Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 328

Gyo…”

Cough, cough!

Instead of Trevi, who couldn’t continue speaking because he was choking, Yeonwoo calmly replied.

“Yes. ‘Gyo-mi’.” [Likely a slang term or shortened form of a word, implying something like ‘interesting’ or ‘kinky’ depending on context.]

He must be taken aback.

But he wouldn’t be more taken aback than Yeonwoo, who had heard that word dozens of times in different songs.

‘This might be what they call cultural relativism…’

Yeonwoo had no intention of advocating for exclusive nationalism.

The world is wide, and civilizations are diverse.

Although Heungseon Daewongun [A historical figure known for his isolationist policies] lived within him, they had reached a consensus anyway.

‘Our country also has keywords that it considers important.’

For example, meals in our country.

A value that producers, including viewers, also consider important.

Even if you’re imprisoned, you should still be given food.

Even when kicking someone out, you should give them food before kicking them out.

If the protagonist looks tired and exhausted, you should feed them something first.

‘As a related product, there’s also workaholism.’

In some ways, this could be seen as a higher level than eating.

He who does not work, neither shall he eat.

The fact that the kings of old history were all great workaholics was very famous.

That’s why most of the characters in various dramas and movies work hard.

Even in dramas where group projects appear, if someone doesn’t work, they get the worst insult: free-riding.

‘……I feel like I’m getting a bit far from the theme of the song, but it’s probably just my imagination.’

Anyway, the values that each culture considers important can be different like this.

So, Yeonwoo tried not to widen his eyes at the dozens of genitals and mating stories.

‘Right. Foreign countries value lineage, they said. Come to think of it, I feel like I learned about that somewhere…’

Although he wasn’t very knowledgeable about world history, he vaguely remembered studying the royal family trees of European countries, including medieval England.

“Gyo… Cough.”

Trevi, who still hadn’t escaped the aftermath of the word, coughed.

[See? I told you it was still too stimulating for a kid.]

Surprisingly, Trevi was an excellent butler who took great care of the cat, and even now, while coughing like crazy, his arm holding the child spirit didn’t budge.

“Cough, cough! Huk…! Ahem! So… What kind of song did you listen to…?”

“I heard the Billboard chart is the most famous? I heard this place has the most famous songs.”

“That’s true, but…”

“So, I listened to the songs in the rankings.”

The result is the current situation.

“Most of them are a bit extreme.”

At least, that’s how Yeonwoo felt.

‘Why are they all so eager to show off their own achievements?’

In particular, the desire to somehow flaunt their sexual abilities was very palpable.

I’m so successful.

I’m so successful that women follow me.

I live such a wealthy life.

To summarize, it’s like that.

Even if not everything is included, one thing is always included.

Not only that.

‘Why are there so many gun stories?’

To Yeonwoo, they all had difficult aspects.

Some songs use guns as a metaphorical expression.

There were also stories about really killing someone.

When those two are combined, a magic happens where guns and death become sexual acts.

‘Hmm… Is it because the sentiments are different from our country?’

That wasn’t the only thing.

The music video played with the song was quite shocking.

“…?”

What is this?

This culture shock…?

[Good heavens. My God. Primal Deity… !]

The child spirit, who had been curled up and purring in Yeonwoo’s hood.

But at some point, he got up and was watching, and I heard a hissing sound in my ear.

The little cat that came out of the hoodie covered his eyes with his hands.

[Turn off that obscene thing right now! It’s bad luck, bad luck!]

“…But this is a music video in the Billboard Top 10?”

[Can’t you turn it off?! It’s bad luck, I’m telling you! Ugh, it’s obscene! Obscene!]

When I clicked the mouse, the screen stopped.

The people who were moving their bodies with their whole bodies undressed and backlit stopped as they were.

‘It was well filmed…’

Yeonwoo could see very well how the inherent beauty of the human body itself was maximized.

The props placed in various places were not just placed there.

The props subtly covered the naked body that was about to be exposed from time to time.

The screen sometimes captured the shadows that were covered in such a way as to exaggerate parts of the body.

The cars that appeared from time to time were not just put in to look cool.

Expensive cars, though old models but well maintained, were also tools to symbolize something.

[You’re still single and watching this kind of thing that brings bad luck! Huh?!]

“No, isn’t it time to stop using that word? And this is a music video? Not some weird video?!

Of course, it was not convincing.

From Yeonwoo’s discerning eyes, it was a music video that paid a lot of attention to this and that.

Looking at the various symbolic elements and the arrangement that maximizes the aesthetic elements, I could see how much the art director was trying to elevate this music video into a work of art.

But what’s the point?

The brain, which saw an unexpected video, is still complaining about the aftereffects of culture shock.

[I… I need to rest… Give me Ciao Churu… I think that’s all I need…] [A popular brand of creamy cat treats.]

Yeonwoo thought, giving the exhausted kitten a squeeze-out snack.

‘Ah. So that’s why the old geezers in Lady Kang’s shrine were so against foreign things.’

Yeonwoo had a small realization.

They are still old geezers with their hair tied up and white beards hanging down to their chests.

Well.

They’ve become a little more open-minded lately, but still…

The characters coming out half-naked wouldn’t be good for the heart.

‘Ah. Does it matter since they’re already dead?’

It’s not just the old geezers that are bad for the heart.

[What are the kids here watching to grow up? Isn’t it too obscene to grow up watching this kind of thing? I don’t think it’s good for emotional development at all?]

The little kitten, who had received an emergency snack transfusion and was a little more alive, sighed deeply.

Yeonwoo agreed to some extent.

[Looking back, the Korean pop music scene was really like a fairy.]

“Why?”

[Things have gotten better now because there are regulations and people’s perceptions have changed a lot, but in the past, there were times when there was a lot of exposure and it was too sexually suggestive.]

“Really?”

[It’s much better now. There’s still some exposure these days, but now fans are more worried about consuming that image than enjoying it. It’s a very positive change.]

The child spirit asked for Kwon Seong-hyeon’s photo, saying he had seen something obscene and wanted to wash his eyes.

Yeonwoo silently displayed Kwon Seong-hyeon’s photos on the screen with a few clicks.

‘Hmm? He has an overseas schedule?’

One of the interviews caught my eye.

It was an interview attached to an article that a famous overseas brand had signed a long-term contract with Kwon Seong-hyeon as the brand’s representative model.

‘I should read it later.’

The important thing right now was the music I listened to for market research.

‘Should I make it in this style too?’

The music Yeonwoo knew was music that healed the heart and patted tired shoulders.

An intangible power that washes away the hardships of the day, heals tired hearts, and sometimes looks back on precious memories to inspire the soul.

That was the music Yeonwoo thought of.

“What do you think of music, Yeonwoo?”

This was also one of the topics of conversation that Trevi and I had been having for the past few days.

Well.

I didn’t want to have a grand discussion about the definition of music.

“I think it’s a means of uplifting people. Whether it’s the soul or the mind.”

The sound effects of horror movies maximize people’s fear.

The BGM during meditation calmly soothes the tense mind.

The breakup song you listen to after a breakup gives you comfort and relief that you are not the only one going through such a difficult time.

The happy music you listen to when you’re depressed helps to alleviate the gloom that has come.

‘……If you think about it that way, the songs I listened to do have an effect. It’s stimulating, so it’ll definitely be exciting.’

It’s not a concept of what’s right and wrong.

There’s just a slight difference in the position of acceptance.

Anyway, Trevi pondered and replied to Yeonwoo’s words, which simply compressed the thoughts he had while looking at the charts.

“Extreme… Hmm… It’s very extreme.”

Of course, there weren’t only songs that felt like that to Trevi.

But most of them were a bit shocking.

That’s why I went so far as to think.

‘……Is it a virtue to display one’s sexual activity to others?’

If so, it would be right to respect it.

“I heard that the Billboard chart is a recognized indicator of credibility. Is that style of song the mainstream?”

If so, there’s no choice.

It’s best to understand and move on with cultural relativism.

Of course, accepting it is another matter.

But Trevi’s answer was a little different.

“Ahem, hmm… The trend is getting more and more stimulating these days. I guess people are exposed to stimulating things and get used to them, so they’re looking for bigger and bigger stimuli.”

In other words, the threshold of stimulation has increased.

It was similar to what the child spirit had said.

He said that Korea was also going in a similar direction, but it had been corrected.

Then Trevi also talked about the proposal he had received.

“I’ve also received similar proposals. They told me to write more stimulating lyrics instead of corny and emotional ones. They also advised me that it would increase the number of streams and music downloads.”

A way to become a hot topic more easily and attract people’s attention for sure.

As the entertainment business is a show business where topicality becomes money, it could be said to be Trevi’s own advice.

“I’ve felt a strange sense of futility since I heard that.”

Anyway, business is mainly about ‘money’.

To the people around him or the company, it probably seemed like Trevi was turning away from an easy way to make a lot of money.

Maybe that’s why.

All the efforts and thoughts he had put in so far.

And the reason why I felt like my sincerity was being thrown into the mud in an instant.

“Money is not important. Of course, I’m not trying to belittle the values that other people think. But for me, music and money are separate.”

If he wanted money, he would have chosen a thoroughly commercial route from the beginning.

There’s no need to practice hard to give you a slightly better song.

You can just put in a lot of EDM and retouch the vocals as if you’re plastering them.

“But that’s not fair to the people who love my music. Isn’t that right? Yeonwoo understands my heart, right? I heard that Yeonwoo’s eye for synopses is picky, even though the genres are different.”

“I haven’t really thought of it as picky, but…”

Listening to it, it’s also true?

“A more appropriate expression would be carefully chosen.”

“Oh. That’s right. Precious objects should always be treated carefully and thoughtfully.”

Listening to Trevi, it feels similar to the criteria for choosing a work.

‘I definitely chose the synopsis over the appearance fee.’