Episode 36
Episode 36: Promotion
The ‘K’ that Baek Seung-chan envisioned was cold on the outside, but inside, still an immature boy who had yet to grow.
Because of that, he adjusted his vocal cords to produce a voice that matched the image of ‘K’ he had in mind.
For Baek Seung-chan, who had once been called Cheonmyeon-gwi, altering his voice by controlling his vocal muscles was not difficult.
He began to sing along with the accompaniment.
"Don’t come closer to me, I’m more comfortable alone."
His voice filled the recording booth.
A husky yet soft tone—
It was the voice he interpreted as ‘K.’
"Ah…"
Hearing the first line, both Baek Seung-hui and Yang Bok-seon let out quiet exclamations.
Neither of them had ever heard ‘K’s voice before, yet it felt exactly like what ‘K’ would sound like.
And that wasn’t all.
The rare combination of a husky yet beautiful tone, along with deep emotional expression, drew them in instantly.
They naturally became immersed in Baek Seung-chan’s—no, ‘K’s—song.
There was no hesitation in his singing.
He had listened to the song repeatedly and memorized every lyric.
Before long, the song reached its climax.
"I pretended not to notice… because I was afraid you might break like a glass doll…"
With ‘K’s true feelings embedded in the lyrics, Baek Seung-chan sang with even deeper immersion.
"…!"
Baek Seung-hui and Yang Bok-seon’s eyes trembled.
They were experiencing something strange.
It wasn’t just that they imagined ‘K’ smiling while saving Ji-an—
It felt as if they were there, witnessing it firsthand.
That was how deeply they were immersed.
"······."
When the song ended, they remained silent, lost in its lingering emotion.
"How was it? I’m done."
Baek Seung-chan’s voice came through the speaker, snapping them back.
"You can come out."
He stepped out of the booth.
"Seung-chan, how are you this good at singing?"
Yang Bok-seon was genuinely shocked.
He hadn’t fully believed Director Go Jin-seok’s praise before.
But now—
Baek Seung-chan’s singing far exceeded expectations.
Tone, pitch, rhythm—
There wasn’t a single flaw.
Among all the singers he had worked with, this level was rare.
It even made him wonder why Baek Seung-chan wasn’t a singer instead.
"Thank you."
Handsome, talented, and humble.
Yang Bok-seon even wondered if Baek Seung-chan was the protagonist of a novel.
The most shocked person, however, was Baek Seung-hui.
"Oppa! Are you really my brother? Your voice completely changed!"
She was beyond surprised—she was shaken.
"Of course it’s me."
"I mean… still…"
She couldn’t process it.
"Anything else to fix?"
"No."
Yang Bok-seon shook his head firmly.
"Weren’t we going to adjust the key?"
"No need. This is perfect."
"Yeah… it’s perfect as is."
Even Baek Seung-hui agreed.
"Then we just continue recording?"
"No, we’re done."
"Already?"
"Normally, no. But there’s nothing to improve here."
Usually, multiple takes were needed to fix imperfections.
But here—
There were none.
"Recording is finished. I’ll contact you if needed."
"Thank you."
With just a single take, Baek Seung-chan completed the recording of ‘K’s theme.
After leaving the studio, Baek Seung-chan took Baek Seung-hui to Dream Entertainment.
"Why are we going there?"
She didn’t react as excitedly as expected since Nam Si-woo wasn’t in Korea.
"Because you’re a professional composer now."
"A professional?"
She became interested.
"Wouldn’t it be better to sign with a company?"
"You mean… the one we’re going to?"
"Of course."
Baek Seung-chan had already spoken to CEO Ji Pyeong-san.
Without even hearing the song, he agreed to offer top treatment.
"No way! I told you I’d get in!"
She jumped excitedly.
"I’m in the same company as Si-woo oppa now?"
That day, Baek Seung-hui joined Dream Entertainment.
Back in the studio, Yang Bok-seon remained alone, deep in thought.
"It’s too good to discard…"
He was thinking about Baek Seung-hui’s version of “Glass Doll.”
Baek Seung-chan’s version fit ‘K’ better.
But her version felt like Ji-an’s perspective.
Her clear voice had its own charm.
After thinking, he called Director Go Jin-seok.
"I’ll send you another version too. It might work as Ji-an’s theme."
"Alright."
He sent both versions.
"What kind of result did they get?"
Curious, Go Jin-seok listened.
First, Baek Seung-hui’s version.
"Wow… this is amazing."
It perfectly captured the feeling he wanted.
Then, Baek Seung-chan’s version.
"…Wow."
He was stunned.
Not just good—
Perfect.
It conveyed ‘K’s emotions completely.
"Now I understand."
He finally understood Yang Bok-seon’s words.
He decided where Baek Seung-hui’s version would go—
A scene where Ji-an confronts ‘K,’ believing him dead.
"This is going to succeed."
He was certain.
"If I hadn’t cast him…"
He felt relieved remembering Baek Seung-chan’s casting.
"This will be my best work."
Producing a drama involved five stages.
Planning, pre-production, filming, post-production, and release.
‘The Killer’s Shopping Mall’ had completed post-production after three months.
Now only promotion and release remained.
The first step was the press conference.
After the trailer was released, reactions exploded online.
"My favorite novel is finally becoming a drama!"
"Ji-an looks exactly like in the novel!"
"What about K? He has no lines—so curious!"
The original novel’s popularity played a big role.
And so did the casting.
"Seung-chan oppa looks amazing!"
"How will he act without lines?"
Interest was high.
For promotion, Baek Seung-chan, Kang Dong-wook, and Kim Ga-hee were scheduled to appear on a popular variety show.
Ma Dong-gi couldn’t join due to scheduling.
With that, Baek Seung-chan headed to film his first variety show.