Chapter 28

28

[Hello, try greeting one more time. I know you're shaking. After all, you're destined to come to me.]

"A... even if I draw this one."

The manager kept muttering.

We held that lot and stayed in the dorm, listening to songs and huddling together.

Seong Ji-won slowly said,

"It's fine, we already... know all the songs, right?"

"Yeah, Senior Joo Sung told us, so."

That's right. Joo Sung had told us about the first mission and the songs, and we had listened to all five songs repeatedly to prepare as much as possible.

However, the problem was that the song we drew was the one with the lowest recognition.

[Maybe I can't do it anymore

I might have already lost

Still, I walk forward once more with courage]

"...It's not bad, not bad at all, but..."

"There's no big hit."

The more we listened, the more it became clear...

It lacked addictiveness.

"Was this song popular?"

"No, it didn't chart. It was a B-side, and the Like Girls seniors didn't have much recognition back then."

Like Girls, in their seventh year since debut, had been unknown for four years until one member became a hit on a variety show, propelling the group to the top.

The video of the members crying and singing an encore after their first number one was still famous on various social media platforms.

They were a touching and truly great group, but...

The problem was that this was a B-side from their debut album, which had flopped spectacularly.

Kang Eun-chae stroked her chin.

"By any chance... were all five lots this song?"

"What?"

"No, it could be. Among the songs on the list we got from Senior Joo Sung, this one stood out. If Today had pushed hard, they would have given the seniors a big hit like White Cherry and given the rest of us this kind of song."

It was a convincing argument.

Considering Kim Hee-young's bitter expression, there might have been some manipulation involved.

"Phew..."

"If it's true, I'm pissed."

"Hey, the PD couldn't do anything either. They must have been pressured from above."

That's right, Kim Hee-young couldn't have done anything either.

Kim Sung-hyun's words made him look beautiful for the first time.

"It's cheerful. The concept is about persistently confessing to someone you've had a crush on."

"It has a cheerleader vibe."

"Maybe we should go with the cheerleader concept?"

"Guys... we have another lot, right?"

Then, Jung Da-jun pushed forward another crumpled piece of paper.

"What do we do, guys?"

"..."

As the lot unfolded in Jung Da-jun's hand, the words [Peter Pan] were revealed.

It was ambiguous.

If it had been The Little Mermaid or Cinderella, it would have been better. Those two are famous, so the concept would have been clear.

"Peter Pan is about Wendy meeting Peter Pan and going to Neverland, right?"

"I'll be Tinker Bell. Who wants to be Peter Pan?"

"I want to do it!"

Everyone seemed to be speaking seriously, but no good ideas were coming out.

Jung Da-jun, who had been wracking his brain, collapsed.

"Guys, guys... my brain isn't good, so I can't do this."

"Hey, who said you're smart?"

"You guys are smart... I'll practice well... If Hyun supports me, I'll roll..."

Then, Jung Da-jun really started rolling on the floor. Kim Sung-hyun's eyes turned cold, and Seong Ji-won sighed deeply.

'Actually, the problem isn't the song's recognition. It's better to cover a less-known song to stand out.'

The recognition of the cover song wasn't directly linked to our popularity. In fact, if we did well, it could be a chance for a comeback.

But the problem was...

"Um, you know what?"

Seong Ji-won stroked her chin.

"A cheerful and cute song, Peter Pan, fits well... but there's a problem."

"Isn't there more than one problem?"

"...Eun-chae, that's true, but..."

"Seong Ji-won, what do you think?"

I pressed Seong Ji-won's neck and looked at her.

After scanning the lot, Seong Ji-won sighed deeply again.

"It doesn't fit our concept."

Right. That's the answer.

Until recently, the revolutionary army and the government army, who would regress if they died, suddenly adopting a cheerful concept would only please the fans, but it would blur the group's image.

As idols who need to captivate not just the fans but the general public, it wasn't a good move.

"We already lack recognition, so we need a song that clearly shows our group's identity in the early stages."

"Right..."

"But we got a cheerful and cute Peter Pan concept!"

Jung Da-jun, who had been lying still, suddenly rolled on the dorm floor again. Seeing him sweep up all the dust, Kang Eun-chae muttered,

"Why buy a robot vacuum when we have Jung Da-jun?"

"Are you saying I'm trash, hyung?"

"No, you're a vacuum that cleans well."

"Both of you, be quiet. I'm losing my mind."

The noise was making my head spin. No matter how much I knew about planning, I couldn't come up with a fresh and good idea in this situation.

At that moment, Seong Ji-won's phone buzzed.

"What is it?"

"Um... I don't know the number. Sorry, just a moment."

"It's fine. Answer it!"

Seong Ji-won, puzzled, answered. Since it wasn't a fan's number, we left it alone.

But soon, Seong Ji-won's face hardened.

"...What?"

'Who is it?'

Kang Eun-chae whispered to Kim Sung-hyun. Kim Sung-hyun nodded, and Seong Ji-won switched to speakerphone.

"Hey, Seong Ji-won. You still haven't changed your number?"

It was Yoo Hyuk.

"Is the concept meeting going well?"

"Um... yeah."

"Haha, why does your voice sound so dead? Anyone would think the world has ended."

So obvious, so obvious.

I put my arm on the sofa and clicked my tongue. That guy knows we drew a bad lot and is calling to rub it in.

"What did you draw?"

"Our seniors, Like Girls, One Two."

"Hmm... what was that? I've never heard of it."

He sneered. If we recorded this and leaked it, the Like Girls fans would tear him apart, but Yoo Hyuk, in his arrogance, didn't hold back.

"We drew White Cherry's Lemon Love. I'm so excited! It was popular not just in Korea but overseas too, right?"

"..."

A deep, dark wrinkle appeared between Seong Ji-won's eyebrows.

At this point, Seong Ji-won, known as a living Buddha among the members, seemed to be a bit intimidating.

Of course, the other members' faces weren't much better.

"Of course, we're a bit short on time. How can we practice in just four days with such a tough choreography? You guys are lucky~. It seems easy."

I glanced at Kang Eun-chae, who was listening quietly with her chin in her hand, and she winked, shaking her phone, which was recording.

'Wow, Kang Eun-chae is thorough.'

I would have recorded it too.

She gave me a thumbs up and continued listening to Yoo Hyuk.

Yoo Hyuk seemed determined to keep provoking Seong Ji-won.

"Good for you, good for you. We have a lot of schedules, so we don't have much time to practice, but you guys have plenty, right? You have the advantage, don't you?"

"Um..."

"Isn't this going to be a disadvantage for us? I envy your members, yeah?"

Seong Ji-won put on a calm smile.

It was definitely the smile he always wore, but it felt like the first time I was seeing it.

"Yoo Hyuk."

"Uh-huh?"

"I didn't ask."

Silence.

"Are you free? Go practice."

-Click.

Then, Seong Ji-won ended the call.

The manager, the members, and even I were stunned.

That kind, considerate Seong Ji-won...

I had never seen him speak so decisively.

"Ha..."

"Seong Ji-won, what was that?!"

Everyone laughed, slapping the dorm floor.

I tried to hold back my laughter and nudged Kang Eun-chae.

"Hey, Kang Eun-chae. You can't use the whole recording."

"What? I was trying to catch something to use, but I didn't expect Hyun to do that!"

"Seong Ji-won said... 'didn't ask, don't care.'"

"...Can it really be like that?"

Everyone couldn't hold back their laughter and rolled around, snickering.

Meanwhile, Seong Ji-won, who had been so decisive, was starting to feel embarrassed.

"My jaw hurts..."

"Hyun is unexpectedly funny."

"I think he's been influenced by Ho-yoon."

"Hey, why am I in this?"

As I headlocked and punished Kang Eun-chae, who was mocking me, something suddenly clicked in my head.

Unexpectedness.

The more people didn't know, the more it stood out and became a distinct characteristic. The unexpectedness made people more enthusiastic.

'This could be a beautiful picture.'

Seong Ji-won picked up the lot he had put on the floor while answering the phone.

As he looked at the paper that read [Peter Pan], ideas and strategies flooded his mind.

"Seong Ji-won, thank you."

"Huh? What did I...?"

He placed the lot on the table with a confident gesture, and Kim Sung-hyun brought paper and a pen.

Then, he started pouring out ideas like a madman.

"Hey, it's done. It's over."

"Hyun is at it again..."

"Listen first."

At first, they looked skeptical, but as they listened to me, they became excited.

After a long discussion, we ended up smiling at each other.

"Let's call Im Hyun-soo."

***

[What? What did you draw?]

"Like Girls' One Two."

[Ah! That one.]

Sure enough, Im Hyun-soo, being a composer, understood immediately.

When we switched to speakerphone, the members, especially Kang Eun-chae, listened to Im Hyun-soo like a disciple.

[Actually, the melody is pretty good. It just got a bad arrangement. It's a bit disappointing, but it could be good with a little tweaking.]

He was hooked.

"Hmm."

A moment of silence.

[...Hey, you don't mean...]

I smiled and drew out the last word.

"...Blue Tiger, name."

[Ah, what, again. So unsettling.]

"Genius composer."

[I won't, I won't, I won't!]

"Im Hyun-soo, name."

[I have an urgent matter, I'm hanging up!]

Im Hyun-soo hung up, but [Me: ^^]

[Me: ^^]

[Me: ^^]

[Me: ^^]

[Me: ^^]

[Me: Our relationship]

[Me: Is this the only]

[Me: Option?]

[Me: ^^]

[Me: Am I just imagining things...?]

[Me: Can our relationship]

[Me: Not be just friendly?]

[Me: I'm sad... really...]

[Me: In the end... I... sigh... ㅠㅠ]

[Me: Should I act like I did back then?]

[Im Hyun-soo: You're really crazy]

[Im Hyun-soo: Stop it]

In the end, Im Hyun-soo had no choice but to call me back.

He threatened to hold this over me for a long time, but...

Sure, sure.

That's how I threatened Im Hyun-soo to get what I wanted.

A fairy-tale-like, very, very happy ending.

?

?

?

Four days of intense practice later, we arrived at the Shining Star first recording site.