Chapter 49

# Chapter 049

To obtain a Russian visa, an invitation letter from the authorities is required.

For simple tourism, an invitation letter is not necessary, but Soohyeon is going to university.

[I’m going to go crazy. What about school and home?]

“What can we do? Do we have to wait for the invitation letter? Can’t I take a leave of absence?”

[I don’t know. I never thought about it. How long will it take for the invitation letter to come?]

“Is there any other way?”

[Marry a Russian.]

“Ah.”

Seongphil was pacing even though it wasn’t his own problem.

“What should we do, Onee-san...”

* * *

Soohyeon arrived at the airport.

Now she’s going to Russia.

How long has she been looking forward to this day?

It’s a path of study chosen solely out of a passion for learning.

Just seeing the airplanes flying through the sky makes her heart...

‘Feel stifled.’

It feels like she’s unsure whether she turned off the gas stove before leaving home.

She keeps turning around, feeling anxious.

In the middle of the bustling airport, Soohyeon stopped.

People glanced at her as they passed by.

‘Dance...’

Why did she want to learn it?

Because it looked fun.

Soohyeon was a dance singer and a dancer.

She had danced to the point of exhaustion, but dance never got old.

Isn’t dance one of the most intense ways to express oneself?

For Soohyeon, who constantly craved attention, it was the most suitable hobby and job.

‘Dance is fun.’

There’s a dance competition show called Dancing Star in the United States.

Dancers from all over the world gather there to compete.

Soohyeon was always amazed when she watched those stages.

She even vowed to reach the same level someday.

That’s why she wanted to go to Russia to study dance academically and systematically.

‘Do I really want that?’

Isn’t there something else I want?

Soohyeon’s life was a series of choices.

What should the next song be?

What style should the choreography be?

Should I appear on this variety show?

Should I quit being a singer?

If I quit, what will I do?

Plan concerts? A&R? Album design? Stocks?

Soohyeon always chose what her heart desired, ignoring what others thought and moving towards what her heart wanted.

She’s doing the same now.

[Hey, Onee-san, are you at the airport?]

“Yeah.”

Soohyeon adopted a gloomy tone.

As expected, Seongphil was flustered and asked all sorts of questions.

It was so funny that she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.

It felt like a dog whining because its owner was pretending to be dead.

Comparing people to dogs is a terrible thing, but that was the only thing that came to mind.

Soohyeon cleared her throat and put some irritation into her voice.

Seongphil’s tone became even more worried and anxious.

[What are you going to do? Wait?]

“I don’t know.”

[...]

“...”

[...]

“...Do you have time today?”

It was a way of asking for comfort, to listen to her lament, to curse the world together.

So far, whenever Soohyeon suggested drinking, Seongphil would say things like, “Again?” or “Cut it out.”

[When do you want to meet?]

Seongphil answered immediately, as if he was ready to rush over.

“Dinner.”

[Got it. You’re at the airport, right? Should I pick you up?]

“No, it’s fine. I’ll go on my own. It’ll take you longer to wait. You have work.”

After hanging up, Soohyeon stretched.

She definitely felt much better than before.

It was like the fog on the window had cleared.

Soohyeon hummed a tune as she left the airport.

In her bag was an invitation letter clearly marked ‘Республика Корея (Republic of Korea).’

‘An idol, huh.’

Making idols also seems fun.

No, it would be much more fun than learning dance in Russia.

* * *

When Seongphil has nothing to do at the company, there’s something he always does.

He checks all the music charts and watches idol music videos or performance videos.

It was almost like work in his previous life, but after regressing, he became even more obsessed.

‘It’s about right.’

Seongphil compared his memory with the current charts, checking every day to make sure the future hadn’t changed.

‘I’ll watch one more video and then go check on the kids’ practice.’

He chose a video with high views and played it. While others might think it’s just for fun, Seongphil considered it part of his job.

A&R staff at any agency also check dozens to hundreds of YouTube videos to gauge trends and public sentiment.

What works, what the public likes.

It can’t be determined by one person’s judgment. It requires constant feedback from the public.

‘The comments are a bit harsh.’

It was a stage video of a fairly famous girl group.

The camera angle was fixed, showing the entire choreography, but one member’s lack of skill was noticeable.

[This is the weak link. A real dance black hole lol]

[They keep saying she’s growing, but how long will she just keep growing? Stop making excuses.]

[This group will never be perfect because of her.]

Seongphil read the comments with a heavy heart.

Fans, other fans, and regular people were creating a chaotic mess.

‘The skill gap is significant.’

The member being compared had a short training period.

While she had the aura to be in the debut lineup, she looked like a weak link next to the members with longer training periods.

‘Why would someone write such things for a kid to see?’

Seongphil felt he would immediately collapse and cry if he saw such comments about himself.

It was that harsh.

This member must have a lot of mental struggles.

‘...Hyang.’

Jang Hyang naturally came to mind.

Jang Hyang’s skills are clearly lacking compared to the other members.

She doesn’t have any special talents.

Maybe in the future, Jang Hyang will be the weak link in performances and receive a lot of hate comments.

Just thinking about it makes his heart sink.

“Wah!”

Jo Ara pushed Seongphil’s back slightly and shouted.

Seongphil was wearing earphones and didn’t hear her come in, so he was startled.

It’s impossible not to be surprised when someone suddenly approaches from behind and pushes you.

But he didn’t show his surprise.

If he did, Jo Ara would be happy, and he couldn’t stand that.

“Hey, why.”

“This uncle is watching idol videos again instead of working. Don’t you get tired of it?”

“Why aren’t you practicing and here instead?”

“Break time.”

Jo Ara looked at the monitor.

Seongphil quickly switched to the video to hide the comments.

Seeing hate comments about other idols wouldn’t help the members.

“Do you like these kids, Uncle?”

“I don’t love them, but I think they’re a good group.”

“Hmm...”

“Have you ever listened to this group’s songs?”

“No.”

While talking to Jo Ara, the comments he had just read kept coming back to his mind.

Would she also receive hate comments for her vocal skills in the future...

Absolutely not.

“Ara, are you doing well with your vocal practice?”

“Yes, I think I’m doing really well. I can even show off at karaoke.”

“Keep it up.”

“Huh? You don’t believe me? Want to hear me sing?”

Seongphil couldn’t focus on Jo Ara’s singing.

‘Hyang needs a special skill.’

Baek Seulha will be the main vocalist.

Jo Ara will be the main dancer.

Rika needs to be the bridge between them as the lead vocalist and dancer.

Thanks to Rika, the performance burden on the two will be significantly reduced.

‘Hyang... rapper.’

It’s uncertain if the songs GoRo Entertainment will receive will include rap parts, but for Jang Hyang to shine, rap is the only option.

The other members are so skilled that Jang Hyang can’t just follow them.

When Seongphil finished his thoughts, Jo Ara, who had finished singing, was looking at him expectantly.

“You’ve improved, but you still have a long way to go. Keep working hard.”

Jo Ara seemed to have been hoping for praise, and her expression turned sour when Seongphil told her to keep working hard.

‘Ara responds better to direct feedback than encouragement and praise.’

Thanks to Baek Seulha’s training, Jo Ara’s skills had improved rapidly.

While she still had a lot to improve, she was at a level where she deserved some praise.

If Jang Hyang had reached Jo Ara’s level, Seongphil would have cheered and done a backflip.

“I’m working hard...”

“Hey, it’s been 10 minutes. I have to go, so you should go back to the practice room.”

“You’re leaving because I came? Don’t be so cold.”

“I care about you, Ara. I always support you.”

“You were just going to keep watching YouTube. Where are you going? Just to smoke?”

Jo Ara followed Seongphil cautiously.

He had come to the practice room to find Jang Hyang, but only Rika and Baek Seulha were there.

“Where’s Hyang?”

“She’s in Practice Room 2.”

“Hyang alone?”

“Do you need her?”

“Yes.”

Jo Ara entered Practice Room 1 after confirming that Seongphil wasn’t just avoiding her.

Seongphil headed to Practice Room 2 where Jang Hyang was.

Jang Hyang was sitting against the wall, muttering to herself while looking at her phone. She jumped up when she saw Seongphil.

“Hello, Manager.”

Jang Hyang bowed politely.

“Why are you alone?”

Seongphil’s voice carried a subtle note of concern.

Music was playing from Practice Room 1.

The other members were practicing together.

Why was Jang Hyang here alone?

Could she be being bullied...

“I’m not as skilled as the other members. So...”

“Are you being bullied?!”

“Ahaha. If that were the case, I would have told you first. The gap between me and the others is too big, so I’m practicing alone.”

It turned out the other members were practicing a group song separately.

“On their own initiative?”

“Yes. After Moonpyeong, they decided to copy a routine every week. But I felt like I was just getting in the way.”

“...Did the others tell you to leave?”

“No, I said I would leave. I need to get the basics down first. I can’t be a burden.”

As she spoke, Jang Hyang demonstrated a wave move.

“Look at this. This is the first move. I’m doing well, right?”

“Yeah, not bad. But what’s the first move?”

“Ara taught me. There are 40 basic moves. Master these, and you can handle most idol dances.”

Large agencies have dedicated trainers.

The trainers consider the company’s musical style and create a list of essential dance moves for trainees to memorize.

The 40 basic moves Jo Ara taught seemed to be her own list.

‘She became a choreographer in the future, so she really has a talent for this.’

Come to think of it, Jo Ara had already performed on a music show stage.

Though she was a fill-in backup dancer, she must have been chosen for her skills.

“And this is the second move, ah!”

While demonstrating a move where she crossed her legs, Jang Hyang fell backward.

Her legs had gotten tangled.

“It worked just now, ahaha...”

“You said you get nervous when you see me. Is that what happened this time?”

“I guess so.”

Jang Hyang extended her hand.

Seongphil grabbed her wrist instead of her hand and helped her up.

“You’re strong. I thought you were being dragged somewhere.”

“You’re light.”

At that moment, the other three members entered the practice room.

“Onee-san, Manager Han said to drink health juice, ah! It’s Manager Han!”

Rika ran up to Seongphil like a feather and puffed out her chest proudly.

“Manager, is something bothering you recently?”

“No.”

“It’s good to have it ready! Good things will happen soon! The higher you fall, the happier you’ll be when you rise, Manager...”

“You said you were practicing the group song. Did you want to show me?”

“How did you know?!”

Jang Hyang laughed awkwardly, and Rika shivered as if betrayed.

“W-we agreed to tell you later!”

“I thought it was okay since Manager Han knew. Sorry.”

“Sonna (That’s)... Ah, Manager, something’s on your chest.”

Rika, who had been perfectly fine a moment ago, wiped Seongphil’s chest.

“Kami (Hair)? Manager Park’s hair isn’t this short, right?”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“Why is everyone so quiet?”

“Damn. I got sexually harassed by Rika again.”

“Me? This?!”

“Now that I think about it, you’re a repeat offender. You did the same to Manager Han last time.”

“S-sorry. I...”

“Never mind. Hyang, for a moment, no, I’ll say it here. What do you think about learning rap?”

“Rap?”

Jang Hyang looked at the other members, who had similar reactions.

Rika shook her head vigorously at Jang Hyang as if to make an excuse.

“Rap, rap? Me? Ahaha, me...”

“Hyang is practicing rap on her own.”

Baek Seulha broke the awkward silence.

“Onee-san...!”

“Manager told me first. It’s okay to say.”

“Still...”

“Hyang is practicing rap on her own? Seulha, did you know?”

“Yes.”

Baek Seulha explained for Jang Hyang, who was awkwardly frozen.

“At first, Hyang kept it a secret from us. But we couldn’t miss it when she kept muttering in the practice room...”

“Onee-san, Onee-san! I, I’ll tell you!”

Jang Hyang struggled to speak, clearly finding it difficult.

After a few embarrassed laughs, she bit her lip.

“I’m not as skilled as the other members. I didn’t want to be a burden later.”

Jang Hyang felt embarrassed every time she practiced with the other members.

She felt like she was just taking up space without any special talent.

Of course, she believed she would improve in the future, but comparing herself to the other members in the mirror made her feel insignificant.

“I don’t have any standout skills.”

Jang Hyang’s voice kept getting softer.

“Onee-san, you’re pretty!”

Rika tried to encourage Jang Hyang with a strong compliment.

“And...”

“Everyone is equally pretty.”

But Rika only received a cold response.

Even someone meeting Jang Hyang for the first time would have been frozen by her cold, dry answer.

“A, ah, yes, arigato (thank you)...?”

Jo Ara poked Rika’s side as if telling her to shut up.