Chapter 238: True Intentions

THE-H, a composer who had long worked with Doubles.

If not for his outdated skills, he might’ve lasted as long as Billy Vinger.

But after a string of failed songs, his livelihood had finally been cut off.

No agencies reached out, and even when he sent emails, most were outright ignored.

The song camp at Doubles was an opportunity he had to seize.

More than pride as a composer, it was genuinely for survival. He had to eat to live, after all.

Hiding that desperation, he spoke gently.

“This song, Hyukwon… Did you write it?”

“Hello.”

A shabby studio he’d have to vacate next month due to a failed business venture.

Between the scattered belongings, a young composer greeted him.

“I’ve only worked up to the chorus so far.”

He was a composer raised under him since high school, and he nodded.

His name was Hyukwon—a kid with exceptional talent from the very beginning.

Not only did he have a keen sense for trends, but also an uncanny knack for understanding mass appeal.

During THE-H’s heyday, they often worked “together” under the label of collaboration, but in truth, Hyukwon had done most of the work.

Thinking back now, despite the workload being split nearly 3 to 7, THE-H had always made sure his name was the one listed as main composer.

That pure and young boy had since grown into an adult.

Now that Hyukwon had matured, he was no longer someone he could manipulate at will, and so they’d gone their separate ways.

‘I should’ve held onto him…’

Back then, he thought he could manage just fine without Hyukwon. He should’ve kept him under his thumb and used him longer, but now it was too late for regret.

THE-H spoke in a dry tone.

“Let me hear the chorus. It’s been a while—I want to hear your song.”

“Ah, sure.”

Without suspicion, Hyukwon opened the demo file.

“I was aiming for a vibe like this. It’s far from done, so it still needs a lot of work.”

Click.

After a few mouse clicks, Hyukwon’s composition played from the speakers.

A cool beat with a strong hip-hop vibe.

Even with just a one-minute highlight, it had something that hooked the ear.

“Mmm. This is really good…”

At those words, Hyukwon instinctively turned his head sharply.

“Ah. Just to say in advance, this time I’m using it by myself.”

A clear message that he wouldn’t collaborate. Having poured so much of his work into THE-H before, he was done handing things over.

“Yeah, that’s how it should be.”

THE-H gave a half-hearted reply and patted Hyukwon on the shoulder.

“Got any other tracks?”

“Yeah, I mean… Go ahead and take a listen.”

The young composer naively offered up his songs.

And behind him, a faint, unreadable smile curled on THE-H’s lips.

The Doubles Meeting Room.

It had been a while since they’d seen Manager Song Jinha, and today her face looked especially radiant.

“Manager! Hello!”

“Oh, come in, come in.”

They hadn’t realized it, but today was apparently bonus payout day.

Thanks to the Billboard entry and YoonTiple’s recent hits, the company stock had risen, and the A&R team’s eyes sparkled more than usual at this meeting.

“Alright, let’s begin the meeting.”

Today’s agenda was related to Stardust’s 3rd Mini Album.

With overseas interest growing, there were many factors to consider to maintain domestic presence while reaching global fans.

Manager Song Jinha laid out the situation and opened the discussion.

“We got a lot of good songs from this song camp.”

When it came to this kind of talk, the team had one clear expert.

Seongbin-hyung, who always got incredibly serious when it came to music, nodded silently.

“There are three main candidates…”

Among the many solid songs from the camp, three had been shortlisted as a good match for Stardust.

With top-tier composers gathered for this camp, expectations for the outcome were naturally high.

Manager Song Jinha grinned as she began.

“The first one is from Billy Vinger.”

“Wow!”

“Haven’t heard it yet, but I already love it.”

A trusted composer. Having worked with them many times before, he had a talent for nailing what the fans wanted.

As expected, the moment the guide track played, everyone couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.

“Wow, this is great.”

Totally my style.

With a refreshing vibe and crisp beat, it was an electronica track that lifted your mood just by listening.

It wasn’t too complex and had strong mass appeal, so the members also responded well.

“Mmm. Hmm~.”

Cha Seongbin was so into it, he was humming along with his nose. The song was really well-made.

There was just one catch…

“Mmm. But it doesn’t feel very international.”

“Kinda iffy, right…?”

No matter how you rolled it, front or back, the song basically screamed, ‘This is K-pop!!!’

Manager Song Jinha seemed to agree, stroking her chin with a serious expression.

Then, Section Chief Kim Seyoung from the A&R team raised his hand to speak.

“We could release it later as a single.”

“I think that’s a good idea too.”

“A single… That’s actually great.”

So, Billy Vinger’s song was put on hold for now.

The song itself was excellent, so hopefully it could be included in an album someday.

“There are still plenty of songs, so let’s take our time listening~”

Next up was the second sample track…

“Elson Telmore.”

“Wow. This lineup is insane!”

“I’m already excited…!”

He helped them enter the Billboard charts last time, so of course, just hearing the name was exciting.

Seo Ian, now a full-on fan after the last song, couldn’t hide his excitement.

“Let’s listen.”

Section Chief Kim Seyoung of A&R smiled and played the track.

And just like that, the meeting room fell silent. The members, deeply focused, raised their heads as the final highlight faded out.

“It is good, though.”

“Personally, it fits my taste.”

Jin Sehyun smiled as he spoke.

“But it feels like it leans more toward pop than K-pop.”

“Agreed. I thought the same.”

Ha Junseo added, sounding regretful.

The song itself was solid with no weak points—he was a talented composer, after all.

But while his arrangement had balanced pop and K-pop well in Cha Seongbin’s original track last time… this one leaned too heavily into a pop vibe.

Section Chief Kim Seyoung from the A&R team widened his eyes and asked,

“Should we put this one on hold too, then?”

“Yes!”

No matter how good a song was, when it came to picking a title track, they had to be cautious.

They decided to listen to the third candidate as well.

“This one’s by Composer Bae Junhwan. And if I may add a personal note from the A&R team… it had the best response from this camp.”

“Oh, if it’s A&R-approved… I’m intrigued.”

“Me too!!”

A name I hadn’t heard before.

“Is he a rookie too?”

“Nope. He’s worked with us quite a bit before, but I guess since it was a song camp, he submitted it under his real name.”

“His real name is…?”

“He’s usually known as THE-H.”

“Oh.”

A name I recognized.

For a moment, I failed to manage my expression. Jin Sehyun caught that flicker and asked curiously.

“What’s up?”

“Let’s… just listen first.”

Section Chief Kim Seyoung played the sample track.

And then—

From the very beginning, the beat grabbed the ear. A melody that was both familiar and addictively catchy flowed out.

“…Oh.”

Ha Junseo let out a quiet exclamation.

The chorus made it instantly clear why the A&R team had favored this track.

It hooked more than I expected.

“This is insane. So good.”

“This is the one.”

The mood was something that would resonate both domestically and internationally, and just one listen left it ringing in your head—it had all the makings of a hit.

I felt it too.

But I couldn’t just smile and agree with everyone.

“I’m going to hold off on deciding.”

I knew this song too well.

The original composer was listed under the wrong name.

“Something feels off.”

We couldn’t make a comeback carrying a ticking time bomb.

After the meeting, back in the practice room, I paced nervously in circles.

“Hmm… hmm.”

That third candidate we’d just listened to—

It was the song that had exploded under the title “” at YH Entertainment.

Not just a hit—it had been a massive sensation.

Exactly one year from now, it would become a viral success, instantly propelling YH’s rookie boy group into top-tier fourth-generation idol status.

The problem was the messy backstory behind the song—THE-H wasn’t the true original composer, but rather a young composer he’d trained.

From what I remembered, after the song’s release, the two got locked in a drawn-out legal dispute.

You didn’t even need expert ears—he’d lifted the chorus part almost entirely.

And after pretending in the media that he’d composed it himself, he got caught and was effectively blacklisted from the industry.

If a plagiarizing composer got mixed into our Double Million Seller project, it would get messy.

I want to be famous and end up on the 9 o’clock news—but not on the social issues segment.

While I was lost in thought, Kang Siwoo approached and asked,

“Something wrong?”

“I’m still thinking about that song from earlier.”

“That one? I liked the third one the best.”

“…Same here, actually.”

I gave a bitter smile and swallowed a gulp of water.

“Ha, it’s tricky.”

Giving up on that track over the issues tied to it…

It was such a surefire hit that it hurt to let it go.

“There’s too much at stake.”

“What, the composer?”

Kang Siwoo tilted his head as he asked.

He must’ve noticed the way my expression froze earlier when THE-H’s name came up.

“Yes.”

To that, I answered honestly.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about it.”

“Hmm. If Seohan feels that way, we can’t ignore it.”

He was listening seriously even though I was basically talking nonsense. Kang Siwoo glanced at me and asked casually,

“So what’s your pick? The first song?”

“Not sure yet.”

Ideally, we’d take the song but credit the true original composer…

“Oh.”

Suddenly, a great idea popped into my head like a flash.

“I just got a good idea.”

I’d leak the song.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep