CHAPTER 35
- Lee Ha-in sends a love call to the faceless composer YULE? … “Please contact me” interview goes viral
- The behind-the-scenes story of her collaboration with rookie composer YULE revealed
- ‘Not comfort, but ‘wounds’—Lee Ha-in’s new song interview
- A glamorous comeback, Lee Ha-in vs. LAMIA … who is the real digital chart powerhouse?
[The quality of “Shatter” is seriously insane.]
I take back what I said about VTunes’ CEO having no sense.
They say the composer’s a rookie, but the quality is ridiculous lol
I liked it the moment I heard it
I’m a LAMIA fan but yeah, honestly the song is really good
[What’s with the composer viral marketing?]
LOL, does the rookie composer have connections or something? I’ve never seen someone pushed this openly
Right??? LOL
Calling it “mysterious” is so cringe
How is a rookie mysterious? No desperation at all
[I came after watching Lee Ha-in’s interview]
She must’ve really liked the composer lol; she basically sent a video message in the interview
ㄴI heard Lee Ha-in is super stubborn; that’s why her comeback took 2 years. If she said “this is the song,” right away, it must’ve really hit her taste
Is it that good though? The song’s nice but I think it could be polarizing
The song’s good, but the timing sucks. It overlapped with LAMIA
[Isn’t Lee Ha-in way better than those LAMIA idol songs?]
The title says it all
Weak bait
ㄴI kind of agree
Why is everyone typing in initials? If you want to get sued, just say it properly
[I cried listening to Lee Ha-in’s new song…]
The lyrics are like, it’s okay to be in pain; you don’t have to pretend you’re fine. Don’t we all have at least one wound?
They say Lee Ha-in wrote all the lyrics herself. ㅠ I teared up a little
Work’s been crushing me, home’s been stressful too… and somehow this comforted me lol
She really sharpened her blade this time
Me too ㅠㅠㅠ I’m streaming LAMIA, but my fingers keep drifting to Shatter lol
I think Lee Ha-in might hit a career high
ㄴReally? LAMIA’s fandom power is insane this time
ㄴThey lined up the charts. The top 10 is all LAMIA songs
[[MV] HAIN – Shatter]
They could’ve spent more on the music video lol;;
They spent all the money on the song so there was none left for the MV
ㄴThe visuals are kind of meh but at least the music quality is good
Lee Ha-in’s visuals are at their peak but the concept is so bad I’m speechless
Her face barely saved it
***
[Lee Ha-in’s composer is seriously something.]
Blowing up with their first song and all
Honestly, if the comeback timing had been better, it probably would’ve hit No. 1 and then slowly dropped
Lee Ha-in gave them a shoutout in the interview; they don’t show their face so no one recognizes them lol
Isn’t that the ultimate winning route? Rich, anonymous, and no one knows who you are? They’ll probably never reveal their face even after this buzz
ㄴFeels like they’re the biggest winner lol
ㄴThis is all marketing to promote Lee Ha-in’s song anyway. Since when did the public care about composers? It’s so obviously viral marketing
But the song is good, though.
***
Rustle.
Jung Do-hyun turned the page of the report.
It summarized public reactions and industry trends. Overall, the tone was similar across the board.
“A fairly successful debut.”
The secretary, anxiously waiting for his reaction, thought to himself,
‘But why did he ask me to look into this song?’
From the secretary’s point of view, the instruction made no sense.
If you were to look up the hottest issue in the entertainment industry right now, it would obviously be LAMIA’s comeback.
If the goal was to check industry trends, investigating LAMIA would’ve made more sense than Lee Ha-in.
‘Well, he’s the CEO. There must be a reason. I just need to do what I’m told.’
The secretary swallowed his doubts and continued.
“And?”
“LAMIA’s third full album is dominating the charts. From the first day of release, they occupied the entire Top 10. In this kind of situation, it’s difficult for other songs to gain attention.”
He added carefully,
“However, public opinion is surprisingly favorable. Even with LAMIA’s fandom going all out, Lee Ha-in’s song has already climbed right below them.”
Jung Do-hyun quickly pulled up the data himself.
“Right after release it was outside the Top 100… and now it’s climbed to No. 11.”
“Yes, sir. That’s evidence of growing public recognition.”
Those kinds of numbers only appear when there’s buzz.
“Moreover, Lee Ha-in’s interview has gone viral, bringing unprecedented attention to the rookie composer.”
The public mostly showed shallow curiosity toward the “faceless composer” or praised the unexpected quality of the song.
“What’s the chance that an established composer simply changed their name?”
“Very low.”
The secretary adjusted his glasses.
“There were a few candidates. But investigation shows they were all working on different projects. The composition style doesn’t match anyone in particular.”
“I see.”
“Except for one song.”
The secretary pushed up his glasses slightly.
“…The song you received shows significant similarities.”
Jung Do-hyun straightened in his seat.
“The length of the pause in the pre-chorus. The subtle rhythmic push when entering the chorus. The chord progression in the bridge. Statistically identical habits appear. These are patterns that reflect a composer’s personal tendencies. They would be difficult to fabricate intentionally.”
There are traits that simply cannot be hidden.
Jung Do-hyun closed his eyes and compared the two songs in his mind.
The use of dissonance. The breath-stopping pauses. The tension that pushes forward offbeat.
Everything was eerily similar.
Similar enough that one could instinctively feel they came from the same hands.
“Experts believe there is a high probability the two songs were written by the same composer.”
This was the second time.
The second time this composer had appeared before him.
Jung Tae-sung had offered to arrange a meeting, but he would surely demand something in return. Just imagining it was irritating.
It was far better to handle things directly. Besides, Jung Do-hyun preferred doing things himself.
When the trail had been going cold, the composer suddenly resurfaced like this.
With a new song that perfectly suited his taste.
‘I want them.’
A goose that lays golden eggs.
If he could keep that composer by his side and enjoy those songs exclusively.
The thought alone sent a thrill through him.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve discovered a composer this good.’
In his entire life, it had happened only twice.
And considering that the other time had been a very long time ago, this was talent he absolutely could not lose.
“Identity?”
“Nothing confirmed. Even Min Chan-hyuk’s team doesn’t seem to know much. He’s the only one who worked directly with the composer.”
“So he holds all the keys.”
Jung Do-hyun smiled slowly.
Without realizing it, he was already fiddling with a USB drive in his hand.
“I suppose I’ll have to arrange a meeting.”
***
A sudden chill ran down my neck, and I rubbed it unconsciously.
“What’s wrong?”
Min Chan-hyuk looked at me curiously.
“Nothing. Just got goosebumps for a second.”
“What? Don’t scare me.”
He glanced around suspiciously, as if checking for ghosts.
“Forget it. What’s the time?”
“Three minutes left.”
The tension returned immediately.
On the monitor, the latest ranking was displayed.
– No. 11 ( ▲)
Min Chan-hyuk whispered,
“The next update is usually at the hour. But Nelon 24Hits updates a bit late. MiniBugs will reflect first.”
I picked up a glass of water and took a sip.
“You said it was an emergency, and all you meant was watching the chart together.”
“It is an emergency! Do you know how important today is?!”
“I know.”
Maybe that was why my heart wouldn’t stop pounding.
‘If we fail this time, the chart will likely start trending downward.’
Which means failing the quest.
“Are you mentally prepared?”
There was less than a minute left.
I tried to stay calm, but my anxiety was running wild. Tap, tap. I drummed my fingers on the cup.
The clock on the screen showed the seconds clearly.
11:59:50.
No, now 52. Then 56.
5, 4, 3, 2…
“1!”
Min Chan-hyuk shouted and hit refresh.
Flash.
The screen flickered white before returning.
And the ranking displayed was—
– No. 11 ( ▲)
