Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: The Legendary Final Stage
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[Mark Edward Miller!]
[Suffering from dementia, but never letting go of music.]
[The great final stage of a great musician.]
[The curtain call of a legendary singer.]
[We will remember him forever.]
Mark Miller's final stage shook America to its core.
Even as dementia made him constantly confused about who he was and where he was, he powered through and performed his three hit songs flawlessly, earning resounding applause and praise from every corner of the nation.
In a way, it was a truly honorable exit.
Even for someone of Mark Miller's stature, it was rare to have a retirement stage like this, bathed in unanimous acclaim from the masses.
His final performance was watched by a staggering 1.8 million people live, and the uploaded recording surpassed 2 million views before the day was out.
Eric Miller, Mark's grandson who had planned the event, was utterly satisfied.
So many people had shared in his grandfather's grand finale.
But the star of the show himself, Mark Miller, was oblivious to the aftermath.
Whether it was from pouring his all into that day or from holding on just long enough for his last stage, his health took a dramatic turn for the worse.
Some might whisper that they'd pushed an old man too hard, but right after the performance, in front of everyone watching, Mark had made it clear.
"Even if I drop dead tomorrow, I have no regrets. Thank you, Eric."
And truly, he seemed to have none.
The man who had spent his days staring blankly at the fireplace now gazed at the piano instead, a happy smile on his face, even as his dementia worsened and mobility became a struggle.
But he no longer reacted to Yeonwoo's piano playing, nor did he call for Yeonwoo anymore.
He stopped following his rigid daily routine and diet.
Many found it heartbreaking, but Yeonwoo saw it differently.
The fairies who had lingered near Mark Miller, looking half-dead, now danced and played tirelessly by his side for reasons unknown.
Perhaps they were living in their own world with him, where joyful songs never stopped flowing.
* * *
"I'm heading to my LA house."
Olivia Snow declared.
"Suddenly? You that eager for some swimming?"
At Yeonwoo's question, Olivia Snow let out a chuckle.
"Nah, it's more like... seeing Mark Miller changed something in me. I wanna work on some tracks in LA. For real this time."
Her unexpected farewell declaration left Yeonwoo feeling a pang of reluctance.
The fact that he felt this way meant they'd spent quite a bit of time together.
His heart was full of attachment now.
"Guess we part ways in San Francisco, then."
"Yeah. Oh, about the flight..."
"Don't sweat it. Sis, you'll need a plane to get to LA too. We'll handle it."
Olivia Snow nodded, then remembered something.
"Oh, you know the passcode to my place in Korea, right? Use it whenever you want."
"Not selling it anymore?"
"Huh? Why would I? Who knows when I'll drop by Korea to see you. Can't sell it as long as you haven't moved."
Her words warmed him, but Yeonwoo played it cool, nodding casually.
"Once I'm done working, I'll head back to Korea. No crying while I'm gone, okay?"
"You neither, sis."
And so, Olivia Snow parted from Yeonwoo and returned to her LA home.
Yeonwoo's family bid her farewell in San Francisco and flew back to Korea.
Back home, Yeonwoo set aside the flood of offers and decided to take a break for the time being.
It hadn't been long since his album release, but more than that, it was a choice to digest what he'd learned from Mark Miller, make it his own, and take the next step forward.
And so, as summer faded into autumn, and autumn gave way to winter, Yeonwoo spent his days quietly shuttling between home and his studio, scheduling nothing special.
New Year came and went, and Yeonwoo turned nine, but his routine remained unchanged.
Amid all this, Yuri & Annosuke soared ahead with Yeonwoo's tracks.
After the album dropped, "Even If We Meet by Chance on the Street" shot straight to #1 on the Melboard Japan Hot 100. Eleven of the fifteen tracks claimed spots 1 through 11, setting a bizarre record. The song's popularity showed no signs of fading, shattering the previous longest-running #1 streak of 22 weeks to claim 24 weeks at the top.
It finally relinquished #1 when the duo performed one of the album tracks, Yukiyoi, on the Kohaku Uta Gassen, and it exploded in popularity belatedly.
"Even If We Meet by Chance on the Street" slipped down the ranks, but Yuri & Annosuke refused to vacate the top spot.
Yeonwoo's renown in Japan only grew taller.
America was no different.
From Cracker had fallen from #1 but held strong in the Melboard upper ranks, beloved by many.
In Korea, every track from Yeonwoo's debut album lingered stubbornly inside the Mango chart's top 20.
With Yeonwoo's music playing across the globe, it wasn't an exaggeration to say the world was listening. By now, his bank account had ballooned past tens of billions into the hundreds of billions in earnings.
He hadn't done many live shows, but 14 weeks at #1 on Melboard alone generated massive revenue from streams and downloads.
JOP had no choice but to treat Yeonwoo with even greater reverence.
In the midst of this, Heo Ok evicted all the tenants from the building housing SSHIN's studio, leaving it vacant.
As Yeonwoo's fame spread, people started poking around SSHIN Studio under pretenses of visiting other shops.
With the building emptied, Yeonwoo used his own money to commission a full remodel, turning it into the exclusive headquarters for SSHIN.
He wanted floors 1 through 3 turned into top-security studios.
JOP introduced a capable construction firm that would satisfy him, and with Jihoon taking the lead, they dove into the major overhaul.
Heo Ok's three-story building dated back to the 1980s and, like many from that era, had a basement.
Originally rented out as storage for nearby shops, the basement would become a choreography practice room.
The first floor entrance would get beefed-up security and serve as general office space.
That's where SSHIN's singers' managers and JOP's dispatched office staff would work.
The second floor would house Jiyeong's office-cum-recording studio and a staff lounge (really for managers).
The third floor would remain Yeonwoo's private domain untouched.
It was a remodel, not a rebuild, so it wouldn't take forever, but it would still span several months.
In the meantime, Yeonwoo decided to use Olivia Snow's house as his studio.
She had already set aside one room as a workspace, so it was perfectly convenient.
Lately, though, what held Yeonwoo's interest wasn't new genres, composition, or instruments.
"Ah— aaah— ah."
It was his own voice.
He was constantly checking it, pushing only to his limits.
He had no immediate plans to sing as a vocalist, but someday, he wanted to release an album of songs he'd written and composed himself—and perform them.
Just like Mark Miller.
Even with his memories fading, the stage he'd delivered left even Yeonwoo in awe, imprinting deeply on him.
"Someday, I want to do that too."
That's the thought it sparked.
No, it probably wasn't just Yeonwoo.
Olivia Snow had felt it, and likely every musician who watched that stage did too.
"High notes... still tough for me."
Most kids his age found high notes easier, but Yeonwoo, with his long-unused vocal cords, struggled.
"Should I look into a hospital?"
He suddenly recalled Yoo Jaehyuk visiting doctors to fix his voice.
He was still young—maybe wait a bit? But what if leaving it like this caused permanent damage?
"Gotta ask Uncle Yoo Jaehyuk."
They were meeting soon anyway; he'd consult seriously then.
With that decided, he thought to kill time by jotting down a track, but evening had snuck up.
Yeonwoo paused and stepped out of Olivia Snow's house.
"Ah! Yeonwoo!"
He opened the front door and headed across when someone called from the entrance.
"Auntie home?"
It was Jiyeong, arriving from work right on time.
"What's for dinner tonight?"
"Dunno. I was next door all day, didn't ask."
"Yeah? Heh, wonder what. Wanna bet?"
"Hmm... gut feeling says Dad made dinner. His killer kimchi fried rice?"
"I bet Mom did. Maybe stew? What's the wager?"
"Ice cream!"
"Deal."
They entered the house together, unconsciously sniffing the air.
Jiyeong's face lit up first.
"Doenjang jjigae!"
"Aw, lost."
Hate going out for ice cream.
Seeing Yeonwoo's face, Jiyeong laughed.
"It's fine, Auntie'll buy the ice cream. Got coupons."
"Oh? You? What's up? Got a favor to ask?"
Jiyeong never let him win or conceded bets like this.
Something was definitely up.
Caught by Yeonwoo's sharp question, she stuck out her tongue.
"Busted?"
"What is it?"
"Hang on," she said, ducking into the bathroom to wash her hands before continuing.
"JOP's finally launching idols for real."
"For real?"
"Yeah, we've prepped plenty."
JOP had been aggressively recruiting trainees in tandem with the Korea branch.
They'd held auditions for newbies but also poached promising ones from rival agencies.
It was supposed to take longer, but Yeonwoo's massive earnings let them practically buy out trainees.
With practice rooms in Korea and Japan overflowing, it was time to cut some loose.
"So, I was hoping you'd take on the album producer role."
"No sweat. How're the trainee noonas' skills?"
"That's why I'm telling you early. We need finalists, and they want you as a judge."
"Me?"
"Obviously. Who else?"
No one at JOP knew music better than Yeonwoo.
Asking him to judge was only natural.
"Sure, why not."
"But judge carefully, okay? It's not just about singing well."
"Yeah, yeah."
And though they didn't know it, Yeonwoo—through the fairies—had a sharper eye for star quality and commercial potential than anyone.