Chapter 63: It’s Not an Instrument

It felt strange.

We had only met for the first time today, and exchanged barely a few words.

And yet—

‘It’s so vivid.’

Signum.

The image of the five chicks I saw earlier came to mind as clearly as daylight.

They kept chirping while stamping their feet.

Their faces, their appearance, their styling.

Everything was cool.

Maybe it was because of that shadow of tension lying deep across their faces.

Or maybe it was because I, like them, was also standing right before my first stage.

I just couldn’t stop thinking about them.

The fact that the first thing that came to mind when I closed my eyes was them—

‘Am I just being nosy?’

If that were all, this riff wouldn’t feel so intense.

It was the kind of opening riff that any musician would want to create at least once.

In response to the question, “How are mega hit songs made?”, a famous composer on TV once said:

I was asleep, and suddenly the first eight bars of the intro just popped into my head!

I’d brushed it off as an exaggeration for TV.

If something like that really existed, wouldn’t everyone be a hit composer by now? I thought at the time.

Even when I made after seeing Han Yujin.

Even when came to mind after meeting CEO Kim Minsoo.

Even when I wrote the melody for while thinking of Cheongseong.

I never felt like this.

Back then, I thought it was the result of deep observation.

But this was different.

‘This would make an incredible trailer.’

Someone once said—

The intro of a song is like the trailer of a movie.

A short trailer—meaning, the opening theme—can make people predict what the song will be like, and decide whether to keep listening or not.

And this one—

‘It’s not an instrument.’

The melody came to me in a rather unusual way.

Not a piano, not a synthesizer, not a guitar.

A whistle.

It was unmistakably a whistle.

I followed the sound.

At the end of it stood a man.

Pale moonlight scattering through a window.

A man sitting lazily in a chair, tapping the tips of his toes in time with the beat.

From between his lips flowed a clear, deep whistle.

A low melody streaming along the moonlight.

In the distance, faint car noises blended softly into the whistle’s tune.

‘……Who the hell are you?’

The most alluring sound a human could make.

Not a synthesized whistle from a VSTi (virtual instrument), but a real human whistle.

Followed by a tight, rhythmic electric guitar.

What was this?

Just as I tried to listen more closely, a pluck sound came in, short and bright, delivering a quick impact.

A clear pluck tone that reminded me of Porter Robinson’s Shelter.

“Whoa, damn!”

I couldn’t hold it back anymore.

This was it. This was it!

Inspiration, suddenly visiting me in my sleep!

That famous “Inspiration” had finally come to me too!

I shot upright.

“Whoa, you scared me. Did you have a nightmare or something?”

“Taeyoon, are you okay?”

“Hot? Look at him sweating.”

The members looked at me with concern, startled by my sudden movement.

This was a special gathering just for me because I liked meat.

I felt sorry. Truly sorry, but—

I couldn’t help it.

If I didn’t pour this feeling out right now, I felt like I’d suffocate.

“Uh, would it be okay if I left first?”

Concerned looks flew my way.

“Did something happen?”

“Who is it? Who’s bothering you? Which bastard is it? I’ll—”

I waved my hand quickly, forcing a smile.

“No, no, it’s not that……”

The softly landed synth theme might take off and vanish if I hesitated.

I hurried to grab my things.

“Really, really, I’m so sorry. I just suddenly remembered I have something I need to do.”

CEO Kim Minsoo looked at me in surprise, holding two perfectly grilled pieces of meat with his chopsticks.

“Don’t tell me—did he come?”

I nodded hard.

The table filled with chuckles.

“Well, then you’d better go. Let’s get up. I’ll give you a ride.”

“No, no, it’s fine. Please, enjoy the rest of your meal.”

Leaving the chorus of worried remarks behind me, I rushed out and hailed a taxi.

The whole ride, my phone buzzed non-stop.

Good work.

You were awesome.

And—

[Food delivery app ₩100,000 gift card]

[CEO Kim Minsoo: You know Inspiration leaves if you don’t feed it, right? No matter how much you like working, make sure you eat well. Back in my day, I also……]

A gift card to top it off.

[CEO Kim Minsoo: Oh, and—]

[CEO Kim Minsoo: You’ll be getting a call from Signum soon.]

That woke me right up.

From who?

[CEO Kim Minsoo: The leader’s name was Han Jaeho, I think?]

And almost before he could finish saying that—

The call came right away.

I answered immediately.

“Hello?”

Hello. Uh, you’re… Bunny-hyung, right? This is Han Jaeho, leader of Signum.

“Jaeho! It’s great to hear from you! Thank you so much!”

……Sorry, what?

“It’s really all thanks to you! I’ll never forget this favor!”

Uh, well… if you say what we were going to say first, hyung, it’s a little awkward……

“Can we talk later? Inspiration just came to visit, and if it disappears, I’ll be in trouble.”

Huh? Inspiration? Did your grandfather come… or something?

“Ah, anyway! Thanks! Talk soon!”

Click.

I knew it was rude to hang up like that.

But no—this melody had to be remembered.

The whole ride.

In case it vanished—

I kept humming the melody under my breath so the driver wouldn’t hear.

“What song is that you’re singing?”

“Uh? Oh, well……”

“It sounds nice. Are you a singer? A trainee?”

“Ah, no. I’m not.”

After that, feeling awkward for no reason, I pretended to sleep until we arrived. That’s my little secret.

[Traditional Band VS Idol Band, A Heartwarming Behind Story.]

[No competition? UTAR, the reason for hiding their faces is……]

[Signum: ‘UTAR is a friendly rival! A team with a lot to learn from.’]

[UTAR, a B-side track gold mine? What kind of vibe does ‘Angkora’ have?]

[UTAR, wrote and composed all songs—who is ‘STaY’?]

After the broadcast of Show! Music Stage.

Articles about UTAR and Signum flooded SNS, communities, and entertainment news.

The fierce marketing from both sides—

And the heartwarming rival stage they showed on air.

The reaction was explosive.

[ Signum is insane ㄷㄷ ]

↳ Isn’t UTAR the insane one here?

↳ Take this! This is a mega-corp band idol!!!

↳↳ Band idols do hand-sync, right? UTAR crushed them, right?

↳ The drums were actually played live though?

↳↳ Only the drums were live though?

↳↳↳ No, damn it, the vocals were live too;;

↳ Manny Entertainment really is an idol powerhouse.

↳↳ Yeah, fr ㅋㅋ My mom was watching TV and asked who they were and why they were so pretty ㅋㅋㅋ

↳ UTAR’s stage presence is different ㄷㄷ I want to know who the vocalist is.

↳ Me too……. I want to see their faces. Bet they’re handsome.

↳↳ I think they’re probably ugly;;

↳ Isn’t UTAR’s mask super cute? Even their member nicknames are adorableㅋ

↳ Dorian’s my faveㅋㅋ Love that name.

↳ Isn’t the DJ just amazing? Wow, I didn’t know DJing could look that cool.

↳ Doesn’t feel like a rookie vibe at all ㄷㄷ

↳ Who’s the DJ? Please tell me, don’t they have Insta???

Some even left long reviews.

One came from a hardcore idol fan’s blog.

[Show! Music Stage prerecording audience review (data warning)]

Talking mostly about the band rivalry.

For the record, I’m a multi-fan.

Not a Signum fan, and UTAR? Even less so.

Not into bands. Honestly, bands are kinda cringe, right?

But wow… now I get why people talk about bands so much.

Both Signum and UTAR’s stages looked expensive.

(photo)

First, Signum—just their visuals were skill. Hand-sync? Don’t know, but you could see they were enjoying the stage, which was nice. The song was good too. They looked like rookies, which was cute.

(photo)

And!!! The real deal that day was UTAR.

The Kids Who Escaped From Us.

Honestly, the band name sounds like some cringe try-hard disease, right? But the stage was a total twist ㄷㄷ

Holy crap……. The only thing I could say was “they tore it up.” I thought it was a concert.

This must be why people go to rock festivals. You could hear each instrument so clearly, I got goosebumps.

I was completely spellbound. Especially when they did the DJ set in the middle—man… I’m buying UTAR’s album ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Please, DJ-nim, take off your mask……

With a known fan’s verified post, even idol communities stirred.

Band music is still an unfamiliar genre.

What people call “non-mainstream.”

Signum was smartly crafted by mixing the non-mainstream with the mainstream as a band idol.

Some instruments were hand-synced, but—

Their stage command was stunning.

The songs were great, the members too.

People even worried if their follow-up stage could live up to it.

But UTAR wasn’t about to be pushed back.

KIM Entertainment meeting room.

After monitoring, Kim Minsoo kept reading community reactions nonstop.

“……The real star of the day was UTAR. The DJ might start a trend. The vocalist’s voice really suits a refreshing vibe.”

“Can you please stop now?”

Taeyoon and the members shook their heads in disbelief.

It felt like being trapped in a compliment prison.

“Listen—if UTAR takes off their masks, it’ll cause a stir……”

“It’ll be a stir, sure.”

It’d feel like Cheongseong had returned.

And who’s Cheongseong?

Of course people would react like that.

But if it were actually Cheongseong? It wouldn’t just cause a stir—it would flip everything upside down.

But that wasn’t going to happen.

Cheongseong is Cheongseong, and UTAR is UTAR.

Their paths are different.

That was why Cheongseong and Taeyoon started music together in the first place.

“Let’s watch the stage again. Seonghan, play it.”

“Can’t you watch it after I leave?”

“Why.”

“Because… it’s kind of embarrassing?”

Taeyoon’s face turned red.

He didn’t mind showing his practice a hundred or a thousand times, but watching the actual stage was a different matter.

As Taeyoon quietly got up from his seat, Kim Minsoo asked.

“Leaving already? Eat before you go.”

Taeyoon pouted.

“Do I only remind you of food? You always just tell me to eat.”

“Hey, what’s more friendly than asking someone to eat together?”

“I’m going to the practice room to have Teacher Moon’s tonkatsu.”

“Seriously, that tonkatsu again… Should I come with you?”

“Nope. I’m busy.”

Seeing Kim Minsoo’s regret, Taeyoon spoke in a comforting tone.

“I need to practice DJing. And prepare other songs.”

“Songs? The one from last time?”

Kim Minsoo’s eyes sparkled.

UTAR was just the beginning.

No one was more interested in STaY’s career than Kim Minsoo.

“That one, too, but actually……”

Just as Taeyoon was about to say something, the meeting room door suddenly burst open.

Kim Minsoo playfully scolded.

“Who barges in like that when the CEO and an artist are talking—huh? What’s this?”

It was KIM Entertainment’s marketing team leader.

Before Kim Minsoo even finished speaking, the team leader began excitedly unloading their news.

“CEO! Oh—Taeyoon, you’re here too. This is no time to just sit around. It’s chaos!”

“Chaos?”

“Yes. The company’s work has practically halted. Everyone’s trying to book UTAR.”

“Slow down and explain.”

Famous variety shows, music programs, talk shows…

A flood of well-known program names poured out.

Even so, Kim Minsoo remained calm.

“Of course. This is UTAR we’re talking about. We should’ve expected this kind of reaction.”

“The booking requests are one thing, but……”

The marketing team leader paused to choose their words.

Then looked straight at Taeyoon and spoke calmly.

“They’re asking to be introduced to Writer STaY.”

“W-What?”

The time had come.

Signum and UTAR—

With both groups’ debut stages broadcast and their songs released, the reaction from agencies checking the album credits was obvious.

Finally, it had arrived.

Kim Minsoo spoke as if making a decision.

“Taeyoon, I’ve been meaning to tell you. You’re going to keep writing songs, right? Since things are like this, why don’t we start a label and—huh? Where’d he go?”

“Didn’t you see? Taeyoon slipped out just now.”

Unfortunately—

In the midst of the confusion, Taeyoon had quickly made his escape.

I hopped on the bus straight home.

And, staring out the window, I thought:

‘How am I going to tell hyung…’

I still hadn’t told him.

He was busy, I was busy.

It had been a while since we last saw each other.

We only checked in on each other’s survival through the occasional message.

With nervous excitement, I came home—

But hyung wasn’t there.

‘It’s Saturday… did he go to work?’

I’d even bought a bunch of fruit to give him.

There was so much I wanted to ask and tell him.

I felt a little disappointed.

I tossed the fruit carelessly onto the table and flopped down on the sofa, when I heard the door lock beep.

I got up to greet him.

He must feel lonely coming into an empty home all the time.

I was going to greet him casually—

“Hyung, you’re—ah, what the—ack! Let go!”

He suddenly pulled me into a tight hug and patted my back hard.

“Seo Taeyoon, you amazing kid. I saw your stage!”

We stayed like that for a while.

His voice was…

So full of emotion.

Ah, what do I do with this.

I was going to do some industry scouting today.

But now—what am I supposed to do?

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