Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 168

168.

“Huh? I haven’t heard anything about that.”

I called Mok-hwa to ask, and I got an immediate response.

“Really? Okay, I understand. How are you doing?”

“Hyung, you called three days ago. You’re being so extra.”

How hurtful, you damn brother. Is this what those sad fathers or mothers in novels feel like?

“Of course, I’m doing well. We’re releasing our follow-up song and making a comeback soon. We’re practicing a lot, and it’s great.”

“Okay. Did you get the allowance I sent?”

“Seriously, Hyung, are you overflowing with money? Why is the allowance so much?”

“That’s usually how much I give.”

“What nonsense is that? All my friends who get allowances would faint if they saw my bank account.”

I have nowhere to spend the money, so why don’t you use it well, you damn brother?

“Hyung, you should also, you know? Instead of just buying books, buy some clothes, some shoes, maybe a watch, and splurge a little.”

“Spending money so irrationally is a bit…”

In capitalism, money is life, and waste is squandering life. Ironically, waste is essential for capitalism to function properly, but that waste is carried out through the most important element in capitalism. It’s quite paradoxical.

“Hyung is… ugh.”

A strange sigh.

“What?”

“Seriously, there’s no way to say it. Just wait. I’m going to text Hamin-hyung.”

“…Well, that might be a bit much.”

“Right. Hamin-hyung is perfect for controlling you, not Eden-hyung. You’re weaker to a gentle breeze than a strong spear.”

“Your vocabulary is impressive.”

“If they ever film a live-action version of ‘The Sun and the Clouds,’ you’d be perfect for the traveler role.”

Seriously impressive, you damn brother.

* * *

The questions that weren’t resolved by the call with Mok-hwa were solved with a text message and a conversation.

— I’ve arranged an opportunity for you to earn money. Even if you do a sloppy job, it will be a decent income, so if you’re not too busy, accept it and work on it roughly. Of course, I don’t think you’ll be able to do this job carelessly, given your personality.

I was stunned after reading Hwa-yang’s message. Seriously, why is she so active? Hwa-yang is famous in the industry as a workaholic, except during her breaks. And what does that last line even mean? She knows that composing is something you can do endlessly carelessly if you want to.

While I was wondering how to respond, Team Leader Jang Hae-jin called me.

“Ah, Dong-hwa, come on in.”

Team Leader Jang Hae-jin’s dark circles were getting darker. The portrait of a struggling member of society. It wouldn’t be strange if she kicked the bucket soon. Maybe she should rest a little. The cross necklace around her neck doesn’t seem to bring her any physical peace.

“Oh my, what’s wrong with your face? You look like you’re about to kick the bucket. Get some rest. I made such a fuss to the team leader to get Dong-hwa to help you, but why are you still working?”

Oops. I didn’t expect to get back the thought I had only in my head so quickly.

“I bought some coffee here, so drink it if you want.”

I took out an iced Americano, put it in my mouth, and sat down.

“Anyway, the reason I called you isn’t a big deal. I’m wondering why something like this came in during your second year.”

Then it is a big deal, isn’t it?

“I got a song proposal?”

She started using honorifics, so I guess she’s in public mode.

“This is… a bit strange. It’s a cool deal for a song without any instructions, and I’m wondering if it’s right for a current idol to get something like this.”

Jang Hae-jin sighed deeply.

“On top of that, it’s timed perfectly to be included in Hoppin’s comeback album, so it’s really easy to get backlash.”

“What kind of backlash?”

“I like that you’re consistently practicing changing your 말투 [manner of speaking]. Anyway, you know how it is, right? Even if it’s rotten, it’s still 준치 [a type of fish considered delicious even when spoiled]. Even if their debut wasn’t super successful, they’re still D.O.N.E, right? There’s a surprisingly strong idol fandom that has dedicated everything to D.O.N.E. If the results aren’t that good? The company will naturally get dragged by the hair, but if ‘Ji Dong-hwa’ is written in the composer list…”

Ah, I understand. The idol ecosystem is a place where there are always new things to learn.

“It’s perfect to blame, right? Besides, Hoppin has a large individual fandom… Mok-hwa might get hate too.”

Oh dear. That would be a big problem.

“Well, this is just my opinion, but I think it would be better to send a trashy song and get cut. It might be a good idea to use a different composer name in case.”

Team Leader Jang Hae-jin then suggested several other plans and suggested the safest direction possible. It’s something I can agree with. Since I belong to a team, I can’t cause problems for the members.

“Honestly, it’s not bad, career-wise, right? Having a history of writing songs for other teams will definitely help when you do individual activities later. It’ll be good for paving the way in music.”

Jang Hae-jin neatly organized the sample contract and proposal documents and handed them to me.

“I’ve told you all the things you need to consider, so read it over and decide whether you want to do it or not.”

However, animals in the ecosystem always develop the ability to prepare for the worst. And I have a very strong advantage: I have no hobbies, so I always live in the studio. Finally, the day I went to see Mok-hwa’s showcase, I was already half full of anger.

“I’ve already written it.”

At my words, Jang Hae-jin frowned as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have. It was a short word, but she must have understood the depth in it.

“…You don’t have any hobbies?”

I guess that was enough to break even public mode.

“Yes, I don’t.”

“Oh, well, whatever. Did you expect something like this to happen?”

“I thought it would be nice to have it if I ever needed it.”

“Ugh, what am I going to do with you? You need to rest. I should ask Eden to lock you up or something. Are you going to give up on marriage and everything else and think that money is the best thing in the world if you keep working like that?”

Well, I think I’m already like that. I’m a non-marriage advocate. I think it would be nice to learn something related to animals later and spend the rest of my life with Simba or that kid.

“Still, let’s make a pseudonym. I think we need at least some measures to avoid backlash when making songs for other groups.”

Well, what would be good? It’s a name that can be thrown away at any time, so I can just make one up.

“When the fans find out later, it would be nice if they felt like, ‘Oh, he left this clue!’ right?”

Unfortunately, I don’t have that talent, but I’ll do my best.

Back in the studio, I attached the work I had already finished to the email and wrote a copy of the contract. And then, the worry came. What should I write in the name section?

Would it be okay to name it Winter in German? No, that would be too obvious. Should I name it Marx because it feels like a forbidden book and matches keywords like Germany and philosophy? No, I’d be burned at the stake if that was revealed.

“Well, a pseudonym…”

I’ve never thought about it before, so this also made me rack my brains. Even so, my hands were quickly revising the song I had already made.

“Well, they probably don’t want to reveal my name either…”

They wouldn’t do something that would easily cause a backlash.

I thought of several names, but there was nothing that felt right. Usually, it’s quite safe to follow precedents in situations like this. In that respect, there is one name that is the safest and that fans would think, ‘If it’s Ji Dong-hwa, he would do something like this,’ if they found out later.

I wrote just four letters, ‘Sinclair,’ and sent it. I’m borrowing the name of Hermann Hesse, the originator of hiding one’s identity.

* * *

The team leader of D.O.N.E Entertainment’s A&R team [Artists and Repertoire team, responsible for talent scouting and artistic development]. As the D.O.N.E project was born from her hands, she had a pretty good position within D.O.N.E.

And now, she was caught in the threat of a spider. The spider, who is famous in the industry for easily exploiting people’s weaknesses and getting her proposals accepted, asked her to receive a song and use it, citing her past actions as a problem. Of course, it’s just a request, but still.

“…Ah, life.”

However, she couldn’t go against the spider. The spider web spread too wide in the industry, so she didn’t know how the retaliation would come back. In addition, the spider knew how to hold and move people, so she didn’t make requests that would put people in trouble.

“Ha, let’s just think of it as plugging in a talented composer…”

Of course, I don’t think an idol group member who scribbled a self-composed song will spit out a good song from the beginning. However, no matter what the original is, if you work hard on the arrangement, you can somehow raise it to a level that is worth listening to.

‘Seriously, why did I do that? I shouldn’t have been caught by that woman, damn it.’

I don’t know how unfortunate it is to be caught with a weakness by a human who can exert influence not with works but with political power in all aspects of music and art such as classical music, musicals, and record production.

‘…No, but why would such a person, just…’

It’s not a convincing situation, but I’ll have to do as I’m told quietly for now.

And suddenly, a mail notification came into view. It was an email containing the contract signature and so on. Then, shall we listen to it once? She muttered inwardly and put on her headphones.

Play.

The song was somewhat demo-recorded. Humming in a pretty good voice, she simply and accurately pointed out only the notes.

Listening silently and slowly, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Trying to find flaws somehow, she pondered where to fix the pitch, timbre, and concept of the members when arranging later.

But it’s strange. Why do I only get the realization that this part was written for whom, the more I concentrate? She had as deep an understanding of the Hoppin group members as she did. Like a custom suit, it fit each member and the color of the Hoppin group itself. At the same time, it did not miss the popularity and twisted the trend to make its own song.

As soon as the music ended, she quickly checked the name of the composer who sent the email. ‘Sinclair’. Did she read Demian [a novel by Hermann Hesse] with admiration? She knows whose hands this email was written from.

‘Is she being considerate? No, it’s closer to self-protection.’

Even so, she didn’t understand why she would hide her identity and announce such a song, but anyway.

“Thank you, Hwa-yang-nim…”

Why didn’t I know that it was a lifeline, not a parachute? Thanks to Hotdog, who was in charge of D.O.N.E’s songs recently, declaring that he was a freelancer, the songs on Hoppin’s album felt a little loose, but I didn’t know that I would find the last piece like this.

‘…Okay, let’s be a human who knows how to repay evil with good like this. Let’s follow Hwa-yang-nim!’

She quickly sent a text message to Hwa-yang-nim explaining the current situation and thanking her, and a reply came back immediately.

— I’m sorry, but I was trying to repay evil with evil, so there’s no need to thank me.

* * *

Message notification.

I sat in a corner of the practice room, panting, and checked my phone.

— As expected of that person’s son, he uses a very cute name.

Come to think of it, my mother said she read Demian with great admiration. Soon after, another message was added.

I smiled faintly, sent a short thank you, and closed the message window.