Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Cover Song Algorithm (2)
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Opening Planet Studio and deciding to do a cover song—great.
But there was a hurdle to overcome before recording the cover.
'What song should I sing?'
The first step was picking a song.
Hmm... I sat there, staring at the streaming site, lost in thought.
'A song with rich emotional texture, but one that demands a certain level of skill to pull off properly.'
I hadn't found the perfect one yet.
Hmm... Let's keep looking.
As I lay on my bed searching for the right track, someone wormed their way onto it.
"Jae, what're you up to?"
"Oh, looking for a song to cover."
"Ooh, working hard, huh."
"You said you had a song in mind, right, Teddy?"
"Yeah. I'm doing Marie Galleria's."
"Isn't that super tough?"
"Jae, who am I?"
Who am I? Teddy emphasized the question in English, cupping his hand to his ear.
I couldn't help but chuckle and give him the answer he wanted to hear.
"EverPlanet's main dancer, Choi Teddy."
"That's right! So of course I can do it. They said we could pick whatever we want."
"True. You should do whatever you want, Teddy."
"Exactly!"
Teddy puffed up with pride after just one thumbs-up.
What a cute guy.
If Kim Kwang-myeong could be annoying just sitting there, Teddy was cute just sitting there.
Anyway, what song should I do?
As I dove back into browsing the streaming site, Teddy glanced at my phone and asked,
"So, Jae, what song are you gonna do?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out. Any ideas?"
"Ooh! I can recommend one."
"Hm? Sure, what?"
"Hang on."
Teddy dashed over to grab his phone and headphones from the dresser.
Then he tapped away furiously with his thumbs and said,
"I heard a song on L-Tube yesterday. I think it'd match you perfectly."
"Oh yeah? What's it called?"
When I asked, Teddy handed me his green headphones connected to his phone.
"Listen to it first!"
"Sure."
I happily took the headphones and slipped them on.
Teddy hit play, and a lyrical guitar melody flowed into my ears.
'Huh, I've heard this somewhere before.'
I closed my eyes and just listened.
When the song ended, I took off the headphones.
Teddy looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
"What'd you think? It's your style, right?"
I chuckled and nodded.
It was a pop song by the female singer Karen Wonder—her distinctive voice made it obvious.
I didn't know the title, but it had that emotional depth I was after.
The dramatic shifts in vocal range meant it'd require solid technique to express properly.
'Exactly what I've been looking for.'
What a lucky charm. Where does he find gems like this?
I smiled at him.
"Nice. I like it. I'll go with this one."
"I knew you'd love it!"
"What's the title?"
Teddy showed me the song title on his phone screen.
"Wonder in Stars. It's Karen Wonder's song."
Karen Wonder's "Wonder in Stars."
The title intrigued me right away. "Wonder" could mean the word itself or the singer's name—double meaning.
"Ambiguity in the title. Fun."
"Ambiguity? What's that?"
"When one thing carries multiple meanings. The singer's Karen Wonder, and the title's Wonder in Stars."
"Ohh, ambiguity? So that's what it's called. Ambiguity, ambiguity..."
I watched Teddy close his eyes and repeat the new word to himself, then turned back to the phone screen.
'Karen Wonder, huh...'
She was a British pop singer with a unique timbre and emotional depth, beloved by a dedicated fanbase.
Critics often described her voice as a monotone hue, singing of melancholy and dreams.
This song was steeped in her signature style. But...
'That's why it'd be fun to make it my own.'
Teddy had nailed the recommendation.
Our group's one British member—top-notch.
"Thanks, Teddy. I'll practice hard."
"Okay! We'll both give it our all, Jae."
Teddy grinned ear to ear, gave me a big hug, and climbed up to his second-floor bed.
Maybe because I'd met Lee Jae-oh's parents, now I was curious about Teddy's too.
How do you raise a kid overflowing with love like that?
'Must've grown up showered in it.'
Ah, I miss Mom.
The thought hit me, so I opened Ustagram.
And searched for the familiar account.
[Seo Ji-hyun @Jeeeeeehyun
XX University Visual Design Graduate]
My blood relative's SNS.
I'm not big on social media myself.
I never got why my sister posted photos every day.
I'd even nagged her to mosaic my face if she was gonna post it.
'Who knew that account would come in handy like this.'
I clicked on the photo from her graduation—her with Mom, the only picture of them I could see right now.
Trainee life had made living apart from family routine, but sometimes the longing hit anyway.
'I wish I could go see them.'
But my packed schedule like high tide made even a trip to Cheongju near impossible.
'And even if I could, not like this.'
They wouldn't recognize me anyway.
...Ugh, mood's tanking. I shook my head to shake it off and logged into L-Tube.
Then I searched for and started listening to Teddy's recommendation, "Wonder in Stars."
When my head's cluttered and I'm feeling down, work's always the answer.
* * *
After a few days of practice, I headed out for the actual shoot and recording.
Destination: Rep Oh's studio, where I'd done my debut album tracks. He happily let us use it for the cover video.
On the way, Kim Kwang-myeong asked me and Go Eun-young,
"Everyone ready?"
"I'm good. Voice is in shape today. You, hyung?"
"Same here."
Kim Kwang-myeong was handling recording direction.
You need someone directing for studio sessions.
He was a pro at it, so perfect fit.
"Ooh, you two are pumped. Expecting big things?"
"Tae-hee hyung's gonna be moved to tears."
Han Tae-hee... had tagged along as assistant and spectator.
He could barely handle his own parts yet, but said experiencing this indirectly would build his skills.
'Fair point.'
Practice volume matters, but so does indirect experience.
I'd learned from watching skilled Sunbae trainees back in the day.
'Kid's got quick wits.'
I admired Han Tae-hee's handsome face.
Soon, we arrived at the studio.
While Kim Kwang-myeong and Han Tae-hee set up the recording gear and camera, Go Eun-young and I warmed up our throats.
From basic vocal exercises to running through a verse or so.
'I cut sleep for days practicing for this.'
Kept up album prep practice but carved out time for the cover.
Luckily, Lee Jae-oh's training and Kim Kwang-myeong's composition lessons were on pause, or I'd have died.
Though Lee Jae-oh wasn't thrilled about potential muscle loss.
Once my throat felt loose, Kim Kwang-myeong, checking the gear, nodded and turned to us.
"Setup's done. Just sing. Who's first?"
"I'll go."
Go Eun-young confidently entered the booth and stood in front of the green solid-color backdrop Han Tae-hee had set up.
She donned the monitoring headphones, got into position, and gave us an OK sign.
"Ready? MR on. One take."
-Yes.
Kim Kwang-myeong hit record, and the MR played through the speakers.
Go Eun-young's pick was singer Aiden's hit "[Infinitely Missing You]."
Aiden was a female soloist famous for her powerhouse voice and rock-solid high notes—this track was notorious for its sky-high range.
Karaoke killer.
But Go Eun-young's solid vocals handled it effortlessly.
'Great song choice.'
This would show everyone her singing prowess was still alive and kicking.
- Missing you endlessly
I've lost everything
With nothing left in my hands
Clutching only you—!
High notes piercing straight through the ceiling in the highlight.
This is our group's main vocal, folks.
I wanted to plop her in Gwanghwamun Square and brag.
'Sings way better than I did at that age.'
As expected from the kid who'd crushed a national audition show young.
After a few retakes here and there, she finished the full song. Kim Kwang-myeong nodded approvingly.
"Good. Pitch and rhythm spot-on. Do one more for video, then out."
-OK. Replay the MR.
Covers like this need two passes.
Recording audio and video together tanks sound quality, and mistakes mean starting over—tough on everyone.
So you record clean audio first, then film the performance and dub it on.
Once recording and filming wrapped, Go Eun-young returned.
"How was it? Okay?"
"Mind-blowing. You got a song pocket like Old Man with a Wrinkled Face or something? Gotta frisk you."
"Tae-hee hyung, your imagination's wild."
Han Tae-hee double-checked the camera footage and patted her shoulder. Lightened the mood.
Then Go Eun-young grinned at me.
"Your turn now, Jae hyung."
"Yep. Jae, what wall color? Blue or yellow available too."
"Blue for me."
"OK."
Through the glass, I saw Han Tae-hee swap the green backdrop for blue.
Once done, I headed into the booth naturally.
The three guys looked impressive through the glass.
'Everyone's working hard.'
Just then, Kim Kwang-myeong hit the red button and spoke.
-Ready? Going now.
I gave him the OK.
Soon, the familiar MR flowed through the monitoring headphones.