66 – 『Drop Pop』 (2) 66.
Having decided to seriously grow the Cloud channel, I immediately started working with Suyeon. Rather than creating entirely new songs right away, we began by recording vocals for songs that had already been written.
We also made a certain compromise. Normally, I would pour my soul into every detail, but time simply did not allow for that. We had to upload two songs per week, and if we obsessed over every tiny detail, there was no way we could keep up with the schedule.
"So now Hajun, you're a professional composer," Won Seongmin said.
"Well, I did sign with a company, so I guess that makes me a professional. But calling myself a professional composer still feels a bit strange. I haven't officially released any tracks yet."
"Didn't you say 'Rough' is being released soon?"
"Oh, that album is scheduled for release in the second week of January."
Hwayangyeonhwa's next album, their second full-length album, was set to be released in the second week of January. If you really thought about it, would that count as my debut track? Maybe not. I had worked on it before signing with the company, and 'Rough' wasn't being released under my name anyway. My name would only be listed in the credits. So I didn't really consider it my debut.
"Then when we work together, we'll need to sign with your company as well, right?"
"Yes. That's how it would work."
"Well, congratulations anyway."
"Thank you."
I smiled and nodded at Won Seongmin's congratulations. We recorded at Howl Studio, then did the finishing work at home.
That was how the first song of the Winter Project—named by Suyeon—was uploaded to Cloud. Almost immediately, a comment appeared. I checked the channel after seeing the notification.
The commenter was a foreigner whose name I didn't recognize.
I rubbed my chin.
I was sure it was SomSom who usually commented. Come to think of it, SomSom's comments had been pretty sparse lately. Had they stopped watching because we hadn't uploaded for a while? Or had they left because the quality had dropped due to the reduced level of detail?
As I was about to check SomSom's old comments, Suyeon spoke.
"After winter break ends, there'll probably be more people leaving comments, right?"
"Probably. But more than that, SomSom hasn't been commenting lately."
When I asked in case Suyeon might know, she smiled.
"They've been really busy lately and couldn't check every day. They said sorry in a comment."
"Oh, really?"
Well, then that couldn't be helped. Real life always comes first. With that question settled, we got back to work.
Even though we had compromised on quality, we weren't planning to upload only old songs. We also intended to work on new songs that could really bring out Suyeon's charm.
"This time, I want to sing something that feels like I'm bouncing around!" Suyeon said.
"Bouncing around?"
"I mean like jumping through the air. Floating, maybe? You know those songs that feel like you're walking on clouds."
What exactly is a song that feels like walking on clouds…?
I frowned at Suyeon's very abstract description.
"For example?"
"Like Choi Jiyeon's 'How to Be Loved.'"
"Oh."
I nodded. So that's what she meant. A light, bouncy song that softly whispers about love.
"Then maybe piano as the main instrument, and a higher key…"
As I thought about how to compose it, I opened my composition software and created a melody using virtual instruments. Suyeon shook her head after listening.
"A bit lighter than this. Um, like…"
She started singing on the spot.
No lyrics—just humming.
I rubbed my chin.
"Did you just come up with that now?"
"Yeah. It came to me right after hearing your melody."
It did resemble the melody I had just played. I recreated it with virtual instruments, and Suyeon nodded enthusiastically.
"Yes! This is it!"
We continued talking and gradually completed the song.
"So are we going to keep working only on new songs?" she asked.
"That would be impossible."
Between winter break and spring break—about two months—we needed to upload at least fifteen songs. There was no way we could make them all brand-new tracks.
Even if we compromised on details, we still had to maintain a minimum level of quality. But we also didn't have enough pre-made songs to rely on only older material.
So the solution I had prepared was—
"We're doing covers too."
"Covers?"
"Singing existing songs. But not exactly as-is—we'll rearrange them."
The purpose of growing Cloud wasn't to promote me, but Suyeon. And nothing was better for growing a channel than covers. A lot of people specifically search for cover songs, and many creators take advantage of that. It felt a bit like a shortcut, but it wasn't wrong.
"Do you have any songs in mind?"
"No. We'll do songs you want to sing."
"Really? Then I want to try singing 'Rough'!"
At the mention of 'Rough,' I slightly furrowed my brow. Right—Suyeon was a huge Hwayangyeonhwa fan. I remembered how hard she fangirled during the festival.
"All right."
If she wanted to do it, we would. She kept listing songs she wanted to sing, and I nodded while writing them down.
Then we went back to work.
Continuously.
Except when Suyeon had academy classes, we worked nonstop. Every time a song was finished, we uploaded it to Cloud.
The channel grew slowly but steadily. Our average views had been around 500, but now they were reaching 1,000. The number of comments increased as well, and Suyeon happily read them aloud to me. Most praised her vocal tone.
The results weren't incredible yet, but the response was good. There was still plenty of time.
Two weeks into working together, we uploaded our cover of 'Rough.'
§
Jin Sohyang, the youngest member of Hwayangyeonhwa, felt like every day had turned into hell. She was preparing for their first full album and practicing choreography daily for their comeback.
As if that wasn't exhausting enough, her parts in the title track were larger than usual. Kwon Suyoung had discovered a new side of her through 'Rough,' which they had performed at live events and concerts, and had prepared sections specifically for her.
"I'm dying," she muttered, throwing herself onto the bed in the dorm.
Promotions were fun, but always exhausting. Little sleep, endless travel in vans. The stage was enjoyable, but preparing for it was brutal. On top of that, this album was ROC Entertainment's make-or-break project, so preparations were harsher than ever. Some members had even cried from exhaustion.
After letting out a deep sigh, Sohyang forced her stiff body to stretch. If she didn't loosen up now, tomorrow would be even worse.
Once she finished stretching, she picked up her phone—time for her personal healing ritual.
She opened the Cloud site. One of her few hobbies was listening to songs by talented singers who hadn't debuted yet. Finding one felt like discovering a hidden gem.
She checked the channels she followed to see if there were new uploads. Then she noticed that her favorite channel had posted a new song.
Drop Pop.
The singer who had completely stolen her heart. Drop Pop's unique vocal color was mesmerizing. Smiling, she pressed play.
"It's so good."
The sound tickled her ears, and she smiled. How could a voice like this exist? The song was good, the tone was good—everything was good.
The best, Drop Pop!
After finishing the song, she quickly left a comment. Drop Pop had been uploading consistently lately, which made her happy. The only regret was the low view count. More people needed to hear this.
How could she help?
As she was thinking, a notification popped up.
It was from Cloud.
From Drop Pop's channel.
A new song upload alert. Smiling, she refreshed the page.
What a day. Two new Drop Pop songs in one day. Sure, one had been uploaded three days earlier and she had missed it, but still.
She felt oddly happy, like that proverb about the monkey choosing chestnuts.
"Huh?"
When she checked the new upload, an unintentionally dazed sound escaped her lips. The title was very familiar.
Rough?
No way. That couldn't be their song.
…Or was it?
Trying not to get her hopes up, she clicked play.
As soon as the song started, her smile deepened.
It really was Hwayangyeonhwa's 'Rough.'
But not the original.
It had been rearranged to perfectly suit Drop Pop's charm.
Her favorite singer covering her own song?!
"This isn't a dream, right?"
She blinked. If her body weren't so exhausted, she would've jumped around the bed. As she listened, an idea suddenly struck her.
A perfect way to promote Drop Pop naturally.
She quickly copied the link and opened her social media.
She communicated actively with fans online, which was why she had over three million followers. Not top-tier idol numbers, but more than enough.
She carefully wrote a post. Too much praise could backfire, and she didn't want antis swarming Drop Pop because of her. Moderate praise, written as if she had just discovered the channel.
After double-checking for anything odd, she posted it.
"This should help a bit, right?"
She hoped it would.
§
"Oppa, look at this!!"
I was resting after uploading a song when Suyeon rushed into my room holding her phone. I sat up.
"What is it?"
"Look at the views on the song we just uploaded!"
She shoved the phone in front of me. It showed 'Rough.'
"Huh?"
The view count was strange. I blinked several times.
2.1k.
Over 2,100 views already.
Considering our previous uploads barely crossed 1,000, this was more than double.
Was this the power of covers? Even so, wasn't this growth way too fast? Had a bug occurred?
"There are so many comments too!"
Suyeon squealed and jumped around. I grabbed my phone and checked.
"Sohyang said it was good, so there must be a reason."
"I came here because of a recommendation—this song is amazing!"
Sohyang? Recommendation?
Jin Sohyang?
Suyeon answered excitedly.
"Sohyang unni promoted our channel on her Instagram!"
"Oh."
"That's why people are coming. Not just 'Rough'—all our older songs' views are skyrocketing too!"
I nodded. I didn't know why Sohyang had recommended us, but with her influence, even 10,000 views wasn't impossible.
"We should thank her later."
What mattered now wasn't that.
What mattered was Drop Pop's growth.
"Oppa, let's work right now! I want to sing!"
I stood up and nodded. Strike while the iron is hot.
"Okay."
The next upload would be a new song—the one Suyeon described as walking on clouds.
I opened my laptop and started finishing it.
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