DLMS 40

chapter 40

Normally, the alarms on my phone were from group chats with Seolhee or Taehun.

After work, most of the time it was Im Taehyun, who couldn’t stand being bored, sending me messages.

Otherwise, it was all just spam texts.

But today, the vibrations wouldn’t stop.

All the notifications were from Instagram.

Message requests, and alerts that someone unknown had started following me.

• “Likes your video.”

• “Started following you.”

• “36 message requests.”

Of course, my popularity had grown since the launch event I attended in the spring.

But the feeling then and now was different.

Sure, after the launch event, my popularity had been halved because of the deal with the devil.

Still, realizing that so many people were watching me directly through social media felt awkward but incredibly satisfying.

“This has never happened to me before.”

[Yeah, I can tell you’re enjoying it.]

“What are you reading into now? Embarrassing.”

[But why are you so anxious? You’re making me anxious too…]

“There’s no reason for this anxiety. It’s just a bit awkward because I’ve never experienced it before.”

The uneasy feeling I had while waiting for Lee Jongin was because I had to reply to all these incoming messages one by one.

Grateful support directed at me.

Since this was the first time, I didn’t know what the appropriate response would be.

“Ah, what should I say… hmm…”

I opened a notepad, wrote a reply, deleted it, and repeated the process.

[It’d be weird to just read and ignore them, right?]

“Ah, I can’t do that.”

Normally, the most messages I ever had to reply to was maybe five.

But now, over 30 direct messages were piling up.

It was flattering to receive attention from people I didn’t even know, but at the same time, it was inevitably awkward.

Of course, I wanted to gain popularity—it was only natural.

After all, that was the way to make myself and my music known to the world.

But I wasn’t yet bold enough to handle this much attention bare-handed.

“Well, I’ll get better eventually. I won’t feel like this forever.”

[Somehow, it feels like it’ll be forever.]

“No, it’ll change.”

[Yeah, try your best.]

After talking with the devil for a while, I noticed Lee Jongin entering the cafe.

“Oh, Jongin.”

“Hey! You!”

Jongin’s eyes widened in surprise the moment he saw me.

“Hey, are you okay? How do you feel?”

“Huh? About what?”

For some reason, Jongin spoke to me with concern.

“No, you look fine.”

[He’s more perceptive than I thought.]

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

[Just by looking, I can tell you’re awkward with all this attention. That’s why I said it.]

“Ah, I see.”

“I’m okay. It’s a bit dizzying, but not overwhelming.”

“Yeah, I figured. You don’t look bad, though. By the way, what exactly happened here?”

“You told me to try using YouTube a bit. So this is what happened.”

I spoke as if I didn’t know anything, wearing a playful smile.

“Wow, you’re really lucky. How did the timing work out so perfectly that there’s even an article?”

“Honestly, I didn’t plan for it to go this far from the beginning. But… well…”

I explained to Jongin how things unfolded.

Since he obviously knew about Hong Rae-bang, I skipped over that part.

I told him everything—from how Im Taehyun got the tip from a junior reporter, to how he contacted me, which eventually led to the article.

Jongin seemed genuinely surprised.

“Wow, that’s insane…”

“Hmm? What is?”

Even though this was something planned by Jongin, Im Taehyun, and me, Jongin focused on different points.

“Think about it. Just before this happened to you, a tip about Hongcha conveniently went to your friend’s office, and then there’s the Facebook tip I found…”

He seemed fascinated by the coincidences in the story.

“Wow, the heavens really helped you.”

“Well, I guess it’s just luck.”

“No, it’s because you’ve worked hard, so the heavens are helping.”

“Huh, maybe…”

[Nah, that’s nonsense. It’s all crap.]

“Shh… quiet…”

“Anyway, this is really great. Looks like you’ll do really well from now on.”

“Still far from it, but the start’s promising.”

Although Jongin was unusually animated, his voice carried genuine sincerity.

Receiving encouragement from someone who once disliked me was unexpectedly thrilling.

Of course, Jongin wasn’t the only one supporting me.

The article had just come out, but thanks to social media, many people knew about it.

Even in our class group chat and the Groovy Nation chat, there were supportive messages.

Technically, I had already achieved what I wanted, so I didn’t need encouragement.

But most people assumed I was the victim and cheered for me anyway.

“So, success, huh?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“Hahaha! But this is so unlike you. I didn’t expect you’d do it this way.”

No matter how much we talked, it still amazed me.

Neither Jongin nor I expected someone as quiet as me to make such a big deal out of things.

So we continued talking about the incident, retelling the story over and over—it was exhilarating each time.

“Oh, by the way, I didn’t get into the program I applied for.”

“Ah, the entertainment program?”

“Yeah, it was harder than I thought.”

“Hmm…”

Jongin had asked me for advice about working in entertainment.

I told him what I knew, but apparently, it wasn’t enough.

Even though the advice I gave was common knowledge.

“Take your time. Like I said before, resumes are important, but your career matters too.”

“Career…”

“You need to steadily build experience.”

“It’s hard.”

After talking and working with him a few times, I realized that he was more suited to being a director than an A&R or composer.

Even though he wanted to work in that field, it was harder to showcase his strengths compared to other departments.

I understood his struggle from my own experience before joining JH Entertainment.

• Bzzzz.

“Hey, your phone’s going off nonstop. Alarm’s been ringing all day.”

“Yeah, Instagram notifications are crazy today.”

While talking with Jongin, my phone kept buzzing.

Of course, one small issue like this didn’t guarantee lifelong popularity.

If I did nothing, I’d eventually go back to being the old me.

Naturally, I had no intention of letting that happen.

To turn this small attention into major popularity, I needed to act quickly.

Quickly.

“Hmm… quickly…”

“Huh? Quickly what?”

Jongin asked after hearing me mutter to myself.

[Speed is key. Try it and see.]

“Hey, Jongin.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to make music with me?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Me? With you?”

“Why? You don’t want to?”

“No, it’s not that. I just don’t think I can be much help…”

Recently, Jongin had been failing at application rounds.

Naturally, his confidence had dropped.

Especially for those pursuing artistic dreams, such uncertainty is intense.

“No, you’ll be a great help. From what I saw before, your arrangement skills are excellent, and you’re fast too.”

“Hmm… But will it just be us two?”

“No, you’re definitely faster than me.”

Jongin looked puzzled.

It made sense—he had never seen me actually work.

I had perfect pitch, so naturally, I was faster in composition.

But in arranging instruments and sound, Jongin’s speed was faster.

That was purely based on skill, unrelated to perfect pitch.

That was the area where I wanted help.

I needed to move faster now.

Yet Jongin hesitated to answer.

“What’s bothering you?”

“Hmm…”

Since I needed his help, I asked what his concern was.

Should I help him reduce the worry and have him assist me, or just work alone?

“I’m a senior, so fewer classes and more time than you.”

“Right.”

“But strangely, I don’t feel mentally free. Even though I could just submit applications and wait, I feel like I need to do something.”

“I see.”

“I like helping you. Having someone who’s already a pro seek me out is great.”

He didn’t dislike working with me, and I understood his worries.

Nothing weakens a person more than an uncertain future.

So, I decided to sketch a faint plan for his unclear future.

“I’ll become a capable artist.”

“Huh?”

“If you make music with me, and I become a great musician, it’ll be good for you too.”

Pfft!

“Hey!”

Jongin laughed at my words.

[Hmm? Looks like he didn’t expect that from you.]

“Sorry, hahaha!”

“Hey, stop making people laugh so awkwardly…”

Jongin didn’t hold back his laughter.

“Sigh… really… Jaehui, thanks. I laughed because I was grateful.”

“Isn’t the timing of your laugh weird?”

“Sorry, not because you’re funny. Because I’m grateful.”

“Oh? Then why did you laugh?”

Calming down a bit, Jongin spoke seriously.

“When I was younger, I wasn’t scared about shaping the future with music. But as I got older, I got anxious.”

“Yeah, that’s normal. I felt the same.”

“But what you just said brought back my youthful drive.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, so I suddenly felt good and laughed. Let’s do it together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’ll help. But you have to become a really famous artist.”

“Of course. Don’t worry about that.”

Most young people pursuing artistic dreams start fearlessly.

But most, without fast success, hit society’s walls, get frustrated, and eventually give up.

I knew that feeling well.

“Okay, then let’s do this. I’m counting on you.”

“Yeah. Let’s not waste time. Let’s start our first project right now.”

“Really? Okay, then…”

Surprisingly, Jongin eagerly took the lead.

I’d always admired bands like Desk and Chair during my first official performance at the launch event, and felt the same seeing Qrious.

Seeing musicians work as a team made my heart race.

Though unofficial, I felt reassured to finally have a small team myself.