Peninsula's Life Begins in 2016

Chapter 102, Second Puzzle Piece

Lim Yoona said she owes Kang Yeon.

But Lee Ji-eun knows this unnie's personality very well.

She appears gentle and understanding, but deep down she's more shrewd than anyone else.

Guilt might lead her to treat someone to a meal or give them a gift, but it would never make her use her most valuable connections to pave the way for a producer who has been fired from the company.

What's more, he had offended someone from SM's top management.

There must be a story here that she doesn't know.

But Lee Ji-eun didn't intend to delve into it further; in the adult world, it's best to leave it at that.

She was just more curious about what kind of music could make the usually arrogant Yoona do this.

She picked up her canvas bag, got up, and went downstairs.

Back home, Lee Ji-eun changed into slippers and went straight into her bedroom/studio.

The room is filled with various recording equipment and musical instruments, and the walls are covered with her music promotion posters and trophies from over the years.

She took the light purple USB drive out of her hoodie pocket and plugged it into the laptop's port.

I put on professional monitoring headphones, tapped my fingertip lightly on the touchpad, and double-clicked the first file.

"As If It's Your Last".

The light and bright synthesizer intro instantly flooded her ears, and Lee Ji-eun raised an eyebrow slightly.

Immediately afterwards, the male lead vocals began to play.

Clean, clear, with a youthful brightness, and incredibly stable pitch.

Especially during the chorus, when that iconic hook appeared, Lee Ji-eun's fingers involuntarily started tapping on the table to the rhythm.

That's so catchy.

That sweet yet not cloying energy, that melody that makes you want to hum along as soon as you hear it, is simply a template for a hit song tailor-made for girl groups.

The song's arrangement is well-defined, with the bass drum and bass playing seamlessly together. There are no unnecessary embellishments, and it precisely hits the sweet spot for every listener.

After the song finished playing, Lee Ji-eun took off her headphones. In her eyes, the song was already at a level where it could be released as an album.

Let alone new producers, even established veterans in the industry would be proud to write a hit song of this caliber.

Moreover, this style—is all too familiar.

She took a deep breath, put her headphones back on, and double-clicked the second file.

Kill This Love.

The heavy, metallic tone of the brass pipe struck like a hammer blow, and Lee Ji-eun sat bolt upright.

In stark contrast to the light and sweet tone of the previous song, this song, from the very first note, exudes an overwhelming and ruthless power.

The male lead's voice also completely changed its style, making people's scalp tingle.

The music ended three minutes later.

Lee Ji-eun took off her headphones, looked down at the small, light purple USB drive, then picked up her phone and dialed Teddy's number.

The number.

The phone rang three times before being answered. Teddy's deep, husky voice came from the other end, accompanied by the sound of rapid keyboard typing in the background.

"Ji-eun, what's wrong?"

"Teddy oppa, are you still in the studio?"

"Yeah, I'm rearranging a song." Teddy's voice sounded a little tired. "What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

Lee Ji-eun fiddled with the USB drive in her hand, carefully considered her words, and slowly began to speak: "It's like this, a friend asked me to pass on two songs, written by a producer who just left SM Entertainment. I listened to them, and they're quite interesting. The style is similar to yours, Oppa, but it also has its own unique elements."

She paused, then continued, "Oppa, I'm not calling you because of our friendship. I'm serious, if you don't listen, you'll definitely regret it."

The sound of typing on the keyboard on the other end of the phone abruptly stopped.

Teddy paused for a moment.

He has known Lee Ji-eun for a long time and knows her personality well.

When she was with him, she was never insincere about music, and she would never praise people casually.

For her to say something like "I'll definitely regret it," the quality of these two songs must be beyond imagination.

"An SM producer? What's their name?"

Lee Ji-eun choked for a moment, then said truthfully, "Um—I'm not too sure about this either, Oppa. How about you listen to the song and if you're interested, I'll help you get in touch with them."

"Okay, send it to my work email."

Okay, I'll send it now.

After hanging up the phone, Lee Ji-eun dragged the two audio files from the USB drive into her computer and sent them to Teddy using encryption software.

Then she sent Yoona a message: "I've sent the song to Teddy oppa. He'll contact me after he listens to it."

Less than half a minute later, Yoona replied: "Thank you, Ji-eun. I'll treat you to barbecue another day."

Meanwhile, in Itaewon, Hannam-dong, THEBLACKLABEL headquarters.

Teddy hung up the phone and slumped into his chair, staring at the arrangement on his computer screen that he had revised at least fifty times, scratching his hair in frustration.

He has been stuck on this new girl group's debut song for three whole months.

The melody framework was already in place, but no matter how I changed it, it always felt like something was missing.

It lacks something that catches the eye and something that can instantly grab the audience's attention.

The pressure was like a mountain, making it hard for him to breathe.

2NE1 is now defunct; Minzy's departure has taken away the last soul of this girl group.

Although the remaining three members renewed their contracts, everyone knew that the era of 2NE1 had come to an end.

BLACKPINK is his only hope.

It is not only his personal hope, but also the key to whether THE BLACKLABEL, which he founded, can gain a foothold within YG.

If this group doesn't become a hit, his influence at YG will gradually decrease.

Just as he was at his wit's end, a new email notification popped up in the lower right corner of his computer screen. The sender was Lee Ji-eun.

Teddy perked up, immediately opened the email, and downloaded the two audio files attached.

He put on his monitoring headphones, adjusted the volume, and first played "As If It's Your Last".

The moment the intro started, Teddy's hand holding the mouse suddenly stopped.

The synthesizer's timbre, the way the rhythm is handled, the placement of the bass drum—

so similar.

It's as if he wrote it himself.

But it's not just a simple imitation. The perfect fusion of retro electronic music and modern K-pop, and the solid low frequencies hidden within the lightheartedness, are handled more cleverly and skillfully than before.

The moment the chorus melody started, Teddy's eyes narrowed sharply.

He subconsciously pressed pause, dragged the progress bar back to the beginning, and listened to the chorus again.

Once, twice, three times.

Then he took off his headphones, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a long time.

The melody was so pleasing to the ear that it gave him the illusion that he was the one who should have written the song.

That style ingrained in his bones, that precise grasp of trends, is exactly like his.

It's like looking in a mirror.

In the mirror stands another version of myself.

Teddy took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. He put his headphones back on and opened the second file.

KillThisLove.

The heavy brass prelude exploded in his ears like thunder, and Teddy froze in his chair.

He listened to the entire song without moving, then expressionlessly dragged the progress bar to listen to it again from the beginning.

After listening to it a second time, he took off his headphones and turned off the speakers.

The studio fell into a deathly silence.

Teddy leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a full minute.

Then, he suddenly opened his eyes, picked up his phone, his fingers trembling slightly with excitement, and dialed Lee Ji-eun's number.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"Ji-eun." Teddy's voice was terribly hoarse, with a hint of barely concealed excitement.

"Yes, Oppa, have you finished listening?"

"I've finished listening." Teddy rubbed his temples. "I'd like to meet this new producer you mentioned. Could you help me get in touch with him?"

""