Chapter 160 : It Meant a Head-on Clash
Chapter 160: It Meant a Head-on Clash
The keyword for this project.
‘Luxury’. Spelled in English as ‘LUXURY’.
The dictionary definition goes like this:
Opulence, extravagance, or a rare indulgence.
But to me, luxury came with a slightly different nuance.
Something expensive.
Something not easily attainable by just anyone.
Something you get frowned upon for desiring, as if you’re overstepping.
And yet, strangely captivating.
“Hmmm……”
Simply put.
Rather than the luxury itself, it was the act of flaunting luxury.
That was the definition I had come up with for luxury.
But this evening.
After meeting with Hyung and Yeonhee-noona, my thoughts changed a bit.
“Sometimes, Hyung can be really sharp.”
I pulled out my notebook and pen and jotted something down.
[ Luxury is made not by price, but by memory. ]
Memory.
I stared at that word for a long while.
Then, without realizing it, I murmured,
“This is it……”
I dimmed the lights in the studio.
There was no need to overthink it.
The key was to reflect memories in the song—
Memories that aligned with the project’s theme of ‘luxury’…
Precious people, unforgettable little details, that very first indulgence.
That kind of memory was at the core of the track.
Luxury. Cosmetics.
Even so, could someone like me, who didn’t know much about healthcare, really create the main campaign song for this brand?
That worry only lasted a moment.
I began writing down the keywords for the song.
[ Afterglow, whisper, memory, softness, lingering feeling……. ]
Yeonhee-noona had said—
That when you enter Almond Young, there’s this soft, nutty scent.
The sense of smell lingers, and stays in your memory for a long time.
A familiar powdery scent, Mom’s cosmetics I secretly tried.
Or… the scent of my first love’s shampoo from long ago.
Like how the smell of sesame oil brings back memories of Mom’s japchae—those tender, wistful memories.
I wanted to leave the scent of those memories in the sound.
“Sound design is mostly done.”
Still, I couldn’t ignore the theme of the campaign.
When we speak of luxury, we often think of restrained emotion and refined sound.
Not provocative, but sophisticated.
The point was to subtly draw out emotion.
A calm beat with analog synth pads that trick the ears.
Hoping that each listener’s own memories would fill the space.
Like a heroine in a classic film.
A neutral sentiment paired with a warm mood—a timeless classic.
“The vocals shouldn’t stand out too much.”
Refined vocals more akin to silk than velvet.
On top of that, a spacious progression that would shine once paired with a warm visual.
Finally, a graceful string would enter.
And just as the emotions were about to flow elegantly…!
“Ah, crap!”
Before I realized it, my hand landed on the DJ pad.
My hand moved faster than my thoughts.
In the end, I splashed some DJing over this luxurious track!
Though at first, it felt like a B-boy in hip-hop gear crashing a refined dress party—
That sound oddly worked really well.
“Huh?”
The emotion I had infused into the track was ‘small, sparkling indulgences in everyday life’.
If the rhythm or effects overpowered the beat, the whole mood would fall apart.
“But this is… pretty good?”
The result, surprisingly, wasn’t bad at all.
Like a man in a fine tailored suit wearing flashy New Balance 993s.
A refreshing twist of charm.
That’s how it felt to me.
Maybe DJing, too, could become a device that evokes someone’s memory.
Click.
I instantly searched for a song to sample.
It was Stardust’s <Music Sounds Better With You>.
An old groove revived old memories.
The textbook example of how to use a loop sample.
With DJ-style drops and filtering over a soft synth, I could subtly hint at luxury.
That’s what DJing was like.
A flashy drop could turn a song into a club track, but if arranged to highlight the instruments, it could maintain a rich aftertaste and a sophisticated mood.
I really liked how the track turned out.
The drum kick placed at the highlight, and the grand string drop.
“This is it!”
It gave contrast without going overboard and could rewind emotions on the sly.
[ Would you like to save with a different name? ]
I snapped out of it.
They said the ones making the final call on the track would be conservative old guys.
Guys who’ve worked in a major corporation for thirty years, dressed in suits, sitting stiffly as they received reports—those intimidating types.
The moment DJing pierced their ears, the whole thing might get dismissed as “flashy music only kids listen to.”
I repeated it to myself once more.
This is not a track to show off my skills!
It’s a campaign song to represent a brand!
The goal is to blend in convincingly!
So I removed the DJing part.
It became a bit blander than before, but the grandeur of the strings came through nicely.
The lingering aftertaste at the finale came across well, too.
“The timing’s just right.”
Olive Young had requested a one-minute track.
I completed it precisely at 60 seconds.
Then I made a 15-second version. A 30-second version.
Separate edits for YouTube and TV commercials.
I didn’t want the song to feel awkwardly chopped up for the ads.
It had to be designed so that the rhythm wouldn’t be broken by sloppy edits, but would cut at precise cue points.
As I saved the track, I muttered to myself.
“This should be good enough.”
Mission complete!
Dawn had already broken, and I could hear the cleaning ajumma in the studio starting her day.
“Gasp, it’s already 8 o’clock!”
There was no benefit in staring at the song any longer.
If I kept revising it, it would just turn into a patchwork mess.
So—
I sent the email to KIM Entertainment without a second thought.
Now all I had to do was forget about it and move on with my own work until the results came in.
They said getting your song pitched was up to the heavens.
“Ughhhhhh!”
I stretched so hard my shoulders felt like they might tear, then got up from my seat.
Time to go home.
Lately, my blood alcohol concentration for being outdoors had been rising again.
At ‘Track Race’, a label under KIM Entertainment, the day starts 30 minutes earlier than regular working hours.
That’s why Seo Dongyoon always arrived exactly 30 minutes early.
“Hmm-hmm—”
Humming to himself, he carried his coffee and sat down at his desk.
At the end of a ㄷ-shaped desk.
He sat where he could see all his team members at a glance, starting another good day.
“Good morning, Team Leader.”
“You’re early again today.”
After exchanging brief greetings, he opened his browser.
After checking the headlines to see that the world hadn’t fallen apart overnight, he logged into the company email.
It was like a long-held routine.
Then, as always, Seo Dongyoon opened his inbox.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, he straightened his slightly hunched back.
He had spotted an email from Taeyoon.
[ Almond Young Project – Campaign Song Demo Attached ]
[ Sender: STaY ]
[ STaY_DEMO.mp3 ]
He plugged a headset into his PC and played the audio file right away.
This was one of the perks of being in a planning agency.
You could throw on a headset without worrying about what others thought.
Click.
Thus began the campaign song.
The track was exactly one minute long.
In that short time, it created a perfect narrative.
A sophisticated sound.
Within it, each person’s own story.
“…This is insane.”
This song wasn’t for the brand or the client.
It was for the people who had lived through that era.
A smooth sound, English lyrics.
At first listen, it seemed to perfectly embody the campaign concept.
‘He’s really camouflaged it well.’
He opened the proposal sent down from Almond Young.
Over phrases like brand image, target appeal points, luxurious UX—Taeyoon’s song had been overlaid.
Yes, the emotion Taeyoon was touching now wasn’t about those things.
Dongyoon jumped from his seat and headed straight to the CEO’s office.
And when he burst through the office door—
Kim Minsoo was already leaning back in front of his monitor.
STaY_DEMO.mp3 was playing through the speakers.
Kim Minsoo turned to Dongyoon, who had rushed in, and smiled.
“If you hadn’t come up, I was just about to head down.”
“CEO, did you hear the track—”
“Hold on, Team Leader Seo.”
“Yes.”
“Has Taeyoon awakened?”
“…Excuse me?”
“You haven’t seen this yet, right? Check this out first.”
Kim Minsoo turned the laptop toward Seo Dongyoon.
On the screen, company messenger chats were scrolling in real time.
Anonymously shared thoughts and opinions.
The topic, of course, was the campaign song sent by STaY.
[ OMG OMG is this really a campaign song? ]
[ Honestly, it’d be better to rearrange and release it officially ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ ]
[ Whoa……. STaY-writer seriously nailed this one. ]
[ At first I thought it perfectly matched Almond Young’s request, right? But turns out it didn’t. Wow, it reminded me of buying a gift for Mom at Almond Young on Parents’ Day. ]
[ If they don’t pick this, their marketing team doesn’t have ears but tree knots……. ]
[ I’m actually going to Almond Young today LOL ]
It soaked in.
Into the ears, into the heart.
After those light reactions—
Came the sharp critiques, as expected of music professionals.
[ The cut edits are so smooth, people might not even realize it’s an ad? ]
[ Is this post-mixed? What is this? The instrument levels are insanely clean. ]
[ The spatial sound is crazy……. You need to listen with a headset. ]
[ They really know how to leave a lingering vibe. No refrain, yet it works? ]
[ Ah……. Honestly, I didn’t think even STaY could embed a brand in sound;;; ]
Seo Dongyoon spoke up.
“Smart strategy.”
“Right. Justified luxury. Nicely packaged.”
Kim Minsoo gave a small chuckle after finishing his sentence.
There had been a point in barging into headquarters.
When an opportunity came, STaY was the type to seize it and make it his.
But then, just as the two were enjoying the chat feed, an unbelievable message popped up.
Fast and chaotic.
[ OMG!! This is nuts!!! ]
[ ?????? ]
[ The DJing version just got uploaded? ]
[ Huh??? OMG OMG DJing in luxury OMG OMG ]
[ STaY poisoned luxury with DJing! ]
[ Be right back, going to listen……. ]
What? A DJing version?
Kim Minsoo quickly checked the shared inbox.
“It’s real?”
“No way?”
[ Almond Young Project – Campaign Song Demo, DJing Attached ]
[ Sender: STaY ]
[ STaY_DEMO_DJing.mp3 ]
[ It felt like a waste to keep it to myself. Think of it as… a service? Enjoy! As always, thank you! ]
Kim Minsoo and Seo Dongyoon played the track immediately—both blinking in disbelief.
If the previous version touched your ears, the DJing version struck your heart.
This one was undeniably more sensuous. Much more.
“Team Leader Seo, let’s submit the DJing version too.”
Seo Dongyoon’s eyes widened.
“Seriously?”
“They’ll only pick one track anyway. But if we show them both, they’ll know exactly what they’d be passing up, right? But—”
Kim Minsoo took a sip of coffee and continued.
“We send it right when they’re debating the pitch.”
“As the final kicker?”
“Exactly! Big corporations love dragging things out with just a few songs and making people sweat. That’s when we go—bam! You get it, right?”
Seo Dongyoon nodded.
Revealing the joker too soon was amateurish. The real star always showed up at the end.
“Alright, I’ll compile it and send it right away.”
“Yeah, just don’t overdo it.”
Seo Dongyoon fell into thought.
The DJing version wouldn’t be chosen as the official campaign song. That much was certain.
So it would have to be released some other way.
Ad behind-the-scenes? YouTube?
No, those were too ordinary.
Letting a track like this sit idle would be a disservice—to both the composer and the public.
Seo Dongyoon was thinking of a way that was both smart and fun.
There was no grand secret behind why Almond Young was considered Korea’s top beauty and health brand.
It was simply because it made the most sales.
But why had Almond Young decided to shift its brand direction?
Because its sales weren’t what they used to be.
Why? That was simple, too.
The retail world’s great disaster had arrived—“people just don’t go to physical stores anymore.”
Aside from a few exclusive items, online was cheaper.
After school, after work—
Going straight home, burying yourself under the covers with your smartphone had become a virtue of sorts.
Offline-focused stores had long been in decline.
They barely stayed afloat thanks to loyal small brands that exclusively supplied Almond Young.
But even that had limits.
So instead of selling small items often for ten thousand won, they switched to occasionally selling one for fifty thousand.
It’s a pricing strategy more companies use than you’d think.
Luxury.
In other words: “wrap it up all flashy and sell it for a high price.”
In that sense, this campaign was more important than anything else.
Eye-catching visuals and ear-catching music were non-negotiables.
Our brand has transformed into something this luxurious!
They wouldn’t say it outright.
They’d simply show it. And let people hear it.
And so…
“These are the two tracks. One is from the composer team at Daebak Sound, and the other is STaY’s track from Track Race.”
Marketing team, brand strategy division, external creative consultants at Almond Young—
Twelve so-called branding experts gathered to review these two tracks together.
In simple terms—
Daebak Sound and Track Race had gone head-to-head.
And naturally, at the center of it all was STaY.