Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Twist
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The CEO’s office at SJ Enter.
Gyeon Sang-jin, Jang Jin-gu, and Park Seong-cheol, all seething at the very mention of Min-jun, were gathered in one room, watching his interview.
“Why is he on here?”
“That’s what I’m saying. It looks like he’s trying to ride the coattails of Fire Emblem’s influence.”
“The insolent bastard.”
Gyeon Sang-jin, who had been listening intently to Min-jun’s interview, scoffed.
“Team Leader? After how long? Park Jae-yong has really lost it, promoting a punk like that to Team Leader.”
“Haha. They must be in chaos now that I, the one who even handled their engineering, am gone.”
Team Leader Park Seong-cheol, Answer’s former manager, said with a laugh.
“More importantly, why are the JD kids involved in a show we’re sponsoring?”
“I’ve already had a word with Director Hwang about it.”
“Did he say he’d drop them from the lineup?”
“It was our request, so it’s a given, isn’t it? They were probably kicked out crying before the preliminary meeting was even over.”
“Hmph. Serves him right. He should have come when I called.”
The three of them shared a vile smile.
“And he said he’ll send over our Your Girl’s recording files separately, so we just need to receive them, tune them up nicely, and send them back.”
“Hmph! Of course. Our girls have to look their best.”
“Come to think of it, Auto-Tune has gotten pretty good, hasn’t it?”
“Oh? Is Director Jang at a level where he can pretend to know a thing or two now?”
“Hey now, I’m just the dog that’s picked up a few tricks from the master, Hyung-nim.”
“Puhahaha.”
*Vzzzt.*
Director Jang looked at his phone, his expression brightening even more.
“It’s Director Hwang now. I’ll take this call.”
Gyeon Sang-jin nodded as if to tell him to answer quickly.
“Ah, Director Hwang Beom-seok…”
-About JD’s Answer.
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
A look of confusion appeared on Director Jang’s face, which had been smiling as he answered the phone.
-I was going to exclude them if possible, but it looks like we’ll have to keep them for now.
“…Is that so?”
-Another group that was suddenly added to the lineup had to drop out, so things got a bit tricky.
“If that’s the case, we could have our Savage Girls…”
-No, no. If we do that, people will complain that we’re favoring one agency too much, and it would actually be bad for Your Girl, too.
“…Then I suppose it can’t be helped. That’s fine. But the editing is still your call, isn’t it, Director? Please make sure our Your Girl gets plenty of screen time… Yes… Shall we have a drink sometime soon, then? Yes. Take care.”
“…Why the long face?”
Sensing that things had gone awry, Gyeon Sang-jin asked. Director Jang replied with a troubled expression.
“Well… he says Answer is staying in the lineup.”
“What? Why!”
“…Director Hwang didn’t explain exactly why.”
“What? Is he trying to milk this from both sides?”
Gyeon Sang-jin flared up.
“No, sir. That wasn’t the vibe I got. He said he’d give our girls some nice camera angles instead.”
“Ugh.”
Gyeon Sang-jin, his face full of annoyance, started scrolling through the contacts on his phone.
***
“Just give it a listen.”
“……”
CEO Park Jae-yong went around, placing headphones on each person one by one, asking what they thought of the hook he’d made.
“You came all this way just to show this off, didn’t you?”
“What’s wrong with that? It’s not like we’re strangers.”
The lively bass line layered over a heavy drum beat was more than enough to serve as a hook.
“It’s a great hook, isn’t it?”
“Right? You think so too, Assistant Manager Min? Heh.”
At the CEO’s words, I saw Director Ji’s expression harden slightly.
The headphones moved to Ro-si.
“Min-jun, can I see you for a moment?”
The Director, who had been watching Director Ji’s actions, looked away as if it was nothing to be concerned about.
I followed Director Ji outside for a moment.
“Have a smoke.”
“No, thank you. I don’t smoke.”
“Good for you. I quit too.”
What was he trying to say?
“No matter how small a company is, there’s still a system.”
A system? In our company?
“Assistant Manager is a position that takes at least two years to reach, no matter how fast you are. I think it’s natural to get promoted quickly for doing a good job, but I’d like you to be respectful to your seniors.”
Had I done something arrogant?
Suddenly, the memory of Team Leader Lee bumping into my shoulder came to mind.
“Understood.”
“Good. Let’s go back in.”
He was too resolute and hardworking to be dismissed as a simple man, second only to the Director.
I knew I wasn’t the warmest person.
The thought that someone was watching me in this goddamn game—or whatever this world was—naturally wiped the smile from my face. Still, since joining JD Enter, I had been gradually learning to live like a human again.
“What did you talk about? You’re back so soon.”
“Ah… I was hoping to bum a smoke, but he doesn’t smoke.”
Was he being serious? His excuse was so plausible that even I was confused.
CEO Park Jae-yong’s headphones moved to Seol-ah.
Taking advantage of the short break, I opened Tube to the page with my interview.
I’m only human, so I was curious about the reactions.
Lured by the Fire Emblem clickbait, countless people had clicked on the interview. 350,000 views in just one day.
-Ooh, he’s kinda handsome?
-The clickbait is insane. He was probably just a trainee. What’s all this about the final debut lineup?
-He just lost in the competition, that’s all. Stop pretending to be close with our oppas.
-He probably couldn’t sing or had no charm. No grave without an excuse.
-His visuals are S-tier, why did they drop him?
-His voice is nice too. Seems like a bit of a waste.
-If he was so talented, why become a manager? He could’ve just debuted with another group.
-ㅋㅋㅋ A manager? He’ll be debuting soon, I bet.
↳ For real, this is obviously viral marketing lol
-So is he saying he sings better than our Sung Ah-jin, the main vocal? If you got cut, you should stay quiet. Why create such discourse?
↳ Dude, it’s discord, not discourse.
↳ lol discourse.
↳ You morons, people can make mistakes.
↳ And you all know how to spell perfectly?
↳ LMAO who got cancer? Must be a cancer character.
↳ It’s not ‘cancer,’ it’s ‘know-it-all.’
↳ Ugh, a grammar nazi.
↳ If you don’t know how to spell, look it up before you type.
Watching the comments devolve from favorable to negative, and then to an argument over spelling, I closed the window with a bitter taste in my mouth.
My immediate goal wasn’t my own debut. Whether they criticized or praised me didn’t matter.
“I forgot. Why didn’t you tell me you did an interview? I was surprised when we suddenly started getting casting calls.”
The Director, who had just glanced at my interview video, spoke up.
“I didn’t know they’d upload it right after the interview.”
“What should we do about the casting calls?”
I had my promise with reporter Shin Dong-min, and I didn’t think making appearances all over the place would be beneficial for me or Answer anymore.
“Please turn them down if they call again. I think it’s better to maintain a good relationship with reporter Shin Dong-min than to create a bunch of shallow connections.”
“Select and focus… I like it.”
CEO Park Jae-yong’s self-congratulatory show-and-tell of his song was over, and we began our meeting in earnest.
The CEO, seemingly uninterested in eating, had put his headphones back on and was tapping at the keyboard.
His expression was so serious that Yi-na giggled and whispered to Ro-si.
“Hehe, it clashes so much with the fishy smell.”
“…The Director is watching.”
Ro-si warned, glancing at the Director, but Yi-na, who had already burst out laughing, just tapped her forehead.
Director Ji sighed as he watched Yi-na.
“Ahem… Since Seol-ah plays the piano well, how about something simple where she sings while playing the keyboard?”
“You’ve brought up the concept, so why don’t we think on it a little more?”
The Director said in response to Director Ji’s suggestion, trying her best to preserve his dignity.
♪♬
*Hmmmm, hmm-hmm.*
♪♬
CEO Park Jae-yong, oblivious to our serious mood, was humming loudly.
He didn’t seem to think we could hear him.
Through my third eye, I could see the CEO’s keyboard and mouth glowing with a strange color.
Could the answer to our problem be right there?
While everyone else was contemplating Seol-ah’s performance concept, my attention was completely focused on CEO Park Jae-yong’s hands and mouth.
[Trait ‘Star Maker’ activated.]
My senses grew sharper.
Repeat… and repeat… and repeat again.
CEO Park Jae-yong was playing the same chords over and over.
The 1st, a major E♭.
The 3rd, a G7 secondary dominant leading to the 6th.
Resolving to the 6th, a Cm7, then descending to E♭/B♭.
The 4th minor, A♭ to A♭m.
The sound of the keyboard didn’t leak out, but the melody and mood came to me as if I were playing the chords myself.
It was a 1-3-6-4 chord progression, a darker version of the 1-5-6-4 progression known as a money chord in songwriting.
The unstable-feeling melody seemed to evoke the loneliness, alienation, and even self-loathing that the vocalist would portray.
♪♬
*Hmmmm, hmm-hmm, hmmmm.*
♪♬
CEO Park Jae-yong’s sorrowful humming stopped.
He tilted his head as if thinking, ‘Is this not it?’ and began to play the same chords again.
♪♬
*Hmm-hmm! Hmmm? Hmm-hmm?*
♪♬
They were the same chords, but the vibe of his humming was completely different.
“Ah!”
A sudden realization made me clap my hands together with a *smack*.
“Ah! You scared me!”
“What was that all of a sudden?”
“What, what! What is it!”
The Director, Director Ji, and Choi Yoo-jun all spoke at once, and everyone’s gaze, except for the CEO’s, was fixed on me.
An irrepressible smile spread across my face.
“I’ve got it.”
“Got what? What’s the great idea that made you clap?”
“I’ll show you when the CEO is done creating.”
The Director watched CEO Park Jae-yong, lost in his own world in a neighborhood seafood restaurant, with a look of exasperation.
Finally, unable to stand it any longer, she straightened her skirt and stood up.
“…At this rate, it’ll be tomorrow.”
The Director tapped CEO Park Jae-yong on the shoulder.
A little startled, he took off his headset with an annoyed expression.
“Ah! What! You’re going to make me lose my inspiration!”
“Your singing is too loud. Everyone in the restaurant can hear you.”
When the Director spoke with a serious expression, the CEO’s face instantly changed to one of apology.
“Oh, was it? Sorry, sorry!”
Everyone held back their laughter at the sight of the CEO looking genuinely sorry, as if he had disturbed the whole neighborhood.
It had been a little distracting, but it hadn't been loud enough to be heard outside our room.
“Since you’re done, could I borrow the keyboard for a moment?”
“Huh?”
The clueless CEO’s keyboard was passed to me.
[Trait ‘Star Maker’ effect added.]
[Proficiency with audio equipment increases.]
I hadn’t used a mini keyboard much, but the activated trait gave me a surge of confidence.
I turned off the keyboard’s Bluetooth mode and raised the volume of its built-in speaker.
I tried playing the 1-3-6-4 chords as a test.
“Oh, that’s our Min-jun! Did you figure out the chords just by watching my hands?”
CEO Park Jae-yong said, sounding amazed.
Once my fingers got used to the chords, I sang the chorus of a lyrical hit song that used the 1-3-6-4 progression.
♪♬
*Your eyes, your nose, your lips.*
*The touch of your hand on me.*
*All those little things…*
*Still remain in my heart, but…*
♪♬
As if I had become the protagonist of the song, a wave of sadness washed over me.
Everyone was instantly immersed in my song, their auras flickering unstably as if they were caught in a whirlwind of emotion.
This was the moment.
Maintaining the same sad expression, I started singing a dance track by a current girl group that used the same chord progression.
♪♬
*Psycho, psycho.*
*You’re a foolish psycho, psycho.*
♪♬
“Puhahahaha!”
“Ahahat!”
“Pfft! Th-that’s amazing!”
“Kya-haha. I admit it, that’s gold!”
An explosive reaction erupted at the sight of me singing a girl group’s dance song with a completely straight, sad face.
Seol-ah would expertly play the keyboard, singing a sad song with a deeply expressive face and vocals. The audience, expecting another mournful verse, would instead be served a quirky dance song, delivered with the same heartfelt intensity.
The twist would trigger roars of laughter, and Seol-ah would become a huge topic of conversation.
“Ah, my stomach hurts!”
“What a crazy twist. Heh.”
“Wow! Team Leader, that’s brilliant!”
Even the usually composed Seol-ah and Ro-si were laughing so hard that tears welled up in their eyes.
“Wow, is our Min-jun crazy? Your variety sense is off the charts!”
CEO Park Jae-yong praised me effusively.
“It’s all thanks to you, our executive producer.”
“Huh? Thanks to me?”
“It was the concept that came to me while watching you hum over the same chords.”
“Wahahaha! An assist! Here I am again, unintentionally spreading a positive influence, eh?”
Was that the right time to use the phrase ‘positive influence’?
And this CEO, who so badly wanted to use trendy slang, ended every sentence with ‘…eh?’.
I really wanted to point it out.