Chapter 442
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 442
“Yeah, Da-jun! Let’s try it one more time, with feeling!”
The first run-through.
“…Seong-hyeon, let’s take it back to just now.”
The second rehearsal followed immediately.
“Again.”
“Again.”
“Again.”
“Again.”
“Again.”
.
.
.
“…….”
And so, the endless cycle of ensemble practice continued.
Suddenly, the piano keys went silent, and Seong Ji-won’s head lolled back.
“…Whew. Whoever’s been missing the beat for a while now, want to raise your hand?”
“I’m sooorryyy!!”
Jeong Da-jun, who had been rolling his eyes while clutching his drumsticks, quickly confessed.
Except for Kang Yi-chae, who had gone to do a magazine interview for Nutube, all the members were gathered in the practice room, working on their synchronization.
Since there was a performance scheduled after the live voting ended, we had decided to arrange the performance ourselves.
A band was the kind of thing that creaked if even one person was out of sync, so Kim Seong-hyeon sighed and took his hands off his electric guitar.
“Let’s take a break until Kang Yi-chae gets here.”
“When did he say the interview would be over?”
“Probably in about thirty minutes.”
At Kim Seong-hyeon’s answer, Seong Ji-won muttered something while scribbling on his sheet music.
“Yi-chae’s working hard. He can’t even rest properly.”
“He went for another interview?”
Recently, various magazines had been scrambling to interview Kang Yi-chae.
Even considering that male idol digital sales had been on a slight upward trend for the past few years, Kang Yi-chae had managed to place not only The Dawn’s albums but also every song he produced during the Song Camp onto the domestic charts.
Furthermore, not only did ‘Garage’ record an impressive rank on the Hot 100, but The Dawn’s ‘Flight’ also entered the ‘Bubbling Under Hot 100,’ showing remarkable results even overseas.
It’s no wonder they’re greedy for him.
“He said he’s practicing whenever he has a spare moment during wait times.”
The final competition had been redesigned as a live broadcast.
Instead of judge scores, the blind voting scores were broken down into ‘QBS Website Votes,’ ‘Text Votes,’ and ‘Nutube Views.’
The overall design had changed so that voting would proceed for a week following the pre-release of the competition songs recorded by the same guide singer. Then, the tallying would conclude during the main broadcast on the day of the 3rd Competition, with the rankings announced after the performances.
“Oh, right! Hyungs, hyungs! Do you know how insane the Nutube views for the Song Camp songs are lately?”
The fussing Jeong Da-jun scurried over to the computer in the corner of the practice room, flicked the power on, and searched for Nutube. Perhaps due to the algorithm, the Song Camp videos appeared in a neat row on the main screen.
“Whoa, look at the number of comments.”
Yeolmae, Skit, In May, Clouds Swaying in the Wind, Street Punk, Paper Doll.
Among them, the one with the highest views was the rock ballad, ‘In May.’
It evoked nostalgia for 1980s old pop while featuring a melody filled with brilliant doubling. The slightly melancholic yet honest and simple lyrics were resonating with many people.
Jeong Da-jun scrolled down with the mouse wheel and slowly read the comments aloud.
“‘I’m tearing up listening to this,’ ‘This song is insane,’ ‘Did Baek Ji-jun sell his soul to the devil?’…”
As ‘In May’ ended, the next most-viewed track, ‘Skit,’ automatically started playing.
Unlike the previous song, this was an alternative pop track with a sophisticated yet bold bass riff and a groovy beat that harmonized perfectly, giving off the vibe of an overseas rock band.
“This song is a masterpiece too. Kang Yi-chae really knows how to write. Still, I don’t think it can touch Baek Ji-jun’s song… What is this person even saying?”
After flicking the wheel a few more times, Jeong Da-jun wrinkled his nose and closed the window. Seong Ji-won, who had been watching with a chuckle, unwrapped a candy and popped it into the maknae’s mouth.
“Da-jun, do you want to see the draft of the interview Yi-chae did a few days ago? The manager shared it in the group chat.”
“Heol, yes!!!”
Instantly excited again, Jeong Da-jun opened the PC messenger. I saw him downloading the file the manager had sent.
“Hey, Kim Seong-hyeon. Hold on.”
I gestured to Kim Seong-hyeon to try matching just the guitar and bass, but soon, a boisterous noise erupted from behind us.
“Whoa~~!! Ahahaha! Yi-chae hyung is so funny.”
“Ahaha, he kept it quite lively.”
However, the noise gradually died down.
“Ahaha… haha….”
“……Gasp.”
Soon, silence hung over the practice room.
“…….”
“……Pfft.”
A moment later, Jeong Da-jun pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger and tilted his face toward the ceiling.
“This is an emergency….”
“Wow, I think I’m going to cry….”
What are they on about?
I, who had been playing the bass along with Kim Seong-hyeon, looked over with bewildered eyes. Jeong Da-jun, his eyes already moist with emotion, was wailing about something he called the ‘Infinite Youth Provision Incident.’
“Hyung, hic, I had no idea you’d been feeling that way all this time……!”
I watched with narrowed eyes as the maknae kept dabbing at his eyes. I could bet my bank account that not a single drop of moisture would come off those fingertips.
“…I really can’t stand it! I have to go see Yi-chae hyung right now!!!”
“Hey, Kang Yi-chae is in the middle of a schedule.”
“I’ll cheer him on from behind! My heart is itching because I want to be with him!!!”
Shouting that this was their true friendship, Jeong Da-jun went to dash out but tripped spectacularly. His foot had caught on an instrument cable sprawled on the floor. However, Jeong Da-jun didn’t seem to care at all; he bounced up like a roly-poly toy and sprinted out of the practice room.
“Yang A-chae!!! The maknae is coming!!!”
“Ji-won is going to cheer you on too!!”
“Hey! Seong Ji-won, what are you doing?!”
Kim Seong-hyeon shouted in horror, but Seong Ji-won just gave a bright smile and chased after the maknae.
“Ugh, seriously….”
Kim Seong-hyeon, who had let out a deep sigh while sweeping his bangs back with his left hand, stood up slowly to fulfill his responsibility as the leader, despite his scowl.
“……Seo Ho-yun, you stay here for a bit. I’ll go stop them.”
“Go ahead.”
I answered nonchalantly, unwrapping a lollipop and biting down on it while holding a bass chord. Kim Seong-hyeon, who looked ready to hunt down the members just a second ago, lingered and stared at me.
“What.”
“No, it’s just….”
When I stared back, sucking on the candy until my cheek hollowed, the guy standing there hesitantly avoided my gaze and scratched the back of his head.
“Why does this feel like déjà vu….”
“What does?”
“…Seo Ho-yun, you’ve been avoiding Kang Yi-chae lately, haven’t you?”
I chose to keep my mouth shut.
Since that day I ran into Kang Yi-chae on the rooftop, I had been avoiding situations where only the two of us were left as much as possible. There was no need for conversation as long as the cameras weren’t around.
Kang Yi-chae seemed to know I was avoiding him, as he didn't go out of his way to talk to me either.
Since we were members who spent all day together, there was no way they wouldn't notice this sense of awkwardness.
“It’s just a bit difficult, that’s all.”
As I plucked the bass strings again, Kim Seong-hyeon’s voice reached me a beat late.
“…Aren’t you making it too difficult?”
When I looked up, cocking an eyebrow, Kim Seong-hyeon met my eyes and added flatly.
“I don’t know what the problem is, but I don’t think Kang Yi-chae is looking for a solution. Frankly, how could we even solve anything for him? He’s got the talent to get anything he wants.”
Kim Seong-hyeon paused as if to gather his thoughts and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Do you really think that’s what he wants from us?”
“……Then what?”
“…Just eating a good meal together when he’s hungry, listening to him when things are hard, laughing together when it’s fun, and sharing the sad moments… you know, stuff like that.”
Exhaling another sigh, Kim Seong-hyeon asked me.
“…Have you read Kang Yi-chae’s interview?”
“…….”
“Take a look. There’s a reason Jeong Da-jun is making such a fuss.”
After saying that, Kim Seong-hyeon walked toward the door, saying he had to go round up the others, but suddenly turned his head.
“You too—if something’s up, talk to me anytime.”
As the door closed behind Kim Seong-hyeon, the System window appeared as if overlapping it.
Ding!
[…You know.]
“What.”
[……How exactly did Kim Seong-hyeon’s parents raise him to turn out as such a ‘light’?]
“That kind of thing is innate.”
I sucked hard on the candy and played the bass for a couple of bars according to the metronome beat before tossing it aside in annoyance and rubbing my face.
“…Ah, I need a cigarette.”
I’d been doing so damn well holding back.
Ultimately, unable to focus properly due to withdrawal symptoms, I stood up and started pacing around the practice room.
I sat down in front of the computer, which had been left on, and glared at the interview PDF file filling the screen.
〔 We met with the two cast members who are heating up the Korean summer. 〕
I heard it was a special interview featuring Baek Ji-jun and Kang Yi-chae, rushed into production before the final Song Camp broadcast. Despite being a draft, it was neatly edited.
Following Baek Ji-jun’s interview—where he joked about the burden of being recognized due to his skyrocketing popularity and asked people to look kindly on them since everyone in Song Camp did their best to create songs that would remain in people’s hearts—was a photo of Kang Yi-chae.
〔 You must be busy preparing for Song Camp, so thank you for accepting this interview.
The 3rd Competition song has already been submitted, so I’m not that busy. I haven’t slept for almost a week, so I might talk nonsense, which I’m already worried about.
From ‘Flight’ to the Song Camp competitions. Many critics have said that Kang Yi-chae will surpass existing idol-producers and leave a mark on the music industry of the 20XXs. How do you feel about that?
I am indeed an idol-producer. And I don’t think Kang Yi-chae is at a level to receive such praise yet. (Laughs) 〕
Even when the magazine tried to fish for provocative titles by bringing up excessive hype or throwing out sharp questions about the 3rd Competition, Kang Yi-chae deflected them naturally with smooth, clever answers.
〔 (Omitted) …—Even if you participated as The Dawn, you had to compose alone. Wasn’t it burdensome? In Song Camp, they even emphasized a rivalry, pushing you to surpass Billboard composers.
First, to clarify one thing: without my teammates, ‘Kang Yi-chae’ wouldn’t exist.
And without the members’ help, the songs from Song Camp would have had a hard time seeing the light of day. There are too many instances to list one by one, but they all stuck close to me and played a huge role in setting the overall direction of the songs.
The lyrics for ‘Three Os’ were very impressive. The melody was beautiful yet somehow empty, and the lonely but warm lyrics really touched the heart. Perhaps because of that, many felt it was a comfort to those currently wandering alone. Did you really intend ‘Three Os’ for those people?
I wasn’t quite that calculating…. I just wanted to write it that way. To be honest, I don’t really have much of a plan when I’m composing. There was a time when I unintentionally had to kill time alone. I watched movies I’d seen alone countless times, replayed games I liked… I got by okay. But strangely, once the sun went down, I felt terrible. I simply captured the emotions I felt back then into four minutes. 〕
“…….”
I felt like I knew when that was, too.
〔 So you’re saying you’re not the type to compose with detailed calculations?
Not at all. Since I rely solely on instinct, the rational Ho-yun hyung often finds it hard to understand me. 〕
My eyes narrowed as I read the words.
A bolt of inspiration, the itching sensation of wanting to write something. How was I supposed to know when he just laid out such abstract things?
〔 Composing based on instinct sounds cool, but there must be difficulties.
Of course. Even though I’m doing the same thing, it was so easy yesterday, but today it’s so hard.
I didn’t think my fluctuations were that extreme, but I had to retract that thought while filming this Song Camp. Where to start, how to end. It’s fine listening to others’ songs, but the thought of having to surpass them made me feel like I’d hit a dead end. Reason was screaming at me to wake up and fix my weaknesses, but my mind was blank, and meanwhile, the deadline was fast approaching, so I panicked.
Then, after the mid-way work for the 2nd Competition, I was able to pull myself together thanks to advice from Ji-won hyung. That moment was so impressive that I can still mimic it word for word.
What did Ji-won say?
‘Yi-chae, don’t worry about other people and just write what you want to write. With the most truthful notes.’
That’s romantic.
Totally. (Laughs)
I decided to throw away everything complicated. Maybe to win, you have to compose by strictly analyzing what’s trendy. But that doesn’t suit my temperament, and above all, I thought I’d regret it. So I’m going to do what I’m best at.
Writing down notes honestly.
That’s a great attitude. Last question. Is there anything you want to achieve as ‘Kang Yi-chae,’ not just as an idol?
The answer will always be the same.
To live happily for a long, long time as The Dawn.
Kang Yi-chae, who finished with a playful smile saying the members would be shocked to see such an unexpectedly serious side, politely greeted the staff and left.
POGUE looks forward to what kind of ending credits Kang Yi-chae will face in the future and anticipates his flight. 〕
After reading to the end, I brushed my lips and let out a long breath.
“……Impressive.”
Is this bastard really Kang Yi-chae?
He was the kind of guy who would consistently say ‘I don’t want to’ even when other agencies asked him for work, but reading this interview, he had moved past being just a youth and had become a mature adult.
Tapping the computer desk with my fingers for a moment, I leaned back in the chair and organized my thoughts.
Tap,
Tap.
No matter how much I chewed on it and reflected, an irrational hope kept trying to rear its head. Stories I had vowed never to let him know because a future full of danger lurked, those confessions….
“…How the fuck did I end up like this…….”
Tilting my head to the side, my lips parted slightly as I let out a low breath and stood up from the chair.
“Hey.”
[Yes?!!]
“Don’t act cute, you son of a bitch.”
[…Yes, yes. You’re in a bad mood, I see.]
The System submissively backed down, even lowering the saturation of its flickering blue light. I pulled out another lollipop from my pocket and spoke.
“Check just one thing for me.”
At my following question, the System vanished for a moment before reappearing and carefully laying out sentences.
[Uh, well, about that….]
While closely scanning the precautions that appeared before my eyes, a corner of my mind was busy retracing exactly where things had gone wrong.
Was it when I asked Kang Yi-chae on the rooftop why he was helping me?
Was it when I ended up hearing that last thing he said while pretending to be embarrassed?
Was it when he caught me coughing up blood in Japan?
…Or was it because I admitted that my dependents had increased during our first Christmas?
…Why are there so many, fuck.
My trembling thoughts gradually swelled into a great wave that crashed over me.
As I was quietly submerged in it, only one verdict fell upon me.
Once the conclusion was reached, the tension that had been pulled taut unknowingly released, and a pathetic lament of a narrow-minded human flowed out.
Congratulations, Kang Yi-chae.
In the end, you won.