Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 182



Only Krnovel

Episode 182. run up (1)

―Shut the fxxk up.

It’s been a while since we last spoke.

The bald dwarf old man is still the same. No, actually, he’s more energetic than when he was a yellow guy in our practice room.

I deliberately muttered in Korean so that Lars Roemer wouldn’t understand.

“This is the inspiration tank. You went to your country and you’re feeling refreshed. This is your home ground, right?”

―What’s it mean? Speak English.

“This is the problem with Koreans… … They speak one language while demanding that South Koreans speak two or three languages? Isn’t it frustrating? Huh?”

He was muttering in English about what a fucking idiot he was, so I just gave him a very simple answer in English.

I said I was cursing.

―The little bastard’s snout is still the same.

“Rainbow reflection.”

-What does that mean?

“You mean it can be reflected seven times? Does that mean that even you, sir, still have a bad mouth?”

I tried increasing the dose, but it showed an unexpected reaction.

―Hoo… … Rainbow Mirroring… … I guess… … I can raise the potion seven times at once.

I’m confused.

Rainbow reflection, that’s something only kids do. I made fun of it by directly translating it, and he kept thinking about it over and over again.

I learned a new word.

I smiled faintly as I reversed my crossed legs.

“You know that’s not normal either, right?”

-Of course. Rock stars are normal? That guy is crazy.

“I don’t know how you define a rock star, but I half agree.”

-Anyway, prepare well for your second album. See you in December.

“Okay. Let’s meet again before you die.”

-shut up.

And then he started swearing at me for a long time, so I quickly hung up the phone.

The phone keeps buzzing—Judging by the way he’s shaking, Lars Roemer seems to be quite shaken.

But does that old man know that this is my way of expressing my affection?

It may seem like feeding because it is direct.

You have to stay alive and not die to see it again.

After I hung up the phone and looked up, Tae-joo, who had been slumped inside the recording booth, gave me a pitiful look.

I pressed the button on the microphone connected to the recording booth.

“I guess you had fun playing chaebol while you were resting?”

-No. I practiced every night before going to bed… …Really.

“No, you didn’t practice? You’re just standing still. Shouldn’t you have come in a row?”

―You’re getting older… … and how did you gain more weight in just half a year?

“Shut up. Age is just a number. The moment you stop, you fall behind, you know that?”

I looked at Tae-joo hyung with a sad face and answered harshly.

Have fun.

It’s so exciting.

The leader is so good.

It’s been a week since we started recording.

The brothers are once again transforming into musicians.

“Here we go again. Get your bearings.”

-okay…….

Tae-joo Hyung, who is struggling, fixes the bass guitar.

I took a new take.

Taeju hyung’s recording starts again and while Taeju hyung is playing.

I turned my chair around for a moment and looked behind me.

Roll, roll—.

The sound of snoring permeates the recording studio.

Youngpil is stretched out on the sofa with one hand raised to block out the glare.

Although his legs stick out because he’s so long, he doesn’t seem to mind and sleeps well.

Brother Dongshik?

He is also asleep, lying on the makeshift bed that Stantz brought a few days ago.

If someone asks why we do this.

There are answers prepared as a musician and as a person.

As a musician, my answer would basically be feeling… …

I have to get the feeling I want within a limited amount of time.

There are a lot of songs compared to the time.

It’s a double album, but each album has a contrasting concept, one being powerful and upbeat.

The songs included in another album are as groove-y and relaxed as possible. The genre pursued is hard rock, but the melody is emphasized. It gives off a grunge, alternative, and acoustic feel.

I don’t know if my brothers know this, but that’s why I played a strong performance that would be included in the double album, , at the beginning of the recording.

When my brothers were about to pass out from exhaustion, I started recording the songs that would go into .

So it’s hard to give them time to rest.

Because in order to play with contrasting performances, you need to create a certain environment as a producer.

Like a parrot sitting on Captain Hook’s shoulder, Suchan, who had been quietly sitting on my right, opens his mouth quietly.

“Brother Taeju… … Isn’t it time to take it out… …?”

“Do I look like I’m going to die?”

“It’s not that bad, but it does look difficult.”

“Then it’s okay. Everyone just doesn’t know. How poisonous Tae-joo hyung is.”

I looked closely at Tae-ju hyung, who was playing like that.

“Look at that. He’s smiling. How is that the face of a person who is having a hard time?”

The corners of the mouth, clearly brushing through the flowing hair, form an arc.

Oh, I like that one.

They’re supposedly a rock band, but their hair was in bad shape.

Neat and tidy.

But after giving it half a year, it came out looking pretty cool.

Tae-joo’s brother grows his hair out as long as possible, and when he doesn’t tie it up and lets it down, it reaches down to his philtrum.

The setting is quite fitting for a rock band member.

Sweating profusely, unable to leave the recording booth due to a single word from a young leader.

Taeju hyung, a smile naturally appears on his face as soon as he starts playing, because he knows what’s so good about it.

Maybe… …you don’t know?

When he plays, he smiles like a child.

When I turned my head when I heard a snap from the side, I saw Suchan hyung holding his cell phone and taking a picture of Taeju hyung inside the booth.

* * *

The moment when the members are locked in the practice room in Jongro.

A marathon meeting was taking place at Cheong-A Entertainment’s headquarters.

The host of the meeting is not the old man, but Chief Gil Min-seok.

In fact, although Cheong-A Entertainment’s public face is Gu Se-ryeong, he is a person whose abilities are so biased that he doesn’t show his face at meetings like this.

Biased ability ultimately comes down to recruiting artists.

Absolutely the best in that field.

His ability to unearth gems has reached a level where he is praised as being in the realm of a god. In addition, as a direct descendant of a conglomerate, he has the enormous financial power to mobilize money, so he has never lost in the recruitment war with other entertainment companies.

However, the planning ability is questionable.

The actor part of the work is successful, but the singer part is a disaster.

“Album cover. Is this the best?”

Chief Gil Min-seok sighed as he dug through the photographs spread out on the table with his hands.

“Excuse me… Chief. If you could tell us what kind of feeling you want, it would be less of a burden for us.”

This is Na Moon-hee, the marketing team leader.

Since I am one of the few people who can make such remarks, I decided to speak up on behalf of everyone.

However, in this situation, Planning Team Leader Park Hae-yeon, who should have the most say, is keeping her mouth shut.

A situation where rank-and-file employees are unable to express their opinions in front of the headquarters director.

It lacks the free atmosphere typical of entertainment companies and is very heavy.

Gil Min-seok looked at such conflicting appearances and thought about Cheong-A Entertainment’s chronic weaknesses.

The marketing team becomes active after the album is completed.

In contrast, the planning team is most active before the album is completed.

How to decide on the concept of the album.

What direction should we take, where should we target?

Anticipate how listeners will react to this album and develop a strategy accordingly.

But I kept saying it.

The planning team.

So, the right to speak gradually decreased and that is how we got to the current situation.

Gil Min-seok felt very frustrated at that moment.

The musicians are giving them gold, but the people who have to decide the direction and sell the gold at the highest price are at a loss.

However, he was not able to criticize his employees. Gil Min-seok himself said that he did not like it. He was equally unable to provide direction.

Gil Min-seok’s fingers once again began to rummage through the photos and prints.

Dreamy pictures with ambiguous meaning.

These are photos taken on the set of , like sketches.

The signs, made by external companies, decorate the table in a haphazard manner.

Even when I look at it again, there is nothing that I really like.

“Didn’t I tell you the concept? Light and shadow. But Dong-ha, who is also the producer, called the album Shadow and Shadow Thief. Do I have to explain this again?”

“Chief, that’s not it. I’m asking if there’s a specific concept you want for the cover.”

Everyone nodded slightly in agreement with Team Leader Na Moon-hee’s words.

That’s not wrong.

The concept of the album cannot immediately become the concept of the cover.

Of course, it is impossible to create a cover that is completely separate from the album’s concept.

That doesn’t mean the two are completely identical.

Whether to put the artist’s face on the cover.

Do you want something that looks like a work of art?

Or maybe you want to put the Blue Porcelain name front and center for the world wide world.

I mean, tell me that.

Director Gil Min-seok, who had been looking around the conference room for a moment, let out a sigh as if the ground was sinking.

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

“… … .”

The man who knew everything about Cheong-A Entertainment was Director Gil Min-seok.

Of course, the man who wasn’t even involved in the production of the album was also the head of the headquarters, Gil Min-seok.

Anyway, when a man like that says he doesn’t know, the employees are naturally flustered.

‘That’s because it’s an album.’

Gil Min-seok knew the reason.

If you are someone who can read sheet music,

Since I was in a position to check the sheet music before it was released, I was able to check it in advance.

So, I am someone who already knew the greatness of the songs included in this album.

Gil Min-seok raised his head and spoke eloquently.

“This Blue Porcelain album. I can confidently say that it is a masterpiece. To the point where I feel bad just calling it a masterpiece. This means that it is an album that will remain in the history of world music. But here, these. Half of them would look good on other idol album covers. The rest are just photos taken on location without any concept. And the rest are no different from the ones used on existing rock album covers. Are you going to package it with this?”

“… … .”

“I’m scared. I think the cover I roughly chose will decorate the world music history. Then people will say, “Everything is good, but the cover is a bit weird.” So I keep squeezing you without knowing it. Let’s find out together.”

Silence fell over the conference room.

The employees were originally quiet, but when Director Gil Min-seok said this, they became even more silent.

however.

In the corner over there.

A man sitting at the very end takes out his cell phone and checks it.

Is this going to work?

In such an important meeting?

How important is our work, the head of the headquarters keeps emphasizing?

Gil Min-seok felt his patience fading.

And he asked, vowing that he would definitely fire that employee.

“At the end there. What’s your name?”

Gil Min-seok is a low-level employee whose face he doesn’t even know.

But the person concerned doesn’t even know that he is being pointed out.

“That’s the end.”

When Gil Min-seok pointed at him again, the man looked up from his cell phone, as if he was being poked in the ribs by those around him.

“Yes? Me?”

“Yeah. You. What’s your name? What were you looking at?”

“Ah… … It’s Dongchan. Why… … are you like that?”

“Dongchan? Where do you belong?”

As the eyes of a dozen people in the conference room, including Gil Min-seok, turned to him at once, the man answered hesitantly.

“Ah. That’s Blue Porcelain.”

“……to?”

Gil Min-seok’s head, which had been so majestic throughout the meeting, was tilted sideways.

Rockstar Again Episode 183