The A&R office at the LS Entertainment building was bustling with people from early in the morning.
“It’s so obviously made for me, can’t you tell?”
“Come on, sunbaenim! No matter how much you want to sing it, that’s a bit much….”
“A bit much, what? Finish your sentence.”
“I think you’re being a bit too insistent….”
Amidst it all, Seo Jini and Jung Arin were engaged in a subtle war of nerves.
“I can sing this one, right? No matter how I look at it, this song seems perfect for me. You think so too, Chief?”
Kang Hajun was quietly pressuring Chief Han Ingyu.
“Yoon Jaeyi sunbaenim, should we have a listen too?”
“Ah, yes…”
Lee Hyoeun took care of Yoon Jei, who was cautiously observing from a distance.
The reason for all this chaos was…
The group text Hyunseung had sent out the moment he submitted the songs.
[ Submitted 5 songs to A&R. ]
[ Choose 1 of them. ]
[ Surprise test soon. ]
[ Failure means you can’t perform it. ]
For that particular reason, an impromptu bidding war had broken out in the A&R office.
“I’m not too late, am I?”
In the midst of it all, the veteran artist Moon Beomjae made his entrance.
“I’d like to have a listen to that friend’s, HS’s, songs too.”
The room fell silent in an instant, as if doused with cold water.
“Ah, of course.”
Han Ingyu immediately prepared a seat, setting things up so Moon Beomjae could listen comfortably.
“My, it’s been a while. My heart is pounding for some reason.”
Moon Beomjae, with a thoroughly excited face, put on the headset, but only for a moment.
“Wait, hold on….”
Before long, he tilted his head and took the headset off.
“Is something wrong with this friend?”
“Pardon?”
“The songs are strangely unstable.”
At those words, Han Ingyu just blinked for a moment. Soon, as if remembering something, he clapped his hands and continued.
“I actually contacted Director Kim Woohyun… no, Executive Director Kim Woohyun, and he said that Hyunseung-ssi is not in a good state of mind right now.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s probably because Daniel, whom he recently worked with, passed away…”
“Oh, dear.”
Moon Beomjae shook his head and clicked his tongue at the news.
“It seems I’ve come to the wrong address, then.”
He soon got up from his seat and asked.
“What’s the address for VINCIS?”
“Excuse me?”
“It seems I’ll have to go see him myself.”
At that, the people who had been holding their breath in the room shot their hands up, crying out as if pleading.
“Then, me too!”
“Oh, me too!”
“Ah, me toooo….”
They looked just like a class of kindergarten chicks.
Hyunseung was gradually returning to a normal condition, but he didn’t let go of his work.
That included administrative tasks, of course.
He continued the process of reassembling the songs he had been working on recently.
Once he had regained some stability, they all felt like utter trash.
From one to ten.
He repeatedly tore everything apart, put it back together, cut, and deleted.
However…
This was not a journey to find emptiness.
He was just feeling a sense of self-loathing for the very fact that he had sent such songs to LS Entertainment.
Of course.
If an ordinary person were to listen, they would still be good songs, but they were incomplete enough that an expert would be able to notice the melody line fluctuating erratically.
Especially engineers, whose job it was to deconstruct and assemble songs, would not miss it.
Among the instruments….
Someone of Moon Beomjae’s caliber would be able to tell.
‘How embarrassing.’
Just as Hyunseung was wiping his reddened face.
Knock, knock.
A short, sharp knock sounded. It was probably Michelle, the new secretary he had hired.
“Come in.”
As soon as he responded, the door burst open and Michelle walked in.
She always insisted on a gray suit set, ever since her interview, to the point where one might wonder if that was the only outfit in her closet.
Even though he had repeatedly told her there was no dress code and she didn’t have to wear something so uncomfortable….
Click, clack.
She always wore a tight, H-line skirt that came down to her knees, forcing her to take mincing steps.
It was uncomfortable even for the onlooker, but at this point, he decided to leave it be, as it seemed to be her personal preference.
Besides, she had an impatient personality, so while her strides were small, her steps were fast, which meant it wasn’t frustrating.
“Sir, I’ve confirmed there are no meetings on your schedule for today, but someone from a place called Utopia Entertainment has come and is requesting a meeting. I looked them up, and they seem to be a small, obscure company in Korea. Should I send them away?”
She relayed the reason for her visit in a clear, articulate voice without taking a breath, then adjusted her red-rimmed glasses.
“Ah, please let them in.”
“Yes, understood.”
Then, with a bow, she quickly exited the studio with her mincing steps. It hadn’t been long since he hired Michelle, but every time he saw her, he felt that….
She had no unnecessary words.
She was quick-witted.
And her work was impeccable.
Hyunseung liked Michelle.
Ah.
Not as a woman, but as a secretary.
‘That aside…’
Hyunseung recalled the face of the Utopia Entertainment CEO, who had arrived later than he expected.
He couldn’t even remember it well now. Hadn’t it been almost two months?
He just remembered…
That the man’s sleeves had been unattractively loose.
Of all things, that had bothered him and softened his heart.
Of course.
Even so, he wasn’t going to give them a song.
If there was even one instrument that he liked, he might give them one, but if not, he planned to send them back without mercy.
Knock, knock.
Before long, Michelle’s knock was heard again.
Thud!
Only after putting on the helmet that had been on the table did Hyunseung respond for them to come in.
Creeeak.
The door opened, and the Utopia Entertainment CEO, who remained a faint memory, entered with an even thinner face.
“Hello, CEO-nim. It’s been a while.”
“Indeed. I thought you had given up.”
“You once said that to persuade someone like you, I should let you hear the instruments’ performance, not a bag of money, right?”
“Yes.”
“At first, I didn’t know what that meant, but I came to understand that you were asking to see our skills.”
“Is that why you were late?”
“No, that’s not it.”
The CEO shook his gaunt neck from side to side, denying it.
He then continued cautiously.
“When I heard the news of Daniel’s passing, I thought you would be in great grief, so I did not come right away.”
At the word Daniel, which he had momentarily forgotten, Hyunseung unknowingly let out a sigh, “Ah.”
It was then.
The CEO’s eyes glinted with a strange confidence as he asked.
“I know it’s a little late, but would it be alright to let you hear a performance?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Thank you. Girls, hurry in and greet him.”
At his words, the women who had been waiting outside the half-open door entered the studio one by one.
‘Is he really that confident?’
With each person that entered, the CEO seemed to grow more and more confident. No, he was certain.
As if there was no way Hyunseung wouldn’t give these girls a song.
“Hello, I’m Lee Sol, the leader of Waysun.”
“Hello, I’m Seulgi, in charge of rap in Waysun…”
Hyunseung raised his hand, saying, “Stop,” and cut their introductions short.
“I want to hear the sound of the instruments, not their product names, so please do your self-introductions on your personal social media.”
He added, narrowing his eyes sharply. Since they seemed so confident, he had to see their skills first.
“Did you bring an MR?”
“Yes, we brought one.”
“Then, sing right away.”
Hyunseung then crossed one leg and slowly scanned the faces of the members of ‘Waysun’.
There were no familiar faces.
In other words…
It meant there was no one who would become hugely successful in the future.
— In the busily flowing time, I saw you within it.
The song began with the short-haired girl, who had been cut off before she could even introduce herself, singing the intro.
— Where are you headed? Are you coming to me?
Likewise, the long-haired woman, who had entered last and hadn’t even had a chance to open her mouth, let alone introduce herself, followed with the next part.
‘Hoo.’
Hyunseung let out a small sigh internally and graded them.
39 points, 41 points….
It was hard to judge because of the short parts characteristic of an idol group, but even a single line was enough to get a rough idea.
Especially when singing live in such a small space, it was even more apparent.
— If you come to me, I think I’d be as happy as if I had the whole world. So, stop hesitating and take my hand, will you take my hand?
Hyunseung frowned at Seulgi’s snap that came out just before the chorus.
First of all, regardless of the instruments’ skills, he could see why this song was a failure.
— I’ll always be here, so you just have to come. I’ll run if you call, so you just have to stand there.
And, he could also tell that the leader, Lee Sol, was the main vocal.
Ah.
That didn’t mean she was an exceptionally good singer.
Her vocal volume and breathing were good, but.
She had a bad habit. Not only was there a lot of tension in her throat, but she also used bending at the beginning of every phrase.
If that was the case…
It would exude what is commonly called a ‘ppongjjak’ feel. A feel that an idol shouldn’t have.
However…
Paradoxically, she would succeed with that very ‘ppongjjak’ feel.
‘Lee Sol, Lee Sol, Lee Sol…’
If his memory was correct, in about three years, a trot audition program would become a huge hit, and the Republic of Korea would be swept up in a trot craze.
At the center of it was ‘Lee Sol’.
He vaguely remembered hearing that Lee Sol was the biggest beneficiary of the audition program.
Eventually, Hyunseung raised his hand once more, stopping the song.
“Stop.”
There was nothing more to hear.
“CEO-nim, didn’t you say they were like jewels?”
“Pardon?”
“It seems they’re not even raw stones, let alone jewels. What should we do?”
Not just their voices, but their skills were also mediocre.
Just the level of the dime-a-dozen instruments out there.
He felt no desire to perform with them at all.
Lee Sol’s basic skills seemed solid, but he had no intention of producing trot music right now.
“……”
At Hyunseung’s harsh criticism, not only the members but also the CEO clamped their mouths shut.
Whether it was a relief or not, they didn’t make any excuses or ask for another chance.
“……”
A suffocating silence filled the studio for a moment.
“Still, since you came all this way, let me give you one piece of advice…”
Hyunseung opened his mouth, pointing at Lee Sol, who had her head bowed low.
“You should quit being an idol and try trot. You’ll succeed.”
Then, he gestured towards the door as if to tell them to leave, and Michelle, who was on standby, stepped forward to see them out.
“Everyone, please exit.”
It was then.
“I, I…!”
Lee Sol shouted as she approached Hyunseung, but…
Thwack!
She soon found herself on the floor with her arm twisted.
It was because Michelle had subdued her in an instant with a judo throw.
‘Ah, right. She said she was a judo major.’
At the rather rough response, Hyunseung gestured with his hands as if to say it was okay now. Michelle shot back up and straightened her disheveled clothes and hair as if nothing had happened.
She looked quite scary.
“Ugh…”
Lee Sol, who had been groaning in pain, slowly pushed herself up with her hands on the floor.
“I don’t want to do trot! I want to succeed with the other members under the name Waysun…!”
Then, with a loud “thwack,” she fell forward again.
It seemed she had fainted.
T/N: ppongjjak is just a slang term people use, often jokingly, to refer to it as old-fashioned
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