Chapter 79

Located at 521, 2nd Dong, Gangnam District, Seoul, this is the address of S.M. Entertainment. In one of the studios here, Kim Tae-yeon was wearing headphones, practicing her vocals.

In the hallway, trainees walked back and forth, some drenched in sweat, others panting. Clearly, they had just finished their practice and were heading to shower and eat. But Kim Tae-yeon was not one of them.

She had come to practice singing with TheOne, her music teacher at S.M. and also an artist, Jung Chun-won. Of course, she had already been enrolled by her teacher to participate in S.M.'s upcoming audition in 2004. However, as she watched them through the glass window, there was no envy in her expression.

Since she started learning singing from her teacher, the first thing he told her was never to miss a lyric while singing. The second thing was to avoid distractions. But today, Kim Tae-yeon seemed a bit different, at least in Jung Chun-won's eyes.

She kept singing the same song, a male artist's work. Unusually, she did not follow his guidance but instead asked him to listen to her interpretation of the song "Love Song." Of course, he had heard "Love Song" before, performed by the legendary singer Kim Gun-mo, whose album "Wrong Encounter" had set a sales record.

He was naturally fond of his disciple, who had debuted at the age of 28 last year. Normally, Jung Chun-won was very busy, but he always made time for this student. Clearly, he cared deeply. But why today?

In the limited time they had, she asked him to listen to her interpretation of the song. This was not a child who lacked a sense of propriety; for her to do this, it must be important.

Finally, she finished singing and took off her headphones. She walked out of the recording room and bowed to her teacher, a habit she always maintained.

Sitting next to Jung Chun-won, Kim Tae-yeon looked at him expectantly, "Teacher, how was it?"

Jung Chun-won smiled and nodded, "Very good. I haven't heard a female version of this song before, and you are the first to sing it. You've managed to create your own style, different from Kim Gun-mo. Your high notes, which you excel at, were used very well. The emotion was very full."

The more she listened, the more her smile widened. Being with her teacher always made her feel at ease. The praise she received for her singing gave her the confidence to face everything around her. But suddenly, she thought of a face, and her smile slowly faded, her expression becoming complex.

Jung Chun-won glanced at Kim Tae-yeon and shook his head slightly, "Tell me what's on your mind."

Kim Tae-yeon snapped back to reality and looked at Jung Chun-won blankly.

Jung Chun-won chuckled, "You asking me to listen to your singing is a first, right? No reason? Just a whim?"

Kim Tae-yeon bit her lip and, after a moment, suddenly looked at Jung Chun-won, "Teacher, if I had lowered the key by two steps, do you think it would have been better?"

Jung Chun-won looked surprised, frowned, and then gestured for Kim Tae-yeon to go back into the recording room and try it again. Kim Tae-yeon stood up and walked into the recording room, playing the accompaniment for "Love Song" again.

This time, she used the tuning equipment to lower the key by two steps. As she started singing the first line, she saw her teacher frown outside.

This was clearly a very unsatisfied expression. But Kim Tae-yeon felt a bit relieved. As expected, before she even finished the first verse, just as the climax began, Jung Chun-won waved her out.

"Your voice can be both high and low, which is your advantage. But how can you only go low and not high? By lowering the key by two steps, your low notes became ordinary, and your high notes lost their luster. Apart from not being off-key, I didn't see any highlights."

Jung Chun-won first gave his critique and then looked at Kim Tae-yeon seriously, "You must not confuse your judgment. Although after debuting, the producers will guide you in interpreting the songs, you are a singer, not a playback machine. You need to have your own soul and feelings."

Kim Tae-yeon bowed quickly, "I understand, Teacher."

Jung Chun-won nodded and asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly lower the key by two steps? You should prefer the higher key, right?"

Kim Tae-yeon bit her lip and looked at Jung Chun-won, "Teacher, you also think the higher key is more suitable for me, right?"

Jung Chun-won chuckled, "That's obvious. Even non-professionals can tell."

Kim Tae-yeon frowned slightly, pouted, and looked down without saying a word. Jung Chun-won had known her for some time and understood her character to some extent.

Her current demeanor clearly indicated a personal matter. He usually wouldn't pry into such things, thinking it better for her to speak up on her own.

"If you don't want to talk about it, let's start today's practice. Your father is coming to pick you up, right? If you wait for him, you won't have the chance to say anything." Jung Chun-won took a sip of water, pretending not to care.

Kim Tae-yeon stole a glance at her teacher, took a deep breath, and recounted the entire process of the school festival practice to Jung Chun-won.

After listening quietly to Kim Tae-yeon's story, Jung Chun-won did not draw a conclusion but asked a few detailed questions.

Looking at Kim Tae-yeon, Jung Chun-won frowned, "You said he is also a trainee? Which company?"

Kim Tae-yeon shook her head, "I don't know. He hasn't said anything. When people ask him, he keeps it a secret, as if he's afraid someone will find out."

Jung Chun-won chuckled, "Really? Have you seen him perform at school?"

Kim Tae-yeon nodded, "Yes. On the first day, he played the piano, and the music teacher praised him. I've also seen him dance; it was very impressive. In terms of performance, he doesn't seem to hold back. As for singing, I've witnessed it too. He's really strong."

Jung Chun-won pondered, "If what you say is true, he shouldn't be unknown. Someone with such comprehensive skills and a popular appearance must be a secret trainee from a major company, instructed to keep his identity hidden to avoid being poached."

Kim Tae-yeon asked tentatively, "Teacher, do you think he's doing it on purpose?"

Jung Chun-won came back to his senses and chuckled, shaking his head, "Do I need to ask? You can feel it too, but I'm not sure why you can't confirm it. Is it because he seems nice, so you don't believe he's doing it on purpose? If he is a trainee, even if he's not that strong, he would definitely notice the significant difference in your performance when you lower the key by two steps. Especially given what you said, even without considering his piano and dance skills, his singing is strong enough for him to know the issue with you singing this song in the lower key."

Seeing that Kim Tae-yeon understood something, Jung Chun-won added, "And this doesn't require much professional knowledge. It's a simple matter."

Kim Tae-yeon hesitated and said to Jung Chun-won, "But Teacher, I feel... I feel he's not that kind of person. Because of the collaboration, I was even troubled by a senior, and he helped me. He even had a conflict with the senior. Besides, ..."

Kim Tae-yeon seemed to think of something and stopped speaking. Her small face, already small, frowned even more.

Jung Chun-won looked at Kim Tae-yeon with a strange expression. Seeing her troubled look, he chuckled and patted her head, "I only said he must know that you would sing better if you raised the key by two steps. I didn't say he was being malicious. You yourself suspect he might have his reasons. Why not just ask him directly? Based on what you know, he might not be that kind of person, right?"

Kim Tae-yeon was taken aback and whispered, "Actually... we're not that familiar."

Jung Chun-won was both amused and exasperated, "So, are you familiar or not?"

Kim Tae-yeon covered her mouth and chuckled softly. Jung Chun-won pondered for a moment and then said sternly, "Then be more assertive. I don't care much about your singing lessons, but you need to change your personality after debuting. Being a singer isn't just about singing; you need to learn how to navigate the industry. At least learn to protect yourself. You can pretend not to care when you need to, but when it's something you should fight for, you must not give in."

Staring at Kim Tae-yeon, Jung Chun-won demonstrated, "Go to him! Whether he has his reasons or not, he's not being honest with you. And the fact that he's suppressing your performance is real. What right does he have? No matter the reason, he doesn't have the right. He gets to shine, and you have to be the supporting act!?"

Leaning forward and looking directly into Kim Tae-yeon's eyes, he asked, "Do you understand?"

Kim Tae-yeon instinctively stepped back and nodded timidly, "I... I understand."

Jung Chun-won, dissatisfied, said coldly, "You don't understand, Tae-yeon."

Kim Tae-yeon looked at her teacher, bit her lip, took a deep breath, and suddenly sat up straight, her tone firm, "I understand, Teacher."

Jung Chun-won finally smiled in satisfaction, "That's the spirit. Keep it up."

And Kim Tae-yeon really did keep it up. Even when her father picked her up and was surprised by her demeanor, he didn't dare ask. Even when she got into a fight with her brother, Kim Ji-hyung, her determination almost made him back down. Even when her younger sister, Kim Sa-yeon, cried for her jelly pudding, she was scared into silence by Kim Tae-yeon's presence. She maintained this attitude until bedtime, until she woke up, and until... the morning when she was about to enter the school gate.

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{Piaotian Literature}