A Compromise That Benefits Everyone
Park Jongsu’s eyebrows twitched at Jang Namhun’s words.
“Conditions, you say. What exactly do you want?”
“I’m sure there are times when couples request a wedding singer through the agency.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“We can skip the best man, but skipping the wedding singer is rare.”
“Sometimes the groom sings, but if his voice isn’t strong enough, we hire a professional.”
“In those cases, I’d be happy to provide my services once my schedule allows.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ve been out of the industry for a while, so my stage presence has gotten a bit rusty. I’d like to ease that a little and build up real experience.”
“Hmm…”
“If possible, I’d also like the chance to walk in like an employee at VIP weddings. I’ve been away from showbiz for a long time, so I’d love to see what the other singers are up to.”
Jang Namhun was thinking about creating opportunities to use his abilities properly.
More live performances in front of audiences and listening to others would be incredibly helpful.
‘Even the money is a bonus—it’s a win-win.’
He was growing tired of just practicing in the recording studio.
He loved singing and wanted to challenge himself as a singer again.
Park Jongsu’s eyes lit up at the unexpected proposal.
‘Not a bad idea at all. We can use this talented performer as our official wedding singer.’
Park Jongsu ran two wedding halls in Seoul and three in the provinces.
He also owned several exclusive venues for VIP ceremonies, thanks to Kang Seokho.
That was why he understood the fierce competition in the wedding industry better than anyone.
Actually, several halls were closing every year.
The trend of later marriages had shrunk the customer base.
‘This could be the perfect way to raise our competitiveness.’
“That’s no problem. But you must work exclusively with us.”
“Of course.”
Once the deal was roughly agreed upon, Kang Seokho took over the discussion.
“Haha. I was worried, but it looks like it all worked out. Still…”
* * *
Jang Namhun watched the intense back-and-forth between the two men and clicked his tongue in admiration.
‘Seokho-hyung really has talent.’
Park Jongsu was no different.
After retiring from entertainment, he had built up experience in various industries, but compared to the two men running businesses, he was still just a beginner.
The negotiation concluded quickly.
For VIP weddings directed by Seokho, the fee for “Forever Only You” was three million won.
For additional customer-requested songs, each track added one million won.
“For regular weddings, we can do one hundred thousand won per song.”
Jang Namhun had been thinking around three hundred thousand won, but Park Jongsu offered a higher price.
Kang Seokho agreed with his words.
“If we price it too low, people might doubt your skill, or it could disrupt the market.”
“You’re probably right. Setting a fair price is the correct approach. If inquiries increase, we might have to raise it.”
At this, Jang Namhun looked hesitant.
“I think that’s a bit too expensive…”
VIPs wouldn’t care what they spent on a wedding.
What mattered to them was how they looked in others’ eyes.
But regular couples were different.
One hundred thousand won for a singer out of an average two to three million won ceremony fee was not negligible.
He needed the money, but he didn’t want to be obsessed with it.
‘I’m still at the beginning.’
First, he had to improve his skills using his abilities.
The original had promised support until debut, and even offered a good vocal trainer position.
He had also received Belly Coffee model fees.
Right after quitting his job as advised by the original, he had been quite worried.
But now, after just a few days, a solution had appeared.
He worried that greed for money might make the luck that had come his way suddenly disappear.
He wanted to increase opportunities to sing without feeling burdened.
“But VIPs might complain.”
He had to admit it was possible.
“Then let’s exclude ‘Forever Only You’.”
It wasn’t worth keeping singing it for him anyway.
It would be better to sing a variety of songs whenever possible.
Normally, people think of certain songs for wedding singers, but many couples dreamed of unique ceremonies.
Dance tracks, pop, hymns, opera, art songs…
There were even couples who wanted trot or rap.
People’s tastes were endlessly diverse.
‘Somehow, I get the feeling the power system’s limit isn’t the whole story.’
To Jang Namhun, his ability seemed expandable.
Like how additional performance scores or external effect scores had appeared.
Maybe it grew the more he used it.
At his cautious words, both Kang Seokho and Park Jongsu immediately objected.
“Namhun, that won’t do.”
“If we lower the price even more, you’ll be booked solid starting this weekend.”
“No way.”
Jang Namhun thought Park Jongsu’s statement was absurd.
“You should listen to what I’m saying.”
But when he kept refusing, he had no choice but to give in.
* * *
“Team Leader Song, have you seen the ad responses?”
“Yes.”
Song Hojin’s mouth hung open.
The YouTube ad strategy Kang Seokho had planned—adding a story—had been perfectly successful.
“I quit YouTube Premium just to watch this amazing ad.”
“…I can just log out though?”
“It’s a sign my head is bad and my body suffers.”
Not just the young women who were the target, but also young men who had grown tired of low-quality ads, were now talking about it.
“So what’s the girl group name?”
“Says they’re male.”
“???”
The Tophbelly ad, which had turned the classic Elixer voice through audio correction, had left many people stunned.
Despite the strange points sparking discussion, it spread rapidly across communities, delivering excellent results.
“What? Suddenly orders are pouring in like crazy?”
Small companies like Belly Coffee found it difficult to get products into big supermarkets or convenience stores.
But when the YouTube ad blew up, the big stores even proposed special promotion events.
As coffee mix sales surged, so did store revenue.
Tophbelly and Bellycano orders flooded in like a tidal wave, and Belly Coffee CEO Song Homin let out a happy scream.
“What is this? Even running the factory twenty-four hours, we can’t keep up with the orders.”
“Then should we stop the ad?”
“No! When the tide comes, we row! The factory can just be staffed, so we keep going. We’ve also been preparing an online store, so it’s the perfect time to expand capacity.”
“Really? Can we handle more franchises?”
“We have quite a few franchise inquiries.”
“Franchises? It might be manageable. How many?”
“It looks like we could reach one hundred stores soon.”
“One hundred stores?!”
When his marketing team leader brother Song Hojin mentioned it, CEO Song Homin unconsciously hugged him.
Song Hojin jumped back, kicking his legs to free himself.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy?”
“That’s right! I see a future where money rains down!”
“Calm down. This is exactly when it’s dangerous.”
But Song Hojin’s excitement didn’t subside.
“Hojin, when the tide comes, we row. Let’s prepare the next product too. What should it be? Vanilla latte? Frappuccino?”
“Are you serious? How do you make Frappuccino as a coffee mix?”
“Oh, right.”
Song Hojin desperately tried to rein in his normally sensible brother.
“The product development team is already preparing new products.”
“…That’s true? We should come up with a proper signature menu that only our brand can offer.”
Song Hojin agreed.
As a latecomer, Belly Coffee didn’t have a signature menu.
It was a common problem for small coffee chains, but they needed something that would stick in people’s memories.
“Products and ads don’t come out that quickly. We only started the YouTube ad a few days ago. The Namhun version hasn’t even been released yet, so for now we’ll stick with this… and when we hit one hundred stores, we’ll hit it big.”
“Hihihi. Anyway, you caught the good luck charm, Hojin.”
“That’s right, the good luck charm is the good luck charm.”
He hadn’t expected this much effect.
* * *
Despite all the deals, Jang Namhun’s daily life hadn’t changed much.
He still commuted between home and the original’s studio, throwing himself into practice.
“How is it?”
“Um… it’s improving slowly.”
His expression wasn’t good, contrary to the words.
Jang Namhun knew why.
【Song Title - Sorrowful Melody】
【Comprehension - 65】
【Proficiency - 31】
【Immersion - 91】
【Digestibility - 37】
【Condition - 60】
【Audience Reaction - 40】
【Overall Score - 48.4】
That was why the score looked like this.
If he sang anything other than dance trot songs, the score fell apart.
Even if comprehension was high, proficiency and digestibility in the thirties were troubling.
He wondered when he would be able to debut.
Exhausted from tough practice and with his pride wounded by the low score, Jang Namhun let out a dissatisfied groan.
“Can you just tell me honestly? If I keep practicing like this, will I ever improve?”
Because he strongly believed the original needed proper direction.
The original had no choice but to start evaluating properly.
“Your expression is good… but the flow is too monotonous. For the A-part, you need to sing the bridge in a slightly tearful way, but it feels too ballad-like.”
“Is that so? I thought I was doing it well.”
“It’s because you’ve been using the same method for a long time, so you’re used to restraint. This song actually needs more emotional expression. You should use your vocal range more boldly and add scratch in the bridge.”
“The original song does have explosive emotion. I held back during practice to be safe. I might not be able to handle my voice if I use unfamiliar techniques.”
“Hmm. It makes sense that you’re being careful after your injury. Maybe it’s best to keep that in mind.”
After a moment of thought, the original got to the point.
“And the most important thing… your turns lack flavor. In this song, since the bridge is where you release emotion, turns aren’t used much, but at the end where you say ‘Mother!’ and choke up, turns are key to expressing strong emotion.”
The original had deliberately chosen “Sorrowful Melody” because Jang Namhun, who had lost his parents in an accident, might not immerse himself easily.
That guess had been right, but his trot beginner level wasn’t enough to guide the song.
It was too difficult for a practice song.
“Let’s sing just the last eight measures again.”
“Mo-ther!”
Jang Namhun sang the final part with the accompaniment and scratched his head.
“Hmm. Does it sound too choppy?”
“You haven’t used ballads or R&B ad-libs much… so your high notes come out clean. It’ll probably take time to adapt.”
Jang Namhun had used voice-focused techniques for classical singing, and straight, tone-based methods for idol and ballad performances.
His vocal cords had developed accordingly, and because he was familiar with them, switching instantly was difficult.
Plus, his throat wasn’t fully recovered, so rapid switches and dynamic control for trot were tricky.
“Anyway, turns are necessary to make the song tasteful, so keep practicing.”
“Understood.”
The original patted the tired shoulders of Jang Namhun.
“Trying a new genre isn’t something that happens in a day or two. Don’t rush it.”
‘Turns.’
He strangely understood why proficiency and digestibility dropped when he sang only trot songs.
“Since you used your throat a lot today, don’t practice singing at home. Just listen.”
“Okay.”
“I have other tracks to work on, so I won’t see you off. Be careful, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Got it. Take care.”
After leaving the original’s studio, Jang Namhun felt ashamed of the way he had boasted in front of Song Hojin.
—I probably won’t start working for three months… but who knows?
“Three months? What?”
At this rate, even the one-year promise from the original seemed far away.
“Sigh. Yeah. No need to rush, as hyung says.”
The ad, the weddings, and soon the trainer position.
The opportunities to earn money had multiplied.
If one year wasn’t enough, two, three—there would always be time to try.
Twenty-eight was retirement age for idols, but for a trot singer, he was still too young.