Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Viral Passion
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"Are you heading out?"
"Yeah, I need to go to the studio and practice."
"You've got it rough."
"It's what I love doing, so no big deal. We're filming the video tomorrow, right?"
"Yep, see you then!!"
Chae Hayeon exchanged bright smiles and goodbyes with Jo Soyeon before leaving the kindergarten.
Her destination was SSHIN.
On the very day she met Jiyeong and 'Yuin,' she had become a trainee under SSHIN.
Once the company's setup was fully in place, she would officially debut as SSHIN's very first singer.
Who knew how long that would take?
Whatever.
She had wandered for a full ten years ever since dreaming of becoming a singer.
She had even resorted to filming YouTube videos in her desperate bid to make it, but now she finally felt like she was taking real steps forward.
"I'm here, presidents!"
"You're here? Want a snack?"
"Teacher!!"
Over the past few days of coming to the studio, Chae Hayeon had learned that Jiyeong and 'Yuin' always had snacks at this time.
"Want some too, Hayeon?"
"No, I'm good."
"Then, teacher, let's head to the recording booth."
"Oh, sure."
Right on cue, Yeonwoo finished his snack and stood up.
He looked every bit the innocent child.
But the moment Yeonwoo stepped into the recording studio.
"Shall we start?"
He transformed into someone else entirely.
In here, Yeonwoo wasn't a child—he was a cool-headed producer scrutinizing Chae Hayeon's singing.
Chae Hayeon took a deep breath as she met Yeonwoo's sharp gaze peeking out from beneath his pretty face, then began singing along to the intro track.
Today's song was "Rising."
The track that had propelled Hadass to number one—Yeonwoo's biggest hit to date.
Chae Hayeon poured her heart and soul into it, giving it everything she had.
After listening to the full take, Yeonwoo stared at her intently for a moment before busying himself with something.
It had followed this exact pattern every day for the past few days, so Chae Hayeon waited patiently inside the booth.
It never took long.
Sure enough, about three minutes later, Yeonwoo pressed the talkback button.
-I'm playing the track again. Sing it once more!
"Okay!"
"Rising" started playing again.
But it wasn't the original version.
This was "Rising," rearranged specifically for Chae Hayeon.
An accompaniment perfectly suited to her androgynous voice.
Moments like this made the title "genius composer Yuin" feel not just apt, but understated.
At only six years old, the child was displaying abilities that overshadowed everyone else.
Anyway, with the backing track tailored just for her, she sang freely, like a fish back in water.
Once she finished the song, she stepped out of the booth, and they listened to the fresh recording together.
"What do you think?"
"Much better."
"Yeah, but teacher, in the second verse, the pitch..."
Yeonwoo played a note on the keyboard.
"You should've hit this note here, but you went a bit higher, like this."
"Oh."
"And this one I can't really show on the keyboard, but in the climax, you sang a little lower than the original key. Considering your vocal range, you could even go higher than the original."
...At that moment, Yeonwoo's eyes resembled a professor facing a music student before an exam.
Come to think of it, they looked just like his grandmother's. Right—Yeonwoo's grandma had been a professor too.
"I've been thinking, teacher, you don't have enough power from your diaphragm. What do you do in situations like this?"
Hang on—if you're pointing out the problem, you should suggest a solution too.
At times like this, he really did seem like a kid.
"I-I'll work on my exercises. Or I'll ask President Jiyeong and figure out a method."
"Yeah, do that."
Afterward, Chae Hayeon practiced a few more songs before heading home.
"See you later, teacher!"
"Yeah, tomorrow!"
Yeonwoo sent her off with a bright smile.
Once she was gone.
Yeonwoo went into his room and opened the diary app on his tablet, scribbling away diligently.
[Today Chae Hayeon teacher sang lotsa songs. Sings real good. Lil slow tho. But still not enuf.]
Yeonwoo—or more precisely, through Kim Beomsin's fairy—knew that Chae Hayeon's current level wasn't her limit.
Kim Beomsin's fairy had vocal training skills that could correct a song after just one listen, and by continuously observing someone, it could gauge their potential to a certain degree.
Potential here didn't mean suddenly gaining vocal talent out of nowhere.
It was about unearthing the singing ability buried under years of bad habits and improper technique.
Kim Beomsin's fairy could assess that and draw it out with its unique training.
With the fairy's help, Yeonwoo was gradually improving Chae Hayeon.
At the same time, by rearranging other songs to fit her, he was crafting tracks made exclusively for Chae Hayeon.
The ultimate song where the blue fairy, yellow fairy, melody, and singer all harmonized perfectly.
Then, when the time came, wouldn't Chae Hayeon burst onto the music scene as a monster rookie like Hadass?
"Yeonwoo, time to head home."
As Yeonwoo mulled over his plans, Jiyeong opened the door as usual and urged him to go home.
"Okay, Aunt."
Yeonwoo tidied up and left the studio with Jiyeong.
On the way home, hand in hand like always, Jiyeong suddenly spoke up.
"Hayeon said she's doing YouTube, right?"
"Uh-huh."
"Just had a random thought—didn't Shuji say she reminds him of that Japanese singer?"
"Nakagami Ayuna?"
Yeonwoo had already watched her videos multiple times.
He had looked her up out of curiosity after hearing Shuji's stories about wanting to bring her to Japan.
They weren't identical, but her voice and looks gave a similar vibe, so others might think of Nakagami Ayuna too, just like Shuji.
"Yeah, her."
"But why?"
"So, how about covering one of her songs on YouTube?"
"On YouTube?"
"Yeah, it just popped into my head. She's been working hard on it."
"Then you should suggest it to her, Aunt."
"You think?"
It was a lighthearted notion.
Just casually tossing an idea to a hardworking junior.
But the one who received it took it seriously.
"Wow... Is that really Shin Jiyeong? There's something about her... Yeah, she's amazing. You really do give off a similar vibe."
"That much?"
"Your voices aren't exactly the same, but the androgynous tone is close, and your looks too. Get dolled up right, and people might mistake you for her."
"Really?"
Chae Hayeon's eyes sparkled at Jo Soyeon's words.
"Then, like you said, should I try covering one?"
"Well, she's not that well-known here. Though that rival of hers, Mitsuda Seriko or whoever, got famous recently."
"Still, since you say we're similar, I kinda want to try it."
Jo Soyeon thought for a moment and nodded.
"Yeah, let's do it."
Jo Soyeon and Chae Hayeon scoured Nakagami Ayuna's videos.
They settled on "Passion," one of her signature hits from her peak era.
Jo Soyeon edited it to capture that era's feel and uploaded the new video.
She wanted to give it a shot, and trying a foreign song once in a while seemed fun.
But they had no idea.
That this would be the flutter of a butterfly's wings.
* * *
One week later.
[Passion (情熱)
Nakagami Ayuna
Cover by. Big Bro Class Teacher]
Views: 350,000.
"...Why is this blowing up?"
"I have no idea. Why is this getting so much attention?"
Chae Hayeon and Jo Soyeon stared blankly at their smartphones, checking the YouTube channel.
The "Passion" cover video barely got any reaction for the first two or three days after upload.
Then, around day four, the views started climbing.
Subscribers jumped too—from barely scraping 30,000 after months—to 70,000 overnight.
At this rate, a Silver Button seemed within reach.
"The algorithm is terrifying, Hayeon."
"Tell me about it. I never imagined it'd get this much love from Japan. Guess that singer really was a huge deal."
"Well... She was one of the top female singers dominating the '80s... It was the bubble era back then too. Maybe nostalgia from that time?"
"Retro's trending, after all."
"Should we shoot one more while we're at it?"
"She has tons of hits—let's do it."
They dug up another Nakagami Ayuna song and uploaded a new video.
The second one hit 200,000 views in just one day, and soon the first video reached a million, the second 650,000.
The ripple effect pushed subscribers to 140,000, earning them the Silver Button.
Hayeon shared the exciting news with Jiyeong and Yeonwoo.
"Whoa, really? That's awesome."
"Silver Button! I wanna see it too, teacher!! Where is it?"
"I applied, but they said it takes a bit to arrive."
Jiyeong checked the YouTube channel as she spoke.
"Speaking of, that old man Datemura Shuji really has an eye. Guess his judgment was spot on?"
Even accounting for the algorithm, she hadn't expected this level of response on a Korean YouTube channel.
It did make her think starting in Japan, as Shuji suggested, wouldn't have been a bad idea.
"Yeonwoo, how about rethinking it now? Debuting in Japan?"
"No thanks. But come to think of it, if teacher wants to do it that badly, she should go for it."
As Yeonwoo spoke, aunt and nephew both turned to Chae Hayeon.
"Uh, Japan... But Yeonwoo, why are you against it?"
"Then teacher wouldn't be Chae Hayeon anymore—just Ayuna Number Two."
Jiyeong and Chae Hayeon widened their eyes and looked at each other.
Sure, some people wouldn't mind being a second someone.
Especially if they were desperate for debut, let alone success.
But.
"I... want to be Chae Hayeon."
Not her.
She craved debut, but not at the cost of living as someone else's shadow.
"I believe that you—well, both presidents—will debut me and make me succeed, without me having to be a second Ayuna."
"Oh, faith!! Love that. Truth is, I never wanted to groom a second anyone either. I was thinking too simplistically, just chasing success. Sorry."
Jiyeong continued.
"But since it's blown up like this, how about riding the wave with more YouTube?"
"How?"
"How?"
Jiyeong replied immediately.
"Put the official SSHIN trainee title on it, and have Yuin involved."
"Yuin?"
"Cover rearranged tracks. That way, it promotes Yuin and our company, and Hayeon benefits too—win-win, right?"
"Yeah, that sounds good."
"Rearrangements?"
Yeonwoo perked up at the word.
There were just too many songs in this world that were one tiny tweak away from spawning a red fairy.