A Chance Encounter with the Past
Brother. How have you been all this time?
It was simply surprising.
How had Kim Changsu, who had been nothing more than a mere road manager, ended up as the CEO of a proper company?
I gave up the company and went back to my hometown to help my parents with their work.
Help with their work, you mean the Kim family’s business?
It was still surprising. That was a memory from exactly ten years ago that I had completely forgotten.
Seeing Kim Changsu’s face made all sorts of memories come rushing back, one after another.
You still remember it. More precisely, I was running the Kim family’s business when I changed it to oysters. But that turned out to be smoother than I expected.
Not just smooth, but you scooped up so much money that you could roll in it.
Wonhyung said with a jealous look. Kim Changsu laughed awkwardly.
Well, it just happened that the timing was perfect. Anyway, once I had some free time, the dreams started coming back.
Without a second thought, Namhun became an idol and Kim Changsu became a manager to chase the entertainment world.
The two of them, on completely opposite paths, were amazed by each other and had many conversations.
Brother, you said you wanted to become a producer.
Yeah. I couldn’t give up on my dream and came back to Seoul. I contacted a former manager from another company that I knew and started grinding on the scene. Then I gathered a few kids and built Plan One.
This time Wonhyung added a bit of explanation.
Did you see Plan One’s music video in the lobby? That was shot by Director Kang.
Actually… thanks to that connection I even attended Director Kang’s wedding. I had no idea how surprised I would be when I suddenly ran into you. So I searched for you, but you had already left.
Then we ran into each other.
Haha. It was really shocking.
Yeah. We were both in the music industry, yet I didn’t know you were the CEO of D-Sync Entertainment.
I also thought you had left the entertainment world.
You can’t know everything about the world. That country bumpkin Changsu became a proper CEO while that guy who was supposed to be a star ends up going bankrupt.
Namhun agreed.
Even ten years ago, most idols treated road managers like personal servants.
It looks like there’s nothing much different even now.
A new thought struck him: he really needed to live honestly from now on.
If it weren’t for the favor he had done for the road manager Kim Changsu, he wouldn’t have gotten this new job.
Actually, he hadn’t done anything bad.
He had promised his parents in front of their graves that he wouldn’t live in a way that shamed his siblings.
* * *
After sharing stories that had built up over ten years, several hours had passed in the blink of an eye.
During that time, Namhun realized that Kim Changsu, now a company president, carried many worries in his heart.
For example, he was trying hard for a global debut but struggling to find talent with foreign language skills.
Anyway, he was envious. Plan One was known as a second-tier group, but its fandom was incredibly solid. Reactions were already starting to come in from overseas, so maybe first-tier was within reach.
That was mostly thanks to Director Kang’s music videos. It was all thanks to Brother. If he hadn’t held back, our small company would never have even gotten a slot.
You heard? I have some influence too. It’s not only you who is great.
Wonhyung was secretly annoyed because the desk’s Miss Hyeon seemed to treat Namhun better than him.
Namhun was bewildered, but he decided not to dwell on it.
Who said what, and how was I doing well?
…Enough. Let’s drop the topic.
???
Wonhyung sighed deeply when Namhun, who didn’t know English, responded with confusion.
Anyway, Plan One is doing well, but the new female idol is the problem.
Female idol?
If male idols run their fandom like a business, female idols need to be backed by the public to some degree. That’s why female idols ride the wave of popularity more.
Namhun, who had distanced himself from music after retirement, had no idea about the entertainment industry’s current state.
When he was an idol, he had paid little attention to the business side.
Anyway, Wonhyung, as the leader, had handled everything, so he just had to practice hard.
The sales and music show responses had been good. Debut album initial sales were decent too. But when they did a live stage recently, a vocal performance controversy exploded.
Vocal controversy?
Yeah. Up until the recording there had been no issues, but when they stepped onto the live stage, he suddenly felt anxious. He had tried hiring vocal trainers everywhere but couldn’t find the cause and had been stuck.
It’s hard to find vocal trainers with a lot of stage experience. In that sense, this guy could be the savior.
Right. Namhun is strong in real performances.
As Woo Yeonjeong had guessed, Namhun had been a vocal prodigy since childhood, brimming with confidence from a young age.
From elementary school onward, Namhun had performed on stages full of audiences, collecting trophies like it was nothing.
Singing songs he loved and doing well in school meant he had no choice but to enjoy performing.
He had reached a level where he loved real-life performances and won an international competition as the youngest winner.
And it was in violin, not vocal music.
At that time they had been doing both.
Because vocal music was heavily influenced by the body, overcoming age gaps was impossible.
That’s why he had entered the violin division and somehow won first place.
‘The shock of that time awakened Sera.’
Yeonjung, who hated practicing, had become an obsessive practice monster.
Seeing that, the eldest son thought his best friend had been taken away by the violin and he focused only on vocal music.
Yeonjung, who threw herself into practice, finally won the championship and returned to her original personality.
‘I never imagined she was that intense.’
Still, being the champion then had been a blessing.
If he hadn’t received the military exemption, he would have had no choice but to send his siblings to an orphanage.
‘It had been really tense.’
What a strange fate.
‘Fate is strange…?’
Suddenly, the Bromide he had brushed past in the lobby flashed before his eyes.
The group name had definitely started with a C, hadn’t it?
Brother Changsu. Could the girl group’s name be Candy Pop?
Yeah? It’s called Candy Pop.
Hearing the name Candy Pop, his mind went blank.
So that was it.
After learning D-Sync Entertainment’s current situation, Namhun felt an odd feeling.
Maybe there really was such a thing as fate.
It felt as if an invisible hand had guided him here.
‘Before Hayul found me, I was supposed to find her.’
We have a comeback schedule to handle right now, so time is tight, but we can look after the kids from the day after tomorrow.
Pay was surprisingly generous, as Wonhyung had said.
Even without pay, he would have worked for the girl group whose student Sera was in, but after signing the contract without asking or arguing, the agreement was settled.
The contract was wrapped up in an instant, and Namhun smiled.
We talked about daily life for a long time, then the contract was signed like frying beans in flash lightning. Is this allowed?
He knows you that well. That’s why you can trust him.
Hearing that, Namhun felt relieved.
Many people had given up and run away, hadn’t they?
It made sense. If Namhun hadn’t known Sera, it would have been impossible to solve it.
‘It’s a blessing I have the illusion power.’
Even without the illusion, he could have solved it someday, but the timing would have been the issue.
The debut album had been hit with a vocal controversy the moment it came out, so missing the golden time would make recovery difficult.
‘Since I know the cause, it shouldn’t be hard to solve.’
The illusion was truly a fraudulent ability.
But it didn’t directly give away the answer.
Hey. Come in a bit earlier tomorrow. Let’s practice the vocals intensely. Meeting Jae-min-hyung will be a good motivation.
Is tomorrow Friday?
Yeah.
I have plans in the afternoon.
Plans?
Yeah. I promised to treat some people who helped me for years.
Ah. Those hard-working families?
Yeah. The young guy with three kids said it was amazing and gave me a lot of leeway. I even learned a lot of baby care tips. Especially because the chairman’s grandchildren are a few years older than our twins, I received a lot of baby stuff.
That happened? Truly amazing people.
I received a lot of help when I was at my weakest, so I want to repay them and greet them. It just so happened that the project they were working on ended, so they said they were taking a break.
Good thinking. A person who has received favors should repay them.
Ah, let me off at the chicken shop in front.
You’re eating chicken and then going to eat more chicken? Aren’t you full?
I promised my kids I’d buy chicken when I got home.
Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Let’s burn it up in the morning.
Okay.
When Namhun entered the chicken shop, he looked at the menu and hesitated.
He hadn’t known when ordering by phone, but there were so many kinds of chicken.
Since he hadn’t tried them, he didn’t even have a guess at the flavors.
After browsing the menu for a while, Namhun placed his order.
Give me this and this.
He bought one soy sauce chicken and one fried chicken, carried both in his hands, and entered his house.
Seeing that, Yeonjung’s eyes widened in surprise.
What? It’s not half and half? Why are there two chickens?
Cuckoo!
Two of them!
Namhun felt as if all the fatigue he had accumulated over the day disappeared at the bright faces of his siblings.
That’s why Father used to buy something to eat when he came home from work.
Suddenly, that appearance became a little nostalgic.
At the same time, the three siblings who didn’t know that scene felt a little pitiful.
But Namhun didn’t know that.
His appearance of holding two chickens in his hands would fill the empty space in his memory.
* * *
As promised yesterday, Wonhyung kept practicing the vocals nonstop from the morning.
Unlike the previous lax attitude, it was Spartan-style.
Ugh… I feel like I’ve become a newbie again.
You’re a newbie now, so what?
Anyway, it won’t be easy.
Namhun’s main problems, as the illusion described, were Proficiency and Digestibility, those two things.
Through the previous practices, Namhun had figured out what those indicators meant.
Proficiency was accuracy in breathing, rhythm, and pitch.
As he practiced, the Proficiency score improved.
The problem was Digestibility, which referred to technique and skill.
In my opinion, it’s because your style up until now is completely the opposite.
Wonhyung’s remark touched on something Namhun had been thinking himself.
When performing as an idol, he had relied on emotion rather than technique.
Originally, you debuted with almost no preparation period. That’s why you were lacking in skills.
As Wonhyung said, after deciding to join Evil Spirits, the eldest son debuted only three months later.
He had hurriedly learned the choreography and borrowed only the vocal style from Jeong Jae-min.
The first album for Namhun was no different.
Originally, the album had been produced to fit Namhun’s clean voice and style.
In other words, he had taken given ingredients and crafted a masterpiece of a dish.
…This is troublesome.
Namhun’s shoulders slumped and Wonhyung comforted him.
Don’t worry too much. Trot has evolved by accepting various genres that are in vogue at the time. Folk, blues, national music, ballad, R&B, dance, and so on. While distinguishing between dance trot and traditional trot, if you look closely, each genre follows trot’s grammar. In short, it’s impossible for you to digest every song from the start.
Even the Trot Four Heavenly Kings hadn’t started their careers as trot singers from the beginning.
Some had played with bands and others sung pop.
Still, vocals are the foundation of trot. You have to master it somehow.
Wonhyung comforted him, but in the end there was no escaping it.
Since he had decided to become a trot singer, he had to learn proper vocals somehow.
It’s too late. Hurry up and go.
…Yeah.
With a heavy heart, Namhun left the studio.