Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 99



Only Krnovel

Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter Episode 99

99. Controversy

Jin Ha-neul’s expression on stage is dark.

“······.”

She purses her lips and glances down at her left ankle.

There was a crude cast wrapped around her, which did not match her pretty stage costume.

There is no particular reason.

I sprained my ankle on stage during our final rehearsal this morning.

It wasn’t Jin Ha-neul’s mistake.

If I had to point out a reason, it was because of the stage costume that my teammate, Haru Lee, shed.

Rehearsal for the second mission genre, ‘Girls Hip Hop’, following ‘Moombahton’.

While performing an intense dance as the main dancer, one of Lee Haru’s accessories fell off, and it just so happened to be black.

The rule for idols who need to show facial expressions on stage is to look straight ahead at the camera.

Glancing at the floor is unprofessional.

And even if I had looked at the floor, the stage floor was pitch black, so I would not have been able to see the fallen accessories.

Because of that, I was rehearsing without even realizing the existence of the accessory, and I ended up stepping on it and slipping.

“Are you okay? Sister?! Are you hurt anywhere?!”

After checking her stage costume hanging at Jin Ha-neul’s feet, Lee Haru’s face turned pale and she approached Jin Ha-neul.

As I said before, the current situation was neither Jin Ha-neul’s fault nor Lee Ha-ru’s fault.

Just one of those random incidents that can happen during rehearsal.

“Yeah, I guess it’s okay-”

The moment I try to get up with a smile, my ankles start to feel tingly.

‘Are you a little bit nervous…’

Ever since I was a trainee, it was not uncommon for me to twist my ankle while dancing.

Thanks to that, my ankles have been trained to some extent.

So, I thought it would be just a momentary pain this time and tried to resume rehearsal,

Sick-

A little while ago, the chills came up again.

I took a closer look just in case and saw that the area around his ankle was swollen.

It was an emergency.

I headed straight to the nearest orthopedic clinic.

The doctor, who had been examining Jin Ha-neul’s ankle from all sides, opened his mouth.

As a result of the diagnosis,

“Fortunately, it’s just a sprain. There’s no damage to the bone or ligaments.”

“Phew···.”

Jin Ha-neul, who had been waiting anxiously, let out a sigh of relief.

I’m glad no bones were broken or ligaments were stretched.

If that were the case, I would have been kicked out of the program right away.

Somehow, the worst-case scenario, which was terrifying even to imagine, was avoided.

then-

“If I get a pain injection, will I be able to go on stage today?”

When I asked carefully, the doctor answered.

“I would not recommend it if possible. If you push yourself too hard without enough rest, your symptoms may get worse.”

“yes···.”

Jin Ha-neul nods.

However, her true feelings were different.

I was determined to give it my all on stage, regardless of whether my symptoms got worse or not.

‘I can’t cause trouble to the kids.’

These are the team members who have worked hard together for a week to prepare for today’s stage.

However, it should never be allowed that the team’s score goes down because of one person.

First, I received a pain injection and a cast to immobilize my ankle as much as possible before returning to the set.

The girls, led by Iharu, came running out of breath and asked worriedly.

“Hey, what happened to your ankle? Is it okay?”

“Sister, if you’re sick, don’t push yourself too hard and just sing. I’ll try to fix the route quickly from now on!”

Trainees who are more worried about their own injuries than about the stage right away.

Iharu is crying in regret, thinking it’s her fault.

At that warm sight, tears welled up in Jin Ha-neul’s eyes.

Meanwhile, the girls from the opposing unit who were about to face off also went to the production team to appeal.

“Can we postpone the recording for just one day?”

It was because I thought it would be a fair competition if Jin Ha-neul could stand on stage.

The girls’ kind hearts brought a warm smile to the faces of the production staff.

But at the same time, he answered with a sad expression.

“I understand your feelings, but… I think it will be difficult.”

It was impossible to accept the trainee girls’ offer.

I’ve already finished setting up everything for today’s recording.

Even if it was not the trainees’ circumstances but the mentors’, the recording schedule on the same day cannot be changed.

And didn’t you say it was for fair competition?

For the same reason, scheduling adjustments were also impossible.

Postponing the recording schedule for one person actually harms fairness.

Clearly, the controversy over preferential treatment will arise.

So, to make a decision,

“We can’t postpone the recording, but instead-”

The stage order was moved to the back so that Jin Ha-neul could recover her condition a little.

*

“I see, that’s what happened.”

The mentors nodded after hearing the story.

“The friendship between our trainee friends is really beautiful and admirable.”

“Our CEO Choi Ma-heon always puts character above talent in his artists. He is a proud junior of ours.”

Monsta Z’s Jiwoong praises the trainee girls.

The wild world of idols is one where people growl to stand out and become more popular than others.

Even within the same group, invisible conflicts are fierce.

If these friends become a team, their consideration will surely shine even brighter as teamwork.

One, that was a story from when I debuted later.

No matter how much they care for each other, ‘My Little Old Boy’ is ultimately an endless competition survival program for debut.

Therefore, the trainees themselves must endure any big or small incidents that occur within the program.

If you overcome today’s ordeal, it will become an episode in the future, but if you break down and collapse, that’s the end.

Of course, it will also serve as a foundation for greater leaps forward in the future.

“Mentor Likee and Mentor Jaymin. Can I dance with a sprained ankle?”

“Well, if it’s just a mild sprain, you can endure it and come out. But if you continue to overwork yourself, it can become dangerous.”

“Anyway, you’re saying there will be pain?”

“Of course, I’m sure you’ve all sprained your ankle at some point.”

At the words of the two dance mentors, worried gazes turned to Jin Ha-neul.

Seongjun is also worried.

“Trainee Jin Ha-neul, can you perform on stage today?”

“Yes, you can.”

But Jin Ha-neul’s will was firm.

‘Wow, despite his appearance, he’s quite the tough guy.’

Indeed, Jin Ha-neul never lost his smile even while working part-time at a convenience store where all sorts of villains appeared.

There’s no way he’s mentally weak.

Seongjun also smiled faintly as he looked at Jin Ha-neul who was smiling brightly.

Anyway, that’s how the recording started.

As planned, Unit B first performed the first mission genre, ‘Mombahton’.

Next it was Unit A’s turn.

The song selection is a summer song with a tropical house base and a moombahton rhythm.

“Love me love me, yoohoo~”

Lyrics and melody that bring to mind a warm beach.

The girls, with bright smiles to the beat of the bright song, perform wonderfully on stage.

During that time, Jin Ha-neul did not frown even once for three minutes.

To the point where anyone who saw her would have no idea that she was injured.

After the stage was over, all he could do was wink his left eye as if his ankle was tingling.

It must have been a tremendous mental strength.

“I forgot the seasons. I thought it was already summer, not winter.”

“The exciting atmosphere was well conveyed.”

Thanks to this, the mentors were generally favorable.

Seongjun also picked up the microphone to add a word.

“Overall, it seemed like the members had a good rapport. It was obvious that they had practiced a lot. And trainee Haneul, no, Jinhaneul.”

Jin Ha-neul was startled by the sudden call and answered stammeringly.

“yes yes?!”

Seongjun sends encouragement to Jin Ha-neul.

“Your ankles must have hurt a lot, but thank you for showing us your professional side. Let’s do our best on the next stage too. Fighting!”

At that moment, a pure and clear smile appeared on Jin Ha-neul’s face.

“thank you!”

Jin Ha-neul answers powerfully.

Seongjun didn’t know.

The fact that his one word blew away the pain in Jin Ha-neul’s ankle from her mind.

*

one side,

Jin Ha-neul, who returned to the waiting room, was only thinking about the feedback that Seong-jun had left a little while ago.

‘Thank you for showing me your professional side.’

I received praise from mentor Seongjun.

Moreover, he even cheered us on with a smile and told us to fight for the next stage.

Among them, the words that are most deeply engraved in my mind are,

‘You clearly called it ‘Sky’ at first, right?’

Even though I was unconscious, my name was called.

Not ‘Jin Ha-neul trainee’, but ‘Ha-neul’!

Somehow, I feel like the distance between me and Sungjun has definitely narrowed.

Heart pounding

Endorphins surged throughout my body in overwhelming joy.

Thanks to that, I’ve long since forgotten about ankle pain.

“Sister… is your ankle okay?”

“Huh? Oh, I guess it’s okay.”

When Lee Haru asked, Jin Ha-neul smiled brightly and answered.

Then, Iharu swallows her apologies inside, thinking that Haneul is pretending to be okay out of consideration for her.

The members who were watching from the surroundings also strengthened their resolve.

Jin Ha-neul, who is injured, is showing this much fighting spirit.

Next stage, I have to dance until my joints break.

“Okay, then let’s go destroy the second stage too!”

They changed into costumes and went up on stage with a powerful cheer.

“Wow, the atmosphere is completely different from before.”

“They came out as warriors.”

Mentors give a thumbs up to the trendy girls’ hip-hop fashion of matching baggy pants with tank tops.

Jin Ha-neul, who had found her position and taken her seat, glanced up at Seong-jun just before going on stage.

‘Please watch this stage too.’

Then, her head tilted downwards with her arms crossed,

Knock knock knock

As the hip-hop beat with heavy bass flowed, Jin Ha-neul’s eyes changed.

*

A video was uploaded to ‘Tok Tok’.

A video of Sungjun, a newcomer who is currently occupying the top spots on the Kiwi charts like it’s his home.

But that video is a little unique.

The location was a conference room.

I guess it appears to be the meeting room of MXM Entertainment, which he belongs to.

And then a strange conversation began.

‘What do you think music is, team leader?’

‘It’s fun.’

‘What about Manager Cho?’

‘TreeWiki says it’s an art that expresses emotions.’

‘What about Jiwon?’

‘Um… love?’

‘Then what about Youngho?’

‘I don’t know.’

People’s heads tilted crookedly just looking at this.

Why on earth would you upload a video of a meeting like this to TokTok?

There was a moment when I began to suspect that the video might have been uploaded incorrectly due to a mistake by the employee in charge of the TokTok account.

Knock knock, boom-

Seongjun immediately knocked on the desk and stamped his foot.

Then, Sungjun’s hands move busily over the laptop.

Then, immediately, an unbelievable sound was heard.

‘For me, music is you.’

‘Pleasure, art, love, I don’t know. That’s you.’

A beat I made a while ago.

And it was a melody with questions and answers that I didn’t understand.

Only then did people realize what the video was about.

– No way, you just made this song up on the spot?!

– No, you crazy person! Is that possible?!

And finally, a few words appeared on the screen.

Sungjun 2nd EP

Music Everywhere

Coming Soon

So, this was a teaser video hinting at Sungjun’s second album.

The community was immediately set ablaze.

– Have you seen TokTok?! Looks like Sungjun’s second album is coming out!!!

Nah crazy!! You’re already releasing your second EP? That’s so fast!!!

n Teaser? Anyway, looking at that video and the keyword ‘Music Everywhere’ on the last screen, it seems like the concept of this EP is a song made with such ordinary sounds.

Wow, I’m sick of interpreting it

So when is the release date? They’ve uploaded the coming soon to make you excited!

– Wow, that’s amazing. Just random words turned into a song? And it’s even fun to listen to!!! This song will be included in the album, right?

ㄴ I can’t wait for the album so I just downloaded this video and am playing it on repeatㅋㅋㅋㅋ

ㄴ I don’t know much about music, but is it possible to compose in that way? If there are any composers out there, please let me know!

n That kind of composition style… To be honest, you can say that no one but Sungjun would be able to do it. It’s not a sense that can be achieved by imitating it. That person is a genius. End of explanation.

N He was a real genius ㄷㄷㄷㄷ Seongjun, he’s a god!!

Where did all the kids who were said to be genius appeals created through marketing go? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

In this way, Sungjun’s impromptu composition video resonated not only with the general public but also with musicians.

Meanwhile, someone claimed that the video was manipulated.

– Honestly, does that make sense? It’s a fake video!

N yeah, it’s just a song that they planned out and made among themselves in advance. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been of that quality.

N this is correct

Oh my, they’re just being annoying and saying they can’t do it.

N Sungjun, you fools, get out

The controversy over the authenticity of the video seemed to spread like wildfire.

But the controversy quickly came to an end.

“Hello everyone, this is Ryu Young-seok’s ‘Drawing Book’. Our guest this time is-”

“It’s nice to meet you for the first time. I’m Seongjun.”

By Sungjun appearing in ‘Drawing Book’.