The world is like an ocean.Water pours in 365 days, 24/7, causing waves, but overall it remains calm and silent.It shows an unchanging tranquil appearance, undisturbed by minor stimuli.To create ripples in that place, new things emerge from all over the world every day.New fashion and new art.New culture and new music.Along with the new generation enjoying trends, new faces appeared in the mass media, becoming new stars.In such a world, the culture of the ‘old era’ may soon become a buried heritage.But there is a saying in this world:‘Culture goes around in cycles.’Humans are not hamsters running on a wheel.Everyone wants a new change in their life.Under that desire, new cultures are born, and trends come along.That new culture will eventually become familiar. Then people will miss the old days.It may be because the ‘old’ feels new again.There is a thing called the ‘trend cycle’ in the fashion industry. It statistically defines the cycle of trends, though it has been used in the overall cultural business.The trend cycle is usually divided into three categories:If it’s temporary, it’s a 1-year cycle; if it’s bigger, it’s a 5-10-year cycle; and if it’s a mega-hit, it’s a 20-30-year cycle before the trend comes back around.There is sufficient evidence for this.However, someone might think this:Isn’t it a bit irresponsible?The range of cycles is too wide.Saying trends come back between 1 and 30 years is something anyone can say. It’s no different from someone predicting a pandemic will come within 10 years.Moreover, a trend you think will come around this time may not, and a trend you think is still far away may come early.In such cases, a fervent believer in the ‘trend cycle’ theory would say:In the former case, it was a failure of that person’s intuition.In the latter case, it was an exceptional case.He explained this exceptional case with one word:“Shock.”Usually, trends come around cyclically, but occasionally someone disturbs the trend cycle.Even in the calmest ocean, if you drop a huge bomb, an anomaly will occur.But usually, shocks are temporary and fragmentary.No matter how huge the bomb is, once you’re out of range of the shockwave, it soon calms down.However, not all shocks are the same.If it’s not just dropping a bomb, but a shock caused by a tectonic shift?Then it’s not just a problem of a shockwave.It will cause a crack in the bottom of the ocean, leaving a permanent mark.Furthermore, what if the terrain was originally unstable?For example, when people are thirsty for something, even though it’s not yet time for that trend to come around.If they would pay little or excessive attention whenever it comes, the moment the currents arrive that the terrain is already hot for, an unimaginably huge tsunami will cover the grounds of life in the blink of an eye.
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TLN: Fun fact here, the author wrote ‘tsunami’ as ‘Haeil (해일)’ which is the name of the MC and also has a meaning of tsunami, tidal wave, storm surge, etc.
August Veil knew the desires of the people around him. They longed for the glory of the once world-leading empire. The culture of that most beautiful era.Especially here, there was a strong thirst for traditional brick pop and rock and roll.If there was an opportunity, a stream would burst out from somewhere and break the dam.August Veil was not the one to bring about change.He had never stopped loving music, but unfortunately, he lacked musical talent.Fortunately, God was generous and gave him a different talent, which allowed him to live a lifetime in music.By providing the music he loved to the public and creating a huge shelter to protect the artists he loved.He sat at a sunny cafeteria, watching people come and go.Holding an espresso in one hand, he was an elderly man enjoying the rest of his life after retiring from all economic activities.Not many would know that this seemingly leisurely old man was actually the founder of the global label August Records.Of course, he had handed over management rights to a trusted professional CEO, merely owning the company while enjoying his retirement.“I’ve been looking all over for you.”August Veil lowered his sunglasses.A familiar face grumbled as he pulled out a chair towards him.“If you just say ‘there’, how am I supposed to know?”“Well, you managed to find me anyway.”“Thanks to you, my employees had a hard time.”The burly man who had taken away August’s sunlight had become a middle-aged man worrying about his thinning hair since they last met.“Have you been well, old man? I was about to call a lawyer since you weren’t answering my calls lately.”“Haha, a lawyer? I’m still spry for my age.”“At least you seem to be taking care of your health.”“Life is still enjoyable, so I have to take care of myself.”Through the rough back-and-forth, the conversation opened up.“By the way, I’ve heard you’ve been really into your ‘hobby’ lately.The stories keep coming in. If you ever get tired of that hobby, let me know. I’ll take responsibility and acquire it.”“Hahaha, you brat. Trying to take an old man’s food away now?”“Reports say your growth is becoming threatening. Go easy on me, will you?”The middle-aged man sat across from him, sipping a coffee loaded with whipped cream. His speech had become more CEO-like, but his taste remained the same.He’d be careful next time if he got diabetes once. August Veil clicked his tongue.“So, what did you want to see me about…?”“What other reason would there be? I just felt like contacting you.”“Is that so?”The middle-aged man made a face showing he didn’t believe it at all. And he had a reason – he had been serving August Veil for a very long time, so he knew the old man’s character well.“To be honest, I’ve been thinking about you too, sir.”“Oh?”“As I said, your hobby has gone beyond just a hobby, to the point where you’re even taking away artists my employees have been working with.”The old man laughed heartily as the middle-aged man made a pointed remark.“John Leslie, Michael. Should I name more?”“Hey, it’s not my fault if your employees are lacking, is it?”“So when do you plan to quit this hobby?”That was the reason the middle-aged man had come here.The music distribution company (aggregator) ‘Veil’ that August Veil had established as a hobby after retiring had far surpassed the hobby level, dominating the European indie distribution market beyond just the local area.The middle-aged man didn’t know how long August Veil would continue his hobby life, but the parent company was August Records. He was starting to feel threatened by August Veil’s company, and coveted it as much as he was threatened. A threatening enemy always seems to be embracing more than one honeypot.“A hobby is something you never get tired of.”“Then why did you call me here?”He was getting fed up with the sly old man.Without realizing it, the habit from when he was a shoeshiner boy came out. The middle-aged man felt August Veil had finally brought up the main point.“Well, there’s nothing special. I just wanted to talk about that hot guy these days. As you know, when you get old, you want someone to chat with, but you don’t have any friends. This is advice for you too. Make some while you’re young.”“Where are your own children, then?”“Like they’d listen to me. They’d probably rather listen to my will?”With the half-sharp joke, the middle-aged man nodded.“You’ve listened to his second album, right?”“Of course. I even left the first comment on that guy’s channel.”August Veil closed his eyes.Without even listening, the sweet sound of spring slowly approached. He had listened, and listened, and listened again, but every time he focused on the song, he naturally smiled and his eyes reddened for no reason.They say old age increases female hormones, making you do things you didn’t before.Still, he didn’t dislike it, for through that music, it felt like he had returned to his childhood days of innocently seeing the world as beautiful.It wasn’t for no reason that rumors had spread in the entertainment industry.As people who need to identify and lead trends first, everyone in the entertainment industry keeps their eyes and ears open as they live. Even if they appear elegant like swans on the surface, they have to keep paddling hard to survive.As a result, if there is truly good music, no matter how deep underwater it is buried, it is bound to flow in through people.He had heard about it from the producer he trusted the most, too.So excited like he hadn’t been in a long time, he dragged his old body and opened NuTube, playing “Struggle.”And he kept his eyes wide open until the music ended.He thought a new star had emerged, but it turned out to be the return of a legendary superstar who had led early rock and roll.That was the same reason the industry reacted so sensitively, thinking that the superstar from back then was making a comeback.With such an amazing rough work, too.“Who do you think he is, sir?”“And who do you think he is?”“Hmm. The music style reminds me of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard.”“So he just put all the founders of rock and roll together, huh?”The old man laughed heartily.The middle-aged man was speaking passionately, even though he knew it couldn’t be the case.That meant he valued ‘The Sun’s’ songs that much.Indeed, ‘The Sun’s’ music is full of the vibe from that era. It’s not for no reason that people are guessing he’s in his 50s or 60s.“Do you think he could be…”The middle-aged man’s guess was close to that direction as well. He also seemed to think the person who made this kind of music was around that age.“But his voice sounds too young, doesn’t it?”At the old man’s point, the middle-aged man briefly fell silent.That was true. As seen in the comments and from the artists they met, the reason everyone was fiercely arguing about ‘The Sun’ was because of his voice.While the music style, genre, and technique were clearly those of a rock star who was loved by the masses in the 90s, his voice sounded too young. And it wasn’t just that his voice sounded young – his breathing and vocalization were also imperfect.That went away in the second album, but the discussion had started with the first album.“It’s one of two things. Either he took a long break from music or it’s a ‘team’. But seeing how he fixed his breathing and vocalization in just a month, he’s clearly an experienced singer.”Unless you’ve done it before, you can’t improve that quickly.“You don’t want to believe it’s a ‘team’, do you?”“Well, it could be.”The middle-aged man admitted honestly.“The sun is originally one.”August Veil nodded.In fact, he didn’t think ‘The Sun’ was a team either.Judging by the use of a MIDI program, he was an individual, not a band. He might not have had a band from the start, or it might have disbanded.“You got that right.”August Veil put down his cup and took off his beret. The middle-aged man’s eyes widened.“Wait, what’s your opinion, sir?”“Looks like something came up that I need to go check on.”“You’re leaving all of a sudden?”The middle-aged man hurriedly took out 100 pounds from his wallet, placing it under the cup, and chased after August Veil.“Did you pay the bill, sir?”“This is my regular spot. The boss knows to remember it for me.”“You’re still taking loans with all your wealth, sir?”“You paid for me today, didn’t you? It’s fine.”The middle-aged man looked back.The cafeteria boss had discovered the 100 pounds and was overjoyed.He was a businessman pursuing profit.He had canceled his schedule to come here, not to pay off the old man’s debt at a loss.“Are you really leaving?”“Did I say something ridiculous?”It was unbelievable. The old man paid no heed to his call and swiftly boarded a tram. Like a childish old man running away to avoid paying for coffee.The middle-aged man, who hadn’t brought his Oyster card, stared dejectedly at the tram.“Sir.”The attendants who had stayed behind approached.The middle-aged man hardened his expression, and soon a car pulled up in front of him.He thought seriously.Just what reason did that old man have for calling him here?He wouldn’t have called him just to eat peanuts with his personality. His abrupt departure meant he had achieved his purpose.Suddenly, something occurred to him.The old man had said he had left the first comment, and he had passionately listened to his opinion about The Sun. It was unlike the old man who usually only spoke himself.“Could it be…?”Inside the running car, the man opened ‘his’ channel on his tablet. Among The Sun’s six uploaded songs and four instrumentals, amidst praises from enthusiastic record labels and distributors fawning over their love, he could see some familiar names.Well, until recently, The Sun hadn’t disclosed any contact information, which is why they were doing this.The man scrolled down through the comments.And soon, he discovered it.What the old man’s purpose was for listening to him at length before disappearing.The man laughed dejectedly.“Sir.”Something churned in his throat.Soon, the man’s face turned cold.The old man had been testing his intentions.Whether he would join the competition to acquire ‘The Sun’.And he had gotten his answer, so he left.He had gotten his answer too.Even though he had ended up at a loss in that conversation, war is not over with just one combat.“I won’t let you have it so easily this time, sir. I’ve got my eye on The Sun too.”And this was a battle he had the advantage in.The ‘Veil’ company the old man operated as a hobby only provided distribution services for ‘independent’ indie artists.Compared to major labels, it would naturally be at a disadvantage. Any middle-aged or elderly singer wanting to regain their past glory would surely choose a label.#Halo scratched his ear.For some reason, his ear was itching.Was someone badmouthing him?Compared to before, he was living quite quietly now, so he couldn’t think of anyone who would badmouth him.Halo shook his head and focused on the emails again.Rows of emails written in English scrolled by.Labels, distribution, advertising.None of them seemed to regard him as a Korean living in Korea. Fortunately, he was more fluent in English than Korean.He might not understand abbreviations or slang, but such expressions wouldn’t be used in official documents.Halo scanned the documents.Some were formal with no sincerity, while others detailed why they wanted to sign him, written with care.Unfortunately, he couldn’t accept more than half of the label-signing offers that came in. He had no intention of joining any label yet. However, companies related only to ‘distribution’ weren’t too bad.As he looked at a distributor that had neatly entered the contract terms in the email, Halo read the final line.It said they wanted to discuss the contract in more detail face-to-face, and if he just provided a date and address, they could meet right away.Or, if that was not possible:“For me to visit?”It suggested that if he visited their company directly, they would book his flight and accommodation.The moment he saw the company’s address, Halo furrowed his brow.Hi everyone, I've fully translated this series. If you love the series and wanted to binge read until the end, you can go to my Patreon "Shop" page. Instead of buying the advanced chapters one by one, you can buy them in one bulk (with discounted price too)!
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