Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: A Lesson in Performance
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“I misjudged the situation, thinking I could perfect my vocals while expressing the detailed points of the choreography. That’s something you can only do once you’ve completely mastered it. I’m sorry.”
The Isa-nim, smiling gently, opened her mouth as if to add something.
“That's right. If this were a normal debut, it would have taken at least two months, even at the fastest pace. Mastering it in a few days is naturally impossible.”
A sense of relief washed over Ro-si’s face, which had been anxious with the fear of being scolded.
“The Isa-nim is right. I’m sorry for asking the impossible. Try again without the choreography.”
Ro-si sang again with clear and distinct diction. Her usual speech had a strange way of slurring, but it was nice that it disappeared when she sang.
It was better than when she performed with the choreography, but it wasn't without its problems. She was nearly perfect in the verse, expressing the emotions of a lively young girl, but when she reached the part with the sexy concept, the lack of change felt jarring.
To be more precise, Ro-si's hesitation and awkwardness with the sultry atmosphere were so pronounced that they even muddled the parts that had been good, like the verse and the bridge.
Park Jae-yong’s brand of over-the-top sexy concepts wasn't my personal taste, but the song had already been released. To promote it, she had to match the song's concept.
“Hold on.”
“…Yes.”
Ro-si seemed to know her own problem, as her reply was tinged with frustration.
“Do you remember what I said when I was helping you with the choreography?”
“…”
“A singer is also an actor on the musical stage. Once the stage is set, even if the role feels like clothes that don't suit you, you have to show confidence as if you're wearing the best outfit. If the singer feels awkward, the audience watching will feel awkward too.”
The auras of the Isa-nim and the female trainees wavered significantly. It was clear they'd gained some small realization from my words. Compared to the male trainees, who were simply reminded of it again, the impact on the female trainees seemed to be considerable.
The corners of the male trainees' mouths curled up, their eyes filled with anticipation.
You want me to demonstrate that sultry stuff again, like last time?
It seemed everyone was looking forward to a repeat of that day I showed Ro-si that sensual dance with a deadpan expression.
It's not difficult, so I'll show you one more time.
[The trait 'Star Maker' has been activated. Your stats are temporarily increased while coaching others. Your vocal tone changes to suit a female's song.]
♪♬
Today is the third day I'm meeting you
Will we meet again tomorrow, this little 'something' of ours?
Please understand my impatient heart, you fool
♪♬
My vocal tone had changed so much that if you didn't know, you might think it was a woman singing. I got goosebumps from my own voice and broke into a cold sweat for a moment, but I steeled myself.
I am an actor. I am the lead vocalist of a girl group who can perfectly pull off a sultry song.
♪♬
Should I make the first move? Ooh ah, ooh ah
Hot, hot, my heart wants you
♪♬
Even without the Third Eye and the system notification windows, I could tell what was happening. Everyone had a look of utter shock on their faces.
The demonstration was over, but unlike last time, there were no cheers or applause. Everyone just stood there for a few seconds, dumbfounded.
I looked at Ro-si with a calm expression, as if I hadn't just been singing. What Ro-si needed was the venom to crush her embarrassment.
[The trait 'Charisma' Lv 2 has been activated.]
“Ro-si.”
“Yes.”
Ro-si's listless reply.
“Have you already forgotten the desperation you felt a few days ago?”
“N-No.”
“It seems like you have.”
“I have not!”
Ro-si's soldier-like demeanor, as if she were in guerrilla training, seemed to snap everyone to attention.
“You saw Chae-ron quit not long ago, right?”
“Yes!”
“A first-generation trainee at this agency who trained for seven years. Do you understand how she must have felt the day she left?”
I looked not just at Ro-si, but into the eyes of every single trainee. The diverse auras they were each emitting wavered greatly as their eyes met mine.
“Chae-ron left to do a job where she'll have to clean up after trainees who are her juniors. Do you know how difficult a decision that must have been?”
Everyone's expression turned somber. I didn't bring up Chae-ron to belittle her. It was to sound a warning for these kids who needed to climb higher. I should probably drop off some coffee at the shop where Chae-ron works later.
“I'm not looking down on stylists right now. I believe the people who steadfastly hold their ground are the coolest.”
“…”
“Everyone dreams of doing what they love. But what I'm saying is, some people give up because they lack the talent, even if they want it desperately. And you're going to let your own talent rot just because you're embarrassed?”
As I spoke, my own past struggles overlapped with the present, and a subtle anger began to boil up inside me.
[The traits 'Star Maker' and 'Charisma' Lv 2 have been activated in conjunction.]
A sharp, chilling light spread from my body, filling the practice room. A few of the trainees with weaker spirits trembled.
[The trainees are stirred by your presence.]
“If the role you're given is a poop-slinger… then you perform with the mindset that you wouldn't be embarrassed even if you took a dump in front of the audience. Still can't do it? Then quit before you take the role.”
[The hearts of everyone in the practice room begin to beat faster.]
[Everyone has been consumed by your charisma.]
[The trainees' favorability and trust in you have increased dramatically.]
[Ro-si's favorability and trust in you have increased by +5.]
[Name: Oh Ro-si (Age 19)]
Status: Moved, Firm Resolve, Tense
Favorability 72
Trust 74
[Lee Sun's favorability and trust in you have increased by +5.]
[Name: Lee Sun (Age 32)]
Status: Moved, Breathtaking, Relieved
Favorability 71
Trust 72
[Lee Sun's favorability and trust in you have surpassed 70.]
[From now on, Lee Sun will see you without prejudice or doubt.]
* * *
The female trainees were gathered together, replaying the events of Ro-si's evaluation just moments ago.
“Whoa… how can a story about poop sound so cool?”
“I thought it was just me.”
“That teacher is so handsome, and he's an amazing speaker too.”
“'If you don't want to poop, then quit!' So badass.”
“He made eye contact with me. It was insane.”
“You too? Hey, me too! Hehe.”
As the trainees chattered among themselves, Ro-si's feelings grew more complex. She was filled with self-reproach for having disappointed him with a similar problem twice.
‘I have to be relentless. How could I waste this chance I was given? From now on, I'll be truly relentless!’
Ro-si vowed to herself multiple times that she would not forget what happened today.
“The Witch seemed to be flustered too, right?”
“Right, right? I wasn't the only one who saw it, was I?”
“You don't think they're in a relationship, do you?”
“Does that even make sense? There's a ten-year age gap.”
“You never know, he's capable. Besides, she's still pretty even though she's older.”
Ro-si flared up at the trainees' words.
“You guys should stop talking about people behind their backs.”
“Huh? It's not like we can say it to her face. We're saying it because she's not here.”
“That's right, Unni. If we can't say it in front of her or behind her back, when can we say it? Saying it to her face is actually terrible manners.”
Ro-si got more than she bargained for.
‘Kids these days don't know how to fear their seniors. When I first joined…’
Nineteen-year-old Ro-si began to worry that the world might be ending soon.
* * *
“Why are you following me instead of going home?”
Our paths just happened to align; I wasn't actually following the Isa-nim.
“I was curious about Yoo-ah's work.”
After a moment of silence, the Isa-nim spoke again.
“Min-jun, have you considered being a trainer?”
“I'm already doing it.”
“Not like that, I mean a professional trainer. For both vocals and choreography.”
“…”
When I first asked her to let me do it, the Isa-nim was subtly against it. But that was before she had seen my abilities…
“Of course, you'd need additional training. You have a good sense for it and have grasped the key points from the other teachers, but there's a difference between the training idols receive and learning how to teach them.”
“…”
“If you want, the company can consider investing in it for you.”
I thought about the Isa-nim's offer for a moment.
However, to lead Answer not just to ordinary success but to a massive hit, being a simple in-house trainer had its limits.
The chances of achieving my goal were higher if I could manage their every move up close. Just having the ability and financial backing wasn't enough to make Answer the world's top K-pop star.
“My goal isn't to be a trainer, but an executive producer.”
“…”
The Isa-nim pursed her lips into a small 'o'.
“In fact, I'm working hard on something for a blind test right now.”
“…Right. You did say you also compose.”
I remember the look in the Isa-nim's eyes.
She felt sympathy for my situation, but at first, she didn't take my words seriously. It was only natural, in a way, that she found it hard to believe someone my age, twenty-one, could possess nearly every talent of an entertainer.
But just as the system notification said, it seemed the Isa-nim's doubts about me had all but vanished.
“The guide track will be finished within a few days.”
“Already?”
“Listen to it then, and if you think it's good, there's something I'll need your permission for.”
“Alright, then. Let's talk again then.”
We arrived at the studio. Through the window, I could see Daepyo-nim Park Jae-yong grooving to the music.
“Hello.”
“Min-jun, welcome~”
Daepyo-nim Park Jae-yong, a harmony of old and new. His main persona was that of an old-timer, but he secretly tried to use slang like the younger generation.
“Please stop trying to use slang. It's awkward.”
The Isa-nim said with a look of discomfort.
“Isa-nim Sun. This is all part of my desperate struggle to keep up with the trends. Ah, the pain of creation...”
The Daepyo-nim pressed his temples like he had a headache. It wasn't funny at all. I wanted to tell him to stop being so childish.
The Isa-nim sighed, her lips sealed.
“Where's Yoo-ah?”
“Yoo-ah went to write lyrics.”
“Where to?”
“To the cafe just ahead. But why?”
“I was just thinking of listening to the song she's working on.”
“That's what I was just listening to. Want to listen together? It's better than you'd think.”
Daepyo-nim Park Jae-yong offered the Isa-nim a seat.
“May I listen as well?”
“Hey, hey. Isn't Min-jun our JD's jewel? Of course you should listen.”
It was true that I had contributed, but he was laying it on so thick it felt awkward. My Charisma trait seemed to be working overtime.
“The arrangement isn't even finalized yet, but she stayed up all night recording the live session herself. I threw some simple drums on it, and it's quite listenable.”
The music played. The sweet sound of an acoustic guitar, likely played and recorded by Lee Yoo-ah herself, rang out.
If there's one thing that makes an unfinished song better than the final version, it's that the irregular empty spaces make it sound live, as if it's being performed right in front of you.
It's the same principle as using a doubled track (live vocals added to the AR) for a live-like lipsync performance.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Daepyo-nim Park Jae-yong stopped the track.
“The world has gotten so~ much better. Back in my early days, we didn't have this digital stuff. To get one decent recording, I had to go all the way to a studio in America, you know? I'd book it over the phone and pay the fee, but sometimes I'd get scammed. And when the recording was done, they'd give you exactly two master tapes. If you lost those, the song you made was dead and buried, wasn't it? I'd send one by express airmail and hold the other one tight to my chest, thinking, 'Even if I'm shot and killed, I won't let go of this tape…'”
The Isa-nim, who seemed to have been patiently enduring the Daepyo-nim's rambling, finally spoke.
“Daepyo-nim, you're from the MP3 generation. What are you talking about, not even CDs…”
“…Isa-nim Sun, you don't know what you're talking about. Even CDs aren't the original sound source. To record in the original format, you'd need dozens of times the capacity of a CD. You get the master tape and then digitize it.”
Even so, was the sound quality of a master tape really that much better? A WAV file that fits on a CD should be more than enough. Of course, I know that lossless audio files can be gigabytes in size…
I had my doubts, but there was a gap of over twenty years between the Daepyo-nim's era and mine, so even if he was lying, I had no way to prove it. And since he was the expert, if he insisted, that was that.
“Anyway, enough of that. Let's just listen.”
“Alright! Hold on. I forgot about that, but it just came to mind. I should use this as training material later.”
Daepyo-nim Park Jae-yong diligently typed a memo on his phone. It seemed he was planning to finish his story for someone else later.
The man was truly incorrigible.
♪♬
The intro started with a body hit, tapping the body of the guitar.
The rich resonance from the quality wood brought a smile to my face.
Lee Yoo-ah had changed the song in the way I'd advised. A calm beginning that builds up to a passionate emotional climax and release.
“It sounds good with just the guitar and drums, doesn't it?”
“Well, I taught her. She's my student.”
“How long has Yoo-ah even been learning? She was always a talented kid.”
“Sseup! Are you going to keep doing this in front of Min-jun?”
The Isa-nim spoke with a deadpan expression.
“Sixteen mil—”
Daepyo-nim Park Jae-yong gave her a look that said, 'Let's not talk about the monitor speakers.' The Isa-nim, who had stopped with a sullen look, spoke again.
“Be honest. You have other uselessly expensive things, don't you?”
“No! I don't! What expensive things? And I told you, those speakers were cheap! There are ones that cost 30 million won…”
In other settings, the Isa-nim was always polite to the Daepyo-nim. But when I was around, she showed a particular chemistry with him, like they were siblings.
By the way, isn't this chair expensive too?