Unless you were very young, there was no one in South Korea who didn’t know these two.
The two men known as the twin pillars of the Korean rock vocal scene: Moon Beomjae and Baek Gyuho.
It was said that there wasn’t a single man who hadn’t strained his vocal cords, veins bulging, to belt out their songs in a karaoke room.
However, as time passed, Moon Beomjae joined LS Entertainment and only occasionally released music.
Baek Gyuho founded O&M Label, practically retiring from his career as an active singer.
Yet countless men still yearned for their music. For their songs that reeked of raw, unapologetic masculinity.
The members of The Moon, including Kang Hajun and Ahn Jiho, were no exception.
They, too, were Korean men who had grown up listening to their music.
‘Is this a dream?’
Unable to believe that Moon Beomjae and Baek Gyuho were standing side by side right before his eyes, Kang Hajun pinched his cheek.
Judging by the rush of pain, it was not a dream.
In truth, since they were under the same agency, Hajun had seen Moon Beomjae a few times before.
And when he worked in a team with Jayble during the audition program, he had visited the O&M Label building and seen Baek Gyuho once as well.
Even so, there was a separate reason why seeing the two of them in the same frame felt like a dream.
“I was wondering when you’d call me, and you finally did.”
The moment Moon Beomjae saw Hyunseung, he pulled him into a tight embrace, patting his back with rather rough hands. It was a gesture that surely meant ‘welcome back’.
“Thank you for coming.”
Hyunseung did not pull away. Normally, he detested hugs from men, but Moon Beomjae was someone Hyunseung held in awe.
No.
It was because he was a man Hyunseung respected and admired.
“I never thought you’d call me, though…”
Just then, Baek Gyuho, who had been standing behind Moon Beomjae, chimed in with a deep, heavy voice.
“And especially not alongside Moon Beomjae, of all people.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Shouldn’t we be in the same league to record together?”
“Seeing as you’re just an old man sitting behind an office desk instead of standing on a stage these days, our leagues are indeed worlds apart.”
“What?”
“Well, maybe your showmanship has improved a lot since back then.”
Baek Gyuho and Moon Beomjae stared straight at each other, trading barbs warily. Invisible sparks flew furiously between the two.
Yes.
That was the reason seeing them stand together felt like a dream.
Because they were hailed as absolute rivals, there were rumors that they were on terrible terms, and those rumors… were true.
‘Gasp…!’
Evidently, Kang Hajun wasn’t the only one feeling it. Overwhelmed by their sheer presence, the other artists snapped their eyes wide open, their exhaustion vanishing as they straightened their postures.
The engineers, who had stepped away for a moment and just returned, bowed so low toward them it looked as though their heads might hit the floor.
“Oh, President Baek, you’re here?”
Just then, Jayble appeared, looking disheveled as if he had just woken from a long nap.
His entrance brought a temporary truce to the clash between Baek Gyuho and Moon Beomjae.
“Jayble, it’s been a long time since I last saw you look this unkempt.”
“What else did you expect with that guy around?”
“Haha, I’ve heard plenty about his grueling work ethic, but I never imagined there’d be a producer worse than you, Jayble.”
Exuding an imposing aura, Baek Gyuho stepped closer to Hyunseung.
“I suppose I should be nervous, shouldn’t I?”
Slightly lowering his sunglasses, he asked a loaded question.
If it were anyone else, that single remark would have made their hands tremble and their knees buckle.
And understandably so.
The deep wrinkles carved across Baek Gyuho’s face bore witness to the life he had lived.
Add to that his short, crew-cut white hair and his broad, towering build, and to an onlooker, he gave off an undeniably intimidating presence.
“Not at all. If you just do well, we’ll be done in no time.”
Yet, Hyunseung didn’t even blink in the face of Baek Gyuho’s overwhelming aura. Instead, a relaxed smile played on his lips.
“Well, well. Seeing you in person, you really are a plucky young man, aren’t you?”
Baek Gyuho seemed momentarily taken aback by Hyunseung’s response.
Soon, however, he returned it with a hearty laugh and added,
“I suppose you need this kind of guts and grit to sit on the top floor of the Unice Music Group building, huh?”
“Our Hyunseung is a bit out of the ordinary. So yes, you’d better be nervous. He’s a tough man to please.”
The one who answered was Moon Beomjae. He practically overflowed with pride, as though he were bragging about his own son.
Of course.
Such words were practically tailor-made to heap pressure onto Hyunseung.
“First, let’s listen to the track. That’s how I’ll decide whether I should be nervous or not, won’t I?”
Baek Gyuho took a seat at the workstation as if it were his own, picking up a pair of headphones.
“My ears aren’t so easily pleased, either.”
He added, tapping his ear with a finger.
Well, it made sense.
Baek Gyuho was a singer, but he was also the head of a music label.
It was said that among the songs he had handpicked, not a single one had failed to break even, proving that he certainly possessed a discerning ear for music.
Which meant he was not someone to be satisfied by just any mediocre track.
“Ahem! Right, let’s listen to it right away.”
Moon Beomjae, fully aware of that fact, raised his voice as a sudden bout of tension washed over him.
Even though it wasn’t a song he had written himself, it was Hyunseung’s work. What’s more, it was a song produced after a one-year hiatus.
He knew that because it was Hyunseung’s song, it would naturally be great.
Yet, he couldn’t help a flicker of unnecessary worry.
However, Hyunseung offered no reply and showed no change in expression toward the two, simply hitting play on the audio track.
Soon.
The song began flowing through the headphones resting on their ears.
—♫♫♫
Both of them crossed their arms, instantly becoming immersed.
Gulp.
The other artists watching them swallowed dryly. There was no other reason.
They simply wanted to hear the song Hyunseung had crafted specifically for those two.
If it was a track given to none other than them, wouldn’t it be on a whole different level of difficulty?
Yes.
The kind of song that sent chills down your spine just by listening to it.
However, no one dared to cut in and ask the great senior legends if they could listen in together.
Not even Jayble could dare intrude on such a moment.
Tap, tap.
Soon, the sound of a tapping foot echoed from somewhere.
When Kim Woohyun followed the sound with his gaze, he saw Baek Gyuho’s foot bobbing at a steady tempo.
And sitting next to him, Moon Beomjae had his eyes closed, clutching the earcups of his headphones tightly with both hands.
Even so, one couldn’t be certain whether they actually liked the song they were hearing.
Just like Baek Gyuho, Moon Beomjae was also notorious for having an exceptionally picky ear.
Above all, neither of them had soft-hearted personalities that would choose a song out of mere friendship or sentimentality.
It was then.
Out of nowhere, Baek Gyuho, who had been listening to the music, burst into laughter.
“Pfft.”
At that laugh, all eyes snapped toward Baek Gyuho.
Unable to fathom the meaning behind it, their curiosity only deepened.
Before long, Baek Gyuho touched the corner of his mouth as if his lips were itching to speak, and finally parted them.
“Man, like this, I really have no choice but to be nervous.”
At his words, sighs of relief broke out from various corners of the room. It seemed everyone had been on edge, despite pretending otherwise.
Worrying, though the chances were practically zero, that Hyunseung’s song might actually be rejected.
Sure enough.
That worry had been entirely unfounded.
“Now, this is almost making me feel a bit slighted, honestly.”
Then, Moon Beomjae took off his headphones and let out a groan.
“I swore throughout my entire life that there would never be a better song than Dear My Beethoven, but here it is.”
“If I couldn’t keep producing great songs, wouldn’t I have to hand back my business card as a composer?”
“Right, you’re right. But why on earth do I have to sing such a great song with a guy like this?”
At Moon Beomjae’s question, Hyunseung paused, letting out a low hum.
Now, everyone’s attention was fixed squarely on Hyunseung.
Consciously or not, though none of them had asked aloud, they had all been wondering the same thing inside. Why put those two together, of all people?
Hailed as the twin peaks or twin pillars of the rock vocal scene, their vocal colors were inherently similar.
On top of that, they were on such poor terms that rumors claimed they growled at each other whenever their paths crossed.
There was no way Hyunseung wouldn’t know that.
So why?
Why on earth did he tie those two together in the same song?
“Because it’s a song that can only truly shine when the two of you are together.”
Yet, the answer that left Hyunseung’s lips was profoundly loaded.
Those who hadn’t heard the track couldn’t understand Hyunseung’s words at all.
However, having heard the song firsthand, Moon Beomjae and Baek Gyuho seemed to understand instantly, letting out light chuckles and nodding their heads.
“Yeah, I suppose that might be true.”
Just as Moon Beomjae nodded again as if he fully understood Hyunseung’s intent—
“White-haired old man, you’d better bring your A-game so you don’t ruin our Hyunseung’s track. If you aren’t confident, you can just yield and step down right now.”
He provoked Baek Gyuho once more.
“Why don’t you worry about yourself? Seeing your concert the other day, your voice sounded rough, like it was on the verge of being shot.”
“Did you secretly come watch my concert? You should’ve told me beforehand. I would’ve specially prepared a seat for the elderly and infirm.”
“Do you look at this frame of mine and see an ‘elderly and infirm’ man? Why don’t you whisper in that young friend’s ear today to go easy on you, out of consideration for the elderly?”
Do men truly live on pride alone, even as they grow old?
The war of words between the two remained taut, neither showing any intention of backing down.
Clap, clap, clap!
At that moment, Jayble rubbed his weary face as if sensing a monumental headache coming on, and clapped his hands.
“How about you two stop bickering and we start practicing together first?”
He then beamed brightly, diffusing the situation.
Indeed.
Only when the recording with these terrible old-timers was over could he finally go see his beloved Michelle.
Though, looking at this lineup, it certainly didn’t seem like it would be over anytime soon.
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