The Genius Composer Starts Again - Chapter 75

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Again.

That sentence pierced straight through my chest. What was once taken for granted had now become an object of fear.

Right now, the distant humming of the air conditioner, the sound of Bella clicking her pen, Ian’s breathing.

All of this would evaporate and only pitch-black darkness would descend.

Until the things that make up this world are erased one by one, leaving me completely alone.

Even if I moved my mouth, I wouldn’t know if I was making a sound or not, and gradually I would lose even my voice.

The nightmare of the past was returning to become reality again.

Fear struck me first.

Could I endure that again? I had already held out in that quagmire for so long, and now I had to crawl back into it again?

It felt like pitch-black darkness was rising from the floor. It crept up slowly and finally reached my chin.

I’m being devoured.

The moment I thought that,

Bella opened her mouth again. My ears felt numb, so I only saw the shape of her lips first. The sentence pierced through the darkness very slowly, reaching my ears.

“However.”

I froze.

The darkness retreated a layer.

Bella’s eyes had changed. I could feel her slightly relaxed lips and warm gaze.

Bella paused for a beat and spoke clearly.

“To be honest, setting aside the company’s position, personally I like this song.”

Click.

Like a light being turned on, the darkness was instantly annihilated. The darkness could no longer creep up and only writhed at my feet.

I stared at Bella with wide eyes.

“Considering the overall flow of the album and the concept the company wants, the previous song is definitely better. But when I think as just one listener rather than a producer, I prefer the current song.”

Bella winked one eye and added her final words.

“I’m being really honest here, okay?”

[ SYSTEM – MAIN QUEST ]

> Reconfirming the achievement conditions for the ‘Build good relationships with A&S’ Quest !

> Client2 (Bella) evaluation items resynchronizing

> Internal weighting: ‘Personal in-depth evaluation’ reflected (+3%)

[ SYSTEM – V1.0 ]

> Results of the ‘Build good relationships with A&S’ recheck !

> Achievement conditions confirmed

1. Client1 (Ian)’s satisfaction: 88%

2. Client2 (Bella)’s satisfaction: 78% → 81%

> Achievement conditions have been met !

[ SYSTEM – MAIN QUEST ]

> Penalty (7 days of hearing loss) settlement is suspended.

I let out a long breath. Cold sweat ran down my back.

My heart, which had sunk with a thud, seemed to be beating again.

‘It’s done.’

Now the black shadow had disappeared without a trace. The sounds that had become distantly faint seemed to be clearly audible again.

Ian shouted joyfully.

“See! I knew it. This song is really good.”

He looked at me and grinned broadly as if he had received the praise himself.

“Thank goodness! That you got recognized.”

“…Right.”

It was close, but the Quest succeeded too.

This was the highest average satisfaction rating from both people among all the songs I’d made so far.

“You don’t need to be that happy, you know? Like I said, this is just my personal impression, and the company’s position is different.”

Even as she said this, Bella still wore a gentle smile. It was quite different from her cool impression earlier.

Ian jeered from the side.

“Boo. Song quality is more important than the company’s position. The previous song? Not bad. But the current song is much better!”

“It’s not all about just one good song.”

Bella clicked her tongue as if looking at an immature troublemaker. Ian didn’t seem to care about that at all and started arguing stubbornly.

“Do it with this song! Or I want to have this song. Give it to me! I’ll release it as a solo later.”

He must have really wanted it, as Ian threw a tantrum saying he would take it for his own solo if necessary.

Bella couldn’t help but chuckle.

“This is driving me crazy. Really.”

Ian didn’t seem to get tired as he sat half-perched on his chair, earnestly appealing to Bella.

Bella ran her fingers through her hair and let out a deep sigh.

“…”

After a moment of silence, she finally called me.

“YULE.”

“Yes?”

“My opinion is still the same. From the company’s standpoint, the previous version would be better. In terms of freshness and mass appeal. But…”

Bella’s gaze reached me.

She opened her laptop and swept the touchpad.

“This part.”

When she played the song, the lyrics from the guide recording flowed out.

-Fly, fly. Whale in the night sky.

Waves spreading over the sleeping city

The sound that brushed between the stars

Dive, dive, into the starlight♪

“These lyrics, the most important part of this song. I think this version is better than the last version for this highlight.”

Of course.

These lyrics that Shin Ha-yeon had written were lyrical and beautiful, but not just bright.

The whale roaming the night sky is free in itself, but at the same time lonely and confused, not knowing where to go.

This version did better express those lyrics.

“Should I say the lyrics make the song even more attractive? It has emotional resonance. Like wearing clothes that fit perfectly.”

Ian chimed in with sparkling eyes.

“I told you! This song is much better! Even the title fits well. Whale day.”

Bella let out a laugh mixed with a sigh and shook her head.

“I can’t live like this. I give up. When the artist wants it this much.”

Bella leaned toward me again.

“Let’s go with this version.”

“…Really?”

“The company’s position is one thing, but ultimately I’m the overall producer of this album.”

It also meant that Bella would have to take all the responsibility.

If this song disrupted the balance of the entire album, if the fans’ reaction turned negative because of it, it would remain a fatal flaw in Bella’s career.

On the other hand, following the company’s opinion would leave room for excuses even if the reaction wasn’t good. She could say it was what the client wanted.

“Sometimes there are songs that just hit you with a strong feeling. This is one of those times. Well, there’s also the fact that this guy wants it so strongly. In the end, I’m choosing the one that sounds better to me.”

Bella continued calmly.

“This song, let’s finalize it with the current version.”

Ian smiled brightly and raised both hands high.

“I love it! I absolutely have to sing this. This is my song!”

I was dumbfounded. I had barely succeeded with the Quest, but I thought they would still use the previous version.

Bella whispered to me again.

“But who exactly is the lyricist? I’d like to work with them separately next time. The lyrics brought the song to life.”

***

“What? Payment?”

Shin Ha-yeon’s eyes widened.

“Haha. I’m not even a professional lyricist. What money would I get for this~.”

Shin Ha-yeon laughed heartily as if she’d heard an amusing joke.

“Those lyrics were a gift to you in return for hearing a good song. Do whatever you want with them. I’ll just think of it as having had a fun experience.”

Shin Ha-yeon confessed that she had enjoyed every moment of writing lyrics to my song.

A sparkling light dwelled in Shin Ha-yeon’s eyes as she said this. It seemed like she was speaking sincerely.

Originally, I had planned to tell her the truth and get her signature on a formal contract.

But Shin Ha-yeon just couldn’t take it seriously at all.

“Huh? It’s going to be distributed through a record company? Wow~. Congratulations! People around me do that kind of thing often these days. They say composition academies help you release an album like that?”

She said things like this.

“Let me know when the song comes out. A song with lyrics I wrote. It would be so meaningful.”

She even said this.

Even when I told her it would be a much bigger deal than she thought, she just looked at me with innocent eyes and said things like ‘Yeah, I hope so too.’

‘Fine. Then I’ll have to handle this my own way.’

I smiled brightly and pulled out the contract I had prepared in advance. It was a contract based on the standard copyright royalty distribution ratio.

“It probably won’t be much anyway. Just sign it. We can use it to have a meal together later.”

I added excuses about how music sites require listing a lyricist, so it couldn’t be helped.

Then Shin Ha-yeon said “Is that so?” and obediently signed.

“Haha. Writing a formal contract like this makes it feel like I’m really debuting as a professional.”

I answered with a slight smile.

“You are a professional now.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————