Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: Chief Ganbold's Hümü
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Naran's father, Ganbold, was the chieftain of the Zevchidd tribe and one of the foremost masters of Hümü throat singing in all of Mongolia.
That was the reason he, leader of an Oirat tribe living in western Mongolia, had brought his people here to establish the village of Bureghangai.
In Mongolia, they often blended Hümü into rock or EDM tracks.
It might sound unfamiliar to those who hadn't heard it before, but surprisingly, it paired quite well as a bass line in rock or EDM.
As an authority on Hümü, Ganbold made a bit of pocket money by featuring on such tracks.
Of course, that wasn't all—traditional Mongolian events or government-sponsored festivals would invite him to perform.
His tribespeople joined him on stage, too, so it wasn't an exaggeration to say the entire tribe lived off his reputation.
"Still, I never imagined famous singers from Korea would come all this way just to hear my Hümü."
He said this to the crowd of Korean and American singers seated before him, the corners of his mouth twitching.
He seemed quite pleased.
Seeing him like that, Yuri and Annosuke whispered from behind.
"Is that... a smile?"
"Looks more like a killer's grin, doesn't it?"
Even a yakuza would piss themselves seeing that ferocious face twisted into a smile—it was downright terrifying.
The others felt much the same, but Yeonwoo actually drew closer and spoke up.
"Excuse me, sir, but could you let us hear it?"
Naran relayed Yeonwoo's words to her father.
"Not a problem at all."
Ganbold replied, then raised his hand right there from his seat.
Naran placed the tubshuur in his hand—a two-stringed instrument favored by Oirat nomads.
As Yeonwoo’s eyes sparkled at the unfamiliar instrument, Ganbold began to play.
Soon, he started singing Hümü.
Oirat style emphasized the feel of steppe warriors through tubshuur and Hümü.
Ganbold embodied that perfectly.
The deep, resonant bass pouring from his throat filled hearts with grandeur.
In that instant, a piercing high note like an eagle soaring through the sky burst from his mouth alongside it.
Sygyt?
No.
It was chen khargyraa—or chilandik, as it was also called—one of the most difficult techniques blending sygyt and khargyraa in Hümü.
As his Hümü flowed and his fingers danced nimbly over the tubshuur, ethereal fairies in the guise of mounted riders swarmed out like a hive of hornets.
Just like Mongol cavalry conquering the world.
Though not of the Golden Clan, the Oirat had been Mongolia's vanguard during the empire's expansion, roaming the globe and toppling countless nations.
That spirit was palpable.
Or perhaps it was the Hümü itself.
"Somehow... I feel like I'm about to be conquered..."
"Scary..."
Was it the sheer presence Ganbold exuded?
Yeonwoo realized something.
If Mongol horsemen charging into battle sang Hümü like Ganbold, no wonder nations trembled in fear.
This might be the very vibe Damien Cruise was after.
After all, he'd asked for music evoking Mongol cavalry thundering toward European kingdoms.
When Ganbold's Hümü finally ended, Yeonwoo spoke up.
"I have a favor to ask, sir."
"What is it?"
"I'd like to record your voice. There's this film director, Damien Cruise—he wants to make a movie about Genghis Khan. This'll be for the soundtrack."
"Damien Cruise!"
If his daughter was a K-pop devotee, her father Ganbold was a total cinephile.
He blew every penny he earned on DVDs, and he'd set up solar panels plus the best internet Mongolia could offer just to watch movies.
"Damien Cruise making a Genghis Khan film... and my voice in it?"
"We'll edit it on the computer, but yeah, that's right. Your voice will be in there."
"Ha ha ha!!"
Ganbold let out a hearty laugh.
"Fine by me! Use my voice in your music anytime. If it spreads word of Mongolia and Hümü far and wide, nothing could be better."
"Strong patriotism."
"We're a tough, isolated nation now, but we once ruled the world. We've got that pride. Even you Solongos have your world-famous hero, right?"
Come to think of it, aside from Europe's heavy hitters who gained fame through colonial influence, Genghis Khan was pretty much Asia's only globally renowned figure.
Sure, his legend came with infamy in equal measure, but Mongolians took immense pride in having once been masters of the world.
"If it's a film for the Great Khan, count me in. Oh, and I've arranged a ger guesthouse for you all—nice and cozy."
Ganbold said this, then spoke to Naran.
"Come on, I'll show you where you're staying."
"Okay."
Yeonwoo nodded and followed Naran with the others.
After a ten-minute bus ride, they reached a cluster of gers.
Unlike Ganbold's traditional ones, these were half-built structures.
Like glamping sites in Korea.
"This is... way too modern."
Baltbold responded to Yeonwoo's comment.
"Even Mongolians don't use real traditional gers anymore. You think anyone's dumb enough to sleep on the bare floor?"
"Fair point."
Yeonwoo agreed.
He figured he'd be roughing it less than expected—but that was just his take.
"So uncomfortable! Uncomfortable! Uncomfortable! Six of us crammed in one room?!"
Olivia Snow, who hadn't shared a room with anyone since childhood, was appalled.
"Never thought I'd end up rooming with others again. This is the worst."
"The wording's off. 'One room'? It's one house. And who're you calling worst? I'm the pissed one here?"
Yuri and Annosuke shot mutual looks of disgust at bunking in the same ger.
Meanwhile, Chae Hayeon pulled out some knitting, draped herself in a wool blanket, and got to work.
Ellis seemed amazed at the internet access and was browsing on her tablet.
"Ellis sis, how's the connection?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Faster than I expected."
"Oh!"
Yeonwoo scrambled to grab his tablet.
"What for?"
"Gonna do a live stream!"
"A live?"
Yeonwoo opened SSHIN's YouTube and hit go live.
Even in the waiting room, viewers piled in like they'd been waiting.
"Whoa, live for real? I took off all my makeup!!"
"What's going on?"
"Yeonwoo's doing a live broadcast?"
"Look at those viewers! Insane! World star for a reason!"
"Master doing live? On YouTube? Awesome!"
Olivia Snow, forgetting her complaints, glued herself to Yeonwoo's side and peered at the screen closer than anyone.
"Time to start."
Yeonwoo dove right in.
-What's this, for real?
-I missed you, Yuin ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Hard to even see your face since you stopped streaming. You've grown so much! ㅠ
-Our Yuin just gets prettier with age ㅠ
-Where are you right now, Yuin?
-Huh? Who's everyone in the back?
-Olivia Snow?
-She was with you before, still in Korea?
-Yuri and Annosuke?
-Isn't that Ellis?
-Chae Hayeon's there too.
-What kinda combo is this?
"Hi everyone, it's Yuin. Right now, I'm here in Mongolia on a trip with some close noonas and hyungs."
-Mongolia, got it ㅎ
-Close friends, huh ㅎㅎㅎ
-Yuin really is a treasure chest?
-Your attachment dolls ㅎㅎ
-Why Mongolia?
"Just traveling. You know, a trip."
Yeonwoo panned around the ger to show it off.
-Don't be uncomfortable, Yeonwoo ㅠ
-Must be weird compared to home?
-Mongolian nights are cold, right?
-Bundle up so you don't catch a cold ㅠ
"I'm good. It's comfy for me, but sis here says it's not. Looks like she's gotten soft to me. Too used to luxury living."
-Lmao bloated bellyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Fairㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Owner of multiple palace-like mansionsㅋㅋㅋ living aloneㅋㅋ who'd find this comfyㅋㅋㅋ
"What? You just dissed me?"
Olivia Snow, reading the English chats, glared daggers at Yeonwoo.
Yeonwoo shook his head.
"No, just stating facts. You said it was uncomfortable, right?"
"It was a joke!"
"Nah, you meant it."
"Hey!!"
"What happened to 'master'? Now it's 'hey'? Too much."
"You're the one dissing me!"
The bickering pair had the chat exploding over their sibling chemistry.
Just then, Oh Jaehoon pushed open the ger door.
"Everyone, dinner time! The chief invited us!"
"Oh, what's on the menu?"
"Something like khorkhog?"
-Khorkhog...
-Gulp
-Don't eat it, Yuin ㅠ
-You'll regret it ㅠㅠㅠ
-I went to Mongolia—khorkhog's stench is no joke. Koreans'll hate it...
"Even if it stinks, it's a rare invite. Gotta go."
-The mutton funk is insane ㄷ
"It's fine, I'm used to it now."
Yeonwoo declared confidently, then ended the stream.
He regretted those words immediately.
Khorkhog was...
"So tough... and the smell..."
"We should've grabbed ingredients from Ulaanbaatar and cooked our own."
They'd pretended to enjoy it in front of Ganbold, but no one could stomach much of the chewy meat and odor.
Oh Jaehoon, seeing this, nodded knowingly.
"I stocked up on ingredients and stuff before we left. We ate dinner, but how about some simple ramen now?"
"Korean ramen?"
"Shin Ramyun."
"Whoa, Manager Yeonwoo's a genius...!"
"Please, right now."
That night, they filled their bellies with ramen and turned in.
The next day, Yeonwoo got serious about recording the locals' Hümü.
He told them to sing freely as they pleased—he'd chop it up into parts and stitch it into tracks back in Korea.
Among them, Yeonwoo took a shine to the tubshuur.
An instrument played with just two strings. Simple, sure, but wringing chords from them kept the hands flying.
No problem, though.
"Who knew the kid would pick it up so fast? Geniuses are something else."
"I've handled strings before. I play guitar pretty well. Wasn't as hard as I thought."
Trained by the world's greatest guitarist, Jimi Hendrix's double, Yeonwoo had the innate ear, senses, and skills to master tubshuur in no time.
Did he even need to learn it? Still, he planned to play and record it himself for this track.
"Recordings are mostly done, tubshuur's down. Now for what I've been dying to try."
The moment Yeonwoo anticipated most.
Indirectly experiencing Genghis Khan—no, at least Mongol cavalry.
"I wanna ride a horse."
Ganbold pointed at Naran in response to Yeonwoo's earnest request.
"My daughter's a natural on horseback—learned it as quick as you picked up tubshuur. She'll make a fine teacher."
Yeonwoo looked at Naran.
She spoke up.
"I've got a condition too."
"What?"
"Teach me to sing."
Singing... Yeonwoo glanced at Kim Beomsin's fairy, then nodded.
"Not hard at all."
For real.