Chapter 49: Do you know DJ Blackhole?

Recently, videos ranking things in short-form clips had been trending everywhere.

Best pop songs loved by Koreans.

Best movies loved by Koreans.

Best idols loved by Koreans.

On top of that—food, pop singers, brands, novels, anime, characters... really, you could say that lining up and ranking every imaginable thing was a long-standing tradition.

But one list?

Best DJs loved by Koreans.

That didn’t exist.

And what did that mean? That DJs were considered non-mainstream.

Generally, people just thought of a DJ as “someone who plays music.”

On top of that, since clubs carried the prejudice of being tied to nightlife culture, there was a prevailing opinion that club DJs had “a flashy, show-off kind of job.”

Even if EDM was trending and music festivals were growing, shifting things a little—

It still seemed far off before DJs here could be recognized as professional artists like in the West.

They were treated more as mood-makers than as musicians with artistry.

‘Well, band DJs aren’t that common either.’

But the West was different.

The perception there was mostly professional and positive.

It had become an established art form, and the pay for famous DJs was extremely high.

They were treated as key players in the music industry who led musical trends.

‘It’s about time that perception changed.’

When Moon Jungbae brought up DJs, Taeyoon suddenly found himself thinking this.

That maybe, even in Korea, people’s view of DJs might start to shift.

‘He’s a guy with all sorts of colors.’

That was the common thought among the Cheongseong members after seeing Taeyoon.

When he first entered the shop, he had looked like an awkward college student.

When talking about music, he was so passionate it seemed like he’d throw everything else away.

When handed champagne, he was pure like a child receiving candy for the first time.

When discussing song revisions, he showed the cold sharpness of a professional...

And now?

“Oh… DJ! I really love DJs. If a band has a DJ, the vibe just skyrockets. Do you know DJ Kilmore? The hidden MVP of Incubus! When a DJ comes in, the sound changes completely. That texture is just…”

The moment his specialty came up, he started chattering away non-stop, like someone who had discovered a treasure only they knew about.

“Ah—sorry. Did I get too excited?”

“Uh… a little?”

“Oh, but I have to say this.”

He looked like he had calmed down for a moment, but then launched into another passionate spiel.

Once Taeyoon started talking, no one could stop him.

“But seriously, this is amazing. I never thought Cheongseong would consider having a DJ! I just got chills. When the bass goes doom underneath, and a scratch slides in on top of it… the atmosphere is insane.”

He even got so carried away that he mimicked scratching motions with his hands.

The members just watched him fondly, thinking, ‘That’s actually pretty convincing.’

“If it’s a Kilmore-style DJ, that’s game over. His DJing is incredible. Without overdoing it, he nails the exact moment to drop a point. Krrrhh!”

At that, Bang Gicheol decided to test him.

He was now curious just how deep Taeyoon’s DJ obsession ran, and how much he really knew.

“What about DJ Love?”

Of course, Taeyoon was no easy target.

If anything, he responded even more excitedly than before.

“Wow… so you’re into Japanese bands too? DJ Love. I especially like him. Isn’t it amazing that even though he performs wearing a mask, he’s the band’s mascot?”

“Uh? Oh… yeah…”

Bang Gicheol’s expression seemed to say, What would I have done if I hadn’t asked…?

Taeyoon carried on without a care.

“That band doesn’t have drums or bass, right? Even without those core instruments, their sound is so colorful, it feels solid. And maybe it’s because he hides his face, but the way he sometimes attempts extreme performances—I get jealous of that.”

He meant it.

His own decision to perform DJ sets wearing a mask owed a huge debt to the Japanese band Sekai no Owari.

Its member, DJ Love, performs wearing a clown mask.

Even so, he helps generate merch, sells out masks, and perfectly fulfills his mascot role.

You could say it was a kind of dream.

Living a thorough double life—despite the band’s massive popularity, no one knows who he is.

It was irresistibly charming.

Maybe that’s why his words just kept coming.

Taeyoon went on for another five minutes.

By now, the Cheongseong members found it genuinely fascinating.

This was beyond just being interested.

He was striking convincing poses like he was a DJ himself while leading the conversation.

Actually—he was just talking to himself.

It was both cute and amusing.

A bass otaku and a DJ otaku?

Rare. Very rare.

While everyone was listening with interest to Taeyoon’s words spilling out like rap, Moon Jungbae stepped in.

“Hold on. Writer Seo.”

“…It’s just, when I’m standing in front of the DJ box, that’s how it feels. I’m the only one up there.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. Just calm down for a second.”

Only then did Taeyoon blink and look around.

Why was everyone snickering?

This is a serious topic… he thought.

Once Moon Jungbae confirmed that he seemed to have collected himself, he organized his thoughts.

They’d already confirmed he was positive about DJs, so half the battle was won.

But which DJ they invited was also important.

He wanted to check something.

There was a DJ he had in mind—he wanted to know what Taeyoon thought.

Maybe even ask if he’d ever seen their videos.

So he came right out with it.

“Do you know DJ Blackhole?”

…Huh?

Why was Blackhole coming up here?

I froze and clamped my mouth shut.

What’s going on?

It didn’t seem like he was asking to test me knowingly.

If that were the case, they wouldn’t be talking about this right to my face.

“Yeah, DJ Blackhole is all the rage these days.”

“You just saw him today and you’re calling him the rage?”

“You saw him today too.”

“Exactly, and that’s why I’m saying it’s amazing. I watched all the videos!”

“He’s got great musical sense too.”

“I dare say he’s the number one DJ in Korea.”

…Hmm. Is that how much they think so? That thought lasted only a moment.

My face grew hot.

Now I really couldn’t say anything.

Do I know Blackhole?

Of course I do. I know him so well that I can even pull off a clone technique.

I paused, trying to choose my words, when Moon Jungbae said to me knowingly—

“You don’t know him? Not interested in DJs lately? That’s strange.”

“That…”

“Your face is red—guess you really don’t know him. Hold on a sec.”

Then he zipped off to the counter and came back carrying some strange device.

Surely that wasn’t a projector?

He wasn’t going to… shine it onto that screen, was he?

No, no, he couldn’t.

That mustn’t happen!

“I was gonna show you on my phone, but it wouldn’t have the same impact. Just, just waaaait a bit.”

Despite my desperate internal screams, he hummed some unidentifiable tune while connecting a laptop and—

“Aaaaghhh!”

“What, is it that moving?”

A DJ Blackhole performance video appeared on the screen, massive.

No, bigger than massive.

It filled an entire wall of the room.

Seeing it made me want to hide anywhere I could.

If I had a blanket, I’d have thrown it over my head.

I wanted to run away.

My face burned even hotter.

I fixed my gaze desperately on the edge of the table.

“See? Not bad, right? Writer Seo, you’re not interested? Don’t you like DJs? Why are you turning away? You don’t like it?”

“N-no.”

“You were just caught off guard because it was a DJ you didn’t know. That happens.”

Then Bang Gicheol piled on.

“Yeah, maybe he doesn’t know. Why crush our composer’s confidence like that?”

That’s not it…

Up to now, I’d only ever seen it on a monitor.

Watching on a huge screen like this—it was unbearably embarrassing.

Because I knew.

I knew exactly what expression was hiding under that mask.

“This is DJing! What do you think, perfect as the sixth member of Cheongseong, right?”

“What? …Sixth member?”

What was he talking about?

This was the first time I was hearing about my own supposed plan.

“We’ll make contact soon. It won’t be easy.”

“Ah…”

“That’s why I wanted your opinion. That’s why I asked if you knew DJs well. From what I just heard, you know them very well. Good, good.”

Fine, I could accept that since he knew CEO Kim Minsoo.

But I had no intention of…

…Actually, I do?

Huh? Why does this sound fun?

I pretended not to know and listened to Moon Jungbae.

“We’re connected by masks. What should we call this? Fate?”

…Excuse me? What?

“DJ Blackhole wears a mask too. And we wear masks. What’s ‘mask’ in English? Mask! See? There’s a connection.”

Well, he wasn’t wrong.

After all, the reason I’d recommended animal masks in the first place was because of that.

“For that guy… I’d recommend a cat.”

“Why a cat?”

“They’re sly.”

“…Ugh.”

Setting all that aside—

Moon Jungbae’s proposal was actually pretty tempting.

“So here’s what I’m thinking.”

“Yes?”

“If we manage to get Blackhole, how about we try something like this?”

He pulled out a piece of paper, scribbled something down, and handed it to me.

It was a setlist of Cheongseong’s hit songs, along with my new compositions—

All with Blackhole’s DJing layered in.

“How about it? Do you think you can handle the arrangement?”

Of course I could.

I was the person in question, after all.

But I couldn’t just say it outright.

If I were really to become a new member of Cheongseong, there would be so many things to adjust and consider.

So instead, I replied—

“I think it’d be amazing. But would Blackhole even agree?”

“Mm, that I’m not sure about. What do you think, Writer Seo?”

Moon Jungbae asked in a roundabout way.

I pretended to think for a moment before opening my mouth.

“Of course, if it were me… I’d never want to miss a chance like this.”

Once the whole DJ Blackhole video-viewing session had wrapped up, Bang Gicheol asked me—

“But, Writer Seo?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What if Blackhole’s… a fake?”

“A fake?”

Even in DJing, a kind of “fake” performance was possible.

It was simple—like how a singer might lip-sync, a DJ could play a pre-mixed set and act as if they were mixing live.

Lately, more DJs were doing just that.

“He’s too good. I want to know what you think. Well?”

In other words…

He was saying my DJing was so perfect it could be mistaken for a fake!

Without being arrogant, I answered firmly—

“A fake? Hmm… I can see why someone might misunderstand. But watch closely—at 14 minutes 52 seconds, he’s adjusting the EQ while setting the cue point at the same time. And here, when switching from Track A to Track B, he nudges the beat matching just a bit.”

I smiled faintly as I continued.

“And… here, at 19 minutes 41 seconds. While moving the crossfader, he accidentally drops the volume too much. If this were all pre-recorded, that couldn’t happen, right? A fake is too perfect, which actually gives it away. Also, notice how he checks the beat in his headphones every time he changes tracks. And in the middle, when he gets excited, the tempo picks up just slightly from the original beat—can you hear that?”

“…Oh, wow.”

At their reaction, I nodded and stated more clearly—

“I don’t think it’s a fake.”

Bang Gicheol nodded, agreeing with me.

“Right. If it’s pre-recorded, there’s no reason to bother with all that. Wow… you’ve got a sharp eye. Right? Right?”

Kang Musong, who had drunk half a bottle of champagne on his own, answered with his eyes half-lidded.

“See? Writer Seo needs to be on the keys… You should play keys.”

What did that have to do with keyboards?

Anyway, I continued chatting with Bang Gicheol about DJing.

He seemed more interested than I’d expected.

“When there’s a DJ during a live show, the crowd’s reaction just explodes. I’m already looking forward to it—our sixth member.”

I simply nodded in silence.

I could already picture us on stage.

Telling our story without revealing our identities.

Just imagining it was thrilling.

The animal masks would give me—give us—courage.

Bang Gicheol asked—

“Writer Seo, do you know how to DJ? At this point, you probably can, right?”

I couldn’t lie.

I answered simply—

“Yes.”

His reaction was even more enthusiastic this time, shaking my shoulder.

“Whoa, really?”

I answered casually—

“I hope there’s a chance to show you someday.”

Naturally, I didn’t think that “someday” meant now.

The vibe wasn’t right, and there was no way there’d be a console here.

I was just thinking I’d tell them I was Blackhole when the time was right when—

“Oh-ho? Is that so, Writer Seo? Then come here for a sec.”

At Moon Jungbae’s words, everyone stood up and followed behind.

We stepped into the secret room behind the counter, and then…!

“Why wait for later? We can just see it now, hahahaha.”

“A… DJ console…?”

…Why was this even here?

What don’t they have here?

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