Chapter 176 : A Free Trip to LA
Chapter 176: A Free Trip to LA
The format of the broadcast had changed, but the essence remained the same.
Creating buzz however possible and drawing in as many viewers as they could.
Only the ratings had turned into view counts.
Amid the fierce competition for sensational content, live streaming channels were baring their sharp teeth more than ever.
However, Aether Sound was a little different.
They didn’t consume provocative controversies just to attract public attention.
What mattered to them was the essence of music.
A bit more honest, a bit freer.
Recently, they had started receiving criticism that their influence was slowly wearing off, but their reputation still remained.
“A Korean DJ, huh. That’s kind of interesting.”
The guests continued with small provocations.
There was no great malice or jealousy in their words.
They were simply a little irritated by the exaggerated gestures typical of performers.
In a way, it was merely a build-up for the main point that would come later.
DJ Koda opened his mouth.
“Korea’s especially like that. The whole ‘copying’ thing. Sure, K-pop is famous. But DJs? Well… why do you think that is?”
One musician sitting beside him shrugged as he replied.
His rough beard and sharp eyes left a strong impression.
He was Jacob Montero, a figure called a master of the American underground techno scene.
“It’s simple. Because they don’t understand the true meaning of a DJ?”
At Jacob’s words, the other guests nodded.
As if following a well-prepared script, Jacob naturally continued.
“K-pop is perfectly commodified music. Polished visuals, slightly stiff performances, pleasant melodies. I’ll give them that. But… how should I say it? It doesn’t have soul.”
Jacob curled his index finger and thumb into a circle.
“So why doesn’t DJing thrive there? Easy. K-pop makes money, but DJing doesn’t, right? Instead of free music, they go for neat music. Pretty and handsome kids dance like dolls tied to strings. Honestly… it does look good.”
This time he placed his left hand near his ear and pretended to scratch a record with his right.
He was imitating record scratching.
“DJing’s the same. A handsome guy or a pretty girl comes out, presses a few buttons, and plays a pre-set playlist. The audience cheers. Why? Because everyone likes good-looking people. Some of them aren’t even live. It doesn’t look like there’s any effort involved.”
Jacob’s words carried a deep prejudice toward Asian DJs, especially Korean ones.
But the channel’s host, DJ Koda, did not interrupt them. He simply rested his chin on his hand and listened with interest.
Just as he predicted, the viewers’ chat exploded.
↳ Isn’t that way too biased?
↳ I’m American, but there are a lot of famous Korean DJs though?
↳ ↳ This guy’s definitely Korean lol.
↳ It’s pretty common to judge looks over musicality.
↳ ↳ That’s just how Asians are. They don’t even have proper music. It’s the same in every genre. Looks come first.
↳ Is it because of K-pop? Looks definitely come first in the East.
↳ ↳ Korean DJs aren’t like that… you just don’t know. Narrow-minded idiots.
↳ Is America any different? Good-looking people succeed here too. Stop acting like it’s only Korea.
↳ There’s one famous Asian DJ, right? Though he basically westernized himself.
↳ Everything’s commercial anyway. Why are you all talking about authenticity like you’re some great musicians?
The chat window filled with viewers’ comments.
DJ Koda let out a small smile.
As if everything were unfolding exactly as expected.
“Everyone’s getting too excited. The real story hasn’t even started yet.”
Then he regained control of the atmosphere at the perfect moment.
The chat quieted for a moment.
On the studio’s massive screen, a close-up image of Blackhole appeared.
His trademark white hoodie and casually worn black mask filled the screen.
And clearly stamped on one side of the screen was the logo of the Orbit Phone.
“What do you think? That DJ from the Orbit Phone commercial that’s plastered everywhere lately. Blackhole. But this DJ’s a little different.”
DJ Koda aimed directly at the viewers’ prejudice.
“Let’s be honest. Orbit Phone? A lot of people said it was just a knockoff that couldn’t escape the shadow of Airphone. Innovation? Give me a break. It was just busy copying. But then—unbelievable. In that conservative country, they hired a DJ as the advertisement model?”
The chat grew noisy again.
↳ Oh, I saw this too.
↳ It shows up every time I open YouTube.
↳ You talked all that just to show this? Well… if so, it worked.
↳ Oh. An Asian DJ… I’m curious about the looks.
↳ ↳ Did you even watch the commercial? They don’t show his face.
↳ Okay, I’ll admit it. This is the first time I’ve replayed a commercial.
Koda grinned and added,
“I was surprised too. When my manager sent me the link, I thought, ‘Another pretty face?’ Didn’t you all think the same? I thought he’d just pretend to DJ a little and act trendy, like things had changed…”
The big screen switched.
Someone had uploaded a live performance video of Blackhole to YouTube.
The studio suddenly fell silent.
Even the rapidly scrolling chat froze like a lie.
All the listeners were focused on Blackhole’s video.
“How is this an Asian club DJ? And they say it’s some tiny club on the outskirts. Damn… Orbit didn’t choose Blackhole because of a handsome face. Can you believe this commercial music was made by Blackhole himself? And even Lunatic Beat… that one doesn’t need words. Just listen.”
The moment the first beat struck the studio, the atmosphere changed instantly.
The relaxed smiles vanished from the faces of the guests, including Jacob Montero.
Their mouths hung open, eyes wide.
This was not the music of the “Asian DJ” they had always looked down on.
“The skill is insane. Is he older?”
“It’s sophisticated, but it kind of reminds me of the 90s.”
“At this level, he’s definitely not just a DJ scratching records.”
“Why does this DJing feel so romantic? Maybe ‘moon’ is a cheat code even in the East.”
A completely different level of sound.
With unpredictable melody lines, a pleasant confusion spread.
A unique Eastern melody they had never experienced blended perfectly with modern techno sound.
The chat started racing again.
↳ ???????? What did I just hear?
↳ A DJ made this beat? My god.
↳ The commercial insert track Take a Bow was also made by Blackhole…
↳ There are plenty of DJs good at DJing. But writing their own tracks too? What the hell is happening in Korea?
↳ Where can I download this? This is insane.
↳ Jesus…
↳ Those guys’ faces = my face.
Jacob suddenly shot up from his seat.
His rough beard trembled slightly.
Staring at Koda in shock, he muttered,
“…You’ve been listening to this by yourself?”
“Well, now we’re listening together.”
“My god. I was just talking about Asians like that earlier—what does that make me now?!”
“The world is big, and there are plenty of monsters in it. Something like that, right?”
The chat filled with nothing but admiration.
Then another video of Blackhole prepared by DJ Koda began to play.
A man who did things properly—DJ Koda.
He had even used translation tools while scouring the internet, piecing together the clips himself.
Seeing the reaction far exceed his expectations, he pretended to scratch the air and asked,
“So?”
“Uh…”
“Looks like you’re speechless.”
“His skill is genuinely insane, but…”
However, admiration alone couldn’t sustain this atmosphere. They needed a powerful punch.
That was the reason DJ Koda had invited Jacob onto the show today.
If it was him, he would definitely throw out the exact question Koda wanted at this point.
After all, he knew broadcasting.
“I admit the beat is crazy. I admit the musicality too. But you know… no matter how I look at it, I can’t believe that’s a live performance. Can something really be that perfect?”
Jacob turned his gaze back to Blackhole’s video.
Before long, the words Koda had been waiting for finally came out of his mouth.
“I’d have to see it in person to know.”
Good. You took the bait.
Koda’s expression clearly said that.
Pretending to be casual, Koda replied,
“How?”
“Well… if he came to this studio and did a joint performance with me.”
“Oho…”
The chat exploded again.
↳ Would he even come???
↳ Do you know how far Korea is?
↳ I’m curious though. Blackhole and Jacob doing a joint performance? The stream would explode.
↳ He probably won’t even see this.
↳ Please let this video appear in Blackhole’s YouTube algorithm. Or someone send it to him!
↳ Right. Blackhole should come out and explain himself. (Not because I want to see it or anything.)
The stage was set.
Whether Blackhole saw the video or not.
The correct move was to end the broadcast in an interesting way.
That was the kind of show viewers truly wanted.
DJ Koda adjusted the camera.
With his face filling the screen, he spoke in a slightly provocative tone and ended the video.
“Blackhole, what do you say? Want to come out and show off your live skills yourself? Jacob says he wants to see it. If you’re willing, I’ll even buy you a first-class ticket. Oh, and since I invited you, I should give you a place to stay too. How about the Ritz-Carlton in LA, deal?”
Half joke, half serious.
---
“Uwaaaah…”
“Wipe your drool.”
Gibong-hyung clicked his tongue.
Even though he said that, he looked even more excited than I was.
Why?
Because the one who showed me this video while making a huge fuss was Gibong-hyung himself.
He looked happy as if it were his own achievement.
He said he was so amazed he watched it ten times.
Of course, ten times was probably exaggerated.
“Hyung, do you watch Aether Sound videos often?”
“Yeah. They’re fun, so I watch them regularly. What about you?”
“I used to watch them a lot, but these days…”
“Why? Because they only bash other musicians?”
“That too, and…”
“Because you’re busy?”
“No.”
Saying I didn’t have time would just be an excuse.
If you’re interested in something, you make time for it.
I had simply… lost interest.
They used to feature a lot of underground musicians and talk about music.
But recently it felt like the channel had turned into a place where close friends gathered just to chat.
And yet, that very channel talked about me.
Not just a brief mention either. For an entire hour they kept talking about Blackhole and DJs.
“So how is it, Taeyoon? Feels good, right?”
“Is that even a question?”
“Man… I got mentioned briefly during their K-pop special before. Did you see that?”
“I… think so?”
“Wow, I kept making hit after hit, and they called it self-copying…!”
“Were you mad?”
“No, I felt completely called out. Those guys are sharp.”
That was so like Gibong-hyung.
Most people would get angry, but he accepted what should be accepted.
Anyway, after that we continued chatting in Gibong-hyung’s studio at KIM Entertainment.
But no matter what we talked about, he eventually returned to Aether Sound.
“But seriously, this is the first time I’ve seen them keep talking about one DJ like this. Don’t you think?”
“Why do you keep bringing up Aether?”
“Because it’s fascinating. The Blackhole I know is some weirdo who always drops by asking me to go eat tonkatsu…”
Right then, the studio door burst open.
The only person who could open this door without knocking was CEO Kim Minsoo.
Next to him stood Team Leader Seo Dongyun, trying hard not to laugh.
“Hey, hey. Have you guys seen this?”
In CEO Kim Minsoo’s tablet, the Aether Sound video was playing—just as expected.
“Yes, we were watching it just now.”
“Hey, hey, Taeyoon. DJ Koda really knows broadcasting. He starts by bashing Eastern DJs, then suddenly throws Blackhole at them and everyone goes silent.”
“There are plenty of people more famous and skilled than me though. Like, who was it again…”
“Taeyoon.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s just talk about us.”
I wasn’t sure why this was suddenly about “us.”
But somehow, I barely survived the second round of praise bombardment.
CEO Kim Minsoo looked ten times more excited than Gibong-hyung.
“Wasn’t that last line so typical of Koda?”
“It was.”
First class.
The Ritz-Carlton in LA.
For some reason, I had a feeling those dreamlike words might actually become reality.
“CEO.”
“Yeah?”
“Could we try contacting them?”
“We could. Their contact email is public. Huh? Why… don’t tell me you—”
“Yes. That’s right.”
I was curious.
If I went there… could I really take a free trip to LA?
If that were the case…
Wouldn’t that be a huge win?