Chapter 175: Part Distribution
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 175: Part Distribution
“When it comes to distributing parts,” my teacher began.
At his words, I picked up my pen again.
“First, you try to create the most ideal arrangement, you know? You probably get it too—that feeling when a certain part just fits a specific member's voice perfectly.”
I nodded, and the teacher continued his explanation.
“Then you take that to the company, and~” The teacher clapped his hands together.
“They tell you to fix it like this.”
When the teacher clicked the mouse, a revised score appeared on the screen.
“Whoa...”
I didn't know every member's name by heart, but I could tell at a glance that it had been drastically revised.
“So, do you just go with this version then?”
“Nah, of course not. Even though they use backing tracks these days, they still have to sing live sometimes. You have to set a bottom line and find a compromise.”
With that, the teacher played a B-side track he had produced for a CLOSER album.
“Today, let's try distributing the parts for this song together.”
“...It's your song, teacher. Is it okay for me to do it?”
“Hey, when did I tell you to do it all by yourself? I said let's do it together, didn't I?”
My teacher's song was on a level I couldn't possibly create right now.
The songs I'd made were band music based on piano melodies. Since Yoonje was the only one I could ask for help, it was safe to say the foundation of my music came almost entirely from him.
But my teacher was on another level, from the variety of instruments to the processing of sound effects. Now that I understood a little more, listening to his music made me realize all over again just how incredible he was.
“So, the CLOSER girls. What do you think? From a producer's perspective.”
“Uh... they're decent, right? I don't think there are any glaring holes...”
“Wow. Taemin, you're really generous with your praise. Probably because you're such a stan.”
...Am I?
But the music they released was always so good that I never really felt they were lacking.
“I'll tell you straight. As singers—I mean, on a level where you make a living just by singing—everyone except Leah is a wash. Period.”
I thought Clover at least might be able to hold her own.
The teacher was a nice person, but his evaluations were ruthless.
“But their voices are all fundamentally good. That's probably a basic requirement for popular VTubers.”
“Right.”
“In that case, what the public feels and what producers feel is pretty much the same, you know? So when you're making a song, the part distribution is bound to end up similar.”
“For example, Fumurin or Luka get the intro. Leah or Clover are fixed for the chorus. That's the standard lineup for this group, right? Their second album was actually arranged that way.”
“Yes.”
It was a clean summary with which I had no disagreement.
“That's why I think it might be better for us to do something a little different. An arrangement that's too predictable can feel a bit boring.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. If necessary, I'm thinking of asking the CLOSER girls to practice more. Though I'm not sure if they can spare the time, since they're so busy.”
A small seed of desire stirred within me.
The desire to give the chorus to Luka.
It wasn't that Luka had an insignificant role. But, as even Doah was aware, her singing ability wasn't top-tier within the group, so singing the chorus was left to the others.
“This is your homework. You're going to create a part distribution for my song. But you can't just do it randomly, okay? Analyze the members' voices, organize your reasoning, and bring it to me. I'll look it over and give you feedback.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Alright. Let's call it a day. I have plans to get to.”
I didn't smoke, but I waited for my teacher to finish his cigarette before getting on the subway home.
I put in my earphones and listened to the audio file he'd given me.
This part... maybe... Jennifer can do it...
I'm not sure about this part, should I just give it to Leah?
The chorus is high... haa... can Doah even sing this?
Adding a spoonful of personal bias was one thing, but I couldn't ruin the final product. The fact that my choices could affect CLOSER's song was a serious matter. This wasn't something I could just casually piece together like a fantasy football lineup in my room.
When I messaged Doah that I was home, she texted back asking if she could come over.
-Knock, knock, knock
When I opened the door, my girlfriend was waiting for me in hot pants and an oversized t-shirt.
“It's sooooo hot.”
“Well, it's almost June.”
With the heat slowly creeping in, we had to prepare to face another hot season.
“Did you have a good day?”
Not much out of the ordinary ever happens. We shared our daily lives with each other anyway, and our routines were more or less set.
“Yeah. It was fun.”
“Does your teacher still watch our streams diligently?”
“Yeah. He said he's been watching a lot of Fumurin's streams lately. Seems his loyalty is wavering a bit.”
Doah came up beside me and wrapped her arms around my waist.
“Stay true to your first love, Oppa~”
“Ah, of course. Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about today.”
“What is it?”
I could have done it alone, but I wanted to hear from Luka herself, the person directly involved.
“You know this song? The one my teacher got first place with.”
“Yeah.”
“My homework for today is to create a part distribution for it.”
“So, for your homework, you have to split the parts between us? Is that it?”
“Right. But he told me to make it different from the second album's arrangement.”
“Hmm...”
I took out my phone and played the music for her. Doah nodded along, humming the melody.
"The song really is good.”
“So, if you had to pick, which part would you want?”
“Me...? Hmm... I think the part right before the chorus, or the intro, would be good.”
Those were the exact parts Luka had in the first and second albums, respectively.
“Isn't that a bit cliché? Aren't there any other parts you'd want?”
“The chorus... but it's too high.”
“Try it.”
When I told her to try, Doah, who had been sitting on me, suddenly got up and crawled under the covers.
“Noooo... don't make me...”
“Come on. If you do well, I could even recommend you for the part.”
“Nooo... just give it to Leahhh... I don't wanna get flamed... ughhh...”
A dark aura rose up from Doah.
“Come on, you can do it if you try. It's okay if you're not perfect, just try singing it.”
“Don't wanna.”
Doah, peeking out from under the blanket with just her eyes, showed no signs of backing down.
“Hey. Kim Doah.”
I slowly moved on top of her, as if to pounce, and Doah submerged her entire body under the blanket.
“You think you can get away with that?”
“Yup yup.”
Where could she possibly run to when she was on my bed, in my house?
“Ah, come on, just try it. Doah. Please?”
As I kept whining beside her, she let out a deep sigh and leaned her back against the wall.
“Excuse me, Mr. Lucario.”
“Yes.”
“I'm telling you I don't want it, so why do you keep trying to make me do it?”
“Hey, I'm just asking you to show me how it sounds. Who said you have to do it for real?”
“Jeez...”
She glared at me, confiscated my phone, and played the track again.
“Ah, ah. Don't you dare say anything if I can't do it, okay? I'm really, seriously going to sing this.”
“Okay.”
“Turn around. It's embarrassing.”
“Okay.”
I wondered why there were so many preparations, but I obediently followed all her demands.
“Ooh yeah~ This wind that's blowing now~”
So far, so good.
When she sang, Doah always adopted a Luka-like tone. A tone far higher than her usual speaking voice. But after already raising her voice once, trying to squeeze out another high note for the highlight seemed to be too much for her.
“I will be waiting for you~ Euaaaargh!”
I felt the touch of Doah's cheek against my back.
“Ah, no way, no way. I can't hit it~”
“You did great.”
I hugged her to say 'good job', and she stared up at me as if waiting for an evaluation.
“But how was it, really?”
“Hmm, aside from the part you couldn't hit, it was pretty good.”
“But isn't not being able to hit the note the biggest problem?”
“Well, you're not wrong.”
Her foot smacked against my calf with a thwack.
“Ugh. See? This is why I said I didn't want to do it.”
“It's forgivable because you're cute.”
“Agh, whatever. Come here. I'm not sure about my part, but I'll try to figure out which parts suit the others.”
I brought over my tablet, and Doah and I sat side-by-side and started our "coloring session." Of course, each color corresponded to one of the CLOSER members' hair colors.
After finishing the first round of distribution, we zoomed out on the entire sheet to review it.
“Um... Oppa, this...”
“...I know.”
Without having to say a word, we both knew something was very wrong.
...At this rate, the whole world belongs to Leah.
I'm not kidding, forty percent of the screen was green. I slapped my forehead with my palm.