Chapter 9

The Spotlight of a Genius Vocalist Chapter 9

Chapter 9. Luck

Shin Ayoung finally went out for a drink.

As an assistant producer at the public broadcasting station ESI, she often visited bars with live stages.

This was because the program she was in charge of, "Today's Rookie," was about discovering promising indie bands.

"Any whiskey."

"Sure."

Around the time her work was ending, she had to start making calls for talent scouting again.

That was the fate of an assistant producer.

From 6 to 8 PM, she would make calls to prepare for the next day's report.

"Did you find any good people today?"

The bartender asked with a smile.

Since the bar was located on the outskirts of Seoul, there weren't many customers.

The bartender leisurely wiped the glasses while looking at her, a regular customer.

"Nope."

She shook her head.

There were no good indie bands performing.

Even after listening to the live performances, she couldn't find a band that clicked.

Well, to be precise, there was a band that had busked recently.

More precisely, it was one vocalist.

But since then, there had been no news, and she regretted not getting their contact information.

'Wait, did I even tell him what kind of show it was?'

Oops.

She realized she hadn't mentioned it.

It was a mistake she would never make under normal circumstances, but the song she heard that day had left her speechless.

Of course, she maintained a poker face.

"Wow, this is a big problem..."

"What is?"

The bartender asked casually, as he was the only customer in the bar.

Since talking about it wouldn't solve anything, Shin Ayoung naturally changed the subject.

"Just... there are no good singers."

Shin Ayoung sighed deeply.

The first ratings for "Today's Rookie" were decent, but as the show went on, the audience dwindled.

The chief producer would then criticize her and the writing team.

Where were the good bands that weren't well-known?

She felt like digging into the ground to find them.

"Mr. Bartender, can you recommend any good people here?"

The bartender seemed to think for a moment before replying.

"Well, not really... Oh, have you seen Ilsonno recently?"

She rarely went there because it was more for regular people than bands.

There were many good singers, but most of them declined to appear on TV.

Moreover, most of them sang cover songs rather than their own.

"Ilsonno? I haven't seen it recently."

The bartender quietly shook his head.

"Then you should check it out."

"Did you find any good people?"

The bartender nodded quietly.

He continued to do the dishes while listening to her.

"Okay, thanks. I'll check it out."

She quickly went to the Ilsonno YouTube channel.

A recent video of a man had a significantly high view count.

About 500,000.

It was in the top 50 trending videos despite being uploaded a while ago.

She immediately played the video and listened to his performance.

"..."

The man in the video looked familiar.

"This, this person!"

Upon closer inspection, it was the man she had been looking for. Shin Ayoung calmed down and focused on the video.

She couldn't speak. The short 30-second video had a captivating aura.

"How was it?"

The bartender smiled and asked.

Shin Ayoung leaned on the bar and continued to listen to the song.

"Unbelievable..."

She whispered and continued to listen.

The comments were also explosive.

The best comment was about the singer.

"Do you know where this person performs!?"

She asked various questions, but the bartender just smiled.

"Finding that is your job as a PD."

"Right."

She glanced at the bartender.

He just smiled.

"You'll find it in the best comments. They have a YouTube channel. The contact point will be there too."

"Right, I was going to check that first. Thanks."

If they had a YouTube channel, it was safe to assume they had been found.

She quickly went to their YouTube channel.

150,000 views on their shorts.

It seemed they had picked a few good songs from their practice sessions.

"Found it! Finally found it!"

Shin Ayoung quickly turned on her laptop.

She hurriedly wrote a proposal.

* * *

I slowly stretched.

My body creaked in various places.

The first sound to greet me was the TV.

"Ah, I fell asleep with it on again..."

I rubbed my sleepy eyes and yawned.

The views on my shorts steadily increased.

Subscribers quickly rose to 5,000.

Sure, from others' perspectives, it might seem like a small achievement, but for us, it was a visible result.

After all, we were a team that sang a song on the street and occasionally posted practice videos.

I received a message from Song Dasom, who was working a part-time job in the morning.

The other members also welcomed it with open arms.

Everyone was doing well.

Our skills were steadily improving, and if someone struggled, someone else would cover for them.

This cycle of repetition continued among the team members.

If we keep growing like this, maybe someone will recognize me and ask for an autograph when we go out.

I chuckled.

It was an excessive sense of self-importance.

Only about 5,000 people in the country had shown interest and subscribed, and if others just glanced at me, it would be impossible.

After all, a singer without a regular album isn't really a singer.

And if there was a TV appearance on a public channel, it would be a different story...

'Oh, it's about time to call.'

Of course, whether the PD who gave me the business card back then still wants to scout us is a different matter.

While thinking this, an unfamiliar vibration sounded.

A different alarm from a message, text, or call.

The two vibrations indicated an email.

Thinking it might be spam, I saw the familiar mark of a public broadcasting station.

-Hello! I'm PD Shin Ayoung from ESI.

I gave you a business card in Hongdae before. Do you remember? I couldn't find you after that, but I was pleasantly surprised to see you on Ilsonno recently, so I'm sending you this email!

If you appear on our show... (omitted)

A rather long proposal for a TV appearance had arrived.

It seemed that our consistent practice and lack of contact were interpreted as a refusal.

Still, "Today's Rookie"?

It sounded familiar, but I couldn't remember exactly.

When I asked in the chat, Song Dasom, who had read it first, quickly replied.

Are you just looking at your phone while working at the convenience store?

I told her about the email I just received.

The other members also got excited and left messages in the chat.

The first public TV appearance seemed too early, but it was a bit surreal.

After saying that, I called the number in the email.

"Hello."

The other person answered the call after a few seconds.

-Hello, this is PD Shin Ayoung.

"Hello, I'm the vocalist of Holick, Kang Baram."

-Ah, yes. Hello, Baram! How are you?

Her initially dry voice suddenly brightened.

"We will consider appearing on your show positively."

-Yes, yes. I hope you will participate.

She coughed as she spoke.

-Sorry, my throat isn't good right now... Anyway, you're the band I've been looking for. You have star potential!

She quickly continued.

-While "Today's Rookie" is currently facing low ratings, I'm confident that Holick's appearance will make a difference.

She didn't give me a chance to speak and promoted her show.

-It will definitely succeed. I guarantee it. I have a good eye, you know?

I politely interrupted her continuous speech.

"Actually, it's almost a done deal, but there's a sticking point."

-Is that so? Ah! Does Holick have any personal albums or unreleased original songs?

That was my sticking point. Whether we had original songs or not. A band without original songs isn't really a band.

And upon careful consideration, we had none.

We were just starting to find our groove.

Occasionally, we talked about getting started.

"Not yet. We're a newly formed band..."

-Ah... Our concept is to showcase the band's unique style, so we require at least three original songs to participate...

Shin Ayoung trailed off, genuinely disappointed.

It could turn into a deadlock.

In such situations, it's important to be clear.

"I'll do it. Three songs."

The other members would likely respond the same way.

For a common indie band like us, receiving a proposal is not an easy feat.

-Really? The show airs in two weeks. Is that okay?

I nodded, even though she couldn't see me.

"I'll definitely do it. I'm confident I can do well."

Of course, it felt like hell was about to begin...

But there was no choice. We had to sing.

If we didn't seize the opportunity, we might not get another chance.

And missing an opportunity once was enough.

-If it's too difficult, maybe next time...

"I'll do it."

We didn't know when the next opportunity would come.

To brighten people's faces with our presence.

Now is the right time.

The opportunity came when the YouTube algorithm and the broadcasting station chose us.

I left a simple message in the chat, and everyone quickly read it.

And they all responded.

* * *

That evening.

I brought Park Cheolho to a nearby room bar.

I could see the line waiting to enter the club outside the window.

On the second floor, through the transparent glass, I could see people singing in the coin karaoke.

However, this side was dark, so it wasn't visible from outside.

"So, what's up all of a sudden? By the way, I like women."

Park Cheolho made a silly joke while opening a bottle of soju.

"I know. What are friends for? This is when we eat."

"Ha, you're the one who always backs out when I suggest eating."

He slowly poured the soju into my glass.

We quickly did a shot and grimaced.

"Is the band doing well? It looked interesting when I saw it."

"It is. We're appearing on 'Today's Rookie' in two weeks."

"What!? 'Today's Rookie'?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, debuting on public TV right away? That's unbelievable, isn't it?"

"Exactly."

"Man, it seems all your bad luck has been building up to this one moment."

I smiled bitterly at Cheolho's words and chewed on the cold noodles that came as a side dish.

Yeah, I have to think like this to avoid feeling wronged.

I turned my gaze to the window.

Hongdae was always bustling.

The screens of people's phones lit up the streets like street lamps.

"Really, congratulations. But why are you so down? You said it was going well."

"Yeah... That's why I suggested eating. It's going well."

When I felt bad, I didn't meet anyone.

It was a life rule after my trainee days.

I didn't meet anyone after my divorce.

If my mood affected the other person, it was the worst.

"Why are you worried now?"

The server brought the side dish.

Kimchi stew.

"That's part of it. I wanted to say this."

"What is it?"

"Thank you. For taking me to the hunting bar."

"Then you should treat me to a drink."

While serving the kimchi stew, Park Cheolho grumbled.

He's always like this.

He comes in with a light-hearted approach.

"I just feel different."

I couldn't bring myself to say that singing creates a space.

He would treat me like a middle schooler with a crush or think I had a mental breakdown after my divorce.

"You've changed. Did you just realize that?"

He grinned while picking out the meat from the kimchi stew.

"Will it work?"

"Hmm... Based on my long experience in this field..."

Park Cheolho paused and poured me soju.

Again, it was sour.

I swallowed and waited for his next words.

I don't often listen to others, but I was tense hearing from an old friend.

"Definitely."

"Will it, or won't it?"

"Hmm..."

Park Cheolho paused again.

Then he smiled.

"In a minute..."

"Stop joking and hurry up."

"Ahaha, okay. I think it will."

He said it briefly and poured me more soju.

We drank one after another.

"As a friend or as a professional?"

"As a professional. Don't worry, just focus on your singing."

His lightness made me feel lighter too.

"That's a relief."

Park Cheolho was like an older brother and a friend.

He always comforted me during my trainee days.

"H... I want to go higher."

The words slipped out naturally.

The buzz... the warm, tingling sensation spreading through my body.

I drew lines with my fingers in the dim lighting.

"This guy is putting on a show again."

Park Cheolho continued to eat the kimchi stew.

"Hey, am I eating all the meat?"

"No..."

I tried to look serious, but he ruined it.

"We can order more."

"Then do it."

Park Cheolho silently picked at the meat.

"If you want to go from bottom to top, do hip-hop."

He occasionally gave sharp advice.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's the current catchphrase in hip-hop, you know."

"I want to go higher, whether it's hip-hop or anything else."

The spotlight at the highest point.

That's what I wanted.

"But is the band's music going well?"

"Roughly, for now."

"That's the start. Do your best."

I can do it.

"Song Dasom said..."

I grabbed his hand as he poured more soju.

It's too fast.

"Oh, that woman? What did she say?"

His face turned red.

I told him, noticing his subtle expectation and unpleasant expression.

"Please, she doesn't have feelings for you."

"I know, man."

"Anyway, I want to top the Billboard charts."

"...That's a good ambition, but it's not easy for a Korean. Can you speak English well?"

Unfortunately, I shook my head.

I had memorized song lyrics a few times and studied for the TOEIC a few times.

That was it.

I hadn't studied much before...

"Then start practicing now. Before you go overseas."

Park Cheolho said calmly.

I didn't know what was right.

He kept being light-hearted, then serious.

"Are you serious?"

"Would I lie? You have potential. My ears guarantee it."

His words were grateful, but his lips were stained with kimchi broth.

I grimaced.

"Wipe it off."

I took out a tissue and handed it to him.

While he grumbled, I smiled a little, looking outside.

I will go further.

I will reach the stars with my voice.