Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: The Magic of Hoomii
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Yeonwoo started looking into Mongolia.
“Wow...!”
And he was amazed.
“How can two sounds come out of one person's mouth?”
Yeonwoo was currently listening to Hoomii, Mongolia's traditional throat-singing technique.
Hoomii, which means "throat sounds," was a unique style where a single person produced two or more notes at once, typically layering high tones over a low bass.
It was fascinating, and there were even four different types.
From the bird-like whistle of Sygyt to the deep, resonant Kargyraa, the beautifully blended Borbon, and the smoother Ezlegi.
As Yeonwoo watched videos of the mystical Hoomii, he then searched for Genghis Khan, the central figure of the movie.
“There are a lot of movies.”
There were plenty of videos reviewing films related to Genghis Khan.
There were also history YouTubers discussing him, so Yeonwoo checked out the one with the most views and followed up with some movie reviews.
Gazing at the image of Genghis Khan charging across the vast steppes on horseback toward the enemy, Yeonwoo suddenly wondered.
“Are there still steppes like that today?”
This time, he searched for Mongolia itself.
The cities in Mongolia looked just like those in Korea. There were Korean convenience stores, supermarkets, Korean restaurants everywhere, and even apartment buildings that looked Korean.
But that was only in the urban areas, especially the capital Ulaanbaatar. Step outside Ulaanbaatar, and the vast steppes stretched on endlessly.
People there still rode horses and lived in gers.
And most of all...
“You can stay in a ger and ride horses?”
It turned out there were excellent tourist setups for ger stays and horseback riding experiences.
Upon learning that, Yeonwoo jumped up from his seat and dashed into the living room.
On the sofa in the living room of the house they hadn’t yet moved into sat Olivia Snow and Grandmother Heo Ok.
When Olivia Snow was around, they mostly spoke in English.
“[Grandma, have you ever been to Mongolia?]”
“[Mongolia? No, I’ve never been.]”
“[What’s this, Master? Is it because of that Damian Cruise movie?]”
“[Yeah, I was looking into it for that, and now I really want to go to Mongolia.]”
“[So... you’re saying you’ll give the director a song?]”
Yeonwoo nodded.
“[It seems like it’d be fun.]”
As he said that, Yeonwoo looked at his grandmother.
“[Grandma, want to come to Mongolia with me?]”
“[Mongolia, huh... ]”
Heo Ok looked troubled as she replied.
“[If we go, we’d have to ride horses and such, but thinking about this old body of mine, that’d be too tough.]”
Hearing his grandmother’s words, Yeonwoo thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement.
To reach the steppes meant hours on unpaved roads, plus horseback riding... It was out of the question when considering her health.
“[Dad and Aunt would have a hard time too...]”
With the subsidiary separation and the interior work on the newly bought building, Dad and Aunt were at their busiest right now.
“[Sis, want to come with me, Sis?]”
“[If my master’s going, of course I’ll go.]”
Yeonwoo nodded at Olivia Snow, as if he’d expected that response.
“[Grandma, is it okay if Sis comes with me?]”
“[Shouldn’t you ask your dad first?]”
“[Oh, right.]”
Yeonwoo didn’t wait.
He immediately called his dad.
“Dad.”
-Yeah, hey, Yeonwoo.
“Can Sis and I go to Mongolia for fun?”
-Sure, go ahead... Wait, Mongolia? What’s with Mongolia all of a sudden?
“I just really want to go.”
As Yeonwoo spoke, Jiyeong’s voice came from beside Jihoon.
-We met that movie director just a bit ago, Damian Cruise. He’s doing Genghis Khan and...
As Jiyeong explained the situation she suspected, Jihoon asked.
-Auntie says it’s because of the movie—is that right?
“Yeah, I looked into Mongolia because of him, and it made me so curious. Because there’s this thing called Hoomii throat singing. Two sounds come out of one person’s mouth. Isn’t that amazing, Dad? So I want to go hear it live. And I want to see the steppes. I want to try riding a horse too. Oh, and Mongolian horses are small, so they’re relatively safe.”
Jihoon quietly listened to Yeonwoo’s rare torrent of words, then spoke once he finished.
-Hmm, but what to do? Dad and Auntie can’t put off work right now... Can’t you go to Mongolia later?
“I’ll go and come back with Sis. Please let us, okay?”
-....
-Oppa, who’s gonna stop him? And with Olivia, it’ll be fine. Honestly, is there anywhere safer than by her side?
-True... Yeonwoo, you really, really want to go?
“Yeah!”
-Alright, got it. Dad’s trusting Olivia and letting you go.
Since they were practically glued at the hip, the family had great trust in Olivia Snow.
The moment he got permission, Yeonwoo turned to Olivia Snow and his grandmother.
“[Dad said yes!!]”
“[Oh, great! So we’re off to race across the steppes?]”
Yeonwoo nodded vigorously at that, then paused.
Wait.
Steppes, right?
And Mongolia.
To feel even a speck of Genghis Khan’s spirit, could just the two of them do it?
“[Sis, can we bring some other people too?]”
“[Huh? Who else?]”
“[People from our company.]”
“[Your company? Jaehoon’s coming along anyway. Your bodyguards? Yeah, they should come. It’ll be even safer.]”
“[No, Teacher Chae Hayeon too, and the Invincible Three. Oh, maybe Uncle Kim Beomsin, Hadassah Sis, Ellis Sis too.]”
“[What? You’ve got that many people to drag along?]”
“[I want to feel even a tiny bit of Genghis Khan’s emotions.]”
“Wow...”
“[But first, I need to wrap up that talk.]”
“[What talk?]”
Yeonwoo dialed the number Damian Cruise had given him earlier.
-Who is this? Calling me at this late hour, you lunatic?
Oh.
Right, time difference.
He’d forgotten.
“[Sorry, Director. It’s Yuin. I forgot about the time difference.]”
-Oh, Yuin!! So, have you decided?
“[I’ll make you a song. Mongolia’s cool.]”
-I knew it. You can’t resist my movie!
“[Not interested in the movie. Thank Mongolia and Genghis Khan.]”
-Mongolia and Genghis Khan should thank me. They’re appearing in my film.
What insane self-confidence.
Yeonwoo figured nothing productive would come from arguing.
“[But I have a condition.]”
-What condition?
“[I manage an idol group. They need a music video. Will you direct it?]”
-...You’re asking me to direct a music video? For Damian Cruise?
Damian Cruise sounded utterly flabbergasted. Back when he was a rookie, maybe, but who would dare ask the current Damian Cruise to direct a music video?
“[It’s not like you’ve never done it. This is my adventure too. What if you mess it up since you’ve never done one?]”
-Ha, me? You think I can’t handle one puny music video?
“[Who knows.]”
-Doesn’t that mean you might fail to make music I like?
“[I’ve never failed with music.]”
-Same here. But think about it. Wouldn’t I be taking a loss? I do your music video, but you give me music I don’t like?
Yeonwoo replied immediately.
“[Simple. I’ll make a demo right now. Listen and decide. Wait 10? 20 minutes?]”
-What are you talking about?
“[I’ll make a sample and play it for you now. If you like it, do the music video right away. Then I’ll give you the full song.]”
-Hmm...
“[No deal, no song from me.]”
At Yeonwoo’s words, Cruise grudgingly agreed.
-Fine, then. Play me the sample.
“[Hold on.]”
Yeonwoo ended the call and rushed to his room to grab his tablet.
“[What, making a song on a tablet?]”
“[Yeah, it’s just a sample, so tablet’s fine.]”
Yeonwoo recorded the Hoomii video he’d heard earlier, split it into keys, stretched sections for samples, and started building beats and melodies on top.
A 30-second sample track came together in a flash.
Yeonwoo played it once.
The deep Hoomii resonated, blending with the instruments Yeonwoo added, flowing into a grand melody.
“Wow...”
As Olivia Snow marveled at Yeonwoo’s near-magical composing, he sent the sample straight to Damian Cruise.
Moments later, Damian Cruise called back.
-What is this? Did you read my mind?
“[What do you mean?]”
-This is exactly the feeling I imagined. The sensation of Genghis Khan charging across the steppes to conquer the world...!
“[So, you’ll direct the music video?]”
-Just to be sure... what if I say no?
Yeonwoo pretended to think, then said.
“[I’d finish the song anyway. And release it under my name. You’d probably regret not taking my deal while listening to it and pounding the ground.]”
-...That’s the scariest threat I’ve ever heard. I’ll do it. The music video.
“[Great. Deal. I recorded it just in case, no backing out later.]”
-Since it’s a music video, I should hear the full song first, right? To start planning.
“[Sending that now too.]”
Yeonwoo hung up and sent Damian Cruise the debut group’s recorded track from his phone.
Then he called Jiyeong.
-Hey, Yeonwoo. What’s up?
“You haven’t found a music video director yet, right, Auntie?”
-Yeah, we’re negotiating with someone... Why?
“Really? I talked to him, and Damian Cruise said he’ll direct it. Want the one you’re negotiating with, or Damian Cruise?”
-...Wait, what? Damian Cruise for the music video?
“Yeah.”
-O-Of course Damian Cruise.
“Got it! Proceed right away then! I already sent him the song! He’ll contact you once he’s planned it out.”
-Wait, how on earth did you convince him?
“My own kind of business.”
Yeonwoo said that and hung up with Jiyeong.
Olivia Snow watched him, sticking out her tongue in amazement.
“[Any of Damian Cruise’s countless victims would faint if they saw you.]”
“[Huh? Why?]”
“[Because you’re the only one in the world who’s tamed Damian Cruise.]”
A nine-year-old who’d bent the unyielding bamboo that wouldn’t even negotiate with production companies using music and made him dance to his tune.
Hollywood folks might chant “amazing” and worship Yeonwoo.