Chapter 223: Best Original Score Nominee, STaY!
As Taeyoon stepped in front of the photo wall.
Click, click, click...
Flash, flash, flash.
Countless cameras turned toward him all at once.
The person walking across the red carpet was neither an actor nor a director.
He was a nominee for the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Stay.
Taeyoon.
“Ah, so that's Stay?”
“No way. I figured it had to be some elderly composer in his sixties.”
“Wow... How old is he? Early twenties?”
The murmuring quickly turned into astonishment.
The people most excited were, naturally, the Korean reporters.
Almost as if they were competing with one another, they hurriedly rushed out their articles.
“This is going to make for an interesting day.”
“Oh my. Director Oh Seungju must be grinning from ear to ear.”
“He already is.”
“For a first-timer, he seems awfully composed.”
“Wow, this is going to be huge. A composer at the Academy Awards looks like a movie star.”
“Come on, it's not that much.”
Taeyoon didn't smile.
He simply accepted the flashes with calm, unwavering eyes.
His attire was immaculate.
A black tuxedo with a subtle sheen.
A neatly pressed white dress shirt.
Finished simply with a tidy black bow tie.
The only accessory was a pair of small silver cufflinks.
His hairstyle hadn't changed either.
His naturally falling hair quietly reflected that he was not an actor, but a free-spirited musician.
There was nothing flashy about him.
Yet the moment the camera flashes struck him, that very simplicity stood out all the more.
“There's nothing particularly special about him, but somehow I can't stop looking.”
“How did someone this young compose something with so much depth?”
The flashes showed no signs of stopping.
Taeyoon continued looking calmly toward the cameras.
Quietly.
As though standing on this stage was the most natural thing in the world.
One photographer lowered his camera and muttered.
“He's got unbelievable nerve.”
“Huh?”
“Even actors making their red carpet debut can't stand there like that. They're always tense, plastering on all sorts of fake smiles. But that composer... how should I put it? He doesn't seem emotionally shaken at all.”
“Hm. Now that you mention it, you're right. Is he just not affected by any of this?”
The other reporters nodded.
That young composer wore an indifferent expression while displaying the confidence only seasoned veterans usually possessed.
The composure to remain completely calm at an event of this magnitude.
The mental fortitude to remain unfazed despite countless eyes and cameras watching him.
“Look at that attitude. He's far too relaxed to be a newcomer.”
“Maybe he's less nervous because he isn't an actor.”
“I think it's all calculated. Perhaps even this is part of a carefully planned performance.”
“Hm... You think so?”
Just then, someone standing nearby spoke up skeptically.
“You're all barking up the wrong tree.”
A man who, to put it nicely, viewed the world differently.
Or, more honestly, looked at everything through a cynical lens.
It was Park Gyuseok, a reporter from Daily Ilbo, who wore the same cynical expression at all times.
The surrounding reporters looked at him as if asking, What do you mean?
Ignoring them, he continued.
“That's an actor. I'm certain of it.”
Unfortunately, his baseless theory was completely drowned out by the endless flashes and cheers.
No one heard him.
Even so, he stubbornly continued.
“A composer that young? No chance. Every Best Original Score nominee is an old composer. For whatever reason, the real composer probably didn't want to appear in person. So they sent someone else in their place.”
One of the nearby reporters glanced at him.
But everyone's attention was already fixed entirely on Taeyoon.
“He's just a puppet. A stand-in in case they win. They probably grabbed some good-looking kid. Maybe an unknown actor bouncing around small theater companies? Well... at least he's decent-looking.”
No one paid any attention to Park Gyuseok's words.
He even raised his voice.
But it was completely swallowed by the relentless shutters and roaring applause.
“Hm...”
He uncrossed his arms and raised his camera again.
Amid the festive atmosphere.
Only his eyes remained filled with suspicion.
It was then.
Stay.
Taeyoon slowly turned his head.
His gaze landed directly on Park Gyuseok's camera.
'...Huh?'
Through the lens, Park Gyuseok met those indifferent eyes head-on.
'...!'
Cold sweat slowly trickled down his back.
For the briefest instant, something unusual flickered across Taeyoon's eyes.
As though he'd heard every ridiculous theory running through Park Gyuseok's head.
As though he were mocking him.
Those eyes were proud.
Sharp.
Then Taeyoon...
Slowly.
Lifted one corner of his lips ever so slightly.
'What was that? What did I just see? I must've imagined it.'
But it lasted only a fleeting instant.
Taeyoon's gaze returned forward once more.
It had been so brief.
So subtle.
That only Park Gyuseok's camera lens had captured it.
Everything was so chaotic.
I didn't even know where to look.
Like a baby duck following its mother, I stayed glued behind Director Oh Seungju.
Photo wall or whatever it was.
I stood awkwardly in a place that was meant for actors.
Then, suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
The position makes the person.
Why did that saying suddenly come to me now?
“Mr. Stay! Please look this way!”
“Director Oh Seungju! The person beside you really is the composer, isn't he?”
I was the same Seo Taeyoon I'd been yesterday.
Every day.
Always.
The happiest place for me was standing behind a turntable.
Eating two bowls of rice with nothing more than the roasted seaweed Mom made.
And enduring all of my older brother's teasing.
But today was different.
The cameras aimed at me.
The relentless barrage of flashes.
The unbelievable sight.
The deafening cheers.
The countless eyes watching me...
“Ah!”
It was exhilarating.
Just for this moment.
I felt like it was okay to enjoy this stage.
Take it easy.
Take it easy.
Take it easy...
Even though I repeated it to myself endlessly.
Thump, thump, thump, thumpthumpthump...
My heart pounded violently.
What do I do?
I'm so nervous.
For a moment, I even wondered whether my heart might actually leap right out of my chest.
I couldn't make any expression at all.
The only thing I could do was move my gaze around like a robot, trying desperately to hide how nervous I was.
Through the cheering, Director Oh Seungju's voice reached my ears.
“Haha, Composer Stay, you look so natural.”
I glanced sideways at Director Oh Seungju.
Smiling.
Waving.
Giving polite bows.
...He was the natural one.
Before I could even answer, he continued.
“You don't seem nervous at all. Maybe you're just made for stages.”
What was this?
Ventriloquism?
His lips weren't even moving.
I'd heard idols talked to each other on stage through ventriloquism.
Since people could guess what they were saying just by reading their lips.
I'd thought, Makes sense.
But...
Even film directors used ventriloquism?
How fascinating.
Even in all this noise.
I could hear Director Oh Seungju's voice clearly.
“This is wonderful. Thanks to you, Composer Stay, I'm receiving more attention as well. I know this probably isn't the right place to say this... but I don't think I'll get another opportunity.”
“......”
“Thank you.”
...I'm the one who should be thanking you.
Ahem.
Feeling awkward for no reason, I quietly cleared my throat before turning my head.
Then my eyes met one camera.
Ugh.
This is embarrassing.
They probably captured my stupid expression.
I raised the corners of my mouth into a slight smile.
Get it together.
Get it together.
Act as naturally as possible.
I widened my eyes once before shifting my gaze elsewhere.
Click.
Click.
The shutters kept firing.
Time seemed to slow.
Everything before my eyes.
As though the world had entered slow motion.
Slowly...
Executive Director Kim Jinsoo's office at KW Headquarters.
The large television displayed the KWN broadcast.
That was because KWN, a subsidiary of the KW Group, held the exclusive broadcasting rights for the Academy Awards.
'Oh...?'
Leaning back against the heavy leather sofa, Kim Jinsoo idly rotated the coffee cup in his hand while watching the massive screen.
On the television.
Taeyoon was walking across the Academy's red carpet.
The excited voice of the host filled the office through the speakers.
Best Original Score nominee, STaY!
The corners of Kim Jinsoo's mouth slowly curled upward.
Standing beside him with his hands respectfully folded behind his back, his secretary cautiously spoke.
“A Korean composer being nominated for an Academy Award...”
“Pretty incredible, isn't it? Especially at his age.”
The secretary carefully agreed.
“Absolutely, sir. KWN's ratings are also skyrocketing. The live reactions have been incredible.”
“Really?”
Pretending to remain indifferent, Kim Jinsoo set down his coffee before picking up his phone.
His eyes were on the phone.
But his ears remained focused on the television.
The secretary noticed.
Just how happy Executive Director Kim Jinsoo really was.
It was Monday morning at ten.
The busiest time of the week.
Yet he'd even postponed the executive meeting just to watch the ceremony.
There were probably several reasons.
Because the movie KW had invested in was succeeding?
Certainly.
Because it proved his business judgment had been correct?
That was probably part of it too.
But that wasn't everything.
His business instincts told him.
This was only the beginning.
'Are you watching now, you old fools who opposed me?'
A confident determination settled firmly in his eyes.
His decision would no longer be remembered as a reckless gamble.
It would be praised as extraordinary foresight.
When he'd first heard that his younger brother Kim Minsoo was going around with some snot-nosed young composer.
He'd honestly been worried.
This industry wasn't an easy place.
But Kim Minsoo and Stay had shattered every one of his expectations.
It wasn't enough that they'd completely shaken up the K-pop scene.
Now a single OST had brought them all the way to the Academy Awards.
Whether they actually won.
Or didn't.
That no longer mattered.
The Academy red carpet.
Simply standing there had already given STaY influence beyond imagination.
Not only could he entrust every OST for KW's future dramas and variety shows to him.
Stay's image alone could become the face of every brand under the KW Group.
And besides.
'If people ever find out that DJ Blackhole and Stay are the same person...!'
He would become more than just a composer and a DJ.
Seo Taeyoon himself would become an unrivaled brand.
As time passed, Kim Jinsoo found himself developing a desire that went beyond business success.
He wanted to protect Stay's musical talent.
And open every possible path so he could devote himself completely to music.
He had begun believing that was his role.
“The more I look at him, the more extraordinary he is.”
The secretary flinched and looked at Kim Jinsoo.
Executive Director Kim Jinsoo...
Was smiling?
'So he really can smile like that.'
It wasn't the calculated smile he'd always shown.
It was the sincere smile of someone quietly cheering another person on.
Whether he noticed his secretary's reaction or not.
Kim Jinsoo looked back down at his phone.
At this point, there was no way the listeners would stay quiet.
As he casually opened the news section of the portal site, he let out a quiet sigh.
The headlines were filled entirely with Stay.
[ (Photos) The Shock of the Academy Red Carpet—'Who Is Composer STaY?' ]
[ Stay Turns the Academy Red Carpet Upside Down! ]
[ Young Composer STaY, the Unexpected Best Original Score Nominee. ]
[ The Star of the Red Carpet Wasn't an Actor? Stay Shakes the Academy with Music. ]
[ Is He Really a Composer? Who Is This Man More Like an Actor Than the Actors? ]
[ In His Twenties? The Unbelievable Depth That Amazed the World. ]
[ The Arrival of Korean Academy Award Nominee Composer 'Stay.' ]
A Korean.
Invited to the Academy Awards for Best Original Score with nothing more than an instrumental OST theme.
It was only natural for the nation to celebrate and support him.
↳ Cheers~~ Bartender~~ One giant bowl of national pride over here!!
↳ I screamed while watching this at dawn ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
↳ It's real LOL. Everyone turn on KWN. It's live right now.
↳ This is insane. Absolutely insane ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I always knew Stay would accomplish something incredible ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
↳ Meanwhile Director Oh Seungju's grin is practically reaching his eyes.ㅋㅋㅋ
↳↳ If it were me, I'd be dancing.
↳ The Best Original Score category is ridiculously competitive. Even becoming a nominee is unbelievably impressive.
↳ Wow, I never imagined I'd actually watch the Academy Awards live.ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Up to that point.
The reactions were understandable.
But then.
“...Huh?”
↳ He looks more like an actor than a composer.
↳ Wow... Wow... What even is Stay?
↳ The way he doesn't flinch under all those camera flashes is insane. So composed ㄷㄷㄷㄷ
↳ Apparently even the reporters thought he was an actor.ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
↳ Wait a second. Those are unedited press photos, right?
↳ That bow tie is so cute.ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
↳ At this point, are we sure he didn't come to win Best Actor instead of Best Original Score?
↳ Damn. A composer with a face like that is completely unfair.
↳ It's not just the looks. Those eyes are incredible ㄷㄷㄷ Maybe you need eyes like that to create music like his.
↳ Please win. Please win. Please win. Please let us hear your voice. Please let us hear your voice. Please!!!
Somehow.
The conversation was starting to head in a very different direction.