Another day has passed.
During the 2 nights and 3 days in America, Lee Hyun-woo prioritized his father’s business above all else, while Oh Min-woo discussed the launch of SNS with the technical team of Jungle USA.
Meanwhile, Joe Murphy contacted a friend at a nearby broadcasting station.
The friend’s name was Bill Roberts.
At the broadcasting station SF Media, based in San Francisco, he held an executive position influencing the entire program.
“Long time no see, Joe.”
“Yeah, how have you been?”
“Keeping busy.”
“I heard you started a new media venture.”
At this time, in America, portal sites are considered ‘new media.’
“Are you trying to grow it fast and threaten my position?”
“We still have a long way to catch up to traditional media. And I think our fields are different. You’re in video, and I’m in comprehensive media.”
“Comprehensive media? That’s subtly saying new media is better.”
“Hahaha, did it sound like that?”
“Your voice is full of pride.”
“Absolutely not. It’s just that I feel the need to boast a little. Actually, today I’m here to ask you for a favor.”
“I heard a bit about it over the phone. You found an interesting music video?”
“That’s right. Here it is.”
Joe Murphy handed him a CD copy given by Lee Hyun-woo.
The CD contained the music video for “Macaroni” by “Absolute Pitch.”
Bill Roberts accepted the CD with a sparkle in his eye and looked at his friend Joe Murphy.
“There’s an interesting music video in here?”
“That’s right. Play it a couple of times and watch it without thinking. You’ll find yourself humming the chorus.”
“Really?”
“Of course, I’m not an expert, so I can’t be sure. But isn’t pop music something that people like me, an ordinary person, enjoy?”
“That’s true. We also test new songs with ordinary people whenever we discover new music.”
“It’s not a bad idea to do it that way with this song. However, watching it is much more addictive than just listening. Two Asian women dance expressionlessly, and you can’t take your eyes off them no matter how many times you watch.”
“At our age, it’s natural to be drawn to young women.”
“Well, that’s even better. It means it appeals to middle-aged men like us.”
“Hahaha, you’re always unbeatable in a conversation.”
Joe Murphy smiled.
‘I’ve heard that a lot, but recently I’ve met someone who is hard to beat.’
That person was Lee Hyun-woo.
He wasn’t exceptionally eloquent, but strangely, conversations with him often left you speechless.
Yet, it didn’t feel unpleasant.
His words somehow stimulated one’s imagination.
At that time, in a waiting room of a terrestrial broadcasting station in Korea, Hong Yo-han, clutching his trembling chest, was talking with his colleagues.
“What if we make a mistake?”
“What’s there to mess up? We just need to sing.”
“Yeah, as long as we sing well.”
“Besides, the nunas said they’d help us today.”
The young man who spoke last was Jung Won-jun.
He was the leader of the group “Absolute Pitch.”
The nunas he mentioned were Kim Yoon-sun and Hwang Young-hye.
Despite being established singers, they willingly decided to appear today to help the newbies.
At that moment.
“Absolute Pitch team, get ready!”
Even though he tried to stay composed as a leader, upon hearing that they were next, his eyes wavered.
At times like this, he had to forcefully raise his voice.
“Alright, we can do this! We can do it!”
“Yeah, we can do it!”
“Fighting!”
“Let’s do well!”
As they shouted “fighting,” the two female singers, Kim Yoon-sun and Hwang Young-hye, entered.
“Oh my, so noisy.”
“These kids are really tense.”
Despite being told to get ready, their experience showed in their relaxed demeanor.
“That’s some spirit.”
“With that spirit, conquer the music world. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“Of course!”
“Fighting!”
“Let’s do well!”
Shortly after, six young individuals went up on stage.
For complete rookies, the presence of the two female singers was a huge support.
As the prelude played and the two female singers began their choreography.
“Macaroni, shake your body. Shaking your body makes you feel good. Macaroni, shake your body. Ah, Macaroni!”
Simple lyrics matched to a simple melody flowed from their mouths.
After the same lyrics repeated twice,
“When Macaroni’s boyfriend Tony went to the army, Macaroni wore her shoes backward!”
Even lighter lyrics followed, and the audience was laughing.
In fact, this was a remake song.
Although the lyrics were somewhat adapted to fit Korea, there wasn’t a big difference from the original.
Hyun Chang-su, their representative, had already reached an agreement with the Spanish singers for the remake.
For a big agency, this might have been a small sum, but for Hyun Entertainment, it wasn’t of that scale.
If the music video production cost was wasted, they would be in debt again.
So, listening to their song, Hyun Chang-su clasped his hands and prayed.
“Please, please… let this song become a hit…”
By the middle of the song, even this wish shrank.
“Just breaking even would be a blessing.”
Then, when the two female singers’ choreography during the interlude made the audience cheer, his wish grew again.
“Let this song produce another star for our company!”
But when the song ended and there was a tremendous ovation, just like when he met Lee Hyun-woo recently, his greed peaked.
“Since it’s going well, let’s aim for number one! For five consecutive weeks! And then expand overseas!”
He suddenly missed Lee Hyun-woo, who went to America.
To be precise, he hoped that the CD Lee Hyun-woo took would spread rapidly within the Korean American community.
If Lee Hyun-woo had heard his thoughts, he might have chuckled.
Saying that he didn’t go to America just for that.
Another day passed.
Still not adjusted to the time difference, Lee Hyun-woo fell asleep at dawn and woke up around nine in the morning.
“It doesn’t feel like I’ve slept.”
“Yeah, me too.”
His father felt the same.
Lee Hyun-woo looked at his father and immediately apologized.
“I’m sorry we have to stay longer because of me.”
They had to stay for a week in America because they brought not only GAPE work but other business as well.
Half of the time had passed, but adjusting to the time difference was tough, and just when they got used to it, they would have to return. He felt sorry.
“Hey, don’t say that. What I felt after coming to America is just one thing. I’m glad to have such a good child. So, I can’t do anything that would bring shame to you. That’s all I think.”
“That would never happen.”
“No, I just talked to your mom this morning. And we agreed to be careful with our behavior.”
“Haha…”
Hearing this, Lee Hyun-woo gave an awkward laugh.
Currently, Lee Hyun-woo’s recognition was rising quite a bit in both Korea and America.
His parents, noticing this, seemed more determined not to cause any trouble for their son.
“Please don’t say that. It’s because of you two that I’m here.”
“Alright, alright. Come on, let’s go eat since we’re hungry.”
“Yes, father.”
With that, the two left the room.
But Han Se-jin was waiting for them again.
They thought he was going to join them for a meal, but that wasn’t it.
“A few hours ago, ‘Absolute Pitch’ debuted on a music program.”
“Oh, was that today?”
“Yes, the response was quite good. The audience’s reaction at the scene was no joke. Even after the broadcast, many posts were made on the viewer bulletin board.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Han Se-jin was someone who thought Lee Hyun-woo was pushing ‘Absolute Pitch’ even from Korea.
That’s why he had noted the Korean schedule and kept in contact with Hyun Chang-su, delivering the real-time feedback to Lee Hyun-woo.
Even he didn’t think ‘Macaroni’ by ‘Absolute Pitch’ would make it in the U.S.
No, he thought that for it to succeed in the U.S., they would have had to translate the lyrics into English and produce a music video that fits American sensibilities. He considered what Lee Hyun-woo was doing to be almost greedy.
However, after finishing the meal, Joe Murphy said something strange.
“I listened to the CD you mentioned, and I kept chanting ‘Macaroni, Macaroni,’ confirming its addictiveness. Then, I contacted my friend at the broadcasting station and handed over the CD.”
“You worked really fast.”
“My friend who checked the CD immediately also seemed to get addicted. Just in case, he let others at the broadcasting station listen to it, and they had similar reactions. Hahaha.”
“Even if they don’t understand the lyrics, the content is strangely conveyed, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“I felt the same when I first heard the original song.”
“Original? Oh, was there an original version?”
“Of course. If your friend at the broadcasting station is capable, he’ll find the original artist quickly. For reference, the original was in Spanish, but as I mentioned earlier, the song felt highly addictive regardless of the language.”
“The song was good, but the dance was also interesting. It was easy to follow and fun to watch.”
“Yes, hahaha.”
Lee Hyun-woo laughed.
He was also captivated by the charm of the two expressionless women in the music video.
‘I really wonder how our Korean song and the choreography of the two expressionless women will be received in America.’
Although time would tell, Lee Hyun-woo hoped the music video would air once while they were still there.
By some divine intervention?
The music video aired the very next day.
“Wow, Yoon-sun noona made it on American TV!”
Oh Min-woo, who was watching TV with Lee Hyun-woo, raised his voice.
“It would’ve been better if it wasn’t just a local broadcast, right, CEO?”
“If it gets popular on a local broadcast, it will make its way to national TV. Especially in California.”
SF Media was a local broadcasting station based in San Francisco.
It was big among local stations, but couldn’t compete with national networks.
Oh Min-woo lamented this shortcoming, but Lee Hyun-woo was more optimistic than anyone else.
‘It’s only a matter of time before it becomes a hit.’
If the song was a hit in Spain, it had the charm to appeal to Latin Americans in the U.S. as well.
With the addition of the simple choreography by the two expressionless women, he was confident it would create a buzz.
‘It’s good for us. We have concerts in Taiwan and Hong Kong coming up soon.’
About a month later, the scheduled concerts.
He felt they could bring along another new star besides Kim Yoon-sun and the Clones.
And that was none other than Absolute Pitch.
Now, the chorus of the song they were singing entered Lee Hyun-woo’s ears.
“Ah, Macaroni!”
