Chapter 151: How to Handle an Otaku
Everyone has their own circumstances.
Even those who seem selfish and self-centered move with their own convictions.
Whether that's truly for the company, or for the artist—I couldn’t say.
I’d heard and seen a lot.
I’d seen employees willingly beco scapegoats instead of troubleso bosses, and team leaders who dipped into their own pockets for trainees.
After going through things like that, I began to think, ‘I guess that’s possible,’ even when I saw behavior I couldn’t imdiately understand.
Maybe it just ans I haven’t fully grown up yet.
I was curious about what kind of conviction this person worked with.
Anyway, this rotten curiosity was the problem……
Why use my hyung’s na?
Did he think I’d respond if he did that?
……If that was the reason, well, it worked.
[: Please let know when you're available for a call.]
I got angry when he ntioned hyung’s na out of nowhere.
So I impulsively sent a reply.
I’d never worked at a company.
A boss who’s on your back every day, a junior hiding a knife behind their kindness—
If I’d experienced things like that, would I have handled today’s call more smoothly?
……I’m not sure.
As soon as I sent the ssage, a call ca in.
— Hello! Thank you so much for getting back to right away. I’m at a loss for words. Let start by introducing myself. I’m Lim Gunwoo, Casting Director at Daebak Sound.
His voice was brimming with excitent.
The way he barreled ahead without giving a chance to speak felt odd from the get-go.
“Yes, hello. This is Stay.”
— Wow. Your voice sounds just like in the videos. I really enjoyed your cover video. Our CEO complinted it so much—now I see why. Seo Dongyoon-ssi is also, how should I put it… sharp, no, precise in personality.
Hmm. So he knows Dongyoon-hyung and I are related.
If that’s the case, there’s no need to beat around the bush.
“I’d prefer to talk about myself only. If you have business with Seo Dongyoon-ssi, I’ll let him know to contact you separately.”
— Haha. Of course, of course. My apologies if that made you uncomfortable.
I didn’t like that he’d used my hyung to get close to , but for now, I decided to play along and hear him out.
His tone had that shady salesman vibe, but since he’d at least apologized, I was curious what kind of offer required dragging hyung into it.
“Yes, it’s fine. Please go ahead with your proposal.”
— Actually, ever since , our CEO has beco completely enamored with your style, Writer Stay. He’s been emphatic that this project absolutely must be done with you.
“What kind of project is it?”
— It’s an ad campaign for Korea’s biggest beauty brand. You know ‘Amondyoung’, right?
Of course I do.
A health and beauty store doing well not only in Korea, but also in China, Japan, and Vietnam.
I’d even been there a few tis myself.
“Yes, of course. I’m familiar with it.”
At first, he sounded like a seasoned salesperson, but he gradually gave off more of a Publishing Company Director vibe.
— Whew. Then this will make things easier. Our CEO is putting a lot of effort into this. The target is won in their 20s and 30s, so sothing in the style of would be great, and if we’re targeting China, a tone like would work too. Writer Stay, your style fits perfectly.
Well, it did sound kind of fun.
— Anyway, our CEO is really, really keeping an eye on you, Writer Stay. He brings you up at every eting. He says this kind of sensibility is exactly what sells, that Stay has an eye for trends……
Blah blah blah.
He went on and on.
But the more I listened, the more sothing felt off.
That damn CEO.
He couldn’t go two sentences without bringing him up.
I wasn’t even reacting much, so why did he keep dragging the CEO into it?
“Thank you for your words. But you keep talking about the CEO.”
— Ah? Right. Hahaha. It’s just that our CEO is really passionate about this project. Ah, of course, I am too.
He clearly tried to laugh it off.
Not that I was especially offended.
Who wouldn’t feel good hearing praise about their song?
But I started to think Lim Gunwoo was a bit of a coward.
Soone who wants to cast out desires without taking responsibility.
Soone who tries to cover it all up with flowery words.
It was a scene I’d seen often in dramas.
Director Lim Gunwoo continued rambling about the CEO for a while.
It was like he was so kind of spokesperson.
I even wondered for a mont—does this person have a self?
And I wasn’t used to conversations like this.
No matter what I said, he’d probably just say, “I’ll confirm with the CEO.”
Words are tricky like that.
Things get twisted in the process of being relayed, and that twist creates misunderstanding.
— Our CEO always says this: Arrangent and composition are matters of skill, but lyrics are truly a matter of talent. In that sense, Writer Stay is……
Did this Park CEO really say that?
Suddenly, I wanted to find out for myself.
Surely even Lim wouldn’t enjoy just parroting soone else.
If he kept bringing the CEO up like this, maybe he’d actually been hoping I’d say this.
“Director Lim. I’d like to et the CEO in person.”
— ……Pardon? Since I’m the one handling things, you could just speak directly with .
I took a breath and replied calmly.
“You keep ntioning the CEO. For a project of this scale, the final decision will rest with him anyway. Then wouldn’t it be faster to speak directly?”
— Ah, yes. Well, that’s true. But I’d like to first organize……
“I’d also like to thank him in person and hear about the project directly.”
There was a short silence.
Well, if it’s a no, so be it.
— Understood. I’ll try to arrange it that way. I’m sure our CEO will be glad to et you.
“Please let know when it’s scheduled. I’ll be waiting to hear from you.”
— Yes, thank you for the call today.
Click.
After hanging up, I stared at the ceiling for a mont before glancing down at my phone.
Honestly, I was probably more curious about a project targeting won in their 20s and 30s than about this Park CEO person.
The company itself wasn’t all that important.
Whether it was KIM Entertainnt, To, or Tomorrow.
What mattered was how the story would be told, and in what way.
Until now, I’d made music tailored to artists.
Now, I wanted to try crafting a narrative tailored to a target audience.
Music that was precisely aid, that hit right where intended.
Not just music that sells records, climbs the charts, or boosts an artist’s fa.
I wanted music that could influence a company’s branding and revenue.
……Isn’t that kind of thrilling?
It might not be a familiar approach, but it could awaken a new sense.
For that reason—
I began analyzing Amondyoung in preparation for the eting with Daebak Sound’s CEO.
It was Park Taekeun.
“Hmm, Secretary Kim. Good choice on the beans. Nice aroma. You may go now.”
He sipped on a cup of Geisha coffee, airlifted from Panama, and stared intently at his monitor.
Checking the entertainnt news before starting work.
A routine he’d kept for decades.
Today was no different.
He skimd through every new article.
Among them, the most intriguing keyword was, naturally, ‘Stay’.
“Hmm?”
[ Lumière 2nd Album Preview – ‘STaY’-style R&B? ]
[ R&B? Wasn’t that a 2000s trend? It’s different if Stay does it? ]
Clack.
He set down his coffee and focused on the article.
‘My goodness, Stay doing R&B? Hooh…….’
The community’s reactions were all over the place.
[ Stay, always worth listening to! Stay is good at everything! ]
↳ True that. So hyped ㄷㄷㄷ
↳ Ha…… Stay uses beats so well, the lting sound's gonna be insane.
↳ Is R&B coming back~~~
↳↳ Yeah, feels like it’ll trend again.
↳ After listening to nothing but idol songs with cheesy vibes, R&B is like balm for the ears.
↳ Lumière’s headed for a major breakthrough~~~~
[ Breaking: Stay has lost his touch. R&B? Seriously? LOL ]
↳ For real LOL R&B is so random lololol
↳ Who’d even listen to that; maybe my mom would.
↳ Lumière’s 1st album was decentㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
↳↳ Exactly;; Feels like they're forcing it for no reason.
↳ The highlight of R&B is steamy lyrics, but isn’t there a minor in Lumière?
Park Taekeun’s eyes narrowed at the last comnt.
‘These amateurs…….’
People always say trends change quickly.
But Park Taekeun, who had been in this industry for 40 years, knew better.
These days, trends don’t change—
They co back.
The only question is whether soone has the nerve to jump on it a beat early.
His keen instincts tingled.
Stay going into R&B wasn’t just a genre switch.
It was going against the flow of the tis.
And further, rewinding that flow and weaving it back into the present.
“This kid really is different.”
He slowly scanned through the Lumière photo in the article and the partially revealed credits.
Stay’s shadow was cast over everything.
STaY.
The internal assessnt at Daebak Sound was rather petty.
There were several opinions, but the core idea was this:
— A rookie composer who got lucky with a few songs.
Right, this was that.
Sour grapes. “I can’t have it, so let’s tear it down.”
That way, it stings a little less.
But Park Taekeun knew. That was just nitpicking.
It might look like hype, but the fact he was already being t with jealous critiques—was a sign of his rise.
Which only made Park want him more.
Park Taekeun gracefully set down his mouse and stood up from his seat.
‘You only understand a kid like this by eting him face-to-face.’
Just as he had that thought and was about to call soone—
Knock knock.
With a knock, the very person he’d been waiting for appeared.
It was Lim Gunwoo, the Casting Director.
“CEO, I just wanted to ntion……”
There was no ti to listen to anything else.
Just as Park Taekeun was about to bring up Stay, Lim Gunwoo cut in.
“Stay says he wants to et you directly?”
Huh? He asked for a one-on-one first?
What a cheeky little rascal.
Which only made Park more curious about Stay.
What kind of demand did he plan to make that required a direct eting?
There was no need to hesitate.
“Set up the eting right away!”
A few days later.
“Writer Stay has arrived.”
“Quick, quick, send him up!”
Taeyoon had co to Daebak Sound.
As expected of a publishing company, albums from various artists adorned the walls.
It felt different from an entertainnt company.
Whereas an entertainnt company says, “Look how amazing our kids are!”, a publishing company says, “Look how well we sell songs!”—that kind of vibe?
“Hello.”
As soon as Taeyoon arrived at the CEO’s office—
A wide smile spread across Park Taekeun’s face.
From his behavior to his tone—
There wasn’t a single thing that rubbed him the wrong way.
Usually, up-and-coming guys had an arrogant air about them—that was normal. But Stay was completely different.
He wanted to snatch him up and tie him in a sack.
“Oh my, pleasure to et you. Co in, co in. Wow, must be because you’re a young composer. The whole office feels brighter. I’ve been so looking forward to today’s eting.”
Lim’s brows twitched slightly at Park’s blatant interest.
This wasn’t the right attitude.
There’s a way to handle young, talented composers.
Stay had asked to et in person, which ant he might have a huge demand.
In that case, they’d lose negotiating power.
‘What’s he hiding behind that smile?’
Thinking such things, Director Lim quietly took his seat.
But Park Taekeun had a different approach.
He could tell a lot from one glance.
Kids like this—rare.
No need to hesitate. He was ready to bare his intent.
And that intent was a jaw-droppingly extravagant contract.
A kid with the nerve to demand a direct eting.
To get the upper hand with soone like that, you had to offer a number so big it’d be unimaginable.
No one hates money, after all.
Park Taekeun pulled out a contract with tons of zeroes and laid it on the table.
Ready to push it forward the mont they got into business.
But before that, he decided to go through the formalities first.
“You said you were curious about how the project would proceed?”
But contrary to expectations—
“Ah, yes. More than the project logistics, I’d like to talk about the song first. I really liked the the: ‘a campaign targeting won in their 20s and 30s.’”
“……Excuse ? Ah, yes, of course.”
“I heard the project’s direction is toward becoming a ‘luxury platform’, and I’ve considered multiple concept angles. Sothing cute? Enigmatic? Approachable? They might be a bit different from what you had in mind. But instead of luxury, what I envisioned is……”
Taeyoon was only talking about music.
This wasn’t just excitent.
How should he put it? He looked like soone desperate to work on this project?
Which actually made things easier.
How to handle an otaku? It was simple.
Put a brief brake on the thing they’re dying to do.
After Taeyoon finished, Park replied right away.
“You’ve really co well-prepared.”
“Yes. It’s a huge challenge for , too.”
“A brand image advertising project. If it succeeds, it’ll be a major turning point in your career, Writer Stay. But, what a sha.”
Park continued slowly.
Leaning back in his chair, relaxed.
“In large-scale projects like this, we only work with exclusive writers.”
When Taeyoon lowered his head, Park cheered inwardly.
‘Yes, got him.’
The kid was desperate to work on this project.
Then he’d agree to a short-term contract.
One year? Six months?
Didn’t matter. Once they had him, it was ga over.
Park waited for Taeyoon’s next words with the smug grin of soone holding all the cards.
But then—
Taeyoon said, with a calm tone:
“Oh, is that so? Well, can’t be helped. Then I won’t do it!”
Wait, what? That’s not how this was supposed to go?
“Uh…… w-wait. Why?”
Park stamred for a mont.
Wasn’t he dying to work on this project?!
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