Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 31



Only Krnovel

31. I made up my mind

After Ryu Young-seok’s comment, “Are you a genius?”, the judges’ comments poured in one after another.

“I had no idea that the song was just a collection of improvised lyrics and melodies. The spontaneity and sense, man.”

From the brave and boisterous cat.

“I’ve felt this since we started talking about lunch boxes, but I think your guts are just as amazing as your songwriting and singing skills! I should learn from you a little bit too.”

“Ahem, look at that. Didn’t I tell you, this guy is either a weirdo or a genius.”

Monster Z Jiwoong and Jay Jay’s Tiki Taka, etc.

It was met with rave reviews, beyond praise.

And in this atmosphere,

‘Are you calling me a genius right now?’

Cha Seong-jun felt a little awkward.

I was confident that my skills had improved with ‘Bangsingki’.

Still, I never thought I would receive such rave reviews, even from the top guys in the industry!

It was something I couldn’t even dare to imagine just a month ago.

“thank you.”

I lowered my head in surprise and returned to the waiting room.

Then, this time, applause and cheers erupted from the other participants.

“Congratulations on all the crowns!”

“Number 49 was so cool!”

“Sir, are you a genius?!”

It was an enthusiastic response, as if welcoming a family returning home in glory.

This time, he bowed awkwardly and returned to his seat.

Let’s wait a moment. Soon, Park Hye-shin appears on the screen.

“This concludes the inauguration ceremony. How was it? Did you show off your skills to the fullest? That’s right, there are always regrets no matter what the stage is.”

Park Hye-shin, who had been asking herself questions, paused briefly and then continued speaking.

“But you also know very well that the path to the throne is a cold and lonely one. So now, I will announce the ranks of the candidates for their first inauguration.”

The screen changes with the declaration.

Four crowns floating above the screen.

It refers to the ‘Four Crowns’ contestant who won four crowns out of the seven crowns awarded by the consul.

Below that, the faces and numbers of the participants began to appear one by one.

“The candidate who first obtained the Four Crowns is here.”

Next came Five and Six Crowns. Since they had beaten the odds of 1000:1 to be chosen for ‘Who’s the King’, everyone had their own unique talents, so this was where the largest number of participants fell.

And finally, it’s the turn of All Crowns, who has won all seven crowns.

Attention is focused on him as he is currently the strongest candidate for king.

As the faces of glory began to appear one by one, the participants’ gazes naturally shifted as well.

Numbers 7 and 15 were in the Friday group so they are not in their seats, so they will pass.

So the attention turned to numbers 30, 31, and 49, who had just returned from performing on the last stage.

Afterwards, the 49 contestants were displayed on the same screen again, lined up by rank.

Looking at it, the faces each had different expressions.

The smile of satisfaction contrasts with the face that looks somewhat regretful.

At this time, Park Hye-shin’s progress resumed.

“The ratings you just saw are the results of the candidates’ first appearance on the stage. Some may be satisfied, while others may be disappointed. None of the candidates should let their guard down. Starting from the next round, there will be eliminations. Look here.”

Following Park Hye-shin’s gestures, the screen reveals a gorgeous pyramid-shaped set.

A slide descends from a throne of gold and red velvet to the lowest platform with no chairs, then stops.

“The fifteen candidates who will be at the very bottom of the next round will all be eliminated.”

In other words, this expedition was a warm-up game, so all 49 participants survived, but in the next mission, 15 people will be eliminated.

The camera then zooms in on the faces of the participants, each with a solemn expression.

And then back to Park Hye-shin.

“Then, I will reveal the mission for the next round. The next mission is…”

He stared straight at the camera and slowly opened his lips.

“It’s a ‘2:2 battle’.”

*

*

*

A little later, the subway.

Cha Seong-jun is seen standing, holding the handle.

I’m on my way home after finishing recording.

His expression is interesting.

Even though he would normally be giggling at the joy of receiving the crown, he had a calm expression on his face for some reason.

There was a reason for everything.

After finishing recording, one concern arose.

‘So what should I do from now on?’

It was a concern about future goals and directions.

What is your ultimate goal?

And what path will we take in the future for that?

Among them, the goal was definitely set for today.

‘Let’s become a singer-songwriter recognized worldwide.’

They proved their potential by receiving rave reviews from the top judges in each field at the inauguration ceremony.

So I made up my mind.

Beyond simply regaining the lost dream of being a ‘singer’.

Let’s aim for the best in the country and even the world.

This was by no means an empty goal.

Because there is ‘Bangsingki’.

So what Cha Sung-jun had to do was to design a way to get there.

Step by step. First, let’s start with the debut to stand on that starting line.

And right now, there are three ways that come to mind for debuting.

Cover song on YouTube.

audition.

Release of self-composed song.

‘Let’s take a look at what we need to focus on here.’

First of all, YouTube cover songs are secondary.

Because it was originally started as a practice for tracking vocal changes according to stat level up.

Of course, we will continue to upload periodically.

Because it finally got this big.

Due to the nature of cover songs, profits are shared with the original creator.

The ratio ranges from as much as 5:5 to as little as 8:2.

‘2’ is a YouTuber.

Even if the number of views is low, if it exceeds a million, you can make a decent amount of money.

In addition, there is an opportunity to generate additional revenue through other sponsorships or advertisements.

It is impossible to throw away such a valuable source of income.

Therefore, I decided to leave the cover song YouTube channel as a ‘sub’.

‘Then, the only things left are auditions and releasing self-composed songs···.’

If you think about it, the release of a self-composed song requires ‘fame’.

No matter how many original songs you write, these days hundreds and thousands of songs are released every day. If you don’t have a name, who will be interested in listening to you?

The shortcut is to grow your YouTube channel bigger to increase the brand value of ‘Device’ or to get good results on ‘Who’s the King’.

‘Okay, decided. For now, I’ll focus on the audition.’

Of course, this may change depending on how the situation develops.

For example, getting eliminated early in the next round, or having problems with the company.

‘Oh, by the way, what do you do at work?’

I had planned to continue working part-time as insurance until I found my place, but circumstances changed.

The spec upgrade through ‘Bangsinki’ has already been sufficiently proven, and in addition, a cover song contract with MXM Entertainment was also obtained. In this audition, he was also acknowledged by the judges.

In other words, even if you quit the company right away, there is a situation where you can make a living.

‘but···.’

Still, I couldn’t just quit the company I had been working for for years.

There are relationships with coworkers, and things that have been hard to build up over time.

But the time has come to choose when to go all-in on music.

I guess I’ll have to decide before the end of the year at the earliest.

‘Let’s end this headache-inducing worry here.’

I wanted to refresh my mood before things got more complicated.

Well, as always, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

First of all, let’s record or practice a cover song tomorrow.

And for dinner, we should enjoy a beer and a celebratory meal at All Crown.

Cha Seong-jun put in his earphones.

*

Two days later, Monday.

After finishing work in the morning.

We went for a walk after dinner, which has now become a routine for days when special talk is needed.

My walking mate is, of course, Seol Hye-yoon.

Today’s talk topic was ‘duet songs’.

“Very well. I also reached 2 million.”

Seol Hye-yoon confidently brings before our eyes the video of a cover song that has 2 million views.

Their growth had been stagnant for a while, but they gained momentum last week when they covered the number 2 song on the Kiwi charts, “Sisters – Touch Your Body,” and their views are skyrocketing again.

Thanks to this, the duet between the two was finally realized.

Cha Seong-jun playfully clapped and cheered.

“Congratulations. I’ve been waiting for you to hit 2 million.”

“Wow, that’s such a laid-back and arrogant comment. Well, that’s to be expected. Youtube’s divinity! You’re Devoice-nim.”

“It’s all thanks to Pocari Voice’s Seol Shine.”

Seol Hye-yoon smiled without saying anything and narrowed her eyes.

Okay, that’s enough jokes.

“Then shall we try to match the schedule?”

Cha Seong-jun, who is good at reading the mood, quickly changed the subject.

Then Seol Hye-yoon took out her cell phone, checked the calendar, and answered.

“I’m completely free this week. I didn’t set it aside specifically to record a duet song, it just happened.”

What this means is that they cleared their entire schedule to record a duet song.

On the other hand, in the case of Cha Seong-jun.

‘Hmm, that’s difficult···.’

My schedule is tight this week.

There are still two more Yuna cover songs left to record right away.

In addition, we must prepare for the second mission of ‘Who’s the King’.

So, if we want to do a duet song leisurely, we have to wait until next week…

‘Then it means the timeliness has been reduced.’

Since this is a collaboration to celebrate both sides surpassing 2 million views, its meaning will fade if it is not done on time.

Should I record my duet song this week even if it means pushing myself?

Or, while I was wondering whether I should ask for understanding and postpone it to next week,

Brrrrrr-

The cell phone in my pocket vibrates.

It was a message from MXM Entertainment.

We confirmed that today’s cover song was uploaded at 12 o’clock, and that it was also shared and uploaded on the MXM channel.

At that moment,

‘Oh, maybe?’

Suddenly, a plausible idea comes to mind.

I took out my cell phone and made a call.

The person who answers the phone before the dial tone rings twice.

“Yes, Team Leader Kim, this is D.Voice. I have confirmed the message you sent. Oh, I am always the one who appreciates it.”

The sender of the message a little while ago is MXM Enter Marketing Team Leader Kim Seong-su.

After exchanging brief greetings, he got straight to the point.

“By the way, Team Leader, regarding this week’s cover songs, can we change one of them into a duet? Yuna’s ‘Bitter Words’.”

– You like the bitter words, right? But are you singing alone?

“That’s what I’m saying······.”

He said he would like to collaborate with other influencers.

I think the team leader knows this person well.

– Who··· could it be?

Kim Seong-su asked with concern whether they were trying to recruit a strange person.

– Oh, you were Shine? Oh my, how could you not know! Right now, you’re the person with the most views after Devoice!

As soon as the opponent reveals that he is [SHYine], his voice brightens.

Thanks to that, I was able to ask the next question with confidence.

“Yes, that’s why I’m contacting you because I thought there might be a problem with the contract.”

– I know what you mean. Just a moment. Um…

A voice that seems to be pondering can be heard over the phone.

But soon a positive response came back.

– I don’t think there will be any major problems. However, it would be difficult to pay additional costs to Shine due to the contract, so I think you will have to handle it yourself from the amount already paid to Devoice. Is that okay?

I said okay since that was what I had planned from the beginning.

Seol Hye-yoon and I, who were listening closely, gave each other a thumbs up.

– I noticed while monitoring the comments that there were a lot of fans requesting a collaboration between the two of you with similar concepts. Was it the ‘Durahan Couple’? Hahaha. I see how you contacted me.

“Yes, they made the first move- ahhh!”

The right side of Cha Seong-jun’s body, who is acting cute, is twisted 90 degrees.

It was the work of Seol Hye-yoon’s nimble fingers.

It seems like the word ‘courtship’ was annoying.

“Well, we talked it over and came to an agreement.”

He nodded his head proudly as if he was satisfied, rubbing his side and straightening it.

She’s delicate, but her hands are incredibly sharp.

– I see. Then how do the two of you plan to proceed with the recording?

Kim Seong-su asked about the recording plans.

The question was whether they would meet and record, or whether they would record separately and then edit.

First of all, adjusting the schedule for the duet song was a priority.

He simply replied that the detailed time, place, and method of discussion have not yet been decided.

So what the heck is this?

– Oh, then how about I lend you our in-house studio?

An unexpected offer came in.

They are offering to rent out a recording studio that was originally only available to affiliated artists or exclusive creators.

“Oh! Is that okay?”

– Of course. At our last meeting, Director Baek and CEO Choi asked us to give special support to Devoice. Hahaha.

Moreover, he boasted that he would provide the rental fee free of charge.

Thank you, there has never been such an overwhelming thank you.

It was decided that studio use would be on Tuesdays, and duet song uploads would be on Wednesdays at noon.

I was just happy that everything related to the duet song was resolved with just one phone call.

“Mr. Devois, your breath is no joke.”

Thanks to that, Seol Hye-yoon was also very pleased because she didn’t have to worry about annoying things.

It was exactly 5 minutes before 1 o’clock, so I returned to the office with a light heart.

The afternoon work hours that followed quickly passed with messenger chatter about tomorrow’s dress code, transportation, etc.

*

*

*

That evening.

♪~ ♬~

While practicing a cover song for tomorrow in the recording studio, Cha Seong-jun’s cell phone rings.

Cha Seong-jun’s eyes changed after checking the number.

A look that says, ‘It was meant to be.’

I took a deep breath and pressed the call button.

“Yes, I got the call.”

– Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Number 49, are you available to talk?

It was a call from my ‘2:2 Battle’ mission partner.

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