Chapter 120 : The Reason I Was Brought Here
Chapter 120: The Reason I Was Brought Here
Maybe it was because it was around quitting time.
While I stood in the lobby for a short while, a few familiar faces passed by.
Some greeted me briefly, and some congratulated me.
Though I wasn’t sure if I was really the one who deserved the congratulations.
“Oh? Writer, did you come for a meeting?”
“No, just for a bit.”
“You saw the teaser, right? Congratulations. Wow, the reactions are going crazy.”
“Thank you. It’s all thanks to your efforts.”
“We didn’t really do much. The song itself was just that good. Even the CEO’s really looking forward to it. We were debating whether to release the high note part from the highlight…”
As expected from an entertainment company employee, once the topic turned to music, he couldn’t stop talking— rambling nonstop without a hint of restraint.
I listened with a smile.
It was fine. He was just happy the project was doing well.
While I was still listening to his endless chatter, a savior appeared.
It was Hyung.
“Stay! What are you doing over there?”
“Ah, you had a meeting with Deputy Dongyoon. Then please go ahead.”
Thank goodness.
Hyung lightly grabbed my arm and helped wrap up the conversation.
“Let’s go eat. You hate taking the subway at rush hour, right?”
We walked toward a restaurant nearby.
Maybe it was because they mainly served lunch—
Hyung and I were the only ones at the table.
“They make really good tonkatsu here.”
By now, I had gotten somewhat used to eating tonkatsu outside the backstage.
A bit disappointing, but it couldn’t be helped.
Next time Mom comes over, I should ask her to make some.
I was thinking that as I picked up my cola.
“You’re not eating? Don’t have an appetite?”
Hyung had barely touched half of his food.
That was strange. To keep up that bandit-like physique, even two servings shouldn’t be enough for him.
“Uh… just thinking a bit.”
“You think better when you eat properly.”
“Do I?”
“Yeah. Leave food behind and you’ll go to hell.”
Even when I threw out a silly joke, Hyung’s expression stayed serious.
My brother didn’t say it, but… he was worried about me, wasn’t he?
He gets like this sometimes.
Always worrying about me.
After quickly paying the bill, I asked him,
“Things have been tough lately, huh?”
“Not more than you. All I do is go to work.”
“Oh? Not denying it, huh?”
Hyung smirked as he took a sip of his cola.
“Hey, wanna go somewhere nice with me?”
“What are you up to this time?”
“Ah, well, there’s this place. You coming or not?”
“Hey, dragging me somewhere without even saying where is cheating.”
Why should I bother explaining?
“You’ll see when we get there.”
“...Seo Taeyoon, whenever you say things like that, I get nervous. Huh? What’s this?”
I dragged Hyung out without any explanation.
He followed me, still clueless about what was going on.
He staggered behind, but didn’t ask further.
He’d probably love it, though.
I called a taxi and set the destination through the app.
“Sir, you can see the destination on the app, right?”
“Yes, yes, I see it. We’ll get going.”
Outside the window, the darkened Han River quickly passed by.
Lights shimmered, slowly sinking over the rippling surface.
It was beautiful.
The city nightscape, and this road I was on with Hyung.
I glanced at the window’s reflection of him.
Was he looking at the same view I was?
Along with the calm voice of the radio DJ, the taxi entered the Jayu-ro highway.
We kept our eyes on the scenery outside.
Meanwhile, I carefully organized the thoughts of what I wanted to show Hyung today.
I just hoped he’d like it…
Between buildings that carried a strange air, Dongyoon still couldn’t figure out what his little brother was thinking.
In front of a dim alleyway, Taeyoon opened a door and said,
“This way.”
As if explanations weren’t necessary.
He meant just follow me.
Was he taking him to some nice bar or something?
That’s what Dongyoon thought— until the very next corner.
“...Huh?”
A short gasp escaped his lips.
Of course. It was this place.
The place he had come to months ago, to see Taeyoon.
Club Sierra.
He hadn’t realized because they’d come a different route this time.
“So this is where we’re going. But… this place feels really different. Is it just me?”
Same space—but different.
The people, the crowd…
Why were there so many more now?
Everyone stood gathered around one point, as if waiting for someone to appear.
Taeyoon naturally slowed his pace, pulled out a mask, and put it on.
“Come on, Hyung.”
And then, without hesitation, he stepped forward through the crowd.
“...Am I even allowed to go in there?”
So this is what it felt like to be a star.
Even when he saw fans outside the company, or when he tagged along to shoots and encountered overzealous fans— he never felt anything.
If anything, he’d found it bothersome.
But today...
Why am I getting all hyped up?
Seeing people recognize Taeyoon, waving at him— he couldn’t help but feel his own shoulders lift a little too.
Some nodded in greeting, others went for a high-five.
People taking photos, cheering, or shouting Taeyoon’s signature sound, “Hold the beat!” as a joke.
Though it was just the front of a club, it felt more like a concert venue—or even a festival.
“Hyung, if you don’t want to get photographed, stand next to me.”
“What about you?”
“I’m wearing a mask, aren’t I?”
As if used to it, Taeyoon moved effortlessly through the crowd, cutting through the wave of people with practiced ease.
He didn’t forget to wave back or exchange eye contact either.
“Hold the beat!”
“Hyung-nim, you’re here again today!”
“Ah, the bunny bracelet! I’ll make sure to get another one ready for next time!”
Dongyoon found it all strange.
To see Taeyoon, who once seemed so quiet and reserved, now standing tall and leading the entire space— it was astonishing.
Feeling awkward, he leaned closer and whispered,
“My little brother I thought was a total nerd… turns out he’s a DJ with a huge fanbase?”
“What was that?”
Was it because of the music?
Thankfully, it seemed Taeyoon hadn’t heard what I said.
At last, when we arrived at the entrance, Taeyoon naturally pushed the door open.
“Let’s go into the waiting room.”
As the door opened, music spilled softly from within.
The lights were dim, but Taeyoon’s figure stood out clearly.
Dongyoon stepped in a little later, thinking to himself,
‘I did want to come here someday.’
Perhaps it was telepathy.
He hadn’t even said it aloud, yet his little brother brought him here.
Dragging him out like this— maybe he was trying to show him something amazing tonight.
He felt a bit nervous.
In this space, it almost felt like he was the only outsider.
Dongyoon was still dressed in his office attire— gray slacks and a checkered jacket.
Anyone could tell he wasn’t here to enjoy the club.
“Hurry up and come in. The setlist’s insane tonight. You wanted to see it too, right?”
“What? No way, I wasn’t thinking that at all.”
“Come on~ Don’t be so uptight.”
Taeyoon nudged his brother’s side playfully.
He didn’t show it, but Dongyoon felt oddly good.
He’d thought Taeyoon wouldn’t want to show him his work, but maybe he’d been wrong.
For some reason, he felt they were even now.
Because earlier today, he’d thought he might feel embarrassed showing Taeyoon what he did for work.
He smiled faintly.
‘Yeah… I really did want to see this.’
Dongyoon looked around the waiting room.
It was neat. Despite being here for the first time, it felt comfortable.
Except for one thing—people kept coming and going, throwing out comments like these:
“Oh? You’re Taeyoon-hyung’s brother? Wow, you two don’t look alike at all!”
“Honestly, Hyung’s the better-looking one!”
Taeyoon just laughed, finding it all amusing.
I’m way too nervous for this, Dongyoon thought.
Of course, he didn’t show it.
After some time, the moment finally came—
Taeyoon’s performance was about to start.
The music grew louder, lights pulsing with the rhythm.
“You’re Taeyoon-hyung, right? This way, please.”
Taeyoon headed toward the DJ booth, and Dongyoon followed an employee to his seat.
It was the best spot in Sierra, the perfect view of the DJ booth.
He tried to act calm, but this was actually his first time in a club.
Other than when he’d been on set for work, anyway.
‘…So this is what it’s like.’
Feeling the air that seemed different from the outside world, Dongyoon relaxed for the first time in a while, enjoying the freedom with a cocktail in hand.
The sound settled in, and the lights dropped.
On stage, Taeyoon placed his hands over the equipment, taking a slow, deep breath.
As the entire club began to sink into rhythm—
“Hold the beat!”
“Waaaaah—!”
When DJ Blackhole shouted, the crowd echoed it back.
It was a familiar call-and-response.
And then, the music began.
The first track: the string loop from Viva La Vida.
With only the strings left in the intro, it was almost too lyrical— something that could easily feel out of place in a club setting.
But Blackhole made it work.
He refined it completely in his own way.
Adding spatial depth with a low-cut filter over the string loop, he separated rhythm and melody in the lower frequencies.
Instead of vocals, he deconstructed the original chorus melody on a sample pad, letting it flow seamlessly across the mix.
It wasn’t just a remix.
It was the memory of brothers— a recollection turned into sound.
Dongyoon’s eyes widened.
‘…He remembers this.’
That song from late nights after school, playing softly on the radio, as they waited for Mom, sharing a single pair of earphones.
This wasn’t just a song choice.
Dongyoon realized it instantly.
There’s a reason he brought me here today.
After the cheers faded, silence briefly filled the air.
Taeyoon smoothed his hair, then flipped the mood entirely with the second track.
A strange tone repeated over the beat in the intro.
“Huh?”
“Never heard this one before.”
“The beat’s so unusual.”
An unfamiliar rhythm flowed out—something the audience wasn’t used to.
But no one seemed uneasy.
Because they all knew: Blackhole would mix it just right anyway.
The song carried that typical K-pop sensory overload, but the synth theme absorbed that energy smoothly, momentarily heightening the atmosphere.
‘…This song? All of a sudden?’
Dongyoon discreetly rubbed his arms as goosebumps rose.
Taeyoon’s second song—Electric Party.
Who here would recognize it?
He could swear— only Taeyoon and himself in this room knew that track.
The first song he had ever pushed for after joining Tomorrow Entertainment.
‘It bombed spectacularly, didn’t it?’
Just another one of those countless tracks that came and went like filler songs in a failed idol group album.
Yet here was Taeyoon, breathing new life into it, blazing across the stage tonight.
The beat accelerated, and the crowd responded wildly.
‘Mixed like this, it sounds like a completely different song.’
The audience moved with the rhythm, Taeyoon led the flow— pulling, twisting, and shaking it in his grasp.
Without a hint of hesitation, he painted with sound.
Just before transitioning into the next track, Taeyoon quietly raised his hand.
He looked at his brother.
Only once, for a brief moment.
Dongyoon nodded slightly in return.
Tonight, Taeyoon wordlessly opened his heart to his brother.
Not with words— but with music.
When the special performance finally ended the brothers sat across from each other at a café.
They needed a moment to let the excitement and adrenaline settle.
Maybe this quieter version of Dongyoon felt awkward to him— because Taeyoon couldn’t stop teasing and provoking his brother.
“Hyung, I killed it, didn’t I? Come on, admit it—you were moved!”
“Ah, what are you saying.”
“Come on, you liked it too.”
A soft chuckle escaped Dongyoon.
Maybe that laughter loosened the tension, because Taeyoon’s tone turned even more mischievous.
“What if Electric Party starts trending again? The failed idol makes a miraculous comeback!”
At the narrowing of Dongyoon’s eyes, Taeyoon froze for a moment.
Maybe he’d gotten too carried away.
He suddenly realized he was crossing a line— one that shouldn’t be crossed between brothers.
Electric Party was the song that had both broken and rebuilt Dongyoon.
He didn’t know all the details of company politics, but he did know this— that his brother had been brutally criticized for that track, to the point of losing handfuls of hair from stress.
“…Sorry.”
“No. Honestly, I wish it would happen.”
“Huh?”
Maybe it was because he’d never heard his brother speak that honestly before.
Taeyoon’s eyes widened as he looked at him.
“When I think about how I ruined an entire group because of that song… it still feels… heavy.”
Ah, so this wasn’t the time for jokes.
He needed to change the mood—fast!
Taeyoon quickly forced a grin and replied,
“I really liked that song. That’s why I put it in today’s setlist. And come on, how’s that your fault? Don’t beat yourself up.”
Since it had come to this, maybe he should encourage him a bit more.
“So today, I brought it back to life. How about that? Sounds great when I do it, right?”
Dongyoon laughed again.
Yeah, that was enough.
As long as someone could remember it fondly, that was enough.
He’d seen his brother at work today— now it was time to continue the talk they’d left unfinished earlier.
“Yeah, you did well. Anyway, about what we were saying before…”
Just as Dongyoon was about to bring up the matter with CEO Tae Junggi again—
Bzzz—
His phone vibrated.
A message in the company group chat.
Tock, tock, tock.
Taeyoon frowned.
“What the—Hyung, are you working for a black company? Who sends work messages at this hour?”
But then Dongyoon’s expression changed completely.
“You need to go? Then go ahead.”
“No, it’s not that, Seo Taeyoon.”
“Huh?”
“Look at this.”
On Dongyoon’s phone screen—
[ Electric Party Mixing? Remake? Club Sierra by Blackhole – 35 minutes ago / Views 11,253 ]
(Original song link)
↳ How is this the same song? Crazy.
↳ Just came back from the club—saw this and wow, didn’t realize it was originally an idol song.
↳ What????
↳ How does Blackhole keep getting better and better?
↳↳ So you wanted him to get worse? Rude~
↳↳↳ That’s not what I meant;;
↳ Apparently this was a failed idol group’s track lol
↳↳ And he turned that into this? That’s insane.
↳ I thought DJing was all about track selection, but his mixing skills are next level lol. Can’t believe he transformed it like that.
“…Whoa.”
“Looks like you’ll need to lay out a fortune-teller’s mat soon, huh?”
Another wave of change— one created by Taeyoon— had just begun.