Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Making Connections
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As I savored the pleasant atmosphere and the food, looking for an opportunity, a movement from another table caught my eye.
A man in his thirties pulled an LP from the display rack and brought it to the booth with a ten-thousand-won bill. A dark red aura flickered around him—he was clearly full of irritation.
♪♬
Letting you go… now
Like bidding farewell to a winter bird
♪♬
It was the same song that was playing when we first walked in.
Released in the 90s, it was a piece filled with the sentiment of the 80s. Despite its old-school feel, it was a song the entire nation knew, having appeared frequently on all sorts of audition programs.
“Huh? Isn't that a PD from KVM’s entertainment department?”
The director pointed out the very person I had been watching.
KVM was one of the two titans among general programming cable channels. It was the company behind ‘Best Idol,’ a program that had surpassed public broadcasters and that every singer wanted to appear on.
“You’re right.”
“…Should we go and greet him, then?”
Seol-ah asked CEO Park Jae-yong.
“No. You don’t do that here. It’d be different if they came to us first.”
“Understood.”
“But that PD’s expression… looks pretty sour, doesn't it?”
The CEO's TMI started up again.
This is usually when a surprise quest pops up.
In my ‘Third Eye,’ my ‘Sixth Sense’ was active, buzzing on the periphery as if a quest was about to pop out at any moment.
As if telling me to forge my own path.
“Hey, everyone. Isn’t this nice? You have to admit, this place is great.”
“Yes, it’s wonderful!”
“Yes! Absolutely!”
Seol-ah and Yi-na answered cheerfully, but Ro-si and Seul-bi looked strangely frustrated. That was another problem I needed to deal with soon.
“Even if you succeed and reach the level where you can come here, you should never look down on others…”
“If you do that, you fall into this elitist mindset. Everything I do is right, and others are…”
CEO Park Jae-yong’s TMT had started again. I casually ignored him and turned my attention back to the music booth.
I had to do something here.
The DJ placed the LP back in its original spot. Shortly after, the man they called the entertainment PD headed that way again. He was clearly planning to play the same song.
“Seol-ah!”
“Yes?”
The CEO’s words were cut off as all eyes turned to me.
“‘Too Painful a Love Was Not Love.’ Can you play it on the piano?”
“What?”
“It’s fine if you don’t know it. The sheet music is on the app. I’ll be right back. Seol-ah, follow me.”
“…What are you trying to do? Hey! Min-jun!”
I just gave the CEO another nod and hurried over to the man.
“Hello. I’m the manager for JD Enter’s new girl group, Answer. And this is our leader, Seol-ah.”
“Hello, PD-nim!”
Seol-ah, who had rushed over, bowed deeply.
The PD's face soured, as if asking if we didn't know the rules here.
“We’re really confident we can do this song well. May we sing it?”
“…What are you talking about…”
I nudged Seol-ah, and the quick-witted girl sang the opening line.
♪♩
Letting you go, now…….
♪♩
It was brief, but it was enough to showcase Seol-ah’s talent. I could see the color returning to the PD’s face as he stared into space, lost in thought.
“Can you really do it well?”
“Yes.”
“Wait a moment, then.”
The PD returned to his table, and I saw him briefly speak with someone.
“You have to do well. Give it a try. And are the others with you?”
“Yes. CEO Park Jae-yong, Director Lee Sun, and the other members are over there.”
As soon as the PD went back to his seat, Seol-ah grabbed my arm. Her large eyes were filled with distress.
“I don’t even know the lyrics that well!”
“Don’t worry. What do you think the app is for? It has the sheet music and lyrics.”
I checked that the condenser microphone, which required phantom power to work, was properly connected to the audio interface.
“Still, we haven’t even practiced, let alone rehearsed.”
“I’ll sing with you, so don’t worry. For the first verse, just play the piano. I’ll sing. Then for the second verse, I’ll play the guitar while you sing. Hurry up and get in tune.”
With a look like she was about to cry, Seol-ah tuned the piano while I checked the guitar.
The deep sounds of the guitar and the grand piano made me feel confident that this small concert would be a success.
Instead of paper sheet music, a phone displaying the chords and lyrics was propped up.
[Trait ‘Star Maker’ (A) has been activated.]
[Your synchronization rate with Seol-ah is increasing.]
[Seol-ah’s stats are temporarily boosted.]
Seol-ah shuddered and looked up at me with a strange expression, and then her pale hands began to form the chords.
♪♬
Letting you go, now
Like bidding farewell to a winter bird
♪♬
Along with the deep, clear melody of the piano, my voice echoed out, and one by one, the folding doors that had partitioned the space began to open.
Despite its many drawbacks, the one thing a condenser microphone did better than a dynamic one was its sensitivity, capturing even trembling breaths and creating a three-dimensional sense of space. I turned my back to avoid the sight of CEO Park Jae-yong craning his neck to see me.
It was a critical moment where I almost lost my emotional focus.
♪♬
Flowing from my eyes
The unspoken words, the love I miss
♪♬
The dynamic touch of Seol-ah’s fingertips transformed into the vibration of the strings, subtly filling the space.
Seol-ah became immersed in my vocals, and I in her piano.
By the time the first verse ended, all eyes in the room were on us.
“Hey, was Seol-ah always that good at the piano?”
“She showed it as her special talent during the audition.”
“That was a keyboard, not a piano. And our Min-jun, why does he look so cool?”
“…You said it was definitely just autotune.”
“Ah! You’re ruining the mood again.”
A small smile escaped my lips as I heard the CEO and the director bickering.
I gave Seol-ah a look, signaling for her to take the microphone. I took over the piano melody on my guitar, strumming the strings to build the intensity.
And then, Seol-ah’s vocals, filled with sorrow, burst forth.
♪♬
If only for today, like a memory of rain
At the scattered sea
♪♬
The PD rushed over to our table and started talking to the CEO about something.
The passionate strings of the guitar and the heartfelt emotion in Seol-ah's voice blended perfectly.
♪♬
A person in too much pain
Was not a memory
♪♬
The song ended with Seol-ah’s hollow breath scattering through the condenser microphone, as if everything had been burned to white ash.
“Ooh.”
Clap, clap, clap.
The small gasps and gentle applause were sweeter than the roar of a large concert hall.
Seol-ah looked at me with a complicated expression.
[Hidden Quest ‘Making Connections’ Objective Complete.]
Reward: An Influential Connection
* * *
“Our artists are insane. Sit, sit.”
CEO Park Jae-yong stood to welcome me back.
“Seol-ah, if you could play the piano that well, you should have said so more strongly.”
“Ah, well… it felt unusually easy today, for some reason.”
As Seol-ah was speaking, the PD approached us.
“You did a great job with the song I requested.”
The song he requested? Something was clicking into place.
“The Department Head would like to see you for a moment. Let’s go.”
“By any chance, do you mean Department Head Lee Joo-won?”
CEO Park Jae-yong asked, his eyes wide.
“Yes, CEO. The eldest son.”
“Hey! Get up, let’s go. Director Lee, you too.”
CEO Park Jae-yong straightened his clothes and hurried us along. Eldest son? Was he the chairman’s eldest son or something?
The PD led us to a space where five men in their forties and fifties, all dressed in suits, were seated.
“Department Head, this is CEO Park Jae-yong of JD Enter.”
“Well, well. Who in Korea doesn’t know Park Jae-yong? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
A handsome man who looked to be just over forty. He seemed a few years younger than CEO Park Jae-yong, but he spoke like a man in his fifties.
“Oh, thank you. Department Head, it’s an honor to meet someone so capable.”
‘Stats.’
Instead of stats, articles from the past and future detailing his achievements appeared in my Third Eye.
-Are All Third-Generation Chaebol Heirs Incompetent Parachutes?
-A Prime Example of Responsible Family Management Amidst the Chaos of Owner Risk.
-A Positive Influence in the Broadcasting Industry.
I couldn’t be sure how much of it was true, but he at least didn’t seem like the type to be publicly condemned.
“I enjoyed the song earlier. For such young people, you sing remarkably well.”
The word ‘young’ bothered me slightly, but it didn’t seem malicious. It seemed like the kind of common mistake made by people for whom the world revolves around them.
“Thank you.”
Though the praise was directed at the two of us, the CEO, the director, and all the members bowed their heads in thanks.
It felt demeaning, like we were groveling, but it couldn’t be helped.
Our JD was a small agency that had failed to go public and was on a downward spiral. The man before us, however, was a key figure in a massive conglomerate with a market cap in the tens of trillions of won.
“But really, it’s one thing for the singer, but how is a manager this good? I was so surprised, I thought you were a singer.”
“I’m aiming to work in album production and producing.”
“Ah… what a waste of good looks…”
“You’re too kind.”
“Haha. And you speak so politely.”
It felt reassuring to receive positive attention from such an influential person.
“Thank you for singing what I consider to be the greatest masterpiece so wonderfully. To be honest, I’ll even go out of my way to listen whenever that song is featured on a program.”
“Hahaha, that’s right. Our Department Head is a very sentimental person…”
The flattery came from men who looked at least ten years older than the department head.
“Back in the day, anyone with a pretty face could become a singer, but these days, you have to have a pretty face, a great body, sing well, dance well, play instruments well… you have to be a master of everything.”
The department head’s lament reeked of CEO Park Jae-yong.
“Anyway, even with all those talented people debuting and getting a lot of promotion, most of them end up failing…”
At the department head’s words, the Answer members gave a bitter smile. This guy was surprisingly tactless.
“In any case, I’ll be covering the bill today, so please enjoy yourselves as much as you like.”
“Thank you!”
He smiled pleasantly at our energetic response.
“The person who was singing earlier…”
“Is Chae Seol-ah!”
“Right, Ms. Seol-ah. You’re the main vocalist, right?”
“Yes.”
“Right… It would be interesting to have you on our show.”
In that instant, I felt a shiver run down my spine, and everyone else’s too. I had a strong feeling that the show he was talking about was ‘Best Idol.’
A top-tier variety program that even major agencies scrambled to get their artists on.
“Just give us the call, and we’ll work ourselves to the bone.”
The department head gave a kind smile at CEO Park Jae-yong’s words.
I had never seen CEO Park Jae-yong look so serious…
“Manager Kim, weren’t you putting together a rookie special?”
Lee Joo-won asked a woman with a classic bob haircut, a typical career woman. From the atmosphere, she seemed to be at the Chief Producer level.
“Yes, Executive Director. We're planning it to coincide with the launch of SJ's new rookie group.”
I felt our bodies, which had been brimming with joy, instantly stiffen. From the looks of it, we were about to walk onto a stage set at the request of Gyeon Sang-jin's SJ Enter.
‘This might actually be for the best.’
“Is the lineup finalized?”
“No. It’s still in the planning stages.”
“I’m not a fan of those shows that only promote one team. It feels so contrived.”
“Actually, we were thinking of adding a few teams to create a competition format.”
“Good. That would be entertaining. You know, vocals, rap, dance, special talents, things like that. The basics a singer should have.”
“That’s an excellent idea. PD Cha, you heard that?”
“Yes. It sounds like a great plan.”
The man who had been going back and forth with the LP bowed his head.
It seemed the original plan had been different, but a single word from the department head carried immense weight. I wondered if he’d take the credit if ratings were good and blame his subordinates if they weren’t.
I could almost feel the PD’s discomfort right now.
“Hahaha, I’m just very interested in idols, that's all. I really love idol vocals that reinterpret old sentiments in a modern way…”
“I never knew you had such a great sense for these things, Department Head. It feels like a bright light is shining on the future of our industry.”
CEO Park Jae-yong was laying on the flattery thick.
“Since we’re all here, I might as well assign the positions. Who’s the rapper?”
“!”
Damn it, bad timing. Of all times, it had to be before the issue between Seul-bi and Ro-si was resolved.
According to the current positions, I should have said Seul-bi, with her rap level of 75/80. But given the competitive nature of the situation, Ro-si, with her high potential of 70/91, had the advantage.
But the moment I chose Ro-si, Seul-bi, who was originally the rapper, would be devastated.
I agonized over it in the blink of an eye, but seeing Seul-bi about to nominate herself, I had no choice but to make a quick decision.
“It’s Ro-si!”
“!”
I had done it.
Seul-bi froze, her hand half-raised, and a look of utter bewilderment crossed her face. A moment later, the shocked eyes of the Answer members and the CEO turned to me.
But for Answer’s success, this was one of the hurdles we eventually had to overcome.