Siblings Work in Business (159)
Even if you know the foolish me, who stumbled and broke
I arrived here, at the end of my failures
Hwa-rang’s voice echoed through the room from the speakers.
“Yeah, you arrived there at the end of your failures. A place crawling with losers.”
“Stupid bitch. She should just sing the song she was given.”
“She ruined her debut, and at least that other guy had connections, but what was she thinking going there…?”
A man with prominent cheekbones and bony, thin hands.
I’m no longer the one cornered at the edge of the cliff
The shadows have lifted, light
This is my place, the one I made
There’s no such thing as failure
“Tsk, the lyrics are shit, and the track is empty, just bass and drums.”
The man clicked his tongue and sighed.
“What do those Soundmate bastards even see in this…?”
Despite his harsh criticism, Hwa-rang’s bright voice continued singing from the speakers.
On faded paper
The tip of my pen writes
Now, I’ve changed
Your new gift—
Click
The man pressed the power button on the remote, and Hwa-rang’s voice disappeared along with the music.
“Hwa-rang or whatever, just do as you’re told.”
The man’s grumbling voice filled the room, which had been filled with cheerful singing just moments ago. He picked up his phone and dialed a number.
“Hello. Is this Hwa-rang’s phone?”
“Haha. Ah, sorry for the late introduction. This is Payoff, the composer you worked with before. How have you been, Hwa-rang?”
His tone was sickeningly sweet, a stark contrast to his earlier curses.
The remake of “RED CARD,” a hit song from before the regression, was a success.
Eun-ji, who had said it would be fine since it was already a hit, looked relieved as she celebrated Hwa-rang’s successful second debut.
Eun-ho, however, felt a mix of emotions, seeing Hwa-rang’s song, not E-UNG’s, chart in the top 10. But he sincerely congratulated her.
Hwa-rang, grateful for Eun-ji’s song and Eun-ho’s lyrics, was utterly devoted to them.
‘Devoted.’ It was the perfect word to describe her.
She treated them like royalty, like gods. Now, she was the one who always brought them food, even more attentive than CEO Park.
Hwa-rang arrived at the old NRY Entertainment building, an ordinary, renovated house without a gate.
Knock, knock.
She knocked on the textured glass door, and Eun-ho’s voice called out from inside, “Just a moment!”
Eun-ho, opening the door, looked down at Hwa-rang with a surprised expression.
“Hwa-rang-ssi? I thought you had a broadcast today…”
“Yes! I came straight from the broadcasting station to bring you dinner, Senior!”
Hwa-rang held a large, cloth-wrapped bundle, as if it contained a holiday gift set.
“What’s…”
“It’s dinner.”
Hwa-rang smiled, lifting the bundle.
“Shall we eat together?”
“Yes. The senior said it’s more convenient this way, so I packed extra.”
Eun-ho, as if used to this, sighed and stepped aside.
“Come in.”
“Thank you, Senior!”
Even though Hwa-rang had entered the studio, Eun-ji, still focused on her work for their upcoming album release, seemed oblivious to her arrival.
Hwa-rang, seemingly accustomed to this, quietly sat down, unwrapped the bundle, and set out the food. It was a meat lover’s dream, five out of six side dishes being meat, the last one japchae (glass noodles with vegetables and meat).
“Oh.”
Eun-ho, impressed by the spread, took a seat.
Drawn by the aroma, Eun-ji finally turned away from her monitor and looked around.
“What? Unnie, when did you get here?!”
“Just now, Senior.”
Hwa-rang smiled, and Eun-ji smiled back, pulling a chair over to the table.
They chatted and ate peacefully.
Until Hwa-rang’s phone rang.
“Ah, a call…”
Hwa-rang hesitated, unsure if she should answer, when Eun-ho said,
“It’s okay, go ahead.”
“Then excuse me for a moment. Hello?”
As Hwa-rang answered the call, Eun-ho and Eun-ji continued eating.
—Ah, hello. Is this Hwa-rang’s phone?
Hwa-rang held the phone away from her ear and checked the number. It seemed unfamiliar. She put the phone back to her ear.
Eun-ho and Eun-ji, sensing it wasn’t a good call, stopped eating and looked at her.
“Who is this?”
—Haha. Ah, sorry for the late introduction. It’s Payoff, the composer you worked with before. How have you been, Hwa-rang?
Although not too far, they couldn’t hear the details of the conversation. Hwa-rang’s expression darkened, and her brows furrowed.
“I apologize, but please contact NRY Entertainment for such matters, not me personally…” Her sentence was cut off.
“I’ll answer your question since you asked.”
—…
“You said that the songs you create are like your children, and you’re very attached to them. I understand. And I also agree with your point about commercial viability.”
Hwa-rang’s face was firm.
“However, as you know from working with me before, your working style isn’t… compatible with my current direction, or the direction of NRY Entertainment.”
—…
“Thank you for the offer. But I can’t give you a definite answer.”
Hwa-rang repeatedly apologized and then hung up. Eun-ho was about to continue eating, pretending not to be curious, but…
“Who was that?”
Eun-ji, unable to contain her curiosity, asked.
“You—”
“Ah, why? I’m curious.”
“Forget it.”
Eun-ho sighed and facepalmed.
Hwa-rang, her previously tense expression relaxing, smiled.
She seemed to be used to this.
“It was Payoff, the composer who worked on B&C’s debut song.”
“…”
Pay… what?
A brief silence followed.
Eun-ho’s chopsticks froze mid-air. Eun-ji’s playful expression disappeared.
Hwa-rang, unaware of their past, continued, seemingly misinterpreting their silence.
“He’s… a strange one.”
She then started complaining about Payoff, even though she wasn’t usually the type to talk about others.
“He’s very attached to his songs, which I understand, but he focuses more on ‘my song’ than on making a ‘good song,’ if that makes sense.”
“Haha, you’re right. That’s the perfect description.”
While Eun-ho listened quietly, Eun-ji burst out laughing, as if she understood exactly what Hwa-rang meant.
“He called me a ‘nobody’ before, and now that I’m successful thanks to the seniors, he has the nerve to ask for a collaboration.”
‘Payoff, Payoff…’
Eun-ji repeated the name, which sounded familiar.
‘Ah, I remember.’
And then it hit her.
Payoff was a bad memory.
They had clashed over a song during their early debut days.
But that wasn’t the memory that surfaced.
It was from before.
Or rather, from after.
Her memories from before the regression were fragmented, blurry until she was reminded of them.
That person…
…working with that composer was definitely not a good memory, something she didn’t want to remember. So she hadn’t thought about Payoff specifically until now.
But the moment she heard his name from Hwa-rang…
…it all came flooding back.
Payoff had crushed her pride.
And because of that, she had become obsessed with creating a hit song, a song that would surpass his.
He was so proud of his popular songs, so she would create even more hits.
She would reach his level and crush him.
That was her mindset back then, before the regression, before regaining her memories.
And now…
If she had to describe Payoff now?
‘Rookie.’
That single word summed it up.
She had met and discussed music with him once before working with him on the “DUO” project.
Discussed, but not actually worked with him.
Payoff, after his lucky hit song, hadn’t created another noteworthy piece.
His songs were over-the-top, like 150%, sometimes even 180%. And the tighter the deadline, the worse they became, his tracks too crowded with sounds, leaving no room for the singer’s voice.
Eun-ji believed, then and now, that a good song was a balanced one.
If the accompaniment was 50%, the vocals should be 50%.
Or, if the accompaniment was weak, like 20%, then the vocals should carry the song, filling the remaining 80%.
「“It’s too much. Everything is. We need to get rid of the cacophony first.”」
Before the regression, she had met him, desperate for help.
She had told him exactly what she thought.
And Payoff replied,
「“That’s the point. You’re too young to understand.”」
「“And you’re too old?”」
「“What… what did you say?”」
「“I’m saying you chose the wrong ‘point,’ which I politely called ‘cacophony.’”」
Her personality hadn’t changed.