Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Producer's Chair
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-I swear, I never did anything like that! This is… right! It's a false accusation! A false accusation!
“But there were seven other trainees there.”
-Aaargh! Why are you doing this to me!
“You were messing with us.”
-What?
“I'll text you the conditions for dropping the lawsuit. It's your decision.”
-Do you realize this is a crime? Treating an innocent person like a criminal?
He should be begging on his hands and knees, and instead he's trying to piss me off?
“I don't know if it's a false accusation or not. I'm just going by what the witnesses said, so you decide what to do. And I hear you went to SJ Enter?”
-…
“If you do debut, I'll be sure to cheer for you.”
I could almost feel Lee Seung-hoon flinch at my last words.
I hung up and composed a text message.
-Conditions for dropping the lawsuit:
1. Drop the lawsuit against Choi Yoo-jun by tomorrow morning.
2. Record a three-minute video apology to the victim of the sexual assault and send it to me, his manager, by the end of today.
3. Come to JD Enter and apologize to the trainees and Director Lee Sun for your disrespectful behavior that caused them distress.
If the above conditions are not met, we will proceed with the lawsuit through our law firm as planned.
After sending the text, I headed to the studio for part distribution and directing.
I can't just let these punks who've had it easy get away with it.
* * *
“Alright, my dear artists. Are you all ready for part distribution?”
“Greetings, Chief Producer!”
CEO Park Jae-yong entered the studio, and the members greeted him with the utmost respect.
“Pretend I'm not here and get started.”
the CEO said, settling comfortably at the end of the sofa. He'd only ever heard my finished tracks; he'd never seen me work the equipment, so he was probably curious.
“Seol-ah, you'll be co-directing with me.”
“Co-directing?”
“You have a good ear, Seol-ah, so let's exchange some ideas.”
I led Seol-ah to the assistant engineer's seat.
“Whoa. Our Seol-ah is moving up in the world, huh?”
It seemed to put a little swagger in Seol-ah's shoulders.
“Seul-bi, you're up first. Sing parts 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11.”
“Yes, sir, Producer!”
Seul-bi said with a grin, but her tone was all business.
“Oh, right. You're having them sing every part before you assign them?”
“Yes. The song was tailored to Seol-ah's maximum vocal range, so there will be others who are better suited for the mid-tones.”
CEO Park Jae-yong crossed his arms and nodded.
♪♬
The night begins again
But time is short
♪♬
Seul-bi's voice filled the room, starting with Verse 1, the lead vocal part. She moved through Verses 1 and 2 and into the bridge, where the range climbed higher.
♪♬
You, who smiles at me.
Time will never come back
♪♬
The part that had felt somewhat effortless in Seol-ah's guide track now produced a full, powerful sound as Seul-bi pushed the limits of her range.
Seol-ah nodded and spoke up.
“It definitely has more weight to it than when I sang it.”
“It's an easy mid-range for you, but for others, they have to strain, almost screaming to hit it. That's how greats like Choi So-ri do it. They masterfully blend their nasal, head, and chest voices to give the entire song a rich, full-bodied feel.”
“I see... But how do you seem to know more than our vocal coach, Producer?”
“Because I learned from a good teacher.”
“I'm jealous…”
What's there to be jealous of? That great teacher is sitting right next to you.
“You'll learn fast, with a little scolding.”
“Scolding?”
“Haha, my boy Min-jun knows me so well.”
Seol-ah jumped, startled, as the CEO's face suddenly popped up beside them. She thought he was still on the sofa.
“Don't you worry. This chief producer will teach you everything. When it comes to vocal techniques, I...”
Just then, the recording for the designated parts up to number 11 finished.
“Okay! Let's do parts 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 now.”
-Yeees.
“Hmm... Let's talk about that later.”
I cut off the CEO.
Trying to instill bad habits, is he?
So many talented vocalists end up with the wrong teachers, ruining their vocal cords and their careers.
Some coaches teach without really knowing what they're doing, while others fail to recognize individual differences, forcing only the methods that worked for them.
“I knew a junior who met a terrible trainer... forced him to scratch his vocal cords, calling it 'head voice'!”
As I was speaking, someone flashed into my mind. He was one of the greatest talents I'd ever known, but his life was ruined by severe vocal fold nodules.
I'd been so focused on Answer that I hadn't been properly utilizing my knowledge of the future.
Since it's still far in the future, I think I can save him too.
“Why are you smiling? Did he end up ruining his voice?”
“Hmm, he almost did, but I think I'm going to save him.”
“?”
Seol-ah shrugged, clearly confused, then pointed me toward the recording booth.
Inside, Seul-bi was looking at me with an awkward smile, as if to say, 'I'm still here, you know.'
Finally, it was Yi-na's turn.
She passed the verse and reached the pre-chorus, where heavy drums built the atmosphere.
♪♬
My love is waiting for you
In this short darkness
Hold me
♪♬
Yi-na was so immersed, reaching out a hand with a sorrowful expression. But her voice was far too cheerful for such a sad song.
Finally, the other Answer members couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
“Pffft!”
“Heheh.”
“Don't... laugh. I'm trying my best.”
Even as I shushed the others, I had to fight back a smile of my own.
Yi-na was still deeply immersed in her emotions.
♪♬
Dance for me
Dance with you all night
♪♬
Oblivious to the commotion outside, Yi-na was still the star of her own movie, and everyone in the control room had to laugh until their stomachs hurt.
And so the song ended.
“Ahem! Good... work. You can come out now.”
Yi-na emerged from the booth, looking pleased with herself.
-Wow! I think I really nailed the vibe that time!
*Cough!*
A heavy silence fell over the room.
“…Why the long faces? Are you mad? I thought I did pretty well...”
“Haa…”
Starting with CEO Park Jae-yong, who threw his head back with a sigh to hide his laughter, everyone covered their faces with their hands.
Then, they all rubbed their faces, pretending to be exhausted.
“I know you're tired, but still. The youngest is recording, and you're all dozing off. I'm so disappointed in you guys.”
The only one who didn't know what was so funny was Yi-na.
Yi-na, I'm sorry. But it really was hilarious...
And so, Seul-bi's powerful voice, Ro-si's clear and resonant voice, and Yi-na's bright and cheerful voice were all recorded, each radiating its own unique charm.
The monitor was filled with vocal waveforms from the three members' takes.
I applied a standard set of effects evenly across all the tracks.
The sharp waveforms were compressed and tidied up, adding balance and a sense of space.
“Wow, Assistant Manager Min-jun, your skills are really something else. A true professional!”
Even though I was only doing the most basic mixing, CEO Park Jae-yong praised me as if it were something miraculous.
It seemed he still couldn't completely shake his doubts, even after hearing the music I'd made.
I gathered the Answer members and played the tracks for them.
From the monitor speakers, I played the takes in order: Seol-ah, Seul-bi, Ro-si, then Yi-na.
The same instrumental played, but with different vocals layered over it.
“Alright, everyone close your eyes. I want you to honestly raise your hand for who you think is best. No peeking.”
“For this part, if you think Seul-bi is better, raise your hand.”
“For this part, if you think Ro-si is better, raise your hand.”
CEO Park Jae-yong was distractingly raising his hand too, but I ignored his vote and only tallied the members' opinions.
Especially when Yi-na's part played, everyone's cheeks puffed out as they tried to stifle their laughter.
“Hahaha! This is hilarious!”
I worried that CEO Park Jae-yong's giddiness might negatively influence the members' judgment.
If Director Lee had been here, she would have kicked him out immediately.
*Whoosh!*
The studio door swung open, and I felt a rush of air.
“Daepyo-nim! You have a schedule, what are you doing here!”
“Ack!”
CEO Park Jae-yong shot up.
“If you're going to leave it to Min-jun, then trust him.”
“It's not that, it was just so entertaining...”
The studio door closed, and their conversation could no longer be heard.
“Sigh.”
The Answer members let out a small sigh.
“But honestly, deciding it this way feels so much better. Even though Seol-ah unni is an amazing singer, some parts felt like they were floating, but now they feel so powerful, you know?”
Yi-na said, doing the Zero Two dance with her shoulders instead of her hips.
Was she happy because she thought she'd get more parts?
*Bzzz.*
The sudden vibration of my phone.
It was Lee Seung-hoon's apology video.
* * *
Lee Seung-hoon stood in front of Director Lee Sun, the trainees, and Choi Yoo-jun.
“I apologize for causing such a disturbance. I failed to debut because I wasn't good enough, but I took my frustration out on innocent people and made everyone uncomfortable. I am truly sorry. I am especially sorry to Director Lee Sun, who watched over and guided me for so long.”
Lee Seung-hoon bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle.
“I was anxious that I wouldn't be able to debut. Please forgive me.”
“Alright. Make sure you succeed, wherever you end up.”
At the director's coolly delivered forgiveness, Lee Seung-hoon's head bowed even lower. He looked thoroughly ashamed.
*Click, clack.*
The director exited the studio, her heels clicking charismatically on the floor.
Lee Seung-hoon couldn't raise his head until the sound of the director's heels stopped.
“There's still one more thing.”
“…Choi Yoo-jun, I'm sorry.”
Lee Seung-hoon apologized with a resigned look on his face.
“I don't know why you're suddenly apologizing, but...”
“...”
“I understand because I was in the same situation as you, hyung. But let's not blame others. Sorry for biting you.”
“...”
At Choi Yoo-jun's mature-beyond-his-years words and sarcastic apology, Lee Seung-hoon's face filled with self-loathing.
*Knock, knock.*
All eyes turned to the sound of a knock on the practice room door.
Seol-ah, looking effortlessly radiant, opened the door.
“You called for me?”
Lee Seung-hoon's eyes widened like saucers when he saw Seol-ah.
“It's for the interview route. You need to look busy, so could you hang out here for a bit?”
“Okay.”
Seol-ah went to the mirror and warmed up.
Lee Seung-hoon stared at me with wide eyes.
“You said she was in the hospital...”
“She recovered today. Why? Did you want her to stay in bed?”
Instantly crestfallen, Lee Seung-hoon's head dropped.
“…No.”
Lee Seung-hoon shook his head, a bitter smile of relief on his face.
Choi Yoo-jun finally seemed to realize what was going on and shot me a smirk.
* * *
“Thank you so much. I can finally breathe a sigh of relief, thanks to you.”
Choi Yoo-kyung held out an envelope.
“I felt I had to show my gratitude. Please, buy yourself a nice pair of shoes or something.”
You shouldn't judge a person by whether or not they give you a gift, but I could sense Choi Yoo-kyung's kind nature.
“My goal is to completely bury Gyeon Sang-jin and leave him a beggar.”
“What?”
At my out-of-the-blue declaration, Choi Yoo-kyung's pupils trembled.
“When I finally bring Gyeon Sang-jin to his knees, I'll be wearing the shoes you bought me. I'll accept this gratefully.”
Choi Yoo-kyung left with a bewildered face.
“Hyung, what did you just say?”
Choi Yoo-jun asked with a serious expression.
You'll find out soon enough just how much of a bastard Gyeon Sang-jin is.
“A lot of people have been hurt by Gyeon Sang-jin. I haven't known you long, but I trust you.”
“Ha, haha. I'm not sure what you mean, but thanks for thinking so highly of me. Hehe.”
Grow strong, Choi Yoo-jun. Grow strong and become a reliable ally.
“Hyung, but aren't you going to open it?”
“…”
Since he said that, I couldn't just put it in my pocket.
I opened the envelope.
Six gift certificates... for 500,000 won each?
“Whoa! They make 500,000 won gift certificates?”
“...I've never seen one either.”
Three million won seemed like too much for what I did. Should I buy a pair of designer shoes for the future? Or maybe a proper suit? I'd have to think about it.
“Starting today, I'm Choi! Yoo-jun!”
“Ah, Yoo-jun. Seeing you like this feels different.”
CEO Park Jae-yong said, trying to sound dignified as he extended his hand.
“It feels different for me, too.”
“We usually only hire managers who've completed their military service. You're our second exemption, you know.”
“You were exempted for a herniated disc yourself, Daepyo-nim.”
The CEO's face soured at the director's comment.
“...Anyway, you may be starting from the bottom, but if you do well, hmm? We'll raise your salary. Promote you quickly. And give you hefty bonuses! So work hard.”
“Yes, sir. I'll do my best.”
We left the CEO's office, his pride clearly wounded by the director.
“You know the CEO doesn't mean any harm, right?”
“Yes, Isa-nim!”
“Good. Just stick with Assistant Manager Min-jun.”
“Yes, I will!”
Choi Yoo-jun bowed deeply to the director as she headed back into the CEO's office.
“Yoo-jun, you should always have something to take notes with from now on.”
“Yes, Assistant Manager!”
There was something a little chilling about being called by a formal title at the tender age of twenty-one.
“When it's just the two of us, call me hyung. The formal title gives me the creeps, kid.”
“Yes, yes!”
Choi Yoo-jun's face looked flushed.
Even though he'd failed to enter the entertainment world he'd dreamed of, seeing him like this meant he must have prepared himself for this outcome long ago.
We headed to the practice room where the Answer members were gathered.
“Artist Chae Seol-ah, Artist Lee Seul-bi, Artist Oh Ro-si, Artist Shin Yi-na. Greetings! I'm Choi Yoo-jun, and I'll be assisting Team Leader Min-jun!”
“Huh?”
“Yoo-jun oppa is a road manager?”
The faces of the Answer members, who had known Choi Yoo-jun for a long time, were filled with surprise.
Your individual schedules will be picking up soon, and it's not like I can clone myself.