Ā Chapter 7
I played the saved WAV file. The song flowed out through the cheap speakers of my mid-range smartphone. The arrangement wasn’t finished yet, so it wasn’t flashy or rich, but the face of Division Head Seon Woo-cheol as he listened gradually filled with astonishment. What that meant was clear.
“Good heavens, where did a song like this come from?”
“Division Head, what do you think of it?”
“What is there to say? Han Su-ho-ssi, this song… who is the composer?”
“It’s an acquaintance of mine.”
“So who is that person?”
“JH. He’s a rookie.”
Pressed for an answer, I found myself saying JH. JH stood for Jae-hu, and whether he noticed that or not, Hwang Jae-hu made an uncharacteristic nasal sound of delight.
– Friend, thanks for saying JH composed it.
‘You made the song, so of course I should say that. From now on, all the songs you compose, I’ll say JH did them.’
– Are you trying to keep yourself hidden?
‘Yes.’
– Why?
‘The composer is you, isn’t it?’
– Is it because of enlightenment? My enlightenment mission has nothing to do with my name being known in the world.
‘Huh? Is that so?’
– So say you made it even now. If your identity is going to be exposed someday anyway, you might as well make one more ally.
‘No, even so, I want to make your name known to the world. Having been to the afterlife, I know that if you steal someone else’s credit, you end up paying back several times over.’
– Hey, why are you being so unexpectedly sentimental?
‘If I say I use the stage name JH because I respect Hwang Jae-hu, more people will think of you.’
My small talk with Hwang Jae-hu was interrupted by Division Head Seon Woo-cheol’s question.
“Han Su-ho-ssi, did you say a rookie composer?”
“Yes. The song you just heard, ‘Black Excitement,’ is his debut song.”
“Han Su-ho-ssi, contact that acquaintance right now. Tell him we’ll treat him as an established composer and get a contract signed immediately. Hurry, before another company snatches the song away.”
“Is the song really that good?”
“Don’t you feel a strong and definite impact? That’s why you were pushing for it so strongly too, wasn’t it?”
“Th-that’s right, but…”
“If you don’t want to kick yourself later, contact the composer right away.”
“Don’t worry about that. More importantly, will you support Lovely?”
“Bringing a song like this, of course I have to support them. Let me stake my fortune on Lovely’s success too. I’ll spare no effort in support and investment, as far as my capabilities allow.”
“Thank you, Division Head.”
“The composer’s name was JH, right? Instead of this, tell him to meet today. We need to sign the contract right away.”
“Are you going to get personally involved, Division Head?”
“We need to finalize the contract before another company snatches it away.”
“Division Head, actually, I am JH. I like the late genius composer Hwang Jae-hu so much that JH stands for Jae-hu.”
“…What did you say?”
“I composed ‘Black Excitement.'”
“You’re not joking, are you?”
“Would I make such a joke to you, Division Head?”
“Were you a composition major?”
“I majored in a foreign language.”
“Then how did you compose this?”
“I just like music and did it as a hobby…”
“Amazing. A non-major producing a song of this caliber as a hobby… I suppose that’s what they mean by a difference in talent.”
“I was just lucky. You flatter me.”
“Do you have any other songs? With this level of skill and sense, I’m sure other songs would be amazing too.”
“I’ve only just started composing, so I don’t have any others yet…”
“Good heavens! Was ‘Black Excitement’ your debut piece? Unbelievable, how many great songs will be born in the future…”
“No, I, that is…”
“Han Su-ho-ssi, when you make another song, you absolutely must let me hear it. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“I’ll look forward to it. Oh! Will you transfer the song file to me? I’ll negotiate with the CEO regarding Lovely’s support.”
“I’ll send it to you via KakaoTalk.”
“Let’s draw up the contract now.”
True to his word about treating him as an established composer, Division Head Seon Woo-cheol listed the song fee as 6 million won. He also subdivided the incentives into chart rankingsāTop 20, Top 10, Top 3, and No. 1āsetting them at generous levels.
“Han Su-ho-ssi, you must keep your promise about the new song earlier.”
“Ah! Yes, I will.”
Even after signing the contract, I left the division head’s office. When I came down to the office, Manager Lee Woo-seong was out on an external errand. I called him and relayed everything. When I said we’d received a song called “Black Excitement” from a rookie composer named JH, and that Division Head Seon Woo-cheol, after hearing the song himself, had promised full support, Manager Lee Woo-seong cheered like a child.
After the call with Lee Woo-seong, I headed to Yongsan to pick up Kim San-ha of the male duo J&K, who was currently appearing as a fixed panelist on a variety show. The JBS variety shoot that day, which started at 1:10 PM, ended at 7 AM the next morning. During the over-17-hour overnight shoot, while performing my duties as a manager, I fiddled with the Cubase program in my spare time.
When I composed “Black Excitement,” I had strictly done as I was told, but this time, I took the lead from start to finish. Of course, Hwang Jae-hu kept shooting me down during the composition process, but the fact that I could even display talent related to composition showed how powerful the possession effect was.
‘How is it? A song of this levelācould it be officially released?’
– If you’re that confident, give it to Lovely.
‘Why, is it no good?’
– Of course not. Do you think composing is a joke? For a beginner, you did well, but it’s absolutely not a song that can succeed commercially.
‘I thought it was pretty decent. What’s the problem?’
– Everythingāthe melody, topline, and trackāis corny. Looking at the details, the intro and chorus are too bland.
‘How do I get better at that?’
– You need to listen a lot and make a lot.
‘You said my sense for crafting songs is excellent, didn’t you?’
– That’s true. That kind of sense is an innate talent that effort can’t overcome, and in that regard, you’re superior to me. That’s why, even as a beginner, you produced a song of that level. But…
‘To become a professional composer, I need to put in tremendous effort?’
– Right. The saying that sweat doesn’t betray you applies to the arts just the same.
‘Is that sense perhaps because of the possession?’
– No. It’s not flatteryāyour innate sense is far superior. As a professional, I can tell for sure. Your body’s potential is greater than mine.
‘Composing is actually kind of fun. I think I’ll do it often from now on.’
After the shoot ended, while driving the exhausted, yawning Kim San-ha back to Yongsan, a problem occurred with Hwang Jae-hu.
– Friend, I guess this is as far as I go.
‘What do you mean?’
– I have to go back now.
‘You’re going back to KS Studio? How?’
– When the possession is released, I’ll automatically go back… Oh! Here I go. You still need to do the arrangement and guide recording, so again…
*Fwooshā*
I felt something pull out of my body, and the connection was severed in an instant. Approximately 35 to 36 hours had passed since the possession. I thought the uncomfortable sensation would disappear when Hwang Jae-hu left, giving me a sense of liberation, but instead, a greater sense of emotional emptiness washed over me. After dropping off the now-asleep Kim San-ha at his house, I contacted Lee Woo-seong to report.
“Manager, I just dropped San-ha hyung off at his house after the variety shoot ended.”
“No issues during the shoot, right?”
“No. The atmosphere was good throughout the shoot.”
“How was San-ha hyung’s screen time?”
“The on-site reactions were good, so I think it’ll air well.”
“Good. You worked hard all night. Don’t come straight to the officeāget a few hours of sleep at a nearby sauna and come in.”
“Understood.”
My body was tired, but I headed to KS Studio. I needed to do the arrangement and guide recording, and I was also curious about Hwang Jae-hu’s condition. After parking the car in a nearby public lot, I hurried toward KS Studio. From the rooftop of the building, Hwang Jae-hu was looking around, and our eyes met. He seemed to be waiting for someone, and the moment he spotted me, he came running over breathlessly.
‘The possession was forcibly broken. Are you okay? Any aftereffects?’
– I was worried about that too, but there was no problem.
‘That’s a relief. What was the reason for the forced release?’
– Seems like there’s a time limit.
‘You don’t know for sure either?’
– This was my first time possessing someone, so I don’t know much either.
‘Isn’t there a cooldown time before you can possess again?’
– We’ll find out if we try. If possession doesn’t work, we’ll have to postpone the arrangement and guide recording.
‘Lovely’s schedule is urgent… Let’s try right away.’
At my urging, we entered the second possession. I was worried about the cooldown, but fortunately, possession succeeded, and I felt discomfort throughout my body. However, perhaps because of the experience, it was much less than before. After the successful possession, I went to the office, paid the advance, and followed a studio staff member to Recording Room No. 3. The control room inside was filled with various equipment, making my head spin.
– Don’t just stand thereābreathe with me as I feel and think. We’re one body anyway, and with your senses, you’ll learn easily and naturally absorb the arrangement skills as well.
‘If possible, teach me as you go.’
– Alright. First, let me explain the equipment.
The Cubase program installed on the laptop was complex enough, but the studio equipment was on a whole other level. Watching Hwang Jae-hu casually handle the intimidatingly complex equipment and keyboards, he seemed truly amazing. In the process, the skills for using synthesizers and MIDI controllers naturally embedded themselves in my head one by one. After a while, when I got used to the equipment, the arrangement began in earnest.
Strangely, even though I hadn’t done anything major, the song’s atmosphere gradually changed. Each time I touched the MIDI, the rhythm and harmony became richer. When I operated the synthesizer, the unnatural and clumsy instrument sounds transformed into something sweet. And the most dramatic change was that the slightly dull atmosphere of the song came alive, making me gasp involuntarily.
– How is it? Much better to listen to, right?
‘It’s the same song, but how is that possible? Even to my ears, it sounds amazing.’
– That’s the charm of arrangement.
‘Amazing. This level is practically a rebirth. Oh! Wait, now the wistfulness is much deeper and leaves a strong lingering impression…’
– You detected that right away. You definitely have a good sense.
‘How did you do it?’
– The repetitive feeling was getting tedious, so I slightly modified the beat in the latter half.
‘It seems like you made the tempo slightly faster, increased the pitch variation, and emphasized the lower notes?’
– Right. It’s hard to accurately distinguish bass differences with personal headphones, but in the studio, you can notice even the finest details.
‘I used to take arrangement lightly, but after experiencing it today, that’s definitely not the case.’
– Of course. That’s why 20% of the royalties are allocated to the arranger. Come to think of it, since you did the lyrics, composition, and arrangement all yourself, aren’t you going to take 100% of the royalties?
‘I’m not that shameless. I won’t take it all myselfāI’ll take care of your family too.’
– I don’t have a family. Who would you take care of?
‘…You must have siblings or relatives, right?’
– I was an only child, no siblings. My mother was also an only daughter who lived with her widowed mother. My father was a bastard son, so his ties to his family were severed early.
‘Oh, you’ve got quite a story too.’
– Everyone does. Anyway, let’s do the guide recording now.
‘Where’s the guide vocalist?’
– Why would we need one?
‘Surely you don’t expect me to sing?’
– Then who?
‘I’m… tone-deaf.’
