Chapter 84 : Fanatical Obsession
Chapter 84: Fanatical Obsession
‘It’s a good song.’
……was something I tried not to say.
Because everyone had different tastes.
What was a life-changing masterpiece to me might sound like noise pollution to someone else.
That was pop music.
The melody, the tone of the vocals, the instruments layered behind the vocals, and even the lyrics.
All of these had to perfectly align with one’s preferences before the phrase ‘good song’ could be attached to it.
It wasn’t like I had always thought that way from the start.
Since childhood, I had been a notorious ‘music freak,’ and I used to recklessly play my favorite songs for my friends.
90s synthpop, house, disco……
But.
‘Good, right? Yeah? What do you think?’
……when I asked.
This is what my mom listens to.
No, isn’t it more like grandma stuff?
What is this even, forget it, let’s just go play soccer!
……those were the answers that came back.
Sometimes there were kind kids who went, ‘Uh, yeah…….’ pretending to agree out of politeness.
Why had no one told me back then.
That ‘uh, yeah’ was never truly agreement.
That it really meant, ‘Since you’re insisting so desperately, I won’t say no, but you’re kinda weird.’
I thought it was genuine and went on rambling.
If I were to summarize that situation in one line now.
‘So, who asked?’
That about covered it.
The only saving grace was that, once in a while, there were songs my friends could take some interest in.
For example, the opening theme of the anime ‘Yo-kai Watch.’
As long as Yo-kai Watch was involved, they at least pretended to care.
Hey, hey, you know that Geragerapo song?
Yo-kai Watch?
Yeah, don’t you think that one’s really good?
Of course, there was no middle ground for little Seo Taeyoon.
Wow, it’s really amazing. It might sound like just a light J-pop song, but it’s actually really well-structured, you know?
Uh……?
The BPM is on the fast side, right? But the beat itself sounds kind of relaxed. Do you know why?
I-I don’t know. I’m not really curious eit……
That’s it! That’s the power of the drums! They stretched out the rhythm to design it in such a sophisticated way. They added a touch of Japanese traditional music rhythm to it. The melody feels a bit old-fashioned too.
……Uh, yeah.
And the way the vocalist scratches their throat when singing—don’t you think that’s superb?
I admit it.
At that time, the kids’ eyes clearly said, ‘What’s wrong with this guy……. Scary.’
Some even said outright, ‘What the hell, you freak…….’
And yet.
I got so excited I even banged on the desk pretending to play the drums.
……I really did that.
Looking back now, the kids had been really nice.
They must have felt like they were listening to alien talk, not having fun at all.
The opening is 1 minute 30 seconds long, but if you find the full version, you’ll hear it better. The whole song is structured in a loop, so it doesn’t get boring. And then……
Then someone would shout.
Hey! Today’s school lunch is burgers!
Whoaaa!
Every time, my music analysis lecture ended up losing to the lunch menu.
Anyway. It wasn’t until little Seo Taeyoon grew up into student Seo Taeyoon that I realized.
That recommending music to someone was something to do carefully, and that preferably, it was better not to recommend at all.
So why had I brought this record to Jeong Jaewook?
“Chairman, you know this album too? Wow, then this makes the conversation a lot easier.”
The songs on this album were like that.
Not songs I wanted to recommend to someone, but songs I wanted to listen to with someone.
That’s right.
I wanted to listen to this album with Jeong Jaewook.
Jeong Jaewook took the record in his hands.
His eyes remained fixed on it, and his expression stayed complicated.
He looked back and forth between Taeyoon and the album before murmuring deeply.
“Wow, unbelievable. I never thought I’d see this here.”
It was an album that had come out more than 20 years ago.
The early 2000s. A time when the remnants of the 90s coexisted with the new flows of the 2000s.
Genres of every kind flooded the scene.
And this album contained all of it.
Techno, house, ballad, hip hop, idol dance……
It threw in everything it could.
An album without genre boundaries.
The outcome of such attempts was always extreme.
Either it embraced everyone, or it was rejected by everyone.
Unfortunately, this album fell into the latter.
Taeyoon thought.
‘The person who made this is really…… fascinating.’
Maybe they had known it wouldn’t get attention.
Maybe they hadn’t cared about that at all.
It didn’t matter.
Everything about it fit perfectly into Taeyoon’s heart.
A full-length album packed with twelve tracks.
But the real charm of this album lay elsewhere.
And that was exactly why he wanted to listen to it with Jeong Jaewook.
<Put It All Back>
Composed, Arranged – JU:K
Lyrics – 5:Z
<Party? Party!>
Composed, Arranged – JU:K
Lyrics – 5:Z
<Call My Name>
Composed, Arranged – JU:K
Lyrics – 5:Z
<Stress Love>
Composed, Arranged – JU:K
Lyrics – 5:Z
<Poppin’ Groove> (feat. DJ Komi)
Composed, Arranged – JU:K
Lyrics – 5:Z
.
.
All 12 tracks were made by the same two people.
Looking at this album, Taeyoon felt it showed…… a glimpse of fanatical obsession.
The kind of madness that wanted to show everything, yet show nothing at all.
Any creator would experience such a phase at least once.
Regardless of who they were.
That time when you wanted to pour out everything without restraint.
Just like how Taeyoon hid his identity and became DJ Blackhole.
He believed this person must have been the same.
So he asked.
“How do you know about this album?”
To which Jeong Jaewook countered with a question.
“This album…… what do you even call the singer?”
Taeyoon scratched the bridge of his nose.
Was this how you were supposed to read it?
It was strange and obscure, with no real information known.
So he just said it however it came to him.
“I called it Juke.”
“ Oh, you’re right. I guess it can be read that way too.”
“Didn’t you read it differently, Chairman?”
Jeong Jaewook shrugged his shoulders and gave a faint smile.
Why is he smiling?
As Taeyoon tilted his head with a question mark hanging over it, he spoke.
“Well, it depends on the reader. Part of it was intentional too. Anyway, I’m curious—why did you bring this to me? Nobody even gives an album like this a second glance, do they?”
“Well…….”
Taeyoon carefully chose his words.
To gauge the other’s reaction.
To draw out his sincerity.
There were people who deliberately overreacted.
Right now, Jeong Jaewook was exactly like that.
There was something there…… but.
Taeyoon just couldn’t figure it out.
So he simply said it honestly.
“Because I wanted to listen to it with you, Chairman.”
“With me? Why? Was this album that good?”
At that moment, Taeyoon noticed.
That Jeong Jaewook’s voice had jumped up by two octaves.
In other words, he was a little excited.
Unbothered, Taeyoon answered.
“Just, this album is fun.”
“Fun, huh……. That’s an interesting way to put it. To call a total flop of an album fun…… That’s not an easy evaluation to make.”
The crease between Chairman Jeong’s brows narrowed slightly.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he continued.
“Hearing that expression come from Writer Stay’s mouth makes me really curious. Why was it fun?”
He stared intently at Taeyoon.
“Hmm.”
As though searching for the right words.
Taeyoon’s eyes darted around briefly.
There were many reasons this album was fun.
It was full of fascinating points.
A jumble of genres.
Lyrics that felt extreme—whether from greed or love, it was unclear.
A title track that sounded like a cheerful dance song, but actually contained heavy autobiographical stories.
A sound so rough it bordered on grating.
And yet, it had a strange charm that made you keep listening.
Taeyoon organized those scattered impressions into this:
“This album represents the direction I want to pursue in music.”
“……In what way?”
“Isn’t it something every creator dreams of at least once? An album made exactly how they want, without compromise. That’s why it was fun for me. And Five-Z? Their lyrics were good too.”
Jeong Jaewook’s eyes visibly wavered.
Pretending not to know when he did, pretending to know when he didn’t.
Taeyoon pressed on with his words.
“I found out it was an indie album. From beginning to end, without caring about anyone’s opinion, Juke designed it all. That’s why I think it’s fun.”
“No, no. That’s why it totally failed.”
“Excuse me?”
“Haa……. Never mind. Go on.”
Jeong Jaewook pressed his fingers hard against his temple.
To think there would still be someone who remembered this album.
And not just remembered—analyzed it with excitement.
“……Uh, okay. I’ll continue.”
At first, Taeyoon wondered if the Chairman was testing him, but no.
This guy…… really didn’t know?
“The madness of ignoring genre boundaries, the obsession of writing every track alone. I think that’s the true spirit of a creator. That’s why I wanted to listen to it with you, Chairman Jeong.”
“So why me?”
“Because you, Chairman Jeong, are someone who understands that kind of creator.”
“Is this some kind of declaration of war?”
Taeyoon’s eyes widened as he answered.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Heh.”
“It was my way of saying thank you for understanding me, and asking for your support going forward. Honestly, <Avalanche> was, in a way, also a song that threw away trends. But you still accepted it as Signum’s follow-up track, didn’t you?”
“That’s not the same!”
Bang.
Jeong Jaewook sprang to his feet.
Pointing firmly at the album Taeyoon had brought, he declared.
“How can you compare that album to Avalanche? That’s absurd. This thing is all over the place.”
“Either way, I want to listen to it together. I don’t usually say things like this, but……”
Taeyoon swallowed hard.
He never thought he would actually say this out loud.
“They’re good songs. All of them.”
Thump.
At Taeyoon’s words, Jeong Jaewook collapsed back into his seat.
It felt like something he had been holding tightly in his chest finally crumbled away.
After that, he barely remembered what else they talked about.
An hour later.
Once Taeyoon left the Chairman’s office, saying he had an appointment—
‘Back then, I was really like that…….’
He slowly rose from his seat.
Then, step by step, he walked over to the mini component system he cherished.
He dusted it every day and maintained it himself.
He stared quietly at the album jacket.
There he was, from his younger days, back when he still had a full head of hair.
Whirr—
As he slid the CD in, he paused.
He forced his trembling fingertips to push the disc in again.
It felt like meeting his younger self from 20 years ago—
and the woman he had loved so ardently.
As the CD began to spin, he slowly closed his eyes.
Even if I rewind the needle through blurred memories
To a time I cannot reach, you put it back
He let out a short laugh.
Oh Jisoo.
What did she know to write lyrics like this?
And what was I thinking, singing this breakup song so earnestly?
‘Writer Stay…… don’t tell me he’s implying something between me and Oh Jisoo……. Hah, what a thought.’
For the first time in a long time,
Jeong Jaewook couldn’t take off his headphones until dawn broke.
I swear.
I really had no idea.
“Hyung, am I doing this right? Can you play it again just once more?”
“That ‘once more’ is already the twentieth time……”
These Signum kids.
“Hyung, shouldn’t there be a slight difference in pronunciation between Bass and Base? English…… is hard.”
Not chicks, but……
“Hyung, listen! Doesn’t my tone sound a little weird when I go ‘down, down’?”
“Ah, wait a sec. Hyung, during the bridge, we’re supposed to double it, right? It wasn’t in the guide though.”
“Stop bothering Taeyoon-hyung. Didn’t you listen to the reference track he organized for you? He even wrote out a directing guide.”
“The handwriting was so bad I couldn’t read it……”
So they really were raptors.
The way they kept pecking at me.
It was killing me.
“Enough……! Quiet down and sit here. I’m not saying it twice.”
“Hyung told us to be quiet.”
“Yes, sir, we’ll sit down.”
Anyway.
This story needs a little more time.
Because my ability still wasn’t enough to properly produce these Signum kids.
For now, what needed attention was this:
No matter how good Stay is, he’s still no match for Busan Goblin.
Nah, Stay’s the real deal over Busan Goblin.
I think the follow-up track is gonna overtake the title.
Don’t talk nonsense. There’s a reason the title was picked.
Out of nowhere, Busan Goblin and I had become rivals.