Chapter 13
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 13
“Seo Ho-yun.”
I was looking at Seong Ji-won with concern when I noticed Im Hyeon-su beckoning me a beat late. As I went over and sat down beside her, she whispered, “Hey, your members are better than I thought. They’re nice kids.”
“They’re not bad.”
“Yeah, I expected them all to be as bratty as you.”
“That’s a compliment, right, Composer?”
“Of course it is, you cute, rude little bastard.”
Im Hyeon-su seemed to be in a good mood, humming to herself.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen something so fresh. It’s a bit of a rush job, but… I’m used to seeing top-tier idols who’ve grown complacent. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked with a rookie group that’s this disciplined. It’s fun for me, too.”
I rested my chin on my hand and looked at her. “You know, you’re surprisingly soft-hearted, Composer.”
“You mean I’m nice?”
“Of course. You know how much I like you.”
“Oh, I’m so grateful.”
Despite her history of plagiarism and chart manipulation, Im Hyeon-su looked excited, perhaps reminded of her own early days.
Seong Ji-won stood before the pop filter, stiff with tension. Im Hyeon-su turned on the talkback mic to the booth.
“Main vocal, ready?”
“Yes! I’m ready.”
Ji-won nodded. Behind us, the other members, who had been frantically practicing their own parts, snapped their heads up to watch.
The beat began to flow, and Seong Ji-won steadied his breathing. His eyes wavered with anxiety. Im Hyeon-su muttered under her breath, “I hope he does well.”
I let out a small smirk.
Was Seong Ji-won good?
【Give me, Give me, Give me Second Chance】
Worrying about a celebrity’s talent is the most useless thing in the world.
Ji-won’s voice resonated through the studio. Im Hyeon-su’s gaze sharpened, and she fell silent.
As the song progressed, Ji-won’s tension gradually melted away, replaced by deep immersion.
【We say once more that this is the beginning
I will come back every time
This strange déjà vu, don’t be afraid of it】
Ah, hearing Seong Ji-won hit those high notes is so… com-fort-able.
Pure com-fort.
I leaned back against my chair and relaxed.
“…W-was that okay?”
Im Hyeon-su turned on the mic for Ji-won, who was looking at her tentatively after finishing his part.
“Seong Ji-won-ssi.”
“Yes, yes?”
“How did it sound to you?” Im Hyeon-su asked in a low voice.
Upon hearing that, Ji-won’s pupils shook like waves in a storm.
“I… I… I thought the pitch was okay.”
“Pitch? Pitch isn’t the problem right now.”
Im Hyeon-su let out a chuckle.
Jeong Da-jun gasped, and Kim Seong-hyeon tensed up.
Man, Im Hyeon-su really knows how to build tension. There’s a reason she’s so popular as a judge on audition programs.
“Your voice is great.”
“T-thank you!”
“Where have you been hiding? You’re good. Your endings are clean… Did you train for a long time?”
“I… I was a trainee for seven years.”
“No wonder it shows. Just don’t be so nervous. When you’re tense, it feels like your tone loses its edge.”
“Ah, yes…”
Being told not to be nervous only made Ji-won shrink further into his shell.
‘Huh?’
Im Hyeon-su didn’t seem to notice; she gave a few more directions and then had Ji-won come out. Even after leaving the booth, Ji-won was still trembling slightly from the nerves.
‘His condition is a bit…’
“Well, you can do better next time. Next, rap line, get in there.”
“Yes! Kang Yi-chae, entering for recording!”
Kang Yi-chae went in. Im Hyeon-su listened and eventually gave him a "not bad" rating—not as glowing as Ji-won’s, but decent.
One by one, Kim Seong-hyeon and then Jeong Da-jun took their turns.
“Kang Yi-chae-ssi, pay more attention to your pronunciation. You spit the lines out well, though.”
“Kim Seong-hyeon-ssi, your high notes are weak, but your volume is good.”
“Jeong Da-jun-ssi… your voice is unique and charming. Not bad. But you need to practice more.”
With Im Hyeon-su’s methodical directing, the recording session flew by.
At the same time, I re-evaluated the members. They lacked star power, but most of them had solid skills. Their personalities weren't bad either, but honestly… that wasn't really my concern.
I was quietly sipping a smoothie a staff member had brought me when Jeong Da-jun stepped out of the booth.
Im Hyeon-su turned to me with a grin. “Alright, our little scammer. Your turn.”
“Yes, yes.”
I gave a playful response and opened the studio door. The quality was turning out better than expected, so I had to pull my weight.
The worried gazes of the members pricked at my back.
Since I had become a Ttukttak-i after being sick and hadn't had the luxury to practice singing on my own, I could feel them worrying that my vocal skills might have regressed as well.
In the game’s setting, ‘Idol Seo Ho-yun’ had been sidelined due to illness, so he probably hadn't practiced much with the members before either.
“Ready?”
As I put on the headphones in the booth, I heard Im Hyeon-su’s voice. I’d been to recording studios often while working on competition shows, but it was a strange feeling to be the one actually recording.
I tapped the pop filter and gestured to her. “Give me the beat.”
“Are you insane?”
Im Hyeon-su cursed at me but chuckled as she started the track.
I came in exactly on the beat.
【Ooh, Pick a card, a future seen more clearly】
Im Hyeon-su’s eyes widened.
【You’re anxious about the low odds
But there’s no need for that
It’s okay, because I will lead you】
I expected the recording to cut off here, as it had for the other members, but the beat kept flowing.
I glanced at Im Hyeon-su. She was just staring at me with burning eyes, making no gesture to stop. It was as if she wanted me to keep going.
Well, it wasn't hard.
【Come to me, Come to me,
Don’t be afraid, come to me
I have my second chance】
The song finally stopped halfway through the first chorus. I guess the recording was over.
“…”
“…What?”
I lifted one side of my headphones and looked at Im Hyeon-su and the members. Their expressions were strange.
“Should I go again?”
I asked, wondering if something was wrong, and Im Hyeon-su turned on the mic.
“Hey, Seo Ho-yun. Who did you learn to sing from?”
“No one in particular…”
“Ha. There isn't a single flat note. Everything is perfectly on beat…”
Ah, so that was it. It wasn't particularly surprising to me, so I just nodded. Im Hyeon-su stroked her chin.
“Usually, when kids try to act cool, they add all these unnecessary flourishes, but you have none of that. It’s so clean that it actually brings out the character of your voice more.”
It had to be that way. Im Hyeon-su’s words reminded me of the judges from my past competition shows.
The verbal abuse and criticism they poured onto the contestants!
‘Don’t add unnecessary flourishes.’
‘Why do you think the beat exists?’
‘Do you even realize how much your pitch is cracking?’
And about 70 percent of that abuse usually came from Im Hyeon-su herself. When you’re editing, you have to watch those scenes dozens of times; naturally, you don't pick up those bad habits.
I had constantly listened to the judges' critiques and the contestants' singing.
To me, singing was defined by three things:
1. Hit the beat perfectly.
2. Don’t try to be fancy; sing honestly.
3. Cracking is a sin.
“Was it okay?”
When I asked, Im Hyeon-su nodded.
“Yeah. But you’re a bit lacking in emotion. Don’t try to sing so honestly; try to let the notes flow a bit more. I think that’ll fit the concept better.”
“Understood.”
I nodded and sang it again. This time, I sang until the end of the chorus, and she even asked me to add harmonies to Seong Ji-won’s part.
“Whoa!”
Im Hyeon-su flapped her hands in excitement.
“Hey! How are you hitting these harmonies instantly?”
That was also thanks to infinitely rewatching Im Hyeon-su talk about music theory for three hours while editing. It was a crash course in ‘Music Theory Was the Easiest.’
“You’re still a bit short on emotion, but let’s think about that and record again. Your basics are so solid that it’s fine.”
Im Hyeon-su gave me two thumbs up, looking thoroughly satisfied. When I stepped out of the booth, the members gave me a standing ovation.
“Our Ttukttak-i… can actually sing.”
“Hyung! That was amazing!”
“I thought you were a vending machine. The results came out the second she gave an instruction.”
I shrugged at the shower of compliments. Honestly, I wasn't that good.
I guess I had… set the bar really low with my dancing. Feeling a bit sheepish, I went back to my smoothie. I noticed Kim Seong-hyeon, who looked like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His thoughts were transparent.
‘At least he’s less of a troll than I thought…’
He was probably thinking something like that.
As I watched the familiar scene, Seong Ji-won went back in a few more times to add harmonies, and then Im Hyeon-su played the recorded song in its entirety.
“It’s good.”
“It came out way better than I expected. I love it.”
Amidst the members’ sighs of relief, Im Hyeon-su nodded with satisfaction and whispered softly, “Honestly, I think this is better than the White Cherry song I’m working on right now.”
“Gasp, that’s… such an honor!”
“Thank you so much, Composer!”
“Hahaha, worship me, children.”
‘Look at her taking credit…’
Objectively, there was no way this was better than a White Cherry song that had a fortune poured into it.
She was just saying that to make herself look good, but the members fell for it hook, line, and sinker, bowing as if they were about to prostrate themselves.
Still, if it hit someone’s specific taste, it could certainly be better than White Cherry’s track. The lyrics weren't bad either, so as long as the music video interpreted them well, we’d be set.
“Anyway, good job, guys. If there’s anything you don’t like, we’ll re-record, so you can head out now. I’m busy.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
“Oh, Seo Ho-yun. Come here for a sec.”
“Why?”
When I walked over, Im Hyeon-su asked me quietly, “You blackmailed Ju Woo-seong, didn’t you?”
“…”
She must have seen Ju Woo-seong’s Starstagram. I saw no reason to deny it, so I stayed silent. Im Hyeon-su let out a hollow laugh.
“Are you actually a scammer?”
“Why are you like this to someone who’s just purely trying to do his best?”
“If you were any more ‘pure,’ the world would turn upside down.”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“Ah, wait.”
I shrugged. I was about to leave if she was just going to talk nonsense, but then she asked, “I heard you guys talking earlier. You’re filming the music video with Director Jeong?”
“Ah… yes. That’s how it turned out.”
Director Jeong. Honestly, music videos weren't my area of expertise, so I didn't know who he was.
From what I’d gathered, he was someone who specialized in idol music videos. I wondered why she was bringing him up.
“I know him. That guy films music videos like he’s half-asleep, you know? He’s the type to just snatch the money and run, but he actually can film beautiful videos when he tries.”
“Isn’t that a self-description?”
“You want to die?”
She was basically describing herself. They say birds of a feather flock together.
As I was pondering this, Im Hyeon-su lightly pushed my forehead with her palm.
“I already talked to him. Told him to take good care of you guys.”
“…”
That was unexpected. I hadn't even blackmailed her for this, yet she was helping me out?
‘What’s her angle?’
I raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out her scheme. But seeing my reaction, Im Hyeon-su just clicked her tongue.
“Did you get burned badly by someone? Why are you so untrusting? Well… I guess it’s a good habit to have in the entertainment industry.”
“…I just don’t know why you’re being so nice to me. It’s not like I’ve done anything for you.”
When I spoke honestly, Im Hyeon-su burst into laughter.
“It’s just a whim, wanting to dance to a madman’s tune.”
“…”
“It’s fun. If nobodies like you actually make it big, I’ll feel like my talent donation was worth it.”
Ding!
[Your relationship with Im Hyeon-su is now Friendly.]
[You have completed the ‘First Recording’ quest.]
[300 Points have been awarded.]
It was an unexpected stroke of goodwill and luck.
I gave a light nod. Im Hyeon-su was cool and didn't hold grudges; I liked that about her.
“Thanks.”
“You better be good to me, Seo Ho-yun.”
“I’ll bring you some more delicious sake next time.”
Im Hyeon-su flipped me the bird. This time, I couldn't help but let a smile spread across my face.
I shrugged and went outside to join the waiting members. I thought things had ended on a heartwarming note, but the members looked dazed.
“Did I… did I really just record with Blue Tiger-nim?”
“Is this a dream? Someone slap me.”
“Hyung, I can actually do that for you.”
As Kang Yi-chae rolled his fist, Kim Seong-hyeon quickly backed away. A slight shadow fell over Seong Ji-won’s face.
I tapped them and urged them along.
“Let’s go practice.”
We still had a long way to go.