Chapter 34

From the very first line, Namhun found himself completely absorbed in Han Taejin's singing.

Jo Wonhyeong and Jeong Jaemin, however, were far more critical.

“His breathing feels a little unstable overall, doesn't it?”

“This section is completely flat. Noted.”

“This guy keeps rushing the beat.”

“Huh? Did he always have that habit of pushing the notes like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that? That's not good.”

“He's been singing only trot since he was a kid, so he's picked up all kinds of bad habits. Even when we try to fix them, they don't go away easily. The moment he gets caught up in the excitement, he just runs with it. Probably because he's trying so hard today, all the bad habits are coming out more than usual.”

“Ah, I see what you mean. I'll keep that in mind since he seems nervous.”

Jo Wonhyeong quickly filled the sheet music with notes while listening to Han Taejin's performance.

A quick glance showed it was covered in comments and criticisms.

It was nothing like when Woo Yeonjeong had sung earlier.

Back then the page stayed clean.

Eventually, Han Taejin's song came to an end.

Namhun felt like he could already guess the score.

Huh? It didn't even reach 90. I thought it would easily clear that.

Looking closer, his condition was worse than expected.

His throat didn't seem to be the problem.

He must have been incredibly nervous.

The recording booth door opened and Han Taejin stepped out, his face stiff with tension.

“…How was it?”

Jo Wonhyeong gave only a single-word reply.

“Hmm. Not bad. But let's try one more song. Something with a faster BPM. Got any you know? Even an old one is fine.”

Han Taejin looked visibly discouraged.

Did I fail?

Still, he had one more chance.

After he finished his second song, “The Man in the Blue Shirt,” with an anxious expression, Namhun checked the scores and felt baffled.

What… How can one person change this much?

The good impression from earlier had completely vanished.

It felt like some random karaoke singer had taken the stage instead.

Jo Wonhyeong and Jeong Jaemin's comments were much gentler this time.

“How about that? He's improved a lot, right?”

“Just like you said, hyung-nim, it's time for him to face reality. But a nightclub gig might be too much for him. With a mentality like that…”

“That's exactly what I'm worried about. Still, we've got Yeongjung. I'm thinking of sending him with that kid.”

“Why not push it back a little more? Feels like we might end up ruining the kid for nothing.”

At their words, Namhun's eyes went straight to the Condition stat.

It had been 76 when Han Taejin sang “Bakri Pass.” Now it had dropped sharply to 56.

So this is what they mean when they say someone's mental state is bad.

Namhun realized there was another way to use his ability.

“At least we don't have to worry about that with this one.”

Jeong Jaemin let out a short laugh.

“True. He's the first guy who didn't freeze up the first time he met me. Looks all soft and pretty, but damn, he's got guts.”

Now that ten years had passed, Namhun could speak honestly.

“Honestly, I was terrified back then too.”

“You little— After humiliating me like that, now you're saying you were scared? Should I just—”

Just as Jeong Jaemin exploded at the memory of his dark past, Han Taejin happened to open the booth door and step out.

“…I'm sorry, sir. Should I try again?”

He hesitated, then spoke in a small, shrinking voice.

Jeong Jaemin's energy instantly deflated. He waved a hand weakly.

“Never mind. Go tell Bang Yeongjung to come here.”

Han Taejin quietly headed toward the rehearsal room.

Namhun watched him go and thought to himself.

I didn't expect that. His mental game is weaker than it looks.

Seeing Han Taejin's slumped shoulders, so different from before, made Namhun's chest tighten again.

I think I need to help him after all…

Woo Yeonjeong was the same, but so was Han Taejin.

Whether he would even accept help was another question.

Unlike Woo Yeonjeong, Han Taejin's issues weren't something that could be fixed easily.

Bang Yeongjung—Bang-gun's stage was different from the other two.

It was steady. Neither overdone nor lacking.

It showed he hadn't wasted his years as a singer.

“This guy's consistent, huh?”

“His voice sounds a little more solid than before. Breathing's better too.”

“He hasn't just been playing around. I've been training him steadily. Put him with those two ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so they'd push each other.”

“Well, since you stuck to him like glue while teaching, he should at least manage this much. Even while dancing, right?”

“His stamina's still fine. At thirty-four, he's in his prime.”

Bang-gun's “Ah! My Lady!” scored 85.8.

Woo Yeonjeong's “The Maiden of Hantan River” had scored 81.6.

Han Taejin's “Bakri Pass” had scored 89.6, while “The Man in the Blue Shirt” scored 68.6.

Honestly, Bang-gun's singing ability was embarrassing to compare with the other two.

Even though his vocal skills ranked lowest among the three, reaching this score was impressive.

The general public would hear it differently, though.

Traditional trot that touches the emotions is listened to with certain expectations.

But an upbeat song like “Ah! My Lady!” is enjoyed more lightly.

Plus, the surrounding excitement adds to it, so the audience reaction score naturally rises.

Since audience reaction has five times the weight… aiming for over 90 is realistic.

After using the ability repeatedly, Namhun was starting to understand the scoring criteria.

Over 80 meant a decent stage.

Over 90 meant a level the audience would be satisfied with.

70 is disappointing… and 60 means the pro messed up.

In that sense, Bang-gun, who could deliver consistent results near 90 without ups and downs, was definitely a reliable card.

“Yeongjung-ah. Try singing Bakri Pass.”

-Yes.

Inside the booth, Bang-gun sang “Bakri Pass” without even looking at the lyrics sheet.

It proved he had practiced the song thoroughly beforehand.

There was none of the heart-stirring impact Han Taejin had shown.

But he finished the stage cleanly without mistakes.

Though lower than his score for the dance trot song “Ah! My Lady!,” 82.6 was still a solid result.

Unlike Han Taejin, whose scores fluctuated wildly by genre, Bang-gun's results were consistent.

Unlike Woo Yeonjeong, his stat distribution was also balanced.

His Expressiveness is in the 70s… but the total score isn't that far behind.

It was actually higher than Woo Yeonjeong's “The Maiden of Hantan River.”

Considering the three audience members were sharp industry professionals, Bang-gun was clearly receiving a penalty compared to the other two.

Experience really can't be ignored.

Woo Yeonjeong and Han Taejin clearly had much higher potential.

But if the three competed on stage ten times, Bang-gun would likely come out on top more often.

Just like Wonhyeong hyung said—song selection is also skill.

Since Bang-gun was skilled at dancing, he could add performance elements as well.

After watching all three stages, Namhun fell into deep thought alone.

He couldn't help but think that popular art was truly a difficult field to find clear answers in.

Jeong Jaemin called all three into the recording studio.

Woo Yeonjeong's expression hadn't changed much from the start.

Bang-gun looked slightly tired.

Only Han Taejin looked completely crushed.

“You all worked hard. Now let's hear Composer Jo's feedback.”

At Jeong Jaemin's words, Jo Wonhyeong carefully began.

“Hmm… First of all, you all did great. I can see you've practiced a lot, so I want to start with praise. You've improved a lot since last time.”

The three of them looked slightly pleased at his words.

But Namhun, who knew him well, sighed inwardly.

Damn… This is going to be a very uncomfortable moment.

His prediction came true immediately.

“Yeongjung, send me the file for that song you sang earlier. I'll rearrange it as a dance track for you. After ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that, you can either get lyrics or write them yourself.”

In other words, he passed.

“And Yeonjeong and Taejin, I think you still need a bit more training. I can see the areas you're lacking in.”

Namhun glanced at Woo Yeonjeong and Han Taejin.

Woo Yeonjeong seemed to accept it calmly, while Han Taejin couldn't lift his head.

At that moment, Jeong Jaemin, who had been quiet, turned to Namhun.

“Hey, Namhun-ah. What did you think of their stages?”

Namhun was startled by the sudden question.

“Huh?”

“You were listening to them carefully too. How did they feel to you?”

“…”

This was incredibly awkward.

Namhun still hadn't organized his thoughts.

Even if he decided to help, he hadn't planned on stepping forward right here.

“Well… I still don't know much about trot, so… I just thought they sounded good. I learned a lot. I guess I got a feel for how to practice?”

Jeong Jaemin growled.

“You little punk! Don't try to bullshit your way out. Be honest and tell me what you really thought!”

Jo Wonhyeong stepped in at the sudden tension.

“Hyung-nim, why are you suddenly like this?”

Jeong Jaemin shouted.

“You stay out of this!”

At his roar, the recording studio froze instantly.

Even the usually composed Woo Yeonjeong started rolling her eyes in confusion.

Namhun found the whole situation absurd.

It's been a while since I've seen Wonhyeong hyung get shut down like that.

Honestly, the Jeong Jaemin he was seeing after so long felt like a toothless tiger.

It was almost pitiful how much he'd aged.

But right now, he felt like the underground-era Jeong Jaemin had returned.

Though startled, Namhun found himself oddly glad to see the tiger baring its fangs again.

“You, listen here. You're still a former Gayo Top 100 number-one singer and a current vocal trainer. I told you to give your opinion. Trot or whatever, you're their senior in the industry, so you must have felt something!”

In the past, this would have been terrifying.

But now Namhun understood that this rough attitude was the roar of a mother tiger protecting her wounded cubs.

Maybe that was why.

Namhun, who had only been agonizing until now, decided to speak his mind honestly.

Yeah, Namhun. Don't be petty about it.

They weren't going to meet just once or twice.

Rather than tiptoeing around each other uncomfortably, it would be cleaner to just help.

If things went wrong, Jeong Jaemin hyung-nim would probably smooth it over anyway.

Since it was his own mess.

“Yeonjeong-ssi… Actually, since we'll be seeing each other often from now on, I'll just call you Yeonjeong noona.”