Chapter 152
***
The day after he drank with chief producer Kim ChooYeon .
It was a little past lunch .
“President, I’ve readied the papers you instructed me to . ”
“Thanks . ”
Jung HyeJin gave KangYoon an envelope . KangYoon received those papers and got ready to get out .
Seeing that, Lee HyunJi asked .
“Are you going out?”
“Yes . I’ve come across a good piece of music so I’m going to get one . ”
KangYoon replied curtly and left the office .
The place he headed to was a cafe in Hongdae near Lunas . This cafe had many musicians wearing characteristic clothing .
When KangYoon went in, Park SoYoung, who had arrived earlier, waved at him .
“Oppa, over here . ”
KangYoon waved back at her as well and headed there .
He ordered some things before asking her what she was doing recently . Park SoYoung smiled and spoke .
“I’m doing part-time jobs here and there . I’m also running around handing out portfolios . ”
Although she was smiling, she couldn’t hide the dark parts of her life . Getting employed after graduating from university was something hard for everyone . KangYoon also felt bitter since this was like looking at his sister .
He calmed himself down and spoke about what he came here for .
“I’m here to ask you to officially ask you for the song that you gave to HyunAh . ”
“My song? I’ve already talked about it with HyunAh-unni though… . ”
KangYoon shook his head .
“Just because the composer and the singer finished their negotiations doesn’t mean that it’s over . We are pros here . ”
KangYoon took out some papers . Park SoYoung was a little nervous by the mention of ‘pros’ and had a look at those papers .
“This… . ”
“It’s a contract that mentions that White Moonlight will officially use composer Park SoYoung’s music . Read it over carefully and tell me if you have any intentions of accepting it . ”
Park SoYoung’s eyes widened and her heart started beating faster . As a newbie composer who had just graduated and hadn’t even stepped foot into the industry, the very idea of looking at a contract itself was something big for her .
However, she asked carefully because she thought that KangYoon may be doing this because he knew her and not for her skills .
“Uhm, oppa . Did HeeYoon or HyunAh-unni perhaps say anything about me?”
KangYoon shook his head .
“No . Is there a problem?”
“No, nothing . ”
Park SoYoung stopped thinking about it there . Thinking about it, it wasn’t like KangYoon was the type of person who would buy her music just because she was a friend of his sister’s . From what she had experienced with KangYoon, he was the most cool-headed person when it came to evaluating music .
She read down the contract without missing a single line . Although she had learned about the contracts at college, this was the first time she had seen an actual one . There were many things regarding the rights to the music as well as the distribution of profits and at the bottom was KangYoon’s signature as the CEO of the company .
‘Why are the conditions so good?’
She tilted her head after reading through the entirety of the contract . She had gone through the distribution ratio of profits between the singer, the composer, and the company, but the ratio for the singer and the composer was much higher than what she had learned from college . Feeling strange, she had a look at it several times, but there were no special clauses that spoke otherwise .
In the end, she put down the contract and asked .
“…Oppa, do you get anything by doing this?”
She wanted to ask honestly . Obviously, giving too much money to the composer and the singer meant fewer profits for the company . However, KangYoon spoke as though it didn’t matter at all .
“Well, the company’s profits are mostly from activities like events and showing up on TV shows . I believe that it’s only right and proper for the profits from the music to go to the artists themselves . Also, that contract is secret so you can’t leak that to others .
“Yes . The conditions are too good… . ”
Park SoYoung had a look at the contract several times . The distribution ratio was just that unbelievable . However, she also knew that KangYoon wasn’t the type of person to backstab his people with money-related matters .
After thinking about it several times, Park SoYoung brought her pen to where her signature would go .
“Can I just sign here?”
“Think about it more carefully . ”
“It’s fine . I know that this kind of treatment is the best in the industry . ”
When she made up her mind, Park SoYoung no longer hesitated . She signed the two contract papers and gave one to KangYoon .
“Thank you for thinking about it on such a good note . Let’s go over the details in the studio tomorrow . ”
“Yes . At what time should I come?”
KangYoon spoke with Park SoYoung about the more specific details . She agreed on visiting the studio at World Entertainment along with White Moonlight at 6 in the evening .
Now that their schedule was set, KangYoon emptied his now cold coffee and spoke .
“Do you know about the drama t.i.tled ‘His Hospital’?”
“Yes . It’s that new Wednesday-Thursday drama, isn’t it? What about it? Oh, don’t tell me…”
Park SoYoung’s voice trembled . She had guessed what was going on . The reason KangYoon had come to this place with a contract was in order to send her song off to be a drama OST . Her song coming out on the main drama that aired every Wednesday and Thursday at 10 in the night? Her heart fluttered just thinking about it .
However, KangYoon spoke more cool-headedly .
“It’s not completely set in stone . There are plenty of OSTs that go unused in the main program . I’m just sending it off to them . Although this does sound like I did the contract too early, we did buy your song, so I should at least explain properly . ”
“No, not at all . I’m just thankful you chose my song at all . ”
Park SoYoung shook her head .
Although she tried applying to various places with her songs after graduation, none of the companies she had applied for wanted her . No one was as kind as KangYoon either . The first feeling she got from the industry was that it was run by the law of the jungle .
In a place like that, someone like KangYoon was the light in the dark for her . She was thankful that he took her seriously .
KangYoon had emptied his coffee . Park SoYoung had almost finished drinking as well .
“Shall we go then?”
“Yes . ”
The two people left the cafe .
***
Radio at DLE TV station .
Kim JiMin headed to the studio with hurried steps . Her coordinator and her manager Choi HyukJin followed suit .
“h.e.l.lo . ”
Having arrived at the studio, Kim JiMin greeted the producers and the staff . Everyone waved at her being so nice and greeting everyone .
Kim JiMin carefully entered the studio . Then, she greeted the host reading the cue-card, Yoon MinHwan .
“h.e.l.lo . ”
Yoon MinHwan lifted his head up to look at Kim JiMin .
“…Who?”
“Eh? Oh, h.e.l.lo! I’m today’s guest, a rookie singer named Kim JiMin . ”
(T/N: She didn’t use her stage name…)
(E/N: Awww she’s so nervous and cute)
Yoon MinHwan smiled awkwardly .
“Oh, sorry about that . Look at what I’m doing . Nice to meet you, I’m Yoon MinHwan . ”
Yoon MinHwan put down the cue-sheet and turned around to look at Kim JiMin .
Meeting with a great senior in this industry, Kim JiMin carefully looked down . The gaze of this singer who debuted more than two decades ago was quite menacing .
“Have you eaten?”
“Ah, yes I have . How about you, sir?”
“I have . You’re quite busy nowadays, aren’t you?”
“Not at all, s...o...b..e-nim . ”
Yoon MinHwan eased the talk between senior and junior singers . Kim JiMin curiosity was just as wide as her eyes . She listened very carefully to Yoon MinHwan’s stories, and he also seemed to be having fun and excitedly talked about his stories .
“There are 5 minutes left . ”
The recording time was upon them . The producer entered the studio and told Yoon MinHwan and Kim JiMin .
“Can I visit the bathroom?”
“Go ahead . ”
When Kim JiMin left the studio, Yoon MinHwan slightly nodded and spoke .
“Han PD (producer) . Did you say that Eunha belonged to World Entertainment?”
“Yes, sir . ”
The producer replied carefully . Then, Yoon MinHwan showed curiosity .
“She has a good personality from when we talked . She’s not like the other kids nowadays either . I wonder if she’s good at singing too . ”
“There will be a live singing session today, so you can watch her then . ”
The producer seemed somewhat confident . Seeing that, Yoon MinHwan became cheerful .
“Hahaha . Okay, then . We shall see when the time comes . ”
Soon, Kim JiMin returned after her break .
Like that, the radio show started and various events took place .
It was just after Kim JiMin had introduced a story to the audience and spoke about her thoughts .
“Miss Eunha, you should sing since you’re here . ”
“Yes . I’ve prepared one just in case . ”
“Wow, the requested song from this person is a song of yours . ”
“Wow . ”
She unintentionally exclaimed out loud . Her words were so loud that some of the producers outside giggled to themselves .
“Seeing that, Yoon MinHwan lightly clicked his tongue .
“Oh, well, then . Miss Eunha, please get ready . ”
Kim JiMin stood up from her seat and stood in front of the mic that was prepared for her on the side of the studio . She put her headset on and stood nervously in front of the mic .
“Then let’s listen to the requested song before we go to the next one . Happy Ending, by Eunha . ”
Kim JiMin cleared her throat before singing .
– You whispered to me – is this a sweet dream —
Yoon MinHwan exclaimed when he heard the loud singing from his headset .
‘This, she’s quite the item . Where did she pop out from?’
Seeing Kim JiMin immersed in her music, Yoon MinHwan kept nodding .
***
The time Park SoYoung promised to come was 6 .
This was the time when Lee HyunAh was in her best condition since she would have to perform on weekends . Since they were recording, they scheduled it so that it would happen in the evening .
When she went down to the studio, KangYoon and Lee HyunAh were talking about the song .
“Hm? SoYoung, you’re here . ”
“h.e.l.lo . ”
Lee HyunAh and KangYoon gave her a warm welcome . When Park SoYoung sat down, KangYoon continued to talk .
“Why don’t we change the beginning intro to piano? I think the guitar is good, but a piano will be better . ”
“Really? But our band doesn’t have a synthesizer . Should I look for one…”
When Lee HyunAh made an awkward expression, KangYoon shook his head .
“Well, the recording is what’s important right now, so I’ll do the piano sounds . Let’s do it now . ”
KangYoon stood up and headed to where the recording machine was . There was a synthesizer there as well . He inputted the melody and soon he was done with his work in an instant .
“Shall we have a go then?”
Although they wouldn’t be recording now, he wanted to check how well it went with the rest of the song .
Hearing KangYoon’s words, Lee HyunAh cleared her throat before singing .
“I have something to say –”
The piano sounds also appeared along with Lee HyunAh’s heavy voice .
‘The feel is quite nice . ’
The white note and the green note made a white light . Although the verse was short, the appealing voice made the song sound very pleasant .
“Good . Let’s keep going with this feeling and add the rest . ”
“Yes . ”
KangYoon and the ladies rested a little while the remaining members of White Moonlight started coming in one by one .
They checked on their instruments briefly and immediately started recording .
Since they had practiced plenty of times already, the recording didn’t take that long . Moreover, Park SoYoung explained her intentions behind each part and advised how they should do it so a more precise recording was possible . The efficiency was going up .
KangYoon also felt good while seeing the strong white light that the various music notes were creating . The work was going well . Having been empowered by the others, Lee HyunAh also sang quite well .
“…Unni, why don’t you tone it down slightly in the chorus? It’s more of a restrained sadness-feeling . ”
“Restrained sadness? Not bawling my eyes out?”
“Yes . Like this . ”
Park SoYoung was very pa.s.sionate . She even pretended to cry and helped White Moonlight out in various ways . Lee HyunAh burst out laughing .
“Hahahahaha!”
“Hey! Don’t laugh!”
“Sorry . Anyway, restrain the sadness? Holding it in?”
“Yes . Holding it in is the highlight . Holding it in but it’s still leaking out . ”
Having listened to Park SoYoung’s words, Lee HyunAh started the recording again . When KangYoon saw Park SoYoung take control, he focused on mixing the song .
‘SoYoung definitely works well with HyunAh . ’
While mixing, KangYoon had a glance at Lee HyunAh and Park SoYoung . He hoped that these two would make it big this time .
***
SBB station, ‘His Hospital’ production office .
Producer Kim DeokJoong who had come to work early today had a look at the brand new necktie that was on his desk and threw it into the trash can immediately .
“d.a.m.n those production companies . This won’t work . They’re acting like their anti-fans . The OSTs should be decided according to the overall feeling of the drama . What are they going to do if it goes badly just because they decided to sneak in some random rookie?
He sighed several times .
Right now, the 3rd episode was already on air . Soon, the romance between the male lead and the female lead would begin . He had to find an OST that fit the bill soon, but he didn’t find any to his liking . That didn’t mean that he would use any random song .
In the end, he didn’t have a solution to this .
Then, he found the other papers that were on the meeting room table . He rummaged through them just in case he found any that were for him and when he did he suddenly became excited .
‘What’s this? Eh? A CD? White Moonlight?’
However, his expectation soon turned into disappointment . This was because of the stress of having looked at CDs the whole day yesterday . He didn’t expect much but he didn’t want to be rude so he decided to listen to it .
‘Nice voice, but the beginning part is too strong . ’
It might have been good if it was a more emotional scene, but as this drama aimed for more of a calm romance, this didn’t seem that suitable .
However, his opinion changed after the first 20 seconds .
The song went over to the chorus and brought out that ballad feeling . Moreover, the mood was getting heightened, and the appeal was adding to the immersion .
It was as though the song was shouting at the man . Although he would usually quit midway through the first verse, this song felt different from the others . He listened to it once and listened to it several times more and thought about it .
“s...o...b..e-nim?”
Only after a long while and a junior of his approached him did the repet.i.tion end .
“…Phew . What is it?”
“The chief producer is looking for you . You wouldn’t pick up your phone… . ”
“Haa . Okay, you can go . ”
Producer Kim DeokJoong bit his lips . It was likely that the chief producer would nag him to decide on an OST already . However, it was fine now .
‘This is just the right one . It’s the best!’
It wasn’t just because he was running out of time . The appeal of the lady’s voice in this song enraptured him in one go . He didn’t need to think about it anymore . The most important task was finished .
He headed to the chief producer’s room in lighter footsteps than usual .
***