The Double Life of a Genius Musician

Chapter 119: Goodbye, Breathless Dream

All this time, she might have looked like a puppet—moving only as she was told.

But deep inside, Taeshi had been harboring a tremendous ambition no one knew about.

And that ambition was—

—to swallow the hip-hop label under Tomorrow Entertainment, “The Vault.”

Taeshi knew.

Real power didn’t belong to the artist standing on stage, but to the hands that moved that stage.

‘The Vault’ was a special label.

The very foundation of Tomorrow Entertainment—built upon a delicate but solid balance of freedom and discipline.

Her father’s dream, the one she’d watched from a distance since childhood.

She believed that maybe—just maybe—she could be the one to complete it.

At least, that’s what she had believed before she met Stay.

But strangely, the world she saw with Stay looked a little different.

For the first time, she began to think about what she really wanted.

‘……I thought it was just my imagination.’

It wasn’t.

The world—and herself—

—they both began to move.

“Did you practice a lot?”

“A little?”

Before she knew it, the recording day had arrived.

Stay, as always, threw out those kinds of words without hesitation.

“Let’s go through it once. Don’t mind anyone watching. Just sing it as you felt when you wrote the lyrics.”

Taeshi took a deep breath.

The intro flowed into her ears through the headphones.

She carefully let out the first line.

“Goodbye, breathless dream—”

A gentle charisma.

Holding back emotion—then letting it explode in the chorus.

Taeshi perfectly understood and executed Taeyoon’s direction.

Taeyoon silently rejoiced.

‘Ah, yes, this is it.’

The rumors were true—she had practically lived in the practice room.

Her voice had become more solid, her pronunciation sharper.

And that wasn’t all.

A clear sense of purpose—now fused with confidence.

Probably thanks to the lyrics she had written herself.

When you lose yourself in your own words, the emotions connect naturally.

Just now, without a doubt—

Taeshi had taken one real step closer to her true self.

‘She’s better than I thought.’

When this recording ended, she would have arrived completely.

This was a crucial moment.

Too much praise could break the flow.

Taeyoon responded with calm yet certain conviction.

“That was good. Let’s try it again—this time, a little colder.”

Taeshi nodded lightly.

She adjusted her headphones.

Steadied her breath.

And stepped back onto the beat.

The track started again.

She didn’t force her emotions. She didn’t try to show them off.

She simply let them flow—just as they were.

“Pretend you don’t know till the end, leave nothing behind—”

Her once black-and-white voice slowly began to gain color.

So vivid—it almost made you tear up.

Taeyoon leaned slightly toward the monitor.

‘She was this good?’

This wasn’t emotion wrung out through practice.

Through the pre-chorus, into the high-pitched chorus, and all the way to the bridge that held resolve—

She was now—

—not just Taeshi, but Tae Sihyun, singing from her core.

The recording engineer, without realizing, muttered as he looked toward Taeyoon.

“Wow, those high notes are insane. I didn’t know Taeshi could pull this off. How’d you know?”

“Sounded okay to you?”

“Okay? Not even close—it’s perfect. Usually, this kind of high pitch triggers flags, but she keeps her head voice all the way through. The harmonics are clean, too.”

Ah, industry jargon.

Still sounded strange to him.

He couldn’t lose.

So Taeyoon replied with an equally fitting term.

“Right? Keeping tone balance like that isn’t easy.”

The recording engineer gave him a thumbs-up.

“Now that I think about it, Taeshi’s got a bit of fire in her. Writer, you knew that too?”

“You can’t rap without fire. I heard she even went to a hip-hop festival.”

“True. Even when the crowd booed and didn’t react, she finished her set.”

Taeyoon nodded slowly.

It was touching—but that was all in the past.

Now she had new clothes, and soon, she would rise again on a new stage.

“Alright, let’s take a short break.”

Taeshi trotted out of the booth.

The fierce woman who had poured her emotions out like she’d tear the world apart—was gone.

Now, she just sipped her coffee and looked around nervously.

The engineer asked,

“Sihyun, do you need anything?”

“No. Um… did no one come by?”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. No one was looking for me, right?”

The recording engineer shrugged.

And from her expression, Taeyoon was sure.

‘She’s asking if her dad came.’

That made sense.

So Taeyoon answered, having caught on.

“The CEO dropped by earlier.”

Taeshi’s expression brightened noticeably.

So that was it after all.

Well then, shall I try dosing a little?

“Ah, you didn’t see? He stopped by briefly while you were loosening up your voice after looking at the lyric sheet.”

“Oh? Really?”

“Yes. He confirmed you were doing well before he left. What did he say again… Ah! He said your high notes were better than Song Chaehee’s, and then he left.”

Song Chaehee was called a textbook for high notes and a pioneer of techno rock.

She was also the original singer of Tears’ high-note cover number one.

In short, it was high praise.

‘…They liked it even more than I expected?’

Taeyoon continued, thinking that if his parents had said something like that, even strength that didn’t exist would have surged up, and spoke on.

“He even bought this coffee, you know?”

The engineer nearby, unable to help himself, spoke with his eyes.

‘I actually bought this on the company card, though?’

Then Taeyoon answered with his eyes.

‘Ah, I don’t know. Either way, the company card is the CEO’s money too, so isn’t it all the same?’

Unable to read those kinds of thoughts, Taeshi trotted back into the recording booth.

The engineer muttered as if stunned.

“Wow, PD Seo— I didn’t think he was like that; he’s scary.”

“Hmm, that’s not a lie, right?”

“That’s true. Strangely enough, it wasn’t incorrect.”

“If she gets energized and does better, won’t we get off work sooner and that be a good thing?”

“These days they’d call that a win-win?”

The two of them smiled at each other.

Only Taeshi inside the recording booth steeled her resolute determination alone.

Tomorrow Entertainment CEO’s office.

Just after midnight.

Only the monitor’s light lit the office.

[ Taeshi_Recording Behind-the-Scenes FullFootage.avi ]

Click.

Tae Joonggi silently played the video.

It was the first time.

He had looked so closely at his daughter singing like this.

‘Stay is something else.’

As much as his daughter’s happy face drew his eyes,

Stay’s delicate directing grabbed his attention.

Here you don’t have to watch for cues. Just be yourself. Is that okay? Why not?

It’s good. If you mess up, so what. You can sing it again.

Wow, I got goosebumps. I think this will blow up as a high-note challenge.

Casual yet tight.

She handled Taeshi with total control.

A calmness different from his own rigid, oppressive manner.

He quietly watched all those scenes.

At the last high note, unleashed as if exploding emotion,

Taeshi’s eyes shone for the first time.

‘….’

There were no words, no exclamations.

He only looked at the paused screen for a long time, smiling faintly.

As if he could finally understand everything.

The hardest thing while writing songs.

Was waiting for the album release.

Because making a three-minute song took at least three months.

I was leisurely, but my hyung was busy.

He seemed more attentive and focused than usual.

I purposely didn’t ask him.

I thought it might make him feel pressured.

I simply enjoyed my own leisure.

Ah! I even made a friend.

Is calling him a friend correct?

If minds match, anyone’s a friend.

I especially met Busan Goblin, Do Gibong hyung, often—he’d been a muse.

We shared industry talk and I got to eat a lot of delicious things.

I liked Do Gibong’s stories that were somewhere between sycophantic and sincere.

Strangely, meeting him gave me strength……

Just like this.

“You were amazing, you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“How did you charm Joonggi ajusshi?”

“Charm? I didn’t charm him.”

“You said you worked with Taeshi. If that’s not charming, what is? Anyway, you act innocent but you get everything done. You’re a pro, a pro.”

It was odd.

They said Tomorrow Entertainment’s secrets were top-level classified.

But this hyung knew everything.

He must have planted spies at every company to suck out information.

Otherwise, how would he know all these industry stories?

“You know that guy isn’t someone who’d lose to his daughter. Huh? Why are you looking at me like I’d know something?”

“What else do you know?”

“New label’s coming up, I heard. Be careful. While you’re dithering, you might get swept away.”

“Me? Why?”

“Oh come on. Don’t play clueless.”

……I really didn’t know.

When I rolled my eyes, Do Gibong clicked his tongue and continued.

“Whenever a new star appears in the industry, everyone starts drooling.”

“Right.”

He always seemed to share all kinds of trivia, but if you looked closely, he hid the important stuff.

You had to read between the lines.

I didn’t think too deeply.

After all, it was other people’s gossip.

I pretended to understand just enough and moved on, but today felt different.

Why did he look at me with that kind of gaze?

“You kind of remind me of myself.”

“I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”

“Tsk. And yet at times like this, you’re sharp as a blade. What I mean is…”

People who didn’t really know Do Gibong often whispered that he was clumsy, careless, and only cared about money—but that wasn’t true.

Do Gibong simply didn’t take much interest in others.

Or rather, he pretended not to.

I knew.

Do Gibong was sharper than anyone.

There was no one else listening, yet he lowered his head and whispered,

“Old men will start coming to you, saying they want to work together—talking about shares and all that, coating their words with honey. Just remember this: this town? It’s honey mixed with poison.”

Poison, huh. That sounded a little chilling.

So, don’t sign an exclusive contract lightly.

That was probably what he wanted to say.

“This industry’s all the same stew in different bowls.”

“You sure you’re only thirty, hyung?”

“You’ll be the same if you keep working only with old guys. Anyway—Manny, Tomorrow, ToMe—places like those, but also Barrier Music or Zeropoint Entertainment, all the same. No—worse, maybe? Why? Because they’re desperate.”

“Then why’d you sign a publishing contract with Barrier?”

“…It’s ending soon. Feels like it’s been an eternity.”

Ah, I must’ve hit a sore spot.

The way he looked off wistfully into the distance said it all.

Still, it wasn’t baseless talk.

Especially since lately, more and more companies had been reaching out to me.

Which made me even more curious.

Was there any decent place in this world?

I asked casually,

“Then is there any place that’s actually good?”

“There is.”

“Where?”

“KIM Entertainment.”

Huh? That caught me off guard.

“Why?”

“The CEO there’s a fourth-generation chaebol.”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Do Gibong curled his thumb and forefinger together, wiggling them teasingly.

“They’ve got a boss who throws money at things.”

“That’s it?”

“At least he doesn’t treat his staff like machine parts, you know? Real composure comes from a full warehouse. Look at me. I’m relaxed, so I buy you meat every time, right? And give you advice like this, too.”

…He really didn’t need to say that last part.

“I’m going to the restroom.”

While Do Gibong was gone, I planned to pay the bill first to surprise him.

But, of course, he moved even faster than I did.

“Huh? It’s already paid?”

“Heh.”

Do Gibong walked back, shaking the water off his hands.

“I paid, kid. Hmph. Since when does a junior buy the senior a meal? Just get me a coffee.”

Ahh, I got beaten to the check again.

Time flowed on and on.

Finally, it was the day Taeshi’s teaser was released.

She no longer hid behind her stage name.

Under the name Tae Sihyun, she proudly stood before the world.

‘Ugh, why am I nervous?’

Even though I’d gone through this a few times, the day my song came out into the world always made my heart race.

On my way to meet my hyung,

I watched the beginning of Taeshi’s journey from a shaking bus seat.

[ Tae Sihyun ‘ASHes’ Trailer ]

The video was only thirty seconds long.

Beeep—

It began with a tone like a screen test signal.

In front of a dark, rough concrete wall, Tae Sihyun slowly lifted her head.

The first scene started in black and white.

Only shadows and silhouettes showed their presence.

Then, a small spark began to spread from her fingertips.

ASHes.

The title appeared across the screen.

The flames brushed over the ashes, and starting from her eyes, the colors began to seep into the video.

The moment black and white slowly turned to color—

a short but powerful line burst forth.

“Goodbye, breathless dream.”

“Wow…”

If I hadn’t been on the bus, I probably would’ve jumped up and down.

Who was the genius who wrote such an amazing song?

Me, Stay.

It was just a teaser, yet the response was already explosive. The most update n0vels are published on novel⟡fire.net

???? Tae Sihyun??? Rookie under Tomorrow Entertainment???

↳ Isn’t that Taeshi?

↳↳ The rapper? No way, her face looks totally different???

Wow, is this a music video or a movie? It’s literally like a film trailer.

↳ Yeah, feels like a fantasy heroine vibe.

Taeshi’s boom’s gonna be huge, I swear.

↳ It’s Tae Sihyun, not Taeshi.

↳↳ Same thing ㅡㅡ

That voice though ㄷㄷㄷㄷ

↳ Right?? Why did Tomorrow make her rap all this time? That voice is insane, mesmerizing.

I got chills from the last credit.

↳ Wait, Stay???????

↳↳ All hail Godtay!

Ah, what do I do.

My cheeks were practically floating off my face.

If my hyung saw me like this, I’d never live it down.

I rubbed my cheeks with both hands and waited for him at Tomorrow Entertainment’s entrance.