Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Coaching and Composing
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We arrived in Gurye County, where Seol-ah’s family lived.
“Whoa… I thought it was the boonies, but they even have apartments?”
Seol-ah bristled at Seul-bi’s comment.
“It’s a town, you know?”
“Pfft! So proud of a town, not even a city!”
I couldn't help but laugh at the strange face Seul-bi made. I remembered how the members were at first, so anxious it was like they were walking on thin ice. A warm smile spread across my face seeing them so full of life now; it was hard to believe they were the same people.
“Get some good rest. And make sure to keep in touch.”
“Thanks, Oppa!”
“You get some rest too, Oppa!”
After a final, still-awkward nod from Seol-ah, I drove off.
Back home, I deposited the two million won the Director had given me into my investment account. I wasn't going to live this life sentimentally, clinging to the meaning of my parents' mementos.
This two million won would grow into tens, then hundreds of millions, becoming another weapon to tighten the noose around Gyeon Sang-jin's neck.
I finished my shower and drank a glass of cool water. A surge of energy rose from deep within me.
“Time to get to work.”
With Answer on vacation, I had one too, and it was the perfect opportunity to build the framework for the song.
I’d have to go to the company a few times to coach Ro-si, but for the next few days, I could dedicate myself entirely to songwriting.
Many people have a huge misconception about songwriting. They imagine a genius composer creating a masterpiece in minutes, struck by a sudden bolt of inspiration.
‘All just hype.’
That image was solidified by the exaggerations of a tiny fraction of makers and a few others who wanted to boast about their genius.
The reality of composing is the manual labor of mastering—balancing clichés that instantly catch the ear with a touch of inspiration. That spark of inspiration, which people assume is the bulk of the process, is really just the motivational melody that gets the whole thing started.
Music, just like movies, needs a narrative structure, and there are such things as “money chords.” In modern idol pop, making a song is more like a grind—programming MIDI track after track until you find a combination that sticks. Of course, that’s not to say someone without talent can produce a good song.
I opened my composition software and looked over the tracks I’d collected. They were all things I’d made when inspiration struck, but looking back, many of them weren’t that great. In some cases, tracks I’d painstakingly forced into existence sounded better.
I chiseled away at the unfitting parts, building up the lines until the arrangement started to feel satisfying.
‘What! He put automation on the filter?’
‘No way! He dropped the slope and added resonance with the Q value?’
‘He created a clear distinction to make the listeners feel a dramatic shift?’
‘Damn! This insane variation! Did you really do this?’
I could already picture Park Jae-yong’s over-the-top reaction to my final product.
* * *
My eyes opened.
♪♬
The satisfying tracks I had completed yesterday replayed in my head, and I hummed along, feeling good.
I’d always been confident I could surpass Park Jae-yong’s song, but as the pieces came together, that confidence grew even stronger.
Knowing the direction Lee Yoo-ah’s song should take, it wasn’t that difficult to create a good combination. If I knew the lyrics, I could nail the concept perfectly.
I’d have to subtly probe Yoo-ah about it. If the concept wasn’t set yet, I could offer my own idea.
I arrived at the company.
“Min-jun-ssi, why are you here?”
The Director was, as always, impeccably dressed.
“I’m here to check on Ro-si’s choreography and do some vocal correction.”
It wasn’t the Director but the office staff who looked surprised at my words. Their faces seemed to say, ‘Youngest roadie, what are you talking about right now?’
“You’re working hard. Mind if I watch?”
“Of course not. You’re the one with the final say.”
The Director and I went down to the practice room together.
“Has the manager resignation issue been fully resolved?”
“Yes. A manager who quit a while ago has been rehired, and Chief Ji will be handling things on-site while we recruit new people.”
That was a relief. I had been worried I’d be too busy to work on the song.
“By the way, what happened with Sung-hoon? He asked for you to be his manager.”
I thought of Kim Sung-hoon’s baffled face when he’d ignored me, and a small smile escaped my lips. He was certainly an honest person, free of pretense.
“…I did prevent a live broadcast accident from happening. Yes, I did.”
“…Is that so?”
The Director didn’t press further and simply nodded.
“Do you want to manage Sung-hoon?”
A cold sweat broke out on my back. My top priority right now was putting Answer on the path to success.
But the problem with company work is that it’s not a system where you can do what you want and avoid what you don’t.
When a superior gives an order, you follow it.
“It’s an honor to be in charge of a popular artist, but… I’d like to focus on making Answer a success first. After all, I was the one who proposed the Mash-up Project.”
If it came down to it, I could use the persuasion item I’d earned as a reward. But I didn't want to waste it on something like this…
“…I was just asking, but you look so serious. Besides, he occasionally has acting schedules, so it would be too much for you anyway.”
“Ah… yes.”
I got to save my item, but it felt strangely bittersweet. I could handle the actor side of things just fine.
Was she trying to provoke me?
JD Enter didn’t have a dedicated department for actors yet. I wanted to be the one to propose establishing it someday.
“Hello!”
It was one of the male trainees who had acted as an audience during Ro-si’s last coaching session. He’d been bowing respectfully to me ever since that day.
[Name: Choi Yoo-jun (Age 20)]
Status: Depressed, Lethargic
Vocal: 69/73
Dance: 71/72
Composition: 35/81
Musical Ear: 82/93
Piano: 77/84
[Job Aptitude]
Idol: 67/73
A&R: 78/92
He was one of the talents I was keeping an eye on, a priority for me to rescue. Especially that last stat, A&R.
A&R was a production field that was difficult to master with specialized training alone. You needed a musical ear on par with a composer’s and a sense for overarching cultural trends to dress an artist in a fitting concept.
If nurtured properly, he could become one of the elite who would work tirelessly in my place when JD Enter grew bigger.
“Yoo-jun-ssi. Sorry to ask, but could you call the male trainees to the ASMR room?”
“Yes! Of course, Manager-nim!”
Even though he was the one being asked for a favor, he seemed happy rather than annoyed. I felt a sense of satisfaction.
My coaching of Ro-si must have left a very good impression. The Starmaker and Charisma traits must have played a part too.
As Choi Yoo-jun went to gather the male trainees, the Director tilted her head, looking at me with curiosity.
‘Are you really a rookie? How are you so natural at all this?’ That was probably what she was thinking.
Ro-si’s eyes widened when she spotted us.
“Good morning.”
Ro-si bowed politely to me and the Director.
“Ro-si. Let’s see your progress.”
“Yes!”
The trainees gathered in the ASMR practice room.
Ro-si seemed nervous with fifteen people watching, but having experienced similar pressure before, she looked determined to do well.
I had the male and female trainees sit on either side of me and the Director, who were in the center.
“…Good idea.”
I knew the Director’s nonchalant comment, spoken with her arms crossed, was high praise.
As the beat filled the practice room, Ro-si’s expression grew powerful. Her choreography began, exuding confidence.
Although she was dancing alone, her movements and gestures across the stage made it feel like she was performing with the other members, giving the dance a three-dimensional quality.
“…She really gets the key points. Did you teach her about eye contact separately?”
“Yes. The cameras and the audience are on the sides, too.”
“…You’re better than most dance instructors.”
The Director said with a wry smile.
“It’s thanks to learning from a good one.”
“Who?”
“YJC-saem.”
“Ah… she is pretty good.”
“Yes. She was the one who shattered my preconceptions about dance.”
“How so?”
“That it’s not just about memorizing and copying. I realized that completing a choreography requires a lot of artistic deliberation. Of course, there are those who specialize in copying.”
That teacher had once lamented to me that while many choreographers strive to express a narrative artistically through their work, in reality, they were like homeless people in the hallways of broadcast stations.
I saw that reality for myself during Answer’s first broadcast schedule. The thought that my respected teacher might have been sitting on one of those floors somewhere was deeply unpleasant.
Ro-si’s dance was reaching its climax.
“Still, it’s impressive that you remember everything you learned and can teach it again, Min-jun-ssi. Not everyone can do that.”
I could feel from the Director’s words that her trust in me had grown significantly.
From experience, I knew I needed a favorability or trust level over 70 for the system to show details, and I felt like I was getting close.
The choreography ended with Ro-si in a final pose, her arms wrapped around an imaginary Seol-ah’s neck. With her seductive gaze, so different from her usual self, Ro-si looked like a completely different person.
[Ro-si's Dance stat has increased by 1.]
“Whoa.”
The small gasps of awe from the trainees combined to fill the practice room.
Clap, clap, clap.
The male trainees, who remembered seeing Ro-si being scolded while she learned, gave a heartfelt round of applause, impressed by her changed aura.
It was clear Ro-si had practiced incredibly hard. As her instructor, it was a very satisfying sight.
“Thank you!”
Ro-si bowed deeply in all three directions.
“Good. Ro-si, you’ve changed a lot.”
Ro-si’s face lit up at the Director’s words.
For Ro-si, who had received harsh criticism from the Director not long ago, this must have been the best possible praise.
“Have you practiced your vocal part? You’re the lead vocal, so you know the verse is important, right?”
“Yes… Manager-nim gave me the materials…”
Ro-si’s expression became somewhat cautious. I had a feeling it was about the very problem I was thinking of.
“Min-jun-ssi, you can start.”
“Yes.”
For Ro-si, having me direct her seemed to be an even greater pressure than being told what to do directly.
“Try singing while you do the choreography.”
“What? Ah… yes.”
Confusion flashed in Ro-si’s eyes. It looked like her mental fortitude needed more work.
“…Have you not practiced singing and dancing at the same time?”
“…I’ll try.”
Most of the trainees gathered here were junior to Ro-si. She had to overcome this pressure.
It would be difficult, but to be the best, she had to do it.
The MR track began to play, and she started the choreography.
♪♬
Today is the third day I’m meeting you
Will we meet again tomorrow, this thing between us
Please know my anxious heart, you dummy
♪♬
The start of the verse and the choreography was smoother than I expected. But once she moved past the verse, Ro-si’s confusion began to show. The unfamiliar choreography and vocals started to fall out of sync.
As the chords changed and Park Jae-yong’s concept of emphasizing inner passion emerged, Ro-si’s fumbling reached its peak.
♪♬
Should I make the first move, ooh-ah ooh-ah-
Hot, hot, my heart wants you-
♪♬
Ro-si’s face was on the verge of tears. I silently stopped the MR.
All eyes turned to me.
It was true that Ro-si needed to overcome the pressure of many eyes, but that didn’t mean she should be humiliated in front of trainees junior to her.
Once self-esteem is shattered, it’s hard to recover. Now was the time to build her confidence up.
“I’m sorry. Ro-si, you adapted so quickly that I got a little ahead of myself.”
Ro-si and the other trainees looked at me with expressions that said, ‘What is he talking about now?’ while the Director crossed her arms again, looking amused.