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Chapter 31
At Lee Jong-in’s question, I gave him the most obvious answer imaginable.
“It might sound cliché, but since you haven’t actually experienced this role yet, it’s best to write down specific reasons why you’d still be a good fit.”
It was painfully obvious advice.
But really, this wasn’t just true for the entertainment industry—any company would be the same.
The job application process I’d seen in the entertainment field was no exception.
“But, you also need to make it clear how much research you’ve done.”
“Research, huh… Do you think I can do that well?”
“Hey, what’s there to worry about? You’ve got me.”
“Huh?”
“I can tell you. Anything you don’t know, I’ll know, right?”
“Whoa… You’re right.”
“Even asking me is basically you doing research through someone else.”
I answered confidently.
Jong-in looked grateful for my kindness, but also a little flustered, as if he hadn’t expected that answer.
“W-well, I guess that’s true…”
“I’ll help you out.”
“Jae-hee, seriously, I’m so thankful…”
“Don’t be. Honestly, just telling you again about something I’ve already done is nothing for me.”
“No, really, I mean it. Thanks a lot…”
“You helped me with songwriting, didn’t you?”
I roughly knew what entertainment companies wanted in self-introductions from applicants.
Of course, some luck was always involved.
But in the part where effort mattered, I could give him the best help possible.
Hey,he’sreallygrateful.Hey, he’s really grateful.
‘Yeah, looks like it.’
Truthfully, I hadn’t told him anything special.
But Jong-in seemed sincerely thankful.
Even if the advice wasn’t groundbreaking, tips from someone with real field experience could be powerful.
Thenlet’saskhimsomethingtoo.Then let’s ask him something too.
‘Right.’
After finishing Jong-in’s career consultation, I asked him a question.
“Hey, Jong-in. Then let me ask you something too.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“How do amateurs usually promote themselves?”
“You’re asking me about promotion?”
People usually assume someone who’s been in the professional world can handle everything.
But reality wasn’t so simple.
In my case, I didn’t really have much of a career path.
I just kept making music on my own, honing my skills, and when circumstances got tough, I applied somewhere and got accepted right away.
I’d hardly had any of that grueling amateur struggle.
So standing on my own now wasn’t easy.
In the professional world, everything was already set up. Alone, I had no idea what to do.
But Jong-in had spent a long time in a famous club.
He’d lived the amateur life, so he probably knew.
“Well… these days it’s gotta be media, including YouTube.”
Seriously!Whocan’tthinkofYouTube?Whenareyousupposedtoopenachannel,growit,andgetfamous?Afterwegavehimcareeradvice,lookathimjusttossingoffananswer‘causeit’snothisproblem!Seriously! Who can’t think of YouTube? When are you supposed to open a channel, grow it, and get famous? After we gave him career advice, look at him just tossing off an answer ‘cause it’s not his problem!
The demon inside my head scolded Jong-in.
It was noisy and annoying, but not wrong.
I didn’t think YouTube was the answer either.
“But… doesn’t YouTube only work once the channel’s already big? That takes content planning and….”
“Hey, hey. Jae-hee, you’re thinking about it wrong.”
“Then?”
“You don’t have to build it yourself. You should leverage big YouTubers.”
The only YouTube I watched was official accounts of celebrities or content from composers I liked.
So I wasn’t familiar with the popular channels regular people followed.
“Oh, I see.”
Oh!Yeah,he’ssmart.Genius!Oh! Yeah, he’s smart. Genius!
‘Right? He’s really clever. A real genius.’
Both of us were terrible with media, so even a simple comment impressed us.
Butthenhowdoyouactuallydoit?Hurryupandask!I’mcurious.Hurry!But then how do you actually do it? Hurry up and ask! I’m curious. Hurry!
The demon whined impatiently.
“Then… what kind of YouTubers should I try using?”
“You don’t really watch YouTube, do you?”
“Yeah, I almost never watch ordinary channels.”
“Yeah, I figured from the way you said that. Hang on.”
Jong-in pulled out his phone and searched through YouTube.
“Here… found it. Check this out.”
“Hm? What’s this?”
On the thumbnail of the video, someone held a microphone.
Behind them, a crowd of people sat or stood around.
“This is a content series called Hong-Raebang from Hong-cha.”
“Uh-huh.”
“They take requests from random people on the street and let them sing.”
“Oh, wow. This is great.”
“At least for short-term promotion, it works. This channel’s pretty big.”
The channel was Hong-cha TV, run by a creator named Hong-cha.
The content was Hong-Raebang.
“Subscribers… just under 700,000.”
“Whoa! 700,000?!”
“Yep. Pretty big.”
“That’s huge.”
“It is huge.”
Right?Itishuge.Right? It is huge.
‘You don’t actually know either, do you?’
IwasjustpretendingIdid.I was just pretending I did.
‘Unbelievable…’
“There are plenty of others too. Look here…”
Jong-in introduced me to more content besides Hong-Raebang.
Looking at them, I realized there were more opportunities I could use than I’d thought.
“Think about it, Jae-hee. Even celebrities promote themselves by appearing on popular shows. They don’t make their own programs.”
“Oh, right. That makes sense.”
It was obvious, but not something I’d thought of.
“Let’s see…”
I focused on the YouTube channels Jong-in showed me, while the leftover sushi hardened in its tray.
“I think this one’s the best. It’s accessible, too.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
Samehere.Same here.
Jong-in recommended one particular channel.
The demon and I both agreed.
In the end, I decided to use one of the channels Jong-in had shown me to promote myself.
A few days later, the weather turned hot.
The thick clothes in my closet were useless now.
Everyone on the streets wore short sleeves.
The summer of 2019 was blazing.
It had already been a month since the start of summer, and I’d built up quite a stock of songs.
Some demos were now fully polished.
I’d also made a few mainstream tracks in addition to experimenting with new genres.
Just like Jong-in said—first, I had to get popular before I could show the music I really wanted to.
After finals, summer break would start.
Then I’d have two performances.
But before that, I had to start getting my name out.
Less than a month remained until exams.
Before that, a flood of assignments would hit me.
I had to act within that window.
Hongdae, the last day of May.
The sun was down. The streets buzzed with music and chatter.
Walking, I smelled cigarettes and fried food.
People lined up in front of a famous restaurant, the air thick with aromas.
There were countless people, but no one recognized me—except Jong-in and the demon at my side.
Before I knew it, evening had come.
Whenaretheygonnashowup?!Ugh,I’mbored!When are they gonna show up?! Ugh, I’m bored!
‘Be patient. They said it’s unannounced.’
DamnYouTubers.Woulditkillthemtogiveanotice?!Damn YouTubers. Would it kill them to give a notice?!
‘They probably have their reasons…’
Backintheolddays,youjustneededtocatchtheeyeoftheroyalcourt.Why’stheworldsodamncomplicatednow?Back in the old days, you just needed to catch the eye of the royal court. Why’s the world so damn complicated now?
The demon was right—times had changed.
It wasn’t enough to catch the nobles’ eyes.
You had to please the masses, like that packed restaurant earlier.
I had to make people come looking for me.
“Is this really the right way, just hanging around here?”
“Yeah. Sorry to drag you out for this…”
“No, it’s fine. I’ve got this, anyway.”
Jong-in lifted his cigarette.
“Hey, Jae-hee. Isn’t that them?”
“Oh! Yeah, that’s them!”
Down the street in Hongdae.
Once packed with buskers, the scene had quieted lately.
But now, a familiar face was setting up sound equipment with a small crew.
“They’re here!”
‘Yeah, finally.’
Tookthemlongenough!Whysolate?Took them long enough! Why so late?
My heartbeat thundered.
The rapid pounding echoed up to my head.
I cleared my throat.
They were close enough for me to see clearly.
I waited for the stage setup to finish.
A man with ash-dyed hair.
The very YouTuber we’d found with the demon the other day.
“So… do I just go up, talk, and challenge?”
That’stheidea.It’sallsudden,rightthereonthestreet.That’s the idea. It’s all sudden, right there on the street.
“Yeah, that’s probably it. Let’s move closer.”
“Alright. Let’s wait a bit first.”
Hey,areyounervousagain?Hey, are you nervous again?
The demon read my mind.
‘Yeah… I don’t know why I’m so nervous.’
You’llbefineonceyou’reupthere.You’ll be fine once you’re up there.
‘I hope so…’
Even though I’d changed a lot, I wasn’t exactly bold yet.
Nobodychangestheirpersonalityovernight.Nobody changes their personality overnight.
‘True…’
It’sjuststagefright.Totallynormal.It’s just stage fright. Totally normal.
‘If only I’d had a normal school life, maybe I wouldn’t be like this… right?’
Nah.Ilikeyoubetterthisway.Nah. I like you better this way.
“Oh… you mean like that ‘moe’ thing?”
Moe?!Youidiot!WhythehellwouldIlikeyouforthat?!Moe?! You idiot! Why the hell would I like you for that?!
“…Or not.”
Notthat!Heroesneedoriginstories.Yourdarkpastgivesyoudepth.That’swhatImean—notmoe!Not that! Heroes need origin stories. Your dark past gives you depth. That’s what I mean—not moe!
The demon looked furious at my word choice, but I could tell he meant it.
Moe,moe—ugh,disgusting.You’redrivingmecrazy.Moe, moe—ugh, disgusting. You’re driving me crazy.
His shuddering made my tension ease a little.
“Oh, hey! Looks like Hong-Raebang is starting.”
“Whoa, it’s Hong-cha.”
“Yeah! That’s him!”
“Run, run!”
The people around us recognized the crew too.
The crowd started drifting toward the stage.
I didn’t see them as strangers.
To me, they were soon-to-be audience members cheering for me.
My chest trembled.
Sweat dampened my palms, and my heart raced.
The thrill was overwhelming, but I had to move.
“Why are you just standing there? Come on, let’s grab a spot!”
“Right, let’s go.”
Jong-in and I followed the crowd.
The stage wasn’t even finished, but people already swarmed in.
Hong-Raebang—taking volunteers off the street to sing in Hongdae.
And a channel with nearly 700,000 subscribers.
With that kind of platform, I could boost my weak recognition.
It had started as an impromptu idea thanks to Jong-in’s suggestion.
But for the sake of my future—
Clench.
Half-hearted effort wasn’t an option.
