ui-chan with a look of disbelief.

Unlike their worries, Hong Ui-chan seemed to have been doing quite well during the past month.

The scruffy beard was still there, but the image of a hairy butcher shop owner was nowhere to be found.

Instead, there was a highly individualistic artist standing before them.

It was a change that came about as he lost nearly 20kg (approximately 44 pounds).

If he wore a tailored suit and took care of himself for a while, they might see the image of the suit guy that Young-chan had seen in that other world.

Young-chan listened to Hong Ui-chan’s schedule and shook his head.

‘He’s really crazy about video! It’s a wonder he didn’t lose more weight.’

Hong Ui-chan had been walking over 40km (approximately 25 miles) a day. Converted to steps, that’s nearly 40,000 steps.

But what was really crazy was the route he had taken during that time.

A month might seem long, but it could also be infinitely short depending on how you used it.

In that respect, Hong Ui-chan had traveled not only domestically but also to Japan and Hong Kong in that one month. He didn’t just travel as a tourist, but he traveled to places that even locals would shake their heads at.

The main cities he traveled to were too many to count on two hands.

This was a level of passion that even Young-chan, who had spent days and nights obsessing over details that only he knew, would be tired of.

‘Was he always this passionate? I’m starting to feel ashamed.’

He thought so, but this was half a misunderstanding.

Even though Hong Ui-chan was called a genius, he wasn’t this crazy.

Nevertheless, the reason he burned with such passion was none other than the artistic hunger that had been unconsciously building up, coupled with Park Young-chan, a subject who intensely stimulated him just by his existence.

So, he crossed borders to find a way to express some of this inspiration he was receiving.

If he had enough time and budget, he might have gone to Europe.

As Young-chan listened to the long journey, he tried to hide his exhaustion and said,

“Thank you for your hard work. We’ll take care of the plane tickets and the expenses you’ve incurred.”

“Haha. I already gave the Chief Secretary the receipts I’ve collected yesterday.”

“……”

Perhaps because he had been in the field since early on, Hong Ui-chan was good at keeping receipts.

Afterward, Hong Ui-chan showed them the final version of the music video storyboard, which was now completely finished, and the Chief Secretary was speechless for a while.

The storyboard’s illustrations were so detailed that just looking at them felt like watching a music video in his head.

It was like watching a short film, as long as the 6 minutes and 20 seconds of the song ‘Old Soldiers Never Die (90’S)’.

‘He really poured his soul into it.’

As Young-chan looked at the music video storyboard, he couldn’t help but be amazed.

He knew that Director Hong Ui-chan was the type to prepare meticulously, but not to this extent.

More than anything, unlike his usual style, he seemed to have put a lot of thought into the story as well as the visuals.

When Young-chan and the Chief Secretary seemed to react positively to the story, Hong Ui-chan finally let out a short sigh and told them the behind-the-scenes story.

“Hoo. It turns out there was a famous anime called Black Tiger Mask in our previous generation. I heard that professional wrestling was also popular because of it. In fact, some professional wrestlers in the United States said they became professional wrestlers because of this anime. I took the motif from that interview.”

“I drew the content in comparison to that. The main content of this music video is that the protagonist, who left behind his childhood dreams of watching anime and lost everything in the harsh world, returns to his hometown with despair and regret. He accidentally watches the anime he saw as a child again, and then he remembers his childhood dream and moves forward to achieve that dream.”

“…Black Tiger Mask must be famous.”

“Yes. Maybe everyone in the Black Tiger’s other members’ generation knows about it.”

“……”

Young-chan, who didn’t know that the Black Tiger Mask was the behind-the-scenes story of how the name Black Tiger was created, was speechless for a moment.

As the meeting was coming to an end, Young-chan said with an apologetic look,

“I think I’m the main character here, but I have terrible acting skills. You might get angry if you see it.”

Hong Ui-chan shook his head firmly and said seriously, as if he might have to change the music video concept.

“You don’t need to act. No, you shouldn’t. Rather, you should relax and follow my instructions with a light heart, as if you were at home.”

Young-chan hesitated for a moment at the unexpected answer and nodded his head.

Hong Ui-chan, as if that was enough of an answer, smiled again as if the serious look from a moment ago was a lie.

Since he was ultimately following his decision, the meeting ended with just a confirmation process.

“Then we’ll start filming in three days.”

Since everything from the staff to the studio rental had been completed a month ago, all that was left to do was to find props and child actors needed for filming.

The manager, who had come and gone like a storm, simply shook his head silently, as if he had no energy to say anything more.

“The cost is a little over budget, but it’s within the expected range.”

The amount that was over budget was about 30 million won (approximately $22,500 USD), and if they could produce it according to the synopsis prepared by Hong Ui-chan with this amount, it would be a huge profit.

“Oh… Is that me?”

Kwak Do-hoon, who saw his appearance with his rough beard and messy eyebrows trimmed and his hair styled, couldn’t take his eyes off the mirror.

Kwak Do-hoon was lost in himself, as if he didn’t care about Jang Tae-shik’s fierce glare, wondering why that guy was acting like that.

If Young-chan were here, he would have been snickering behind his back.

“I, I don’t look bad.”

Unlike his words, Kwak Do-hoon was very satisfied.

Of course, contrary to his satisfaction, it was difficult to say that there had been a big change in reality.

It couldn’t be said that he hadn’t changed, but since his base face was so terrifying, that image couldn’t be changed with this much makeup.

To compare the difference, if his previous appearance was a barbarian carrying people’s heads, his current appearance would be a barbarian who had adapted to civilization to some extent.

In other words, no matter what, he was still a terrifying barbarian to other people.

However, just as soldiers on vacation compete among themselves by lining up and shaping their hats and clothes, it seemed like a big change to Kwak Do-hoon.

On the other hand, the other Black Tiger members were not very interested in dressing up.

However, the most transformed person would be Park Si-young, Young-chan’s first mentor.

It’s because his base features are so outstanding, even though he doesn’t usually dress up.

In fact, Park Si-young was the most popular person after Young-chan in that other world, and he often had scandals with entertainers who were young enough to be his daughters.

Most of them lived with the words that they were falsely accused because the smoke came out of nowhere, but still.

Even now, female staff members who were young enough to be his daughters were peeking around to see Park Si-young’s styled appearance.

“Wow, Si-young is so popular. He’s going to remarry soon.”

Moon Il-beom, who noticed the surrounding atmosphere, teased Park Si-young, who shook his head as if he was disgusted.

“I’d rather hang myself than get married again.”

“Keukeu. The guys who say that always end up going again.”

“Ptooey. You’re cursing me! Get out of here!”

“Keukeuke.”

Moon Il-beom, who had been rejuvenated by Young-chan’s forced exercise and diet, though not as much as Park Si-young, seemed familiar with this studio scene.

Originally, he taught music to idols and singers preparing for their debut in small and medium-sized agencies, and he also helped with manager work as a part-time job, so he seemed to know a lot about this scene.

-Eueum!-

As the Black Tiger members were finishing their preparations for filming, a groan like a sigh was spreading like a wave from afar.

At the center of the incomprehensible commotion, where people’s attention was naturally drawn, was Park Young-chan, the main character of this shoot.

Kim Il, who had been dozing off against the wall with his arms crossed, bored with waiting, unknowingly unfolded his arms when he saw Young-chan, who had entered the studio late.

“…Wh, what is it?”

Kim Il had always thought that Young-chan’s appearance was excellent.

However, Young-chan’s current appearance was enough to make the Young-chan he had seen so far look like an squid (a common Korean expression for someone unattractive).

In fact, Kim Il couldn’t easily hide his doubts about whether what he was seeing was really Young-chan.

The messy hair that had been left unkempt was neatly cut and slicked back with pomade.

His clothes were not the usual jeans.

He was wearing a classic black suit with a gray coat, and he looked so good in it that strangers might think he was a movie actor.

But if that was all, he and many others in the studio wouldn’t have reacted like that.

What really surprised Kim Il was the feeling he had never felt before.

An atmosphere that could only be felt in old noir black and white movies.

The force that only a being that cannot be bound by law and order can have.

In front of that aura, men will show fear and reverence, and women will be at a loss for what to do with the strong masculine scent they have never seen before.

But what really made the women’s minds confused was the subtle decadent atmosphere in the middle of it.

Even though he didn’t explicitly reveal his sexuality, they had to gasp for breath with just small exposures such as the nape of his neck or his wrists.

Then, one of the female staff members accidentally met Young-chan’s eyes, and at that moment, she collapsed on the spot.

“??”

Fortunately, there was someone who saved Young-chan, who was embarrassed by the confusing situation.

“You bastards! What are you all doing here when I’m so busy!”

It was Hong Ui-chan.

The staff members, who knew his great temper when he was working on a project, scattered as if they were burned.

After simply clearing away the gathered staff, he approached Young-chan and showed satisfaction with his appearance.

“It was worth the all-night discussion.”

“Are you calling that a discussion? Usually, that’s called gaslighting.”

“Hahaha. You’re good at jokes.”

Young-chan, who had spoken sincerely, lost his will to speak further when Hong Ui-chan lightly dismissed it as a joke.