Rhythm 「Jay Park Smut 」「AMBW」

Chapter 9

Hoody was a stone faced hard worker. Beyond that one smile that you initially got, you received no more. It's not that she was mean, she was just...awkward. It was easier talking to her on public transport with the mask. But since that facade had been lifted and the nerves kicked in, the relationship was strained.

Mr. Park had left after the initial meeting and the two of you were alone. "So, What do you think you should sing about."

"I have to hear the song first." It was a flat tone, neither mean, nor nice. The accent and lack of expression wasn't helping.

You clicked the closest play button and let the track fill the room. Smooth chords. Then the drums came in. She was waiting for the beat to drop and at 25 seconds, it hit. It wasn't a big drop but it was something. She closed her eyes and bobbed her head to the beat slowly. Suddenly you were sweating and knew you should have made something more exciting. But surprisingly, she liked it.

"It feels warm. Like if a song could be a blanket....a ....security blanket, this would be it."

You laughed at her description. Her thick accented English would have been difficult for someone who hadn't been exposed to it for the past few months. You remembered struggling in the beginning but you were so happy people even spoke small amounts of English.  Until your Korean had gotten better you were at the mercy of the native. But this was off topic and you needed to be productive.  "So would you want to sing about something warm?"

"Yes." Her stare was intense but less cold than before. Her cheeks were slightly blushed, and not from her make up.

"Like ....a blanket?" It was her turn to laugh.

"Not a ....real blanket. A ....met...meta..."

"A metaphorical one? "

"Yes." It was becoming apparent that Hoody was someone who needed to warm up to you twice.

She started humming, and you listened keenly. Before pulling out a keyboard. You repeated some of her chords and embellished it. ChaCha had taught you well. You tapped your feet and slowly her humming got louder. You played and danced, she sang chords, matching you.

The energy was electric. It made you think of the dueling banjos scene.  Two skilled players showing off, building off each other, respecting the craft, and silently dueling. It built and built, the track on repeat, until Hoody finally called out what she had come up with in her head. "You are my sunshine, sunshine!"

"Ohhhhhh, feel so bright" you called out soon after. This was it, y'all were figuring it out. She smiled, a thin veil of sweat on her forehead as she had begun to sway and dance too. This room needed way better ventilation. But neither of you could be bothered at the moment.  You stopped playing, popped the track out of the CD player, and with the nearest black sharpie wrote out sloppily "Sunshine" on the disk. This would be your first track. The one you could put your name one. And you wouldn't have it any other way than with another strong woman working with you. 

She slowly smiled, so brightly this time, no shyness or reservations. Her dyed blond hair seemed to make the undertones in her skin pop. She was truly a beauty. "This is going to be a hit! Y/N, I'm so excited!"

You made notes of the melody changes on your phone and returned her smile, albeit sheepishly. The women of AOMG were really something else. What Hoody lacked in dance and performance experience, she made up for in vocal range and ability. 

"I think he likes you." 

 And there went the Beshdel test. "He sounded so eager to get me to work with you, clearly you must be a highly respected and talented worker."

She didn't mean it that way.

 "Mr. Park is really great. He's changed the music scene and done so much. He might not be the smartest man but he definitely is the hardest working." You wanted to honest in your opinion. He was problematic in many ways, but ambitious and hard working. None of his blunders were coming from a place of malice. Ignorance maybe, but not malice. 

She nodded in agreement. "I also think he's pulling someone else to work on this with us. He wouldn't say who but he is excited." Your eyes widened. This track was really going to be something else. "Plus, he's clearly into you."

It would take more than a track and some big names to get you to break your work rules. You didn't see herself breaking them any time soon.

You just smiled at her comment and began to pack up. "ChaCha needs help with some tracks. Call me tho. Here's my number." And with that you went on your way.

You headed out with Hoody. Joking and laughing on the way down.

You got off and headed towards your working station. Hoody turned the other way, waving shyly. As you neared the studio space you heard voices, not loud, but not soft either. You opened the door and there in plain view was Mr. Park and ChaCha face to face. The energy was weird but not hostile.

You took one look at the boys and turned around and walked out. They both called out to you. " Wait Y/N! Wait!"

"What is this about." It came out surprisingly venomous and ChaCha took a step back. Jay's smile had a hint of wildness as he refused to back down.

"We were just talking about your track." You paused, but held your stance. "I think we should put the ChaCha's opening on it. He says otherwise."

You looked past Mr. Park's shoulder at ChaCha. His gaze was pointed downward as he stayed silent. "I think that your skills are great, don't get me wrong. And we will give you full credit and earnings for the track. But his name pulls. I run a business at the end of the day and I need to do whatever possible to keep my products successful."

That stung. Essentially you were too unskilled to do this alone. You looked in Mr. Park's eyes for a semblance of guilt, but all you saw was wildfire. ChaCha finally spoke up. "I thought you were good enough on your own but he has a point."

The hurt was double. But isn't this what you wanted? He was pulling no tricks. He was treating you like an employer did an employee. He was protecting his company. He wasn't treating you special.

A soft smile crept on your face. "I agree with you... Jay. If we want to maximize profits and exposure then we could put this under ChaCha. As long as i get the credit and the pay, do what you think is best for AOMG."

Both of their eyes widened. You never referred to Mr. Park as Jay.

But this was exactly the type of things he should be doing to build your trust. He's not thinking with his dick, but with his brain And that's someone you can follow.

Y'all shook hands and walked past him. Signalling for ChaCha to follow. You had new beats to produce.

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A/N: wow it has really been months. I'm about to enter dedicated, so i can study for STEP (a career defining med school exam), but i wanted to put something out before I disappear again. I never thought my story would get this popular and thank you for staying for the ride.

Remember to practice social distancing and be save while this virus is out.