Chapter 29: Blackhole’s Secret Revealed

Just like creators who get criticized as part of their daily lives.

A&R also got criticized as part of their daily lives.

They’d request a fresh stage setup—get shot down.

Go to request a song—get shot down.

Invite a hot artist for a feature—get shot down.

It wasn’t any different when it came to scouting.

The hotter the person, the more so.

In this field—

There were countless eccentrics who cared about things other than conditions or money.

Especially people like Taeyoon who did unique work.

It was common for them to get irritated over unexpected points.

Because of that, even if they went out to make a scouting offer, they didn’t expect much.

Until the person in charge gave a report, the rule of the land was to keep quiet.

But then—

“Here he comes, Team Leader. Assistant Manager Seo is here.”

“Oh my, Assistant Manager Dongyun. That handsome face of yours is looking prickly. Must’ve worked hard until dawn. Here, coffee.”

Returning from a business trip that wasn’t really a business trip, Dongyun was dumbfounded at the attention he was getting for the first time in his life.

From the stingy team leader, no less.

And with his own money.

He even handed over an expensive Starbucks coffee to welcome Dongyun.

“How did it go?”

“Did he take off the mask? Did you see Blackhole in person?”

“He’s handsome, right? Isn’t he?”

“What’s the word, are we signing him?”

“Better name a big signing bonus. I’m a team leader capable of that, you know?”

Ah… was it really to that extent?

Was my younger brother’s popularity really that big?

To the point where even the aloof team leader from the next team would come looking?

“Wait… just wait a second!”

Seo Dongyun calmed his excitement a little.

Then scanned the mood of each person one by one.

Those eyes… definitely expectation.

They all had the same look.

But now… what to do about this.

He paused to choose his words.

He couldn’t lie and say he hadn’t seen him.

After all, the company card clearly showed a charge at a café right in front of Sierra.

Not only that—he had deliberately paid for two drinks at different times.

On purpose.

Because just the fact that they sat down together, drank tea, and talked meant he had seen his face.

That way, at least Tomorrow Entertainment wouldn’t keep pestering Taeyoon by going after him.

“I did meet him, yes.”

At that, Team Leader He laughed heartily and gave Dongyun a firm pat on the back.

“Just meeting him is amazing.”

“…Sorry?”

“At Mani, they said they were turned away at the door. And not just Mani, I’m sure. But you, Assistant Manager Seo, you had tea with Blackhole, so we’re number one, right? More importantly, Assistant Manager Seo—”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“How was he?”

Team Leader He’s eyes were also shining with expectation.

Before being a team leader, he was a maniacal music lover.

“He’s a good person.”

It was an answer heavy with meaning.

Some were puzzled, wondering why he said ‘is a good person’ instead of ‘is also a good person.’

“A good person?”

“Yes. As you saw in his performance, he knows music widely and deeply. Disco, funk, hip-hop, pop… he rattled off records from the ’70s like it was nothing.”

It wasn’t a lie.

“Seriously. Assistant Manager Seo, you went all the way there and still talked about music?”

Team Leader He smiled wryly and gave Seo Dongyun a sideways glance.

Assistant Manager Seo Dongyun—

In the team… no, in the whole company—

Few people had a sharper ear than him.

He had worked five years in a team where if ten people joined, twelve would leave.

He had grit and diligence. He wasn’t one to spout nonsense.

So for now, they just listened quietly.

“If you suddenly say, ‘Let’s sign a contract!’ who would like that? Isn’t that exactly why other companies were turned away?”

“That’s true, that’s true.”

“We talked about music and all sorts of things. Surprisingly, he was calm and smart.”

That too was a fact.

Seo Dongyun was that kind of person.

Even for a younger brother he cherished, he saw no need to exaggerate.

“She must be smart. You can tell by the beats she makes. Karr is going crazy right now.”

“Karr?”

Hearing a name he’d never heard before, Seo Dongyun perked up his ears.

Karr.

The top rapper in the hip-hop scene and the pillar of Tomorrow Entertainment, you might say.

The headphones Taeyoon gifted were also the ones Karr handed out to the staff.

“Yeah. It’s strange. Someone who makes beats like that should be known all over this field. How come he managed to hide so well?”

“Her beats… are really good.”

“You haven’t heard, right? Karr rapping over Lunatic Beat. He was just mumbling, but wow, it still gives me goosebumps thinking about it.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah. He’s so relentless. He immediately told them to find the beatmaker.”

“Hmm.”

At this point, he slightly regretted it.

Maybe he should press his brother a little more.

Karr rapping over his brother’s beat?

That would shoot him straight to the top beatmaker, breaking through the ceiling.

A so-called guaranteed hit ticket?

“But… judging by Assistant Manager Seo’s expression, it seems the recruitment failed.”

“They said he’s not ready yet.”

“Ready? What kind of preparation? From what I see, musically he’s already perfect.”

Hmm….

The more he thought about it, Seo Dongyun’s face gradually flushed red.

Proud, delighted.

Listening to all the praise for his brother right in front of him made him feel thrilled.

Mom should’ve heard this too.

Ah… or maybe it’s better she didn’t.

Anyway.

Seo Dongyun gathered his joy and spoke.

“Besides that, is he ready to show his face?”

“Huh? Isn’t he good-looking?”

“Well…”

Ah. It was burdensome.

Why is everyone like this?

The employees who were pretending to work turned their heads to all look at Seo Dongyun.

In the entertainment industry, looks were more important than musical ability.

These people were speaking with their eyes.

“Say he’s handsome quickly.”

“Of course, he must be cool.”

“That’s why he must have gotten lots of scouting offers.”

“It’s basically the rule that a person’s value matches their looks.”

But—

Seo Dongyun’s one sentence shattered everyone’s expectations.

“Well… honestly, his face was just so-so. When he took off his mask, it was kind of… disappointing.”

For the next few days, this became a small topic of conversation at Tomorrow Entertainment.

DJ Blackhole… was ugly!

[ Breaking News – DJ Blackhole’s secret revealed. ]

Said to be ugly.

↳ ???? Suddenly, Blackhole ugly rumor.

↳ What the heck lol totally random.

↳ Hey, I heard that too. Industry secret ㄷㄷ

↳↳ Industry secret? What industry lol what DJ industry lol

↳↳↳ No, entertainment industry;;

↳ Rumors spread all over the entertainment industry ㅇㅇ Blackhole wears a mask during performances because he’s ugly?

[ Isn’t it enough that the DJ’s good at music? ]

What’s so important about looks? At Sierra, no one cares about looks. The song selection is awesome.

↳ True that.

↳ I go there once a week with my girlfriend.

↳↳ ㄷㄷㄷ Going to clubs with girlfriend ㄷㄷㄷㄷ

↳ Sierra’s not that weird vibe lol it’s really a place to enjoy music.

↳↳ Everyone says they go to clubs for the music. But actually… shhh.

↳ Why can’t you say it’s a co-ed dance space!!!

↳↳ Crazy lol

Is this right?

What does looks matter when you do music?

The club guys said I was fine! The ajummas even said why I look so pretty!

I sulkily looked at my face reflected in my phone screen from different angles.

…Yeah, I guess I really am an ugly sight. That’s that.

But who spread that rumor?

The club guys wouldn’t do that.

My brother definitely wouldn’t.

“Ah, whatever. Better than being known as Han Yundae Seo Taeyoon.”

Scrolling through community posts, the subway arrived at his destination before he realized it.

He quickly exited.

The destination was ToMe Entertainment.

When he entered the lobby, the artist photos had changed.

The most eye-catching one was Han Yujin.

Maybe because she sang my song.

For some reason, she looked even more confident than before.

“Oh, Writer Seo Taeyoon.”

While looking at the photos, he turned toward a familiar voice.

It was CEO Kwak Youngho.

Since it had been a while, maybe he should greet him properly.

“Hello, CEO. You look even cooler today. That jacket really suits you.”

“Man, should I believe this or not? Lies should at least be believable. Hahaha.”

Even as he said that, why did he keep patting me on the back?

“Well, I’ll be going upstairs now.”

“You came to see Yujin, right?”

“Yes.”

“Her stage name is unexpected.”

“Is it not good?”

“No, no.”

I’d put quite some thought into choosing that stage name.

Was it strange?

These days, composers tended to use unique stage names as a trend.

Just look at the most famous Busan Goblin right now.

Ollipop, Star Wars, Brown Eyed Boys, Third Batter, the Wangseong Brothers, and so on.

It’s an era where unique stage names build brand power.

Most are made up of teams, so in a way, they’re closer to team names.

That’s why I agonized a lot.

After all that thinking, am I really one of those who just shake hands and end it?

As I was tilting my head, CEO Kwak Youngho waved from a distance.

“Hurry over. I’ll get you a staff pass. It’s a hassle to issue a visitor pass every time you come.”

“No, it’s fine.”

I don’t come often enough to get a staff pass.

“I’ll tell security to expect you, so just pick it up.”

“Thank you for the consideration.”

“Don’t feel pressured. You’ll be coming in and out more often.”

Hmm. Wrong.

Even after working with Han Yujin, would I still come? I don’t think so...

At least for now.

My schedule’s pretty packed!

“Then have a good talk.”

“Yes, see you next time.”

I waved back to CEO Kwak with both hands, and Han Yujin appeared.

Today, she looked more like a worn-out person than a celebrity.

“Did you wait long?”

“No, I just got here. You seem tired lately.”

“Practicing. Hoo…”

She yawned with her mouth wide open, just like my brother.

Having such a doll-like appearance but giving off a big brother vibe was quite a skill.

“You’ve lost a lot of weight since last time.”

“Usually, that’s a compliment…”

Han Yujin looked me over carefully and continued.

“But the talk about Writer Taeyoon doesn’t sound like a compliment.”

“Oh?”

Exactly.

I felt sorry for him. How hard must practice be for someone to get that skinny?

If he were a game monster, his name would probably be something like ‘Skinny Zombie.’

“But about your stage name. It’s very…”

Han Yujin continued with a serious expression.

“Warm.”

Warm?

Surprised by the comment, Taeyoon bit his lip and shifted uncomfortably.

“It doesn’t really feel that warm.”

“Stay. To remain. Isn’t it really warm to remain with someone through music?”

It’s like ‘dream interpretation’—what you want to hear rather than the actual dream.

Though that wasn’t the original meaning, Han Yujin’s interpretation actually sounded quite plausible.

“That’s a relief. By the way… did you incorporate what I requested?”

“Yes. You insisted on only the ‘A’ being lowercase in STAY. How could we forget? It’s already registered with the association and looks great on the album.”

It’s like revealing me, but not quite.

It was a clever stage name that hints at me without fully exposing me.

I didn’t want to completely hide Seo Taeyoon.

S. T. Y.

I wanted to include these three letters and a word that expresses DJ.

DJ. dj. Dj. dJ.

After playing with combinations, I decided a lowercase ‘a’ fit best.

Putting ‘a’ between ST and Y created a pretty plausible word.

STaY.

The ‘a’ had to be lowercase.

I was worried, but it was expressed properly, thankfully.

“Having only the ‘a’ lowercase is really nice. Design-wise and also…”

Han Yujin whispered, glancing around like sharing a secret.

“It contains all of Seo Taeyoon’s STY. The design is brilliant. Concealing yet revealing.”

Seriously, her intuition was sharp.

Without speaking, she read the situation perfectly.

“Is it obvious?”

“Nah, people like me who pay close attention might notice. But others will probably just call you ‘Writer Stay.’ Right?”

She confidently made a V sign, asking for agreement.

It wasn’t wrong.

I gave a thumbs-up and asked the main question.

“But why did you call me today?”

“Oh, right, this.”

Only then did Han Yujin place an enigmatic shopping bag on the table, which seemed to be the main topic.

“A gift.”

“What is it?”

I casually looked inside the bag.

Inside the box were album jacket photos, a USB, and a shoebox.

“I wanted to show you the album first. Sorry.”

“It’s nothing. I’m not even an official writer. Of course I’d buy it when it comes out.”

I knew that much.

The USB probably had the final mixed and mastered tracks.

“The showcase schedule is out too.”

“Oh, that’s fast.”

Even just judging roughly, things were moving quickly.

ToMe Entertainment. They work fast.

“The CEO has high expectations. And this…”

Han Yujin shyly handed over something like an envelope.

“It’s a ticket for the showcase. If you’re free, it’d be great if you could come.”

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