Chapter 57

Zhao He is indeed a master of music. After just one look at the song, he almost memorized the entire piece. Therefore, it only took him a short ten minutes to produce the song on the computer.

"Come, let's listen to the effect!" After finishing everything, Zhao He finally had the time to greet Jin Yufan and Li Haoyan, who were standing by. Without waiting for their response, he pressed a button. Instantly, a beautiful melody filled the recording studio.

The melody was very beautiful, and the three people in the studio, who had been dealing with music for a long time, could naturally discern the quality of the song.

A few minutes later, when the complete melody finished playing, Jin Yufan sat calmly in his chair, while Li Haoyan and Zhao He subconsciously frowned.

"The melody seems nice, but it feels like something is missing." After a moment of silence, Li Haoyan couldn't help but speak to Zhao He, who was also frowning.

As the president of DSP Entertainment, Li Haoyan had been dealing with music for many years and had a very professional appreciation for it.

"Maybe it's the lack of texture in the music. It doesn't matter, I'll just put in some extra effort. I have all the instruments here anyway." Listening to Li Haoyan's words, Zhao He frowned and thought for a moment, somewhat uncertainly.

Although uncertain, he had a slight doubt, so Zhao He didn't say much more. He started asking Jin Yufan about the arrangement of the melody, which instruments should be primary, which should be secondary, and how they should be combined.

Although Jin Yufan wasn't as professional as Zhao He, he was at least very familiar with this song, at least in his memory. With the help of online video tutorials on composition and his own efforts and intelligence, Jin Yufan answered Zhao He's questions one by one.

Thus, the two of them, one asking and the other answering, Zhao He and Jin Yufan personally played the instruments, repeatedly confirming the sound effects of the song. If they were unsatisfied, they would make adjustments and start over. This time, it took them about half an hour to complete the melody.

As Zhao He played the melody again, the beautiful melody filled the room once more. This time, the recording was entirely done by Zhao He and Jin Yufan playing the instruments themselves, which, while not as smooth as the previous computer-generated version, was much better in terms of sound quality.

When the song ended, Li Haoyan glanced at Jin Yufan, a hint of surprise in his eyes, seemingly impressed by Jin Yufan's musical talent.

"What's the relationship between this song and 'Little Lake Water'?" Compared to Li Haoyan, Zhao He was undoubtedly more professional. After listening a few times, he recognized that the melody of this song had many similarities to the well-known Korean children's song 'Little Lake Water.'

Zhao He was certain that Jin Yufan's song was not a copy of 'Little Lake Water,' otherwise, he would have been furious. As a top professional musician, Zhao He was particularly opposed to music piracy.

"This song is called 'The Way You Are.' It was inspired by the children's song 'Little Lake Water,' which is why I created 'The Way You Are.' Although it can be considered an adaptation, anyone familiar with 'Little Lake Water' would not think I am copying it. This adaptation is not the kind that the public would consider a copy, but rather, 'The Way You Are' has become a completely new song."

In response to Zhao He's question, Jin Yufan answered confidently. Compared to the original 'The Way You Are' by TVXQ, the current version, after Jin Yufan's modifications, still retained the essence of 'Little Lake Water,' but this adaptation was not the kind that the public would consider a copy. Instead, 'The Way You Are' had become a new, independent song.

In simple terms, 'The Way You Are' could be considered an adaptation of 'Little Lake Water,' but it could also be seen as a completely independent song. Therefore, Jin Yufan's modifications had made 'The Way You Are' surpass the original version by TVXQ, and the song had completely broken free from the influence of 'Little Lake Water.'

"Hehe, of course I know." Zhao He smiled and nodded, then looked at Jin Yufan excitedly.

Jin Yufan's adaptation of 'Little Lake Water' into 'The Way You Are' was, in terms of arrangement, truly at a master's level. To be able to create an independent song from an adaptation required a master's level of arrangement skills.

Not to mention, Jin Yufan was only fourteen years old. A fourteen-year-old child reaching a master's level in arrangement skills, or at least showing potential in this area, was impressive. If he studied hard, who could say he wouldn't become a top composer in the Korean music industry in the future?

Thinking of this, Zhao He had the idea of taking Jin Yufan as a disciple, of course, in music. As long as it was related to music, Zhao He could teach him.

Thinking of his old rival, Yoo Yong-jin, who was now vigorously cultivating Kang Ta and recently heard of a girl named BoA at S.M. Entertainment. If both of them showed strong potential in composition, especially the more familiar Kang Ta, Zhao He believed Kang Ta had the potential to become an excellent composer.

In music, Zhao He didn't think he was inferior to Yoo Yong-jin, but this was only in music. If Kang Ta really made a name for himself in composition and Zhao He had no outstanding disciples, wouldn't that mean he was inferior to Yoo Yong-jin, at least in terms of teaching?

To put it bluntly, the relationship between Zhao He and Yoo Yong-jin was like that between Li Haoyan and Lee Soo-man, always looking at each other with disapproval and constantly competing, never allowing themselves to be weaker than their rivals in any aspect.

Seeing Jin Yufan's talent and potential in arrangement, Zhao He naturally had the idea of taking him as a disciple. However, Zhao He knew this wasn't the most important thing at the moment. The most important thing was Jin Yufan's debut. Other matters could be addressed later, as they were all in the same entertainment company.

With this in mind, Zhao He turned to Li Haoyan, who had been waiting, with a serious and earnest expression: "Although 'The Way You Are' is not a hit or a representative work, it is definitely a high-quality song. It's good enough for Jin Yufan's debut single. After all, Jin Yufan is a newcomer with no fan base, and it's unlikely he will win any music show championships. However, if we can position Jin Yufan as a musical prodigy and promote him through the company's efforts, there's a chance he could win a weekly championship on the major radio music charts."

After saying this, Zhao He closed his mouth and focused on 'The Way You Are,' looking for any flaws or minor details that needed adjustment to improve the song's quality.

As a musician at DSP Entertainment, Zhao He evaluated 'The Way You Are' professionally. Although his words were tactful, he knew Li Haoyan would understand his meaning.

As for which of the two options Li Haoyan would choose, that was not Zhao He's concern. It was up to Li Haoyan, the president, to make the final decision.

After all, this was Jin Yufan, not an ordinary trainee. If it were an ordinary trainee, Zhao He could make all the decisions. But Jin Yufan was not an ordinary trainee; he was someone that both Li Haoyan and Lee Hyun-kyung valued highly. Jin Yufan's future path, the direction he should take, and the choices he should make at critical junctures were not decisions Zhao He could make, but rather, they were decisions for President Li Haoyan to make.

(Regarding BoA's debut time, the author has mentioned that it's because Lee Soo-man and Li Haoyan are in conflict, and neither will move unless the other does. If Jin Yufan doesn't debut, BoA will also be delayed by Lee Soo-man. As for why the protagonist doesn't make more money, the author has explained that he doesn't want the story to become too complicated. In simple terms, the author doesn't allow Jin Yufan to make a lot of money in other fields because it would make him too powerful too quickly. In such a small country like South Korea, that would mean he would be walking around arrogantly, intimidating others, which is not interesting. Making money is fine, but it should be step by step within the entertainment industry. The author's point is that the protagonist shouldn't have everything go too smoothly, otherwise, the story would lack depth. Being rich doesn't necessarily mean you can always step on others; being poor doesn't mean you can't step on others either.)

Page break for AD start

Page break for AD end