Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 3

1. I Hate Birthdays

With the active guidance of my mentors and their friends, and the unwavering support of my parents, I steadily progressed toward my dreams.

Although I was a bit slow on the uptake with technical skills like playing the guitar, I grasped concepts quickly in other areas, often understanding more than was explicitly taught.

My mentors’ friends jokingly called me an “arrogant monster,” but they still dedicated themselves to teaching me everything they knew.

There was a singular reason for this.

“It would be incredibly exciting if a genius like you emerged in this scene where genuine music is fading away!”

“That’s right. Maybe rock music will experience a resurgence because of this kid.”

“Those arrogant Japanese guys will be in for a surprise, too.”

“Maybe he’ll give those Yankees [Americans] a taste of their own medicine.”

However, these praises didn’t particularly move me. Creating music turned out to be far more physically taxing than I had anticipated.

-Huff, huff-

My mentor shook his head, observing my sweaty and breathless state.

“We need to work on your stamina first. How can a teenager have such poor endurance…”

I probably wouldn’t have considered it at any other time, but for the sake of music, I resolved to follow my mentor’s advice.

I started jogging every morning and evening and carefully managed my diet. As a result, I, who had been overweight since before elementary school, managed to achieve a normal physique for the first time.

My debut arrived sooner than expected.

The song I gifted to my mentor and his friends a year after receiving their tutelage significantly accelerated my debut.

“The title is ‘Old Soldiers Never Die.’ I composed it with a blues-rock vibe.”

I would have played it for them if I had a composing program like MIDI [Musical Instrument Digital Interface, a technical standard describing a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors], but it was still the 90s, so such technology hadn’t become widespread yet. Even if I had known how, I wouldn’t have been able to afford it.

Back then, to own a program capable of handling MIDI and the necessary hardware to run it, you needed the equivalent of a small apartment’s worth of money.

So, I painstakingly copied the sheet music by hand and distributed it to my mentors.

The mentors’ reactions to the sheet music were overwhelmingly enthusiastic.

“Heo! [An exclamation of surprise or disbelief]”

“Hoo! Jesus.”

“What on earth is this!”

“I wondered why you were just pretending to practice, but you suddenly came up with something crazy like this?”

“Wow!”

And that sight wasn’t pretty, no matter how you looked at it.

Seeing men in their 40s blushing like teenagers in the throes of lovesickness wasn’t exactly good for my mental health.

But I, already accustomed to this slightly disturbing spectacle, continued speaking without a second thought.

“It’s obvious, but it’s impossible for me to play it with my current skills. But my mentors are more than capable.”

“Fucking! Of course.”

The drum mentor, who was the de facto leader of the group, shouted excitedly, peppering his speech with profanity. Then, without a word, the mentors dispersed to their respective instruments.

Guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist, and second guitar.

Usually, the second guitarist also served as the vocalist, a role taken by my first mentor, who possessed the strongest singing voice among them.

But unexpectedly, the first mentor didn’t move to the vocalist’s position. Instead, he yelled at me, who was standing there blankly.

“What are you doing! Grab the microphone.”

“Huh? You want me to sing?”

“Isn’t it obvious? If I try to hit those high notes, I’ll collapse. Are you trying to make me keel over on stage?”

“It’s not that high, is it? I composed it to match the mentor’s key.”

“What are you talking about? You have to take responsibility since you created it! Besides, you’re pretty good at singing.”

“Ahem. Yes. I do sing a bit.”

I, a man always eager for a compliment, was easily swayed by my mentor’s coaxing. *넘어갔다 [neomeogatta]: swayed*

-Boom boom, tap tap, boom boom!-

‘Old Soldiers Never Die,’ which began with the powerful sound of drums and continued with guitar, bass, keyboard, and second guitar, was truly electrifying.

“Ahhh~. Yes, I’m back. Just like always!”

When my clear voice blended with the music, both I and my mentors felt a shiver of goosebumps run down our spines.

This happened because the key, originally lowered to suit the first mentor’s husky voice, was now able to reach its full potential thanks to my vocal range.

We were so engrossed in the song that we completely lost ourselves in the moment.

As if we had become a single entity, we delivered a performance that was hard to believe was the first time we had played together. As soon as it ended, we launched into the song again and again, without a single word exchanged. *맞춰 [matchwo]: played together*

“This is rock!”

The drum mentor’s shout, fueled by pure excitement, didn’t disrupt the atmosphere but rather amplified it. *분위기 [bunwigi]: atmosphere*

Our hearts were pounding, and our breaths grew increasingly ragged, but no one felt tired. *뜨거웠고 [tteugeowotgo]: pounding, 거칠어졌지만 [geochil-eojyeotjiman]: ragged*

As if wishing that the current moment could last forever, we passionately sang and played the song over and over again. *열창했다 [yeolchanghaetda]: passionately sang*

-Kooong!-

“Haa! Haa······. Stop now. I’m going to have a heart attack if we keep this up any longer.”

“Hooah. Hooah. I need to quit smoking now. This is a bit much. 씨발 [ssibal]: F*ck.”

“I need to quit drinking or something.”

“Hoo······. I’m going crazy. I’m going crazy. Let’s go one more time! One more time!”

“Catch that bastard. We’ll have to replace our drums again if something goes wrong.”

“Ehehe.”

I chuckled *낄낄거리며 [kkilkkilgeorimyeo]: chuckled* amidst the sprawled-out mentors. *너부러진 [neobeureojin]: sprawled-out*

It was because I felt that this song, ‘Old Soldiers Never Die,’ which embodied the mentors’ desire to return to the rock music they had once loved, had opened the floodgates. *미련 [miryeon]: lingering attachment, 텄음을 물꼬 [teosseumeul mulkko]: opened the floodgates*

Just as I had hoped to start making music with my mentors, I began my musical journey with them in that way.

After that, starting with ‘Old Soldiers Never Die,’ I wrote ten more songs centered around the theme of revival and created my first album.

“Our son! You truly are a genius!”

My father was incredibly excited after listening to the music I had created and began to support me in earnest. *본격적으로 [bongyeokjeogeuro]: in earnest*

He even started an agency under my name, YC Entertainment, though it existed in name only, and supported my musical endeavors with unwavering passion. *열정적인 [yeoljeongjeogin]: unwavering passion*

The mentors were concerned because we printed a staggering 100,000 copies, combining tapes and CDs, which were the dominant music formats at the time. *무지막지한 [mujimakjihan]: staggering*

“Don’t worry. People will buy it if they have ears. Isn’t this an era where selling a million copies is commonplace?”

“Oh, what if Mom finds out?”

“…Haha. Do you think a man like Park Byung-soon would be afraid of that? We’ll endure it with the spirit of rock and roll!”

Selling a million copies was only achievable for singers who reached the pinnacle of success, even among major artists. In this niche market, selling even one-hundredth of that would be considered a massive hit. *찍는 탑 [jjigneun tap]: reached the pinnacle, 초대박 [chodaebak]: massive hit*

I was deeply worried about my father’s reckless enthusiasm because I had learned about this reality while making the album. *무모한 [mumoan]: reckless*

But fortunately, my father wasn’t kicked out of the house.

The album ‘Revival’ began to spread rapidly among rock enthusiasts, and we managed to recoup the production costs in less than a month. *메꿀 [mekkul]: recoup*

Two months later, we received a call from a broadcasting station requesting an appearance.

“They want us to appear because we’re nominated for first place?”

I was surprised to be attending a music show that I had only ever watched on TV, but what was even more shocking was that I miraculously won first place on that show. *거짓말처럼 [geojitmaleocheoreom]: miraculously*

“Get lost! Die!”

“I’m going to tear you guys apart!”

As a result, I had to endure death threats from the obsessive fans *오빠 부대 [oppa budae]: obsessive fans* of the singer who was also nominated for first place, but my mentors and I responded to their “admiration” with peace signs. *화답했다 찬사에 [hwadabhaetda chansae]: responded to their admiration*

In that way, the band Black Tiger, which I formed with my mentors, ushered in a new golden age *전성기 [jeonseonggi]: golden age* in the fading Korean rock scene.

Then, as soon as I turned 20, I was drafted into the army.

When I first debuted in the entertainment industry, many of the top stars in that field received preferential treatment *편의 [pyeon-ui]: preferential treatment* in the military.

Of course, it wasn’t unreasonable for me, who had shifted the direction of the music scene toward rock since the late 90s, to hope for such a stroke of luck. *요행 [yohaeng]: stroke of luck*

However, two years prior, Mr. Y had displayed draft dodging *병역기피 [byeongyeokgihi]: draft dodging* that could only be described as insane, and the unspoken benefits *암묵적으로 이루어지던 [ammukjeogeuro irueojideon]: unspoken benefits* that had been in place vanished, and I was dragged into the army as an army soldier *육군 [yukgun]: army soldier* like that.

‘At least I wasn’t sent to the front lines?’ *최전방 [choejeonbang]: front lines*

The military was a truly peculiar place. *묘한 [myohan]: peculiar*

It was like entering a room of time and spirit, but time passed incredibly slowly, and as a result, I was able to delve into music studies, something I had previously avoided. *더럽게 [deoreopge]: incredibly, 반강제적으로 파고 들 수 [bangangjejeogeuro pago deul su]: delve into, 기피 [gihi]: avoided*

2004.

After being discharged from the army without incident, *무사히 [musahi]: without incident* I began to contemplate venturing overseas. *고민 [gomin]: contemplate, 진출 [jinchool]: venturing*

It was an idea that originated with my mentors rather than my own thoughts.

“Go forth and conquer.” *하산하거라 [hasanhageora]: Go forth and conquer*

“Suddenly? Conquer?” *하산 [hasan]: Conquer*

-뻑! [Ppeok!]: Sound of being hit

“꺽! [Kkeok!]: Sound of pain Why are you hitting me!”

The bass mentor protested, clutching the area where he had been struck, but the drum mentor paid no attention. *성을 내었으며 [seong-eul naeeosseumyeo]: protested, 부위를 맞은 [buwileul majeun]: area where he had been struck, 들은 체도 [deureun chedo]: paid no attention*

Instead, he removed his sunglasses, which he rarely took off, and said to me while making eye contact. *벗지 웬만해서는 [beotji wenmanhaeseoneun]: rarely took off*

“You need to stop playing around now. How long are you going to keep dominating the weak *양학(양민학살) 불쌍한 애들 [yanghak(yangminhakssal) bulssanghan aedeul]: dominating the weak* in Korea? Now you need to go out there and truly test your skills.” *붙어봐야지 제대로 [buteobwayaji jedaero]: test your skills*

“Wow! Are we going overseas now?” *진출 overseas [jinchool overseas]: going overseas*

I couldn’t hide my excitement as the prospect of venturing overseas, which I had only dreamed about, seemed to be materializing. *감추지 흥분을 [gamchuji heungbuneul]: hide my excitement, 나오는 본격적으로 [naoneun bongyeokjeogeuro]: materializing*

-딱! [Ttak!]: Sound of being flicked

“끄윽! [Kkeuek!]: Sound of pain”

The guitar mentor lightly subdued me, who was in such a state, and let out a long sigh. *가볍게 제압하고 [gabeopge jeeaphago]: lightly subdued, 흘렸다 긴 한숨 [heullyeotda gin hansum]: let out a long sigh*

“휴우~ [Hyuu~]: Sigh. How can mediocre guys like us venture overseas? We’re barely maintaining the status quo even now.” *어중간한 녀석들 [eojungganhan nyeoseokdeul]: mediocre guys, 겨우 현상 유지하고 [gyeou hyeonsang yujihago]: barely maintaining the status quo*

“크크 [Keukeu]: Chuckle. Do you think the overseas scene is easy? So that we can drag along old guys like us.” *쉬운 어디 [swiun eodi]: easy, 끌고 갈 수 있게 늙은이들 [kkeulgo gal su itge neulgeunideul]: drag along old guys*

“It might be possible if you become a monster-level talent, but you still have a long way to go.” *괴수 레벨 [goesu rebel]: monster-level talent, 갈 길은 멀지 [gal gireun meolji]: long way to go*

“Yeah, now we need to slowly let the overseas guys know that there’s a crazy monster in Korea.” *슬슬 let the overseas 녀석들 know [seulssul let the overseas nyeoseokdeul know]: slowly let the overseas guys know, 미친 괴물 녀석 [michin goemul nyeoseok]: crazy monster*

“…..Um, can’t I come along as a manager? 꺼억! [Kkeoeok!]: Sound of burping I 알았어! [Arasseo!]: I understand! I’m 안 간다! [An ganda!]: I’m not going! I’m 안 간다! [An ganda!]: I’m not going! I’m too 더러워서 [deoreowoseo]: dirty to go.”

The mentors’ chuckling sounds could be heard over the bass mentor’s grumbling. *낄낄거리는 소리 [kkilkkilgeorineun sori]: chuckling sounds, 투덜거리는 소리 [tudeolgeorineun sori]: grumbling*

A solo debut was something I hadn’t even considered, and it was even more unexpected that it would begin overseas. *생각지도 못했던 [saenggakjido motaetdeon]: hadn’t even considered, 더욱 그러했다 [deouk geureohaetda]: even more unexpected*

However, I simply smiled silently at the mentors’ confident expressions and at the passion that was welling up deep within my heart. *지어 보였다 미소를 말없이 [jieo boyeotda misoreul maleopsi]: smiled silently, 확신에 찬 [hwaksine chan]: confident, 열기에 일어나는 깊이 가슴 [yeolgie ireonaneun gipi gaseum]: passion that was welling up*

Venturing overseas was decided in that way.

I spoke grandly of the overseas market, but it wasn’t about targeting Europe or America. *거창하게 [geochanghage]: grandly, 공략한 [gongnyakhan]: targeting*

Japan was the initial target.

Japan, where no one had succeeded until now, was definitely a country that was both near and far. *성공한 지금까지 [seonggongan jigeumkkaji]: succeeded until now, 나라 먼면서도 가까운 [nara meonmyeonsedo gakkaun]: country that was both near and far*

The venture overseas that began in that way produced results beyond the mentors’ expectations. *만들어냈다 이상의 결과를 기대 [mandeureonaetda isang-ui gyeolgwaleul gidae]: produced results beyond expectations*

I began to soar high into the sky, truly like a bird that had broken free from its shell. *날아오르기 높이 하늘 그야말로 [naraoreugi nopi haneul geuyamallo]: soar high into the sky, 벗어난 국내 like a 새 깨고 나온 알 [beoseonan gungnae like a sae kkaego naon al]: broken free from its shell*

It didn’t take two years to conquer Japan, and I, who had shaken Asia, continued the momentum and entered the American market almost forcibly through YouTube, which had deeply penetrated the lives of people around the world. *정복하는 Japan [jeongbokhaneun Japan]: conquer Japan, 뒤흔들었던 Asia 이어 기세를 [dwihwindeureotdeon Asia ieo giseseul]: shaken Asia, 진출하게 되었다 the American 시장 반강제적으로 [jinchoolhage doeeotda the American sijang bangangjejeogeuro]: entered the American market almost forcibly, 들어온 깊숙이 the 삶 of the 세계인 [deureoon gipsugi the salm of the segye-in]: deeply penetrated the lives of people around the world*

I solidified my position at this time and achieved an incredible feat with the newly released album. *다진 입지를 at this time [dajin ipjireul at this time]: solidified my position, 해냈다 an 놀라운 일 [haenaetda an nollaun il]: achieved an incredible feat*

I lined up all my songs from 1st to 10th place on the Billboard chart. *바로 줄을 세워 버린 것이다 내 노래로 모두 from 1st to 10th place of the Billboard 차트 [baro jureul sewo beorin geotida nae noraero modu from 1st to 10th place of the Billboard chateu]: lined up all my songs from 1st to 10th place on the Billboard chart*

If it hadn’t been for the song of a famous top singer from America in 11th place, it would have created a bizarre phenomenon where all the songs were lined up in order. *만들어냈을 것이다 a 기이 현상을 that 전곡 was 쓰고 줄을 [mandeureonaesseul geotida a gii hyeonsangeul that jeongok was sseugo jureul]: created a bizarre phenomenon where all the songs were lined up in order*

After that, countless singers sent love calls to me in order to receive my songs and to receive production from me. *수많은 가수가 보냈다 러브콜 to me in order to receive my 노래 and to receive 프로듀싱 from me [sumaneun gasuga bonaetda reobeukol to me in order to receive my norae and to receive peurodyusing from me]: countless singers sent love calls to me in order to receive my songs and to receive production from me*

I gladly accepted their love calls because there were also legendary singers among them that I had admired with fan enthusiasm in my childhood. *기쁘게 받아들였다 their 러브콜 because there were also 레전드 가수가 among them that I had 바라보았던 with 팬심 in my 어린 시절 [gippeuge badadeuryeotda their reobeukol because there were also rejeondeu gasuga among them that I had barabwatdeon with paensim in my eorin sijeol]: gladly accepted their love calls because there were also legendary singers among them that I had admired with fan enthusiasm in my childhood*

Fortunately, the results of the collaborations all ended in great success. *다행이라고 할지 the 결과 of the 콜라보 끝이 났다 with 대성공 하나 같이 [dahaengirago halji the gyeolgwawa of the kollabo kkeuti natda with daeseonggong hana gati]: Fortunately, the results of the collaborations all ended in great success*

As I continued this path, I rose to a presence that even the mega-sized agencies of America were struggling with. *As 행보 that 이어나가자, I 올라섰다 to a 존재 that even the 초대형 기획사 of America was 쩔쩔매는 자연 [As haengbo that ieonagaja, I ollaseotda to a jonjae that even the chodaehyeong gihoiksa of America was jjeoljjeolmaeneun jayeon]: As I continued this path, I rose to a presence that even the mega-sized agencies of America were struggling with*

My career reached its peak in that way. *My 커리어 찍게 되었다 정점을 like that [My keorieo jjikge doeeotda jeongjeomeul like that]: My career reached its peak in that way*

I was rising to a new realm as a producer as well, separately from the peak I had reached as a musician. *I was 올라서고 있었다 a 새로운 영역으로서도 프로듀서로서도 별개로 찍은 것과 정점을 그렇게 뮤직션으로서 [I was ollaseogo isseotda a saeroun yeongyeogeuroseodo peurodyuseoroseodo byeolgaero jjigeun geotgwa jeongjeomeul geureoke myujiksyeoneuroseo]: I was rising to a new realm as a producer as well, separately from the peak I had reached as a musician*

Everyone who touched my work achieved great success, and naturally, the stock price of YC Entertainment soared to unimaginable heights. *모든 이들이 손을 대는 거두었고 대성공을, 당연히 치솟았다 모르고 높을 하늘 주가는 of YC 엔터 [modeun ideuri soneul daeneun geodueotgo daeseonggongeul, dangyeonhi chisotatda moreugo nopeul haneul juganeun of YC enteo]: Everyone who touched my work achieved great success, and naturally, the stock price of YC Entertainment soared to unimaginable heights*

Simply in terms of revenue, it had risen to the level of one of the top conglomerates in Korea. *단순히 따진다면 수익만, 올라선 것이다 수준에 꼽는 손에 한 중에서도 대기업 국내 the [dansunhi ttajindamyeon suikman, ollaseon geotida sujune kkopneun sone han jung-eseodo daegieop gungnae the]: Simply in terms of revenue, it had risen to the level of one of the top conglomerates in Korea*

I was living an unbelievable success that everyone envied, but my condition at this time was by no means good. *I was 거둔 성공을 사는 부러움을 모두의 말도 안 되는 그렇게, 상태는 나의 이때쯤 별개로 그와 좋다고 할 수 없는 결코 [I was geodun seonggongeul saneun bureoumeul modueui maldo an doeneun geureoke, sangtaeneun naui ittaejjeum byeolgaero geuwa jotago hal su eomneun gyeolko]: I was living an unbelievable success that everyone envied, but my condition at this time was by no means good*

There were more and more incidents that put my face on the social pages rather than the entertainment pages. *많아졌다 일을 비추는 얼굴을 사회면에 연예면보다는 나는 순간 어느 [manajyeotda ireul bichuneun eolgureul sahoimyeone yeonyemyeonbodaneun naneun sungan eoneu]: There were more and more incidents that put my face on the social pages rather than the entertainment pages*

There were really various problems.

One of the problems that arose was depression, which was inevitably caused by the pressure of unbelievable success. *문제 중 하나 그 생겨난 것도 우울증이 부담감에 필연적으로 인해 성공으로 되는 말도 안 [munje jung hana geu saenggyeonan geotdo uuljeungi budamgame pilyeonjeogeuro inhae seonggongeuro doeneun maldo an]: One of the problems that arose was depression, which was inevitably caused by the pressure of unbelievable success*

The final blow was the death of my younger sister, whom I had sent to study abroad. *죽음이었다 동생의 보냈던 유학을 바로 터졌으니 결정타가 가운데 그런 [jugeumieotda dongsaengui bonaetdeon yuhageul baro teojyeosseuni gyeoljeongtaga gaunde geureon]: The final blow was the death of my younger sister, whom I had sent to study abroad*

It was a tragedy because I had supported her studies abroad since she was young, cherishing her like a daughter because she was six years younger than me. *화근이었다 것이 지원해 주었던 유학을 어린 시절부터 아끼며 딸처럼 차이나기에 6살이나 [hwageunieotda geosi jiwonhae jueotdeon yuhageul eorin sijeolbuteo akkimyeo ttalcheoreom chainagie 6sarina]: It was a tragedy because I had supported her studies abroad since she was young, cherishing her like a daughter because she was six years younger than me*

My sister, who had gone to study abroad, had fallen into drugs in the process of indulging in pleasure. *만 것이다 빠져들고 마약에 과정에서 그 있었고 중심에 향락의 간 동생은 유학하러 [man geotida ppajyeodeulgo mayage gwajeongeseo geu isseotgo jungsime hyangnage gan dongsaengeun yuhakhareo]: My sister, who had gone to study abroad, had fallen into drugs in the process of indulging in pleasure*

She died after being caught in a shooting while trying to obtain drugs. *죽고 말았다 맞아 총에 휩쓸려 범죄에 과정에서 구하는 마약을 그러다 [jukgo maratda maja chonge hwipsseullyeo beomjoee gwajeongeseo guhaneun mayageul geureoda]: She died after being caught in a shooting while trying to obtain drugs*

My father, who had quit smoking again, collapsed, and my mother also collapsed due to this incident. *시작하시기 다시 담배를 끊었던 아버지는 쓰러지셨고 어머니는 인해 일 이 [sijakhaseogi dasi dambaereul kkeuneotdeon abeojineun sseureojisyeotgo eomeonineun inhae il i]: My father, who had quit smoking again, collapsed, and my mother also collapsed due to this incident*

I also collapsed and fell into great shock, no less than them. *무너졌다 그렇게 빠졌고 충격에 큰 못지않게 그분들 또한 나 [muneojyeotda geureoke ppajyeotgo chungeoge keun motjianke geubundeul ttohan na]: I also collapsed and fell into great shock, no less than them*

I gave up and began to crumble endlessly after crumbling just once. *버렸다 무너져 끝없이 나는 시작하자 무너지기 번 한 [beoryeotda muneojyeo kkeuteopsi naneun sijakhaja muneojigi beon han]: I gave up and began to crumble endlessly after crumbling just once*

That was the end of my life, like a bird that had soared high into the sky falling to the ground.

36 years old.

I met my death due to a drug overdose, finally succumbing to drugs. *맞이했다 죽음을 인해 과다복용으로 마약 끝내 대었고 손을 마약에 나는 결국 [majihhaetda jugeumeul inhae gwadabokyongeuro mayak kkeutnae daeeotgo soneul mayage naneun gyeolguk]: I met my death due to a drug overdose, finally succumbing to drugs*

It was a pathetic and unbelievable end to a life that had soared more brilliantly than anyone else’s. *끝이었다 초라한 믿어지지 않는 하기에는 마지막이라고 인생의 날아올랐던 찬란하게 누구보다 그 [kkeutieotda chorahan mideojiji anneun hagien majimagirago insaengui naraoreotdeon challanhage nuguboda geu]: It was a pathetic and unbelievable end to a life that had soared more brilliantly than anyone else’s*

-화아아아앗! [Hwaaaaaat!]: Whoosh!

‘Uh… uh!!!’

I woke up from the dream, with that as the end, and from the omniscient point of view, a brilliant and terrifying light swallowed me, marking the end of my death and the beginning of another.