Perhaps influenced by Lee Dong-Min's enthusiastic talk as he recognized the value of the songs, Bang Seon-Woo's expression started to change gradually. His once gloomy expression started to dissipate, unveiling a glimmer of hope.
"R-really? You're not... lying, are you?"
When Bang Seon-Woo asked again, Lee Dong-Min stood up. "Let's not waste time. Why don't we go and sign the contract right now? Oh, and I'll buy you the latest MePad right away. Also, we need to back up the data on that MePad. How should we do this?"
Lee Dong-Min hopped around while looking at the old and shabby first-generation MePad in Bang Seon-Woo's hand as he worried about the potential data loss.
"I remember all the tunes I've recorded, so I can just transfer them without this. It'll only take a day to re-record them anyway."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. If it's the 15th song, it goes like this: Da-dada da! Da!'"
Watching Bang Seon-Woo accurately imitate his melody lines, Lee Dong-Min breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wow, a true genius does exist."
Lee Dong-Min and Bang Seon-Woo stood up excitedly, but I stopped them as they were about to leave the room.
"Um, Mr. Seon-Woo."
"Yes?"
"Please remove all the songs you have uploaded on the website right now. And once you've transferred the files from the MePad, delete them all. Of course, set a password on your new tablet, and we will replace all the equipment with ones having better security."
Bang Seon-Woo tilted his head out of curiosity at my specific instructions. "D-do I need to do that for the contract? I'm more comfortable using the old one."
Bang Seon-Woo fiddled with the first-generation MePad, looking troubled.
'It must be a cherished item.'
However, I had to be firm as the incident about Bang Seon-Woo in my planner had not disappeared yet.
[Everyday V10]
[Date: July 1, 2022]
-01:00 PM Suwon St. Mary's Hospital Funeral Hall Room 8. Bang Seon-Woo's funeral service. Starts at 9 AM.
I was worried that the songs might leak if he lost his MePad. For this reason, I shared my concerns about plagiarism with Lee Dong-Min and Bang Seon-Woo.
Fortunately, Lee Dong-Min understood my intention and persuaded Bang Seon-Woo. "The boundary of plagiarism is so vague that there are many who just imitate the melody lines. As our assistant manager said, please take down the songs uploaded on the website, and let's be as careful as possible with security."
Bang Seon-Woo nodded. "I understand. I will do as you ask."
"You made the right decision. Plagiarism lawsuits can be really messy."
As we talked, Bang Seon-Woo also told us about the entertainment company that had visited him before us.
'Uncle Music?'
I had never heard of such a company before.
Bang Seon-Woo scratched his head as he mentioned he was unsure where he had put the business card they gave him. "I only played them two songs I posted on the amateur composer's website."
Lee Dong-Min seemed impatient. "Hm, is that so? Well, we'll need to register the copyright for the songs as soon as we get back to the company."
"Can my songs be copyrighted? But they're still unfinished."
"That's good enough. We just need to decide on the titles for now. We can simply register them again once we actually release the album."
Bang Seon-Woo panickedly waved his hand. "I don't have any money to register my songs..."
"Mr. Bang, please don't worry about those costs. The company will cover them. All you need to do is just sign with us, and you don't have to worry about anything else."
Bang Seon-Woo's face lit up again. "I will do as instructed."
That was when I understood Kim Chun-Ja's worries. Being recognized for his talent, Bang Seon-Woo was ready to agree to anything with his face beaming like a child. His innocence was evident in every single action. He was truly a perfect target for scams.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
Only then did I realize that it had been over two hours since we entered the room.
"Who is it? Is it you, Mom?"
"How long are you going to make me wait, Gwi-Nam?"
"Ah, Mom. We're all done now. And it's Seon-Woo, not Gwi-Nam!"
When the annoyed Bang Seon-Woo opened the door, Kim Chun-Ja stood there with a stern expression.
"Sir, if you're done talking with my son, why don't you come down and continue your discussion with me over tea?"
'Sir?'
The level of respect in her address had risen from 'you people' to 'sir.' However, her expression was still stern and skeptical.
As we went downstairs, I noticed that the restaurant was already closed. The shutter door was fully down, and the sign's light was off. Although the restaurant usually operated until 2 AM, it was closed by 9 PM today.
"Mom, why did you close the restaurant so early?"
"Running the restaurant isn't our priority in this situation."
It seemed she had closed the restaurant early solely out of concern for her son. I couldn't help but find Kim Chun-Ja's rough speech endearing in its way.
Kim Chun-Ja set down four cups of tea and looked at us, then asked directly, "Do you really think my son's songs are good? For real?"