The Double Life of a Genius Musician

Chapter 159: Not a Weirdo or an Artist

Even if you're an employee at a large corporation, that doesn’t mean you show blind loyalty to the company.

Whether it’s a small or large company, people live the same way.

Even as they suffer while participating in bizarre projects nobody knows who came up with—

They endlessly mutter, ‘Unless the director who came up with this crap leaves, there’s nothing we can do,’ as they drag their heavy bodies to work each morning, bitterly.

Just look at the employees of ‘Almond Young’ smoking on the rooftop while trash-talking the company.

“Sss, no matter how you look at it, that luxury thing isn’t it.”

“Every time that phone rings, I feel like I’m going to have a heart attack. I feel so bad for the CEOs of our partner companies.”

“How do you tell a brand we’ve worked with for twenty years to pull their products? I can’t do it.”

“Damn it, damn it.”

A modest brand with over twenty years of history.

And yet, orders came from the top to transform that brand image overnight into ‘luxury’.

Press releases had already gone out everywhere, rumors were spread across the industry, and long-time partners were driven out.

They were all puffed up with hope, thinking this would become an unprecedented success story in the ‘premium strategy for beauty health brands’.

With every preparation completed—

There was no one bold enough to say, ‘I think this project is a mistake.’

This wasn’t just putting a bell on a cat.

It was no different from driving a knife into a tiger’s neck.

Someone exhaled a long puff of smoke and muttered like they were talking to themselves.

“I don’t know if this is right. No matter how I think about it, Almond Young and luxury just don’t match.”

At that, the youngest in the team nodded vigorously and responded.

“I don’t know if I should be saying this… but it’s completely different from the brand concept I submitted in my portfolio when I joined, so I’m a bit confused.”

“Exactly.”

“Almond Young was a brand I really liked…”

“Same goes for all of us.”

A brief silence fell over the rooftop.

After quietly listening to their juniors, the manager cautiously spoke up.

“I still have the employee ID badge I got on my first day.”

“Wow, really? That pink one, right?”

“Yeah. With the old logo and that phrase ‘A small joy in your everyday life’ printed on it.”

The youngest’s eyes sparkled as she responded.

“…Wow, I saw that in the training materials during new hire orientation. I got so pumped up just looking at it.”

The manager lit another cigarette.

“Does Almond Young really have to change this much?”

As quiet agreement murmured, ‘That’s what I’m saying…’

The manager wiped the mascara smudged under her damp eyes and continued.

“We used to work like this, you know. Not products you skimp on, but ones you use freely and prettily with peace of mind—finding products like that, launching them, seeing them succeed… When I saw customers testing products in the store and smiling, I felt so proud.”

She was right. Everyone gathered there had felt the same.

Each of them held at least one memory of Almond Young.

Something small and precious. A tiny first gift, a first indulgence, a first confession from a time when their wallets were light.

Almond Young was the brand that allowed all those beginnings.

One by one, the employees began sharing their memories tied to Almond Young.

“I think I was twenty? My dad brought home a perfume once. I loved seeing the Almond Young wrapping… That was the last gift I got from him. He passed away over ten years ago, but that bottle still sits on my desk.”

“My first boyfriend gave me a lipstick from Almond Young… The color was way too bold so it was hard to wear, but I forced myself to use it. I didn’t want him to feel bad.”

“I still stop by sometimes when I’m feeling down. On my way home from work. On days when I just want to buy something, I’ll grab even just a pack of cotton pads, and it makes me feel like I’m living my life well.”

A brand that had been there during those clumsy but genuine times.

It wasn’t a feeling you could neatly label with a grand word like company loyalty.

“That’s right. When I was in college, getting a lipstick set from Almond Young for your birthday made you feel so good.”

Soft laughter escaped.

The brand they had once loved. The company they had trusted and worked at.

The workplace they used to boast about to friends now felt a little unfamiliar.

The manager’s cigarette had burned all the way down.

She pressed the stub into the ashtray and muttered.

“Luxury, my ass. Right?”

They had spoken with determination, like they were about to spark a grand revolution.

But they all knew.

The only thing they could do was lament on the rooftop.

Then dust themselves off, sit back down, pick a BGM and make a CF that pleased the higher-ups.

Chase out the small brand they’d personally discovered and launched.

And wash away the bitterness and guilt with a shot of soju.

And so, half willingly, half reluctantly, they would pour themselves into the project.

Just like the seniors before them.

“Is the theme song pitching all done?”

“Not yet. I heard a bunch of demos came in though.”

“And?”

The youngest mimicked poking her finger up toward the sky as she replied.

“Styles the higher-ups would like?”

“Oh wow, that must be really luxurious then?”

They knew all too well how much effort and capital went into a project that was basically a complete rebranding.

No matter how elite the affiliate company was—

They couldn’t start a coup over a project the company had staked its life on.

That precious paycheck and the prestigious title of a major corporation employee—those weren’t things they could afford to lose.

So all the Almond Young employees could do was quietly hope this project would succeed without incident.

At least, until the youngest suddenly said:

“But… there’s no chance the project will be overturned, right?”

Everyone burst out laughing.

“Never?”

“Then what about changing the concept?”

To the youngest who looked a bit deflated, the manager answered with a comforting tone—

Mimicking her gesture of poking toward the sky.

“Unless the one up there suddenly decides they’re not into luxury anymore?”

That’s not going to happen.

It sounded like certainty, but in truth, it was closer to regret.

“I wonder if the person up there has ever stopped by Almond Young on their way home.”

“People like that probably only shop in department store VIP rooms, right?”

“…So I guess, to them, our brand is just revenue. All that talk about luxury was just about chasing sales. That’s kind of a sad thought.”

In the subdued atmosphere—

A cheery voice interrupted, oblivious to the mood.

The very heart of the project.

She was the assistant manager of Almond Young’s marketing team, in charge of CFs and CM songs.

“Don’t worry too much, everyone. Who knows? The mood might suddenly flip.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sometimes that happens. A short video or a piece of music might actually get the higher-ups to listen to us…”

The manager subtly raised her eyebrows and said,

“You think it’s that easy to flip things?”

“It’s not easy. But, sometimes, emotions win over logic out of the blue.”

“…Huh?”

“No matter how many times you say something in the meeting room, a one-minute video can sometimes change the outcome. It’s rare, of course.”

No one could be certain.

But one emotion had quietly slipped into the rooftop air.

Hope.

For the first time since joining the company.

They were people hoping such a thing would actually happen.

To be honest, I didn’t have any big memories or sentimental attachment to Almond Young.

But my hyung and Yeonhee-noona seemed a little different.

When we met after a long time, Yeonhee-noona handed me a large shopping bag and unloaded a bundle of worries.

“Tae-yoon-ah. You said you’ve been busy lately? So much that you can’t even come see your noona. Are you okay? You look like you’ve lost more weight.”

“I’m okay. Haha.”

“What’s going on with your hair? You don’t even have time to go to the salon? You looked better with short hair.”

I turned my head slightly and looked at myself reflected in the restaurant window.

Yeah, my hair was getting a bit long.

CEO Minsoo said it looked cool, but does it look different to noona?

So I asked,

“Does it look weird?”

“No. It’s not weird, but how do I put it… You look like you’re about to start working at an entertainment company with Dongyoon? Not like an office worker. More like an eccentric artist?”

I wasn’t an eccentric or an artist.

But I was working at an entertainment company.

She’s psychic…

“Tae-yoon-ah.”

“Yess?”

“Make sure you’re eating well. If your hyung gives you a hard time, tell noona anytime.”

Yeonhee-noona looked back and forth between my hyung and me.

Then she started smacking hyung’s back playfully as she said,

“I told you not to steal Tae-yoon’s food.”

Huh. Now that she mentions it, hyung did look more like a bandit lately.

Maybe it’s because he loafed around at home before joining KIM Entertainment.

His face had brightened up too.

As Yeonhee-noona affectionately scolded him, hyung grabbed her hand and whined, “Why are you doing that? It hurts.”

…I couldn’t watch.

What did I even come here for—some luxury and glory?

It’s been nearly ten years and I still can’t get used to this sight.

Times like this call for a swift topic change!

“Noona, what’s this?”

“Oh, right. I dropped by while buying some toner and thought of you. I bought two of the same, so you and your hyung can each use one. This is…”

Wait a minute, this is way too much for a casual drop-in buy?

Noona would occasionally buy and send me lotion, hand cream, things like that.

She even bought air fresheners, saying my room shouldn’t smell musty.

To be honest… I ended up throwing a lot of it out.

Sorry, noona. For some reason, I just didn’t end up using that kind of stuff.

“This time, don’t throw it away and use it all, okay? I got the small size.”

Yikes. That intuition though.

Sometimes, when I see Yeonhee-noona, I think she’s like Mom.

The way she takes care of me, and how she seems to read me without me saying a word.

So I decided to be honest with her.

“Thank you, hyungsoo-nim.”

“Oh please, what’s with the creepy ‘hyungsoo-nim’. Cut it out. It’s nothing. It’s not even expensive.”

“Not talking about that.”

“Huh?”

“I was thanking you for putting up with my lacking hyung for ten years.”

“What the heck~”

Nasal voice, waving hands, flushed cheeks.

What could that mean?

Anyway, I’m always grateful. She’s as comfortable as a real sister.

And you can’t just say thank you with empty hands.

Who said that? Our CEO Kim Minsoo.

So I also prepared a gift for noona.

I pulled out a big Almond Young shopping bag.

I went there for research, but it made me think of Yeonhee-noona.

“What the—where’d you get the money for this? How much did this all cost? You could’ve just brought one hand cream.”

You say that, but why is your smile reaching your ears?

It was my first time seeing her like this.

She was genuinely happy. I couldn’t help but feel proud, my shoulders rising on their own.

Seeing hyung secretly give me a thumbs up and a wink—guess that means mission success.

“Go on, open it.”

The soon-to-be sister-in-law who opened the shopping bag gasped in delight.

“This is crazy. Tae-yoon, what is this sense? A voucher too?”

“In case the color or scent isn’t to your liking, you can exchange it.”

“When did this little one grow up so much?”

Not knowing what to get, I asked Han Yujin-noona for advice.

Popular cosmetics and perfumes these days.

Gift vouchers were a must.

“You really didn’t have to get me this. But still… it’s really nice. Thank you.”

Score!

While noona stepped into the bathroom for a bit—

Hyung started talking first.

“Thanks for thinking of Yeonhee too.”

“What are you talking about, I’ve gotten more from her.”

Hyung glanced at the shopping bag and casually asked,

“Is the project tough?”

“Just… so-so?”

“Suddenly I thought, maybe luxury isn’t all that.”

“If it’s not, then what is it?”

Hyung replied nonchalantly.

“I think luxury isn’t about the price. It’s about the memory. Yeonhee’s probably going to keep talking about what she got today. Don’t you remember? Before you went to the army, you bought her hand cream from Almond Young to say thanks and goodbye?”

“That was ages ago.”

“Shows what you know. Every time she used that, she’d say Tae-yoon got it for her, and how sweet it was that you thought of her too…”

While reminiscing, Yeonhee-noona returned.

She dug through the shopping bag I gave her and pulled out a lipstick.

“Wow, this one’s new. The color is perfect. They were sold out at the Almond Young in my neighborhood. Thanks.”

I just smiled.

Right. I had memories with Almond Young too.