Chapter 5 : Super Ride

Chapter 5: Super Ride

I went to my first ever “meeting” today.

Standing in front of my wardrobe, I hesitated for a long time.

Good grief… I don’t have appropriate clothes to wear.

All I have are monochrome T‑shirts and hoodies from a fast‑fashion brand.

“Should I just throw something on and go?”

I thought about it briefly, then shook my head.

Though my only experience in the working world was a year as a club DJ, I had picked up some information here and there.

I remembered manager‑hyung’s passing remarks.

– “When dressing, you need to think about T‑P‑O.”

– “What’s that?”

– “T for Time, P for Place, O for Occasion. Basically, match the vibes appropriately.”

Ah, if that’s the case…

ToMe Entertainment is a huge company.

And the person I’m meeting is Owner Kwak Youngho.

Not that I respected him… but I’m from the generation that grew up listening to his music.

This might turn into meeting an industry senior, actually.

Evening, the grand ToMe building, a meeting.

Ohho, this is it. People really do have to learn.

I reached out my hand confidently.

The suit I’d bought before enlisting, for a senior’s wedding. A plain navy suit with a sky‑blue shirt.

…It looks pretty good, actually?

I intended to show my determination through the outfit.

At that moment I was definitely thinking that…

The representative of ToMe Entertainment, Kwak Youngho, summoned staff urgently first thing in the morning.

A short while later, a man with empty‑coffee‑cup eyes shuffled into the CEO’s office.

It was Park Minseok, the A&R team leader.

“Pulled an all‑nighter?”

“Save me.”

“You got lots of demos, right?”

“Around seven‑hundred songs?”

“You’ve done well. Anything notable?”

“Just the usual? I’ve done first‑phase selection. I’ll report after final picking. Oof, I’m tired.”

Whenever we collect songs, hundreds pour in.

Amateur or professional—doesn’t matter.

They throw everything at us.

Team leader Park stared at Representative Kwak quietly.

He mustn’t have called someone in overnight for such trivial talk.

He looked like he’d faint from exhaustion. So he asked first.

“But, um… is there something important?”

“Yes. There is. It’s really important.”

“What is it?”

“A song came up that kept me up. Something big is coming soon.”

There was a nickname for Rep. Kwak at the company.

“Kwak‑rebal.”

He made a fuss over even unimportant things, getting excited and hyped up.

Sometimes he hit a winner, but his hit rate wasn’t high. Mostly pop‑ups.

It’d probably be the same today.

Still, you can’t show it.

Figured entertaining his hype is part of the paycheck, so Park asked half‑heartedly.

“Wow, that’s really exciting. My heart’s pounding! What’s going on?”

“This time it’s really different.”

“Yes?”

“Yujin messed up.”

“Excuse me?”

Park’s eyes grew wide.

“Did she bring another self‑composed song? I mean, I didn’t hire her to teach composition.”

“If so, you wouldn’t have even called her in. I cut it off myself.”

Rep. Kwak drew a finger across his throat.

Should I be grateful for that?

“Yujin, you see…”

“Yes?”

“My word.”

“Yes?”

“She wants to go with a sexy concept.”

“Yes?”

What kind of gobbledy‑gook was that?

Ah… I should’ve said I was busy, gone in, and just slept.

Bright, cheerful, energetic, pure, refreshing.

How much money went into building that image.

Sexy? Seeeexy?

I’d rather she drilled children’s songs wearing bunny ears.

“There was a trot lyric stuck in my head.”

(sexy is not for everybody~)

I was speechless and annoyed, so I just listened.

Only sighs came out.

I know this guy had a special fondness for Han Yujin. But this was…?

“Team leader Park. I thought about this a lot. But this time it’s for real.”

“You said ’for real’ last time too?”

“That time Yujin’s stubbornness was real.”

“And this time?”

“The song is real.”

“Whose song is it? If it’s by Busan Goblin I might accept.”

“She’s a rookie. Or rather, I’m not even sure she’s a rookie. If you asked whether she’s pro, it’s not. You know that raw energy rookies have. And yet she handles beats so skillfully.”

“Do you have a hunch?”

“Gorchwi!”

Rep. Kwak snapped his fingers decisively.

“So… it’s that good?”

Park, who knew Kwak Youngho better than anyone, perked up at mention of a rookie.

Rep. Kwak did not trust rookies at all.

Even if you made something by pulling in all your soul, it was hard to guarantee what comes next.

There were plenty of professionals already, so why gamble on a rookie? That was always his view.

A man known for picking only verified hits was recommending a rookie’s song? How could I not be curious?

“The beat doesn’t fall behind Busan Goblin’s. Seriously.”

“Oh come on, no way.”

“If Busan Goblin offered me a song, I’d refuse.”

“Boss, at least make your lies a bit believable. That sounded kinda personal.”

A hollow laugh slipped out.

It was on the level of “If I fought an alien, I’d crush them.” You need an alien to fight first.

In other words, it was something that would never happen.

Busan Goblin.

So popular, they say even a foot-written song from them gets you a Tokyo Dome pass.

They nailed trends precisely.

What are the odds they’d give a song to Han Yujin? Zero.

You should be bowing and groveling, not comparing them to a rookie. That’s way too far.

Ah, work life is seriously exhausting… I barely held back that comment.

“Let’s just listen already.”

“I’ll wake you up in ten seconds.”

“If you stall longer, I might fall asleep in one. Hurry.”

“Just wait.”

The track began.

The working title was “Super Ride.”

Forget ten seconds.

Just two measures into the intro—

“……Who did you say this was?”

Team leader Park’s eyes widened.

It was like he’d downed a stimulant—he was instantly awake.

What was that instrument? Chimes? Vibraphone?

No drums, yet it had weight? That worked?

His music nerd instincts flared—he wanted to meet the composer right away and ask questions.

Even the balance was perfect. This wasn’t something a beginner could do.

And even more…

“Pulling off this kind of feel without a guide vocal is not easy.”

There weren’t even lyrics. Just scat vocals to fill the space.

Dooba-dooba, shabada-ba.

Just meaningless sounds matched to the rhythm.

Seeing Park’s reaction, Rep. Kwak tried to hide his smile.

But his eyes were screaming, “Tell me your thoughts already!”

“That…”

After a short pause, Park said,

“It has flavor.”

“Right?”

“When’s she coming?”

The building was grand.

So much so that I wondered if I’d ever visit a place like this again.

Everyone walking around looked cool, successful… full of confidence.

“The CEO’s office is on the 20th floor. Here’s your visitor’s pass.”

I kept fiddling with the visitor pass as the elevator ascended.

Just wearing it around my neck made me puff up my shoulders.

Music played in the hallway.

Maybe because it was the floor with the CEO’s office?

An early idol song produced by Kwak Youngho himself played proudly through the speakers.

He must have really strong self-love, I thought, as I stood in the hallway center.

Whoa… from the hallway, you could see the Han River in full view.

I checked my reflection faintly mirrored in the glass.

Hair check OK, outfit check OK, shoes check OK, face check OK.

“Damn. The suit was a power move.”

If you don’t want to get looked down on, you gotta dress at least like this.

Satisfied, I stepped into the CEO’s office.

But then—

“Oh wow, welcome. But, uh, did you come from a funeral or something?”

Before I could even properly greet them, the atmosphere was… off.

Was it just me, or did it feel like they were holding back laughter?

What the heck. I put serious thought into today’s outfit.

Still, it wasn’t a hostile reaction.

After exchanging brief greetings, I looked between the two.

One was the CEO. One was the team leader.

Not a familiar setting.

I tried to recall the “what to do after receiving a business card” and “how to shake hands naturally” guides I’d read online and sat demurely, waiting to speak.

“Let’s shake hands first.”

The man introduced as team leader laughed heartily and reached out his hand.

Nice. Thankfully one of the things I studied came up. I shook his hand as naturally as I could.

The CEO chuckled and said,

“It really is your first time, huh.”

“…Huh?”

Damn. I was sure I saw something about this. Was I wrong?

Was my handshake that awkward? I was just thinking of my next move when—

“My word. A composer showed up in a suit.”

The team leader added to the CEO’s remark.

“See that? This is the ‘national rule.’”

“Ah…?”

Now that I looked around…

Despite being a meeting, they were dressed casually.

“Our CEO’s always stylish, so he dresses sharp like that.”

“He does look very cool.”

“People in music… even if the chairman came, they’d show up in hoodies.”

“Oh, really? But this is a really important meeting…”

“Battle uniform.”

“Sorry?”

“You’ve done your military service, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’s a kind of combat readiness. Like, we’re ready to pull all-nighters anytime.”

I quietly nodded.

There’s a difference between pros and amateurs, sure, but staying up all night working on a track is just daily life.

So that’s what he meant.

“Next time, just come dressed comfortably. That suit’s gotta be uncomfortable.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“Hmm… good. So can I take that to mean we’ll be seeing each other again? Team Leader Park.”

At the CEO’s signal, the team leader quickly brought over a laptop.

From the laptop, my song began to play.

The real song I made for Han Yujin—Super Ride.

It was my first time listening to my song together with someone else, showing my face like this.

I was worried too. I feared it might feel like being stripped naked.

‘Why… am I excited?’

This vibe—I liked it more than I expected.

My mouth was itching. I wanted to talk about the song right away.

Why I used this instrument, how I applied the effects, where to place the vocal chorus. And…

“Boss, can I speak first? You’re Taeyoon, right? Should I call you Writer Seo?”

“I’m not a writer. I’m a composer…”

“Ahaha!”

The two of them burst into laughter like they were going to clutch their stomachs.

Why do they laugh every time I say something…

“We call composers ‘writers.’”

“Oh.”

“I had my doubts, but you really are a rookie. Anyway, Writer Seo.”

“Yes?”

“How did you make it?”

“Ah, I use Pro Tools. My setup isn’t flashy or anything. Just average? Want me to show you?”

“…Pfft, not that.”

Team Leader Park clicked the mouse while trying not to laugh. …I wish he’d stop being funny.

The track restarted from the beginning.

“Before that, I heard you’re a friend of Yujin’s.”

“…Friend?”

“You’re not?”

“Um… we’re not friends.”

“Oh? That’s even more impressive then.”

“How did you come up with a song like this just by looking at Yujin? That’s what amazes me.”

I answered casually.

“I saw it.”

“Saw?”

“I could clearly see the kind of music Han Yujin wanted to do.”

“She’s only done cutesy stuff until now.”

“I don’t think that’s all she’s done.”

I spoke about the Han Yujin I had seen.

My impressions of her end-of-year stage, her appearances on variety shows, the songs she sang on viewable radio…

After watching those clips, my conclusion was:

“She struck me as someone who really wants to express herself.”

“You know Yujin’s personality?”

“Not really… but she seemed unexpectedly calm. A person who gives off a hint of sadness? That’s how she looked to me.”

“She does have that side. She’s probably stressed about her first solo album too. And she has a complicated personal background. Shouldn’t you be making a song about that instead?”

This guy knows one thing but not two.

I asked,

“Team Leader, don’t you have any worries or troubles?”

“Of course. I want to get married, buy a house, get promoted at work.”

“Those are common concerns everyone has. I meant something else… something you wouldn’t want to tell anyone…”

There was a brief silence.

Team Leader Park was deep in thought.

“Let’s say I do. But why?”

“If someone asked you to turn that worry into a song and broadcast it to the whole world… how would that feel?”

“I’d hate it, obviously.”

“I think it’s the same for Han Yujin.”

“But you said she wants to express herself?”

“Just because you want to express yourself doesn’t mean you have to forcibly expose deep inner thoughts or struggles.”

“Then what?”

“Desire.”

“Desire, huh…”

Team Leader Park seemed to be deep in thought again, then spoke suddenly.

“So that’s why you went with the sexy concept?”

“Eh? Sexy?”

“Huh? Isn’t it?”

The team leader and CEO exchanged puzzled glances.

Judging by their reaction, the CEO had assumed the same thing.

No wonder Team Leader Park’s expression had dropped subtly earlier.

They’re misunderstanding something.

I need to clarify this. The concept I chose wasn’t sexy.

“No. This isn’t sexy—it’s fatal.”