I Became a Monster Singer-Songwriter - Part 2
(A Fateful Encounter)
“Udam, you ever heard of Sturgeon’s Law?”
His friend of ten years, Choe Junseop, asked at a Korean barbecue joint.
Looks like he’d read some books for the first time in a while.
Jeong Udam had kept his distance from books for a long time.
“What is it?”
“They say ninety percent of SF novels are trash. But it’s not just SF novels—everything is like that. Movies, music, even things that aren’t creative works, all of it.”
“That’s similar to Pareto’s eighty-twenty rule, or whatever it’s called.”
“This is way more extreme. To explain it in more detail, the ninety percent is discarded for the sake of the great ten percent, or so they say.”
Come to think of it.
Jeong Udam was also one of the ninety percent of employees being ground down for the massive salaries of the ten percent executives, so he could relate in his own way.
Watching him slowly nod while holding his glass, Choe Junseop smirked.
“Why do you think I’m bringing this up?”
As if I’d know.
He was about to retort when he noticed the guy’s gaze drifting to the liquor poster now and then.
To be exact, to the model in that poster.
Whether the background was a refreshing blue or not, one couldn’t tell—a beauty with a cute impression who captured one’s gaze with nothing but her face.
“Seo Jian?”
“Man, the whole world’s Jian! Everywhere you go, it’s Jian’s ads. You know? The entertainment industry especially is dominated by the top ten percent. Who would’ve thought a kid who was in a band with us would become a star like this?”
“Lower your voice.”
“Ah, you bastard, who’s gonna listen?”
Even if people heard, they’d take it as nothing more than the bluster of drunkards.
And with good reason.
Jeong Udam worked the production floor in Team Four, on a two-shift rotation.
Starting tomorrow, two days off.
Because he’d come straight to Seoul after work today, his head felt weighed down, and the dark circles, uncovered even by his horn-rimmed glasses, signaled that he was thoroughly steeped in fatigue.
And Choe Junseop had rushed into becoming the head of his household. Just by his face, you could tell he was drowning in work; he looked even older than he actually was.
In a state like this, even if they mentioned Seo Jian—the ultimate baby-faced beauty—as a friend, who would believe it when they didn’t even look the same age?
Moreover, they were now complete strangers.
Knowing well that to Choe Junseop, too, it was nothing but a bygone past, Jeong Udam tossed back the soju.
Keuk!
He made a bitter expression.
“Those days were the most fun. Out of my whole life.”
“You’re talking like you’ve lived it all.”
“Want to get back together as a hobby?”
“You know the cure for nonsense is a beating, right?”
Even when he pretended to strike him with a pair of tongs holding a strip of samgyeopsal, the guy’s nonsense didn’t stop.
“Who knows? Maybe Jian misses us after all this time?”
“If she did, she would’ve sent a congratulatory gift after receiving your wedding invitation, or at least come to the reception. Seo Jian lives in a different world than us. But are you crazy—more importantly, can you even still play drums?”
At that, Choe Junseop picked up one chopstick in each hand and tapped the table.
Tak, tak, tik!
A serious case of off-beat.
There was no hope.
“Hey, hey, why are you looking at me like that? I just need to practice a bit.”
“Bullshit. I’ve forgotten how to play guitar too, and didn’t the lead guitarist go overseas or something?”
From his messenger profile, he seemed to be running a business abroad.
They had all settled into their own places, and besides, the chances of it happening were zero from the start.
Choe Junseop, who had brought it up, knew that better than anyone.
“Well, I’ve got no time, and Ayeong wouldn’t allow it anyway. If I wasn’t meeting you, I couldn’t have come out even here.”
Jeong Udam filled the married man’s empty glass.
“Drink this and go home.”
“She said it’s fine since I’m with you. Anything going on at your company?”
“They say we’re having a sports day next week. Damn it.”
“In February? Won’t you freeze to death?”
“They say they’ll rent a nearby gym. They want a talent show too, so I agreed to sing nineties dance songs with the older guys on my team. The president likes that stuff.”
He was even supposed to be off that day. It meant his day off had been stolen too.
“Kekeke, nineties dance songs? That’s hilarious. Make sure to record it.”
“Get lost.”
Hardly had the words left his mouth.
Choe Junseop’s phone rang, and he answered after just one ring.
“Uh, yeah, honey! When am I coming? I was just about to leave right now! There was a place selling fish-shaped buns right in front, should I buy some?”
Sigh.
Hanging up the phone, Choe Junseop let out a sigh.
“I should get going….”
“Yeah.”
“You meeting someone else later?”
His college friends subtly looked down on Jeong Udam for doing manual labor. As if it wasn’t a real job unless it was white-collar work.
And it was a mid-sized company, so his annual salary wasn’t even low. Yet job seekers had the nerve….
Of course, he’d cut them all off.
They had been friends who were fun to hang out with thoughtlessly during college. After becoming a working adult, his criteria for cutting ties had become clear.
So this guy was the only one he met.
Admitting that was embarrassing, so he lied.
Telling himself it was a white lie and claiming a mental victory. So that he wouldn’t feel awkward about parting ways now.
“Yeah. Meeting someone for a bit.”
“Ooh~ living the good life, huh? A girl?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Let me give you a tip. In front of women, you only say obvious things like some fun-cool-sexy wannabe, so just play along and agree with everything she says.”
“That meme is ancient.”
Choe Junseop laughed with a giggle as he headed for the counter, so Jeong Udam pushed him out past the entrance.
“Ah, bro, you’re ruining my swagger.”
“Bro, my ass. Go buy fish-shaped buns for Ms. Ayeong.”
After seeing his friend off, Jeong Udam sat back down. The samgyeopsal was cooked crispy.
He turned off the flame and spent twenty minutes eating and drinking.
In silence.
Perhaps that was why he saw his old classmate.
Seo Jian in the liquor ad poster.
‘Honestly, I did think she’d make it big.’
But he hadn’t known she’d become this successful.
Back in high school.
Their band was like The Police—though comparing themselves to the legendary Police was cheeky—and Seo Jian had handled leader, vocals, and bass like Sting. On top of that, she was the visual.
And Choe Junseop was on drums, and another guy was on lead guitar.
Jeong Udam was second guitar and backup vocals.
Of course, now he didn’t even know how to hold a guitar, and though his vocals had only been about doubling and stacking chorus harmonies back then, now he couldn’t make a sound at all.
He had forgotten the feeling entirely.
He hadn’t been particularly skilled to begin with.
…By the way, what should I do this holiday?
“So damn boring.”
Money was piling up in his account—not a lot, but steadily—yet strangely, he couldn’t figure out how to spend it.
He’d lost interest in buying and collecting LEGOs and sneakers that he used to love so much, and single-player games weren’t fun either.
As if the final goal of life had been to become a cog in society’s machine. Having successfully broken through the employment barrier, his energy had suddenly vanished. He found it bothersome and lacked the motivation to put effort into any activity.
‘Maybe I’ll go home and watch a movie or something.’
He’d probably spend a long time choosing what to watch before eventually just going to sleep.
He left the restaurant, leaving some meat uneaten.
Hoo-.
On the night street, his breath showed white in the light of the store signs.
“Brrr?”
It had even started snowing, so he called a taxi.
Five minutes until arrival.
To avoid the wind, Jeong Udam ducked into the alley up ahead. It seemed to be a place people took out their trash; there were heaps of standard garbage bags.
‘Ninety percent of everything is trash.’
The words he’d heard earlier came back to him for no reason, and his gaze lingered on the pile of trash.
Because under the thinly piled snow, he could see an antique travel bag.
‘This doesn’t look like trash.’
It wasn’t a wheeled suitcase.
The case was wooden, with metal buckles and a leather handle.
Brush, brush. He shook off the snow and lifted the bag.
“Aw.”
He’d seen wrong because it was dark.
Seen up close, it was battered to pieces.
So the original owner must have dumped it here.
But.
“Is that a sound coming from inside?”
He put his ear to it. Suddenly, a low-volume melody could be heard from inside the bag.
Had someone accidentally left their phone in there and thrown it away?
Jeong Udam opened the bag.
There wasn’t even a lock.
Click. Click.
But there was no phone or anything like that in the bag, which had opened flat to one hundred eighty degrees.
Instead, there was only something that made him doubt his eyes.
Inside, a small world was spread out.
There was a tiny cabin, and the entire floor was covered with a scaled-down field. Like a board game.
But to call it a board game, it wasn’t a picture—it looked like a real field.
The grass inside the bag swayed in a warm mountain breeze, not the fierce wind of the alley.
“Wh-what is this?”
That wasn’t the end. The ash-gray smoke billowing from the chimney formed words.
An unbelievable sight.
[Dreams Come True]
-Welcome New Player!
[Setting recommended class.]
-Entertainer
[Entering player name.]
-Jeong Udam / 27
Game Start!
-The Treekeepers are coming out of the house.
Squeak. The cabin door opened.
What came out were two tiny white baby mice, smaller than a finger.
“Mice, mice!”
No.
Looking closely, they were cartoonish polar bears.
They wore straw hats and overalls. They walked upright like people and held farming tools in their hands.
Soon, they took off their straw hats, held them to their chests, looked up as if saluting, and put them back on.
Then they walked off singing gleefully in chorus.
-No one can stop me~
…Why a cola commercial jingle?
Next, the little bears dug into the ground and buried something taken from their pockets.
-The Treekeepers plant the four seeds they possess.
Then, after sprinkling water…
-A Vocal Range (D) tree has grown.
-Will you supply nutrients to the Vocal Range (D) tree?
-100,000 won / D→C
-A Composition (F) tree has grown.
-Will you supply nutrients to the Composition (F) tree?
-10,000 won / F→D
-A Visuals (C) tree has grown.
-Will you supply nutrients to the Visuals (C) tree?
-1,000,000 won / C→B
-An Acting (F) tree has grown.
......
-One Treekeeper can manage two trees.
-Seeds and items can be purchased from the shop window above or obtained through exploration.
-More Treekeepers are needed to send them on exploration.
-Will you hire additional Treekeepers?
Jeong Udam closed the bag.
‘…Whew, I must be really drunk.’
Just then, a taxi arrived. As he opened the back door, the driver shouted.
“Passenger! The seats will get wet, so please put the wet bag in the trunk!”