Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 37



Only Krnovel

37. Why are you coming out of there?

‘Yeseonha’ sometimes recalls the ‘Pink Rose’ days.

The girl group ‘Pink Rose’ that once dominated South Korea.

As soon as I turned on the TV, there was no channel I couldn’t see it on.

As soon as they release a new song, they rank first on music shows and are sure to win the grand prize at that year’s music awards.

Pink Rose’s popularity was sky-high, to the point where they were not only featured in various CFs but were even given the title of “nation’s girl group.”

But as someone once said in a song that nothing lasts forever······.

『National Girl Group Pink Rose Disbands! They Couldn’t Survive the 7 Years of Doom!』

『Pink Rose, whose contract renewal has failed! She will return with a new look in a new nest!』

Pink Rose failed to break the ‘7-year jinx’, the formula for idol group disbandment, and eventually all members went their separate ways.

Among them, the main vocalist of Pink Rose, Yeseon Ha, chose to pursue both solo singing and acting.

At first, he was criticized a lot for being an idol and for his robotic acting, but he gradually gained recognition for his stable acting skills and established himself.

To the point where she was cast in a work by the drama world’s top writer, Seo Yeon-hee!

‘Your house’.

This drama depicts the events that unfold when a strange kindergarten girl suddenly appears in the room of an ordinary college student and calls him “dad.”

The setting is that the main character’s mother is sick, so he takes a time machine to come and cure her, and the mother is one of the people around the main character.

The male protagonist, who has no choice but to start living with a child, guesses who the child’s mother is among the many people around him, including his girlfriend, a senior in his department, and a junior in his club, and also builds a bond with the child.

It’s a drama that deliciously mixes together mystery elements, the sweet chemistry between the male and female leads, and tearful family love.

Although the setting may seem messy at first glance, it is so captivating that it is currently garnering an average viewership rating of 20% per episode.

The OST ‘Every Breathing Moment’ sung by Shin Yong-jun also ranked 4th on the Kiwi chart.

The problem for Ye Seon-ha, who played the supporting female lead ‘Gwa Sunbae’ in the drama, arose right here.

This is because she also participated in the so-called character theme OST, which is played in the background whenever her character appears.

There was even an article that said that Yeseon Ha, the main vocalist of Pink Rose, sang the OST herself, so an explosive response was expected.

however······

‘Weak reaction?’

Compared to Shin Yong-jun, who came in 4th, the ranking of the OST he sang is lower.

Even with the drama buff, it only ranks in the top 20.

I was visiting Kiwi Cheat every day, hoping for a rebound.

Then suddenly, there was one person who caught my eye.

‘Yuna.’

He was a junior who appeared like a comet a few years ago and is now at the top of the music industry.

An all-rounder who not only has outstanding visuals but also has vocal and composition skills.

So it was only natural that her new song would top the charts.

However, if there is something that is not obvious…

‘Why are the songs I released in the past showing up on the charts? Even higher than mine?’

All of her previous hits were recalled and were chewing up the Kiwi charts.

I was curious to see what kind of magic was used, so I looked into it and found an unexpected person.

‘D.Voice.’

Neither a new singer nor an established singer.

The identity was a YouTuber with 450,000 subscribers who had recently gained popularity with cover songs.

It’s also quite a hot topic in the community and online.

‘Sister… How about we try riding the Devoice Coin too?’

After much deliberation, I nodded to the manager’s cautious suggestion.

There was a concern that it would seem like we were just following along because a junior singer was doing well, but what was more important was the music chart performance.

So I sent an email requesting a cover song, and I got a reply over the weekend.

From MXM Entertainment, not D.Voice.

They said they took over as agent.

Well, it wasn’t important.

“So, are you going to do it? Or not?”

*

“Should I do it or not?”

‘Your House’. It’s a famous drama.

It’s probably #1 in viewer ratings right now.

Since it’s an offer from a popular drama actor, the pay is also high.

3 million won.

It’s at the top of the list of cover song requests.

It is refreshing to see directly in monetary terms that Yuna’s cover song project has raised her value.

It went up by 1 million won, from 2 million won to 3 million won.

Well, that’s that.

Let’s take a closer look at other merits as well.

First of all, if you cover the OST, you can attract drama fans.

If that happens, it will be able to attract as much attention as Yuna did.

There are some areas where you are guaranteed to gain more subscribers or views on YouTube.

‘And if we expand in this direction, won’t we eventually receive requests for real OSTs, not just covers?’

Anyway, it seems to be beneficial in many ways.

Thus, the long-awaited first YouTube advertisement content following the Yuna Project was chosen as an OST cover by Ye-seon-ha.

I sent a KakaoTalk message to Team Leader Kim Seong-su asking him to proceed with the matter first, and he immediately replied that he understood.

Now, all you have to do is coordinate the dates with the qualifiers through MXM.

After that, I spent the afternoons looking closely at other advertising proposals whenever I had time.

*

After work, in the studio.

Cha Seong-jun is sitting on a chair.

His gaze, unusually serious, is fixed on a user page of SoundSky on his laptop.

[Mark Synthcity]

Posting songs centered around synth-pop and city-pop.

A popular user with nearly 20K followers despite not being an official singer.

None other than the next mission opponent, ‘Mark’.

Ddalgak-

I played a few of Mark’s latest songs back to back.

A track with a languid, comfortable, and dreamy mood flows out through the speakers.

As the vocals, which are fed with electronic sounds and echo effects, are lightly placed on the track, a purple night naturally comes to mind.

‘They’re all easy to listen to and I like them. The songs are well written.’

In particular, the ability to freely create tones using a synthesizer stands out.

I compared it with several artists in the same synth-pop and city-pop genre, but none of them could compare to Mark’s songs.

His understanding of the genre is unparalleled.

Stop-

After listening for a while, Cha Seong-jun stopped the music.

A firm expression, as if determined about something.

‘······This can’t go on like this.’

When evaluated objectively, Mark’s skills are superior to his own now.

To win the next mission, you will need to either raise your composition level by one level or have the stats to become a new weapon.

thus,

“It’s time for a promotion.”

The time has come.

The status window was brought up to check the exact specifications.

+

[Cha Seong-jun Lv.4]

Title: Late bloomer singer-songwriter beginner

Stats: [Vocal Lv. 9] [Range Lv. 9] [Rhythm Lv. 4] [Appearance Lv. 3] [Composition Lv. 10] [Appeal Lv. 4] [Association Lv. 2] [Stamina Lv. 3]

Skill: [Chest Breathing Lv.5] [Abdominal Breathing Lv.5] [Chest Voice Lv.5] [False Voice Lv.5] [Guitar Playing Lv.5] [Piano Playing Lv.5] [Myeonggyeongjisu Lv.1]

Items in stock: [Henna Sticker – Blue, Pink] [Doraji-flavored Candy X 5] [Hopi Pattern Panties]

+

One level 10 [Composition] stat, plus level 9 [Vocalization] and [Range] stats.

It’s a cover song project, an audition, and other things. Even though I was busy, I was able to grow this much thanks to my consistent neglect.

The Avatar worked hard all by itself.

Anyway, if you invest just 2 Song Coins here, you will meet the level 3 promotion conditions.

There is no need to think deeply.

“Okay, decided.”

With 2 Song Coins, I raised [Vocal] and [Vocal Range] to level 10 each.

Then, a system message appears immediately.

[The promotion mission has arrived.]

[Improve your vocal and composition skills.]

[8 cover songs, 4 self-composed songs completed]

[Current progress achieved: 7/8 cover songs, 3/4 original songs]

“Oh, this time it’s a pretty specific mission.”

If it’s a mission to fill up the number of times, it’s actually easier.

First of all, in the case of cover songs, there are a total of 7 songs, including Yuna’s ’26’ and 6 additional cover song projects.

His self-composed songs include two songs uploaded to Sound Sky and ‘Drink Me Like Coffee’.

So, I just need to make one more cover song and one more original song.

The timing is just right.

Not only did I decide to cover the OST for the preliminaries, but the next mission for ‘Who’s the King’ is also a composition mission.

Ah, I think it would be better to make another self-composed song.

That way, you can use your stats after promotion in mission songs.

“First, I need to ask Team Leader Kim Seong-su to bring forward the schedule for the OST cover song.”

Cha Seong-jun checks the schedule.

These next two weeks, which I thought would be somewhat leisurely, seem like they’ll be busy as well.

Anyway, it would be best to write a new song before working on the OST cover.

“Should I try one now without putting it off?”

While thinking about the concept, I decided to choose one of the 15 keywords given in ‘Who’s the King’.

[Star] Next, [Association] was the most active response-

“[petal].”

Cha Seong-jun closes his eyes.

Words, colors, scents, feelings, and scenes related to flower petals bloom in my head like a flower pot.

They keep sticking to each other and then falling off.

As if trying to find the best partner.

And a little later.

“······It came out. The concept.”

Cha Seong-jun opened his eyes and wrote three words in his notepad.

[Cherry Blossom Petals] [Lotus Petals] [Dance]

Combined [Cherry Blossom Dance]

I plan to paint a scene of red flower petals fluttering and dancing across the sky and lake.

Then, an oriental, historical drama-style sound would suit you.

“Shall we begin?”

Cha Sung-jun’s hands filled the track without hesitation.

*

Two days later, Wednesday.

I took a half day off in the afternoon and came to the MXM Entertainment building.

This is to officially record the song that was performed in the last 2:2 battle mission.

It was one of the benefits of being a winning team.

As it was a joint venture between Plessnet and MXM Entertainment, MXM Entertainment provided the recording studio.

As we take the elevator to the 7th floor where the recording studio is, Oh Jin-woo waves his hand.

“Brother, over here.”

In addition, some of the winning team members who will be recording today have gathered.

After checking the personnel, we each went into our assigned recording studio.

Coincidentally, it’s room number 3 that I shared with Seol Hye-yoon last time.

In the recording studio, there was an engineer from MXM Entertainment who would assist with today’s recording.

He said he also slightly modified the sound source that had been submitted in advance.

“Please do a good job recording today.”

Since the first verse was by Cha Sung-jun, he went into the recording booth first.

When you put on the headset, MR created by engineers flows out.

The overall feel has become cleaner and more intense.

‘Is this really the work of a professional?’

Thanks to that, I was more immersed than at the last live.

Maybe that’s why.

“Wow… What is this? I have nothing to direct. I’ll just keep going.”

The engineer who pressed the talkback button gives a thumbs up.

After that, the primary recording was completed quickly and smoothly.

Oh Jin-woo must have practiced a lot because he finished recording quickly.

Now, you can listen to each part recorded in succession and re-record only the parts that are necessary, such as the parts that stand out or the parts that build harmony.

“I’ll take a short break before that.”

So, I had a short break.

I’m sitting on the control room sofa listening to the draft version I’ve recorded so far –

“Knock knock. Excuse me for a moment.”

Someone opened the recording studio door and peeked his head out.

“Huh? Judge Jiwoong?!”

A hip-hop fashion man wearing a snapback backwards.

It was Jiwoong, the leader of ‘Monsta Z’ and a judge on ‘Who’s the King’.

“I came to cheer briefly since it’s a company event.”

They say that, but there is a cameraman and audioman behind them.

That is, shooting.

It’s probably for behind-the-scenes cuts or making-of videos for broadcast.

“Oh, that was room 49 and room 18.”

Ji-woong’s eyes sparkle for a moment when he spots Cha Seong-jun.

Afterwards, we sat on the sofa and had a short interview.

“Number 49 is particularly lucky in the draw. You’ve met Team 7, who is considered a favorite among the participants, and this time you’re up against Team 15, who won first place in the previous mission. How can you be so confident of an ‘easy win’ this time too?”

“If I win, it’s an easy win, but if I lose, it’s just a failure.”

“I’m killing lime.”

In addition, we talked about trivial things like what the results would be like once the song was released and whether it was difficult to prepare for it.

In the meantime.

“Actually, I brought one more special guest with me today.”

“Special guest? Who is it? Another judge?”

“Hehehe. It’s almost like both of you are celebrating your birthdays.”

Ji-woong lets out a meaningful laugh.

Then he shouted with exaggerated gestures.

“Please come in, senior!”

Cha Sung-jun and Oh Jin-woo turned their heads toward the door.

An unknown light pours out through the crack in the slowly opening door.

And then what appeared through the light was-

“Hello, this is Yuna. Ah···?”

Yuna and Cha Sungjun’s eyes meet as they come in with a smile.

Their shaking eyes were asking each other.

Why are you coming out of there?

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