The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 48

At the mention of “ghostwriter,” his expression twisted instantly.

“I’m not a ghostwriter.”

Of course he’d say that.

How humiliating it must be not to be able to put your name on your own work.

“Everyone who knows anything knows that CEO Choi steals songs from his own team. You’re part of that team, aren’t you, Haram?”

“……”

“How many years have you worked there?”

“……”

“Has CEO Choi ever credited you as a co-composer?”

“……”

“Have you ever received proper royalties?”

“……”

No response.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. It’s not important to me anyway. What I want is for you to leave that place and write a song for Red Blossom.”

“……”

“I’ll make sure you get paid for composing and receive full royalties. I’m guessing you didn’t get anything over there.”

“Why… me?”

He finally spoke.

“If what you say is true, then there are more than ten ghostwriters in our team. Why choose me?”

“Because I think you’re the one who fits Red Blossom best. That’s all I can say—trade secret. And honestly, whether I chose you or not doesn’t change the fact that you’re the one who would be composing.”

I stood up from my seat.

“I don’t know how long you’ve been there, but the Choi Hoseok I know will never let you rise. Don’t waste your time any longer.”

“……”

“Think it over. If you’re interested, call me by the morning after tomorrow. It has to be the morning after tomorrow.”

The day after tomorrow is Saturday.

If Shin Haram decides to go for it, there’s somewhere I plan to take him.

Saturday Morning .

My phone rang loudly.

It was Shin Haram.

“You called. Can I take that to mean you’re in?”

“Just answer one thing. What did you mean when you said I’m a good fit for Red Blossom?”

“You were really that curious?”

“Well, they might be my first artist. I need to know what makes us a good match.”

I could almost see the smile in his voice.

He’d made up his mind.

“Let’s meet now. Once you see the girls in person, you’ll understand what I meant—no need for further explanation.”

“I… I have a lesson at the academy today…”

He was working part-time at an academy on weekends to make ends meet.

“Go quit. You won’t need to do part-time jobs anymore.”

*****

I took Shin Haram to Red Blossom’s dorm.

I’d already told the girls I was bringing a composer.

“Hello~”

Four pretty girls and one who was trying hard to be pretty greeted him.

Haram froze on the spot.

Guess he’s got zero resistance to women.

“Hmm, he’d look way better if he just trimmed his hair a little.”

“Rina, that’s no way to talk to the composer!”

“Composer-nim, we look forward to working with you!”

“Same here!”

“N-n-nice to… meet you…”

Even just managing to say that one line, Haram’s face looked like it was about to explode.

*

Haram sat on the sofa, unable to lift his head.

The Red Blossom girls sat across from him, staring with curious eyes.

Even I, who see them all the time, feel overwhelmed—can’t imagine how Haram must be feeling.

“Since you’ve all said hello, go ahead and ask if you have any questions.”

As I said that, Rina shot her hand up.

“Me! Composer-nim, can you tell us some of your songs? I’ll make a playlist and listen to them nonstop!”

Haram looked at me, clearly in a bind.

“Come on. You’re a real composer, aren’t you?”

After a brief pause, he seemed to make up his mind and began to speak.

He started with Prominence’s mini album that topped the charts earlier this year.

Then followed hit songs from famous groups like Next Boys, Pink Lady, and Clutch.

“You composed all of those?”

“…I arranged a few of them…”

He spoke in a whisper of a voice.

Even without those arrangements, this guy’s got insane talent.

Sera tilted her head and raised her hand.

“But… all the songs you mentioned are credited to CEO Choi Hoseok.”

Shin Haram’s expression darkened immediately.

“That’s right. They’re officially his songs. I’m just a ghostwriter.”

Three of the girls—except for Chie and Jeongah—clamped their mouths shut.

Which meant… they knew exactly what that meant.

“I know it’s not something to be proud of. 

They’re my songs… but I can’t even say they’re mine. 

That’s what made it so hard. 

For five years, I lived like someone who only knew how to do that one thing. 

But one day, you reached out your hand to me. 

That gave me so much strength… that’s how I got here.”

Then he bowed his head to me.

I helped him up, saying he didn’t need to do that, and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

The girls clapped and smiled brightly, seeming to like the gesture.

Shin Haram scratched his head shyly.

It was a heartwarming moment.

*

I asked him what had happened during those five years with CEO Choi.

I needed to know the internal situation for the future.

“He said after a year or two of experience on the composing team, we’d be credited as co-composers. 

Everyone on the team worked hard, hoping for that.”

But he kept making excuses and never fulfilled that promise.

They were overworked, and one by one, people started leaving.

“If he broke his promise for five years, didn’t you think it was hopeless…? Did you never consider switching companies or going independent?”

“I did contact a few places, but somehow the CEO found out. 

He called me in and caused a scene, saying the entire industry was in the palm of his hand and I shouldn’t even think about leaving. 

As for going independent… I didn’t have anything to start with.”

Choi Hoseok’s influence was stronger than I thought.

He even threatened other companies not to poach his employees.

“They said I wouldn’t get work under my own name, whether it was from singers or broadcasters. 

Since they trust the CEO, it’d be hard right now, but they promised to introduce me someday.”

He told Haram to stay put, not to get any ideas, that he recognized his talent, that he’d raise him up no matter what others said—and Haram endured five years, clinging to that false hope.

It was textbook gaslighting.

“You couldn’t have made ends meet on what the company gave you.”

“The CEO rented me a studio apartment. I could eat lunch and dinner at the company cafeteria.”

“But people can’t survive on just food and shelter.”

“I worked part-time on weekends, and if one of my songs hit big, the CEO would give me a little creative support money. When it got really bad, I’d ask my family for help.”

I could only sigh.

A gentle soul who only knew music had been trapped and exploited by the fence Choi Hoseok built.

When I first met Shin Haram, he was fragile and weighed down by a deep sense of defeat.

Choi preyed on that weakness—not just gaslighting him, but brainwashing him.

He made Haram believe, “Only I see your worth.”

This bastard should’ve been a hypnotist, not a composer.

“After getting treated like that for so long, you just start feeling helpless. Sometimes I wonder why I live like this, but when a project comes in, I just do it. I don’t think about anything else while I’m working.”

He realized midway that he couldn’t keep going like this and looked into other companies, but every attempt failed.

The constant cycle made him give up, believing he could never escape.

Once that resignation sets in, it’s only a matter of time before you become mentally controlled.

[He’s someone with a weak sense of self. You could say he lives under a false belief.]

‘But there’s no black smoke?’

[Of course not. The Gift of Spirit Discernment doesn’t react. That CEO isn’t a deity.]

So it’s because there’s no religious element involved.

[He’s just been pushed around by external pressure all his life. The Lord gave humans free will—but he’s someone who’s never learned how to truly use it.]

Which is why, the moment someone nudged him, he simply obeyed.

[The free will granted by God refers to a free mental state that allows one to judge good and evil on their own, to choose good, and to reject evil. 

But that person committed evil by stealing others’ talents to satisfy their own greed. 

They must have known it was wrong, but their free will had vanished, so they couldn’t resist it.]

‘That’s hard to grasp.’

[Now that they’ve said they want to leave that behind, they need to rebuild their free will.]

I hope this helps them become someone with stronger principles.

*****

“That kind of thing happens a lot. When they sign contracts with unknown composers, they offer a fixed amount and add a clause that transfers full ownership. Then they release the song under the company CEO’s name.”

“Choi Hoseok? 

He might do that since he knows how the industry works, but he has no idea what really goes on inside. 

He keeps his public image squeaky clean. 

In this industry, everyone’s connected by one or two degrees, so unless it’s serious, people usually turn a blind eye. 

And who wants to go against a famous composer like Choi Hoseok?”

That’s what Baek Hakyung, the A&R team leader, said when I asked about Choi Hoseok.

Even if Shin Haram wanted to resign, it didn’t seem like Choi Hoseok would let his go so easily.

In that case, I’d have to step in myself, so I started gathering information in advance.

A few days passed, and then Shin Haram disappeared.

He wouldn’t answer his phone, and when I went to the studio apartment the company had provided, he wasn’t there either.

Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and went to confront Choi Hoseok.

“Why are you looking for Haram?”

“I requested a song, but I haven’t been able to reach his . Is he at the company, by any chance?”

His eyes went wide, and he let out a ridiculous laugh.

“You think I’d hand over a melody to some punk who just lays down tracks? With me watching with both eyes wide open? Why the hell would I let some brat compose my songs?”

“If I request a song from you, Haram is going to compose it anyway, right? 

All you do is hum a few bars and release it under your name. 

So why would I go through you? 

Next Boys, Pink Lady, Clutch… all made that way, weren’t they? 

For Prominence, Haram did all four songs on their latest mini album.”

He had been laughing a moment ago, but his face twisted instantly.

“You bastard, watch your mouth. 

I don’t know what nonsense you heard or where you heard it from, but a lowly manager trying to threaten me? 

Just because the media gave you a little boost, you think you’re untouchable now?”

He revealed his true colors right away.