Why Trot
“Suddenly trot?”“
You don’t know? Most entertainment companies are going all out to train trot singers these days.”
“Why?”“
Namhun had lived a life far removed from the music industry for a long time.”
“But working as a vocal trainer, he realized the market had changed since his active days.”
“Trot, though?”“
Back when he was active, ten years ago, trot had already been on its way to decline.”
“Nowadays, outside of idols, there’s nowhere to stand,” Wonhyung continued. “And the big agencies have everything locked down, so even small ones can’t lift their heads.”
“Yeah, idols need a lot of investment money.”
“The more you invest, the more obvious it becomes — that’s the idol industry.”
“Exactly. But the situation is different for live performances. You know that, right? Trot seniors have been doing well then and now.”
“Hmm… yeah, I guess so.”
“A singer who can’t show up on broadcast media isn’t just living as a freeloader,” Wonhyung said.”
“Broadcasting was just a promotion tool. The real money came from concerts and live shows.”
“You think we don’t have tons of festivals in our country? Trot is one song and it lasts forever. Unlike idols, whose new song flop can hit them hard.”
“Back in the day, music shows didn’t just feature idols. We performed together regardless of genre.”
“After recording, we’d all gather for a meal. That’s why I knew a bit about the lives of trot singers.”
“They’re all eyeing the niche market?”“
“Yeah. Slowly, our seniors are retiring because of age or health. Demand is there, supply isn’t, so they’re going after that pie.”
“Hmm.”
Wonhyung’s expression softened as he listened, then kept going.”
“Of course, just because it’s empty doesn’t mean it’s easy to crack. If it were easy, a new star would have already emerged in the trot scene.”
“Where’s the easy thing in this world?”“
“But it’s enough to have something to eat with. In fact, there are young trot singers performing at events right now. I think this moment is our turning point.”
“A turning point?”“
“Yeah. Even in the trot fan base, there’s still some resentment toward young singers. But push it and it opens up. Eventually, a new era will arrive with a white horse.”
Wonhyung stopped speaking and stared straight at Namhun.”
“…Is that me?”“
“Crazy guy. Self-centered much? That’s impossible for you.”
“Heh.”
“I just mean, try to make it happen. Or at least get fed while serving as someone’s attendant.”
Wonhyung’s teasing made Namhun smile awkwardly.”
“I get why you don’t want to. Our generation… or at least people under sixty… have almost no interest in trot. But remember what that artist said? When you become famous, people clap even if you poop.”
“Hyung… that’s fake news.”
Namhun pointed it out, and Wonhyung pushed back.”
“Anyway, because it touched the public, the saying spread. Does it even matter if we check the authenticity of a famous line among those who already have public appeal? Whether it’s made up or a dog’s words, if it’s known and felt, it’s a famous line.”
“Thinking about it, Wonhyung was right. In pop culture, what matters most is how the public receives it.”
“Even if you don’t want to do trot, there’s a way to build recognition first, then expand your genre spectrum. These days, singers act in dramas and appear on variety shows. It’s not what they do, but who they are that matters. The speaker is far more important than the content.”
“It’s important who the content is made by?”“
Namhun stared at Wonhyung in surprise.”
“Sometimes Wonhyung felt like an amazing sage.”
“Because he was looking at the deeper parts that others couldn’t see.”
“That was probably why Namhun had trusted and followed him.”
“Now that I think about it, hyung’s right. It really does feel like a time when shells matter more than the contents.”
“Still, being an old person, I believe the essence is more important. But you can’t ignore the flow of the times. You have to ride the wave. Easily.”
“Riding the wave… that’s trot?”“
“Right now rock and ballad don’t work. But at thirty, can you even do idol music or hip-hop?”“
“Haha.”
“If you want to eat with music, you have to aim for the genre that pays. Demand must exist to supply.”
“That made Namhun think of his power.”
“A power that only appears when someone is listening.”
“If he were young, maybe. But Namhun was twenty-eight now.”
“The age when you can just sing with dreams was long gone.”
“I don’t know the future, but with your skill, you’ll have no worries raising your brothers.”
Wonhyung’s words made Namhun’s ears perk up.”
“He needed money.”
“That much?”“
“Yeah. You know who I am. Even though I’ve survived in this industry… I can definitely secure performances. The pay might not be high, but it means there’s no shelter-less ground.”
“I already knew Wonhyung had wide connections.”
“Since he was close with the Trot Four Heavenly Kings, his words couldn’t be lies.”
“If I handle those performances well, I won’t have money worries in the future. Event companies use them once and like them, they keep using them.”
“He wasn’t greedy for money, but his heart leaned more toward being able to do the music he loved as a job.”
“But you know, I don’t know much about trot. I’ve barely heard any.”
“Raised in a classical music family, Namhun had only started listening to pop after debut.”
“What he knew about trot was mostly from watching seniors’ stages during his singer days.”
“You already have the basics. Just practice. Why would I suggest it to someone hopeless?”“
Namhun pondered for a moment, then nodded.”
“All right. I’ll try it.”
“Reality had worries, but Namhun had something he believed in.”
Namely, this strange power that appeared suddenly.”
“Want to do trot? No way.”“
Entertainments companies tried hard to train trot singers, but no new faces appeared because there were simply no applicants.”
“Trot had gone beyond dislike; it had reached the level of hatred among its audience.”
“For real?”“
“Yeah. If I could eat with the songs I like, genre doesn’t matter. I never really stuck to dance or ballad.”
“At the time, I just followed the industry trend and chose a genre.”
“Because singing itself was enjoyable.”
“Transferring the story in my heart into beautiful form was fun.”
“When it reached the listener, it brought real happiness.”
“That was why he experienced so keenly why seniors said performing was like a drug.”
“Maybe that was why his singer life was so short.”
“Yeah. Man, I should at least try the third season.”“
The third season?”“
Dance, ballad, and finally trot.”
For some reason, he felt like the third challenge would go well.”
Even without any basis.”
* * *
“Since we made it this far, we should eat first.”“
“What’s the menu?”“
“What do you mean? You know.”“
The two who had taken the same bus again ordered jja jjang myeon like they had ten years ago.”
“What changed was that tangsuyuk was added.”
“The delivery guy pulled out the tangsuyuk, and Namhun got lost in thought.”“
“…”
“Hah hah. Remember? On your first training day, you asked for tangsuyuk, and the boss chewed you out.”“
“Yeah, I do. Thinking back, I should have noticed back then.”“
“Exactly. Four of us eating, but they only ordered one bowl of jja jjang myeon each. We should have realized they didn’t have much money back then.”“
“Back then, we didn’t have much life experience.”“
“Both of us.”“
“We thought the agency president was super rich.”“
“But you’ve gained a lot of weight. Back then, you ate everything in tiny bites.”“
“Doing physical work, I realized I might not survive if I kept eating like that. So my portions naturally increased.”“
“Is that why? You’ve become pretty manly now.”“
“One reason Wonhyung suggested trot was because he thought Namhun’s newly masculine look would appeal to the trot fan base.”“
‘Is this a free pass for a meeting?”“
“Jealous words burst out in envy.”“
“You’ve aged a lot, but you haven’t changed much.”“
“You have to say it straight. Even back then, you were already looking old. You had to wear makeup like a stage actor, so you were the one who took the longest.”“
“…The fact that you’re saying something unnecessary means you haven’t been beaten down by society much yet. This is it!”
“Even though we had been apart for a long time, they quickly recovered their old relationship.”“
“That’s because they knew each other deeply.”“
“But that didn’t mean they understood everything.”“
“We’ve eaten… Since you’re here, let’s check your skill. Do you know any trot songs?”“
“No. I barely know any trot.”“
“Then… have you heard Hyung Daeun’s ‘My Love’?”“
“Ah, I know it. It was released around the same time.”“
“Then just listen once and sing along roughly.”“
“Namhun, who had received elite music education since childhood, possessed perfect pitch and had extremely strong listening skills.”“
“He could memorize songs after hearing them once and surprised everyone.”“
‘Especially, Ujin envied me.”“
“Before Evil Spirits formed, Myeong Ujin was already a well-known talented person in the industry.”“
“But after the eldest son, the true genius, joined, he was shocked and started training like crazy.”“
‘I should have stopped him back then.”“
“Back then, Wonhyung didn’t know the depth of Ujin’s determination.”“
“Because he was so quiet.”“
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”“
“Wonhyung’s answer pulled him out of his memories.”“
“Then play the song. First, listen all the way through.”“
“Among the Trot Four Heavenly Kings, Ha Daeun was the master of upbeat rock trot.”“
“But his ‘My Love’ was a slow, emotional ballad trot.”
“Released in the gap of the dance-dominant music industry, it didn’t top the charts but stayed in the top ten for a long time and had solid results.”“
“Even now, it was one of the songs no performance by him could skip.”“
“Namhun, listening quietly, gasped in admiration as Ha Daeun’s signature breathy high note began to rise.”
[Only one my love~!]
“That rock-style high note is truly unique.”“
“Just hearing it, it feels like your chest is opened.”“
“Hearing the song brings back memories from that time.”“
“Remember? Every rehearsal, the four of us would gather to watch. Never missing a single note.”“
“Yeah. Hearing this song after so long feels like going back. I wonder if Hyung Daeun is doing well? He gave me a lot of pocket money back then.”“
“Elixir, debuting at seventeen, was just adorable to the Trot Four Heavenly Kings, who saw him as an elder uncle.”“
“They packed food, gave pocket money.”“
“They always treated him like their own child.”“
“Yeah, everyone liked you. We were all young and shy, but you’d walk up casually and greet us.”“
“Back then, we didn’t know anything. Meeting real entertainers from TV made me excited without realizing.”“
“When I reached your age, I started looking at those friendly guys like you.”“
“Really?”“
“Yeah. About half a year ago, I saw Ha Daeun Hyung in another composer’s studio. Even past sixty, his singing ability was unchanged.”“
“He was born with talent.”“
“Talent and being a band member, plus his management habits, of course.”“
“Ha Daeun is famous for never changing weight since debut.”“
“But this song… it’s really hard, I wonder if I can sing it…”
“Ha Daeun’s songs were easy to listen to but hard to sing, that was his reputation.”
“Mostly because the notes were high and his breathing long, with few places to rest.”“
“Your long breath is your specialty.”“
“I did vocal training.”“
“Back then, I used it on variety shows to hold notes long.”“
“Yesterday, your voice seemed to rise smoothly.”“
“I failed high notes during practice. That’s why I worked hard on condition management.”“
“With this power, my condition score would be 100.”“
“High notes might still be a bit off in pitch.”“
“We practiced for vocal training, but lately songs don’t focus much on high notes.”“
“I’m just going to check the feeling. It’s a new genre challenge, so I should plan the training.”“
“Got it.”“
“Hah hah,” Wonhyung said, clearing his throat, and pushed Namhun away.”
“Do it properly. Go into the recording studio and sing.”“
“Pushed into the studio, the space fell silent.”