Chapter 73: There Are Always Exceptions

“How is it? A bit modest, right?”

“Cozy and nice, actually.”

The chairman’s office was humbler than I had expected.

Of course, I meant compared to what I had imagined—not that it was objectively humble.

Where was I?

At Manny Entertainment.

And who was that man?

The head of Manny Entertainment, Jeong Jaewook.

Naturally, one would expect him to have a grand, extravagant private office.

Yet, this place hardly had anything you could call interior decoration.

Not even the usual display of trophies.

Behind the desk sat an old foldable bed, sagging deeply in the shape of a human body.

On the white wall, only one large black-and-white photo hung.

The rest of the walls were floor-to-ceiling glass.

They say the best interior is the view itself.

And it was true.

Not just anyone could look down on such a view.

“I really put in some effort since we had an important guest coming. Been about ten days, right? Cleaning this place up was a lot of work. How is it? The windows are sparkling, aren’t they?”

“Do you clean it yourself?”

“When things get noisy in my head, cleaning helps me sort them out a bit.”

“Ah……”

Usually, cleaning a messy place makes the mind even more tangled, doesn’t it?

Sometimes I found the quirks of people in the entertainment industry hard to grasp.

“Your own space, untouched by anyone else’s eyes—that’s really necessary. A place where you can just exist comfortably.”

He was an honest man.

At first, he had reminded me of Kim Minsoo.

The way he dressed, the way he spoke lightly while slipping in sharp undertones.

But sitting across from him here, I realized he was entirely different.

If Kim Minsoo carried himself with the air of a chaebol, this man had much more of a humble side.

“Sit down. Want some coffee? Only got hot.”

Jeong Jaewook walked to the corner.

There stood a coffee machine.

He even brewed it himself. A little surprising.

And it wasn’t even anything fancy.

The same capsule coffee machine I had at home.

Ah, but hot coffee wasn’t really my thing.

“I already had some.”

“Then have juice.”

He handed me apple juice and plopped down across from me.

The sofa let out a creak.

I drank the juice in one go and asked,

“What was it you wanted to see me about…?”

Then,

“Well, nothing special. Just thought we could chat a bit, since we’re walking the same path.”

In an instant, Jeong Jaewook’s expression changed.

Why did it feel like lasers were shooting from his eyes?

What was with this guy, so intimidating all of a sudden?

“As for me, the moment I saw UTAR’s stage, I was sure. Ah, that rabbit DJ. Definitely not an ordinary person. How should I put it, one of our kind?”

“……And what kind would that be?”

“You know. Just a glance at the eyes tells me.”

……I admit it. I had made a mistake.

Jeong Jaewook, Chairman of Manny Entertainment.

I had thought I had done enough homework before coming here.

So why hadn’t I realized sooner that he was a man possessed by music?

I should have noticed the moment I saw that picture on the wall.

I stared at the black-and-white photo hanging there.

The person in it was Avicii.

A DJ with a tragic story.

A pioneer who swept the Billboard charts, lifting EDM into the mainstream.

A musician loved for his unique style, blending EDM with country, pop, and many other genres.

If you weren’t into DJing, you might not know him. But for me, he had been a deep source of inspiration.

“Do you know this man?”

“Yes.”

“DJs are different…… This is the first time I’ve seen someone look at this photo with that kind of expression.”

And what kind of expression would that be, exactly?

Feeling awkward, I brushed my cheek with the back of my hand.

“As I thought, I knew I read you right. Avicii—such a tragic figure.”

Instead of replying, I lifted my gaze back to the large photo.

Avicii had achieved immense success at the young age of twenty-two.

But success as a musician didn’t necessarily guarantee success in life.

The mental burden broke him down, and before even turning thirty, he tragically took his own life.

In a foreign place called Oman.

Me once, the photo once.

As he alternated his gaze, he politely asked,

“If you don’t mind, may I ask your age?”

“I’m twenty-three in Korean age.”

“Oh…… really? That’s about the age Avicii became famous with Levels.”

“Right.”

“What do you think it would be like?”

“In what sense?”

With arms crossed, still staring at the photo, Jeong Jaewook asked in a tone full of certainty,

“If you succeed like Avicii, will you be able to handle it?”

“Comparing me to Avicii, that’s far too generous.”

That’s what I said.

But I barely managed to hide the smile creeping out.

To become like Avicii?

I felt like dancing right then and there.

Of course, the ending of my story would be very different.

“Humility is good, but sometimes honesty is better. I think you’ve got enough skill for it. You see, there are only two DJs I recognize in Korea. One of them is Seo Rabbit. But……”

Chairman Jeong Jaewook suddenly shook his head mid-sentence.

Why stop there?

I had a faint guess about what he wanted to say, but I didn’t show it.

There was no reason for me to bring it up first at this point.

Someone with this much interest in DJing would bring it up soon enough.

“Avicii and Seo Rabbit. From what I see, you two share a lot. Style, potential. Even getting attention at such a young age.”

I answered firmly.

“No. We’re different.”

Both I and Jeong Jaewook.

We knew better than anyone the sorrowful story Avicii carried.

Maybe what he really wanted to ask was this:

‘Isn’t it too much pressure?’

His remark about skill.

That was clearly acknowledgment and expectation for the potential I had.

And……

A kind of test.

Because Avicii had made an extreme choice under the weight of overwhelming attention.

I, too, often wondered, What if I can’t live up to the audience’s expectations? What if this is my limit? How do I break through then?

But no matter how much I racked my brain, there was no answer.

I wasn’t a fortune teller. How could I know my future?

All I could do was live the present as best as I could.

Rather than wasting time on burdens and worries, writing one more beat was far more worthwhile.

Still, there was one thing I wanted to say.

Maybe it was exactly the answer Jeong Jaewook was hoping for.

“At the very least, I can be certain about one thing.”

“Oh? Now I’m curious.”

“That I’m stronger against stress than I look.”

DJs have a flashy image.

That’s the common perception the public holds.

The reason is simple.

Because DJs work in clubs at night.

Alcohol, romance, lights, stage, dancing……

All these words together form the image of a ‘frivolous DJ.’

‘I did wonder, just in case.’

Even Jeong Jaewook couldn’t completely deny it.

No matter how much he had deep knowledge of DJing, no matter if he recognized it as an art beyond simple performance.

At least in Korea, the image of DJs was rooted in nightlife, at the peak of entertainment.

But of course, there are always exceptions.

And the proof was right in front of him, sipping apple juice.

“The breakdown in More Than Time—was that intentional?”

When Jeong Jaewook carefully asked, Taeyoon answered in a slightly raised tone,

“Personally, I prefer clean mixing over flashy techniques. Something doesn’t have to be extravagant to stand out. UTAR, Seo Rabbit—they both understand that rule well. The breakdown was done to support the band’s play at the right level.”

“Oh-ho? So it was intentional! That’s the thing with DJs, depending on the intent……”

Once reassured of Taeyoon’s depth, he started spilling out words like a waterfall.

It was something he simply couldn’t hold back.

Listening to him, I had already emptied three bottles of apple juice.

Wasn’t his throat sore?

An hour had already passed.

How could anyone have this much to say about DJs?

“People say DJs are just folks who play music. Oh, no. Absolutely not. That’s like a food amateur calling a chef ‘someone who serves meals.’ That’s, how should I say, an insult? Something only someone completely clueless would say.”

It wasn’t as if he himself had been insulted.

So why was he getting so worked up here?

“A DJ is more like…… a prophet who reads the flow of the space in advance, don’t you think? A maestro who controls even the heartbeat of the audience with precision? Sometimes I think that. Seo Rabbit, for instance, cooks with emotions through rhythm. Especially the Music Train arranged stage, I really loved that one. Ahh! DJing that goes beyond expectations!”

……What was that even supposed to mean.

Jeong Jaewook clung to me, speaking with fervor as if he were possessed by the ghost of a DJ who had died because he couldn’t perform.

“Would you like another glass of juice? You must be thirsty.”

I was fine without saying anything.

Just listening was entertaining enough.

After all, I rarely got to hear such personal views on DJing spoken so frankly.

In his eyes, DJs were special musicians.

It felt good. At least he wasn’t looking at me through tinted glasses.

“Ahh, refreshing.”

He downed another juice in one go and spoke again.

“It’s organic apple juice, so it’s good for you. I might save on other things, but I never cut corners on food. Anyway, Seo Rabbit, you know what it means to control tempo and intensity. You cut things off at subtle timings so brilliantly, ah…… I just want to hear more.”

I thought blood might start pouring from my ears.

He spoke so fast that I couldn’t find an opening to interrupt.

“If there’s only one regret I have about DJs……”

Oh?

“That very few have achieved meaningful results with their own tracks? Because dissecting someone else’s song and creating your own are completely different things.”

Looked like I’d found an opening.

“What do you think about that, Seo Rabbit?”

Finally, my turn?

One’s own tracks.

Meaningful results.

A different realm……

Those words filled Taeyoon’s head.

Jeong Jaewook kept going for another twenty minutes.

Though it felt like a never-ending ramble, the conclusion was surprisingly simple.

‘No matter how hard they try, DJs can never be the original artists!’

Of course, he hadn’t said it outright.

But it wasn’t hard to guess.

That was the reality.

Strictly speaking…… DJs were professionals who carefully reassembled music others had made, shaping it into a convincing flow and performing as if it were their own.

Even if you put on so-called ‘killer DJing,’ it couldn’t exist without the original.

Between creation and editing.

It was a cruel profession, walking a tightrope and staking everything on pure instinct.

“Whoa. Please don’t misunderstand, I don’t mean you’re like that, Rabbit……”

It could have been a rude question.

But it wasn’t mockery, nor provocation.

It was pure curiosity, sincere concern.

Taeyoon knew that well.

Because that was the reality of being a DJ.

There were countless disparaging expressions.

Flashy, fringe, copycat.

The fact that he hadn’t used such provocative words already showed his refinement.

Thinking so, I answered.

“No, that’s actually a very sharp question. It’s something every DJ worries about. Which is why……”

It was thanks to Lunatic Beat that I had started working in earnest.

……Or so I was about to say, before stopping for a moment.

Thinking about it, wouldn’t it be boring to jump straight into the main point?

When Lee Yehwan had suddenly told me, ‘Our chairman wants to meet you.’, I had more or less expected this.

Guest member or not, I was still part of UTAR.

Scouting?

No way.

There was still such a thing as professional courtesy in this industry.

A man as high up as the head of Manny Entertainment had no reason to stir up unnecessary trouble.

So of course, he was sticking to music talk while taking the most cautious stance possible.

Which meant this was, in other words—

Him using his authority to satisfy his own private admiration……!

Embarrassing as it was.

A kind of fan spirit?

“So? I’m really curious about the next part. So what did you do?”

Wouldn’t it be boring to just spill it right away?

Taeyoon paused to choose his words.

He intended to slowly draw out his curiosity.

“I tried making beats of my own.”

“Oh-ho? But why didn’t you show that on stage? I’m dying to know what kind of style it is. Would it be rude to ask you to play it?”

First step—success.

Jeong Jaewook pulled his chair closer.

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