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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Concept Planning (3)
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‘Was this song always this catchy?’
I rewound the track, just over three minutes long, and played it again.
There were some parts in the middle that felt a bit over the top, but overall, it left a stronger impression than before.
“This is good.”
“Really?!”
At my words, Lee Cheonghyun's face lit up.
“I'm not exactly a music connoisseur, but I like it.”
Lee Cheonghyun let out a sigh of relief. But I couldn't relax just yet.
It would be fine if Lee Cheonghyun's talent had suddenly blossomed, making him more advanced than the version of him I knew.
But what if the Lee Cheonghyun of the past had made a song like this, only for it to be arranged or altered through some other process into the track I remembered?
That would be a problem. Taste was, after all, a personal thing, and you never knew how the public would react until you put it out there.
If it were the latter, no matter how much I insisted, ‘Oh, this humble servant prefers Lee Cheonghyun's version!’, it would be useless unless I could convince the entire company.
‘As a newcomer, there was no way I could influence the A&R team.’
I desperately hoped this was a case of the former.
Perhaps even a compliment from a clumsy dancer was welcome, as Lee Cheonghyun grabbed the mouse with a much more relaxed expression.
“Please listen to this one, too. This was the melody I first came up with.”
The new track Lee Cheonghyun played was identical to the song I knew.
“Was there something that made you change it from the original version to the one you just played for me?”
“Remember when the three of us talked about the concept with Juwoo the other day?”
You mean that chaotic mess of preferences. Of course, I remembered.
“I was just thinking, ‘It'd be nice if it had an exciting vibe.’ But then I thought, maybe the image should be more specific? After thinking it over, the direction changed.”
“What specifically did you think about?”
“A six-meter-long, giant metal fanfare!!”
Lee Cheonghyun gave me a thumbs-up.
It certainly has an explosive feel. Though it seems like the fanfare's purpose would be closer to destruction than celebration.
‘If the song changed based on our conversation... does that mean this melody has a chance of making it to the final cut?’
I'd have to hear what others thought, but personally, I preferred the version Lee Cheonghyun had revised.
I patted the shoulder of Lee Cheonghyun, who had grown so much on his own.
“You must have worked hard to get this far. You did a great job.”
“I still have a long way to go.”
True, compared to all the work Lee Cheonghyun still had ahead of him, the melody was just the prep work.
Still, finding such fresh ingredients was an achievement in itself. I gladly sent Lee Cheonghyun, who had toiled for a solid week, back to his room.
He must have been exhausted. Lee Cheonghyun told me to get some sleep and immediately returned to his room.
Until that moment, I had no idea.
That someone had been watching my and Lee Cheonghyun's clumsy attempt at songwriting.
* * *
During group practice, we were given a five-minute break after every fifty-five minutes of training.
I was about to review my moves in front of the mirror when Jeong Seongbin approached me.
“Aren't you tired?”
“Hmm?”
“It seems like you're up to something with Cheonghyun every night. I was worried you weren't getting enough rest.”
I was about to mention the song but quickly gave a more roundabout answer.
“Just talking about music. Were we being too loud in the living room? Did we disturb you?”
Lee Cheonghyun had been embarrassed to even let others hear his song; I doubted he'd like me talking about it behind his back.
But my worries were unfounded.
Lee Cheonghyun, grabbing his water bottle, cleared up Jeong Seongbin's curiosity by announcing, “We were talking about songwriting!” before leaving the practice room.
If you were going to be this casual about it, why were you so nervous yesterday?
As I stood there dumbfounded, Jeong Seongbin asked again.
“Songwriting?”
“Yeah. Cheonghyun seemed interested, so I encouraged him to give it a try, and he's been working really hard at it.”
“I see. Still, don't overdo it.”
Jeong Seongbin expressed his concern for my health before returning to his spot.
I watched Jeong Seongbin's back and thought.
‘You should worry about your own health, the one who's looking after all five of us...’
No one else is going to look after your health. Especially if you don't have a guardian or are far from home. In times like these, you have to take care of yourself.
I was debating whether I should tell him that the battery of youth doesn't last forever when someone else approached.
This time, it was Park Juwoo.
“Songwriting... Is it related to the concept we talked about before?”
“No. It's just something Cheonghyun is working on personally.”
“Then you're...”
“Playing the role of a pacer with an enhanced whipping function.”
In reality, all I was doing was listening and hitting the ‘like’ button.
Still, he'd asked, so I answered sincerely. But even after getting his answer, Park Juwoo didn't leave and continued the conversation.
“Um...”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“I... I know you're busy, but could you help me with my song selection, too?”
“For the monthly evaluation?”
I asked, just in case, and Park Juwoo nodded.
There was only a week left until the next evaluation. Even if it didn't take Park Juwoo long to learn a song, it was still a bit late to be choosing one now.
‘Has he been worrying about this for a while?’
If a quick selection was important, Jeong Seongbin would be a better choice than me. I carefully suggested an alternative.
“Have you asked Seongbin? I think he'd be more helpful than me.”
But Park Juwoo shook his head.
“...It's a little difficult to talk to Seongbin about it.”
Just then, Jeong Seongbin called us over, announcing that the break was over.
“Want to talk during dinner later? Let's focus on practice for now.”
“...Okay.”
Seemingly not anxious about the delayed song choice, Park Juwoo readily agreed.
After that, I had to endure Kang Giyeon's grueling instruction, trembling with anxiety until dinnertime.
* * *
The first-floor lobby was remarkably quiet during dinner.
Most of the staff seemed to have gone home for the day.
Since I'd said we'd be eating separately, tonight's dinner party consisted of just me and Park Juwoo.
I sat at the table, unwrapping my salad, and waited for Park Juwoo to speak first.
As always, Park Juwoo set the oriental dressing aside, outside the plastic container, and began to speak.
“...Remember how I said I wanted to do a strong concept?”
“You did.”
“I've been thinking about it ever since... but no matter how many songs I listen to, I can't find one that feels right.”
“It's not easy finding a song that fits your taste.”
“Eventually, I wasn't even sure what I was looking for anymore.”
It seemed Park Juwoo had given a lot of thought to the topic we'd briefly discussed a few days ago.
But something was strange.
‘Was he always this stubborn about his preferences?’
In fact, the Park Juwoo I knew after his debut was closer to the ‘go with the flow’ type.
Unlike most of the other members, who were similar to how I remembered them, the Park Juwoo in front of me felt a little unfamiliar.
“What's the biggest thing on your mind right now when it comes to choosing a song?”
“...I don't know.”
“Number one, you can't find a song you like. Number two, you can't find a song that incorporates the feedback from your last evaluation. Number three, other. Pick one.”
“Three...?”
Great. Now I had no choice but to take a wild guess.
I mulled over what factors might have recently unsettled Park Juwoo.
The biggest change from the past was my own existence as UA's most uncontrollable, clumsy dancer.
Choi Jeho and Kang Giyeon's fight didn't seem like it would have affected Park Juwoo.
That left only one thing.
Lee Cheonghyun's songwriting.
‘Park Juwoo was definitely there during that conversation, too.’
I didn't know the exact cause and effect, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask.
“Did seeing Cheonghyun write his own music trigger some change of heart?”
After hearing my question, Park Juwoo thought for a moment before answering with difficulty.
“...I think so.”
In that moment, a ridiculous soap opera based on the current situation played out in my head.
There was Lee Cheonghyun, a minor so captivated by a few flimsy compliments that he was staying up late, pouring his soul into a hobby that would one day become his profession...
...and then there was Park Juwoo, resentfully thinking, ‘I can't even sing the songs I want to sing, but you get to find yourself?’ What a train wreck of a drama.
Haha, forget debuting, I'd be lucky if the group doesn't just fall apart.
As I likely sat there with my face drained of color, Park Juwoo carefully added another comment.
“Cheonghyun is trying his hand at different genres of music... but I feel like I'm the only one who still hasn't found my way.”
Then, Park Juwoo lowered his gaze. He seemed to think his own worries were trivial now that Lee Cheonghyun, who had only ever done classical music, was composing pop songs.
I unwrapped the fork for Park Juwoo, who hadn't taken a single bite of his salad, and asked.
“Feeling impatient?”
“...I guess so. I feel like maybe I was being too complacent... and I'm a bit ashamed.”
It was a truly moving mindset.
At Hanpyeong Industries, I had never once worried, ‘Am I being too complacent with my work?’
‘It's not even for their debut song, just a single track for a vocal test.’
Honestly, I thought he could just pick any old song for the evaluation.
But not only had I been dead serious about my own song choice, I also knew that this serious attitude was what would carry these kids to their debut, so I couldn't carelessly chime in.
Instead, I stressed that my words were purely a personal suggestion and said to Park Juwoo.
“The songs you like might have great messages or concepts, but how about trying to think if they have other strengths, too?”
“Strengths...?”
“In one song, you might like the guitar riff, and in another, you might like the drums, right?”
“...Right.”
“If you broaden the elements you like, it might become easier to find a song that suits your taste.”
“...That makes sense.”
Though I used that same method and still couldn't find a single good thing about Department Head Nam.
“Who knows? Maybe there's an idol song out there written by a composer who's a rock music fanatic.”
When I threw out a silly joke, Park Juwoo finally managed a smile.
Feeling much more relieved, I asked Park Juwoo.
“By the way. Is it okay if I ask why you couldn't talk to Seongbin about this?”
“Oh, that...”
I was worried I'd touched on a sensitive issue related to teenage friendships, but thankfully, Park Juwoo answered with a calm expression.
“Well, Seongbin asked me if I'd ever thought about being an idol with him, and that's why I changed my career path to become an idol trainee.”
I knew that. When Park Juwoo first joined UA, he was preparing to be a solo artist.
“I like preparing for debut with the members, and I don't regret my decision to become an idol since I thought about it a lot... but whenever I listen to rock music, Seongbin gets this look on his face.”
“So our Seongbin feels guilty for pulling a friend into this...”
Park Juwoo nodded. He must have felt really bad that his friend was walking on eggshells around him.
‘No wonder he couldn't talk to him about his song selection.’
Still, it seemed like a good thing to have a friend like that in the group. Friends who consider each other's feelings—how heartwarming.
Of course, since I didn't really have any friends, I couldn't relate.
For some reason, I felt like I might have wasted my life a little.
* * *
March went by in a flash.
We baked bread and experienced a recording session.
I'd resolved conflicts between members, cheered them on to write good music, held mock evaluations to ease their nerves, and even given song selection advice.
+
[SYSTEM] A ‘New Task’ has been assigned.
▷ Enter the debut lineup
▷ Reward: Experience (20)
+
And so, after a fulfilling month, the March monthly evaluation began—the one that would determine Spark's debut lineup.
