Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: We're on the Masterpiece Stage? (3)
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After wrapping up the pre-meeting recording, we naturally headed straight to the practice room.
The stage we had to perform in just two weeks. From song selection to stage concept and practice... To prepare perfectly, we'd have to cut back on sleep.
At that moment, a staff member gave an OK sign from behind the camera. It was the crew who'd come to film us starting preparations right away.
"Camera setup complete. We'll start recording as soon as you're ready."
"We're ready."
There wasn't much to prepare anyway. We sat in a circle in the middle of the practice room and gave the OK sign to the staff.
Moments later, as the red light on the camera flicked on, we began our discussion.
Park Su-rim, sitting across from me, clapped his hands and spoke first.
"Alright, guys. First things first, we need to decide on a song. Let's each share our ideas. What songs go with 'wind'?"
"The first one that comes to mind is 'Storm Hill'."
"Oh! I know that song. It's Son Bo-ra sunbaenim's, right?"
When Teddy asked, Han Tae-hee nodded.
"Yeah. Among the old songs that pop up, it's the only one related to wind."
"Then let's give it a listen first. Eun-young-ah, can you play it?"
"Sure."
Go Eun-young played the song on her newly bought BerryBook.
Son Bo-ra's 'Storm Hill'. It was a mega-hit by a singer who was mainly active in the 1980s.
The melancholic melody matched perfectly with the tragic lyrics and heartfelt vocals—a perfect trio that dominated an era. But...
"Tsk. Somehow it doesn't feel right for us?"
"Agreed. Can't quite picture the arrangement direction."
Kim Kwang-myeong chimed in agreement with Park Su-rim. I nodded too and added,
"The song's amazing. But we have to mix in dance and rap too. Sure, we can rearrange it, but completely changing the vibe is tough. We need to pick carefully with that in mind."
"I think the same as Jae."
"Then let's look for other songs."
From that point, we all grabbed our phones and started searching through songs. Whenever we found a promising one, we'd raise our hand, share it with everyone, and narrow down the candidates.
Teddy especially shone. The guy was so into K-pop that he even knew 80s tracks, throwing out tons of suggestions.
"I know a few with 'wind' in the title. How about Hwang Hyun-soo's 'That Girl's Skirt Wind'? Cool melody."
"...Teddy, do you know what 'skirt wind' means?"
"Uh... wind from shaking a skirt?"
"That's kinda right, but if you look at the lyrics..."
...Of course, not all were helpful. Thanks to Teddy bringing a suggestively lyrical song, everyone exchanged awkward glances for a moment.
Park Su-rim eventually shook his head and changed the subject.
"...Nah. Let's skip it."
"Why? What does it mean?"
"Yeah. For Teddy's protection."
"Why protect me all of a sudden, Jae-oh hyung?"
"Anyway, no. Lyrics are too risqué."
Teddy nodded like he got it and suggested another.
"Okay... Ah, 'Wind, Run Fast!' This one's good too."
"That's an anime OST."
"And the 'wind' here isn't actual wind—it's like a person's name?"
"Whoa. You're right."
...Anyway, despite everyone's efforts, picking a song wasn't easy. It'd be simpler if they gave us one track like a mission song. Choosing our own to fit the theme was tricky.
'Wind. A song that suits wind.'
What songs suit wind? It had to express 'wind' best on stage while highlighting our members' strengths.
After racking my brain, I decided to rethink the definition of wind and searched 'wind' on a portal site.
Up came the dictionary definition: Airflow from high pressure to low pressure due to differences between locations.
And with it, a few homonyms. Seeing that sparked something in my mind.
'Wait. Does 'wind' have to mean that 'wind'?'
As long as it's 'wind,' right? That thought hit, and my mind raced. One song popped up instantly.
'This song...'
I searched for its stage video. Then, bam—I slapped my knee.
'This is it!'
Everyone's eyes turned to me. Han Tae-hee, sitting next to me, chuckled and nudged my elbow.
"Whoa. Ha Jae-ssi, why slap your knee out of nowhere?"
"Ah. Sorry if I startled you, hyung."
"Got a good idea, Jae?"
To Lee Jae-oh's question—wait, that's me—I nodded. And I started explaining what came to mind.
"Our theme is wind, right?"
"Yeah."
"But that wind doesn't have to be literal blowing wind."
"What do you mean, Jae? Wind doesn't have to be wind?"
Teddy tilted his head, puzzled. Then Kim Kwang-myeong suddenly slapped his own knee.
"Right. Wind doesn't have to be that wind."
"You get it?"
"Yeah."
Always quick on the uptake. As someone who freestyles lyrics on the spot, his brain spun fast. He grasped what I meant right away.
Seeing Teddy still confused, I continued explaining.
"So, 'wind' has multiple meanings, Teddy. You know 'wind' as in the air, but there's also 'wish' as in hoping for something, and in Korean, 'cheating' between lovers is called 'wind' too."
"Whoa. Didn't know that."
Teddy's eyes widened like he'd learned something new. At the same time, the other members fully got it, stroking their chins and nodding.
"That definitely widens our options."
"Wow, Ha Jae-ssi. Your perspective switch is genius. Your advisor prof would love this."
"Hyung's advisor likes perspective switches?"
"Yeah. Says acting basics are perspective shifts and emotional immersion."
Cutting through Go Eun-young and Han Tae-hee's chatter, Kim Kwang-myeong asked seriously.
"So. Got a song in mind?"
"Yeah."
"What?"
"Yi Pyong-yoon sunbaenim's [Wind, Oh My Wish]."
Yi Pyong-yoon. CEO of LPY—one of the top three agencies: TL, LPY, IG—and an artist who dominated the 90s with bold songs and choreography.
He mainly dropped sexy dance tracks, creating all his own songs, dances, even stage setups—a total monster genius.
He got flak for weak vocals sometimes, but his talent covered even that.
Among them, [Wind, Oh My Wish] expressed his wind-like longing and wish for a woman—a rare R&B-ish pop dance track for him.
Its addictive main melody and explosive highlight with a top female singer's featuring made it a huge hit on release.
'Vocals, dance, rap—all effectively showcased, and fits the 'wind' theme perfectly.'
Then Go Eun-young played Yi Pyong-yoon's [Wind, Oh My Wish] on her laptop.
The R&B-flavored pop dance track flowed out. After listening fully, Han Tae-hee nodded and murmured.
"Wow, this is good?"
"Yeah. Best vibe so far."
"Me too, Jae-oh hyung! If 'wish' counts as wind, this works great."
"No need to overhaul the track itself, so less pressure. Right, Kwang-myeong?"
"Yeah, hyung. That's the biggest plus."
"Base it on this, add a rap part in the middle, and I'll throw in a high-note ad-lib at the end. Perfect— we'd shred the stage."
Great idea. I noted Go Eun-young's suggestion. Her monster vocals were our ultimate weapon for a live competition stage.
I followed up by explaining the stage setup I'd thought of the moment the song hit me.
The members listened, amazed, and clapped.
"Jackpot. Jae, you're a genius?"
"Wow. No cap, this is awesome."
"Yeah. Arrangement direction gets clear. Love it."
"Great idea, Jae."
"Ha Jae-ssi... when did you get so genius?"
"Ugh. Tae-hee hyung, cheesy. Anyway, Jae hyung. Impressive."
Seeing their positive reactions filled me with deep pride. Smiling, I asked.
"So, fix on this song?"
"Call."
"Good."
"OK!"
"Let's go."
And so our first competition song was set.
* * *
With the song decided, we dove into full arrangement work.
Kim Kwang-myeong led, naturally—as our best producer.
"We'll keep the main structure, just basic mastering and add a rap part. So, let's divvy parts now. The featuring vocal part—Jae and Eun-young split it half-half. Other parts don't need heavy vocals, so mix vocal/rap and share evenly. Thoughts?"
"I'm good."
"Me too. Whatever you say."
"Kwang-myeong, I'll do whatever!"
Trusting his producing skills completely, they nodded without pushback.
Then Han Tae-hee, staring at Kim Kwang-myeong with a weird look, propped his chin and muttered.
"But Kwang-myeong like this feels so new. You're... a real pro, huh?"
"...Shut up, Tae-hee hyung."
"Yep. Pros gotta be cocky."
After bickering with Han Tae-hee, Kim Kwang-myeong started assigning parts based on lyrics and melody to suit each member.
"This part here. 'Can my wish ever come true? I think forever, but no answer.' Su-rim hyung, how's that?"
"I'm good. And personally, I want this 2nd verse part too. Lyrics hit home."
"Ooh, sounds good. Everyone cool with Su-rim hyung on that?"
"Fine."
"Do what you want!"
After democratically assigning parts, Kim Kwang-myeong began serious arranging.
Meanwhile, the others started learning the choreo. No full track yet, but basics would base on Yi Pyong-yoon's original anyway. Time was short—better practice ASAP.
Then, Park Su-rim raised his hand like something occurred to him.