Chapter 74

Reckless Genius Composer's Regression - Chapter 74 (74/482)

Meanwhile.

Hyunsung, as usual, arrived at the main round filming site with his helmet on.

The bustling set inside was reminiscent of a war zone.

Everyone was busy preparing for the shoot, and the staff were running around frantically with their walkie-talkies.

"Have all the judges arrived? Did you check the headcount?"

"Only HS hasn't... Oh? There he is."

"Can someone install a microphone inside HS's helmet?"

One of the female staff members stepped forward as if she had been waiting for this moment.

"I'll do it!"

She then approached HS confidently and greeted him warmly.

"Hello! Thank you for coming. I'll help you set up right away."

"Looks like everyone else is already here. I'm the last one again."

"Oh, it's fine. The protagonist always makes a grand entrance, after all."

The female staff member, who was skilled at saying pleasant things, offered to help Hyunsung with his microphone.

"Excuse me for a moment."

She inserted the microphone wire under the helmet.

Then,

She lifted the front visor to adjust the inserted microphone.

"Ah…."

The female staff member let out a small sigh, staring blankly at his face, her cheeks turning red.

"Is it all set?"

At her question, the female staff member, flustered, replied, "Ah, yes…." and took a step back.

Thud!

Hyunsung quickly closed the visor. The female staff member savored the brief but intense moment.

'I should be the one to set up his microphone every time we shoot….'

She even began to hatch a mischievous plan in her mind as she guided Hyunsung.

"Follow these stairs up, and take the seat directly to the right of the center. The water is a product placement, so please drink it often and make sure the logo is visible."

"Sure, I'll do that."

With Hyunsung's response, the female staff member, feeling a bit disappointed, gracefully returned to the crowd.

"The judges' seats are really high up."

Lifting his head, he looked at the judges' seats, which seemed as lofty as their authority. As he climbed the steps, which exuded a sense of authority, he saw four judges sitting at the table in a row.

"Ah, HS is here?"

Kim Gwangjin, sitting in the center, was the first to spot HS and waved casually.

"Hello."

Starting with Kim Gwangjin, the heads of Lee Young-a, who was sitting at the far right, and Jay B and Won Jin-sub, who were sitting to the left, turned toward HS.

"I'm composer HS."

Their reactions to seeing HS varied.

"Come over and take a seat."

Kim Gwangjin, who had already met HS during the Seoul regional preliminaries, smiled gently and gestured with his hand. Lee Young-a, on the other hand, turned her head away with a cold remark, "You're late again?"

"Huh?"

Won Jin-sub, meeting HS for the first time, snickered and muttered something incomprehensible.

"What's with the helmet? That guy is a real comedian."

He then glanced at Jay B, who was sitting next to him. Anyone here would know about the noisy 'sound bet incident' between Jay B and HS a few months ago.

So, they probably wouldn't have good feelings toward each other...

Rattle.

Until the moment Hyunsung pulled out his chair to sit down, Jay B showed no response or reaction.

Won Jin-sub tried to gauge Jay B's reaction again, but he just drank water with a blank expression.

"Jay B…."

Unable to contain his curiosity, Won Jin-sub nudged Jay B and asked.

"Have you met HS before?"

"No, this is the first time I'm meeting him face-to-face."

Jay B glanced at Hyunsung out of the corner of his eye and added casually.

"But I didn't expect him to wear a helmet."

"Yeah, I thought it was a rumor, but here he is."

Won Jin-sub nodded in agreement, clearly not approving of Hyunsung's helmet.

"He wore it during the regional preliminaries too. Why would it be different for the main round?"

Lee Young-a added, her tone tinged with annoyance. She had already developed a negative impression of HS after he ignored her during the preliminaries and seemed to think his judgment was poor.

"I also think wearing a helmet on TV might not look good."

Unable to bear it, Kim Gwangjin, flipping through documents in front of him, spoke quietly.

"However, this guy must have his own reasons. Let's just leave it at that, okay?"

He patted Hyunsung's shoulder gently and continued.

"We have to work together for the next three months. Let's not start off on the wrong foot."

His words seemed to have calmed the others, as they turned their attention back to the documents. Kim Gwangjin winked at Hyunsung through the visor, as if to say, "Trust me."

'Maybe I only have this person on my side here.'

Hyunsung nodded in response and slowly shifted his gaze forward. The vast set came into view.

The many people in the set must be eager to see him take off his helmet. They must have accepted countless requests to appear on the show, hoping he would remove it.

They probably think, 'Maybe he'll take it off this time.' Especially the people sitting next to him, who are clearly bothered by his helmet...

No, that's not it.

Except for Kim Gwangjin, it seems they just don't like 'Min Hyunsung' as a person.

Hyunsung reinforced his resolve in his mind.

Yes, he knew better than anyone that this industry is a concrete jungle, where one wrong step could lead to a repeat of his past life. He needed to be cautious.

At that moment,

"Let's have a natural conversation about the participants while looking at the documents. We need some footage for the opening scene."

The main PD's voice echoed through the PA system. The judges gradually adjusted their postures. The show was about to begin.

"I'm really looking forward to this participant because they did so well in the previous preliminaries."

"Me too. This participant showed a lot of star potential. I'm curious to see what they'll do this time."

Won Jin-sub and Jay B were discussing a participant while looking at a document.

"Ah, I really want to hear Edison Kim's voice. I love it."

"Yeah, Young-a, that person has a naturally good voice and diction."

Lee Young-a and Kim Gwangjin, who had judged the Seoul regional preliminaries together, continued to praise a participant they had both approved.

One person.

Hyunsung, who was not part of the conversation, was staring intently at a document. It was Yun Jai's document.

He had given her a mission song during the preliminaries as a hint. Whether she recognized it and brought the answer was still unknown.

Well, even if she didn't find the answer, what could he do...

What difference would it make?

To others, she might seem like an old, dusty instrument in a corner of an antique shop, but he knew she had a strong, unique sound.

Even if the other judges didn't recognize her potential and eliminated her from the main round, he could still look for opportunities to have her perform outside the show.

Ah...

Thinking about it again, her voice, even in a clumsy performance, was captivating. How much better would it sound with the right technique? Hyunsung was already filled with anticipation.

Yes, this was the reason he gave her the 'Super Pass.'

Suddenly, Jay B, looking at the person sitting to his right, spoke.

"I'm really curious about this participant more than anyone else."

"Who?"

"The participant HS gave the Super Pass to in the Seoul preliminaries."

"Oh, that person…."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Lee Young-a, instead of responding, snorted and took a sip of water.

"I only heard about the Super Pass but haven't actually heard them perform."

"I'm also really looking forward to this participant. How amazing could they be…?"

"Since HS chose them, they must have incredible potential."

Won Jin-sub chimed in, glancing at Hyunsung out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, right!"

He then asked in a mocking tone.

"What's the participant's name again-?"

Jay B, instead of Hyunsung, answered briefly, "Yun Jai."

"I was there, but I still can't understand it."

Lee Young-a, resting her chin in her hand, shook her head. Her sharp, critical words were directed at Hyunsung, but Kim Gwangjin, who usually would have helped, remained focused on the documents.

"Um, did the participant's skills seem so poor to you, Young-a, that you can't understand HS's choice?"

In response to Jay B's question, Lee Young-a replied hesitantly.

"Well, to be honest, her voice was charming when I first heard it."

She then glanced at HS and added quietly.

"But it's weak and lacks power."

Jay B nodded, saying, "I see."

In fact...

After hearing about the Super Pass, he had requested and reviewed Yun Jai's audition video from the production team.

At first, he didn't see any potential or talent in Yun Jai, thinking she might be a trainee from LS Entertainment.

However,

His assumption was completely wrong. Despite his pride, he had to admit that he had missed something and inquired about Yun Jai.

He found out that she had no connection to LS Entertainment or HS.

This meant that HS had given the Super Pass based purely on potential. A person of HS's caliber wouldn't use the Super Pass carelessly.

Jay B had watched the video multiple times, trying to find the potential or talent that HS had seen.

Play, rewind, play, rewind...

How many times had he repeated this? If he had received the video on tape, he might have worn it out from watching it so many times.

He paid attention to every detail, from her face and charm to her eyes, gestures, and the overall atmosphere. Eventually, he knew exactly when she sat down, when the song ended, and what her expressions were like.

However,

He still couldn't find anything. This deepened his doubts.

Specifically,

About his own judgment.

They say that after being in an industry for a long time, one's judgment and intuition can become blurred.

Could he have become too jaded in this industry, with a narrowed perspective and dulled judgment?

'If that's the case, what should I do now?'

Before becoming a producer, he had discovered and directed artists. If he couldn't recognize an artist's potential, it would mean his career was over.

"Out of curiosity…."

Jay B, lost in deep thought and filled with doubt, asked.

"Why did HS give the Super Pass to Yun Jai? At the time, he only mentioned that she could produce a better sound with a more suitable song. Is that all?"

Lee Young-a stared at HS and asked.

However,

Hyunsung remained silent. With the helmet on, no one could tell who he was looking at.

Lee Young-a even wondered if HS was sleeping inside the helmet, as he had done in the past.

Could he have narcolepsy, which forced him to wear the helmet? (?)

"Hmm…"

A small sigh came from inside the helmet.

'Sigh, he wasn't sleeping.'

Lee Young-a leaned forward to focus on his voice, and Jay B, pretending not to, perked up his ears.

Finally,

"Perhaps you'll understand after watching her performance in this round."

* * *

As the recording time dragged on, the judges' faces showed signs of fatigue.

"Ah…"

No matter how talented the participants were, their eyes would only light up for a moment before the continuous judging process wore them down.

When participants who were expected to do well performed poorly compared to the previous round, it was even more disheartening.

"I'm getting tired of listening to songs."

Lee Young-a, the only woman, seemed to be running out of energy. She leaned on the table and whined during a break.

"I think my voice will be gone by tomorrow."

"Let's just endure a little longer; it's almost over."

"Are you not tired, senior?"

"I am, but it's fun to hear so many different voices."

Kim Gwangjin's lips curved into a happy smile, despite his fatigue.

"Ah?"

He then noticed HS, who was still sitting upright, and asked curiously.

"Are you still energetic?"

"I'm still young."

"Haha, being young is indeed great."

What was so satisfying about it? Kim Gwangjin's face lit up again after hearing HS's enthusiastic response.

"Let's bring in the next participant."

The short break ended.

"Ugh."

Lee Young-a groaned as she forced herself to sit up straight. The others were also stiff from sitting for so long.

Thud, thud.

As the camera turned red and started rolling, a participant walked onto the stage.

"Huh?"

Lee Young-a was the first to recognize her.

"Right, that's her."

Jay B also reacted immediately, muttering to himself.

"Yun Jai…."

Won Jin-sub, hearing the name, exclaimed, "Ah!" and asked Jay B, who was sitting next to him.

"Is that Yun Jai?"

"Yes, that's her."

"Her aura… is a bit off?"

He couldn't continue, looking at Yun Jai with a dubious expression. Her dull clothing, unstable expression, and gloomy aura made her seem even more somber.

It was as if she was the only one in black and white.

Why did HS choose someone like her? Vocal skills are important for a show called K-SingerStar, but so are charisma and star potential, right?

At that moment,

"Yun Jai?"

Jay B was the first to pick up the microphone.

"You are the most talked-about participant in this season of K-SingerStar."

"Me…?"

"You're the participant who made the top composer, HS, use the Super Pass from the preliminaries."

Yun Jai, like a honey-sweet mute, tightly closed her lips. She only rolled her unstable eyes, searching for Hyunsung. He was still wearing the helmet, so she couldn't tell if he was looking at her.

No, he must be looking at me.

She calmed herself, as if casting a spell on herself, and opened her mouth.

"Yes, I am very grateful for the special opportunity HS has given me, despite my shortcomings…."

"Right, I hope you make the most of this opportunity."

With that, Jay B quickly ended the conversation and put down the microphone.

"In this main round, you will perform the mission song HS selected for you during the preliminaries, right?"

"Yes, yes!"

"If you're nervous, you can perform in a comfortable position, just like in the preliminaries."

Lee Young-a also added a light comment before putting down her microphone.

"Given that you were in danger of elimination last time, I hope you do well for HS's sake."

With Kim Gwangjin's final words, the preliminary remarks were over.

"Yes, yes… I'll do my best!"

Hyunsung, the main person, didn't say anything, but Yun Jai's gaze remained fixed on him.

She deliberately avoided looking at anyone else.

She didn't want to see their disinterested, dull eyes or their smug, crossed arms.

Even if she couldn't tell if he was looking at her because of the helmet, it felt more comfortable to look at HS.

At that moment, HS's hand, which had been still, moved.

Very slowly...

His finger pointed at Yun Jai once, then at his visor, and returned to its original position. It was a small movement that only Yun Jai could see.

'Huh?'

Yes, it seemed like HS was signaling her to look at him while performing.

Her eyes, which had widened, absorbed the lights from all directions and sparkled.

"Ah, hmm."

Yun Jai cleared her throat and gathered her courage.

I practiced like crazy, I can do this.

She repeated this in her mind several times, lifted her head, and nodded firmly at HS.

"Ah."

The intro, unlike the preliminaries, had a soulful groove, and Kim Gwangjin hummed with interest.

However,

Given the slow tempo of the song, he couldn't help but worry if her voice would be overwhelmed by the music again.

Sure enough,

When Yun Jai started singing, Kim Gwangjin shook his head with a look of disappointment.

Then,

Her eyes suddenly changed, and the song paused.

"Hmm?"

The sudden change in the song's modulation caused a stir in the audience.

"Ah-?!"

Soon,

The judges, who had been sitting loosely, sat up straight with bright eyes.