Free Web NovelAfter the Chuseok holiday ended, everyone returned to their routines.
Lemon Entertainment’s A&R team was no different.
When the staff came back after the holiday, each grabbed an Americano and headed to their studio or caught up on backlog.
“Good morning!”
The youngest composer, Seo Pil-geun, entered the office with a bright greeting.
He opened his laptop as soon as he sat down—but not to work.
The A&R team had a relaxed vibe.
Since professional composers gathered there, dress was casual—snapbacks, fashion glasses, hoodies—and autonomy was high.
But as a newcomer who’d joined right before Chuseok, Pil-geun still kept an eye on others.
He browsed online news.
On society pages the big issue was the cigarette tax hike; entertainment pages buzzed with various scandals.
Of course there were positive headlines too.
– “Autumn Girls,” stellar in Chuseok special “Mr. Producer” freewёbnoνel.com
– TNT conquers Asia in just ten seconds
– New idol phenomenon: the birth of NewBlack?
This year TBC’s flagship holiday idol sports show was canceled, leaving idols to appear on various variety programs.
Most were edited out, some survived, and a very few hit the jackpot.
None rose more dramatically than NewBlack.
Autumn Girls, a girl group riding the wave of two consecutive music show wins; TNT, a top boy group whose mere presence shakes Asia—those were established names.
But NewBlack had been unknown.
During their Something era they were seen as background vocalists on Jang Sa-won’s tracks, and only briefly drawn attention on Ha Seung-ju’s Music Café.
They’d gained recognition via fireworks and SNS ads, but only within idol circles; the public didn’t know them.
Then their appearance on Juse-han changed everything—nailing a basketball shot amateur players wouldn’t make, shining in the Chuseok special.
“Variety shows are really powerful.”
NewBlack’s name filled the portal’s Top Replays for TV programs.
– Rampaging black goat... “I only fan one”
– “Anger Management Disorder” Day-gi, “Control your rage~”
– “I am the chicken-fight champion” Idol vs. Comedian
Every clip bristled with laughter and praise.
Was it really that funny?
During Chuseok I’d only watched “Mr. Producer” with Autumn Girls.
I’d thought of watching Juse-han too, but everyone spoiled it so much that I lost interest.
They talked about NewBlack and a goat, and even without watching I felt I’d seen an episode.
Just then, staff began mentioning NewBlack.
“Wow, they’ve blown up. Our kids have blown up.”
“Everyone watched TV together for the holiday. The moment that black goat appeared I knew—they were going to take off.”
“On the way up I met the management team. I haven’t seen them that happy since Scarlet crushed the awards stage.”
“I brought a pen for autographs when I meet them later. My nieces want signatures.”
Pil-geun pricked up his ears.
He’d never really met NewBlack, so he didn’t know them.
He’d seen them once.
Passing the second-floor studios he saw a ridiculously handsome guy lost in thought behind the glass.
He thought of greeting him, but the guy glanced at his phone, surveyed the room, then began tapping synth keys with his toes.
Reluctantly, Pil-geun admitted it was a terrific performance.
“That Woo-joo, he’s such a good kid.”
“They’re all good. No ego, they never bicker even when one shines.”
They had sterling reputations, it seemed.
Senior composers in A&R sipped coffee and commented,
“This is going to last a month, I bet.”
“It will. They’ll ride this momentum, shoot a reality show, and pull in more fandom.”
As Pil-geun heard this, a task occurred to him.
The demo tracks in the A&R inbox. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Before the meeting later, he should listen so he could give ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) informed feedback.
He began playing various songs.
“Pass.”
A slightly tacky retro vibe. No artists fit that concept.
“This one’s decent.”
The intro was long, but it flowed naturally into the chorus. A solid ballad that’d fit on an album by someone like Yoon Chan-hyuk.
As he continued sampling the nine demos collected over the holiday, he noticed an email sent on Chuseok day.
From an account called “Duksoon-love.”
“Duksoon-love? Is that a composer name?”
Sure, composers had eccentric aliases—“Apgujeong Tyranno,” “Whistleholhol”—but Duksoon-love was new.
He thought it was a joke, but the title was normal: “Masque.”
He downloaded the audio file and hit play.
Unlike the others, he listened without bias—after all, it was from an unknown composer.
“Let’s hear what this is.”
That thought lasted only three seconds.
The moment the intro played, he had to stifle his awe.
Not because of the song’s technical polish or complexity—
But because it sparkled.
It cried out, “I’m a gem!”
And images formed in his mind.
A tiny ember in darkness flaring into a blazing fire.
“This would kill as a dance track.”
His heart raced.
We have to grab this before someone else does. His throat went dry.
With the right arrangement, he was certain it’d hit at least the top twenty charts.
He wiped the sweat from his palm and looked at his colleagues.
Here a gem lay, and senior composers were chatting casually.
Anxious, he called them over.
“Seniors, listen to this.”
“What is it?”
“It came in on Chuseok by company email. It’s unbelievable. Please, listen.”
His seniors laughed at the eager rookie.
Pil-geun cranked the speakers and played the song. Their reactions were not what he expected.
They exchanged knowing smiles, as if they’d foreseen this.
“I should have known.”
“Good thing we didn’t hold a title-song contest. I put that off for a reason.”
“Before Gyu-hwan hyung comes in, let’s forward this.”
As those comments flew, the new staffer stared wide-eyed.
“Um, this is....”
“Oh, you don’t know?”
One of them laughed.
“This was made by Woo-joo.”
“Excuse me?”
