Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: The Missing Guide Vocal
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“Hold on a second.”
“…Why? Is it strange?”
“No. By any chance, Yoo-ah, are you good at English?”
Lee Yoo-ah took a moment to gauge her English skills.
“…Just enough to barely understand if someone asks for directions and give a simple explanation.”
“Your pronunciation is decent, right?”
“…I don't think it's bad.”
Funnily enough, most people in music have excellent pronunciation, even if they can't speak English well. I don't know what the connection is between musical talent, oral structure, and the language center of the brain.
Most talented vocalists, when they sing, have pronunciation as good as a native speaker or someone who's lived abroad for over a decade.
“Let's write the lyrics for this entirely in English.”
“What?”
“The Daepyo-nim studied abroad, so he's good at English. We can just ask him to correct any awkward parts at the end. It would be even better if you know any native speakers.”
Lee Yoo-ah tilted her head, a bewildered expression on her face.
“Trust me on this. With a little polishing, this song has a style that could work overseas.”
I wasn't sure if it was because of the 'Star Maker' trait or my own intuition, but I was confident it would be a hit even in the mainstream market.
But I could also understand why Lee Yoo-ah found my words hard to believe.
Let's get a bit more detailed.
“This is just my opinion, but... the chorus comes right after the verse. I think it would be good to refine this part.”
“Huh?”
“Let's connect the awkward part with a bridge here. A bridge that builds up crescendo-style, making the chorus explode right from the start. Hold on.”
I picked up the guitar that was standing nearby and played the melody that came to mind.
♪♬
*Twang. Twang twang.*
The effect of the 'Star Maker' trait was undeniable. It was a melody so satisfying that anyone who heard it would break into a smile.
“Quick, record this. I'm a bit weak on the keyboard.”
“Yes!”
My family was on the poorer side when I was young, so I never learned to play the piano. I tried to practice later when I started learning composition, but my hands were already stiff. Early training was crucial for the piano.
After that, it was practically impossible for me to skillfully play the melodies in my head on a keyboard. Instead of the convenience of playing a master keyboard and saving directly to the computer, I had no choice but to take the cumbersome route of playing the guitar and then painstakingly inputting the notes.
Lee Yoo-ah hurriedly played the keyboard, filling in the part that would become the bridge.
“……”
After she finished saving, a look of bewilderment was etched on Lee Yoo-ah's face. She must have felt how much better the song had become.
“…Do you know how to compose?”
Lee Yoo-ah's voice trembled slightly.
“…Keep this a secret from the Daepyo-nim and Isa-nim.”
I said, putting down the guitar.
“Why? You seem like a total pro…”
“I mentioned it during the audition before, but they were sarcastic, asking if I was some kind of jack-of-all-trades. And didn't I mention it to you briefly, Yoo-ah?”
“…That's crazy. Why don't I remember that?”
Lee Yoo-ah's tone had subtly changed. After saying it, I thought back and realized I probably hadn't told her in this lifetime.
“Anyway, don't say a word.”
Lee Yoo-ah swallowed hard.
“…I think I have to tell them. Actually, the project we're doing this time…”
“I'm the one who proposed that project. The mashup with Answer.”
“!”
Lee Yoo-ah gasped, truly shocked.
“…Then that time, too…”
Her cheeks flushed as she seemed to recall the time she was about to make a surprise declaration to me in the parking lot.
“Do you also know about the blind test for Answer's song?”
“…No.”
At my question, Lee Yoo-ah shook her head as if she wasn't even surprised anymore.
“I was worried it would turn out all sultry again if we went with the Daepyo-nim's stubborn choice, so I set up a competition through the Isa-nim. To pick a good song, including outside submissions.”
‘…Incredible.’
Lee Yoo-ah's lips parted without her realizing it.
“Of course, I'm going to participate in the competition too. Once the top line is finished, I'll talk to the Isa-nim first and finish the song here in this studio.”
“…I see.”
*Tiring.*
[Lee Yoo-ah's favorability and trust towards you have increased by +5 each, with a 30% bonus applied for achieving Charisma 1/3.]
Name: Lee Yoo-ah (Age 20)
Favorability: 70+5/99
Trust: 59+5/99
*Tiring.*
[Achievement Unlocked. Captivator of Hearts 2/99]
Reward: 1pt
Total: 22pt
[Inspired by you, Lee Yoo-ah's Composition ability increases by +1.]
Composition: 83+1/93
Lyrics: 91/97
*Tiring.*
[Achievement Unlocked. Giver of Epiphanies]
You have raised another's stats without using stat distribution points. You have become a good mentor in another's life.
Reward: 'Charisma' trait 2/3 achieved.
People meeting you for the first time will not be able to disregard you.
The changes in Lee Yoo-ah's expression harmonized with the flood of information windows popping up.
Her gaze was one of adoration.
This is a bit dangerous.
Seeing Lee Yoo-ah like this, I felt I had to get out of there before things got awkward.
“Like I said before, try to connect the chorus smoothly with the bridge. It'll flow much better.”
“…Okay.”
Normally, Lee Yoo-ah would have said thank you, but she seemed quite shocked by the fact that I compose.
“If I get a chance later, I'll help you touch it up a bit more, though maybe not a full arrangement.”
“Okay.”
She still had a dazed look on her face.
“Well then, see you later.”
“Okay… Wait!”
Lee Yoo-ah called out to stop me as I was about to leave.
“The song has changed so much all of a sudden, I think the Daepyo-nim will ask about it. I'm not good at lying.”
Lee Yoo-ah looked cute as she spoke with a tearful expression.
“In that case, just say you know someone from SoundCloud named Beat Room.”
“Beat Room?”
“It's a name I made up, meaning something like 'second life'.”
“Okay. And also… my mom really wanted me to tell you to stop by for a meal sometime.”
“That's right. Is your mother doing well?”
“Yes.”
The favor Lee Yoo-ah felt for me was dangerous, but I deeply missed the taste of a 'mother's' home-cooked meal.
***
Just as I was about to head back, the Isa-nim called for me.
When I got to the office, the Isa-nim was pacing around with a flustered and angry expression.
“Two of the managers just handed in their resignations. We're about to have a schedule fall through.”
“Is that why I don't see the Siljang-nim?”
“Yeah. He went to fill in for another road manager, and another problem popped up. I need you to put in some extra work today.”
The Isa-nim pulled up a male artist's profile on the monitor.
“It's Kim Sung-hoon from Dope Scale. Today's the live broadcast of 'Legend Vocal,' and at a crucial time like this…”
It seemed there was a separate, internal profile, different from the one I saw on my first day.
If the external profile was a portfolio and concept, the internal one was packed with extremely private details that could be called the artist's secrets. For a moment, I felt a strange sense of being one of the company's key figures.
Kim Sung-hoon was the main vocalist of the company's only cash cow, a boy group. He was getting older, so it was a stretch to call them a boy group anymore, but he was still JD Enter's most prized artist.
*Tiring.*
[Main Quest 'JD Enter's Cash Cow' Updated]
Save JD Enter's only cash cow.
Reward: Random Gacha, 3 Distribution Points
On Failure: JD Enter's deficit will increase.
It was the first time a random gacha had appeared.
On top of that, getting three distribution points meant this was a very important task. If the deficit of our already struggling company grew, I would go down with it.
“I'll make sure you get plenty of overtime pay.”
The Isa-nim looked apologetic, knowing I was supposed to be on vacation with Answer. For a second, I imagined Team Leader Park's "screw you" expression.
“It was Team Leader Park's people, wasn't it?”
“Huh? That… could be.”
Only then did the Isa-nim seem convinced of the connection to Team Leader Park.
***
-This is Min-jun, from Answer's team. I'll be handling Artist Kim Sung-hoon's schedule today. I'll be arriving shortly, so please be ready.
I sent the text from a taxi.
Today's schedule was for a vocal competition program where legendary masterpieces were reinterpreted.
The problem was that it was a special live broadcast for 'Youth Day,' with the theme 'Don't Be Sick, Youth!'
It was a special episode featuring an all-star lineup of past popular contestants, so the competition was bound to be fierce. It was obvious that the agencies were already engaged in a power struggle behind the scenes. For all I knew, there might be team leaders, or even department heads, on standby.
It was clear that Gyeon Sang-jin and Team Leader Park had timed this incident perfectly to screw over JD.
I recognized the destination at a glance. A black Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, one of only two the company operated, was parked there.
I could see Kim Sung-hoon anxiously clutching his phone, and two people who looked like his exclusive stylist and makeup artist also seemed on edge.
He was almost thirty, but he was well-maintained enough to keep up a pretty-boy concept—a handsome idol.
“…Ah, shit, why isn't anyone picking up!”
Kim Sung-hoon, who made eye contact with me, spun around. He didn't seem to recognize me.
It was only natural that a popular artist, too busy to even sleep, let alone come to the office, wouldn't know who I was.
“What kind of road manager is this, a road manager…”
“I'm Min-jun, from Answer's team.”
“Yeah… huh?”
He, who had been muttering to himself on the phone, trailed off in surprise.
Kim Sung-hoon kept complaining the entire time I was driving. His frustration seemed to be contagious.
“Tell me what the problem is.”
“…Agh. This isn't something a rookie road manager can handle! Only the Siljang-nim or the Daepyo-nim would know what to do.”
With three managers, including Team Leader Park, gone at once, it seemed to have caused major chaos at JD, which had a small staff pool. Kim Sung-hoon was frantically making calls, but it didn't look like anyone was answering.
Judging by the annoyed expressions on the stylist's and makeup artist's faces, he must have been taking his frustration out on the wrong people.
Even though I was a new road manager, he was speaking to me informally right off the bat. All in all, he was a guy who made a bad first impression.
I slammed on the brakes.
*Screeeech.*
Kim Sung-hoon, who wasn't wearing his seatbelt, lurched forward.
“Ugh… What the hell, why'd you stop?”
All three of them looked at me, startled.
“Shouldn't I at least hear the problem before deciding if I can solve it or not? And please, put on your seatbelt.”
“Ha! Haaah…”
Kim Sung-hoon, who had been sighing, chuckled as if in disbelief and said.
“Fine. I'll explain, rookie.”
From the phone Kim Sung-hoon was operating, the arranged instrumental of a rock ballad that had swept the 2000s began to play.
“See. The arranged track I'm supposed to sing on the live show today was on here.”
Kim Sung-hoon said, tapping the back of his phone with his finger.
“…It's playing right now. So what's the problem?”
Kim Sung-hoon let out a deep sigh, dropped his head, then lifted it again.
“It's just the MR, there's no guide vocal. The manager and the guide vocal disappeared at the same time! That bastard deleted it!”
I finally understood his problem.
It was a famous song, but with the addition of a new EDM dance synth, the overall progression of the song had changed. So, even if he knew the original, it was impossible to sing along with just the MR track.
It was like a regular person having to sing a song that wasn't their go-to, with only a live instrumental, no lyrics, and no guide melody.
“You've sung it on the show before, haven't you?”
“Hey! I'm not a genius, how am I supposed to remember everything? And you must be a rookie, so you wouldn't know, but if you have the guide playing in your in-ear, you can pretty much sing anything…”
So he was relying on the guide vocal from his in-ear and hadn't practiced at all?
“So… the problem is that you haven't practiced enough, and now you have to perform live today, is that it?”
I teased him a little, finding his attitude outrageous.
“…Yeah.”
“If the lyrics are the problem, there's a prompter, isn't there?”
“It's a live broadcast, what prompter?”
Kim Sung-hoon trying to act like he wasn't embarrassed was amusing.
“Isn't your previous performance on Tube or any music sites?”
“It was deleted at the copyright holder's request, that's why this is a problem. Do you think I'm an idiot? You think I didn't even look for it?”
If I hadn't been here, the humiliation dealt by Gyeon Sang-jin's crew would have been broadcast live.
The only people in our company who could handle this problem were probably me and CEO Park Jae-yong.
“Let me see your phone for a second.”
“…What for?”
“Just give it to me.”
“…Wow, this is insane. Heh.”
Kim Sung-hoon held out his phone with a scoff. The moment I took it.
[Trait Sixth Sense Activated]
A black and white video played in my third eye.
⁝
Kim Sung-hoon singing, drenched in a cold sweat.
The look on Kim Sung-hoon's face as he realized his vocals were off-beat with the instrumental. And then, the sight of him collapsing on stage.
The scene in chaos.
Kim Sung-hoon opening his eyes just a slit, meeting the camera's gaze, then quickly shutting them again—a major disaster.
⁝
Is this… a vision of what will happen in the future?
I found myself clicking my tongue, but my heart pounded at the system's incredible ability.
He should have practiced beforehand. The live show is today, and he's just now freaking out because the guide vocal is gone?
I closed my eyes and listened to the MR from beginning to end, imagining a suitable progression.
[Trait Star Maker Activated]
Kim Sung-hoon grumbled from behind me, but it didn't get on my nerves.