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[The music video was great!]

The call from Lee Kang-jun came the next day.

It’s quite infuriating that he only contacted me now after reading what I sent yesterday.

“How was it?”

[I felt really lucky to work with Kim Soo-hyun.]

“Hmm, is that so?”

Still, hearing such praise loosened my heart a bit.

I didn’t expect words like that to come out of Lee Kang-jun’s mouth.

[When will the song be released?]

“Well, I’m still pondering over it.”

Lately, I’ve been racking my brain over when to drop it.

Thinking about it, isn’t this also a track featuring Lee Kang-jun?

Regardless of the quality of the track and the music video being outstanding, the broadcast will surely create quite a stir, so I’m considering releasing it at the end of the year and then heading on vacation.

“It wouldn’t be too long from now. I’ll let you know once I release it.”

[I’ll be looking forward to it.]

“But now that you just watched the music video, it seems like you’re interested, right?”

Huh? As I teased him, recalling how he locked himself away in the workshop after finishing all the songs, Lee Kang-jun seemed to be at a loss for words on the other end of the call.

“Well, it’s okay. If you want to work, then that’s fair.”

[…I’m sorry. Thanks to you, I’m managing to produce something decent.]

“Really?”

[Yes, unknowingly, that composition process seems to have been a great help to me.]

Oh….

I’m glad to hear it was a big help.

The future-oriented Miro Family actively supports the growth of its members.

Later, as Lee Kang-jun becomes more famous and gains recognition for his skills, the prestige of Miro Family will rise too.

Was there really someone like that in the group? What a packaging job this will turn into.

“If it helped you, how about doing one more track? The composer spot is still open.”

[…If the work finishes faster than expected, I will.]

“Sure. But if you come late, the spot might be taken.”

So he’s saying he’ll come if he finishes quickly.

Does he think Miro Family is a place where people can just casually join in and work whenever they want?

We’re still actively recruiting talent from various places.

One person isn’t even a big loss….

[I’ll keep that in mind.]

“Yes, please finish your work quickly.”

[Huh?]

“Nothing….”

Well, whatever, that’s how my call with Lee Kang-jun ended.

With most of the work done, I’ll call him soon regarding the featuring.

Quietly saving the year-end collaboration with Lee Kang-jun in my mind, I headed to my destination.

Today, I decided to visit Harbin’s house.

After all, I wanted to see the situation between Loa and Harbin for myself.

“Oh, Miro, you’re here? Dressed up a bit, huh?”

As I arrived at Harbin’s house and knocked on the door, it was Loa who opened it.

It was Harbin’s house, but seeing Loa open the door so naturally, it seems like she visits often.

“I was just running some errands this morning.”

Her outfit was due to a brief trip to the filming location in the morning.

The script changed a bit, so she went to pick it up.

Thinking about the changed script, it’s quite a headache… but this job takes priority.

“Oh… come on in.”

Welcomed by Loa, I entered Harbin’s house.

As I passed through the living room, which looked relatively unchanged since the last time I visited, I headed to the room where Harbin, who was deeply focused at his desk, suddenly stood up.

“Is it Miro-senpai?”

“Yes, so what’s the matter?”

I asked as I dropped my bag and thick coat right after I arrived.

What on earth was the issue? I came all this way just to ask.

The atmosphere seemed better than expected, so it didn’t look like the worst situation.

Well, I can’t really imagine the two of them fighting like cats and dogs, but calling it a crisis feels a bit off given how peaceful it seems.

“Um, the thing is…”

“What happened is….”

Though we’re both members of the Celestial Realm, since I’m the boss here, Loa and Harbin seemed to hesitate for a moment before cautiously sharing the reason for their conflict.

“So, you’re saying… you can’t reach a consensus?”

“Yeah….”

“Yes….”

They said, lowering their heads apologetically, and I felt a bit deflated as the reason was exactly what I had anticipated.

“Well… it’s pretty much what I expected.”

“You expected that?”

“I’ve worked with two composers before.”

Aren’t I a veteran in the democracy of three-way talks?

The composer Kang Woo-hyeon and Hyeon-su often had conflicts when working together.

Wouldn’t it be the same for Loa and Harbin?

The good news is, unlike Kang Woo-hyeon and Hyeon-su, it seems Loa and Harbin aren’t having any major fallouts based on their personalities.

It’s just that they’re a bit miffed at each other.

“Well then…”

“Then?”

“Can you both tell me what you want?”

Fortunately, I know an effective method in this situation.

If they can’t decide, then the one above them can decide for them, right?

Luckily for Loa and Harbin, they have an experienced and capable lead.

I’ll hear both of their opinions and decide how to proceed.

Aren’t we skipping democracy?

That only happens when everyone is equal.

In this capitalist Miro Family, the boss’s word is absolute.

“What do you want?”

“Yes, please make your pitch. I’ll listen and make a decision.”

“…!”

Both of them seemed to finally grasp what I was thinking.

In this scenario, the person who can self-appeal successfully will have their opinion favored.

They are both broadcasting to thousands, potentially even tens of thousands of viewers daily.

With that accumulated experience and acumen, they each raised their hands high.

“I’ll go first!”

“Yes, Loa’s hand shot up faster.”

Perhaps due to her experience, Loa looked pleased for a moment before she began to explain to me.

“Kimmie, tell me.”

“Tell you?”

“Look how great her voice is.”

“Really?”

“With that voice, you have to capture the emotions; with a tone like that, this is essential.”

Ah, is she jumping right into her appeal?

Well, my voice is indeed national treasure-level….

She’s subtly complimenting me while naturally appealing for the style she wants. I thought, “What a pro,” and listened to her explanation.

“Alright, I’m done!”

But surprisingly, Loa’s explanation was short.

“Is that it?”

“Huh? I said it all, didn’t I?”

Really? Is this the end? Just talking about tone and emotion is a bit surprising.

Isn’t she going to suggest rock or acoustic or anything?

“Okay then, I’ll go next.”

However, whether I was surprised or not, Harbin continued with his explanation.

“Miro-senpai, your diction is good, so you tend to go a bit faster and more upbeat…”

Harbin too seemed to have learned from Loa’s preceding explanation, beginning with a compliment before continuing his explanation.

“That’s enough.”

And Harbin didn’t elaborate too much either.

Well… let’s summarize quickly: it turns out that Loa’s music sensibilities focus on emotion, while Harbin’s focus on tempo are at odds.

It seems like it’s not a fight over whether to do acoustic or hip-hop.

It likely boils down to the mood of the song.

Loa wants a laid-back and emotional vibe, while Harbin aims for a rhythmically rapid pace.

Both are pretty good.

If I had to choose, I lean a bit more towards Harbin’s side.

A lively and bouncy melody surely has its appeal.

But was there really a conflict over such a minor issue?

Since it seems to be their first experience working like this, it feels like they’re bickering over something trivial.

But well, after hearing everyone’s explanation, my thought is….

“So you’re fighting over this and haven’t made a decision?”

I feel like I didn’t need to come here at all.

This could have been sorted out with a few chats.

There’s no way I should have dragged my tired mind from the filming location this morning.

“How important do you think this is?”

“Not that… I know it’s important.”

From their perspective, while they know how significant it is….

“Just do both.”

It feels like way too little to make them tug at each other over, right?

“Both?”

“Are you really fighting over something like this? You can both do it, it won’t overlap your time.”

We could separate it into two parts, right?

Three minutes is generally a short time, but in music, three minutes can be quite long.

Some people compress their life, principles, and past into that three minutes—so surely they can fit two styles they like into it?

“Will that work?”

“If it goes over three minutes, we can make it four.”

What if three minutes aren’t enough?

Then we’ll make it four.

If that isn’t enough, we can stretch it to five.

There are no boundaries when it comes to music.

And we are already pioneering a new industry in South Korea: Virtual YouTubers.

What we do, or rather what I do, doesn’t really matter.

Why?

Because what I do sets the standard for Korean Virtual YouTubers.

“What if it flops?”

“…Then we’ll do better next time.”

…Probably.

 

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