The Spark Returns
Then, after you all finish eating, I'll head out first.
Once the staff members trickled out of the room, Kang Seongdae exploded in rage at the poor, put-upon Wonhyeong.
He had poured so much effort into nurturing this singer, and with her sisterly age difference from Seol, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
“What kind of garbage is this? Bursting in without even a heads-up during mealtime and then this mess?”
“Aigoo, hyung. If you speak to me like that, it really stings.”
“Whatever. Just tell me the business already. I'm starving to death here.”
“No, more importantly, who is this incredibly handsome guy?”
“Haha. You really don't know this kid?”
“How would I recognize a scruffy little pup like him?”
“He's the youngest one I mentioned.”
“The youngest…?”
Kang Seongdae squinted in deep thought for a long while before turning to stare at Namhun.
“The kid they said has the face of Nostradamus?”
“Yes. We were talking about Seol and thought you'd be able to solve your problem right away, so I rushed over.”
The words made Kang Seongdae's ears perk up.
“My problem?”
“You said the song was good, but there was something missing. Like a sharp, piercing feeling that just wasn't there.”
“That's right. I needed that bang! feeling, but there was nothing like it. Still, it felt like it would work out, so I decided to go with it.”
“Well, I felt that exact feeling, so here I am.”
“What?”
Kang Seongdae had worked with Wonhyeong on many projects.
As a result, he recognized and respected his remarkable instincts.
Though his own speech was rough and he came across as a bit sharp on the surface, he cherished talented juniors and genuinely listened to their opinions.
Thanks to that flexibility, he had survived in the industry for over thirty years.
“First, listen and see for yourself, hyung. Hey, Namhun.”
Namhun, who had been sitting there like a sack of barley left to rot, suddenly snapped to attention at those words.
“Huh?”
“Get into the recording studio and give it a try.”
“…What?”
Wonhyeong scratched his head at the question.
“Um… what was the song title again, hyung?”
Annoyed that even Seol was being pushed and now Wonhyeong was too, Kang Seongdae finally snapped.
“How many times do I have to tell you the title? It's ‘The Woman Who Only Looks at You’!”
“Oh… so that was the title.”
Only then did Namhun realize the title of the song and furrow his brows in confusion.
'This… doesn't feel right at all?'
Seol shot a glance at Namhun, and only then did her shoulders relax.
It seemed like an ally had just joined the fray.
'But where have I seen someone like him before….'
After all, Wonhyeong had casually brought in a ridiculously handsome guy, and Seol had been forced to look away.
In this early stage of her debut preparations, she couldn't afford any unnecessary misunderstandings.
Trot fans were more lenient in these matters than idol fans, but since she was still riding that post-idol wave, she naturally had to stay cautious.
But now, up close, there was something strangely familiar about his face.
Just as men never forgot a beautiful woman at first sight, women were unlikely to forget an exceptionally handsome man.
“Hyung, do you have the lyrics?”
At Wonhyeong's words, Seol handed over the lyric sheets filled with practice marks.
“Here you go.”
“Hmm. Seol, you've been practicing really hard, huh?”
Wonhyeong shoved the paper toward Namhun and pushed him into the studio.
“Sing only the chorus like you changed it. You memorized the melody, right?”
Memorizing the whole song after just one listen.
It was unbelievable, but since it was only the chorus, he could probably manage it somehow.
“Well, there's sheet music too, so I can probably sing it. It's close to a dance track, just like you said.”
Neo-trot was a familiar blend of pop and dance for Namhun, with a slight difference.
“I'll lower it to a male key. You find the starting note and give the signal.”
At those words, Namhun hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Wait, that might make it even more confusing. You're saying to guide with the changed song, right?”
“Yeah, that's right.”
“Then I'll just sing it with my natural voice.”
“With your natural voice?”
“Yeah. With natural voice, I can get a bit of that old-school feeling.”
The old-school feeling meant his days as Elixir.
The time when he could easily handle female range.
Wonhyeong nodded at that.
This song fell into the middle register for a female voice.
“Got it. Alright.”
* * *
As soon as Namhun entered the recording studio and loosened his throat, Kang Seongdae was left bewildered.
“What kind of stunt is this, bursting in all of a sudden?”
“First, listen and see. I slightly reimagined this track for you.”
At those words, Kang Seongdae raised his voice.
“Who the hell gave you permission to mess with my song?”
“Aigoo. Kill that temper of yours. At your age, it could make you pass out.”
“You idiot! You're the one making me angry right now?”
“Haha. Your anger will calm down soon enough. Just listen first.”
Wonhyeong shot out the words quickly and hit play on the MR for the chorus's first four bars.
Even without a talkback, Namhun immediately understood.
Despite hearing it only once.
'As expected, this guy is a genius.'
Wonhyeong watched Namhun with a pleased smile.
And finally, as the chorus began.
Namhun started to sing.
With a beautifully clear voice.
[Though I'm shy, I'll tell you just a little~]
[I like you, I like you~]
“What? Is he a girl? Why does his voice come out so smoothly?”
“No. He's singing with his natural voice.”
“…Obviously a joke, you idiot.”
Normally, Wonhyeong would have caught the joke.
But right now, even he was stunned.
He had said he could capture that old-school feeling.
The natural voice from his Elixir days was over 80 percent the same.
Of course, when it hit the high notes with natural voice, it would inevitably stand out.
'Could he have mastered countertenor technique by now?'
Wonhyeong knew that Namhun had once aspired to be a countertenor.
Namhun tilted his head, stopped singing, and raised his hand.
Wonhyeong quickly pressed the talkback button and asked.
“Why?”
-Hyung, play the first part of the chorus again. It felt like it would work, but I don't get that feeling when I sing it.
“I was fine with it?”
At Wonhyeong's words, Seol gave a small nod.
“…Me too.”
'Changing from ‘a little’ to ‘just a little’ made the feeling even better.'
But Namhun only uttered one word.
-Again~!
“Oh… alright.”
'Stubborn as always.'
Wonhyeong shook his head and rewound the MR again.
Namhun focused intensely on the accompaniment and started singing once more.
[Though I'm shy, I'll tell you just a little~]
Even adding a cute little gesture.
Like a kitten batting its paws.
[I like you, I like you~]
Only then did Namhun realize what he had done.
He finished the song with a satisfied smile.
'It's definitely better than before.'
What would the score be this time?
He was actually looking forward to it now.
---
【Song Title - The Woman Who Only Looks at You (Chorus)】
【Understanding - 70】
【Proficiency - 35】
【Immersion - 72】
【Expressiveness - 67】
【Condition - 80】
【Audience Response - 82】
【Overall Score - 73.4】
Namhun stared at the score sheet with disbelief.
Everything else made sense.
Seeing the three of them staring out the window in shock explained the high audience response score.
'I guess I did better than expected.'
But a proficiency of 35?
He couldn't understand it.
'It wasn't that bad, was it?'
If the other numbers were low, he might accept it, but proficiency at this level defied explanation.
It wasn't even technically difficult.
Namhun tilted his head and raised his hand.
Wonhyeong pressed the button urgently and asked.
-Why?
“Hyung, just rewind it once more. It felt like it would work, but I don't get that feeling when I sing it.”
-I was fine with it?
Fine? How was it fine?
He was being told his proficiency was 35.
Namhun, whose pride had been scratched, only managed one word.
“Again.”
-Oh… alright.
None of the three faces showed their shock.
Namhun was locked in an internal battle against himself.
'Let's see who wins, me or you.'
Receiving such a low score ignited his competitive fire.
As the accompaniment started again, Namhun began to think.
What exactly was the problem?
'I don't think I made any major mistakes….'
But through all his past experiences, Namhun trusted the system completely.
Looking at the score, there had to be a major issue he was missing.
'Ah.'
Recalling it now, the ‘just a little’ part had been difficult to pronounce.
The ‘g’ sound made the ‘kung’ feel slightly slurred and hard to time perfectly.
Because he had studied vocal technique, Namhun understood the difficulties in pronunciation-based singing.
'Right, this was the problem.'
As the chorus began again, Namhun focused and controlled his vocal cords.
[Though I'm shy, I'll tell you just a little~]
The issue was that his competitive spirit made him pour too much emotion into the performance.
Without realizing, he raised both hands and added a cute little rhythm.
Like a kitten batting its paws.
[I like you, I like you~]
Only then did Namhun realize what he had done.
He finished the song and soaked in the satisfaction.
'It really is much better than before.'
Now, what would the score be?
