Episode 141
After much contemplation, I replied.
“I choose the second option. I’ll have the DJs play songs from Girl Revolution.”
The quality of Girl Revolution is among the best in the K-pop scene. If given the chance, it would definitely rise to prominence.
And the latter method could be a tremendous opportunity.
“Yeah, I expected you to make that choice,” said Cheon Jong-hoon, chuckling again.
…Why is this guy so annoying today?
The saying goes that you can’t spit on a smiling face, but I bet I could spit dozens of times on Cheon Jong-hoon’s face.
He often behaves like a jerk and now he’s grinning; honestly, it’s unbearable to look at.
Did he even realize how I felt? Cheon Jong-hoon continued, not wiping the smile off his face.
“But I have one more condition.”
Ugh, who asked for more conditions?
Are you out of your mind, Jong-hoon? Want to taste some school bullying controversy?
“What kind of condition do you want to add now? Do you really want to see me suffer?”
The way he tried to add yet another condition after presenting it earlier was no different from a wicked phone salesman trying to sneak in internet and cable TV deals.
I absolutely couldn’t let that happen. I was prepared to throw this negotiation out the window to stop that nonsense.
Perhaps sensing my sincerity, Cheon Jong-hoon seemed a bit flustered and said,
“Honestly… It’s not a bad deal for you. In fact, it’s a really good condition.”
“A good condition? What is it? Spare me the flowery language and get to the point.”
“…Alright then.”
Seemingly wanting to set the mood, Cheon Jong-hoon cleared his throat and spoke solemnly as if he were some big shot.
“Learn producing under me.”
It was a completely obvious condition with no room for negotiation.
“I refuse.”
Cheon Jong-hoon looked taken aback, clearly not expecting my response.
“Why not? Do you think such opportunities are common?”
“What kind of opportunity is it? It’s like a leech trying to drag me into a swamp. Am I crazy to join SS now? I have no intention of having someone like you as my boss, so find someone else.”
Seeing the ugly situation I’d witnessed, why would I ever work under him?
In response to my firm answer, Cheon Jong-hoon grabbed his head in exasperation.
“Ugh… I must have spoken misleadingly. Let me clarify: this isn’t a condition to join SS. You can still be with TwoBear. You just have to learn producing under me.”
“What? That’s absurd! SS isn’t a school or a vocational training center!”
“Right, think of it like a school! That might actually convey what I mean better.”
What on earth is he talking about now?
I pondered on Cheon Jong-hoon’s bizarre request with suspicion and threw out words as they came to me.
“So, what Team Leader Cheon is saying is that I need to learn math at the academy and irregularly come to learn composition under him, right?”
“If you change that ‘irregularly’ clause to ‘regularly,’ then it aligns with my understanding.”
…Is this guy really out of his mind?
No matter how I thought about it, it seemed like an unreasonable condition, but I gave it a serious consideration.
And the conclusion of that reflection slipped out of my mouth.
“No, thank you.”
“Why not?”
Why do you think?
“I’m too busy making a living. Do you think I’m a salaryman or something? I don’t have time for an academy.”
“Such a….”
Maybe he was really getting heated; Cheon Jong-hoon’s face turned red, and after taking a few deep breaths, he calmed down and said,
“Making a living is important. Believe it or not, I’m a salaryman too. …Then, how about instead of the academy, you assist me with my work while casually learning composition as a part-time job? Of course, you’ll get paid.”
“…How much will you pay?”
“I’m not going to be stingy about this. …How does this sound?”
“Hmm… not bad.”
He wasn’t lying about not being stingy. The hourly wage was really good. I, who was getting paid double from Cheon Aram’s grandfather, could see that.
It wouldn’t be a problem to think of it as a high-paying part-time job.
“Sure, let’s do it.”
At my easy agreement, Cheon Jong-hoon muttered loudly, “Why should I keep a low profile when I, the industry’s top talent, am offering to teach for free?”
Well, I didn’t really care if Cheon Jong-hoon was feeling uncomfortable, but seeing his face raised some fundamental questions.
“By the way, why do you want to teach me composition? If you want a disciple, can’t you just pick one from your SS producing team? I mean, I’m not even part of your group. What’s the point of teaching me?”
There must be guys with better specs than me at SS, right? If there were really no people, just putting up a recruitment notice would attract them like clouds. …But why is this guy fixated on me? It’s creepy.
Cheon Jong-hoon answered my question somewhat off-topic.
“I’ve heard the songs of Girl Revolution.”
…Wait, this guy listened to our song?
This was something hard to imagine coming from the same Cheon Jong-hoon who claimed that everyone on the charts was just his minor copy.
Let alone being in the same girl group, it was known that Cheon Jong-hoon was a guy who wouldn’t listen to them at all.
“Why did you listen to that?”
“Do you think I would conduct market analysis without listening to a competitor’s song when I’m not an amateur?”
…But you actually did that in the last episode.
Well, it seems like Cheon Jong-hoon might have swapped his meds or something because there’s definitely been a change compared to previous episodes.
In fact, that change really stood out in the album Alcest released this time around.
I had already listened to the album before, but since there was a competitive vibe, I gave it another shot and I was completely floored.
Their first album, ‘Queen in the Mirror Land,’ which was already hailed as a masterpiece, has been released with even higher quality and completeness.
If you think about it compared to the previous rounds, that crazy guy elevated his work quality after throwing a tantrum in his own agency.
But his bizarre comments didn’t stop there.
“And I listened to the song you made. It made me feel a bit insulted.”
“Why is that? Did the genius Gyeoul, who turned that simple song into something great, make your judgment feel dumb?”
“No, it just pisses me off that an amateur made a track like that and is my competitor.”
“….”
…Ugh, I feel terrible. I made him listen to a song from a complete amateur who’s only been composing for a month.
“I guess you’ve never properly learned mixing. It’s impressive you released a track in that state.”
“…It’s not like I wanted it to turn out this way.”
“Of course. So, I’ll teach you. That professional area you’re lacking.”
“…Wait, why do you want to teach me? I’m not a composer.”
Cheon Jong-hoon chuckled and replied.
“Didn’t I tell you? It annoys me that someone who hasn’t studied proper mixing is my competitor. So, if I teach you, I won’t have to get annoyed.”
“…I’m starting to think you might be the one who’s crazy.”
“Would you only think that about me?”
“….”
After negotiating the time and conditions for the DJs to play the Girl Revolution’s song, and promising to destroy the video, I got up and said,
“Oh, but my part-time job schedule needs to fit mine. Unlike Team Leader Cheon, I’m swamped managing and producing at the same time.”
“Oh, you little… Did you even hear what I said? Do you not know what it means to learn from a pro like Cheon Jong-hoon?”
“What? If you’re upset, then don’t do it.”
“….”
Cheon Jong-hoon looked at me like something was broken inside him and chuckled.
“…I’ll try my best to accommodate your schedule.”
*
Cheon Jong-hoon directly called numerous foreign DJs linked to SS and made requests.
That vast network hinted at SS’s power as one of the three giants in the entertainment industry.
Just getting this far would already meet what was needed for the contract with Seon Taeyang.
Seon Taeyang would probably nod along, thinking, “With this much, I can confidently call it a deal.”
It would be. “At this point, I can confidently say it was worth the deal,” he thought.
But Cheon Jong-hoon didn’t stop. He reached out to various DJs from different countries, not connected to SS but ones he personally knew.
Switching from French to Spanish to Japanese to German to Italian in quick succession, Cheon Jong-hoon made a “personal request” he’d never uttered in his life.
“I’ll do it since it’s your request, but what’s so special about this Girl Revolution group that you’d go this far?”
“You don’t need to know that.”
“…Well, you’re still as rude as ever. Fine, I’ll let it slide for today.”
After contacting everyone in his network, Cheon Jong-hoon paused at one number that remained. The DJ’s number belonged to someone he deeply despised.
“Honestly, I really don’t want to bring up anything with that Anderson guy… But skipping over him would be a huge loss given he’s a top DJ in the U.S.”
With his arms crossed and deep in thought, Cheon Jong-hoon clicked his tongue. Then he made the call.
“Who is this? Isn’t this Mr. Cheon?”
“It’s been a while, Anderson.”
“Wow, what brings you to me, a super DJ who’s had eight weeks of consecutive number one ratings?”
“Play a song from a group called Girl Revolution on your broadcast.”
“Is that a request?”
“It is.”
“Ha, ha, ha! You’re asking me? The mighty Cheon Jong-hoon?”
Anderson laughed heartily for a while before flippantly replying.
“Get lost, you idiot. Ha!”
Sighing, Cheon Jong-hoon responded.
“Before you even think of saying no, there’s something you should know. I still have that recording of you. The one Seo Soo-yeon recorded at the academy.”
“…Recording?”
“Yeah, it’s full of your racist comments.”
“Just because I said something about Asians…”
“It wasn’t just directed at me, you made comments about Black people, Hispanics, ginger folks, Mexicans—such a wide variety of racist remarks. I didn’t know you could go that far.”
“That was an illegal recording, you chink bastard!”
“So what! If you don’t want to be fired from your DJ position and publicly lynched, shut up and do it! Racist prick!”
“….”
Crushed by the threat, Anderson hesitated and asked.
“I checked, and it looks like the Girl Revolution group has five songs. Which one do you want?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Cheon Jong-hoon answered.
“Albatross.”
*
The next evening, the song of Girl Revolution echoed around the world.
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