Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 53

17. Baby Fox.

The music video for Black Tiger’s ‘Old Soldiers Never Die’ surpassed 200 million views.

If it weren’t for P’s music video, which took the world by storm last year, surpassing 1 billion views in just 161 days, it might have been quite a sensation.

Two hundred million views is no small feat; surpassing 100 million views in this era is a rare occurrence on the Billboard charts.

Thanks to this, Director Hong Ui-chan quickly established himself as a star director.

Naturally, offers to direct music videos from prominent singers and idols in the country poured in.

The conditions were uniformly excellent.

They weren’t quite A-list, but the offers promised pay at the B+ level.

It was clear that if he shot one or two more music videos that were as buzzworthy as ‘Old Soldiers Never Die,’ he would immediately be recognized as A-list.

However, Director Hong Ui-chan rejected all the music video offers that came his way.

I, and most people in general, found his behavior difficult to understand.

But his eccentricities didn’t end there.

He suddenly closed down his chicken restaurant, practically a marital home with Kim Do-ah, and left for Europe right after their wedding.

His unpredictable behavior baffled both the chief and me, but fortunately, this time was different.

Unlike the last time when we couldn’t reach him at all, this time we could track his movements through Kim Do-ah.

“His eccentricities weren’t this extreme before.”

Thanks to this, the chief seemed quite displeased, as we were essentially just depositing his salary every month under the management contract.

However, since the contract wasn’t initially intended to generate income, I didn’t mind as long as he shot our music videos.

Before going on vacation, I commissioned him to direct Lee Na-eun’s new song, ‘Bunny Bunny’ music video.

Of course, since I couldn’t reach him directly, I had to go through Kim Do-ah to get in touch.

Less than five minutes after requesting the commission, I received a call directly from him.

“Would the CEO be willing to appear in the music video?”

I was momentarily taken aback by his sudden question about whether I could appear in Lee Na-eun’s music video, but I quickly embraced the idea.

“If it’s just a cameo, I’m fine with it.”

The focus should be on Lee Na-eun in ‘Bunny Bunny.’ In that regard, a cameo appearance to generate buzz would be perfectly acceptable.

“Hahaha! Thank you. Then I’ll see you in a month.”

-Click-

“……”

He was so thrilled with the cameo appearance that he hung up the phone, leaving me speechless for a moment. I had to call his wife, Kim Do-ah, again.

First, I needed to resolve the contract issues for this project.

And exactly one month later, I was able to meet Hong Ui-chan.

The chief, who had been displeased with him, couldn’t help but admire the music video storyboard he presented, filled with receipts.

“Wow~. This is really amazing again.”

“But? This is….”

I was also impressed by the artistic visuals and storyline, but I soon realized something was off.

Hong Ui-chan looked uneasy at my questioning, which confirmed my suspicions, and I shook my head.

“This…is difficult. I only agreed to a cameo appearance.”

“….Your face only appears in one scene.”

Hong Ui-chan made excuses, but the character I was supposed to play in the storyboard had a presence no less significant than Lee Na-eun.

That’s because the main story of the ‘Bunny Bunny’ music video he brought was about a girl who loves her Sugar Daddy [an older, wealthy man who provides financial support to a younger person in exchange for companionship].

And, of course, I was to play the Sugar Daddy in this music video.

“If you’re worried about acting, you don’t have to be. Just like last time, don’t try to act, just do what I tell you.”

“……”

I would have preferred it if it were just about acting. After some thought, I made a condition.

“I’ll do it if you can make Lee Na-eun’s presence even more prominent than mine.”

“!!!”

Director Hong Ui-chan looked shocked at my words, then grabbed his head with both hands, bowed, and began to mutter.

About twenty minutes passed.

He looked like he had aged several years in that short amount of time before nodding.

“Okay. But would it be possible to observe her for a few days?”

“…It’s possible.”

I was surprised by the more intense reaction than I had expected, but I quickly accepted his offer.

I had a gut feeling that this would be another masterpiece, no less than the Black Tiger music video.

“That person seems a bit scary. Is he really okay?”

“He’s probably okay…no, he’s okay. I’ve arranged for his wife to be there as well, just in case he causes any trouble.”

“Somehow…I think that’s even scarier. Is that just my imagination?”

“Of course not. You shouldn’t think so badly of people…right.”

Despite saying that, I couldn’t bring myself to look Lee Na-eun in the eye.

But what was certain was that he wasn’t a bad person. I had also asked Kim Do-ah for help in case he did something rude, so it was even more reassuring.

Fortunately, contrary to Lee Na-eun’s fears and my concerns, Director Hong Ui-chan’s stalking, or rather, observation, didn’t last long.

He was only close by on the first day, and from then on, he would just watch from a distance in the morning and disappear somewhere in the afternoon.

Thanks to this, Lee Na-eun was able to stop worrying about it, and on the fourth day, Hong Ui-chan came to me with a haggard face.

“I think it’s possible now.”

“…..Thank you for your hard work.”

I didn’t know what was possible, but seeing his appearance, as if he had burned to ashes, I could only say those words.

The budget for the music video was generously set, unlike the Black Tiger days.

Thanks to this, the facilities were all prepared a few days before the actual filming, and the staff were also A-list.

However, Hong Ui-chan took charge of the camera again this time.

Even though he could have brought in a top-notch cinematographer from the country if he wanted to, Hong Ui-chan insisted on being the cinematographer himself.

“No one but me can capture it.”

It was an arrogant statement, but since it was Hong Ui-chan who said it, I simply nodded.

And I soon realized why he said that.

Because he was more forceful than last time, spending twice as much time and gaslighting me under the guise of one-on-one instruction.

The only way to escape his clutches was to embody what he taught, so I struggled to accept it, even while lamenting.

When I finally embodied everything he said, Director Hong Ui-chan smiled with delight and muttered.

“….All the hard work wasn’t in vain!”

“???