Chapter 27 : Turning the World Upside Down

Chapter 27: Turning the World Upside Down

There was such a thing as an occupational hazard.

It could turn an ordinary day into something special, or tiresome, without me even realizing it.

Of course, Taeyoon and Dongyun had theirs too.

As brothers deeply immersed in music.

If there was a problem, it was that it manifested in a rather unusual way.

For example, in Taeyoon’s case—

Hearing the clinking of dishes in a restaurant and thinking, “This sounds like about 125 BPM, doesn’t it?” with a random guess.

Hearing the beep from a subway turnstile and going, “This would fit perfectly in a deep house break,” then secretly recording it.

In the early morning, when the sound of the laundry dryer mixed with the hum of the air conditioner, thinking, “Should I try mixing bass and synth like this?” and immediately opening Pro Tools.

That was Taeyoon.

Every sound in the world sounded like music to him.

He never let a single small noise slip by without marking it as a potential sample.

“Huff, huff…”

Then what about Seo Dongyun’s occupational hazard, which was even more serious than Taeyoon’s?

That was—

“I can smell it, I can smell it… the scent of a Maron Chart top rank…!”

A thoroughly realistic instinct that linked every rhythm and beat to the Maron Chart rankings.

Seo Dongyun slipped quickly into the bathroom.

Hot water gushed from the showerhead.

Steam filled the entire bathroom.

If Mom had seen it, she would’ve smacked him on the back saying, “Why waste the gas bill like that?” and it wouldn’t have been strange at all.

Standing there under the hot water for a long while, like some tragic male lead from a morning drama, Dongyun thought—

‘Seo Taeyoon… he wasn’t just saying that for nothing.’

It didn’t matter if it was sleep talk or mumbling.

What mattered was the melody that had flowed from his younger brother’s lips.

A melody I had never once encountered in any demo so far—brilliant, yet thick with the smell of money.

‘The lyrics are good too. Was Taeyoon always this good at singing? This guy might really cause a stir…’

Five years in a major entertainment company weren’t for nothing.

In the industry that ran 24/7,

The A&R team required innate instinct and sharp reflexes as a given.

Even while going through hundreds of demos every day.

Even while communicating in real time with foreign composers.

Even while analyzing trends and researching references.

I had never felt this way before.

‘Is this a new song I don’t know about?’

I immediately shook my head.

No way. Absolutely not.

With lyrics and melody like that, there was no chance I hadn’t heard it before.

Given this flow, I could say without a shred of doubt—

This was a new song.

And not just any song—an extraordinary one.

If an in-house composer had brought in a track like this?

The whole company would be in an uproar.

‘Phew…’

Seo Dongyun steadied his breathing.

He had gotten too excited.

It was an automatic reflex when he heard a good song.

His breathing would quicken, and the melody would ring endlessly in his ears.

And that faint beat he’d heard—

It had crafted a narrative through sound design.

Unique and delicate, like a fingerprint.

No matter how I thought about it, there was only one conclusion.

Taeyoon—my little brother—

The one who always said music was just a hobby—

Might actually.

Truly.

Cause a major stir.

‘Should I just ask him right now…?’

It was the same during Han Yujin’s jacket album incident before.

I had tried to respect my brother’s privacy as much as possible.

Everyone has secrets they want to keep hidden.

Even family has no right to dig them up.

But this time was different.

My head and my heart were saying different things.

I wanted to ask him.

I wanted to talk to him.

Like back in the day when we’d stay up all night passionately debating over a new album.

‘Alright, I’ve decided!’

Clenching my fist, Seo Dongyun roughly shook off the water and stepped out into the living room.

And then I studied my younger brother Taeyoon’s expression.

I was determined to ask him.

What was that song he’d been humming all night?

Had he been making music without telling me?

If he ever had a hard time, he should tell me.

And—

Who was the lucky singer who’d be performing that song?

But Taeyoon, oblivious to his brother’s thoughts, calmly tossed me a teasing remark.

“What are you, Poseidon? Dry yourself off properly before you come out.”

“Oh? Uh…”

“Can’t you cut your hair? You look like a mountain bandit boss.”

“Yeah… guess I should.”

“I made toast, so eat up and get to work. I’m going to get some sleep. Why does time go so fast…”

With that,

Taeyoon fell asleep in just ten seconds, breathing softly.

I sat at the table, chewing on toast, while glancing at him.

Wearing a shabby Adidas tracksuit as he slept—

‘…Him? That? Was I really just imagining things?’

I kept wondering if this was really right.

In the end, I shook my head, chiding myself for even momentarily thinking “My ordinary little brother might actually be a music genius who could turn the world upside down?”

A brother is still a brother, and work is still work.

Even after hearing such an incredible track, I couldn’t bring myself to shake my brother awake.

A true K-office worker goes to work on time, no matter what.

Even though I greeted the office with, “Good morning,” in a daze—

“Oh, I saw it too.”

“That video’s shot really well. Which editing studio was it?”

“Is the sound really self-produced?”

“Yes. They say it’s in Ilsan. Want to go check it out?”

The employees at Tomorrow Entertainment were gathered in small groups, watching something with great interest.

It was a common sight in the A&R team.

A catchy beat was more important than a coworker!

You saw coworkers every day, but a viral video didn’t come out every day.

As I habitually headed toward the break room, I let my eyes drift to the screen.

It was too far to see clearly, but…

Judging by the atmosphere and lighting, it was definitely a club.

The star of the video must be a DJ.

The sound was solid, too.

Somehow familiar, yet I was hearing it for the first time.

A beat that pulled you in.

Wait a second.

The sound, the sound.

This was exactly…

‘Why do I keep thinking of the song I heard this morning?’

It wasn’t even déjà vu.

That track from dawn—presumably Taeyoon’s, though I still couldn’t be sure—kept coming to mind.

People who’ve delved deep into music know this:

Every composer has a certain flow.

Something you can’t quite put into words.

Like how reading a line can remind you of its author, hearing a beat can make you think of its arranger.

And my sharp A&R instincts were telling me, without a doubt—

The song I heard this morning and this beat… were the work of the same creator.

Which meant…

‘He’s completely insane.’

This song and that song—

They both came from Taeyoon’s hands.

I raked my fingers through my hair in frustration.

Not that it mattered to the others.

The employees kept adding their own comments.

“They say it’s a self-produced beat, but I don’t think so. Someone must have polished it up.”

“Of course. But wow, this video’s blowing up even though it was just uploaded.”

“Right now, the short-form algorithm is all about Ilsan Blackhole.”

“Blackhole’s a bit much…”

“Why? It fits perfectly. You just get sucked right in.”

“Should we try contacting them? Wow… with visuals like this, they should be cast immediately.”

“Exactly. Exactly.”

Just hearing the beat alone was enough to see why.

If you were in A&R, it was only natural to track down the person making waves.

Team Leader Park, noticing my conflicted expression as I hovered nearby, greeted me and asked—

“Assistant Manager Seo, you’ve seen it too?”

“Oh, I was just about to watch it. What is it, a DJ?”

“Yeah. I don’t know where this was put out from, but there’s definitely something here. I can feel it.”

I swallowed the words, You ‘feel it’ several times a day…, and instead asked,

“What do I search for?”

“Blackhole.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Or Ilsan Sierra.”

“Yes, thank you. But is it really that big of a deal? Why’s everyone going so crazy?”

It wasn’t like there was some sinister spell in it.

Yet everyone was staring at the video like they were being sucked in.

Was this that group hypnosis thing or something?

While I still had a question mark floating over my head, Tomorrow Entertainment’s team leader spoke to me.

“Assistant Manager Seo, don’t you remember? We went to give out a business card last year, you and Assistant Manager Lee with me. Man… Rackhole’s grown a lot. The beat’s on another level now.”

Pfft—

I nearly spat out my coffee.

Team Leader Bang Hyunwoo.

I knew he liked to exaggerate, but seriously? Rackhole? He was talking like it was some old close junior.

I searched my memory.

Right. Just like Team Leader Bang said, I did hear about how we went to hand a business card to a decent DJ last year and got completely rejected.

And after that? Forgotten right away, of course.

Getting rejected after a contact attempt wasn’t unusual.

“Even after we told them we were from Tomorrow Entertainment, they didn’t show any interest?”

“You think we’re the only ones? Anyone who’s anyone already knows. They just keep it quiet. But wow, Sierra putting out a high-quality video like this—what’s that supposed to mean?”

Team Leader Bang laced his fingers together like he found it entertaining.

I rubbed the back of my neck knowingly.

If I can’t have you, no one can!—that kind of petty mindset existed.

Better to keep it to themselves than let them get famous and have others flock over.

“Anyway, Assistant Manager Seo, check it out. It feels European yet oddly classical. No particular reference comes to mind. I’d call it original. Man, why don’t we have people like that coming in?”

That part surprised me.

Why? Because Team Leader Bang was stingy with praise.

Handsome ones, talented ones, good singers, unique ones… all kinds of “ones” gathered at an entertainment company.

You could say our threshold for surprise was high.

Most things wouldn’t make us bat an eye anymore.

Which made me even more curious.

I opened the YouTube app right away.

Blackhole?

Just how amazing could this be… I wondered, typing “Ilsan Sierra” into the search bar.

It wasn’t hard to find.

“Oh…”

This wasn’t some hastily made video.

From the composition to the color palette, the touch of a professional was obvious.

I’d never been to a club before—

But the heat of the club poured vividly through my smartphone screen.

The camera slowly rotated, capturing the thumping stage.

The moment when hundreds of voices shouting “Lunatic Beat” became one, all the lights went out.

Only the DJ booth glowed blue in the darkness.

— Hold the beat!

With the DJ’s shout, the beat started from their fingertips.

I swallowed hard, focusing on the video.

First from far away—

Then a little closer.

Huh?

In the DJ’s movements, I caught a familiar silhouette.

No way. No way…

Soon, the camera captured only the DJ.

Eyes showing above a black mask.

Long, pale fingers dancing over the turntable.

I knew.

That was definitely, one hundred percent—

The same guy who said making music as work wasn’t fun, who’d stubbornly chosen economics instead.

The same guy who’d been scratching his belly and sprawled on the sofa just this morning.

Taeyoon.

“This is insane…”

Even when another employee beside me let out an awed remark, I couldn’t turn my head.

Even with more than half his face hidden—

Even with a cap pulled so low only his eyes peeked out—

I knew.

Taeyoon… was smiling.

Team members gathered around.

“Right? I told you you’d be surprised.”

“Assistant Manager Seo, I didn’t know you could make that face.”

“Shh, quiet. This is where it really starts.”

My heart pounded to the beat.

Whatever anyone said beside me,

None of it reached my ears.

Only the beat created at Taeyoon’s fingertips slammed mercilessly into them.

Meanwhile, Team Leader Bang called the members together.

“…We’ll have to go again, right?”

I didn’t hear what came before that—

But I still knew.

He meant going back to Ilsan to try casting DJ Blackhole again.

“Hey, Assistant Manager Lee, don’t avoid my eyes. Manager Choi’s busy preparing for the monthly audition, so he can’t go. Hmm…”

Club business hours were late in the evening.

With tasks piling up, no one was eager for a business trip to Ilsan.

No one—except one person.

“Then I’ll go.”

…Not me.

“Assistant Manager Seo, then let’s leave together around seven. Alright, meeting adjourned.”

“No. I’ll go alone. The subway’s better during rush hour.”

“You will? Then fine.”

Team Leader Bang’s face noticeably brightened.

“Sure. I mean, we’ve already been rejected once. No need for you to come if we’re going without high expectations.”

I firmly steeled my tangled emotions.