The Morning After
The practice room door swung open, and Lee Minseop, the manager of Disync Entertainment, stepped inside first.
The Candy Pop members all turned their gazes toward him in unison.
"Alright, everyone, pay attention."
Lee Minseop clapped lightly to draw their focus.
Namhun followed slowly behind him.
The members' eyes naturally shifted to the unfamiliar face.
"This person is..."
The manager paused for a moment, his stiff expression softening into a forced smile as he continued.
"He's someone the CEO personally brought in. Our company's new vocal trainer, Teacher Jang Namhun."
He gestured toward Namhun as he addressed the members.
"Since the CEO personally vouches for him, follow him without any doubts."
Lee Minseop's tone was firm, as if presenting a guarantee, but his forced smile looked awkward.
He wasn't an actor, so he couldn't fully hide his inner skepticism despite his praising words.
Namhun smiled briefly and bowed his head upon hearing this.
His demeanor was calm and quiet, yet somehow captivating.
"Hello. I'm Jang Namhun. I'm glad to be practicing with you all from now on. I once briefly formed a teacher-student bond with Hayul here."
At the mention of Hayul's name, the manager and members' eyes flickered slightly.
'He taught Hayul? Is that why they chose him?'
Leader Ahyeon stepped forward first, bowing cautiously.
"Hello. Please take care of us."
The other members followed suit, bowing one by one, though their expressions were subtly uneasy.
Dance position Berry, arms crossed, raised an eyebrow and glanced at Namhun.
'The CEO personally vouches for him...?'
All the Candy Pop members were former trainees from major agencies, trained by seasoned industry veterans.
They knew most of the top vocal trainers in the business, at least by name if they were skilled.
But Jang Namhun? The name rang no bells.
Berry racked her brain.
'If he were that handsome, I'd have heard of him at least once.'
Maknae Roa thought the same.
'First time seeing him... Is he really any good?'
The manager noticed their reactions, frowning slightly, but he ignored it and turned to Namhun.
"Alright, kids. Show Teacher Jang a stage."
"Good. Show me exactly what you've practiced, as is. This isn't evaluation time, so no pressure."
Ahyeon nodded and started arranging their formation, while the members moved to their positions.
A strange silence enveloped the practice room.
The music had ended, but no one spoke first.
The performance they'd just finished was a total mess.
Hayul's pronunciation had tangled from the very first line, her lyrics breaking and rhythm off-beat.
The others had tried to match her, messing up the formation, and the room's atmosphere chilled rapidly.
Even Manager Lee Minseop pressed his lips tight, at a loss for words.
That's when it happened.
"This... might be my fault."
Namhun's voice echoed through the practice room.
All eyes snapped to him at the sudden apology.
The manager raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Teacher Jang, what do you—"
Ignoring him, Namhun walked slowly toward Hayul.
His steps were steady, a gentle smile on his face.
"Teaching you to pronounce like a native speaker was my mistake."
Hayul looked up.
Her eyes widened in shock.
Namhun met her gaze calmly.
"That's probably why the composer gave you this tough part. In the end, it's on me. Sorry, Hayul."
His words shifted the air in the room.
The other members, unaware of the full story between Hayul and Namhun, still knew this wasn't his fault.
Hayul felt the same.
She bowed her head again, clenching her hands tightly.
'Why is the teacher apologizing...?'
Previous trainers had all said the same things.
Work harder. Overcome it with practice. Have confidence.
But no one had ever tried to understand her.
Feeling her vision blur, she finally spoke.
"I'm sorry. I should have done better..."
"It's not your fault."
Namhun's voice was firm.
He shook his head gently.
"Your mistakes come from the pressure of your current environment."
Hayul stared into his eyes, speechless.
Something heavy in her heart began to unravel slowly.
Namhun's words rippled through the room.
Leader Ahyeon glanced around awkwardly.
Maknae Roa straightened from leaning against the wall.
Berry uncrossed her arms, eyeing Namhun with interest.
'This guy's different...'
Manager Lee Minseop frowned at Namhun.
To him, it seemed like blind comfort.
"Teacher Jang, is that really right? Isn't Hayul's pronunciation something she has to overcome herself?"
Namhun turned to the manager.
His gaze was steady and confident.
"Of course. Ultimately, the pronunciation is Hayul's to fix."
He scanned the room slowly.
"But to help her overcome this, we all need to pitch in."
Lee Minseop blinked in confusion.
"Pardon? Everyone's help?"
Namhun glanced over the members.
Then he spoke calmly.
"You've all seen Hayul's MR Removal video, right?"
Everyone in the room jolted.
He'd brought up the taboo topic no one dared mention aloud, despite knowing it.
The members averted their eyes, uneasy.
But Namhun looked at them briefly before continuing.
"That video isn't a proper MR Removal. They deliberately cut specific frequencies to highlight her mistakes."
The members' faces showed shock.
Namhun stepped forward.
"In other words, someone made it to attack Hayul. Likely a rival team or obsessed fandom."
Berry gritted her teeth, fists clenched.
"So, someone deliberately tried to ruin our team?"
Namhun nodded.
"Yes. You all know better than anyone—surviving this industry isn't easy. Knock down a rising rookie getting good buzz, and someone else takes their spot."
If they hadn't known better, it might have sounded like a leap.
But they all knew how unnaturally fast that video had spread.
Leader Ahyeon fidgeted with her fingers.
"Then... what do we do? We can't just take this lying down."
"You know it well. The only way to flip online opinion is with real skill."
The Candy Pop members' eyes sharpened.
Namhun stepped forward.
Cutting through the tense air, he looked straight at Hayul.
"Hayul, can you sing the first verse you just did one more time?"
Hayul looked up, flustered.
"Again...? Right now?"
"Yes. But not just singing—try it my way. Bring back those old memories."
A hint of relief crossed Hayul's face.
"Got it."
Namhun drew closer, speaking softly.
"The 'Dreams ignite like' part— that's especially tricky, right?"
Hayul nodded slightly.
"Yes... Especially connecting 'ignite' and 'like'—the pronunciation tangles and the beat slips."
Namhun nodded in understanding.
"Makes sense. This part needs quick vowel-consonant links, so lip and tongue movement is key. Let's break it into words first."
He tapped a light beat with his hand, demonstrating slowly.
"First, 'Dreams.' Try pronouncing it with soft lips, dragging it like 'Dreeeams.'"
Hayul cautiously followed.
"Dree... Dreeeams..."
Namhun smiled and nodded.
"Good. But your tongue's a bit tense. Relax more? 'Dreeeams.'"
"Dreeeams."
"Perfect! Now to 'ignite.' Say it slow like 'Ig-naaite,' flicking the tongue tip fast."
Hayul tried slowly again.
"Ig... naaite..."
"Good, softer! Pull back the 'ig' sound, emphasize 'naaite.'"
"Ig-naaite."
"Well done. Now connect 'Dreams' and 'ignite' slowly. Ignore rhythm, focus on pronunciation."
Hayul steadied her breath and linked them carefully.
"Dreeeams... Ig-naaite..."
Namhun grinned and nodded.
"Great. Now add 'like.' Open wide, drag the vowel like 'Laaike,' cut it softly. Try slow."
After a few repetitions, Hayul gained some confidence.
Namhun tapped the beat and signaled.
"Now, 'Dreams ignite like' all together. Slow and steady."
Hayul took a deep breath and opened her mouth carefully.
"Dreeeams... Ig-naaite... Laaike."
Namhun clapped, beaming.
"Excellent! Much more natural. Now add the rhythm to the song."
He played the backing track from the speaker, keeping beat.
"Sync pronunciation and rhythm now. Your slips happened because rhythm lagged behind pronunciation focus. You've balanced it— it'll be way better."
Hayul inhaled deeply and sang with the music.
"When I see the lights, my heart goes faster… Dreams ignite like a blazing fire…."
This time, pronunciation flowed smoothly, rhythm spot-on.
Maknae Roa clapped in amazement.
"Unnie, it's so much better! Totally different from before!"
It sounded even more natural than the original recording.
Leader Ahyeon smiled and nodded.
"Definitely clearer pronunciation."
Dance position Berry nodded too.
"Seemed impossible at first, but breaking it down makes it easy. Gotta use this for English rap practice."
Namhun smiled at the others.
"Good. Anyone else have tough spots? Let's tackle them one by one."
Ahyeon raised her hand cautiously.
"Teacher, I had some ambiguous pronunciation in my part too. What about when hitting high notes? It's uncomfortable."
Namhun went through each member, correcting pronunciation, demonstrating lip/tongue moves and rhythm step by step.
The training progressed systematically, and the room's vibe brightened.
Hayul wiped sweat-beaded sweat from her face, smiling faintly.
'Amazing. Everything changed the moment the teacher arrived...'
As practice wrapped up casually, Namhun patted Hayul's shoulder encouragingly.
"Hayul. Take it one step at a time. The key is believing you can do it."
Hayul whispered softly.
"Thank you... Teacher."
Confidence Regained: Hayul
Comprehension - 100
Proficiency - 100
Immersion - 100
Digestibility - 100
Condition - 90
Audience Reaction - 100
Overall Score - N/A
Confirming Hayul had regained her energy, Namhun thought.
Finally back to square one.
Now it was time to turn the atmosphere around completely.