Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 224

“Raon submitted a song this time, right?”

“Huh? Yes.”

As I quickly gathered my wits and answered, the staff members exclaimed, “Oh…,” in admiration.

“The CEO personally taught you composition, right?”

“The kid naturally has a knack for it, so there wasn’t much for me to teach. He did well on his own. We have high expectations for him.”

CEO Ban Ga-eul smiled contentedly, adding another burden onto my shoulders.

“Both Gyun Seong-ha and Ban Yo-han are the same; our company has a lot of talented people.”

“Wow, I’m really curious about Raon’s song.”

Since Seo Moon-gyeol and Ban Yo-han had previously excelled in composing and arranging, even the staff who were unfamiliar with my composition skills seemed to have some expectations for me.

The pressure from their gazes made it feel like the chocolate I ate earlier was bubbling up in my stomach.

About a month ago, I was brimming with confidence while composing, but now I couldn’t find a trace of it.

I had already recorded the guide with Go Kyung-yoon, but I hadn’t listened to my song since submitting it a while back, afraid that I might find more parts I wanted to revise.

“You won’t tell us anything about it either.”

Kang Ji-woo grumbled lightly.

“They probably don’t want us to vote for our own song, whether it’s good or not.”

One of the staff joked, and Kang Ji-woo waved his hands, laughing.

“Hey, we wouldn’t go that far…”

Kang Ji-woo’s words, who usually showed open favoritism towards me, didn’t convince the staff at all.

“Right.”

“Absolutely right.”

“Especially Ji-woo hyung and Gyeol hyung.”

Ban Yo-han, who was the only member not pointed out by Gyun Seong-ha, intervened with a sullen face.

“As far as I know, Orca, you have three hyungs, so why leave me out?”

“Although you can be as troublesome and difficult as Ji-woo hyung, you’re not someone who would falsely praise something bad in this matter.”

“Ah, I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or an insult.”

“It’s clearly an insult. And you insulted Ji-woo hyung along with it.”

“Actually, you don’t want to insult me, do you? No matter how much of an honorary Korean you are, your base is still American, so you might not know, but in Korean, the last thing said is the most important. He said I’m not an unreliable person, meaning I’m more trustworthy than Gyeol.”

“It’s an insult.”

“See… what did you say?”

“And how could you compare Gyeol hyung to you?”

“Seong-ha, why me?”

“Alright, we don’t have time to fight, so let’s stop the chatter and focus now.”

Director Ju Yeol-eum’s words quickly calmed the noisy meeting room, even though we had gotten much more comfortable with each other after spending so much time together in the cramped office.

“Always important, but especially this time, this is a crucial turning point for both the kids and the company. Please listen carefully and thoughtfully.”

“Yes!”

The air quickly turned serious and focused as if the earlier chatter had never happened, and the intro of the first song flowed from the speakers.

* * *

The meeting, which had started around lunchtime, was lasting longer than usual.

Instead of moving on to the next song right after listening to one, everyone shared their thoughts about the song, discussed if it matched the latest trends, checked if it sounded too similar to recent releases, considered what concept we could promote if it became the title track, and even discussed what kind of costumes we should wear if we promoted with this song. With over ten members and staff giving their opinions on every single aspect, time flew by quickly.

Last time, it wasn’t this intense, but this time everyone was bursting with passion and enthusiasm.

Perhaps it was because CEO Ban Ga-eul had promised a freely participatory Hanwoo barbecue dinner and a bonus if we did well in this activity.

When Ban Yo-han, leveraging his position as the CEO’s nephew, asked if we got anything, CEO Ban Ga-eul just chuckled.

“If there are no further comments, let’s wrap up the discussion on song number 5 and move on to the next one.”

I put down my pen, which I had been using to diligently jot down notes on song number 5, and massaged my stiff fingers.

The A4 paper in front of me was now filled with notes about the songs we had heard so far.

Seo Moon-gyeol, Kang Ji-woo, and others sitting beside me were in similar situations.

“Next is candidate song number 6.”

It was now time to listen to the 6th of the 7 candidate songs.

“Ugh, I’m tired.”

“It’s not over yet. Stay focused until the end.”

“Yep.”

Among the first 5 songs, there was one that received favorable reviews from most of the staff.

Fortunately, it was a song that had a completely different vibe from mine, which had not yet been played.

As I closed my eyes to focus on the sound, a refreshing intro flowed from the speakers.

‘Ah, it’s my song.’

**Chapter 224**

**Genius Idol’s Strategy to Conquer: Chapter 224**

Still, I managed to pass the first hurdle without any issues.

Maintain your expression, maintain your expression.

Already, Ban Yo-han, Kang Ji-woo, and other members, whose gazes I could feel on my cheeks, were trying hard to figure out if this song was mine by subtly checking my reaction after each song.

Don’t smile.

Calm down, corners of my mouth.

Heart, stay still.

[If your heart stays still, you die. Intelligence -0]

… This guy said he was taking a break from being a manager, and now he’s free enough to spout nonsense again?

While I inwardly cursed Larry, who had shown his presence through the system window for the first time in a while, the song, just under 3 minutes and 20 seconds, ended.

With my first evaluation in front of the majority, I quietly clenched and unclenched my fists on my knees to ease my tension.

Having passed the first evaluation by CEO Ban Ga-eul, Director Ju Yeol-eum, and Team Leader Choi Bo-ra, it meant that the minimum quality requirements were somewhat met.

There were definitely some songs among the previous five that weren’t well received.

Both Go Kyung-yoon, who recorded the guide for me, and I thought this song was really good, but whether more people would like it was still uncertain.

“How is it?”

Having listened to it once during the first evaluation, CEO Ban Ga-eul, who decided not to speak until the other staff had shared their opinions for fairness, asked.

“Well… it seems to fit the image we decided on earlier. It’s bright and energetic. Refreshing.”

While discussing the previous songs, the staff had debated intensely about the vibe of the title track.

Considering our experience and image, two main vibes were considered for the title track.

One side argued that a sentimental and lyrical song, like Seo Moon-gyeol’s “Rewind,” would be better as the title track, while the other side insisted on a refreshing and upbeat song.

Team Leader Choi Bo-ra and other staff who supported the sentimental and lyrical song felt that it would be good to appeal to the public’s empathy and support, given our past stories like Gyun Seong-ha’s and mine.

On the other hand, Director Ju Yeol-eum and others who supported the refreshing and upbeat song argued that the group image of Orca could become overly pitiful and sympathetic if we went too sentimental, and we should gain the public’s support and cheer by showing our bright faces.

After fierce exchanges of opinions, it was nearly confirmed that the title track would have a bright and energetic concept at this point.

“I like something upbeat.”

“Me too. Rather than emphasizing the tough times we had, I want to show that we’re doing well.”

“I think what Team Leader Choi said makes sense, so it would be good to tell that story through a sub-track or music video.”

“I agree.”

Among many reasons, the biggest was that all the members supported the bright and energetic concept.

Therefore, my song, which had a refreshing yet exciting feel, could potentially be chosen as the title track.

Or it could be dropped from the album altogether if it was deemed too similar to the selected title track…

I calmed my overly excited heart and tried to listen calmly to the others’ opinions on my song.

The overall reaction of the people in the room wasn’t bad, so it seemed likely that my song would at least make it as an album track, even if it didn’t become the title track.

My goal wasn’t to write a song that would necessarily be chosen as the title track, but to write a song that I could one day sing excitedly with Aeri at a concert.

While I couldn’t push my song to be the title track, I could certainly include it in the concert setlist someday.

After the staff and members briefly shared their opinions, Director Ju Yeol-eum, who had already listened to my song during the first evaluation, spoke.

“I loved it from the first listen.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Personally, it’s my top pick. The song evokes a clear image.”

* * *

Finally, we finished listening to and evaluating all seven songs.

Team Leader Choi Bo-ra, who tallied the votes from the staff and members, announced the results in a calm voice.

“I’ll announce the voting results. The sixth candidate song has been selected as the title track with a majority vote of 11. The song is titled ‘Again,’ written and composed by Haze.”

Really?

Though I was dazed, I had cautiously anticipated that my song might be chosen as the title track after listening to all seven songs, so I managed to keep a calm expression.

[You deceived the majority with a natural expression. Acting skill +5]

“Who’s Haze? I’ve never heard of this composer.”

“Me neither.”

“Is it a new composer? Or a foreigner?”

“From the email, it seemed like a Korean newbie, but I’m not sure.”

To hide my identity, I had used ‘Haze’ as my composer name instead of my real name, but Team Leader Choi Bo-ra seemed to have read it as ‘Heize.’

Well… it would be weird to correct them now, so I decided to accept being called Heize.

No one would associate that odd name with me anyway, so it worked out well.

‘It doesn’t sound bad either…’

“Let’s take a 30-minute break before deciding on the detailed concept and album tracks.”

“Okay.”

The exhausted staff, who had been in a continuous meeting except for a short break, left to get coffee or something.

I also stood up to savor the joy of having my first composed song chosen as the title track alone somewhere.

After appropriately responding to a staff member who warmly told me not to be too disappointed if things didn’t go well from the start, I left the meeting room.

As I walked down the empty hallway with light steps, it happened.

“Ha-je.”

From behind, I heard my old name without any warning or prelude.