Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Beat Room
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Episode 35.
I left the studio and went to a cafe where I thought Lee Yoo-ah might be. Among the ordinary people gathered there, one person stood out.
With earphones in her ears and her black hair swept to one side, Lee Yoo-ah was sketching notes onto a sheet of staff paper.
Though she wore light makeup and plain clothes, surrounded by the aroma of coffee, Yoo-ah had the air of what you might call a music school goddess.
For the first time, I thought Lee Yoo-ah looked cool. Others seemed to share my sentiment, as several gazes drifted her way.
I’m glad you’re happy. Let’s keep this winning streak going and crush that bastard who’s your enemy, too.
As I approached her, those gazes intensified.
“…Huh?”
Spotting me in front of her, Yoo-ah removed her earphones and smiled brightly.
“What brings you here?”
“You have to eat something delicious for inspiration to strike. What kind of cake do you like?”
“Anything is fine, thank you… except for green tea cake.”
I ordered coffee and a tiramisu.
“A little sugar helps the brain work better.”
“Thank you for the food! And I changed the progression like you suggested last time, and it’s so much better.”
“I was just listening to it on my way here.”
“Ah… you listened to it with the Director. It was just a rough recording of the session, so it must have sounded strange.”
Despite her feigned modesty, her face showed she was hoping for a positive reaction.
“Not at all. It was amazing. In fact, I thought it would be great to record it with that kind of live feel.”
“Really?”
The faint light emanating from Lee Yoo-ah seemed to grow a little stronger.
“Yes.”
“Actually, aside from the 12-string steel and the mid-range electric guitar, I was planning on recording the rest myself.”
“I’m looking forward to it. You said you came here to write lyrics. How’s that going?”
“Since the progression changed, I’m thinking of tweaking the vocal melody a bit. I’m working on the melody guide now. And just like you suggested, Seonbae-nim, I found someone to help change it to English. Turns out there was a native speaker close by.”
I ran through the profiles of our company’s trainees in my head.
I had forgotten about Ro-si.
“You know Ro-si?”
“Ah! You knew?”
“A manager should know the basics about the idols in his agency. It’s not like we’re a major label with hundreds of them; there are only fifteen.”
Ro-si’s maximum potential for rap was a staggering 91. Once she reached it, she’d be able to smoke most of the wannabe underground rappers who’d gotten too big for their britches.
For a rapper, being able to put your own lyrics on a beat was practically a requirement. Beyond flow and rhyme, you had to pay close attention to the message you were conveying to be acknowledged. With her comprehensive linguistic skills and knack for wordplay, Ro-si was certain to produce great results.
“I’m sure Ro-si will come up with a brilliant adaptation.”
“Yes. I knew it the moment I saw her humming along to a song she’d never heard before. If the work turns out well, I’m planning to give her a writing credit.”
Lee Yoo-ah’s overall abilities were as impressive as mine, so she would have recognized Ro-si’s true talent.
“You could have just paid her a flat fee, but you’re quite generous, Yoo-ah. She couldn’t have complained even if you just put her name in the credits.”
“Oh, that’s a given. Besides, if my song doesn’t succeed, it might pay less than freelance work. Though I hope that won’t be the case.”
Even if you owned the copyright, the money only came in if the song was sold and played. If people knew how many copyright holders earn less than ten thousand won a year, their fantasies about music would be shattered in an instant.
“And speaking of Ro-si, I just had an idea. What about adding a simple rap part where the drums come in? I think it would make it much more trendy and sophisticated.”
It was a spontaneous thought.
The rap that would go into Lee Yoo-ah’s song could also be included in Answer’s track, serving as a bridge connecting two completely different songs.
A fresh attempt that no one had ever tried before.
A mashup in the truest sense of the word.
“I’ve never tried rapping before…”
“Do you know which idol skill improves the most with training?”
“Rap?”
“Yes. Things like freestyle rap are nearly impossible unless you’re born with it, but rapping a few bars over a beat is something anyone can do with practice.”
“…Do you really think so?”
“Yes. Trust me and give it a try. I’ll help you become a proficient rapper.”
The way Lee Yoo-ah blinked her eyes seemed to say, ‘How on earth are you going to do that?’
* * *
Fighting off drowsiness, I watched as the effects were applied to the final track. The loading bar announced it had reached 100%.
“Done!”
I had completed the work to the best of my laptop’s ability. To make it richer, I would need various plug-ins from the composition software and better equipment, but that was impossible on my computer. I was itching to let the Director hear it.
The song’s concept and the entire song form were already in my head. If I just had a studio, I was confident I could finish the final touches in no time.
First, I should get some sleep. I had pulled an all-nighter, eager to finish, and the price for it was now coming due all at once.
Now I can finally sleep in peace…
“…”
When I woke up after a deep sleep, my body felt heavy. It wasn’t the refreshing feeling you get after sleeping just the right amount.
Anxiously, I turned on my phone.
Five in the afternoon…
I turned my laptop back on and exported the completed guide as a digital file under 10MB.
*Sshhaaa.*
I started the shower with the track playing.
Just as writers polish their first draft over and over until the final revision is complete, composers must also look at their songs with an objective eye.
After a certain amount of time has passed since creating a song, the creator’s perspective fades and the listener’s emerges, allowing you to notice awkward parts that were invisible before or to think of a better progression.
Some people are satisfied with their first draft, but they are likely amateurs or severe narcissists.
Either that, or true geniuses.
But I’m not that kind of genius. Not yet, anyway.
If I raised all my potential abilities with the system, I might become one, but the stat points I was accumulating now were barely enough to invest in the members of Answer.
Water droplets on the speaker shattered from the vibrations of the sound. Seeing that, a line of lyrics that could be the tipping point came to mind.
By the time I arrived at the company, it was nearly seven.
Had Isa-nim already gone home? Even if she had, I was planning to call, explain the situation, and ask for permission to use the studio. Fortunately, she was still at the company, and I played her the music I had made.
“This sounds pretty good even with just the MIDI. The hook comes in right from the start.”
“Yes. It’ll have to be a little different for the music video, but for the audio track, I want the hook to hit right away.”
Isa-nim looked at me with a questioning gaze.
“…Min-jun, are you Beat Room?”
Her unexpected question made my expression falter.
“…How did you know?”
“Just a hunch.”
That’s too sharp for just a hunch. She couldn’t have had any real clues.
“You seem pretty close with Yoo-ah.”
“Not at all. We were just at the same agency, and it was a shame to see her talent go to waste, so I just gave her a little advice.”
“…Is that so? Well, that’s a relief. You know about the no-dating clause in the initial contract, right?”
“…I’m not idle enough to be dating. Don’t worry.”
“Right… They’re such fools, really.”
Isa-nim’s words came out of nowhere.
“Who is?”
“SJ, I mean. Why on earth did they do that to you?”
Her roundabout compliment made me feel good.
“Thanks to that, I was able to meet you, Isa-nim, who was my childhood idol. I’m truly happy about that.”
I expected her to scoff, but Isa-nim showed no particular reaction.
“And now?”
“Pardon?”
“It was only when you were a kid, but not anymore?”
she asked, her face expressionless.
“When I was young, I only saw your looks and your manufactured concept image. But now, I respect the deep person you are underneath that exterior.”
“…Well, respect is a bit much. It just makes me sound old.”
If there were more people like her in the industry, artists and fans would be able to lead more enjoyable lives.
*Zzzz.*
Isa-nim’s phone rang.
“This is Lee Sun from JD. Yes, hello, Director… Yes, of course! When would be a good time…? Yes, that day is possible.”
Isa-nim answered the phone in a sweet tone, different from how she spoke to the trainees.
“Yes. Then shall we have our people get in touch today? Yes, understood. Thank you, Director Jang. Yes, take care.”
Hanging up the phone with an excited voice, Lee Sun looked at me with a smile.
“Any good news?”
“Yeah. Maybe it’s thanks to your video last time, but we’re starting to get schedules.”
“Really? So you mean more than one?”
“Yep. That was the CEO of an advertising agency. He wants to shoot a commercial next week. That makes three in a month.”
It seemed the video from the performance for the troops had garnered quite a bit of attention. I hoped the members, who were no better off than charity cases, would finally get paid next quarter.
* * *
I was heading to the studio with Isa-nim.
“There’s no way we can keep you using the studio a secret from the CEO forever. How about you just tell him honestly and ask to use it?”
“From what I’ve observed of him, both inside and outside of JD… the CEO has too much pride.”
“…”
“If he finds out I’m the composer before he’s truly won over by the music, I don’t think it will end well, one way or another.”
Isa-nim, who knew the CEO’s personality well, nodded as if she couldn’t argue.
“Then what should we do? I know most of the CEO’s schedule, but he’s the type to suddenly show up at the studio, saying inspiration struck.”
I suddenly remembered the incident with the monitor speakers.
“So that’s why he was getting up from the studio sofa last time…”
“Yeah. He says inspiration struck, but according to the security team, he’s usually just sleeping. It might just be one of his quirks when he drinks.”
Isa-nim said with a bitter smile, and her smile was contagious.
“If I get caught, I get caught. In any case, we decided to do a blind test.”
Isa-nim thought for a moment, then looked at me.
“…I have a good idea.”
“Yes?”
“I’ll just tell the security team to call me if they spot the CEO.”
“I’d be grateful if you could do that!”
“That’s nothing… Still, our CEO is a better person than he seems. Don’t hate him too much.”
“Pardon? Why would I hate him? He’s a man who made a huge mark on the Korean music scene.”
CEO Park Jae-yong was the type to wear out those around him, so he wasn’t exactly someone to be respected, but he was undoubtedly a big shot.
And more importantly, if Isa-nim was saying this much, there might be another side to him behind his childish demeanor.
“But you really know how to handle everything in the control room, right?”
Considering how much money must have been invested in the studio, it was natural for her to be concerned.
Given the company’s size, a B+ grade studio would have been appropriate, but they had built an A+ grade one that would make even the wealthy major labels envious.
If she didn’t have a high level of trust in me, she would never have let me use it.
“Isn’t that why you’re coming with me now, to see me handle it?”
“Right. No need for words.”
Isa-nim smirked.
Entering the studio, I turned on the power for each piece of equipment and began the setup.