Chapter 94

On one side, the slightly disheveled and bearded Kim C slowly spoke: "Lee Hwalak, I actually think what you said in your video is right. I’ve also listened to your music, and it’s all very good. Moreover, there’s no rule in this industry that a musician can only play one style of music. Can someone who writes good ballads not write hip-hop? Can someone who writes good R&B not write trot? Although I can’t offer much help, if you need it, I won’t back down!"

Compared to the others, Kim C is actually more straightforward. His music career began in 1997, and before that, he was an outfielder for a semi-professional baseball team.

There’s no need to say more. Kim C mentioned early on in his variety show appearances, and his words were often quoted by the media, that he participated in variety shows to promote his music.

It’s that simple. A musician with his own principles, he also found Yu Yong-jin’s inexplicable actions very off-putting, making him wonder if this godfather figure had a problem or some ulterior motive.

Yoon Ji-won and MC Mong were a bit more cautious and didn’t say much. As for Lee Soo-geun, he looked forward to it. Compared to the others, Lee Soo-geun was more practical. After all, he was a pure comedian. Even after joining 21, he struggled at first and faced financial difficulties. But now, he has finally made it and is much more humorous.

Although he is on the rise, there are still few ways to make money. Hearing that he could release songs and earn income, Lee Soo-geun was naturally willing to do it.

Actually, Lee Hwalak wasn’t very familiar with them, so there wasn’t much to say. However, Kim C’s words surprised Lee Hwalak, making him realize that there are still some simple people in this industry.

The entertainment industry is divided into levels, like the high-level Heavenly Circle and the low-level Sweet Circle, which are hard to mix.

Lee Hwalak is currently doing well, not quite in the Heavenly Circle, but at least in the Hula Circle. If his song this time is as popular as the previous ones, the others will definitely benefit.

So, everyone indeed had no resistance. Although Lee Hwalak’s title as a new composer has temporarily disappeared, people in the industry still have eyes to see and ears to hear.

"Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Why don’t we listen to the song and watch the dance? This song is performed by Kim Ae-nam and Kim Ae-suk. Brother Hu Dong should know them. I’ll go warm up now!" Lee Hwalak said with a smile, then stood up and walked over to the dancers. Everyone whispered a bit, then moved to the center of the dance room.

Jang Hu-dong and the others, curious, ran to the front of the dance room and sat against the wall, whispering to each other and preparing to watch with curiosity and anticipation.

The Kim brothers and Lia went outside to close the door to avoid being seen, and the still present Yoo In-shik also ran over to sit with everyone.

Lee Hwalak and the four backup dancers quickly got into position, and Lee Hwalak gave a thumbs-up to Kim Ae-suk, who was by the sound system.

Then, Lee Hwalak lay down on one side, and one of the backup dancers knelt in the middle, with another lying behind him, and the other two lying around.

Kim Ae-suk then played the music, and a strange heartbeat sound began.

Actually, Lee Hwalak had prepared this song a long time ago, then had the Kim brothers help with the arrangement and recording, and later choreographed the dance with Lia.

Of course, these were all from Lee Hwalak’s memories. He wasn’t particularly interested in this song, but the song called "Heartbeat," which was performed by a group called 2PM, became very popular and established the group’s image as "beast idols," with their popularity skyrocketing.

The creator of this song was Park Jin-young, and in the memory fragments Lee Hwalak obtained, there was no male version of the song, only female group imitations. However, the memory of the song was there, giving the impression that Tang Menglong didn’t really watch male groups much.

But it didn’t matter. There was still some material, and the song was supposed to be released at the end of the year, with Park Jin-young as the creator.

So, Lee Hwalak’s initial plan was to take this song, package 21 with the "beast" concept, mainly to get to know Lee Seung-gi and promote him, as well as to solidify his reputation as a new composer. He also planned to have the rookie band do a serious imitation version to create some hype. As long as it gained attention, Lee Hwalak believed that program invitations would be inevitable. Previously, he wanted to appear on Yoo Jae-suk’s show, but now it wasn’t necessary.

As for the possibility of ruining the song, Lee Hwalak wasn’t worried. With good image and costume design, and some post-production, it wouldn’t be too bad. If anything, the different body types of the members, especially Jang Hu-dong and Lee Soo-geun, a fat man and a short man, might be an issue.

But he never intended to make them the main focus, so there wouldn’t be any trouble. Lee Hwalak had become more relaxed about this plan, ready to just throw it out and see what he could gain.

As for the 2PM group, what would happen without this song wasn’t something Lee Hwalak cared about. If he had to worry about the impact of every song he took, he might as well forget these memories.

Besides, Lee Hwalak always felt shamelessly that since it was something that didn’t happen in the future, how could it be considered plagiarism? Moreover, this was a gift from heaven to save himself and his adoptive father’s company.

"Thump thump thump!"

The music started, and the backup dancer in the middle grabbed his heart with his right hand, opening and closing it. After a while, the strong and fast rap by Kim Ae-suk began, which was at least three times better than the male voices in the BGM of the female group imitations.

Lee Hwalak also joined in the performance, not feeling shy at all, as he and Lia had choreographed the dance and given it to them. They practiced well, and to show the perfect version, Lee Hwalak joined in.

The music and dance were indeed powerful, though still lacking in depth. The few familiar with the Korean music industry were very surprised and wide-eyed.

Lee Soo-geun and Jang Hu-dong were completely stunned. They turned to look at each other, both thinking, "We have to dance this?"

As for Kim C, his eyes almost popped out. Could he dance like this???

Four minutes later, the song ended with Lee Hwalak doing a sharp backflip and lying on the ground, pretending to be a corpse.

"Clap clap clap!"

Yoon Ji-won and MC Mong were the first to clap, followed by the others. However...

"Dragon, this song is good, and the dance is good too. The overall package is quite manly. If given to male idols, it has a 90% chance of becoming popular. But for us, it’s a bit unrealistic!" Seeing Lee Hwalak walk over with a smile, MC Mong quickly expressed his thoughts.

Yoon Ji-won also nodded with a bitter smile, "And in terms of image, the five of us don’t match at all. Even if the song and MV can be produced well, and the image can be improved with makeup and costumes, the appearance and physique are still unique to each person. The five of us are too mismatched. If we bring back Seung-gi, it might have some potential!"

Yoon Ji-won, who had been in the music industry for many years, naturally had his own insights, and his thoughts hit the mark.

"Should I contact Seung-gi again?" Jang Hu-dong, who was already hesitant, asked urgently.

"No need!"

Lee Hwalak suddenly spoke, drawing the attention of the five.