64 – mm. (4) 64.
mm Entertainment used an entire four-story building in Gangnam.
Overall, it felt clean rather than flashy, but one thing stood out: there were paintings everywhere. If you came in without knowing it was an entertainment company, you could mistake it for an exhibition hall.
"So, what do you think of the company?"
After I exchanged brief greetings with the man who introduced himself as Seo Hoon, the CEO of the company, we moved to the meeting room, and he asked. I smiled and answered.
"It's very clean."
"The studios and practice rooms are very clean too. We don't have any affiliated artists yet."
Seo Hoon said that and laughed.
Wait—was that a joke?
I debated how to react and just laughed it off.
If Taeyoung had made a joke like that, I would have snapped back immediately, but this was the CEO, so I couldn't. We hadn't even signed anything yet, and I already had to do workplace socializing.
"Oh, and there are a lot of paintings."
I changed the subject quickly, feeling like he might keep making similar jokes if I didn't. Seo Hoon smiled and nodded.
"One of my nieces paints."
"If you mean your niece…"
Seo Chaerim?
I trailed off with that implication, but Seo Hoon shook his head.
"Not Chaerim. I have another niece."
"Ah, I see."
I didn't know if it was Chaerim's sibling or another sibling's child, but I nodded to show I understood. I didn't need to know other people's family details.
"I heard about you from Chaerim. She said you're not a composer, but a producer."
"Yes. That's what I'm aiming for, at least."
"I listened to the songs you uploaded to the cloud. They were really good."
"Thank you for listening to them so positively."
"They're good songs, so I listened to them that way."
Seo Hoon said it with a laugh. You could really feel that he and Chaerim were family.
After that, we talked about music.
"Of the songs uploaded to the cloud, the one I liked most was 'Actually.' It was an excellent song—good enough to make me want it the moment I heard it. 'Come Home' was also outstanding. More than anything, it matched the vocalist's atmosphere perfectly. Did you make it with that vocalist in mind?"
"Yes, I did."
"Ha. I knew it. The moment I heard it, I thought it was a perfect match—like seasoned fried chicken. Like a song that was born to be sung by that vocalist. Sorry, but could you tell me who the vocalist is?"
"My younger sibling. My little sister."
"If she's your sister, then she's a middle schooler?"
"Yes."
"A middle schooler with that kind of talent… impressive. Then is your goal to debut as a sibling duo with her?"
"No."
I shook my head. It wasn't that I'd never considered debuting with Suyeon—making songs for her and singing together as a duo.
But I dropped that idea. Compared to Suyeon's talent, mine was insignificant. I didn't want to become baggage for her. In my past life, I had already drained her enough.
I planned to make songs for her, but I wasn't going to limit her by tying her to a duo.
"Ah, that's a shame. I thought if you debuted as a sibling duo, it would be an incredible duo."
"I do plan to work together after she debuts. I just don't think there's any need to limit each other as a duo."
"I see."
Seo Hoon nodded slowly.
It seemed like Seo Hoon wanted Suyeon too.
That was a good thing, but not yet. I didn't want Suyeon signing as some 'buy one, get one' package with me. I wanted her to be recognized and signed as an independent individual.
That was why I planned to grow the cloud.
"All right. Understood."
See? Seo Hoon stopped there. If he really wanted Suyeon, he wouldn't have stopped. He would have pushed harder or asked to meet her separately.
"Before we talk about the contract, could I listen to your other songs? Chaerim said you have a lot more."
"Of course."
I nodded, took my laptop out of my bag, and played the tracks I'd prepared.
There were five songs in total:
"Fault," "Da Capo," "Unknown Addressee," "Main," and "Diary."
Seo Hoon listened to the songs I made with a serious expression, even closing his eyes to focus.
Watching him, I felt strangely impatient.
How would he judge my songs?
Would he like them?
Would he ask to sign?
What if he didn't?
Negative thoughts surfaced. Fear gripped me.
Memories from my past life—memories of having songs I struggled to write rejected—tormented me.
I clenched my fist and forced those thoughts away.
No. Trust the songs I made.
That's what Teacher Ha Hyoju said.
Love the songs I made.
As the music filled the meeting room, I watched Seo Hoon.
§
"Hm."
Listening to the songs Yoon Hajun had made, Seo Hoon let out a low hum. Honestly—he had to keep forcing down the grin tugging at his mouth.
But it didn't work.
The more he listened, the more his lips kept lifting.
How should he describe this?
Like buying a lottery ticket because a friend recommended it, and then actually winning?
Like being the only one who recognized a gem no one else had found?
If things went badly, he had planned to at least secure the songs.
But he changed his mind.
Signing only the songs would be stupid.
If a goose that laid golden eggs was right in front of you, why would you only buy the gold?
"You made all of these yourself?"
"Yes."
"And the producing?"
"I did that too."
"Hm. Mixing and mastering as well?"
"Yes. I did those too. But my mixing and mastering are lacking, so if I debut, I'd like to hand them to a professional engineer."
"And the lyrics?"
"…I wrote those too, but I feel like my lyrics are lacking as well. So if I debut, I'd like to leave that to a professional lyricist."
So the five songs he was listening to now, plus the four uploaded to the cloud—he did all of it himself.
At this point, it wasn't just a grin. A foolish smile slipped out.
This wasn't a gem no one had discovered.
This was a refined diamond no one had discovered.
The mood, the structure. The vocalist who matched that mood. The lyrics. Everything was excellent.
Even the genres were diverse. Yoon Hajun wasn't making just one kind of music.
He was making songs across many genres.
And he accurately understood what he lacked.
Seo Hoon could see why Seo Chaerim had called him a producer.
She was right.
Yoon Hajun wasn't just a composer.
If anything, he was closer to a "creator."
A producer who oversees and creates the entire work.
And that kind of creator also happened to be good at composing.
"Did Chaerim tell you anything about mm Entertainment?"
"Just that mm Entertainment's parent company is komm."
"That's right. And mm Entertainment carries on komm's spirit. Do you know what komm's spirit is?"
"I'm not sure."
"What komm values most is having one's own thing."
"One's own thing…"
"You can't just sing well. Even if someone's vocal skill is a little lacking, if they have something that only they have, we want them. That's what mm Entertainment and komm are looking for. In fact, komm regularly runs projects to produce and promote albums for those kinds of people."
Yoon Hajun frowned slightly.
He meant that indie-singer popup on the komm site, didn't he?
"One's own thing"—in other words, an artist's unique color.
That could be their tone, or the kind of songs they make.
Come to think of it, mm Entertainment had produced a lot of distinctive artists.
"And Hajun—no, Hajun-ssi— you're one of those people. You're not a singer, but as a composer and producer, you have something that's yours."
At that, Yoon Hajun smiled faintly.
That I have my own thing.
Back when he was a singer in his past life, that was something he desperately wanted to hear.
And now, he was hearing those exact words.
"What mm Entertainment prioritizes is the artist. I believe our contract terms are very good within the industry."
"Yes."
"And if we sign with you, we'll support you as much as possible. We'll connect you with singers you want to work with, and we'll help you focus on your life as a producer."
Yoon Hajun nodded. He understood what Seo Hoon was saying.
This was a contract offer.
An exclusive contract, as a producer.
"Of course, we might make suggestions to you. But those would be suggestions within an equal relationship. Naturally, you can refuse at any time."
"If I release music, can I release it under my own name?"
"Of course. It's not unheard of for producers or composers to release albums under their own name. It's absolutely possible. And since our parent company is komm, you don't need to worry about promotion on komm."
Promotion mattered.
Some might call it commercial, but singers are singers because there are people who listen to their songs. Promotion increased those people as much as possible.
And there was also a realistic reason.
Money.
Singers were people too. You couldn't live on singing alone without money. In his past life, Yoon Hajun couldn't earn money, and he couldn't properly live as a singer.
After that, Seo Hoon continued promoting mm Entertainment.
And the more he talked, the more satisfying it sounded.
As expected of mm Entertainment.
There was a reason it was one of the places he'd kept in mind.
"If you join mm Entertainment, I'll show you it was a choice you won't regret."
After saying that, Seo Hoon fell silent and looked at Yoon Hajun.
He had done everything he could.
Now the choice belonged to Yoon Hajun.
Seo Hoon felt impatient—just as Yoon Hajun had earlier.
He didn't want to lose him. Talent like that, and only seventeen.
If he let someone like this go, he'd regret it so much he'd kick himself.
How much time passed like that?
Finally, Yoon Hajun opened his mouth.
"Could I also take a look at the studio and practice rooms?"
"Ah, that's important. Of course."
Seo Hoon nodded, stood up, and guided Yoon Hajun through the company.
The office, the waiting room, and most importantly, the studio and practice rooms.
"If you sign with us, you'll be able to use this studio and all the equipment here. Of course, we can also get equipment you need, or you can bring your own personally."
mm Entertainment's studio was quite impressive.
Even compared to ROC Entertainment, it didn't fall far behind.
After finishing the tour, Seo Hoon asked Yoon Hajun again.
"So, what will you do?"
There was something almost pleading in his tone. Yoon Hajun smiled.
Then he said, smiling,
"I'll ask my mom."
Yoon Hajun was still a minor.
§ § §
"A contract with a company? Like last time?"
"No. Last time, I only signed a contract for a single song. This time, it's a contract between me and the company."
"So a trainee contract?"
"Not a trainee. As a composer…"
Yoon Hajun trailed off.
He still hadn't told his mother that he switched majors from vocal to composition. That was why she thought the "Rough" contract he signed last time was just a special case.
But now, he was trying to sign with a company as a composer and producer.
He couldn't keep hiding it.
After a brief hesitation, Yoon Hajun spoke honestly.
"I changed my major. From vocal to composition. Vocal is fun too, but… I don't know. I think composition fits me better. And if Suyeon debuts as a singer, I want to help her."
He laughed awkwardly.
But he didn't feel entirely at ease.
His mother was someone who had trusted him and supported him because he said he wanted to become a singer.
And now he was telling her he was quitting singing and becoming a composer.
How would she take it?
As he worried about that, his mother smiled and said,
"I know."
"What?"
"I already knew you switched to composition."
"Since when?"
"You know when you got a scholarship and brought your report card? It said 'composition major' on it."
…Ah.
"That's when I called the school and found out."
"Then why didn't you say anything until now?"
"Because it's the path you chose. I trusted you. And you even got a scholarship. It's a shame you gave up being a singer, but you're still doing music—and more than anything, you looked happy."
"Did I?"
"Yes. Before, there were times you looked like you were suffering, but lately you've looked happy."
And more than anything—
"I trust and support you."
He had known that since his past life.
But hearing it directly felt strange.
Yoon Hajun forced down the surge in his throat.
And at the same time, he felt relieved.
It was a relief to be born as his mother's son.
Not someone else's. His mother's.
Not being reborn as someone else's child through reincarnation or a past life—getting to live once again as his mother's son.
He was truly grateful.
"Mom."
"Hm?"
"I'm really going to succeed."
Success wasn't the only way to repay someone. Yoon Hajun knew that.
But across two lives—his past and present—he wanted to give back the youth his mother had spent suffering.
"I'm really going to succeed."
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Read 161 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
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