Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 57



Only Krnovel

57. Oh, retirement pay!

Snow is falling from the sky.

The street is completely illuminated in white.

Among them, a woman standing blankly, exhaling white breath, has a glove on only one hand.

And the other hand is bare.

However, judging from the fact that it hasn’t turned red from the cold yet, it seems like someone’s warmth had been there until just a moment ago.

As I stretch out my white hand, the snow that has been gently sitting on it melts and disappears in an instant.

The woman looked at her hands vaguely and thought.

The love between you and me was ultimately like these eyes.

I hoped it would pile up warmly like sleet,

In the end, it just melts away like sleet.

That we were not good enough to be in love.

···That was the concept of Winter Song that Cha Sung-jun conceived through [association].

“Brother… are you a genius?”

Yuna lets out a direct exclamation.

Comparing a couple’s love to sleet and snowflakes…

It was perfect for the ‘creating a novel love story with obvious material’ that I was struggling with.

This kind of story is perfect for bringing back the warm and hazy feeling that I had drawn.

“I’m glad I asked Oppa to work on this winter song with me.”

Yuna said that while holding up two fingers.

“There are two major winter songs that are always ranked 1st and 2nd on the winter season charts. One is ‘Snow Flower’ sung by senior Park Hye-shin. Would you like to guess the other one?”

“It’s an American Christmas carol. All I want for Christmas is you.”

Yuna nodded at Cha Seong-jun’s answer.

“Yes, that’s right. Until now, no singer, no matter how great the song, has been able to surpass these two songs. To that extent, in the winter, these two songs were like an iron fortress. But······.”

Yuna looks at Cha Sung-jun, stretching out her words for a moment.

And soon a voice full of expectation came out of her mouth.

“If we can follow the concept that oppa mentioned, I think Winter Song could become one of the top three starting this winter.”

After that, I spent another hour or so in the studio until Yuna’s next schedule was imminent.

The winter song concept was confirmed as ‘Snowdrop’ suggested by Cha Sung-jun.

Because the concept was clear, the subsequent processes proceeded smoothly without any problems.

First, I chose lyrics that fit the story.

I quickly decided on the BPM, chord progression, and instruments to use to make the song.

“I think it would be good if the piano was the main instrument because it has to convey a lyrical feeling.”

“Then how about expressing the falling snowflakes with a xylophone?”

After that, the melody was recorded in several versions to match the keyboard played by Yuna.

The two people took turns humming the melody, and they recorded it all and saved it as a file.

By combining the best melodies from these and slightly modifying them, the demo is complete.

And that role is, of course, Yuna’s.

Originally, Winter Song was planned by Yuna, and Cha Sung-jun also had to focus on producing his EP.

So, based on what we discussed today, Yuna made a demo and sent it to Cha Seong-jun, who listened to it and shared his opinion.

“I’ll record a demo and share it with you by early next week at the latest. DV oppa, no, Sungjun oppa, good luck with your EP work. If you really need my help, just let me know. I can even feature. Is that okay, Seok oppa?”

“Uh… The director seems to have a troubled expression on his face, so I’ll just listen to what you have to say. Anyway, let’s go to Wintersong’s Third Commander with ‘Snowdrop’!”

Cha Sung-jun and Yuna smiled playfully.

*

Two days later, Tuesday.

This time, Cha Sung-jun was in the MXM Entertainment recording studio.

Because it was the recording day for the EP’s first track, ‘Jaywalking’, and the second track, ‘Drink me like coffee’.

Originally, only track 1 was recorded.

Since the mixing/mastering work for track 2 MR was also completed, we decided to record them all at once.

Anyway, since this is the first official recording for the first album, we have made thorough preparations.

I wore [Hopi Pattern Panties] for confidence,

I also ate [Doraji-flavored candy] to keep my throat from getting sore.

Various buffs cannot be left out either.

First, [Henna Sticker – White (Pure)] was used to match the recording of ‘Jaywalking’, which deals with the beginning of a sweet love.

Afterwards, in ‘Drink me like coffee’, it will be changed to [Henna Sticker – Red (Happiness)].

After activating [Emotion Buff] with Hwa-ryong-jeom-jeong, he stood in front of the microphone.

“I’ll start recording. First, I’ll sing it all the way through to the end to warm up my throat.”

The engineer’s voice was heard over the headset, followed by the MR of jaywalking.

It is clear that the virtual instrument sounds he recorded are much more harmonious, perhaps because they were recorded by a professional.

‘I feel like singing.’

Cha Seong-jun slightly raised the corners of his lips.

Now that the accompaniment is clean, it’s time to add vocals that match its level.

“I see you over there on the other side~”

Cha Seong-jun spoke the first words.

*

Engineer Jinwoong Jeong from MXM Entertainment.

He is one of the top five veterans in the industry, having experience in all three fields of recording, mixing, and mastering.

He has had countless songs pass through his hands, and countless of them have made it onto the Kiwi charts.

This time, he took on the work of a new singer.

He is an artist named Sungjun, and he is said to be the main character of ‘D.Voice’, which heated up YouTube and SoundSky.

As someone who works in the music industry, Jung Jin-woong couldn’t help but know about DeVoice.

I was amazed when I heard the cover songs and original songs sung by DeVoice, and was shocked when I saw them climb up the charts.

Anyway, thanks to that, Jung Jin-woong’s expectations for today’s recording were different.

Because I was curious to see if DeVoice was actually as good as he had achieved.

Such expectations of Jeong Jin-woong were met with gusto as soon as the first verse began.

‘what···?!’

Jeong Jin-woong, sitting outside the recording booth, swallows a gasp.

He was the one who listened to countless demos sent by Cha Seong-jun while doing MR mixing/mastering.

Thanks to that, I knew that Cha Sung-jun’s vocals were different.

however,

‘It’s even crazier when you hear it directly.’

Breathing, vocalization, and emotional expression are so stable.

To the point where I can’t even dare to think of him as a newcomer.

‘No, he is more skilled in using his voice than most veteran singers.’

Even from the first recording, there is not an inch of hesitation in singing it all.

This is proof that he is extremely accustomed to live performances.

This was a stark contrast to the sloppy idols and singers who had to sing a few lines of a part dozens of times and, when that wasn’t enough, eventually had to use autotune.

Between the admiration and the shock,

Before he knew it, Cha Seong-jun had finished singing and was looking at himself from inside the booth.

“Okay, that’s good.”

I quickly pressed the talkback button to share my thoughts.

“Then this time, let’s consider it as the original recording and start with the verse.”

And in the recording that followed, Jeong Jin-woong was able to confirm it once again.

Seongjun, this rookie is real.

*

After finishing recording both tracks 1 and 2.

Cha Seong-jun came out of the booth and sat on a chair to monitor the results.

I recorded the same section three or four times.

A sound source that is completed naturally by connecting only the most pleasant feelings among them.

It’s definitely a lot cleaner and more organized than the first demo.

Honestly, it’s top-notch quality, probably because it’s full of items and buffs.

“Well, I guess I’m singing this well enough?”

“It wasn’t just okay, it was the best. There was nothing to direct. I wondered why I was sitting here. Hehe.”

“It’s thanks to the engineer who chose a good MR that the song turned out well.”

Cha Sung-jun and Jeong Jin-woong, who had been joking around, celebrated by holding each other’s right hands and bumping their shoulders.

“But I never imagined that you would be able to relay record for 3 hours without a break. Seongjun, you seem to have a strong throat. Do you have any special tips for taking care of your throat? Do you drink yuja-cheong or something?”

“No, I eat the azalea-flavored candy.”

“Do… is that a Dorai-flavored, or rather, Doraji-flavored candy?”

Jeong Jin-woong quickly corrected his words and changed the subject.

“Anyway, I’m really looking forward to the 3rd and 4th tracks that you’ll send me next. This is just my feeling, but Sungjun-nim’s upcoming EP will definitely be a masterpiece. Since 2 out of the 4 songs are masterpieces, we’re already halfway there.”

“Hehehe, the engineer is being encouraging, saying that this is my first recording and that I’m a rookie. As you said, I’ll work on the remaining two songs and send them to you. Please take good care of me.”

And Cha Sung-jun left the recording studio.

Jeong Jin-woong, left alone, sits down, takes a deep breath, and exhales.

“Whew. Now it’s time to get serious.”

A S-class song with a S-class vocalist.

All that’s left is to forge those two into EX-class ones.

That is the role and ability of a veteran engineer.

“This, this, I have to work really hard on this. I don’t want to hear people say that everything else is good but the mixing/mastering is relatively bad.”

He is worried that he, as a veteran, will be eaten up by the artist.

This is the feeling, the anxiety I felt when I was a beginner engineer.

Recently, I have never experienced anything like this even when I touched a song by a famous singer.

Except for South Korea’s top singer Yuna.

‘So does that mean Sungjun is on Yuna’s level?’

No. Yuna has debuted many years ago, while Sungjun is a rookie.

When you look at it that way, Sungjun is a greater monster than Yuna. In other words, he’s a genius.

‘It’s an honor to be entrusted with the work of such a genius’ first EP.’

Jeong Jin-woong, who had been laughing and smiling, soon changed his gaze and sat up straight.

And then, in an instant, I was absorbed in my work.

*

Meanwhile, Cha Seong-jun left the studio and went to find the management team.

There, he asked the employee assigned as his temporary manager about participating in the ‘King of Street Karaoke Competition’.

The answer that came back was,

“Well, I guess the schedule is a bit vague.”

This is because the recording/broadcast date for the King of Kings battle announced by Changhyuk was before the announcement date of Sungjun’s exclusive contract.

MXM’s opinion was to minimize exposure as much as possible in order to maximize the impact of the surprise announcement.

He then added a word of regret.

“It would have been better if it had been early next year. It’s a shame. If it were a street karaoke king competition, it would have been pretty good content.”

Changhyuk is an influencer with 2 million subscribers.

He is a veteran of YouTube music broadcasts with a solid fandom.

As there is a clear channel identity that says, ‘Only the best singers appear!’,

It is common for many singers to use the promotional strategy of making a comeback by making a surprise appearance as an ordinary person, hoping for a viral effect.

Therefore, in the case of Cha Seong-jun, who was invited to the King of Kings competition with Natural Bread, there was even more merit.

Naturally, he has acquired the image of being a skilled person.

But what if you win?

It’s perfect for a knight.

So, the explanation was that if the schedule was right, participating in the King of Kings tournament would have been beneficial in many ways.

“I can’t help it. Okay, I understand.”

Well, it can’t be helped.

I don’t think they’ll change the content planned for the end of the year to the beginning of the year just because of Cha Seong-jun.

So, I sent a text message to Changhyuk saying that I was grateful for the offer, but that it would be difficult for him to participate at the end of the year due to circumstances.

*

The next day, Wednesday.

A new cover song has been uploaded to the D.Voice channel on YouTube.

[SURF – Covered by D.Voice]

It was a Mocha Sweat PPL song.

– ★Congratulations★ on filming the Devoice commercial! ★Congratulations★

N I got a Mokari account. Devoice is also accepting advertisements.

n In the meantime, the cuteness of Devois drinking Mocari so earnestly while saying it’s PPLㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

N By the way, I’m sick of this song! It’s so refreshing. Thanks to this, I lost my sense of season.

– But what is the helmet next to Mokari?

ㄴ That’s a couple helmet that I matched with my neighbor ‘SHYine’. Looking at it, it looks like I got PPL with them this time too.

Wow, I just came back from listening and it’s awesome there too. The voice is so refreshing. I subscribed!

ㄴ Come to think of it, DeVoice only works with women? Yuna, SHYine, Yeseonha. Are they all handsome in real life? I’m so jealous.

N f*ck, he’s good at singing and he’s also handsome, so he’s a total fraud.

So when are you going to reveal your face?! Shouldn’t you make a promise at least once?!

“Face reveal.”

Lately, there have been a lot of comments requesting that faces be revealed.

I think it was largely because the OST for [Reincarnation of the Heavenly Demon] revealed that Nerdie=Sadi, and also because Devoice was mentioned in ‘Who’s the King’.

Episodes 3 and 4 will cover 2:2 battles.

The 1:1 battle where you are eliminated will probably come out in episode 5 or 6.

So there are about 4 weeks left until the identity is revealed.

We need to finish preparing for our debut, including the EP.

If the current pace continues, it will be enough.

“Anyway, since I’m at Mocari Sweat, I’ll try contacting Seolcari Sweat too.”

I called around lunchtime.

Seol Hye-yoon answers the phone before the dial tone rings twice.

– Hello? Seongjun?

“Did you enjoy the food, Hye-yoon? I heard you liked the Mocha Sweat. As expected from the goddess of refreshing beauty.”

– There were a lot of comments on Seongjun’s channel asking him to reveal his face. So, are you going to make a promise?

“There’s a plan for everything. Even Hye-yoon will be surprised.”

– Will you avoid spoilers this time? I’ll just look forward to it.

What is the atmosphere like in the general affairs team these days?

We continued our conversation, asking each other how we were doing.

In the meantime, Seol Hye-yoon brought some good news.

– Oh, by the way, I asked the payroll team and they said Seongjun’s severance pay will be paid today!

“Oh, retirement pay!”

When I ran the retirement allowance calculator, the amount that came out was approximately 25 million won.

If you add up the advertising fee received from this Mocha Sweat PPL and the money in the bank account, it comes to about 40 million won.

‘Now it feels like a bankbook, not an empty one. Should I learn how to play the keyboard or electric guitar? Or···.’

Cha Seong-jun lets all sorts of happy imaginations run wild in his head.

At that moment, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

‘Oh, that’s right. There was an investment worth 20 million won!’

Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter Episode 58