Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Surprise Performance
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The karaoke track began to play, its melody muted. The audience frowned at the sound of a karaoke instrumental instead of a professional one.
“…What’s with the karaoke track…”
“…At least the melody is off.”
The members sighed at the cheap MIDI accompaniment. But as Min-jun’s voice flowed out, their disappointment vanished as if washed away.
♪♬
The holy city of Paris
In the age of the Almighty Lord
♪♬
“Whoa!”
The audience’s small gasps gathered and echoed, sending shivers down the members’ spines.
“Oh my god…”
“…That’s amazing.”
The members were completely taken aback by Min-jun’s voice, which was clear and pure, unlike his usual speaking voice.
“…His voice is insane.”
Yi-na and Seul-bi muttered, looking dazed, while Ro-si and Seol-ah silently agreed. The members and the audience held their breath, watching Min-jun’s performance.
The musical genre demanded more emphasis on facial expressions and atmosphere than standard vocals. People became increasingly captivated by Min-jun as he continued to sing, his eyes moist and filled with a lonely sorrow.
♪♬
The age of cathedrals has arrived.
Man, reaching for the stars,
Etched his story in glass and stone.
♪♬
As the song moved past the verse and bridge into the chorus, Min-jun’s eyes filled with a touch of madness.
And in place of the clear, lonely tone he had used until now, a heavy chest voice was added, unleashing a powerful belting technique.
The jaws of the audience, who had been disappointed by the cheap karaoke track, dropped open. Seol-ah, who had studied classical singing, was especially astounded.
The sound Min-jun was producing wasn’t just simple belting; it was layered over a foundation of the bel canto technique.
♪♬
For two thousand years—
♪♬
The song ended with a magnificent sound full of remorse.
“Woooow!”
The audience’s fervent cheers erupted, and the members felt a jolt so intense it made their vision blur.
“…Why is our manager so cool?”
“…Makes me want to be a fan.”
Yi-na and Seul-bi said, their eyes half-glazed.
***
The song was over.
“Woooow!”
My chest swelled at the audience’s cheers for me. The very cheers I would have heard every day if I had just followed a normal path.
A long-suppressed desire seemed to reawaken… but for the time being, at least, this was not the path for me.
[Name: Chae Seol-ah (Age 21)]
Favorability 71+2
Trust 73+1
[Name: Oh Ro-si (Age 19)]
Favorability 75+1
Trust 78+1
[Name: Lee Seul-bi (Age 20)]
Favorability 72+3
Trust 79+1
[Name: Shin Yi-na (Age 17)]
Favorability 81+2
Trust 89+1
[Achievement Unlocked: Successful Solo Stage]
The audience reacted enthusiastically to your passionate performance on a subpar stage.
Reward: 3pt
Total Assignable Points: 35pt
“Thank you for the cheers. Your applause feels like it’s healing the wounds of a difficult past.”
“You were amazing!”
The audience burst into laughter at someone’s shout. A corner of my mouth lifted when I realized that someone was Yi-na.
“Now that I’ve sung a heavy song, let’s go with something more energetic. Hit it!”
For the second song, I sang the trot number the event planner had wanted. Though it was the polar opposite of the musical song’s atmosphere, the audience’s response was through the roof.
For some proper fan service, I went down from the stage, and a group of excited middle-aged women stood up and started dancing with me.
Their excited hands reached for me, and by the time I came to my senses, my hands and pockets were stuffed with quite a few 10,000 and 50,000 won bills.
I decided to just be grateful…
After finishing the second song, I came down from the stage.
“Oppa, what on earth…”
“I’m just going to change my clothes first.”
After changing, I checked the tips I had received. Three 50,000 won bills and five 10,000 won bills.
A whopping 200,000 won.
I’d never imagined I’d get tips like this while performing at an event, so it was a refreshing shock.
“If you’re that good, why are you a manager? You should just debut.”
I received the promised performance fee from the beaming event planner and returned. I explained to the members the whole story of why I ended up on stage, but they all looked like they couldn’t believe it.
“Oppa, do you have some kind of superpower?”
“Seriously, you’re not just ‘good.’”
Yi-na and Seul-bi looked like they genuinely wanted an answer. It was a reasonable question to ask a manager who had dominated the stage like a musical lead.
“Because I spent over 20 years doing nothing but studying music like my life depended on it.”
“…Oppa, you’re the same age as Seol-ah Unni.”
I’d forgotten. That I’m 21.
“And it wasn’t just regular vocals. Bel canto and belting techniques…”
Even Seol-ah chimed in.
Truthfully, I don’t know anything about bel canto or belting. I just learned by watching the training my seniors received.
“It’s possible if you risk your life for it.”
“……”
Even I wouldn’t believe me.
But it’s not like I could say, ‘I’ve actually lived ten years longer than this.’
“I told you before, right? That there’d be a lot more surprises to come. You’ll be even more shocked once we officially start direction for the new song.”
“……”
After that, there were congratulatory performances by several other singers, but our members’ performance received a particularly enthusiastic response. It seemed that, surprisingly, many in the audience had seen their military concert tour video.
The atmosphere and feel of their choreography were perfectly executed, making it impossible to believe it was their first time matching with the new member, Ro-si. All four of them showed a stage presence so captivating that the audience swallowed hard, their usual selves nowhere to be seen.
The members’ eyes burned with a newfound confidence, and my own heart pounded to the beat as I watched Answer.
CEO Park Jae-yong’s stubbornness had forced them into ill-fitting songs and outfits, but the newly confident members transformed even those into clothes that suited them.
‘They’ve all grown so much.’
The applause they received when the performance ended left both the members and me feeling incredibly elated.
***
We returned to Seoul, returned the outfits, and went back to the company.
“Good evening, Isa-nim!”
“Right. Good work returning earlier than scheduled. The rest of you, head to the planning office. Min, you stay behind for a moment.”
As the members moved to the planning office, the Director looked at me.
“Did something good happen with the girls?”
“The response at the event was great.”
“It wasn’t that big of an event, though.”
The Director picked up on it immediately, even though the members weren’t being obvious.
“How much is left on the song production? You can meet the blind submission deadline, right?”
“Yes.”
“The CEO is also grinding his teeth and going all in this time. Today, after his airport schedule, he suddenly went to Jeju Island because a cheap ticket popped up.”
“Jeju Island?”
“He says he’s going to get musical inspiration while looking at the vast ocean.”
The Director chuckled as if finding it absurd.
I had to give it to CEO Park Jae-yong for his drive. Even if the ticket was cheap, going to Jeju on a whim like that… I couldn’t even imagine doing such a thing.
“If the CEO creates a song better than mine, that would be an even better outcome in its own way.”
“You and your words…”
The Director smiled, trailing off.
That was my honest feeling. Right now, the members’ success was more important than my song getting recognized. My real start would be after Answer succeeds.
Of course, that didn’t change my belief that my song would be better.
The Director and I went to the planning office.
The Answer members all shot up from their seats.
Huh? Lee Yoo-ah was here too.
“Sit.”
A warm smile, different from before, graced the members’ faces as they looked at the Director. The meal he had treated them to seemed to have had a big impact.
“I called you all because I think it’s time to tell you officially.”
The Director explained the Lee Yoo-ah x Answer project in detail.
Although they had already heard the news from me, hearing it officially from the Director’s mouth seemed to instill another layer of confidence in the members.
“So from now on, Answer and Yoo-ah should maintain a good relationship with each other.”
“Yes.”
“Once promotions officially start, you’ll have to appear on music shows together at least a few times. The plan is to mash up two different songs, so you’ll be promoting separately after that.”
As the details of the unprecedented promotional strategy were revealed, everyone nodded in anticipation.
“As luck would have it, Answer’s schedule has started to fill up quite a bit. In principle, you should start recording in earnest after your current activities are over, but I don’t think that’s what you want. Right?”
“Yes, Isa-nim.”
“Right. You have to strike while the iron is hot, make money while you can. But it’s going to be that much harder. Juggling schedules while practicing and recording.”
“We’re prepared for it.”
Seol-ah said, befitting her role as the leader.
“Good. If your schedule gets delayed, it will mess up the schedules for all the other teams in our company. You have to complete this project within the set deadline, no matter what.”
“Yes! We understand.”
“If this project fails, it’s not just Answer that goes down. The company has loaded up a lot to push you. We either live together or die together. Got it?”
“Yes! We understand!”
Lee Yoo-ah joined in, shouting energetically.
Seeing the usually taciturn Director oversharing like this made it clear that the company’s fate was riding on this.
“Answer, you’ll be taking new profile pictures next week, so take good care of your bodies.”
The members, who had likely eaten to their heart’s content during their break, flinched. There was a slight temperature difference between them and Ro-si, whose eyes lit up with joy.
“Seeing you flinch, I trust you’ll do well without me having to spell it out. The photos you take this time will last a lifetime.”
“Yeees.”
The members seemed to be experiencing a mix of happiness and apprehension.
***
The day of the profile photoshoot.
We went to a shop with the members to pick up their fitted outfits. Although they hadn’t even drunk water since the previous day to avoid bloating, they were all full of energy.
“No, Ji-yoo. Those clothes are for Answer.”
As soon as we entered the shop, my members and I frowned.
“…There are plenty of other clothes. Put them in something else and give those to me.”
“Answer is here, Ji-yoo.”
“…Those are Answer?”
My mood soured as she pointed at us with the back of her hand. She was so different from her kind on-screen persona. How could someone change their face so completely?
“Well, this works out perfectly.”
Click, clack.
Ji-yoo approached the members, her imperious bob haircut swaying.
“…Hello, Seonbae-nim.”
The members had no choice but to greet her. Savage Girls had debuted three years earlier and was one of the popular groups with top-ten recognition.
Moreover, they were one of the two girl groups my enemy, Gyeon Sang-jin, was pushing.
Wasn’t Ji-yoo 21?
Then she was the same age as Seol-ah.
“Yeah. It’s okay if I wear those clothes, right?”
“……”
What kind of nonsensical bullshit was this? On top of that, speaking so informally to her juniors right off the bat? Without even knowing Seol-ah’s age? She was really acting up, just as you’d expect from someone under Gyeon Sang-jin.
“These clothes have already been fitted, and we have a profile photoshoot today.”
“……?”
She raised an eyebrow, her expression asking who I was. I knew the entertainment industry had its share of scumbags, but experiencing it firsthand was truly baffling.
“I’m Answer’s manager.”
“…Hah.”
Ji-yoo scoffed and looked at Seol-ah.
“Hey, aren’t you going to answer?”
“We…”
“I said the clothes have already been fitted.”
I said, stepping between the members and Ji-yoo.
“Right. Ji-yoo. Let me show you the clothes that came in yesterday…”
“Unni. I’m asking them because it’s hard for you to say no. Do I need to call the CEO over for this?”
The shop’s manager tried to intervene but was met with stubborn refusal. What kind of power trip was this, trying to humiliate members who were about to make it big?
“How rude.”
“What? Was that directed at me?”
Ji-yoo flared up at my muttered comment, and at almost the same time, Seol-ah grabbed my arm.