Chapter 428
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 428
Even without a song from The Dawn, the short opening—which featured the most talked-about song of the moment—was enough to make PD Jeong Jun-hwan’s intentions crystal clear. He obviously planned to use Kang Yi-chae as bait.
Likely everyone present realized this. Yet, seeing them cheer without showing a hint of discomfort made Baek Ji-jun feel a wave of nausea.
To hide his grimace, he pretended to brush his hand over his mouth while quietly observing the situation. Soon, a spotlight flared to life, and Lee Jeong-ung, a comedian and active professional MC, stepped out.
“Hello! I’m Lee Jeong-ung, and I’ll be your host for Song Camp Season 3.”
Lee Jeong-ung broke the ice by recounting his experience as a singer with a self-composed song that had flopped spectacularly.
“Excluding the initiation ceremony, Season 3 consists of three missions. Each mission will be different, and the specific details and evaluation methods will be announced at the start of each one. The person with the highest cumulative score across all three missions will be the winner, walking away with a prize of 100 million won. The winner also earns the privilege of being the protagonist of a special behind-the-scenes episode to be produced later.”
While everyone else reacted with surprise at the rewards, Baek Ji-jun could only manage a scoff. No one sitting here was desperate for a few bucks.
The only thing they wanted was recognition.
Once they had that, whatever they were secretly planning could be achieved naturally later on.
That was just how this industry worked.
“Now then, before we delay filming any further, shall we get through the initiation ceremony?”
Showcase your genius!
As the text appeared on the screen, the curtains covering the left side of the set were drawn back with a flourish.
Six temporary booths were set up there, each equipped with a state-of-the-art computer and composing gear.
“You have one hour to compose the first verse of a song. Any genre. For the evaluation, you may sing it yourself or leave it to the vocalists we’ve prepared. Afterward, the top three performers chosen by an internal vote among the cast will be given a hint for the first mission.”
Dumbfounded, Baek Ji-jun let out an involuntary groan and quickly turned toward PD Jeong Jun-hwan. The PD’s round, friendly face was flushed with excitement.
One hour…
Whether you were a rapper, an idol, or just a composer, creating something new required a corresponding amount of patience and agonizing effort.
In the end, this initiation ceremony was—
“Can we go into any booth?!”
Just as his thoughts reached that point, the question from The Dawn’s maknae, Jeong Da-jun, pierced his ears.
“Yes, it doesn’t matter which one you use.”
For some reason, the eyes of The Dawn members seemed to flash at that answer.
“Then, contestants, please move to the booths. Once everyone is ready, the screen will signal the start of the initiation ceremony.”
Others passed by Baek Ji-jun, who stood blinking in confusion, unsure of what to do.
“Uh…”
Only then did Baek Ji-jun slowly stand up and take his place in front of a booth.
This is just…
In truth, if it wasn't about 'creation' but simply 'reproduction,' presenting a song wouldn't be that difficult. Anyone who claimed to be a composer was bound to have a few unreleased songs or beats tucked away. Using those as a base to sketch out a melody made creating a decent song a piece of cake.
Most of the cast likely intended to pull such a stunt. The relaxed smiles on their faces only reinforced this assumption.
However, Baek Ji-jun didn't care for that method. Not because of a guilty conscience, but…
That’s no fun.
He simply found it uninteresting.
It’s an absurd mission to begin with. Is he that confident he can package it well in editing?
As he let out a deep internal sigh, he overheard whispering nearby.
“Yi-chae-chae-chae, don’t you have anything prepared?”
Hearing the name of someone he liked, he pricked up his ears.
“I don’t.”
“Why?!”
“I used everything up while working on this full-length album…”
Ah, the granary had been completely emptied…
Eavesdropping, Baek Ji-jun felt a pang of pity deep in his heart. He knew all too well how unstable and anxious a composer’s life was when they had no reserves.
“It’s okay, Kang Yi-chae. You can do it.”
“Ho-yun hyung is giving such kind and warm comfort?!”
“Who are you?!”
Even though the words weren't particularly special, Kang Yi-chae covered his mouth and acted deeply moved. Seo Ho-yun gave a thin smile and placed a hand on Yi-chae’s shoulder.
“Because if I grind you, something will come out.”
That’s brutal!!
Baek Ji-jun, who held a master’s degree, felt the trauma of being hounded by his professor resurfacing. While he stood there trembling, unable to act, Seo Ho-yun continued with a bright smile.
“Kang Yi-chae, I’m asking for a song that’s unique yet trendy, calm yet lively—something that feels like a burst of inspiration.”
“Ji-jun, I need a short piece for the next orchestral collaboration. Make it grand yet simple, trendy yet classic.”
“You can do it within an hour, right?”
“You’re a talented fellow, so a day should be plenty, wouldn’t it?”
It was utter nonsense.
Gritting his teeth at the horrific memories that surfaced, Baek Ji-jun looked up and locked eyes with Seo Ho-yun.
Ho-yun’s right eyebrow twitched slightly, and then the corners of his lips curled as if he had just witnessed something amusing.
[START!]
[59:59:13]
[59:58:32]
[59:57:44]
At that moment, a clock appeared on the screen, and the booth doors opened automatically.
“I’ll be expecting great things.”
Seo Ho-yun draped an arm over Kang Yi-chae’s shoulder, tossed that one last comment over his shoulder with a glance, and vanished into the booth with his members.
Left alone to blink in a daze, Baek Ji-jun opened his door and stepped inside a beat late. He blankly pressed the computer’s power button and put on the provided headset.
This is driving me crazy. Why am I suddenly so unsettled?
It was a comment he could have easily ignored, but strangely, his professor’s nagging kept looping in his ears like a round.
Ruffling his hair as if to shake it off, Baek Ji-jun decided not to use his existing beats anyway. Cursing endlessly under his breath, he began to compose whatever came to mind.
Just as he reached the final stages of the song, a staff member knocked on the booth to signal the end of the session.
“W-wait a second!”
“Baek Ji-jun-ssi, time’s up.”
“Professor… I mean, Staff-nim!”
Having barely finished but forced to submit an unsatisfactory result, Baek Ji-jun sat in a daze for a moment before muttering gloomily.
“I totally failed…”
He managed to stumble out on shaky legs, only to see Kang Yi-chae among the confident contestants, radiating an aura similar to his own.
Just as he was about to assume things hadn't gone well for the other side either—
“Y-Yi-chae hyung! You really are a once-in-a-decade genius!”
“It’s unique and addictive, just like Ho-yun wanted.”
“R-right! I hate you when you’re being a slacker, but moments like this make me realize you really are a genius!”
Hearing the praise from the other members of The Dawn, Ji-jun figured it was to be expected and tried to tune it out. That is, until he heard Kang Yi-chae’s lament.
“I’m not a genius… I’m just an idiot who blew the lyrics the hyungs wrote… and because I had to rewrite them so fast…”
The air around The Dawn grew heavy.
Just then, Seo Ho-yun, who had been talking to a staff member off to the side, gestured toward the members.
“…Huh? Ho-yun hyung is calling Ji-won hyung. I guess hyung is going to sing.”
“Ah, is it my turn…?”
Giving a faint smile as if to say not to worry, Seong Ji-won walked over to Seo Ho-yun.
Ji-jun wanted to know what had happened in the booth, but he was dragged away by staff for a brief interview about the theme and key points of his initiation song. The curiosity was quickly pushed out of his mind.
The initiation ceremony continued with the presentation of the songs created during the hour.
As Baek Ji-jun had suspected, almost everyone seemed to have come prepared; none of the works felt amateurish. Even Baek Ji-jun’s music, which he’d worked on while half-out of his mind, fared reasonably well, receiving a decent response.
However,
“The Dawn receives zero votes.”
—The result for Kang Yi-chae’s song, which Baek Ji-jun considered the work of a genius, was disastrous.
*
Wow, the night sky is incredible today.
“Hey, Kang Yi-chae, I’m telling you, it was really good!”
On the way back to the company for a listening session for the new album after finishing the Song Camp initiation. Kang Yi-chae had the eyes of a dead fish, as if he had burned away every last drop of his passion.
Kim Seong-hyeon, sitting in the seat directly behind him, whistled and poked the crown of the younger man’s head.
“Why are you so dejected? Is it because you didn't get any votes?”
“T-that! That… trivial stuff doesn't matter. The problem is that I’ve released unrecyclable trash into this world…”
“Aw, hyung! We’ve had plenty of funny songs in our self-produced content, it’s nothing new.”
“That was for our own content…!”
Kang Yi-chae rubbed his face so hard his makeup was coming off, then glanced at Seong Ji-won, who had been quiet ever since the filming ended. Even though he had looked fine and performed perfectly when he was singing, he had been staring blankly out the window ever since they sat down in the van.
“…Ji-won hyung…”
Kang Yi-chae called out to him cautiously, looking uncharacteristically nervous.
“Yeah…?”
“I’ll buy you dinner. I’m sorry for making you sing such stupid lyrics…”
“Ah, what are you talking about, Yi-chae! The song itself was really cool! It’s just… just that I was reflecting on whether I pulled it off well, ahahaha—”
“…”
“Haha, ha… haaa…”
“The laughter suddenly turned into a sigh?!”
Jeong Da-jun, who had driven a stake through Kang Yi-chae’s heart by hitting the nail on the head, prattled on with a bright face while hanging onto the headrest.
“Hmm, I thought it was totally funny… I mean, good! What did you think, Ho-yun hyung? Wasn't it okay?!”
“He probably thinks it was a disaster…”
I glanced at the miserable Kang Yi-chae and recalled the filming set from a moment ago.
The contestants laughing at The Dawn, Baek Ji-jun standing alone with a bewildered face. And PD Jeong Jun-hwan, watching the situation unfold with a smirk from behind the cameras.
A slight smile played on my lips.
“Hey, Kang Yi-chae.”
I gave his shin a light kick with the tip of my shoe, and he looked back at me weakly.
A disaster?
“I’ll be the one buying the delicious food.”
Once the program airs, we’re the ones who are going to come out on top.