Chapter 43
Chapter 43
That morning, I never expected a track to arrive in just two days.
The end-of-month evaluation must be over.
Although various schedules, like practice and management, remain unchanged.
In the midst of a daily routine that continues in a slightly more relaxed atmosphere.
I was preparing to make a special crab meat rice bowl for the kids who always work hard.
First, I made the sauce with soy sauce, mirin, water, allulose, and various seasonings.
"Huu. It's not easy."
Instead of giving the kids frozen crab meat or something.
I wanted to feed them something good.
So I went to the market early in the morning, steamed some snow crabs, and personally picked out the meat.
Since each one is not cheap, I scraped out even the meat stuck in the corners, stir-fried it with onions, and timed when to add the rice and sauce.
"Wow. Smells good."
"Seriously! Even my Dad can't cook like this. Team Leader-nim is the best!"
"I could eat Team Leader-nim's cooking forever."
"The smell is indeed nice."
The kids come flooding out, led by Seong Se-ri, who looks like she's been drinking even though she hasn't had a drop.
"It'll be ready soon, so wait a bit."
"Ah, Team Leader-nim. Look at this."
"What is it."
As I'm carefully making the crab meat rice bowl in the frying pan,
The kids each take their positions,
turn around, and start shaking their hips.
"We've been together 24 hours. appeal your body~♬"
"A man eats a woman."
They're even singing live.
Good job.
Setting aside that they're good,
'If their actual parents saw this, wouldn't they shed tears of blood?'
Even I, who's not their real parent, find it a bit much.
"I miss your ass that used to push in every morning."
"What kind of crazy song is that."
As I turn off the stove and make a dumbfounded expression,
the kids answer.
"It's the composer-nim who's making our song's most-viewed video—'Her Ass.' For reference, it got 120,000 views?"
"Still, the song itself wasn't bad."
"The lyrics are okay too. The rhythm is definitely unique, so it has a certain character."
"Se-ri eonni said you'd like it if she showed this."
Then they each strike a pose again and stick their hips out in front of me.
No.
They start properly twerking.
It's really insane.
Four young idol trainees, wearing only dolphin shorts, are singing an R-rated song and twerking in front of me?
Even though the lyrics are somewhat obscene,
I couldn't deny that the song itself is good.
"Since we're going to work with that composer-nim anyway, we thought we should study up in advance."
"But listening to this song, I imagine the composer-nim's girlfriend shaking her ass every morning."
"It's kind of romantic."
"I think it's nice. That kind of thing."
I covered my mouth with one hand.
Maybe I've done something wrong.
Maybe I've turned these kids into weirdos.
"Shake it up and down happily. shake it girl."
"Is today a day off?"
"Yes. So today we're just going to keep messing around like this at the dorm."
The kids, now gathered around the table like chicks waiting for feed, hold only spoons and chopsticks in both hands and chirp ppiyak ppiyak.
As I divide the same amount of fried rice among the four of them, I think.
'Should I change the composer even now?'
Not to mention the showcase,
What if they go on a music show and the kids sing 'Up and Down, my hip booby booby'?
If they sing even a song with that kind of vibe, I'm already dizzy at the thought.
"Wow! So delicious."
"Heh. This would be perfect with a glass of soju, wouldn't it?"
"Team Leader-nim's cooking is the best."
"Oh. Not bad?"
Unlike the kids who aren't worried at all, I was preoccupied with STB's song, not even knowing whether the crab meat rice bowl was going into my nose or mouth.
"This guy honestly does have talent. Why does he insist on digging into such a niche field?"
Even if his best song only has 120,000 views,
When I search online, STB's status isn't exactly low.
As I've said repeatedly, he's a fairly well-respected composer in the underground scene.
Although his obscene lyrics are always a topic of gossip,
the unique sound that only STB can deliver is truly unrivaled.
'These days, it's hard to come up with new processes. In fact, it feels like most music is just a patchwork of existing beats, slightly modified to fit.'
Even in such an era, creating something new on his own was a remarkable skill.
'With that talent, for fuck's sake. Just make a fucking popular song.'
It's KPOP. That's what it is!
I think about calling him up and trying to persuade him, but then I shake my head.
Setting aside the success probability that Novel showed me,
To be blunt, how much do I really know about composition itself?
I'm just someone who roughly understands how this industry works, including planning.
For someone like me to meddle would only agitate the composer.
"Did you say today is a day off?"
As I ask while doing the dishes,
the kids answer while sitting on the sofa watching TV.
Hee-ju is next to me, stacking the washed dishes on the shelf.
"Today is a complete day off. Rest time. Ah, should I have a drink? It'll be gone by tomorrow anyway."
"There's no vocal or dance training. It's a day to recover expended stamina."
"I'll watch a drama."
Each states their plan.
The last one was Eun Hee-ju.
"It's a naughty day."
There's a lewd chick carefully tugging at my sleeve.
"You do it usually too."
"Today is a day to do it more. Because it's a day off."
Her eyes held infinite trust, not doubting for a moment that I would refuse.
"......Alright. I'll do it after this dishes are done."
"Yes, Team Leader-nim."
Just as I accept Hee-ju's proposal,
"Ah, Team Leader-nim. If you don't want to see me drink, later I want some too."
"I want to do it while watching a drama today."
"Gasp! I'm fine with being last."
[Do you know why people can't stop gambling once they start, Owner-nim?]
I have a hunch, but I ask anyway.
What is it.
[Once you've tasted that flavor, you can't stop.]
[Just like these kids now.]
[Hehe. Still, from a viewer's perspective, it's not boring. Because I get to watch you bang pretty kids nonstop.]
Crazy bitch.
I'm cursing Novel in my mind.
[An email has arrived.]
[Sender - STB]
"Huh? From the composer-nim?"
When the email arrived, the first thing I felt was anxiety.
First of all, I thought there was no way a song was completed in two days.
Unless this guy is an AI, there's no way he could finish composing and writing lyrics in two days.
But.
[Hello, Kim Hyun-woo Team Leader-nim. This is STB.]
I saw the email subject and opened it.
There's one encrypted file attached.
[Hello, Kim Hyun-woo Team Leader-nim. This is STB. First, a song has been completed, so I'm sending it ahead. After everyone listens to it, if there are any parts you don't like or parts you insist on revising, please feel free to let me know. I'll strive to revise or improve them as quickly as possible. Well, then, I hope you and the kids have a pleasant day.]
I was already going to be banging the kids one after another all day today.
But I felt I needed to check this first.
"But how do I unlock this password?"
When I clicked on the file that arrived,
[This file can only be used with the administrator's permission.]
A message appears.
And.
[Confirmed.]
[Download completed.]
As soon as I checked the email, another email arrived saying it was approved immediately.
That means he confirmed I received the email and clicked approval right away.
'What kind of person is this.'
First of all, I was surprised that he made a song in two days.
But it was definitely not welcome.
It's a song made in two days.
"Isn't he trying to make easy money?"
It's inevitable human psychology to expect that good results only come from investing a lot of time.
"Shake it up and down, ass?"
"Stop. If it's that song, I'll just reject it immediately."
If it's truly an obscene song that feels like I'd have to send the kids on stage in bikinis,
I was ready to reject it regardless of success probability.
But.
[Song Title - Radiance]
Radiance?
"Hmm. The title at least has a feel to it."
These days, such titles are trending, so it was a bit appealing.
After all, as KPOP expands globally, many titles are made by condensing meaning into English words.
[The meaning of Radiance is 'light.' I told you that day. That I seemed to see a light.]
Inside the file, there was a text file with an explanation and interpretation of the song Radiance.
[Of course, there is also 'light' in English meaning light, but the nuance is different. Radiance is a light that contains happiness. Warmth is also included. In the case of this song, it contains everything from my unexpected surprise to my emotions.]
You'll know when you listen.
"Da-young. You need to evaluate this objectively."
Among our members, Lee Da-young has the best eye for detail.
"Well, I can't say my ears are that good, but I'll try my best."
Gathered in the living room, we played the song that Kim Gi-bok sent on the laptop.
-♪♬♪♬
"......"
The moment the song played, I was slightly surprised.
With a light beat that pleases the ear, lyrics burst out in less than 2 seconds after it starts.
This was truly a start that suited Eun Hee-ju perfectly.
"He's really bad at singing."
"Well, he is a composer."
I guess since he made the song in two days, he didn't have time to find a demo singer to record it before handing it over to the actual singers.
Or maybe he wanted to sing it himself and show it.
"It feels like the start is intense yet somewhat calm."
That was true.
Should I say it's the essence of Hee-ju's personality?
I see a comfort and uniqueness that wouldn't waver even if a demon stabbed her heart right in front of her.
Next comes a rap that could be called the pinnacle of mass appeal.
As expected from an underground composer.
The quality of the rap is outstanding.
"This seems like Da-young's part."
In our group, the ones in charge of rap are Da-young and Seong Se-ri, after all.
It's right that one of them raps,
but as Se-ri said, it felt like this rap was made with Da-young in mind.
A rap that's easy to sing if attention to detail is alive.
Then comes the repetitive highlight section that can't be missing from KPOP.
Just when I think, 'Huk, it comes in,' a rhythm that feels like light bursts forth plays.
Unrivaled.
Amazing.
"......"
To be honest, the length of the song is 2 minutes 43 seconds, absolutely not long.
So I could think, 'That's why he made it in two days,'
but in my opinion, time wasn't the issue.
Being a 2 minute 43 second song, it actually fits perfectly with today's fast-paced society.
The difficulty is somewhat high, with high notes, rap, and highlights continuously following.
Our kids could handle it without issue,
but it was still high enough to require considerable practice.
People often say that some famous ballads are made for only that singer to sing.
This difficulty was perfect to be called a song made only for our group to sing.
'We can do it.'
Moreover, it's unrivaled and original.
At the same time, it's an incredibly popular song.
It's so popular that anyone who knows STB from the underground would never think it's the same person.
The biggest reason this song is a hit was this.
"Da-young. What do you think?"
A bit strict,
bad-tempered,
and foul-mouthed as she is,
from Da-young's mouth, who always finds flaws and demands corrections in what seemed perfect, came unexpected words.
"This... There's nothing to fix?"