The Audition at Onjeong Entertainment

The building housing Onjeong Entertainment looked worn on the outside, but the interior was properly finished.

It wasn't a small building, either.

Jeong Nam, the eldest of the Trot Four Heavenly Kings, had debuted during trot's golden era and gained popularity by staying active even in its declining years when it was dismissed as mere "ppongjjak."

Because of that, he paid close attention to sound quality when producing high-caliber trot songs.

His son, CEO Jeong Jaemin, was also a former band vocalist.

Onjeong Entertainment's recording studio was equipped with top-tier gear, complete with a large recording room and rehearsal space for bands and strings in addition to vocals.

In that rehearsal room, Bang-gun, Han Taejin, and Woo Yeonjeong were deciding the performance order.

Namhun didn't know it, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but today was an important day for Han Taejin and Woo Yeonjeong.

"You need to catch Wonhyeong's eye, so sing with everything you've got."

"Yes."

"Understood."

Jeong Jaemin had invited Jo Wonhyeong today to secure a song from him.

As the oldest, Bang-gun pointed this out and encouraged his two younger colleagues.

"You two have worked hard until now, right? Make sure you do well this time and get a debut song. Wonhyeong might seem nice, but he separates work from personal matters completely. If he thinks your skills are lacking, he won't give you a song."

Woo Yeonjeong gave a wry smile at those words.

"So that's why you couldn't get one, Oppa?"

"No... I already received a song from Composer Kang Seongdae!"

"Didn't you say you fished that one out of the trash?"

"Aigoo, do you have to put it that way? If it's the trash from a big household, the situation is completely different."

"That does sound about right. The song was good when I listened to it."

Bang-gun chuckled when he realized Woo Yeonjeong had only said it to tease him.

"Composer Kang doesn't like the nickname, but he's called the Trot Factory Manager for a reason. No one in this field can match him."

Bang-gun gave Han Taejin a light pat on the shoulder.

"Taejin. Don't be disappointed just because Composer Kang rejected you. He doesn't easily give songs to rookies. Even if your skills are better, I have the recognition I've built up in this industry."

When Kang Seongdae had visited the office before.

Jeong Jaemin had casually asked for a song on behalf of Han Taejin, who aspired to sing traditional trot.

But he was flatly refused.

Bang-gun had noticed that Han Taejin had been deeply disappointed at the time, even if he hadn't shown it.

"There are just too many people waiting in line. Wonhyeong's songs are good too. He's already established himself in other genres, and in trot he's practically Composer Kang Seongdae's top disciple."

Kang Seongdae and Jo Wonhyeong, both seeking to expand genres, naturally maintained a close relationship.

Namhun didn't know it, but after the "Saljjakung!" incident, he had already earned Kang Seongdae's absolute favor.

"But how good is that kid Jang Namhun?"

When Woo Yeonjeong showed interest in Namhun, Bang-gun smirked.

"Oh? The girl who never even glanced at men is suddenly curious? Is it his face?"

"No, seriously. It's not that... I was just curious because Composer Jo said he was personally training him. He used to keep his distance even when all sorts of talented people approached him."

"Hmm... I heard he's just starting to prepare. We were close back when I was doing ballads, but his throat wasn't in good condition even then. His agency's president must have worked him pretty hard. He's probably still recovering. I think they brought him here so you two, who are right before debut, could learn from him. Consider it an observation visit."

"Ah."

Han Taejin, who had been listening, asked.

"So that friend Jang Namhun isn't singing today?"

"Why? Because Wonhyeong picked him, you want to see his skills?"

"...Not really."

Bang-gun saw that Han Taejin's gaze as he said this was far from ordinary.

Woo Yeonjeong, who had gone through the elite gugak course, had extremely high self-esteem.

She had adapted quickly to trot in line with her outstanding skills and was good at objectively assessing her own strengths and weaknesses.

But Han Taejin was the type who had enjoyed trot as a hobby before suddenly winning the Paldo Song Festival and entering the path of a singer.

In short, his fundamentals were a bit lacking, and to put it bluntly, he had no real roots.

He was the type who only did well at the things he was already good at.

Moreover, what he excelled at was traditional trot, a genre whose heyday had long passed.

So after joining Onjeong Entertainment, he had been practicing mainly semi-trot with fast BPMs.

From his perspective, he was being forced to wear clothes that didn't fit, which caused him a lot of stress.

Because of that, Bang-gun was more concerned about Han Taejin than Woo Yeonjeong.

"It might seem unfair to you, who crawled up from the bottom. But that kid is an exception. You know Wonhyeong was originally an idol, right?"

"Ah, yes."

"He was the maknae of that group. You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can basically think of him as a real little brother."

"Ah... I see."

At those words, both Han Taejin and Woo Yeonjeong immediately understood.

Connections were something you couldn't do anything about.

"So he's a ballad singer who came from an idol background."

"Huh? Yeah."

Bang-gun didn't know it, but those words planted a negative impression of Namhun in Han Taejin's mind.

Having loved trot his entire life, he didn't welcome people who crossed over from other genres.

That was why it had taken quite a long time for him to open up even to Bang-gun and Woo Yeonjeong, who were now like family.

* * *

"Then let's start with Yeonjeong."

The order Jeong Jaemin had decided on was a bit unexpected for Namhun.

The so-called secret weapon is going first?

He had come here with a light heart and had no idea what was really going on.

How desperate these people were.

When Woo Yeonjeong entered the recording booth, Jeong Jaemin explained.

"She's going to sing 'Hantan River Maiden.'"

"Hantan River Maiden" was a famous traditional trot song that even Namhun, who was practically a trot outsider, had heard before.

It was a song about a maiden longing for her lover who had drowned in the fast-flowing Hantan River in Gangwon Province.

Jo Wonhyeong also praised Woo Yeonjeong's song choice.

"Song selection is part of the skill. Since Yeonjeong has a gugak base, it's a perfect match for her. But is she planning to go the traditional route?"

"Well, with a gugak base, she doesn't have many other options."

"Hmm. I haven't written much in the traditional style myself..."

"You gain skill through real experience."

Wonhyeong noticed Jeong Jaemin glancing at Kang Seongdae standing behind him.

If the song that came out wasn't good, he knew Jeong Jaemin would ask Kang Seongdae for help.

Anyway, I do need to write more traditional trot songs myself.

Giving a song to an unknown rookie was no different from a gamble for a composer.

You could work yourself to death and still not make money.

The composition fee wasn't a large amount, after all.

"I'll go with the traditional style but prepare several arrangement versions."

"Ah. That sounds like a good idea. Well, everyone thinks similarly anyway."

Gugak and traditional songs had many similarities.

Someone with formal training could handle most songs with just a little training.

That was why many talented people from the struggling gugak scene were flowing into trot.

Among them, Woo Yeonjeong was quite high-level.

In a way, it's a shame.

She had switched to trot because the gugak market was too small, but the trot market wasn't exactly overflowing with opportunities either.

Still, knowing her skills, this was a performance worth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looking forward to.

When Jeong Jaemin sat in front of the console, Wonhyeong whispered to Namhun.

"Like I said, among the three, her skills are the best, so listen carefully. Her vocal ability itself is probably top-class even among active singers."

"Got it. But I don't see the other two."

"They're probably preparing separately."

"Really?"

Only then did Namhun begin to catch on.

This was just an observation visit for him, but for Woo Yeonjeong and Han Taejin, it was no different from a debut audition.

* * *

As Wonhyeong had said, Woo Yeonjeong's skills were outstanding.

Her pitch is precise and her voice has so much character.

Listening to her sing felt like watching a shaman dancing on the edge of a blade.

She knew exactly how good she was, didn't hide her confidence, and poured out her technique freely.

Even the vocal runs in the latter half of the song were fantastic.

"Han-ta~a↗a↓a↑a↘an~ River! Mae→i↗i↘i↑den~!"

"Wow. That's impressive. How long is her breath control?"

"Well, she's been doing pansori for a long time, so her breathing is incredible. She could probably handle even a difficult song without any problem."

After listening to the entire song, Wonhyeong also couldn't stop expressing his admiration.

Seeing his reaction, Jeong Jaemin continued proudly, as if boasting about his own child.

"Even to you, there's nothing to criticize technically, right?"

"Yeah. It's just... perfect. Honestly, at my level, there's nothing I can even touch."

For Namhun, who was scolded by Wonhyeong every day, it was an enviable evaluation.

She's amazing. And she's still unknown?

Honestly, he was a little shocked.

People who studied gugak basically shared the emotional roots of trot and han.

Even high-difficulty vocal techniques came naturally to them.

She didn't even need two years of practice to reach this level of vocal completion, yet he could feel how hard she had worked to adapt her voice to trot.

The metallic tone unique to gugak was barely audible, and instead she showed a clear, sweet voice.

"The old-timers would go crazy listening to this with a bowl of makgeolli."

"There aren't many young female trot singers these days. Yeonjeong's looks aren't bad either."

"In this era, appearance matters too. Decent looks are a big advantage. Still, Yeonjeong's real strength is that top-tier technique."

But why?

Namhun felt something was missing.

She's good, but... something doesn't quite hit me.

Why?

The emotion and delivery weren't bad.

Even from Namhun's perspective as a singer and vocal trainer, he couldn't figure out the reason.

He could only say that something felt 2% short.

Before that thought even finished, the score window appeared.

After checking the scores, Namhun was greatly shocked.

Comprehension 73 and Immersion 56?

Those numbers made no sense.

Namhun watched Woo Yeonjeong singing beyond the glass from beginning to end with careful attention.

Even though she was inside the recording booth, she had put on an excellent performance to express the lyrics.

Looking at her sorrowful expression, he had thought, So this is what a woman's heartbreaking emotion looks like.

But thinking back after seeing the scores, that acting hadn't reached his heart.

Namhun focused on the audience reaction as well.

The two people beside him were constantly exclaiming in admiration, and that was clearly genuine.

But there were three people in the audience here.

The remaining ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one was only himself.

Jang Namhun alone had not been moved by this song.

Maybe I dragged down the average score?