Chapter 7: An Astounding Story
Reading the room was the bare minimum, scheming was a daily affair.
This was the usual scenery at ToMe Entertainment.
Today was no different.
It looked like they were chatting amicably, but each one was lost in their own thoughts, just calculating in their heads.
Only Taeyoon enjoyed the situation, thinking it was amusing.
‘It’s a bit different from what I saw on variety shows.’
Everything happening in this space was simply fascinating.
They asked, ‘Are you going to meet the lyricist?’ and I replied, ‘Sure.’ But I didn’t expect such a famous person to show up.
“Aren’t you busy? Thanks for making time on such short notice.”
When CEO Kwak Youngho asked, the woman answered.
It was the lyricist, Oh Jisoo.
“If someone asks, I have to make time, even if I don’t have any. You know I like new faces.”
Writer Oh Jisoo casually crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.
Her languid gaze followed Taeyoon.
‘He’s not flashy. His attitude’s decent for now…….’
She cautiously took a deep breath.
Our CEO Kwak Youngho is playing savior with another rookie again.
I wonder how long this one will last.
He looks clean-cut, but composing? He’s just right for standing in the background of a rookie idol group.
That was Oh Jisoo’s honest thought.
How many times had it been already?
Why did I flap my mouth and get dragged into this again?
She let out a light sigh.
Can just anyone write lyrics? Has anyone I taught ever actually learned properly?
Even so, she put on a capitalist smile and lifted the corners of her mouth.
The time given was only one hour.
She planned to spout some general theory, mix in a few complicated industry terms to scare him, and he’d give up on his own.
Even if I tell him, so what. You can’t teach creativity.
“Oh, Writer Oh. I’ll count on you.”
“You know I move fast, right? You said his name was Writer Seo? Try to keep up. I hate reruns.”
“She talks like that, but Writer Oh actually has a soft spot.”
“If we’re all busy people making time to meet, we should at least get something out of it, right?”
That didn’t mean she spouted total nonsense.
If the kid had it in him, even just one hour of learning would let him scribble something on his own.
It was a kind of insurance.
Becoming obsolete in this field happened in the blink of an eye.
The moment you tripped, the trend ran far ahead.
She felt it instinctively.
It was getting harder to keep up, her knees starting to ache.
If she at least made a show of gathering promising kids and calling them juniors or students, she could still show her face around.
Well, it was just a pity that no one worth the effort had shown up yet.
She started with a simple background check.
Seo Taeyoon, what are you?
“Have you written lyrics before?”
“No.”
“Why do you want to write them?”
“If composing is the sketch, lyrics are the coloring, right? I wanted to perfectly express what I had in mind. And honestly……”
“Honestly?”
Oh Jisoo swallowed a lump in her throat.
Why am I getting excited? It had been a while since someone made her actually listen.
Would he just repeat impressive-sounding things he’d heard somewhere? Or would he surprise her with a twist?
“I want my songs to sell well.”
“Hmm?”
“At first, it’s the melody that catches attention, but for a song to last, the lyrics have to be good.”
I’m getting drawn in……
“For example?”
“It was like that with Taejung’s second album, ‘I’ll Return’…… and Min Haeseon’s ‘A Lie That Comes to Mind Now.’ Idol songs aren’t any different. What’s-his-name, Mirage’s ‘Probably’ — it was all the hook lyrics.”
……I kind of like this kid.
“Did you memorize that?”
“Sorry? Memorize what?”
“My lyric style.”
“If someone’s in music and doesn’t know Writer Oh Jisoo’s lyrics, they’re basically a spy.”
“Nice.”
“Th-thank you?”
“Yes, that was a compliment.”
Let me make one thing clear: writing lyrics is not art.
That was how Oh Jisoo viewed lyric writing.
It was the process of figuring out how to sell the song better and writing custom lyrics that made the artist stand out more.
There was one thing she wanted to confirm.
“What do you think makes a well-written lyric?”
“I think lyrics that sell well are good lyrics.”
“Isn’t that too commercial a mindset? So if it sells and makes a lot of money, it’s the best?”
Despite the subtle provocation, Taeyoon calmly expressed his thoughts.
“No matter how well it’s written, if no one listens to it, what’s the point? If a lot of people listen, it sells well.”
“Why do you think that way?”
“That’s how I think when I compose too. Lyrics aren’t any different, right…….”
Oh Jisoo’s nostrils flared.
She had only seen kids acting all “I’m an artist,” walking around with berets on their heads and fountain pens in hand, saying “This is everything to me. If I can’t do this, I’ll die,” playing their silly little artist game.
But now, seeing someone with such a grounded mindset……
‘This kid might be fun to teach.’
She wanted to draw out the hidden talent and see for herself.
What would someone like this try to express through lyrics?
“Alright. Basics are important, so let’s start with counting syllables. It’s easy.”
“I’ve practiced that already.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Nowadays, you can find everything on YouTube. There’s even stuff you talked about on TV…… It’d be a waste to only go over what’s already online in just one hour. There’s no right answer in creativity anyway. I just…… wanted to talk about the lyrics you’ve written. There are so many good ones. I thought that’d be the best way to learn more……”
Oh Jisoo uncrossed her arms and looked at Taeyoon with softened eyes.
‘This kid’s going to make it, no matter what.’
There was no need to see more.
Whether he was good at writing lyrics or not, that didn’t matter—he already made it as a person.
He was simply accepted.
When Writer Oh Jisoo appeared in the meeting room.
I admit, I had some prejudice.
Even if I’m not the most perceptive, I can usually tell what kind of look someone gives me when we first meet.
She definitely looked at me like a stray cat at first.
But as time passed, her gaze softened, like looking at a pet dog she was raising.
‘Maybe she’s shy like me?’
It felt very different from when I met the CEO and the A&R team leader.
How should I put it? Like I caught a glimpse of the confidence of a freelancer not tied to anything?
Even though she looked cold, she had this surprising twist—she softened like ice cream when talking about lyrics.
I searched for Oh Jisoo on a portal site.
[ Oh Jisoo ]
Awards: 2023 Dream Chart Music Awards Lyricist of the Year
A list of awards followed below.
I checked her past works again.
“Whew… I didn’t mess up. I was really confused about the title of that last idol song.”
What a relief.
When I listen to songs, I usually pay close attention to the composition and arrangement, but I never really looked at the lyricist.
I just knew her because she was so famous.
“She really is someone I can learn a lot from.”
I’m still a rookie who hasn’t even written a single proper line of lyrics.
Well, not just lyrics.
Even the songs I’ve written might not ever be released, and yet she treated me like a real junior, sharing the behind-the-scenes of lyric writing with passion and sincerity.
She even gave me her personal business card.
When I saved her number, her messenger profile popped up.
……What’s with the flower photo?
It’s the same profile picture my mom loves. Don’t tell me her phone case is one of those diary types too.
With all kinds of thoughts, I organized the things I picked up today.
‘Clearly define the character of the narrator.’
‘Create a punchline that sticks.’
‘Read the lyrics out loud yourself.’
‘If you spit while reading, rewrite it.’
‘If all else fails, write about love. That gets you halfway there.’
I was all fired up when I heard them.
But when I tried to apply them, things didn’t go as planned.
They say dance songs are ten times harder than ballads.
Can I even do this?
“Han Yujin, Han Yujin……”
Right, there’s nothing else.
I’ll just go with the character, as I learned today!
They say starting is half the battle. Let’s just write.
Whether I revise it, get feedback, or give up and hand it over to a professional lyricist—it all starts with writing.
I bit my pen cap and sank deep into thought.
If I were Han Yujin, wouldn’t I start the song with something like this?
「I won’t hide anymore, I’ll live as the real me.」
“Writer Oh, did you change salons? That hairstyle is amazing.”
“Is that a new jacket? It looks great on you.”
“Still nothing on that request I made last time? I’m hurt.”
ToMe Entertainment became rowdy the moment Oh Jisoo appeared.
Even though they’re all under the A&R umbrella, there are three separate A&R teams: 1, 2, and 3.
For their goals, they’d go all out—colleagues or not—to grab popular composers and lyricists.
“I’ve got a meeting with Team 1 today. I’ll probably see Team Leader Choi next month, okay?”
With a calm wave, Oh Jisoo walked into Team 1’s office.
Before the door even closed, she grabbed Team Leader Park Minseok and started firing off words.
“The writer we met before, Seo. Did he say he’s written lyrics? By now, he should’ve submitted something, right? Have you checked? Is he any good?”
“Writer, our ceiling’s strong. Please sit down first.”
Team Leader Park handed her a coffee and continued speaking.
“He did write something…….”
Seeing Oh Jisoo’s expectant eyes triggered a bit of mischief.
He’d been too busy. He hadn’t even heard the follow-up on “Oh Jisoo’s One-Day Lyric Class” prepared for Taeyoon.
If she was asking right away like this, something must have definitely happened.
Team Leader Park hid his true thoughts and casually asked,
“But aren’t you expecting too much from someone you only met once? It’s only been two days. You usually don’t give feedback, do you?”
“I only give feedback when it’s worth it. But honestly, I have hopes for Seo.”
“He’s not ordinary, right?”
“Well, so-so?”
“But you know what, Writer Oh?”
“What?”
“You haven’t even heard the song yet.”
“Do I need to? I’m just curious how he’ll express it.”
She didn’t have high expectations.
Composition wasn’t her field, and he hadn’t even officially debuted.
From what she heard, it didn’t seem like he’d received proper training.
A song he made by himself—she could already imagine it.
She didn’t know how to make songs, but she’d been around long enough—twenty years of hearing things.
He probably added some basic hip-hop beat with a groovy melody. Or maybe a calm melody with a guitar backing.
That’s how it usually starts.
Talented kids could make it sound “decent” with just a little tweaking.
But even if the lyrics were excellent, if the song itself was plain, a release would be difficult—let alone a hit.
Still…… she was just curious to peek into the mind of a bold rookie composer.
“I’ll give it a listen. Who did the guide vocals?”
“He did.”
“Well, since I’ve decided to give it a shot, I might as well hear it out.”
“Oh? This is a first for Writer Oh.”
“What is?”
“Taking on a student?”
Oh Jisoo let out a soft laugh.
The word “student” sounded oddly nice.
If it’s a student like Taeyoon, I’d welcome a hundred—or a thousand. At least he wasn’t pretentious, right?
“Come with me for a sec.”
The two quietly entered the meeting room.
“He writes good songs. CEO’s pick.”
“Seems smart enough to pick things up quickly.”
“It’s not just that. I’d bet our Writer Oh’s jaw drops today.”
“Sure, sure.”
Even as Park Minseok made bold claims, she took them lightly.
But once “Super Ride” started playing.
“What is this? Why is it good?”
Oh Jisoo’s feet moved on their own.
It felt like riding a rollercoaster—her emotions were stirred.
……What is this?
Chord progressions, sources—she didn’t know any of that complicated stuff.
But this she knew.
The song was solid. It had a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Why is my heart racing?
When she got a demo to write lyrics.
Sometimes, the lyrics would just flow as she became immersed in the character.
There was no stopping it. Like any creator, Oh Jisoo was the same.
She wanted to spill out the keywords floating in her mind right this second.
As she rummaged through her bag, she said,
“This song. I’d like to try writing lyrics for it.”
“Hmm?”
In Team Leader Park’s mind, an amazing story unfolded.
Han Yujin, who flopped with a rookie composer’s song, now miraculously revives—with another rookie composer’s song!
And it even features lyrics by the top lyricist Oh Jisoo?
This…… if things go well, it might really happen!