Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: Recording
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SAH Entertainment President Seo Jae-hyeon knew exactly who Na Gang-in was. There was no way he couldn't, considering he'd saved the agency's own actress Shin Eun-ha every time she got tangled up in some incident.
Seo Jae-hyeon glanced under the table as he asked,
"Park Manager. Na Gang-in doesn't hate our company, does he?"
"No, sir. He visited the office once before and even grabbed a meal at the cafeteria."
"Why are you mentioning that now?"
"Pardon?"
Seo Jae-hyeon looked up. His face was lit up with a broad smile.
"Shin Eun-ha and you are close enough that he came to visit the company. Wow. This must be fate. Real fate. Get the exclusive contract ready right—"
Kwak Chan-seok and Kwak Yu-seon both scowled fiercely.
Seo Jae-hyeon realized that if he kept blabbering, he might end up taking a punch.
"Uh, that's not what I—"
Kwak Chan-seok spat out a curse.
"You bastard. I clearly told you Na Gang-in saved Yu-seon."
"Oh? Right, you did."
"And you still didn't bother checking what happened to Yu-seon? You didn't even know the accident went down on Shin Eun-ha's CF shoot, or who pulled her out of it?"
"Oh? No, well, she said she was fine... And I don't really handle the actor roster much, so I wasn't up on that stuff..."
"And a guy like you just pockets song royalties left and right? Hand over my tracks!"
"No, hold on. What I know about Na Gang-in is..."
Na Gang-in had single-handedly crushed the Jackal mercenary outfit and the Nakgwi Pirates.
Only two people at SAH Entertainment knew the full story: Manager Park Woo-seop and President Seo Jae-hyeon himself.
Seo Jae-hyeon belatedly recalled Na Gang-in's combat record and gulped hard.
"Uh... Na Gang-in's no ordinary guy, so I can't just strong-arm him, right?"
Kwak Chan-seok said,
"Handle this nicely. Make sure nobody walks away feeling slighted."
Seo Jae-hyeon replied with an awkward grin.
"Uh... If Gang-in feels slighted, we're in deep shit. Me? I can take a little grudge. I'll make big concessions. It's the only way I'll stay safe."
Truth be told, Seo Jae-hyeon wanted nothing more than to shove an exclusive contract under Na Gang-in's nose.
But that would probably get him decked by the Kwak siblings.
Besides, the guy who'd wiped out a mercenary group and a pirate crew all by himself was downright intimidating.
The next day, Seo Jae-hyeon summoned Manager Park Woo-seop.
"How tight are Shin Eun-ha and Na Gang-in?"
Park Woo-seop gave a vague dodge.
"It's not just those two. He hangs out with Kim Yu-chan from that movie they did together pretty often, and he's tight with Director Son Tae-min and Chef Oh Gyu-cheol too."
"Any agency Na Gang-in's particularly close with?"
"Heard he's real chummy with THO Entertainment."
"THO? They stick to films and stage shows—no actors or singers on roster. Not a label either."
"True enough."
Seo Jae-hyeon rubbed his hands together.
"Then maybe Shin Eun-ha could put in a good word with him?"
"A word about what...?"
Seo Jae-hyeon had agonized over it all last night.
Na Gang-in was scary, sure—but passing on him felt like a massive waste. He'd been hooked just on the song, and now movie and drama cred on top? Even more tempting.
"Agencies chasing Na Gang-in are all actor-focused, right? Nobody's pitched him as a singer yet. Think she could nudge him our way?"
"Eun-ha's got half a year left on her deal. She skyrocketed with 'Sunny Day,' so we're the ones sweating now. Asking her to push that on top... not sure she'd go for it."
"Yeah? That's what I figured."
Seo Jae-hyeon scrapped Plan A for Plan B.
"Fine, then you go pitch it, Park Manager. No exclusive—just one single."
"Ah. That might work..."
"Should, yeah? Chan-seok's talking to Na Gang-in on his own, so we need boots on the ground too. Split profits fair."
"Our company fronts digital distribution?"
"Obviously. Botch this, and Chan-seok might clock me. Plus."
Seo Jae-hyeon let a hint of hope slip.
"If it pans out, maybe Na Gang-in sticks with us next round? Singer, actor—we handle it all."
Manager Park Woo-seop met with Na Gang-in and laid out SAH Entertainment's terms.
"We make our cash on digital sales, live gigs, and CF deals... Any interest in events or endorsements?"
"None."
"Figured as much. You don't even show face on broadcast."
A singer dodging exposure tanks revenue streams hard.
"Then we'll cut the record and split digital proceeds 50-50."
Shin Eun-ha chimed in from the side.
"Park Manager oppa. No other cuts?"
"Big hit could land BGM gigs in CFs. Cafes spin it, karaoke pays when folks sing along, radio royalties too."
"That reach Gang-in oppa?"
"Singer gets a slice."
Na Gang-in agreed.
"Sounds good."
Manager Park Woo-seop beamed.
"Thank you. Got good news for the boss now."
Park Woo-seop chatted casually about industry gossip. Songwriting royalties came up too.
Park Woo-seop tossed out a half-joke.
"If Gang-in handles lyrics and comp himself, cash rolls in sans gigs. Haha."
"Got a few marches."
Park Woo-seop gave an awkward chuckle.
"Ah, right. Marches. Makes sense. Ha, haha... Who'd listen to marches? Won't even break even on recording."
Kwak Chan-seok's song "Walking Again Today" was set for official recording and release.
SAH Entertainment wasn't banking on massive digital single sales. They just didn't want to offload it or let it gather dust.
Plus, the guide track had leaked, forcing a rush on the official version. The company cited that to skip the music video and photoshoot.
Still needed a cover, though.
Plan was photo, post-process, done. No budget or time for a pro shooter.
Park Woo-seop held up a camera with an awkward smile.
"If Na Gang-in models, we'd scramble a studio. Otherwise, they said DIY with this."
Shin Eun-ha griped.
"Wow, the boss is ruthless. Pressuring Gang-in oppa to show his face like this?"
"Probably."
Na Gang-in said,
"I'll handle the photo."
"Eh? Modeling yourself?"
"Nah. Just snap a landscape with that camera."
Shin Eun-ha asked,
"Gang-in oppa. Good at artistic shots too?"
Art photography and recon shots serve different ends. Recon might turn out pretty, but odds were low.
"Nah. Just capture what's there."
"That might not cut it. Why not hit up Director Son Tae-min?"
"Heard he's slammed prepping a new flick."
"Guy's a photo wizard. Has his own collection. Snag one that vibes with the song."
"Sure, if Director Son's cool, works for me."
Shin Eun-ha dialed Son Tae-min on the spot and explained.
Son Tae-min's voice rang bright.
- Come snag whatever! And Gang-in's locked for my movie, right? Writing the script assuming he is.
"I'll lean on Gang-in oppa hard! But... my spot in that script?"
- Eun-ha needs an audition first. See if you nail the role.
"Wow, slipped that in and no bite."
- Trade you: full script privately when done. No public flop if you bomb.
"Quit plotting my rejection. Plot to glue me in."
They headed to Son Tae-min's and picked a cover from his collection.
Official recording went down at SAH Entertainment's studio. The Kwak siblings helmed it.
Na Gang-in did a test run.
Kwak Chan-seok marveled.
"Damn. Nailed every bit from the guide track. No misses."
"Didn't peg Gang-in for matching it note-for-note."
Sound engineer Kwak Yu-seon nodded along.
"Saves so much hassle. Gang-in's the real deal."
"Yeah. You're the amazing one."
Kwak Chan-seok dropped pointers he'd missed before, plus fresh ideas. Jeon Ji-in fed in the updates to guide Na Gang-in. The result? His singing leveled up.
Wrap in two hours flat.
Kwaks on post-prod.
Now, the stage name.
Na Gang-in said,
"Pseudonym preferred."
Singers going incognito? Old hat. Names flew: nothing clicked.
Na Gang-in pitched,
"One track anyway. Keep it simple: Developer?"
Shin Eun-ha,
"Puppy Paw's cuter than Developer."
"Not that kind—meaning a dev type."
Kwak Yu-seon shot her hand up.
"Make it Ddaeng Ddaeng Paw! Way cuter!"
Kwak Chan-seok,
"Ditch 'paw'?"
"Ddaeng Ddaeng!"
Exhausted crew jumped on board.
Na Gang-in's artist alias: Ddaeng Ddaeng.
The 16-episode drama Blue Sky hit final shoots.
Supporting actress Lee Bora sighed wistfully.
"Four more eps, and I'd be set."
Na Gang-in had propped up tons of the drama's action beats. Lee Bora scored plenty of stunt time too.
But it spun hard around leads, and with Na Gang-in jumping mid-run, she hadn't popped like Shin Eun-ha.
Hence the regret.
"No extension at all? Even four?"
Shin Eun-ha teased from nearby.
"Aw. Two-hour movie did me fine. Sixteen-hour drama not enough for you?"
"Hey! Director Son shoved you front and center! You had martial direction from jump; I got mine past midpoint!"
"Sure, sure. Whatever helps."
"Hey!"
Shin Eun-ha milked the ribbing, then eyed Na Gang-in.
He was knocking out the finale action: mask and shades on, zipping through tangled terrain.
Shin Eun-ha beamed proud.
"Guy's too good."
Lee Bora piled on.
"Right? Impossible not to crush."
"Hey. Decorum?"
"What decorum?"
"Mart shelves: first grab dibs, next backs off. I grabbed first."
Lee Bora fired back.
"You pay up?"
"Huh?"
"No checkout? Not yours."
"You'll regret that."
"Regret? Hey, forgot I beat you? Valentine's."
"HS chocolate tally? I won."
"Bull. I won. Eun-seo judged. Wanna call her?"
Shin Eun-ha rang Cha Eun-seo, speaker blaring, grilled the past.
Cha Eun-seo fumbled.
- That? Ancient history. Like...
Lee Bora jumped in.
"Eun-seo? Pick wisely."
- Eek! Bora unnie? Wow! Ages! Loving your drama!
"Me too—straight answer? Who won?"
- Oh yeah. Huge fight: count choc-flavored snacks? Stalemate. You both declared victory.
Lee Bora pressed.
"Snacks ain't chocolate!"
Shin Eun-ha countered.
"Dark, choc taste? Chocolate!"
Cha Eun-seo,
- Y'all still bicker on sight? Same as back then.
"Bond's forever. PC bang tomorrow—prime my spot."
- Got it!
Shin Eun-ha clicked off.
Lee Bora proposed,
"Fresh duel! Fair fight for Action Director Na Gang-in!"
Shin Eun-ha snorted.
"Pass. No thanks? Scheming where? Challenge me? Crawl up from dirt!"
Scriptwriter Do Ju-hee jotted while watching the spat.
"Yes. Slot that in next: 'Challenge me? Crawl up from dirt!' Gold for action youth drama."
PD Choi Jin-wook overheard post-wrap approach, fretted.
"Do writer. Next one's not hardcore, right? For real?"