Chapter 77: Lurking While Waiting for Seo Rabbit

While waiting for the result of .

I didn’t work on anything.

I thought I’d be nervous, but instead, I felt comfortable.

Why? Because I was confident.

I erased the keyword “idol” and focused on the keyword “Signum.”

That was thanks to my conversation with Han Yujin.

Idols are flashy.

So, their songs must be flashy too.

That was the flow I thought of.

But after carefully observing Han Yujin and the Signum guys, I was able to draw a clear conclusion.

‘People are all the same.’

A song that could maintain identity while still leading change—that was the answer.

From my analysis, idol songs had distinct characteristics.

So-called “smells-like-money” beats, “kitschy” melodies that are hard to sing at karaoke, and “trying-to-look-cool” lyrics spiced up with random English.

Songs that showed off what a dazzlingly strong sound was, and melodies so unique you couldn’t tell if it was chanting or singing—they perfectly displayed the flashiness of idols.

Of course, it’s not wrong to make songs that captivate the ears and eyes.

For performance, that would be the right choice.

But then—was that a good song?

If someone asked, I could firmly answer no.

It might be right for other idols. But not for Signum.

They needed a song that stayed true to the concept of “band idol,” while still fulfilling what it meant to be a band “idol.”

Throwing in a random booming beat with a chant-like rap?

‘That wouldn’t suit them at all.’

That would be a concept mistake, an overreach.

Manny must have known that too.

A senior composer would be far better at writing those kinds of songs than me.

So, I focused on what I was good at, and what those guys could be good at.

‘At this level of difficulty, even Yehwan’s skills should be more than enough.’

Signum, who had started as a band idol, was currently going through a transitional period.

What they needed most right now was a perfectly fitting outfit.

It was simple.

A song faithful to the basics.

A comfortable song that didn’t heavily depend on taste.

Something both teens and people in their fifties could listen to and relate to.

That was my little strategy.

“Does that explain it well enough for you?”

“……Ah.”

Before the final pitching, I gave this explanation to Go Minseo, the assistant manager who came to meet me.

She had gone out of her way to come all the way to my house, asking why I had written this kind of song.

Ah, of course, she hadn’t phrased it so bluntly.

She had said, “This song has a different direction compared to existing idol music—was that intentional, and are you aware of how it differs from other idol songs?”

But it was the same thing.

“If you have any more questions, please let me know.”

That was basically me saying we should wrap things up.

But then, Assistant Manager Go opened her iPad.

She furrowed her brows as she searched for something, then cautiously asked.

“Um, about the bass.”

“Yes.”

“Did Cheongseong’s Bang Gicheol really play the session for it? Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Wow…… our company was in an uproar over that.”

……Why though?

It wasn’t like there was a rule saying a song couldn’t be pitched just because a member of a rival band had participated in the session.

Besides, once they went into the actual recording, the bass part would have to be recorded directly anyway.

It was the part I had been most careful with.

Signum’s bassist, Lee Yehwan.

He was the main character of .

I hadn’t put the bass front and center simply because I had a special love for it.

From studying Signum, I had drawn the rational conclusion that Lee Yehwan was the core figure of the group.

Both visually and in terms of personality.

He seemed like the one who would create the best picture when placed at the front.

Though he wasn’t the leader, I caught that it was Yehwan who usually carried the conversations.

He stayed quiet, only to reveal his presence dramatically at decisive moments. Just like a bass.

Okay, then you’re the protagonist. It was that kind of simple conclusion.

“Because Cheongseong is a rival?”

“What? A rival?! No way! That can’t be true!”

Wow, this person had a booming voice.

Good thing we were the only ones in the café.

“I clearly remember. UTAR vs Signum. Manny practically spread press releases everywhere……”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

It wasn’t like she was the one who had ordered it.

But seeing her bow so deeply, her forehead nearly touching the table, made me feel bad.

She had said she was the youngest employee.

Was that what being an office worker was about?

Having to apologize excessively even for things that weren’t your fault?

I was really glad I hadn’t become an office worker.

Someone like me, who wasn’t good with words, could never endure it.

Thinking that, I answered.

“No. Well, at the time, you wouldn’t have known it was Cheongseong.”

“I imagine it must have been really unpleasant for you, though. The group you gave the song to kept getting compared. I understand completely.”

Ah, this person.

She didn’t know I was Seo Rabbit yet.

Jeong Jaewook—his mouth was tighter than I thought.

“No, it was an interesting experience. More than that…… do you have anything else to say?”

“Oh, do you have somewhere urgent to be?”

Yes. I was starving.

For some reason, lately, I was hungry again the moment I turned around.

I had to hurry to Backstage and eat a tonkatsu combo with extra Napolitan spaghetti.

“I have to go eat.”

“Then come with me!”

“Suddenly?”

“My team leader insisted I treat you to some beef. Hanwoo……”

“Sorry. I already have plans.”

It was only after I barely managed to calm the flustered Assistant Manager Go that I was able to leave the café.

Tonkatsu from Teacher Moon’s place was better than hanwoo. Ah, just thinking about it again made my mouth water.

Meetings were quite draining.

The other side was always in observation mode.

Trying to read my emotions from my expressions, searching for meaning in even the most trivial jokes.

At times like that, I had to hurry to Backstage.

Tonkatsu! Fried shrimp! Napolitan spaghetti!

I savored the imaginary food as I hailed a taxi.

“Please take me to the Hongdae alley. The address is……”

After giving the address and leaning back in the seat, the driver asked.

“Is something happening there today?”

“Pardon?”

“Like a performance? The crowd was enormous. It looked like it was near that alley.”

“Huh, I’m not sure.”

A wave of anxiety washed over me.

No way, no way.

This couldn’t be happening. Something like that absolutely must not happen!

Feeling uneasy for no reason, I kept fiddling with my phone until a KakaoTalk message arrived.

[Signum Yehwan: Hyung!! I think there’s going to be good news soon!]

[Signum Yehwan: I’ve been practicing bass really hard.]

[Signum Yehwan: Do you want to see? (video)]

The kid. He really had been practicing hard.

The demo session had been so perfect.

His ears must be tuned sky-high by now.

That was exactly what I had been aiming for.

Telling someone over and over, “Practice more, work harder, when will you catch up……”—all that was useless.

Short and strong!

If I let them hear a badass performance, it could become the trigger for awakening.

Not awakening after listening to Teacher Bang Gicheol’s bass playing? Then there was definitely something wrong.

[Me: You don’t hit with your fingers, you hit with rhythm. You have to control even the rests for it to be real slap!]

I was tired and hungry.

I must have dozed off for a moment, because the taxi had already arrived in front of the Backstage alley.

“It’s hard to turn the car up there. I’ll get off here.”

“Ah, thank you, that helps.”

I casually paid and started walking up the alley.

“……?”

What was going on?

The taxi driver hadn’t been mistaken.

From the end of the alley, a crowd of people was gathered.

From teenagers to women old enough to be mothers.

A wide range of ages stretched out in a line all the way down the alley.

This was bad, really bad.

I pulled down my cap and started walking slowly up the alley, when someone tapped my back.

It was Teacher Oh Jisoo.

“Taeyoon……”

“Oh? Teacher.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Did something happen?”

“We lost our hideout.”

“Excuse me?”

Teacher Oh Jisoo, almost in tears, gently pulled on my arm.

Dragged into a dark corner between buildings, I—

“Did word get out? What is this……”

When she handed me her tablet, I couldn’t help but gape.

Our hideout……

[Backstage proof (photo) (photo) (photo)]

Super tasty Napolitan spaghetti. Better than the one I ate in Yokohama.

↳ My mouth is watering ㄷㄷㄷ

↳ Where is this?

↳ Hongdae! Price is cheap too.

Why in the world……

[Wow!!! The vibe at Backstage is insane.]

The tonkatsu fried by Cheongseong’s vocalist is damn delicious ㅠㅠ

↳ LOL why’s that guy frying tonkatsuㅋㅋㅋ

↳ And it even suits him.

↳ But seriously, the food looks real. Cheongseong’s been frying tonkatsu in Hongdae? So that’s what happened.

It had gotten a reputation as a restaurant……

[Day 3 of waiting for Seo Rabbit sightings.]

Camping out at Backstage…… just waiting for Seo Rabbit.

↳ How can you find him when you don’t even know his faceㅋㅋ

↳ I think I’d recognize him instantly.

↳ I’m curious too. Should I go check it out?

Why were people lying in wait for Seo Rabbit here……

“We’re in big trouble.”

“Looks like it.”

“Where do I even talk about work now? This is driving me crazy. And why does the tonkatsu have to be so damn tasty……”

“I lost my studio, though.”

“What?”

In this industry, there really was no such thing as a secret.

Apparently Teacher Moon Jungbae had only invited a close staff member once……!

“And it spread like this?”

“Well, the food is really good.”

“That’s true.”

“Should we try going in?”

“You’re really going to line up?”

Clearly, the line stretched across the whole alley.

“What do we do?”

“Should we just head straight to the studio?”

“You want to broadcast to the whole neighborhood that you’re Seo Rabbit?”

“They probably don’t know it’s me.”

“As if. Word’s already out that your studio’s here.”

“Then let’s just eat anywhere nearby today. I haven’t had a single meal yet.”

“Seriously? At this hour? That’s dangerous. Let’s hurry. There’s another tonkatsu place over there.”

On the same day, at the same time.

The two of us, having lost our hideout and our studio, trudged down the Hongdae alley.

A composer who made the beat and melody.

A lyricist who wrote the lyrics.

What kind of conversation would they have when they met?

Adjusting the emotional flow of the song.

Fine-tuning the rhythm between the melody and the lyrics.

Adding rhymes to make the song stand out.

Polishing the killing part a bit more carefully……

Most would expect it to be that kind of constructive conversation.

“Did you go to Manny Entertainment?”

“Yes.”

“You said you delivered the song to Jeong Jaewook directly, right?”

“Yes.”

“How’s Jeong Jaewook doing?”

“Yes.”

“In person, he’s not as scary as you thought, right?”

“Yes.”

“Did he ask how I was doing, by any chance?”

“Yes.”

“……Taeyoon, is ‘yes’ the only answer you know how to give? Is that it?”

“No?”

Right now, instead of talking about the song, I was talking about Jeong Jaewook.

Well, it was more of Teacher Oh Jisoo bombarding me with questions.

“Did he say the song was good?”

“Yes.”

“He knows I wrote the lyrics, right?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

“Yes…… yes? Of course, he said it was good.”

“You’re thinking about something else, aren’t you.”

“……!”

That was true.

I found this side of Oh Jisoo really awkward.

All kinds of thoughts filled my head.

Why was she grilling me like this.

If she was that curious, couldn’t she just ask him directly?

But this situation…… why did it feel so familiar?

Was it just my imagination?

“No. It just feels like I’m remembering something.”

A strong sense of déjà vu.

“Jeong Jaewook put on more weight. Does he still chug apple juice by the pack? That high fructose corn syrup addiction—that’s serious.”

Hmm?

“Doesn’t he kind of smell like a single old man? Don’t tell me he chewed Eundan mints right in front of you?”

……This wasn’t just my imagination.

“……At least he eats well? Never mind. Why am I even worrying about that guy. Forget it.”

The pattern of being curious, getting worked up, then suddenly saying “forget it.”

How’s your dad doing? Eating well? At his age, losing weight makes him look bad.

You went to Ulsan six months ago? You’re at least checking if he’s alive, right?

What? Still rambling about music? Oh, for heaven’s sake…… When’s he going to grow up.

No, he’s not a kid…… forget it.

It was almost exactly like my mom grilling me about my dad.

Breaking up didn’t mean it was really over.

Not for my parents, not for Jeong Jaewook and Oh Jisoo.

Why did they have so many lingering questions?

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