WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Potter
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ My Fired Uncle Is a Genius Guitarist? ◈
Chapter 36: You Worked Hard All This Time
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“Quite a few.”
The atmosphere in the meeting room shifted slightly at my answer. Kang Taeo’s eyes lit up, while CEO Hwang Insoo leaned forward and asked seriously.
“How many?”
“Even if I narrow them down, enough for two or three albums.”
“Two or three albums?”
The CEO and Kang Taeo looked at each other. Their faces held a mix of surprise and anticipation. The CEO cleared his throat and carefully began.
“Then perhaps the next songs as well...”
“Let’s see how these five songs do first, then talk again.”
I cut him off gently but firmly.
‘There’s no reason to rush.’
It was only natural. Once these five songs I had handed over today exploded into the world under Muri’s name, the price of songs would be on an entirely different scale from the next deal onward. There was no reason to lay every card I had on the table at once.
“...Understood. I’ll take that to mean the results need to be good.”
The CEO smiled and backed off. Then he neatly turned the contract on the table toward me.
“Please look over the contract. Take your time.”
“Of course. I’ll take my time.”
‘A very long time.’
Few people knew better than I did what happened when you did not read a contract properly.
From the first page to the last, I went through every clause with my eyes. The contract applied only to these five songs. Ten million won per song. The copyrights for composition and lyrics remained with One Dragon. The credits would list One Dragon.
With every page I turned, I asked myself the same question. Could this clause be used against me later? Was there anything here that reached beyond these five songs and into songs I would write in the future?
Fortunately, I did not see any poisonous clauses worth objecting to. If anything, it was an almost suspiciously clean and honest contract.
Still, I went back to the beginning and read it once more. In my previous life, I had been kicked out of the band because I had not done this.
“Yawn.”
Kang Taeo, seated across from me, let out a small yawn before he could stop himself. When I looked up, he quickly covered his mouth and pretended nothing had happened. The CEO was still smiling, but the muscles in his face had stiffened slightly.
“I’ve finished reading.”
“You are very thorough with contracts.”
“It’s better to be certain about these things.”
“That is true.”
I picked up the pen and signed my name. Color returned to the CEO’s face.
“We’ll deposit the payment within a few days. I look forward to working with you, Mr. One Dragon.”
“Likewise.”
After shaking hands, I left the meeting room. Kang Taeo walked me to the elevator, pressed the button for the first floor, and asked,
“What you said earlier, did you mean you’ll raise your prices if the results are good?”
“You catch on quickly.”
“You seem confident the results will be good.”
As he asked, the elevator doors opened. I stepped inside, and just before they closed, I gave him a confident answer.
“Of course. The results will be good.”
#
The next morning, the moment I arrived at work, Assistant Manager Kim’s head popped over the partition.
“So what happened? Yesterday’s meeting.”
“I signed the contract.”
“How many songs?”
“All five.”
“All five?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s insane. So how much?”
“Fifty million.”
Assistant Manager Kim’s jaw dropped. Their eyes widened as they looked around, then they pulled their chair over and scooted right up beside me.
“Wow, Manager. At this rate, couldn’t you just quit your job right now?”
“It’s temporary. What am I supposed to do after I spend it all? There’s no guarantee I can keep selling songs.”
“Ah, I guess so?”
Assistant Manager Kim tilted their head, then quickly accepted that.
The fifty million won I had earned in one go from selling songs was certainly sweet. But unless it became a steady source of income deposited into my account every month, I could not just walk away from the company that was practically my lifeline.
Assistant Manager Kim smacked their lips, then spoke again with a very serious expression.
“Manager. Please teach me composition.”
“...”
“You said it’s ten million won per song. I’m serious.”
“Can you play any instruments?”
“When I go to karaoke, I’m incredible on the tambourine. You know that, Manager.”
“Assistant Manager Kim.”
“Yes, Manager.”
“Get back to work.”
I pushed Assistant Manager Kim away and turned back to my monitor. I heard them muttering that it was unfair beside me, but I ignored it and started typing.
#
In the middle of that week, just as I was getting ready to leave work, my phone rang. It was a bank notification. The runner-up prize money, minus taxes, had been deposited into my account.
Since I had submitted the paperwork to the competition after the Finals, the payment account had naturally been arranged under my name.
I immediately opened the transfer screen. I divided the money according to the shares we had agreed on, sent it to the three of them one by one, and opened the group chat.
< The prize money came in. I sent everyone their share, so check it.
The group chat lit up in seconds.
Yun Taerin> The money came in!!
Yun Taerin> Money came into my account!!!
Bae Somi> I checked too...!
Cha Sion> It came in.
Yun Taerin> What? Cha Sion, you don’t like getting money?
Cha Sion> I do.
Yun Taerin> Hahahahaha
Yun Taerin> But what should I buy first? Should I replace my phone? Mine’s over three years old.
Bae Somi> ...I should tell my mom I got the money, right?
Yun Taerin> Of course. And tell her proudly that you’re going to be in a band! Bae Somi! Rock and roll!
< Congratulations, everyone. It’s the band’s first income, so tell your parents before you spend it.
Bae Somi> Yes...!
Yun Taerin> Ugh. Now I have to tell my mom because of you, Uncle.
Bae Somi> ??? You told me to tell her!
Before putting my phone down, I opened the overdraft line app. Minus twenty-six million won. A few million won from the prize money was nowhere near enough to escape the pit of debt that had built up over the years.
‘Still, the song payment will arrive in a few days.’
I closed the app, packed my things, and got up from my desk.
As I walked toward the subway station, my phone rang again. It was my mother.
“Yeah, Mom.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m on my way home from work.”
“Have you eaten?”
“I was going to eat when I got home. Why?”
“Well, you know your father’s medicine? Starting this month, it’s covered by insurance.”
“...It is?”
“Yeah. The hospital called and said the government would help cover it. The medicine will be much cheaper. So you can stop sending money now.”
“But...”
“I said stop sending it. You’ve sent enough all this time.”
“Then I’ll at least send a little for living expenses.”
“No need. Your father earns a salary too. The two of us have no problem getting by.”
“...”
“Oh, and haven’t you run out of kimchi? Did you finish the side dishes I gave you last time?”
“I still have some.”
“How can you still have any? Just throw it out and come by soon. I’ll pack you more.”
“Should I come by today?”
“Sure. Come have dinner.”
Even after the call ended, I stood there for a long while with my phone in hand.
Sixteen years had passed since the winter I turned twenty, when I handed over the money from selling my guitar in an envelope. This body had paid for Father’s medicine every month since then. This body knew exactly what kind of medicine it was and how expensive it was.
And today, that was over.
Before I could even put my phone in my pocket, it vibrated again. This time, it was my younger older sister.
“Yeah, Sis.”
“You heard what Mom said, right?”
“I just talked to her.”
“They said you don’t have to send money anymore. You worked hard all this time.”
“You too, Sis.”
“Yeah. Now you should save up and get marri...”
Click.
I hung up without mercy.
‘Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.’
I turned around in front of the subway station entrance. With the money problem settled, I should buy some meat today.
#
I stopped by a butcher shop, bought some Korean beef, and headed to my parents’ house. When I entered after punching in the door code, Mother poked her head out of the kitchen.
“You’re here already? You haven’t eaten dinner, have you?”
“Yeah. Not yet.”
Her gaze settled on the bag in my hand.
“What’s that?”
“Meat.”
“Why did you buy meat? You don’t have money, so why buy something like this?”
“I bought some so we could grill it. And the prize money came in today.”
“What prize money?”
“The one from getting runner-up with Taerin’s band. Didn’t you hear?”
“Oh, there was prize money too?”
Mother looked inside the bag and furrowed her brow. She saw the package with the Korean beef sticker and looked ready to lecture me, but instead silently took the meat and pulled out a frying pan.
By the time the savory smell of meat filled the house, the front door opened. Father, dressed in his security guard uniform, stopped in front of the shoe cabinet and stared at me.
“Huh? What brings you here?”
“I came to eat.”
“Good. But what’s that smell?”
“I bought some meat.”
“You don’t have money. Why did you buy something like this?”
No wonder they were married. They said exactly the same thing.
Mother chuckled from the kitchen.
“He said he was working the day shift today, so he’d be home early. It worked out perfectly with the day you came.”
Father went into his room and changed clothes. Sitting at the table, he looked back and forth between the sizzling frying pan and my face before casually saying,
“Don’t bring things like this next time.”
“Yes, yes.”
That was what I said, but once the table was set, Father’s chopsticks reached for the meat before anyone else’s. He chewed a well-cooked piece, then added in an indifferent tone,
“...You bought good meat.”
“Then eat plenty.”
As dinner went on, Mother asked,
“But is runner-up good?”
“Of course. A ragtag group of high school students and a potbellied middle-aged man got runner-up among all those strong bands. That’s good.”
“So that’s why you took the guitar?”
“Yeah. It was all I had.”
Mother did not ask any more questions. Instead, she placed a piece of well-cooked meat on top of my rice.
“Eat a lot.”
Father silently chewed his meat, then suddenly spoke when his rice bowl was half empty.
“You don’t have to send money anymore.”
“I heard. From Mom.”
“Save your money. You need to get married too.”
“...Okay.”
When Father put down his spoon, Mother placed a glass of water and several pills in front of him. Father swallowed them as if it were nothing. It was a familiar motion, one that had continued for a long time. In that world too, and in this one.
For a moment, I considered telling them about selling the songs, but decided against it. News of the runner-up finish was enough for today. It would not be too late to tell them the rest slowly later.
Before I knew it, I was on my second bowl of rice. I barely managed to stop Mother from serving me a third.
No, Mom. Your son is already a pig.
After the meal, as I put on my shoes at the door, Father called from the living room.
“Han Yong.”
“Yes?”
Father paused for a moment, then spoke as if casually tossing out the words while keeping his eyes on the television.
“Thank you. And you worked hard all this time.”
I looked down at the tips of my shoes and searched for an answer. I searched, but no suitable answer came to mind.
“...It was nothing.”
Mother, standing beside me, handed me freshly packed containers of kimchi and side dishes.
“Make sure you eat properly. Stop ordering delivery food all the time. Your belly never goes down because you keep ordering delivery.”
“...Okay.”
Holding the containers, I left my parents’ house and headed toward the subway station.
As I walked, I took out my phone and opened the transfer screen. The automatic transfer set up in Mother’s name on the same date every month. I held my thumb over the cancel button for a moment before pressing it.
The transfer this body’s owner had made without missing a single month since receiving his first paycheck. It had not meant much to One Dragon in his previous life, but to Lee Han Yong in this world, it had been a burdensome amount every month.
It vanished cleanly from the screen.
I put my phone in my pocket, unable to tell whether I felt relieved or sad.
#
A few days later, in the middle of work, the phone on my desk gave a short buzz. A bank notification had appeared, and I checked it absentmindedly before flinching. The song payment, minus taxes, had arrived.
I glanced over the partition to check on the department head, then took a deep breath and opened my banking app. I immediately selected my overdraft line from the transfer screen and sent twenty-six million won.
Then I checked the overdraft line balance.
0.
Just in case, I closed the screen and opened it again, but it was still there.
The negative balance that had followed me so relentlessly for so long that I could no longer remember when it began had finally disappeared.
The debt weighing down my shoulders was gone. The hole that had drained money every month like a bottomless bucket had been plugged.
Staring quietly at the zero on the screen, I muttered to myself.
‘...So can I spend a little now?’
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