Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 147
Chapter Title: Chae Hana's Late Night
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The crew for Chae Hana's Late Night had to deal with Team Snow and JOP the day before the performance.
Team Snow was assembled solely for Olivia Snow.
The team included not only Snow's managers but also the legal team, tax team, video team, sound team, wardrobe team, and dozens of others. Naturally, the group that showed up for Late Night today was the sound team.
They took one look at the broadcast station's sound equipment and recoiled in horror.
The producer scratched his head, watching their expressions that clearly dismissed the station's stage setup as pathetic.
This studio wasn't dedicated solely to Late Night.
It was used for the weekend prime-time music shows—colloquially known as music broadcasts—and most shows aimed at middle-aged audiences were broadcast from here too.
They put some effort into the acoustics, but broadcast station budgets had their limits (or rather, they just didn't bother investing).
"Hey, we can rip all this out, right?"
"That's fine, but... can we restore it to original afterward?"
The sound team's leader smirked at the producer's awkward English and replied.
"Snow says just take it."
"...What?"
"She says toss this junk and we'll install ours for you to use."
At those words, the producer eyed the gear they'd brought.
It wasn't the absolute best, but it was high-end stuff impossible to find at the station or any domestic concert venue.
"Hang on. Let me check with the higher-ups first."
It was a gift horse, but in this country, underlings couldn't just accept favors willy-nilly.
Even acts of goodwill required reporting up the chain first.
After a perfunctory report to the bosses and getting the okay, the sound team leaped into action like they'd been waiting. They tore out the speakers and amps from the stage and swiftly installed their own equipment in their place.
It was over in a flash.
Once they'd installed everything and run a sound check before stepping back, JOP arrived next.
True to its Japanese headquarters, JOP showed up with both Koreans and Japanese to meet the producer.
"Let's see the piano."
Guitars could be handled with Yeonwoo's own, but pianos were another story.
They weren't easy to transport, so they had to use the station's.
The producer showed them the piano Late Night favored.
"You expect our Yuin to play this?"
They recoiled again.
"No, it sounds fine to me?"
"Ms. Yuin's ears are sharper than any tuner. Even if we tune it perfectly, she'll throw a fit tomorrow saying she can't use it."
"But... where do we get a piano on such short notice?"
After the producer's awkward protest, the JOP staff huddled and then spoke up.
"Isn't there a symphony orchestra at this station? Could we borrow a piano from them...?"
"They'd never say yes."
The JOP folks huddled again.
"We can handle that."
It wasn't an exaggeration to say JOP knew every move Yeonwoo made.
They knew his connections inside out, and exactly what those connections could pull off.
"The symphony orchestra says take the piano. Please transport it carefully."
They leveraged those connections perfectly to secure the piano.
They'd accomplished what even the producer couldn't. He was impressed they'd gotten the piano so easily, but a bit annoyed too.
Nothing was going his way.
Still, he was a modern PD. He knew PDs no longer wielded unchecked power or bruised egos like in the old days.
Especially not against an 8-year-old topping Melboard and the Grammy Queen. Who'd dare mess with them?
As long as the broadcast went off without a hitch.
He'd even pulled strings to assemble the camera team with directors specialized in music shows, rotating them in just for this.
"Fine, the broadcast is on me. The performance is on you guys."
The producer muttered to himself and looked forward to tomorrow.
And so, performance day arrived.
Chae Hana's Late Night usually filled its 500 seats, but never before had audience applications been as cutthroat as instant sellouts.
This time was different.
Owing to the flood of applicants, they'd pulled an all-nighter to select 500 winners.
And those 500 self-proclaimed victors filled the seats today.
* * *
[Hello, I'm Chae Hana. Wow, the audience faces are all beaming today. I don't think I've ever seen you all this happy.]
Chae Hana stood on stage clutching her cue cards and mic, her heart swelling.
It wasn't empty flattery—the audience looked happier than in any previous episode.
And with good reason.
Applications were dozens, no, hundreds of times the usual, and these 500 had been selected from them.
She'd be thrilled too.
[As you all know, today's a Yuin special. A journey tracing the footsteps of a genius boy. Let's follow those footsteps with the man himself.]
Chae Hana glanced backstage, brimming with excitement.
There stood the little giant.
[Introducing Yuin!]
At Chae Hana's shout, Yeonwoo stepped out.
Thunderous cheers welcomed him.
Yeonwoo walked toward Chae Hana, then paused to look at the audience.
He saw them rising from their seats, clapping fervently for him.
No music played, yet blue and red fairies popped out in time with the applause, dancing along.
Yeonwoo halted, then bowed deeply to the crowd.
Even louder applause erupted.
[Yuin, hello?]
[Yes, hello.]
Chae Hana gazed at Yeonwoo.
At 8 years old—just a second-grader—he showed no stage fright.
With a firm, relaxed expression, he greeted her casually.
[Personally, I love your songs so much, and meeting you like this is just wonderful.]
[I really wanted to come here too. So I'm thrilled.]
Chae Hana and Yeonwoo chatted amiably. Spotting the prompter's cue below stage, Chae Hana shifted topics.
[Right, we thought your debut came via Mr. Kim Beomsin's Cold Night, but actually, your first song went to a group called Hadass, correct?]
[Yes. Sister Ellis saw my song and gave it to the Hadass sisters.]
[So Hadass became your first collaborators. Shall we bring them out? Hadass!]
Hadass appeared.
The girls who used to die inside just seeing Yeonwoo now wore bright, practiced smiles—as if such stages and shows were routine.
Hadass bantered smoothly until main vocalist and leader Dahyun spoke up.
[The song we're performing is Keep Going! It's about pushing even higher once more.]
[Ah, but are you too nervous?]
[Pardon? Haha, well... the song's really not easy. You need that resolve, you know?]
[Exactly, you've got to steel your hearts.]
Chae Hana and the audience burst into laughter at Hadass's determined faces, but they couldn't laugh.
Keep Going was no easy song. And they had to perform it live, in front of Yeonwoo no less.
Not enough—they'd rearranged it as soul for this stage with him.
No walk in the park.
That's why Hadass steeled themselves with resolve.
Alongside Yeonwoo's piano.
Yeonwoo played piano from behind, gazing contentedly as blue, yellow, and green fairies spawned from them, dancing.
Not a flawless 100%—they flubbed twice—but Yeonwoo didn't get mad.
It was live.
No stopping and restarting.
No one nails a one-shot opportunity perfectly every time.
Even Grandma slipped up, Jimmy Hendrix, Wes Montgomery, Kim Beomsin, Yoo Jaehyuk—all made mistakes.
"Ah... even we know we messed up once. Sorry, what do we do?"
Dahyun looked deflated, peeking nervously at him, but Yeonwoo shook his head with a smile.
"Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk told me: mistakes on stage aren't errors—they're memories."
"M-Memories?"
"Yeah, memories with you sisters. This stage is precious to me too."
Dahyun blushed without realizing at Yeonwoo's beaming grin.
How could a child's smile captivate like this?
"Our teacher Yuin when he grows up..."
...Let's omit the rest.
After Hadass's stage and a short break, the next segment followed.
The second guest was Kim Beomsin.
[Melboard chart 2-week #3 run, hailed as a monumental feat restoring pride to Korean ballad singers—what do you think, Mr. Kim Beomsin?]
[Think I did it 'cause I'm that great? It's all thanks to the good song from Yuin right here.]
[No, this song was made for Uncle Kim Beomsin. I think he's the best singer in Korea with the greatest voice.]
[Oh, really? Thanks.]
Yeonwoo joined Kim Beomsin on stage. The man who'd once gotten scolded for missing beats in practice now delivered a flawless show.
"Perfect today."
"Of course. How many years have I been on stages?"
Yeonwoo marveled at the seasoned Kim Beomsin. He'd thought he was leading on piano, but suddenly Kim Beomsin seized control of the stage, even guiding Yeonwoo.
The aura of a stage veteran was something else.
Maybe that's why Chae Hayeon's performance felt a bit lacking.
It was too ordinary.
Nothing bad, but nothing standout either.
He'd never missed the lack of green fairies like this—compared to Hadass.
She seemed like she could deliver a Kim Beomsin-level show if she broke through some wall.
Truth be told, Yeonwoo—more a stage newbie than anyone here—didn't know how either.
'Sing on more stages? Make her more songs?'
Yeonwoo pondered about Chae Hayeon.
But no time for that.
[The Grammy Queen, Melboard's ruler, the world's diva—Olivia Snow!]
Olivia Snow at last.
A top global singer who jetted worldwide, drawing tens of thousands per concert.
To someone, this might be a special stage or show.
To her, it was tiny.
Yet she ascended with a relaxed smile, as if no stage was too small.
Accompanied by countless green fairies.
Yeonwoo watched in awe.
"Wow..."
A star through and through.