God of Music

Chapter 120. Autumn is the Season of Men (1)

“What are you looking at so intently?”

When KangYoon pocketed Lee JunYeol’s lyrics, steps could be heard behind him. When he turned around, he saw Lee HyunJi who had cleaned up the hall.

“Director.”

“Did something good happen with Sedy?”

“It’s nothing special.”

KangYoon showed Lee HyunJi the score and the USB. He also added that Lee JunYeol was looking for someone to feature in his music.

Lee HyunJi spoke after a bit of thought.

“Do you think Sedy had HyunAh or JiMin in mind when he asked you that?”

“No, not really. He did say to me that I’ll likely find someone who perfectly suits the song regardless of the company they belong to.”

“Well, I guess he knows you better than I do in terms of music. So, did you accept?”

KangYoon nodded. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have taken the score and the USB. Lee HyunJi thought a little more before speaking.

“It’s good that you’re smoothening your relationships with others, but it’s not good to keep offering them free service.”

“There’s you if I go overboard. Of course, the company is my priority. I’m not planning to undertake any tasks that go against the principles of the company nor am I going to do anything for free.”

Lee HyunJi was relieved to hear those words. She was also aware that KangYoon wasn’t someone that could be taken advantage of.

After cleaning Lunas up, the two returned to their office and finished up for the day.

***

After Kim JaeHoon finished selecting songs for his album, he, Lee HyunAh, and KangYoon were given songs to rearrange. Lee HyunAh was excited to rearrange a song for the very legend himself, while Kim JaeHoon was secretly worried because her style was different from his. Despite that, he still waited for the end of the arrangement since KangYoon recommended to do so.

A few days later.

KangYoon and Kim JaeHoon were talking about the album when the door to the studio creaked open.

“Excuse me.”

Lee HyunAh entered. She bowed towards KangYoon and Kim JaeHoon before giving out a USB and a score.

KangYoon asked while taking a look at the score.

“Have you finished the rearrangement?”

“Yes.”

Perhaps because Kim JaeHoon was present, Lee HyunAh seemed much more awkward than usual. KangYoon had a look at the score before handing it over to Kim JaeHoon. Kim JaeHoon had a look before widening his eyes in surprise.

“Wait, wait. I think the key changed.”

“Yes. It’s G Minor now.”

“That’s too high. Wasn’t the original F# Minor?”

This song started off with a series of high notes. Although this was only transposed half a key up, it was a tremendous amount of pressure.

“I didn’t get that emotional feel with F# Minor. I thought that you should be able to do it so I tried changing the key.”

“HyunAh, I think this is a little too difficult for me.”

Kim JaeHoon shook his head. After his previous company overworked him and his voice cracked, he was refraining from singing songs with high notes. He thought that this piece was impossible for him to sing.

Lee HyunAh got dejected. She did her best and she was refused before the musician even listened to it.

KangYoon, who was listening to the two quietly, mediated.

“Wait, JaeHoon. Is it really that difficult?”

“I might be able to do a recording, but singing it live on stage? That’s idiocy. My voice won’t hold out.”

KangYoon didn’t have anything to say to that. However, he also thought that it was a bit of a pity to give up when they didn’t even listen to it.

“Really? Okay. But since she did it, why don’t we try listening to it?”

“Okay.”

“You can sit down too, HyunAh.”

KangYoon gave HyunAh his seat and he headed towards the computer. Lee HyunAh waved her hands saying that it was okay, and KangYoon sat her down anyway.

‘Why are you acting kind at a time like this?’

Lee HyunAh pouted. KangYoon’s consideration for her mended her broken heart a little.

KangYoon plugged the USB drive on the computer and played back the music. When he did, the relaxing piano sounds and the acoustic guitar sounds played the intro. After a while, the bass and the drums entered and the song began.

Various musical notes danced in front of KangYoon’s eyes and created white light.

‘It’s strong.’

KangYoon was wholeheartedly surprised. This was without Kim JaeHoon’s voice in the mix. The light was a very strong white despite that.

‘Was she always so good at rearrangements?’

KangYoon saw Lee HyunAh in a new light.

However, unlike him, Kim JaeHoon was tilting his head. He shook his head as though he didn’t like the rock-like style.

The song ended and KangYoon asked.

“How is it?”

“… I need to think about it.”

Even so, Kim JaeHoon did not say that the song was bad outright. However, Lee HyunAh could read the mood.

“Is it… not that good?”

“Rather than ‘not good’, it’s ….”

Kim JaeHoon was unable to speak. Although he had clear-cut preferences for his music, he was someone that couldn’t say no.

KangYoon stepped in at that time.

“Oh, I forgot, HyunAh. The director was looking for you.”

“Huh? The director? Why?”

“I should have told you earlier, and I forgot about it. Sorry, but can you go right now. She has been looking for you for 20 minutes now.”

The timing for the ‘call’ was absolutely ridiculous. Lee HyunAh found KangYoon’s words to be strange. However, she still obediently left the studio. She felt that KangYoon had something to talk about with Kim JaeHoon.

Lee HyunAh left and KangYoon asked Kim JaeHoon.

“Do you not like her song?”

“…I’ll be honest. It’s not my style.”

Kim JaeHoon shook his head. The song HyunAh brought him this time, a rock ballad, did not make him get that ‘feel’, as it was different from the songs he has sung until now. The high-pitched notes were one problem, but the crux of the matter was that he didn’t get that ‘feel’.

However, KangYoon thought differently.

“Why don’t we try anyway?”

“This song? Did you think it was okay, hyung?”

“I was fine with it. The melody also goes well with the lyrics you wrote. If you can do the high parts, then it would be better… but your vocal cords are the priority here so let’s skip that.”

Kim JaeHoon thought about it for a moment when he saw that KangYoon’s opinion was different to his. He was very well aware of KangYoon’s eyes for music. He was never wrong even once until now. If it was someone else, he would not have conceded his opinion, but coming from KangYoon, it was hard to do the same.

“…It doesn’t appeal to me at all, but if you say so, I’ll try.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“But instead, you have to do the production.”

“Fine. Also, for the high parts, let’s just record it. If there comes an opportunity to sing it on stage, we’ll just transpose it down.”

KangYoon accepted Kim JaeHoon’s condition.

Kim JaeHoon returned home saying that he’ll polish up on the lyrics, and KangYoon headed towards the office where he sent Lee HyunAh off to.

“HyunAh? She went to get some air.”

Lee HyunJi shook her head when she heard that KangYoon was looking for Lee HyunAh.

‘She must be dejected.’

KangYoon first headed to the practice room, just in case she returned.

When he did, the other members of White Moonlight were getting ready to practice. When KangYoon asked if they saw Lee HyunAh, he got the reply that the last time they saw her, she was heading to the studio.

If she went to get some air, then it was the rooftop. KangYoon headed there himself.

When KangYoon opened the door to the rooftop, Lee HyunAh’s hair was drifting away in the wind.

“HyunAh.”

“Oh, oppa.”

KangYoon quietly stood next to her. When he did, Lee HyunAh asked in a calm tone.

“Do you think I made a mistake?”

“……”

“I did my best since it was for JaeHoon-oppa… Phew…”

Her expression was dark due to the disappointment.

Lee HyunAh talked about dark things for a while. It was a repetition of the same thing over and over again. I did my best and what’s so wrong about it, who is Kim JaeHoon to badmouth me, and stuff like that.

KangYoon would have said something were they in ordinary circumstances, but this time, he quietly listened to her rant.

After she relieved herself of her disappointment in Kim JaeHoon, her expression lightened up a little.

“… Sorry. I wasn’t going to tell you about this.”

“No, things like that can happen.”

“……”

When she was relieved of all the stress, she felt sorry for KangYoon. She was upset at Kim JaeHoon but took it out on him after all. Her face blushed in embarrassment.

KangYoon realized that and switched topics.

“It’s a genre he’s not used to singing and he’s practically trying a completely new type of music now. So don’t you think it’s absurd to say that he would be completely fine about it? Do you think you can stay absolutely calm if he gave you a song in his style?”

“That… won’t be easy.”

“JaeHoon is in the same process right now. He also told me that he’ll try it.”

“Really?”

Lee HyunAh raised her blushed face to meet KangYoon’s.

“Yes, your song, HyunAh. It feels really good. I think we can expect good things from it.”

“Really?”

KangYoon wasn’t the type to say empty words in consolation. Lee HyunAh cheered up again as though all of this never happened.

“You mean it?”

“Of course. There will be good results. Look forward to it.”

Lee HyunAh clenched her fist as though KangYoon’s words became her power.

***

(T/N: [ ] speech is Chinese speech)

The Silk Road.

It was a set of trade routes that spanned across the desert that connected the east and the west. In the west, it started from Italy, and in the east, it connected to Lanzhou in China. These routes were mostly used by traders who bought and sold silk.

On such a historic site, Min JinSeo was there.

[Ready, action!]

On a road where violent sandy winds blew, Min JinSeo flew to the skies with wires wearing clothes made of white silk. Numerous actors followed suit. Her opponent actress performed with her in clashing the sword, and on the ground, massive fans blew winds on them to make their clothes flutter.

[Good, you can stop.]

After the scene was over, Min JinSeo received a bottle of water from her manager and drank it nonstop. The wire harness action scenes and the heat of the desert were slowly tiring her out. However, she forged on without a single complaint.

Like that, the heavy-duty filming continued until the sun started setting beyond the horizon.

[Thank you for your work!]

Hundreds of staff shouting that line at once rang across the empty desert.

Min JinSeo was able to finally relax after greeting all the staff. She powerlessly approached a bonfire before sitting down. This was a place made for the actors.

“When is the car coming?”

“In an hour. The car broke down mid-way.”

Her manager, Kim JooHwan, sighed. His job was to give Min JinSeo more rest at their hotel, but he wasn’t able to. This made him frustrated.

However, Min JinSeo said it was okay and offered him to sit.

“Please sit here.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“You must be tired too after all that. You should rest a little.”

Only then did manager Kim JooHwan sit down next to her. The other staff and actors had already gathered around in companies to talk about things. As this was the middle of a desert, it was hard for vehicles to stay, and once in, it was hard to get out. They couldn’t even get a phone signal here.

“The filming is dragging out. I didn’t know that filming a single movie could get so tedious.”

“Me neither. But it’s not like we can not do it due to that huge budget and all that…. Looks like this director is very ambitious.”

“I had a look at a couple of scenes and he does seem to do a good job.”

When manager Kim JooHwan asked back if that was the case, Min JinSeo praised the director nonstop. The videography of this director was exceptional. She looked forward to how it would turn out once the special effects were added in. Although the obvious disadvantage was that it required more recording time and money, from an actor’s point of view, it was obvious that she liked it to have better quality.

Min JinSeo then proceeded to stare at the bonfire when manager Kim JooHwan carefully took out a topic.

“Uhm, JinSeo. The directors are waiting at the…”

“I’m not going.”

(T/N: Not the film director, but the directors from MG.)

She replied as soon as she heard the word ‘director’. Manager Kim JooHwan felt embarrassed for some reason.

“JinSeo, I know you don’t like the directors but….”

“If you know I hate them, then please don’t talk about it.”

“…….”

With that, Min JinSeo no longer spoke. She was firm about this. However, as though this was usual, manager Kim JooHwan spoke again.

“This is the third time, no, the fourth time already if you don’t go to this one. At this rate, something bad will happen at the company. They are the ones that run the company and if you keep acting childish like this….”

“Oppa.”

Min JinSeo gazed at him with the coldest expression he had seen until now. He flinched a little.

“I’ll say this again. If I say no, it’s a no.”

“JinSeo.”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

She no longer spoke afterward. Due to her nature, manager Kim JooHwan could no longer say anything to her. She had a hegemonic aura unseen from her peers.

When the manager looked like he understood what she meant, she gave him her credit card. It was a luxurious-looking card colored in gold.

“I’m sleeping somewhere else tonight so please take care of it.”

Manager Kim JooHwan took the card in confusion. She implied for him to book her another hotel room. She meant that she would never go to her original lodging to meet with the directors, and he had to agree to her words.

After saying that, Min JinSeo buried her head in her knees. She was not going to speak again.

Seeing that, manager Kim JooHwan sighed.

‘Ah, this is driving me crazy.’

He couldn’t do anything. No one from MG Entertainment could tell Min JinSeo to do something. She had now conquered mainland China after Korea. Her fame was rising without limits.

What could they do to the golden egg-laying goose? Did they dare to? Despite all this, Min JinSeo hated the directors to the extreme, so from the company’s perspective, she was a big pain. They were thankful that they were still contracted to her. She was still very responsible and did her part of the contract, so the company was very glad to see that.

However, there were endless rumors about her breaking up the contract and flying away towards her beloved ‘sir’ at ‘that’ company. The relationship between the two was just that bad. To treat it as a simple rumor, her cards were just too strong.

‘Sheesh, it’s all because of team leader Lee KangYoon….’

Manager Kim JooHwan resented the innocent KangYoon before standing up. What was so great about that Lee KangYoon? Everyone had headaches now. He was getting light-headed just thinking about the nagging he would get when he met up with the directors, without Min JinSeo next to him.

‘I’ll just smoke.’

Manager Kim JooHwan sat in a corner lighting his cigarette. He looked pitiful. He wished that his worries would fly away with the smoke, but his head became messier.