The Trot Talent Showdown
Jeong Jaemin opened the door to the restaurant and immediately shouted toward the inside.
“Hello~!”
A woman wearing a headscarf walked out from inside, water dripping from her hands.
‘Is she the restaurant ajumma I know?’
It looked like an old place from the outside.
She spotted Jeong Jaemin and walked over happily.
“Huh, who’s this? Jaemin-ssi? It’s been so long!”
“Yes. Nice to see you after so long. About six months, right?”
“Yeah, it’s been hard to see your face lately. I heard you’ve been busy through Jaemin.”
It seemed like they were close because she called Jeong Jaemin, the president of Onjeong Entertainment, so affectionately.
“That’s right. There’s been more work coming in lately. Especially because of this guy, it’s even busier now.”
Jeong Jaemin pulled Namhun, who was standing there like a sack of barley, toward him.
“Allow me to introduce him. This is the wife of my senior, Jeong Nam.”
At those words, Namhun was so startled he bent his waist at a full ninety degrees.
He hadn’t expected this at all.
A billionaire with hundreds of billions in assets working in a tiny restaurant?
“Aigoo, it’s my first time meeting you, madam. I’m Jang Namhun.”
“Aigoo, I’m Han Gyeongsuk. So, who is this handsome young man?”
“Don’t you remember? You asked me once if there was a boy who looked like that girl. That’s him right here.”
Han Gyeongsuk, staring at Namhun with wide eyes, suddenly slapped Jeong Jaemin’s back hard.
“But when did I ever say that? I asked who the pretty lady was!”
At that, Jeong Jaemin let out a chuckle.
“Ah, I see. It was a few years ago, so I… forgot.”
“Ugh, it’s already slipping your memory like that?”
Seeing her look uncomfortable, Namhun clenched his teeth.
‘A boy who looks like a girl?’
Taking the chance, he was sure Jeong Jaemin had said what he wanted to say.
“Hahaha. Back then I was still a kid… but now I’ve really become a man, haven’t I?”
Jeong Jaemin took it all in stride and Han Gyeongsuk answered with a laugh.
“Anyway, he’s so handsome, I’d love to marry a daughter to him.”
Of course, Jeong Jaemin had no intention of playing along with the warm atmosphere.
“But everyone knows you only have a son, so what?”
“Aigoo! The more you ask, the more I realize Jaemin-ssi still hasn’t gotten married.”
“…”
Taken by surprise, Wonhyeong’s mouth fell shut.
Jeong Jaemin, the sly one, got hit with a powerful line, and Namhun felt like he’d downed a cold soda.
“Haa. Madam, maybe you should arrange an introduction instead of all this nagging.”
“I was going to introduce him, you know.”
“…”
“Anyway, I want to develop one trot singer like my brother Jaemin. This guy right here.”
“Ah, I see. I only heard about it today.”
“That’s why we’ll see more of each other.”
“Yeah, you should come by often. I’ll forget your face if I don’t.”
“Yes, I will. Now that introductions are done, I’ll head upstairs. I have an appointment with Jaemin-ssi.”
“Really? Talk to him and come down to eat together.”
“Aigoo, I’m sorry, but I don’t have time today. I’ll definitely come next time. You should look forward to it, madam. His taste in food is deadly.”
“Ugh, if he falls in water he’ll just be floating with his mouth. Really.”
“I came empty-handed today, so sorry, madam! Next time I’ll bring something, I promise!”
“Aigoo, no need for that.”
Jeong Jaemin bowed deeply, and Namhun caught on and followed suit.
“Please cook something delicious next time, madam!”
Their breathing perfectly matched as if they weren’t from the same group, and Han Gyeongsuk burst into laughter.
“All right then.”
* * * *
The atmosphere was still warm for a moment.
When they climbed to the recording studio on the third floor, four people were waiting with an unusually tense vibe.
Jeong Jaemin looked like a general preparing for war and drew question marks on his face.
“Huh? Brother, is something wrong? Why do everyone’s faces look like that?”
His reaction made Jeong Jaemin answer flatly.
“What?”
“But why are you all so serious?”
“What time is it now?”
“Hm? Five o’clock.”
“Hurry up. I waited from two o’clock because they said they’d come in the afternoon.”
“Ah, brother, I’m sorry. It’s just that today was the day the kids’ academies were inspected and I got busy…”
“Kids? You got married already?”
The shocked gaze of Jeong Jaemin turned toward Namhun.
“No, brother Jaemin. It’s been a long time since I last saw you, so I should greet you first.”
“Ah, right. It’s been a while, Nam. About ten years, wasn’t it?”
Since he and Jeong Jaemin had met often before their debut, Namhun was glad to see his face.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you properly before.”
Remembering his past dark history, Jeong Jaemin, who had been burning with shame alone, smiled at the sight of Namhun in person after so long.
“Now that you’re older, you look like a real man. Tall and manly.”
“Thank you. You look much cooler now that you cut your hair short, brother.”
At those words, the woman behind him, Woo Yeonjeong, whispered subtly to Bang-gun.
“Did the president ever grow his hair?”
“Yeah. He had long hair and leather pants back in the day. Didn’t you believe it?”
“Ugh… it must have been creepy.”
“Hehe. Actually, there was no squid at all.”
The mocking of the others made Jeong Jaemin turn around and glare.
“You lot, get ready to show the songs you prepared to Jeong Jaemin-ssi.”
“Me too?”
“You have the song I showed you earlier, don’t you?”
“The one I received from composer Kang Seongdae?”
“Yeah. The one without lyrics. Since it’s your song, sing it roughly with some made-up lyrics. Wonhyeong-ssi will handle the arrangement.”
“Yes.”
Bang-gun’s range wasn’t wide, so arrangement was very important to him.
Seeing the others preparing with a serious attitude after teasing, Namhun felt a slight tension.
Of course, since he knew Bang-gun, he took the opportunity to wave his hand subtly toward Namhun.
Jeong Jaemin saw it and told Namhun,
“You remember Bang-gun, don’t you? Bang Yeongjung.”
“Yeah. I was close with Yeongjung-ssi.”
Bang-gun, at thirty-four, had been friends since his breakdancing days.
He started as a backup dancer and debuted in the male dance group ‘Clover’.
He had decent popularity, but after the group disbanded, things got much worse.
So, like Namhun, who had also experienced a group disbandment, he had vented a lot of grievances.
He was the older brother who had rolled up his sleeves and helped with Namhun’s parents’ funeral.
After that, Namhun went into seclusion and Bang Yeongjung’s situation worsened, so contact was cut off.
“I never imagined Yeongjung-ssi was preparing to be a trot singer.”
Meeting an old connection like this after years of no contact brought a new feeling.
“Rather than preparing… he’s pretty much a working trot singer now.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. He’s already released two medley albums. Now he’s preparing his own album.”
Unlike idols, other genres didn’t have suitable places to promote songs.
Among them, trot was especially unique.
Most sold albums by playing them on the radio at highway rest stops.
They sold at oil markets and traditional markets too, but the rest stop sales were overwhelming.
Because most buyers were bus drivers or transport workers.
Therefore, unknown trot singers sometimes performed live at rest stops to promote their albums.
“If it’s a trot medley, it should suit Yeongjung-ssi’s voice perfectly.”
“Right. Good rhythm and high tone. It’s a fun voice to listen to.”
From what he’d heard, it seemed like it would suit his aptitude too.
—Ah~ I really don’t like slow tempo songs like yours.
“Hm. How are your earnings lately? You look fine.”
Since he didn’t know much about trot, the question suddenly came to mind.
Namhun’s straightforward question made Jeong Jaemin chuckle.
“That’s a married man’s question.”
“I’m curious. It’s also the path I’ll have to walk.”
“Bang-gun, this guy is worth it. But where are we? Is it your senior Jeong Nam’s company? Clover was a group with some visibility. One night club event, three hundred is the minimum.”
“Ah… club gigs are a quick profit.”
Namhun had never done club gigs.
When he was an idol, he was underage, and as a ballad singer he sang emotional songs, so he never got love calls to clubs.
Back then, the ballad era was at its peak, so night gigs weren’t necessary.
“That’s true, but there aren’t many nightlife spots anymore, right? Unless he’s at this level, he can’t even get a spot.”
“True… the industry isn’t as good as before.”
“Ah, and look at this guy? The tall man in the suit.”
Jeong Jaemin pointed to the tall man wearing a suit.
“He’s Han Taejin. The Paldo Song Festival winner Jaemin-ssi brought here. He’s not a former singer, but his trot singing is incredible.”
“Really? Even though he’s not a former singer? Impressive.”
“Yeah. Among our generation, it’s rare to have started listening to and singing trot since childhood. Because he was raised by his grandmother in the countryside. If you hear his song, you’ll be surprised. He’s serious about it. He quit a decent job at thirty and jumped into this world. He’s not an ordinary guy.”
At those words, Namhun was startled.
“He quit his job at thirty?”
“He gave up everything and chased his dream, I guess. Reality wasn’t easy like he thought… but now Jaemin-ssi got him a night singer spot and he sings there. Somehow he’s scraping by.”
“Night singer?”
“There are singers who work exclusively at adult nightclubs.”
“Ah.”
A night singer sang dance songs to liven up customers and slow songs during blues time. They were staff singers, not invited big names.
“This woman is Woo Yeonjeong, a Gugak elite. She studied under masters and even got a doctorate. You know how tough that field is, right? Jaemin-ssi brought her here from there. Her mother is a friend of Jeong Nam’s senior in his hometown. Jaemin-ssi is most looking forward to her. She’s the secret weapon of Onjeong Entertainment, so watch her.”
“Secret weapon… from how much brother says that, it sounds like she has insane skill.”
“Today, you’ll learn a lot too. Yeongjung’s skill is something you know, but these two are the real deal.”
Jeong Jaemin added one more thing.
“That said, in the end the money comes from Yeongjung alone. But he’s also good with words.”
At those words, Namhun’s heart grew heavy.
The entertainment industry was never based purely on skill.
Just because you sang well didn’t mean you earned a lot.
It was strictly popularity-based.
But if you had real skill, it would eventually shine through.
Namhun, who had experienced the industry, knew that well.
Especially since trot was a field with quite high average skill.
Since they were proper talents, watching their stage would likely bring big help, just as Jeong Jaemin said.
With just a short time, if they used their abilities well, it would be a great lesson.