Hyunseung visited Ferris’s private practice room as he always did. As expected, this place had the best equipment.
“Aren’t you nervous about standing up there alone?”
Ferris asked casually toward Hyunseung, who was manipulating a vinyl record with his headset around his neck.
“What did you say?”
However, Hyunseung couldn’t hear the question properly over the sound of the music.
“Never mind.”
Ferris shook her head. Seeing Hyunseung’s nonchalant face, she felt she had asked for no reason.
“But are you really going with this song?”
She asked a different question instead.
“Yeah, why?”
Hyunseung’s hands stopped at the same time as his answer. The turntable spun idly, and the music gradually died down.
“You have your own songs, so I was wondering why you’d bother with this one.”
“I really wanted to do it.”
“Really? But isn’t it quite tricky for DJing?”
At Ferris’s question, Hyunseung pondered with a quite serious face for a moment.
“Even so, they’re all just songs in the end.”
He replied with a shrug. Ferris blinked slowly at the sight before bursting into laughter.
“True.”
Then, she soon nodded her head.
Right.
To that guy, it would be like that. Every song must feel like a toy he can easily play with.
There are people called geniuses in a certain field.
Ferris was one of them.
From the moment she debuted in the DJ industry, people praised Ferris, calling her an unrivaled genius.
However, she was not a genius in the field of composition.
Even if it was all the same music, there was a strict distinction.
However, Hyunseung, sitting in front of her, was different. If it was a field that could be broadly described as music, he was a monster who could devour anything.
A peerless genius? An unrivaled genius?
She thought those were just fancy modifiers, utterly insufficient to describe the guy.
Right.
He is a monster. Not only did he swallow Ferris’s signature techniques in such a short time, but isn’t he also adding his own touch to them?
—♫ ♫ ♫
Hyunseung put his headset back on and began to manipulate the record again, and Ferris gazed at him steadily.
That monster bastard.
‘He’s smiling?’
The biggest reason she called that guy a monster was that he was enjoying it. He’s good at it, and he’s even enjoying it.
Who could ever beat someone like that?
A thought flashed through her mind that if Hyunseung decided to continue his activities as a DJ, he might even swallow up Ferris’s own position before long.
Of course.
That didn’t mean she was wary or jealous.
On the contrary, she was grateful.
By appearing together on the Super Bowl Halftime Show stage this time, not only did her name spread further, but the status of the profession of DJ also rose among the people.
At the same time, her loose mindset had been pulled taut, so it was a perfect driving force.
Tap, tap.
Ferris tapped her finger on the DJ booth panel.
It was because Hyunseung, lost in a trance with his headset on, would obviously not be able to hear her.
“What?”
Then, Hyunseung took off his headset with a face full of annoyance.
“My equipment is good, right?”
Ferris asked with a smirk toward Hyunseung.
“Yeah, that’s why I come here even though it’s a hassle.”
Of course, Hyunseung only looked at Ferris strangely and answered in a dry, perfunctory tone.
‘Unbelievable.’
Just because I interrupted his practice time, he’s showing so much annoyance. As expected of a monster.
“You take it.”
“Huh?”
“I said, take it.”
Still, was it not said to give an extra rice cake to the one you dislike?
“Take the turntables, the mixer, and the players. Take them all.”
Ferris added generously.
“If you want, you can even take all the speakers.”
“I heard these were custom-made specifically for you.”
Right, would Hyunseung have been unable to buy the same equipment because he lacked the money?
Because they were custom-made for Ferris by a renowned company specializing in DJ equipment, Hyunseung could neither buy nor obtain them.
Of course.
For the same reason, Ferris had been pretending not to notice even when Hyunseung drooled over her equipment.
“It’s fine, so take it.”
But now, she couldn’t just keep her eyes closed and pretend not to know.
“Instead, go and tear up the Grammys.”
It was because the thought occurred to her that if it were this guy, he might even change the public appeal of the genre.
Right.
He might flip the entire music industry on its head.
“Go and show them properly on my behalf… that DJing isn’t something just anyone can do, and that house music is just as good as popular music.”
Hyunseung blinked slowly, perhaps surprised by Ferris’s words.
“Easy.”
He replied with a cool yet arrogant smile that was charming enough to make one fall in love at first sight.
Ahead of the Grammy Awards, the first round of screening has been completed. In short, those to be filtered out have been filtered out, and only those to be nominated remain.
The Grammy Awards are decided after members registered with NARAS1 conduct the first round of screening, followed by a second round for the remaining candidates.
Of course, there were several conditions to becoming a member of NARAS, but they were not overly picky.
However.
There was no way they would leave the judging of a massive ceremony like the Grammys only to them.
The final winners are decided only after the opinions of a somewhat reclusive special screening panel and the nomination committee all align.
Especially in the case of the General Field.
For these sorts of reasons, controversies often arose that the fairness of the Grammys was lacking, but it was a method that would not change even if the sky split in two.
There was no way to untangle this thread where countless grudges and interests were messily intertwined.
In fact, if such interests had not been involved, the Grammys might not have established themselves as the most prestigious awards ceremony in the United States.
‘Hmm…’
Liam understood that fact, but he occasionally couldn’t help but lament. Especially when he saw the rather blatant selection methods, to the point where it was hard to ignore.
This year was no different.
Whether it was songs of popular genres or white-centric artists, the nomination committee would arbitrarily add candidates who passed the first round.
Even if someone was nominated in the first vote, they were already being singled out and excluded from being the final winner, with excuses like ‘this person can’t because of this’ and ‘that person can’t because of that.’
“Tsk, tsk…”
While Liam served as the CEO of the Grammy Awards, he had many grievances about this corruption, but as explained before, he could not easily intervene because of the various interests involved.
If he tried to flip the board, more than a few people would rise up, and he had no way to withstand all their authority or power.
Just a figurehead CEO.
Liam felt only pity for his own situation.
Squeeze.
However, he felt a gut instinct that it was now time to force his wrinkled eyes open.
No.
He made a firm resolution.
“Anyway, Daniel is deceased now, and the producer is Asian, right? Just nominating them is enough.”
“I’m not exactly thrilled about it, but since Min Hyunseung is such a hot topic lately, let’s just nominate JS’s album too.”
He had overheard the words the nomination committee was spewing.
And those words became the fuel that fanned the sparks of resentment Liam had been harboring for a long time.
This is just too much.
Since Min Hyunseung, who is now the respectable head of Unice Music Group, was originally a composer and producer, his name was listed in several categories either alone or with artists.
However, they said they wouldn’t give him an award because he was Asian and because the artist was deceased.
And now, they’re saying they’ll nominate the album he participated in because he’s a hot topic.
Right.
If you looked at the rapper JS alone, it might have been difficult to even pass the first round of screening since ‘Hip-hop’ is a non-mainstream genre. No, it would have been impossible given the fact that he was black.
It was still a field where racial discrimination occurred openly.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Anyway, not content with repeatedly raising and lowering this man named Min Hyunseung to suit their tastes…
When his recent Halftime Show stage became a hot topic, they quickly moved to put him on a special stage, didn’t they?
It was nauseating.
How could they be so blatantly petty?
Of course.
If it had only been this, Liam wouldn’t have been able to make such a resolution. To decide on something, one must be prepared to lose, and even if nothing is lost…
Unnecessary blood would have to be shed.
Right.
If a call hadn’t come from him a few days ago, he wouldn’t have even been able to make this kind of resolution.
.
.
.
“Look who it is.”
Liam answered the phone with a bright face at the welcome name that appeared on the screen.
—Have you been well?
The person on the other end was an old friend of Liam’s and one of the longest-serving members of the special screening panel for the Grammy Awards.
—You must be quite busy lately.
Since they weren’t the type to stay in touch regularly, his greeting felt quite unfamiliar, but Liam didn’t think much of it.
“What work would I have to do?”
Liam replied with a jovial laugh, but there was a strange bitterness buried in that laughter.
—Then, would you mind if I ask a shameless favor?
There was no way he hadn’t understood the underlying meaning in Liam’s words. However, as if catching up hadn’t been his purpose from the start, he got straight to the point.
“A favor from you? I’m already scared.”
That said, he wasn’t offended. He knew his friend’s personality well, and he wasn’t young enough to get upset over something trivial.
The wrinkles around his eyes as he acted jovial were proof of that.
However.
Soon, Liam’s deeply wrinkled eyes hardened sharply.
—Could you exert your influence just once for this year’s awards?
It was because he could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth.
He was the most upright and clean person among all the screening panels and committees Liam knew.
To the point where he was criticized for having no flexibility or social skills.
But now.
Was he not making a request to Liam that was essentially solicitation?
“Wh-What do you mean by that?”
Liam hoped that he had misheard.
—I’m asking if you can get involved in the awarding of this year’s Album of the Year.
However, as if crushing Liam’s desperate hope, his friend requested that he exert his influence, even specifying the award category.
“Y-You…!”
Just as Liam was about to speak, trying to steady his trembling hand.
—They say there’s no need to give the award because they are all deceased.
A voice that sounded like it was crumbling could be heard clearly from the other side.
—They say there’s no need to give the award because they are all Asian.
Liam knew immediately what he was talking about.
—Everyone in the world acknowledges their album as the best, yet they say they cannot give the award.
He was talking about Daniel’s posthumous album, which was nominated for Album of the Year.
And.
The album that Min Hyunseung participated in as a producer.
“Anyway, Daniel is deceased now, and the producer is Asian, right? Just nominating them is enough.”
The words the committee had been spewing made Liam’s head spin.
—However, there is a limit to my power.
Soon, the voice coming through the receiver desperately pierced his heart. Liam bit his thin lower lip.
—Liam, please stop being a bystander.
He continued to urge Liam.
—Please, set it right.
Then.
—If it’s difficult for you to help, I will stop their corruption by any means necessary, even if only for the sake of the late Daniel.
He added a final blow, putting strength into every single word.
—So, just don’t stop me.
It seemed his old friend was prepared to shed unnecessary blood on his own behalf, or on Daniel’s behalf.
“Mateo…”
Liam called out his name with a heavy breath.
For a while, silence flowed between the two.
Eventually, Liam added, firmly opening his trembling eyes.
“Don’t you stop me either.”
- NARAS stands for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, now widely known as the Recording Academy. It is the official American non-profit organization of musicians, producers, engineers, and recording professionals that presents the annual Grammy Awards. ↩︎
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