Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Guide II
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Composer Kwak Chan-seok explained why the recording had dragged on for so long.
"At first, it was like a machine singing—perfectly precise, of course, which was impressive in itself, but the emotional delivery was a bit weak."
Kwak Yu-seon asked,
"So it took two hours because of that? Because the emotions weren't coming through?"
"No. It started that way, but after that, he absorbed everything I said on the spot."
"Huh?"
"The craziest part was, once he nailed it once, he never messed up again. Whatever it was, he made it his own in one take."
AI Jeon Ji-in converted Kwak Chan-seok's advice into easy-to-read symbols and added them to the sheet music on the AR lens. Singers could reduce mistakes by glancing at it while performing, plus Jeon Ji-in's pitch assistance kicked in too.
"Every time he sang it again, he got better and better. I couldn't stop."
"That good?"
"Yeah. That good. His voice is great, but his ability to pick things up is even better."
Na Gang-in and Shin Eun-ha came down from the second-floor recording studio to the first floor.
Sound engineer Kwak Yu-seon muttered under her breath, chiding composer Kwak Chan-seok.
"Big bro. But seriously, why'd you bring Eun-ha? Isn't she busy?"
"She said she's been chilling lately."
"Tch."
The moment the two reached the bottom of the stairs, Kwak Yu-seon flashed a bright smile and said to Na Gang-in,
"Gang-in, I heard you're amazing at cooking. Could you help me out a bit?"
AI Jeon Ji-in objected.
-Cooking is best when someone else makes it for you. No satisfaction in eating what you've cooked yourself.
"I agree with that, but advising without touching anything should be fine, right?"
-Interfering? I'm all for that.
"You're picking up bad habits way too fast. Interfering? It's just proper advice."
Na Gang-in said to Kwak Yu-seon,
"How about you do the cooking, Yu-seon, and I just offer a little advice from the side? I'm curious about your cooking."
She beamed.
"Oh, really? That sounds great."
"I'll handle the dishes."
"Ah! Thank you!"
Unless the kitchen was massive, it was easier to wash dishes midway through cooking.
Kwak Yu-seon started cooking. The ingredients were prepped, so no need for advice on basics like marinating. Still, Na Gang-in had plenty to say on fire control, seasoning amounts, and more.
Shin Eun-ha watched, grumbling,
"Next time, I should at least boil my own ramen."
She asked Kwak Chan-seok,
"Composer Kwak, what do you think of Oppa Gang-in's singing?"
"To sing like that without being a pro singer, you have to be born with talent."
Her sulky face brightened without her realizing it.
"Right? Makes you want to give him a song, doesn't it?"
"I do, but I don't have any on hand. I'd have to write a new one."
"Huh? Don't famous composers usually have a few tracks on hold?"
"I don't work that way. I have rejects or holds, but nothing kept back."
"Then what about today's song? It fit Oppa Gang-in perfectly."
"It did fit, but..."
"Then just give it to Oppa Gang-in."
Kwak Chan-seok said regretfully,
"That song's already contracted. Can't be helped."
"Ah, so you're the type who signs contracts before even writing the song."
"Normally, no. But this one, my friend begged so much... Ha, haha."
Meal prep was done. The table was laden with Korean, Western, and Japanese dishes.
Kwak Chan-seok marveled,
"Whoa, a feast fit for kings. Like a banquet... Nah, we eat like this all the time anyway. Yeah, totally."
The meal began. Kwak Chan-seok tried the stew first.
"Huh?"
It was delicious.
"Wow... Yu-seon’s always been good at cooking, but..."
Kwak Yu-seon was quite the cook.
Without skill, you couldn't whip up such a variety so quickly, even with prep.
But this stew was tastier than what Kwak Chan-seok usually had.
Shin Eun-ha ladled some stew into a bowl and tasted it.
It was delicious for her too.
"Maybe I should learn to cook..."
She'd only eaten Na Gang-in's cooking until now, but this made her feel a twinge of urgency.
Kwak Chan-seok picked up a piece of fritter next.
"Wow... The crispiness is perfection. Yu-seon, since when could you do this?"
"Gang-in told me the oil temperature and exact timing for adding and removing them. I followed it, and it came out this crispy."
Kwak Chan-seok had clearly seen Na Gang-in not touch the food.
"Just with words, he elevated it this much? With skills like that, shouldn't he be on a cooking show?"
"Big bro, a cooking show?"
Kwak Chan-seok shared his sudden idea.
"A show where he teaches rookie celebs to cook. Gang-in doesn't touch anything, just explains from the side, celebs do the cooking. But it turns out ridiculously tasty anyway."
"Whoa, that sounds awesome."
Shin Eun-ha perked up too. She said,
"Oppa's cooking methods are hard for normal people to replicate. You need crazy strength, and seasoning and fire control are all by feel."
Kwak Yu-seon countered,
"But with just advice from the side, it's this good already?"
"Doing it himself is even better."
"Whoa, I wanna try that."
"I eat it all the time. Anyway, even without that, if advice alone boosts skill this much, a show with that concept would be a hit."
Kwak Chan-seok proposed,
"Na Gang-in, I know some people in broadcasting. Want me to talk to them?"
Shin Eun-ha jumped in,
"Oppa, I know tons too. I did that drama before. I'll handle it."
Na Gang-in told them both,
"No. I'm not doing it."
"Aw, why!"
"It's not time for me to go on TV yet."
-Correct. We haven't figured out why we're here yet. Need more time to gather intel.
Shin Eun-ha misunderstood.
"Oppa Gang-in's already at that level, though. Why not?"
"Not now."
"Huh? So later? When?"
"Let's eat. It's good."
Na Gang-in and Shin Eun-ha enjoyed a hearty dinner and headed home.
Kwak Yu-seon said excitedly to Kwak Chan-seok,
"Big bro, let's do this more often. If it's like today, my cooking will skyrocket. Or should I join that cooking show?"
"That cooking show that doesn't exist yet? The one Gang-in said no to right now?"
"He said just for now. So maybe someday he'll do it with me?"
"Yu-seon, you're drinking kimchi soup by the bowlful."
That night, Kwak Chan-seok listened to the recording in the second-floor studio. He checked his watch—already 11 p.m.
"Too late for a call, so email it is."
He attached the recording file and sent it to the contracted agency.
The top five major singer agencies were called the Big Five.
SAH Enter wasn't quite Big Five material, but it was a solid mid-tier on the rise.
Plus, SAH Enter had actors alongside singers.
President Seo Jae-hyeon of SAH Enter was a mid-tier singer who'd dropped multiple hits in his prime. He'd mostly retired from singing, but still released singles occasionally.
Right now, he was hosting a company dinner with his singers.
SAH's actors often partied separately, hard to gather.
But many singers were old acquaintances, so they often met up using him as an excuse.
Not all singers were there, but enough who could make it.
SAH had debuted two idol groups: four guys and four girls. Neither blew up, but they weren't buried—small gigs came in.
All eight idols joined the dinner.
They savored the lavish spread after so long.
The four Ppf Girls ate heartily too.
Managers were partying in another room, so no one bothered them tonight.
"Wish we had company dinners every day."
"For real. Meat's great, booze too."
The Ppf Girls maknae said,
"I wanna drink too."
"Minors drinking? Yes or no?"
"If no one catches you?"
"President's watching us. Stick to cola."
Seo Jae-hyeon noticed the Ppf Girls chowing down.
He should scold them about weight, but they looked too happy to interrupt.
He muttered to himself,
"Yeah, eat up. What's one day gonna hurt."
But unchecked bingeing spelled trouble for schedules.
"Trainer can work it off in a few days. You'll suffer starting tomorrow."
An SAH staffer entered from the next room, where managers had been dining.
"President, something to tell you..."
"What? Not enough meat? Order more. Think we can't pay? Hell, slaughter a cow."
"No, it's... Composer Kwak Chan-seok sent a track to our team's email."
Seo Jae-hyeon was a hitmaker in his day—no one at SAH dismissed his ear.
Not every incoming track went to him, but key ones did.
Kwak Chan-seok composed maybe one song every month or two, and most were popular. Hits frequent.
Singers' eyes lit up.
"President! Composer Kwak sent a song?"
"Whoa, our pres's sourcing skills are insane!"
A bit tipsy, Seo Jae-hyeon stood bragging,
"So, about a month ago, me and Chan-seok were drinking, right? He mentioned a new song, so I claimed it right there. Borrowed paper from the bar, wrote up a contract on the spot."
"Heard he doesn't do contracts like that usually."
"Not with others. But he did it 'cause I'm his buddy."
"True, lots of your hits were his compositions."
Seo hadn't taken all Kwak's songs—just some, and those all did well.
All singers here wanted a Kwak track. Perfect timing.
Issue: the track already had an owner?
One older singer asked outright,
"Seo, so who's it for?"
Seo Jae-hyeon savored their eager stares,
"Bro, I haven't even heard it. How could I decide? No owner yet."
Singers shot hands up instantly.
"Me! I'll work hard!"
"President! I wanna sing it!"
"Oppa! Me! Me!"
"Jae-hyeon! Help your hyung out once! Let my daughter brag at school!"
Idol groups raised hands quick, then lowered seeing vets compete.
Seo Jae-hyeon raised his left hand slightly.
Quiet for a beat. But mouths twitched to beg again.
Seo said,
"Let's hear it first. I'm pumped too. If it doesn't suit you, lower your hand."
Staff downloaded it on his phone, connected to portable speaker.
Managers from next door heard and piled in.
Kwak Chan-seok's new song played.
Some closed eyes, listening. Others stared wide-eyed at speaker.
Exclamations popped up.
"Whoa..."
"Good."
But midway, confusion hit.
"Huh?"
After it ended, one singer raised a hand.
"President. This is for us, right?"
Seo Jae-hyeon was flustered too.
"Y-Yeah?"
"But someone's already sung it?"
This file was Na Gang-in's guide vocal.
Singers buzzed.
"Whoa, who?"
"Skills are no joke."
"Can't tell from voice alone."
"I give up."
"Me too. I couldn't sing it that well."
Not all quit.
"President. It's contracted to our company, right? Whoever demoed it, it's ours eventually."
"Yeah! I'll sing it for real!"
"I can do better!"
Seo Jae-hyeon waved left hand.
"Hold up. Let me check what's up."
He called Kwak Chan-seok, who picked up right away.
Seo said,
"Hey, Chan-seok. On speaker. Just heard the song you sent."
-Good?
"Obviously top-tier. But it's for us, right?"
-You claimed it.
"Then why's there already a singer on it? You gave it to them too?"
-No. The file's just a guide recording.
Seo Jae-hyeon froze.
"Huh?"
-Guide vocal.
Seo Jae-hyeon pondered briefly. He could guess why.
"A singer at this level doing a guide? Must be a reason. Protesting for the song? Who? Someone I know?"
-Not a singer.
"Huh?"
-Not a singer.