Chapter 204
Chapter 204
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: A Rude Awakening
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“Hello, Isa-nim.”
“Hello! Isa-nim!”
Min-jun greeted her first, and then the members of Earl Grey, who had been momentarily dazed, greeted her in a tone filled with discipline.
Nodding, Lee Sun let out a small sigh as she looked at the members of Earl Grey. Under her gaze, they felt an inexplicable chill.
“Let’s start with the InBody test.”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“The InBody test?”
“What’s that?”
At the Isa-nim’s words, the Earl Grey members expressed their surprise in their own ways. A common thought ran through their minds: ‘We’re rockers! Why does a band need an InBody test?’
Lee Sun walked past them without a word, and the members, as if captivated by the subtle scent of floral and green tea she exuded, unknowingly followed her.
The door to the men’s practice room opened, and seven male yeonseupsaengs bowed their heads in unison.
“Hello, Isa-nim!”
“Is today’s assignment going well?”
“Yes! We’re working hard!”
“These are the Earl Grey seonbae-nims who have joined our JD family. Greet them.”
“Hello, Seonbae-nim!”
“Uh, yeah!”
The Earl Grey members were flustered by the sudden introduction, but they felt incredibly good about it.
“You’re a band, so you’re not competing for the same slice of the pie as the idol groups. Don’t get any funny ideas and just focus on your practice.”
“Understood, Isa-nim!”
At Lee Sun’s indifferent words, the male yeonseupsaengs put on their earphones and immersed themselves in practice again. The Earl Grey members thought Lee Sun’s cold demeanor suited her very well.
Min-jun brought the InBody machine from the women’s practice room.
“Take off your outerwear and socks.”
“What!?”
The Earl Grey members were utterly bewildered by Lee Sun’s detached command. Min-jun, reading their thoughts, chuckled and spoke up.
“She just means take off your jackets with all that metal on them. Not everything.”
“Ah, I thought…”
“Then I guess I should take off my buckle too… Of course, I should.”
The members took off their outerwear and socks without complaint, but So Joong-han seemed reluctant to take off his shoes.
“Why aren’t you taking them off?”
“…We’re not a boy group, so is it really necessary for us to do an InBody test? We’re a rock band.”
At So Joong-han’s words, Lee Sun spoke to the Earl Grey members, her face a cold mask.
“Out of respect for PD Min-jun’s opinion, I agreed to give you quasi-star treatment. But I’m still questioning what he saw in you to make such a decision.”
Bassist Yoon Woo-sung spoke up, his face slightly flushed with indignation.
“Didn’t you make your decision after listening to the album we released?”
His tone implied a subtle question of how much Lee Sun, a former girl group member, could possibly know.
“I listened to it, and honestly, it was below my expectations.”
A look of bewilderment, rather than anger, crossed the faces of the Earl Grey members.
“I’m not talking about the post-production results like mixing, mastering, or sound quality. The problem is that the instrumental interplay is a mess, worse than the band music I listened to in elementary school.”
At Lee Sun’s professional critique, the Earl Grey members looked astonished, and even Min-jun showed a hint of admiration. Min-jun knew that Lee Sun had been consistently studying music, and he felt a sense of pride, having even taught her some audio editing.
“The melody line was decent, and the individual instrumental skills were good. But the cookie-cutter chord progression was killing the melody. Instead of giving the hook the spotlight, everyone was too busy showing off.”
Since this was a weakness they themselves had recognized, the members of Earl Grey could only shut their mouths. This was also the moment they began to see Lee Sun, who they had thought was just glamorous and pretty, in a different light.
“I plan to treat you as yeonseupsaengs. I can’t acknowledge you as artists yet. Anyone have a problem with that, raise your hand.”
Bassist Yoon Woo-sung raised his hand with a troubled expression.
“I respect your opinion, Isa-nim. We were also aware of our shortcomings. But we have released an album, and we ask for a minimum level of respect.”
A cold chill emanated from Lee Sun as she crossed her arms.
“Do you think releasing an album is that big of a deal? Have you ever seen the flood of music pouring out of KOMCA or CISAC? Or, for that matter, don’t you feel anything when you look at the stalls at a highway service station? Do you really think being one among those countless tracks is such an incredible achievement?”
Lee Sun imprinted on the Earl Grey members that they were just one among the countless unpopular tracks released every year. Finally realizing their position, they were lost for words.
“Nevertheless, the reason I agreed to favorable terms for your recruitment is because I trust PD Min-jun’s eye and capabilities. What I’m saying is that until you stand on a broadcast stage, I will treat you strictly as yeonseupsaengs. If you want to succeed, don’t complain and just trust and follow. I’ll make you successful.”
“……”
“Understood?”
“Yes.”
Looking into Lee Sun’s deep, unwavering eyes, the Earl Grey members were realizing that her presence carried far more weight than they had thought.
“Haa.”
So Joong-han let out an almost inaudible curse and quickly took off his shoes and socks.
Seeing the large holes in the big toe and heel of his socks, Min-jun and Lee Sun finally understood why he had been reluctant to do the InBody test.
“Is a hole in your sock that embarrassing?”
At Lee Sun’s expressionless words, So Joong-han gave a bitter smile.
“Being in the underground scene must have been tough financially, but working in the mainstream will be tough for reasons you can’t even imagine. Mostly mental.”
“……”
So Joong-han’s toes wiggled unconsciously.
“Having no money right now isn’t something to be ashamed of. Me, Answer, the Daepyo-nim, Kim Sung-hoon of Dope Scale. We all grew from difficult circumstances to get here. I believe you all will soon be the same.”
“!”
After being scolded relentlessly, Lee Sun’s hopeful words suddenly moved the Earl Grey members, bringing a lump to their throats.
“I’ll do my best for you all, too. Because until you reach a certain level, my job is to shamelessly sell smiles to scumbags for a single contract. I hope you don’t take what management does too lightly.”
Lee Sun’s cold, icy words pierced the hearts of the Earl Grey members, yet for some reason, their chests felt warm.
“We understand, Isa-nim!”
“We’ll work hard!”
Seeing the atmosphere of the entire group change from discontent to resolute determination in a matter of seconds, Min-jun smiled with satisfaction.
“As people in popular arts, if there’s a point of dislike from the audience that we can fix, shouldn’t we make an effort?”
“I think so.”
Bassist Yoon Woo-sung said, nodding.
“Anyone against the InBody test?”
“No one.”
The Earl Grey members shouted in unison.
“Joong-han, you go first.”
“Yes! Isa-nim.”
So Joong-han, his eyes welling up with tears, stepped onto the InBody machine, aligned his feet, and gripped the handles.
-Weight 73kg
-Skeletal Muscle Mass 28kg
-Body Fat Mass 26kg
⁝
-[Obese]
“…What kind of male InBody result is this.”
Lee Sun, who had only ever seen the balanced InBody results of the male yeonseupsaengs, stared at So Joong-han in disbelief. He had a typical skinny-fat physique for a man.
A look of bewilderment appeared on So Joong-han’s face.
“Is that bad?”
At So Joong-han’s question, Min-jun and Lee Sun sighed.
“It’s a classic case of being skinny-fat.”
“Ugh?”
After the crestfallen So Joong-han, vocalist Jang Hyun-seung stepped onto the InBody machine.
Hoping to increase his skeletal muscle mass even slightly by tensing up, he trembled and flexed his entire body. Min-jun inwardly suppressed a laugh.
-[Mildly Obese]
-[Obese]
-[Average]
Only the drummer, Seo Bang-il, came out as average; every other member’s result was skinny-fat.
“Hoo. How can rockers in their twenties not even manage their own bodies? What’s with this obesity? Does being obese even suit a rocker?”
At Lee Sun’s sighing remark, the Earl Grey members couldn’t say a word.
“PD Min-jun, let’s get these guys in shape first.”
“Yes, Isa-nim.”
“PD Min-jun, follow me. The rest of you, watch the male yeonseupsaengs practice.”
“Yes, Isa-nim!”
The Earl Grey members responded with surprisingly loud voices, then stared blankly at Lee Sun’s retreating back.
“……”
Lee Sun and Min-jun went outside.
“Phew. That was insane.”
“Wasn’t the Isa-nim not even the main vocalist when she was active? How does she seem to know so much?”
Seo Bang-il remarked in awe at Jang Hyun-seung’s words.
“She probably learned a thing or two after she stopped performing and got into management. Or maybe it was just our prejudice, thinking a girl group member wouldn’t know about music.”
At Yoon Woo-sung’s words, So Joong-han nodded unconsciously, thinking he was right.
* * *
Lee Sun and Min-jun got on the elevator.
“Don’t you think you were a bit too harsh on them?”
The smile returned to the Isa-nim’s previously cold face.
“Was it obvious?”
“No. It was cool.”
The Isa-nim gave a slight laugh, then, as if embarrassed, changed the subject.
“There will be an announcement about promotions sometime next week.”
“The company has grown a lot. Am I included?”
“Of course. You’ll be in charge of the New Artist Development Team. It’s a director-level position.”
The position of director was an elected one, decided by the board of directors. Of course, in a small to medium-sized company that hadn’t even gone public yet, it was also a parachute position that could be appointed by just a few major shareholders.
The thought of me, barely out of my early twenties, becoming a director felt a little wrong. It might be fine within the company, where my contributions were well known, but outside, it could become a subject of ridicule or scorn.
“Isn’t being a director a bit much?”
“What’s so much about it? In fact, Team Leader Lee and Siljang-nim Ji insisted on it.”
I knew the team leader would be on my side, but I didn’t expect someone to change so much in just a month or two.
“And the director title is a symbolic position, isn’t it? You’ll have to represent our company soon.”
“Ah.”
She must be talking about the producing show that was being planned.
“You could have at least told me you got the call.”
“Hmm?”
“…Weren’t you the one who approved my appearance on the show?”
“I was under the impression you had already agreed to appear.”
The Isa-nim and I shared a bitter smile at the same time.
We had been played.
“We’ve been had.”
“It seems so.”
“Still, it’s a chance to boost the company’s recognition again.”
“I just thought of this, but I did manage to get something out of playing hard to get a few times.”
“What did you get?”
“I got them to give Earl Grey a special debut stage.”
“…That’s insane.”
The Isa-nim smiled as if impressed by the unexpected gain.
“How on earth did you negotiate a special debut stage? For us?”
“I just said what good would I be on the show and that I was too busy taking care of Answer, and they offered it themselves. As always, I have the call recorded.”
The Isa-nim’s expression was beyond surprised; she looked dumbfounded.
“Hello.”
I entered the office and greeted people. A few people looked at me with knowing smiles. It seemed they were all people who welcomed my promotion to director.
Were they worried that I, who had brought immense profit to JD Enter, might leave for somewhere else? Otherwise, there was no reason they would be pleased about someone not even in their mid-twenties becoming a director.
We headed to the Daepyo-nim’s office.
“But Earl Grey… they really can succeed, right? After we went through the trouble of getting them a grand special debut.”
“Trust my instincts. I’ll work them to the bone and turn them into money-making slaves overflowing with energy, a group that specializes in live events. I will absolutely make them succeed.”