Chapter 66

HyunJi, can I really trust this?

Oppa, believe in me this once . Its definitely effective .

President Lee HyunJi was currently doing business in a bar in Gangnam . The opponent was her senior from university, Gu YoungSoo . He was the owner of a big shoe store in Gangnam .

Sheesh . Does changing music really affect the customers?

Times are changing . And like I said, theres a guy whos ghastly good at music in my company . You know JooAh, dont you?

I do . Im a complete fan of her . And thanks for her signature by the way .

Gu YoungSoo blushed slightly .

The one who sent JooAh to Japan is magical at music . I heard you were worried that your sales have been dropping lately . Why dont you just try my idea? I heard your sales dropped because of the other stores . You need to give a change at a time like this .

Would changing music really affect the customers though?

I said believe in me this once .

Gu YoungSoo was slightly doubtful but was eventually persuaded by President Lee HyunJi .

How effective could it possibly be?

Even while accepting her offer, he was still skeptical .

***

She was the heroine of television show, Whispers of the Stars . Lets start the second part with a collaboration between Miss Min JinSeo and Eddios!

Along with the presenters excited voice, the curtains to part 2 rose . Along with the curtains, the cameras all started flashing with a red light .

Writer Song TaeJin also posed upright from her usual crossed-legged seating . Her colleagues were surprised by her actions .

The stage began and the girls of Eddios started dancing around Min JinSeo as the center . It was the title song of Eddios, Together . However, it was re-arranged and had more power in the dance routine .

Eddios all matched their moves with Min JinSeo . Thanks to that, Min JinSeo didnt look out of place or anything .

When KangYoon came back to his seat, Song TaeJin greeted him .

Wow, KangYoon . Did JinSeo dance so well?

She was originally a singer trainee after all .

Oh yeah . Its MG isnt it .

Writer Song TaeJin honestly expressed her surprise at Min JinSeos dancing abilities . Her dance was way above what any amateurs could do .

Whats JinSeo doing next?

I dont know . Apparently, shes doing something right now .

Ill do one right after that . I thought of a good plot after seeing her dance like that .

Writer Song TaeJin, who asked KangYoon a question, suddenly took out some pen and paper before writing down some things . It was the idea notes that writers used a lot . The collaboration stage was no longer important to her . Once she was inspired, the pen in her hand danced wildly .

The stage was nearing its climax . Seo HanYu and Min JinSeo snapped their bodies together and heightened the atmosphere . Even the calmer actors voiced out in excitement and the younger actors or the fans straight up cheered .

Eddios!

JinSeo!

They couldnt be compared to the people in the audience though .

Not too bad .

As KangYoon had thought, the stage was going well . Although the Award Ceremony was quite a serious one, the stage collaboration between Eddios and Min JinSeo presented them with a moment of a light mood .

Good work .

Thank you for your work!

Everyone voiced out in unison . Min JinSeo was slightly surprised .

Get changed and lets go home quickly . JinSeo is coming after the ceremony is over, arent you?

Yes .

Manager Yoon will take care of JinSeo and the girls of Eddios will go back . Lets talk about the specifics while going back to the dorms . Questions?

None!

KangYoon was worried about Min JinSeos dark expression . However, he left her to the manager thinking that she was jealous of the girls who went home early .

KangYoon left along with the girls . He quickly led the girls to the parking lot and left the TV station while avoiding the fans who were waiting outside .

Inside the van, Jung MinAh grumbled .

Their reactions were quite unlike the other stages .

KangYoon thought differently though .

Its strange to scream like little girls in a place like that, though . Dont you think?

Thats true, but .

Wouldnt they have wanted to enjoy as well? The gazes and cameras around them were scary .

KangYoon spoke while turning around .

Good work . There, there . You know that tomorrows a holiday, right?

Yes!

Holidays were always sweet .

Everyone shouted energetically when KangYoon mentioned holiday .

Tomorrow is 2009 .

Team leader . Its 2009 already .

The girls giggled at Lee SamSoons comment . It was already past midnight and it was nearing 1 a . m . KangYoon felt slightly awkward .

Ehem, anyway! Its 2009 now . Isnt it?

Yes, yes .

The girls were now close enough to KangYoon so that they could joke around with him . He spoke seriously while switching topics .

We got our foundation, but theres still a long way to go . But I believe in you . Rest well tomorrow and do your best in the future as well, okay?

Yes!

The van that headed to the dorms was filled with the energetic voices of girls .

***

JinSeo, you dont look so well . Are you unwell?

Manager Yoon HeeSeon asked Min JinSeo worriedly . However, she shook her head .

No . Im just a little tired .

Really? Should I get you some medicine?

Where can you find medicine at this time in the night? It will be alright after a little bit of rest .

Min JinSeo declined . Manager Yoon HeeSeon distanced herself even while looking at her with worried eyes .

Tch .

Min JinSeo kept remembering about how KangYoon took care of Eddios more than her . Naturally, she didnt like what she didnt like .

***

The new years sun rose .

KangYoon, who received a paid holiday of 3 days, could rest comfortably for a few days . It was a privilege that was only given to him . Thanks to that, KangYoon could enjoy his rest with HeeYoon while traveling around the country .

It was right before the Sunday, so he got a total of 4 days of rest .

On Monday .

KangYoon headed to the presidents office as soon as he came to the company .

Welcome, Team leader Lee .

Hello .

We havent seen each other for a week now, did we? I feel like its been a while since weve seen each other .

She ordered the secretary for some tea and lead KangYoon to the sofa . There were already many things prepared for him . KangYoon looked at the top one .

Triangle? Isnt this a movie manuscript?

It is .

A movie? Is this about JinSeo?

President Lee HyunJi shook her head . She gestured that that wasnt the case and gave KangYoon some papers titled General Music Consulting . When KangYoon flipped over the document and looked at it for a while, he was colored with confusion . He gulped while turning each page slowly . The contents werent light at all .

KangYoon spoke his mind after reading all of the document .

A general business related to music . Working with many music-related things and not just concerts . I think the motivation is good .

Focusing on the concert team is good, but I had a feeling that it wont be so bad to take part in many more things . We have a lot of budget, and have the advantage that we can utilize this budget . Im thinking of making a specialized team and do this kind of work .

For a business like this, the role of the control tower is crucial . But as for us, we do not have such a .

Youll do it .

When President Lee HyunJi admitted that so easily, KangYoon blinked a few times . KangYoon silently asked Why am I the one? with his expression . President Lee HyunJi answered his question .

Team leader Lee . You have a good sense regarding music . Your views on the market are also great, but from what Ive seen until now, your judgment in musical pieces is greater than anyone . If we look at the singers youve planned for until now, there were many cases where you switched songs or did re-arrangements of the original . Would that have been possible without your senses for music?

President, that is .

KangYoon was scared for a moment . President Lee HyunJi had unknowingly mentioned his ability to see light from music . Of course, theres no way she would know about his ability, but it was enough to startle KangYoon . After all, not everyone is suited to become the president .

I can be sure about it; that well be able to do many things and not just concerts if youre here, Team leader Lee . The concerts you have planned for until now caused sensations, but did not bring a lot of profit to the company . Thats my fault for doing bad business but it will be different now . Lets do this together .

President Lee HyunJis words were reasonable . However, KangYoon was still cautious in his decisions . Planning was something he had dived in after meticulous preparation and because he wanted to . However, areas other than pop music was another problem altogether .

Can you give me some time to think about it?

Is a day enough for you?

Not at all, Ill just need a moment .

KangYoon fell into thought for a moment .

A general work related to music . It is definitely attractive, but I dont have anything ready yet .

Actually, it was a very attractive offer . There was the charm that he could do music that was not related to concerts . However, the problem was his lack of foundation . President Lee HyunJi spoke as though she knew about that .

I spoke to seonbae already . Go listen to his lectures in holidays when you have the time . Ill take care of the fees .

Thank you .

Its an investment from the company .

President Lee HyunJi cleared that problem . Investing such a meager sum was nothing to excavate a talented employee .

KangYoon spoke his mind after a moment of thought .

Ill try .

Good decision . The basic work is the same as the concert team . Im going to make a subordinate business team and get orders, and Team leader Lee just should focus on work . There were a few problems in the concert team, but lets do this well this time .

Understood . Then what do we begin with?

Since he had decided this, the work progressed very smoothly . President Lee HyunJi gave him another set of papers . The document was titled DRO mart retail music coordination . KangYoon expressed his confusion .

Isnt this done by music coordinators?

Yes . It requires the selection of songs that fit the retail store after analyzing the store . Its a field that isnt well known in Korea yet, but its very active in places like America . Music is important in shopping .

Hmm .

KangYoon cautiously considered this . It wasnt simply just choosing some background music for a store . It wasnt just playing pop music one after the other . He would have to analyze the characteristics, sales, trends and various other elements and choose songs and test them as well . Not only that, he would even have to negotiate copyright if the store was big . It wasnt a simple issue .

I think its a good stage for Team leader Lee to shine . What do you think?

Its an unfamiliar field, but I think it will be interesting .

Good . Then can I expect some good results?

Ill do my best .

President Lee HyunJi replied with a smile at KangYoons acceptance .

***

Hallyeo Arts University department of composition was known to have difficult practical exams . While other universities had 300:1 competition rate, Hallyeo started at 500:1 minimum .

Park SoYoung challenged this difficult exam .

(T/N: Park SoYoung is from when KY and HY went on a trip and HY made friends with her at a beach . Also, some MG copycats appeared . Just in case you dont remember . )

Im fine? Thats a good title . Can you play it for us?

Professor Choi ChanYang gestured a short girl who handed him the score . The girl, Park SoYoung, started singing with a guitar that was just as big as her .

Even if you dont acknowledge me or find me Im fine .

The professors along with Professor Choi ChanYang was surprised after listening to the folk-song-like music . Her music was at a considerable level . No, the song and her voice matched very well . Professor Choi ChanYang especially seemed to have taken a liking to it, as he let her continue into the second verse .

Thank you .

Well done .

When Park SoYoung left, he started talking with the other professors .

Ill choose her .

I also like her .

Under Professor Choi ChanYangs lead, a pass seal was stamped on Park SoYoungs application .

***

KangYoon and a few other employees he had selected were headed to DRO mart in Gangnam .

Its huge .

Muttered vice-chief Yeon SooJin while looking at the large shoes retail store . 2 entire floors and being in Gangnam resulted in a lot of traffic . Not only her, everyone would be flabbergasted at the scale of the store and the population .

Hello .

Welcome .

When they went in, Owner Gu YoungSoo was waiting for them .

KangYoon and the others received the sales, customers per day, the floating population, and the music that was played at specific times from the owner before they walked around the store .

It was difficult to judge just from the music from the speakers . He could see various musical notes, but non-live, recorded music did not show him musical notes and light . It was the same as how light and musical notes disappears through media such as TV .

Since he couldnt utilize his greatest weapon, KangYoon panicked at first . However, he couldnt stay like that forever . He walked around the store among the customers that were looking at shoes and looked around .

Chief Yoo, I dont think the customers are staying for long .

Chief Han SeYoung cautiously spoke . Chief Yoo GeunTae agreed .

I think so too . Are all shoes retail stores like this?

They arent this bad . Shouldnt they stay for at least 5 minutes to do anything?

Chief Han SeYoung specifically observed one customer . However, she could see that the person left after two minutes of looking around the store . Just in case, she observed other customers, and they were all the same . Not every single customer was like that, but many left before even 5 minutes had passed .

Team leader .

Chief Han SeYoung spoke out to KangYoon to tell him that .

They arent staying here for long . Even though there seems to be no problem with the employees attitude . (T/N: Spoken by KY)

The employees are all very nice .

Chief Han SeYoung replied to KangYoons words . Although they couldnt evaluate properly since this wasnt their field, the employees were mostly very nice in handling customers .

KangYoon and the others looked for a lot of things while walking around the store . They could observe a lot of things when they walked around the store for the entire peak-hours . KangYoon gathered everyone to sum up what they had found .

To put it simply, I think the music is indeed a problem . I cant find any mistakes in other areas .

I think the same, Team leader .

Chief Han SeYoung added to KangYoons words .

We need to solve this from a musical vantage . The overall mood is very sunken and customers are leaving quickly . The current selection of music is just ordinary pop music . Lets first analyze the characteristics around the store, trends, and the preferences of the customers, and make a list .

Yes, Team leader .

Let us return then .

Along with KangYoons words, everyone hurriedly returned to their office . KangYoon was worried that he couldnt see any light, but he was still passionate .

Lets believe in my senses . I can do this .

KangYoon resolved himself while going over a bridge inside a company car . This wouldnt be easy for him, but he found it joyful that he may develop himself further .

The first work of 2009 began like that .