Chapter 63: The Techniques of an Idol Who Never Fails

I looked at my phone again. The scene of five heads gathered together still hasn’t become natural to me.

Fortunately, the five members of NewDays were focused on the music. After the music ended, I said,

“I mentioned this to Mr. Huh Haejun, the composer, but this song was originally written to fit the FirstLight world.”

What I’m saying now will be edited out. It’s a basic rule not to reveal each team’s schedule or spoil their next activities.

I paused for a moment to prevent this scene from being cut entirely. The NewDays members, knowing it was an editing point, waited without rushing me.

Their wide-eyed gaze reminded me of the kitten I used to keep when I was little. I couldn’t help but chuckle and continued,

“So, this song is too FirstLight style as it is. So... is now a good time?”

When I asked, the members replied,

- Brother, our time is all yours!

- That’s right!

Their responses sounded like those of kindergarteners.

I put my phone down for a moment and added a traditional Korean percussion track.

“I’m trying to change it to this kind of feel.”

I habitually changed the track colors to organize them, and Kang Jin-young said,

- Brother, you’re really meticulous.

“Ah, yeah.”

I can’t stand it if the tracks aren’t neatly organized.

Anyway, I played the music again. The traditional instruments didn’t quite fit, but for now, I just wanted the NewDays members to understand...

I’m not very familiar with traditional instruments and am quite weak at creating an Eastern style. I don’t have many samples either. However, a few members of FirstLight would suit something like a hanbok, so I wanted to try making one song in an Eastern style.

I showed the song to Mr. Huh Haejun, the composer, and asked if he would consider an Eastern-style arrangement. I intended to learn from his expertise, but he immediately scolded me for trying to steal his secrets from a senior he had just met. Still, he invited me to his studio, so he seemed willing to teach.

If Mr. Huh Haejun is doing the arrangement, there’s no better deal.

“Then, let’s have a meeting. I’ll come to your company.”

After saying this, I ended the call and excitedly gathered my bag.

I have to go and steal the secrets of a great composer. Hehe.

* * *

After the call, the members rushed to Mr. Huh Haejun’s studio. Mr. Huh Haejun, who had been waiting for them, jumped up from his chair and asked,

“Did you listen to it? How was it?”

He looked like he was about to cry if we didn’t say something. He’s a very sensitive person.

Kang Jin-young spoke on behalf of the group.

“Are we really going to do this?”

“Hae-won contacted me first and asked what kind of song would suit middle schoolers, be about trauma, and show performance. I said I didn’t know, and then he brought his own song and asked, ‘How about this?’”

“Ah, I see. So, are we really going to do this?”

“We’re going to do it, so he sent me a demo! He already sent it to A&R too.”

Hearing Mr. Huh Haejun’s words, the members finally burst into excitement and jumped around.

All the NewDays members were under significant stress from the current survival competition. They hadn’t shown much in the first week.

Aside from their own pride, they could see their fans were stressed, which made it hard for them to bear. They wanted to show something impactful on stage.

The NewDays’ strength was undoubtedly their performance. This song was not only excellent in itself but also showcased their strengths.

Mr. Huh Haejun, who is known for being a talkative person, had a lot to say about the song Hae-won sent. He praised and criticized it for a while before boasting.

“Hae-won is really smooth. When he asked if he could come to see the arrangement, I thought, ‘This isn’t free, you know. I’m giving you my precious expertise. Where else can you find such expensive composition fees?’”

The NewDays members, having learned to listen with one ear and let it go with the other during their trainee days, occasionally responded with “Ah” while letting his talk flow through one ear.

Their minds were already filled with ideas for a performance that would fit the Eastern-style arrangement. Kang Jin-young, the eldest and most articulate, subtly interrupted Mr. Huh Haejun.

“Ah, really the most expensive composition fees in the world. What exactly are you going to teach us?”

“From what I hear, you don’t know anything. Let’s start with this...”

Following Kang Jin-young’s plan, Mr. Huh Haejun stopped talking and started looking for traditional instrument samples. He carefully selected a few and mixed them to give an example, which filled the NewDays members with excitement.

One of the members, Hwang Ji-hoon, muttered,

“It would be nice if all eight of us sang together...”

The other members agreed. After receiving such a good song, they naturally thought of the other members.

Mr. Huh Haejun’s talk was so long that Hae-won arrived at the company in the meantime. When Hae-won entered the studio and saw the five NewDays members gathered, he was startled and greeted Mr. Huh Haejun first.

“Hello.”

“Hey, you’re here to steal my secrets.”

“Yes.”

“Ah, you’re quite the fox.”

Mr. Huh Haejun said this but couldn’t hide his pride.

As the NewDays members left the studio, they each said something to Hae-won.

“Brother, we’ll go to the practice room and work on the choreography!”

“I’ll be there in five seconds if you call!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Hae-won nodded, finding it amusing, and then casually pulled a chair over and sat next to Mr. Hae Haejun.

“What are you going to teach me first?”

“When did I say I’d teach you? I just said to come over.”

“Got it, it’s fine if you don’t teach me. Just take your time with the work.”

“Why are you sticking to me like this?”

“I love sticking to people. And please criticize my song too.”

Seeing the much younger composer trainee act cute and clingy, Mr. Huh Haejun ended up giving feedback on Hae-won’s demo.

The other FirstLight members would never act so clingy with someone they just met, making the scene even more surprising to the NewDays members.

After leaving the studio, the youngest member, Kwak Jun-woo, looked at his phone and said,

“Hyunseok said that if Hae-won is one year older, he’s a high school student, two years older, he’s a middle school student, and three years older, he’s an elementary school student. If you have anything to say to the seniors, go through me. They’ll listen better if a kindergartener says it. And if they start calling you by a strange name, it means they’re getting close. Even if they say they don’t like it, they’ll keep calling you that, so just accept it.”

“Right, all the FirstLight seniors have nicknames.”

“Hyunseok also became Hyoseok after joining FirstLight.”

Kang Jin-young, who often communicates with Han Hyunseok, checked his phone.

Before Hae-won joined, they hardly talked about activities, but lately, it’s all about work. Today, he was subtly upset about losing their song.

Seeing Han Hyunseok subtly boasting, Kang Jin-young contacted Chae Yu-ho, a fellow trainee and composer who started at the same time.

[Our unit song guide, you’ll do it, right?]

When Kang Jin-young sent this, Chae Yu-ho immediately understood and agreed. Kang Jin-young put his phone away, thinking it would be great if Chae Yu-ho’s song became the title track.

Then, Kwak Jun-woo said to Kang Jin-young,

“Brother, your strategy was really the best.”

“Of course, of course. As always, I’m right today, guys.”

Kang Jin-young joked, and the members laughed. They returned to the practice room, listened to the demo, and started brainstorming ideas for an Eastern-style stage.

* * *

Mr. Huh Haejun was indeed a pro, and fortunately, he loved talking. Just watching him arrange was a valuable learning experience that money couldn’t buy.

Yang Yi and I both tend to take the harder path, but Mr. Huh Haejun knew how to make even the difficult path easy. Of course, Yang Yi is also a pro, but the immense experience he has from composing for many artists over a long career is hard to match.

Working with NewDays was an unexpected situation, but it’s turning out to be a great experience for me, who has only worked with FirstLight.

With the deadline approaching, I passed the arrangement to the practice room members as soon as it was ready. In the midst of this, Chae Yu-ho, a member of NewDays’ vocal unit, came to do the guide.

“Are you okay with the schedule? You’re busy with your own stuff too.”

I asked while sitting down to direct the guide, and Chae Yu-ho replied,

“Jin-young said he was envious of