Chapter 64

# Episode 064

Son Hye-bin pondered how to explain it.

"If I put it strongly, that's a concept and performance dedicated to boy groups. Girl groups can't use such a narrative. Well, they could, but people wouldn't like it. Let me give you an example."

Son Hye-bin played a song by a girl group and a song by a boy group.

The girl group's song was titled "One Step at a Time."

The boy group's song was titled "Tomorrow Too."

"Here, both have similar narratives, right? They're about a young person gradually getting closer to someone they like. But the way they express it is completely different."

While the girl group approached shyly, step by step, the boy group conveyed a sense of charging forward, even if clumsily.

"Imagine if these two were switched. What do you think?"

"It might be okay."

"Yeah, it might be okay. But the performance of both songs would be even lower."

Everything in the world has a narrative.

Narratives can vary based on nationality, ethnicity, race, cultural sphere, class, environment, gender, race, and religion.

Music is no exception.

"The narratives that people find comfortable and appealing vary based on human characteristics. We call these universal narratives. They influence the appeal of lyrics and the immersion of dance. Most rappers in America are Black, for example, because the narrative of hip-hop doesn't fit well with White people. If you want a performance that's intense and conveys the message of 'not giving up and chasing your dreams,' you might want to look at someone other than them..."

Son Hye-bin showed her another girl group's music video.

It was a song about not caring what others say and walking your own path.

"The content is similar to what you showed, right? But the way it's expressed is completely different."

Son Hye-bin explained well, trying to match Jo Ara's level of understanding, but Jo Ara couldn't accept it.

It wasn't that she didn't understand; she had a complaint.

"You're saying I can't do it because I'm a girl."

"Right. Conversely, there are things boys can't do either. When male idols cover girl group dances or songs, comments like 'they're making a mockery of it' appear, and people don't accept it. Mixed-gender groups are disappearing not just because of internal issues but also because it's hard to align the narratives of men and women."

Jo Ara seemed very dejected when her ideal was criticized.

Son Hye-bin encouraged her.

"Eventually, you'll be able to do what you want. Artists are people who express their thoughts even if others don't understand. But first, you need to gain recognition for your skills. You need to understand people's needs and start by incorporating your message into that."

"......Okay."

"That doesn't mean you should find a different role model. Expand your role models. Think about how other girl groups succeeded and why people like them. Every artist faces limits from the start. These could be gender, physical attributes, environment, or even personality. Expanding those limits is the duty and goal of an artist."

Jo Ara left the room looking dejected.

The next member didn't show up.

When Son Hye-bin looked back, everyone was staring at her in surprise.

"You really look like a professional..."

Sung Pil marveled.

* * *

They gathered all the members' opinions.

"Let's say Jo Ara is one thing, but the others..."

Rika chose a song from a six-year-old girl group with a mystical concept.

She wore a dark dress and performed a mysterious and captivating performance.

The phrase "devouring the atmosphere" fit well.

"I don't think the kids can handle this."

"Maybe they can try it after gaining more experience."

Baek Seol-ha chose a seven-member girl group that was recently soaring in popularity as her role model.

There was no special reason; she just liked them because they were popular and their performances were impressive.

"These kids must spend a lot of money on their songs, right?"

"Yes, I can tell just by listening. The sound is always fresh."

Jang Ha-yang said she had no role model.

She was willing to do anything, but since she had only recently become interested in idols, it was understandable.

"What if we mix all three of these?"

"Mysterious, intense, and professional..."

"......Just an idol, then."

Hong Gyu-hyun leaned back in his chair, looking tired.

"It would be easier if we had a music producer..."

Having the music first can significantly narrow down the concept.

Starting with the concept felt like floating a small boat in a vast sea.

"Boss."

"What, Park?"

"Shouldn't we start with the message?"

"Message?"

"Yes. Didn't you ask the kids what message they wanted to convey through their music? About the concerns, dreams, and emotions of their age group."

There was a word that everyone agreed on.

"Dreams?"

"Yes."

"Dreams are good. Usually, there's always a song about dreams in a debut album, like 'We will move forward with strength.' The song Jo Ara showed was the first track on their first full album, right?"

"How did you know?"

"......I just know. Dreams, huh. Right. We can't push a concept from the start. An artist's identity is always evolving. Let's focus on the message."

"Boss."

Sung Pil raised his hand, followed by Son Hye-bin.

"Should we try it backward?"

"Backward?"

"Yes. Instead of starting with the concept, let's find the songs first. In our company, we usually select artists, set concepts, and then acquire songs. But that's possible because our production system is well-organized."

In short, Garo Entertainment can't push a clear concept through the production process, so they might as well start with the songs.

It made sense.

Hong Gyu-hyun had also completed songs first when creating previous groups because he had a music producer.

"But if we do that, we'll end up with a hodgepodge of songs..."

It's already a hodgepodge.

If they set a specific group as a target, they could push forward smoothly, but that would hurt Garo Entertainment's pride.

It would be like copying someone else.

"Right. Let's start with the songs. Then we'll contact the publishers..."

The meeting shifted to discussing song requests and acquisition.

* * *

Before practice started, Jo Ara came to the practice room alone and searched for an iTube video.

It was "Astronaut" by the boy group S.ACE, which she had proudly introduced to everyone earlier.

It had an incredibly difficult performance.

The live performance of the intense dance was perfect.

The part where fireworks exploded during the final highlight and the audience cheered was enough to give her goosebumps.

Of course, the part Jo Ara paid the most attention to was the dance.

It was a group dance that must have taken a long time to prepare.

"Would it feel the same if we did it?"

Jo Ara stood up and tried to dance to "Astronaut."

She had watched it so many times that it was familiar, and she had copied it several times, so she could dance smoothly.

But this time was different from just copying.

She danced with all her heart.

She matched the expressions and atmosphere.

Clearly, it didn't feel the same.

"It's a group dance, so of course it won't feel the same when I do it alone."

But there was a more fundamental issue.

"I'm small."

Jo Ara was small.

Of course, she was larger than the average woman, but compared to men, she couldn't shake the feeling of being small.

The members of S.ACE were all tall.

Even a single arm swing looked completely different from what Jo Ara did.

Jo Ara lifted her heels.

She became a bit taller.

In that state, she danced again.

"Better than before."

She hit the timing more strongly when swinging her arms.

She put more force into her muscles.

She tried her best to mimic their dance.

She already knew the result.

"It's impossible."

It's impossible for a woman to perfectly mimic a man's dance.

Jo Ara, who had been dancing for a long time, knew this better than anyone.

But she thought she could convey that feeling.

She believed she could recreate that intense stage, just like the audience cheering in the video.

But the closer she tried to get, the farther away it seemed.

"Expanding your limits is the duty of an artist... Can I overcome the limit of gender?"

The limit came from her physical attributes.

All other issues stemmed from this.

Jo Ara frowned.

If she were taller.

If her arms and legs were longer.

If her hips were narrower, if her chest were flatter.

She could have more perfectly realized the 'line' in dance.

If that were the case...

Jo Ara looked at herself in the mirror.

She swept her hand from her chest down her body, stopping at her hips.

Her teacher, Baek Min-jung, had said:

"Dance is about maximizing the beauty of the human body."

And the beauty of men and women is different.

Jo Ara didn't like that.

The dancer she aimed to be was a male dancer from America. She had watched the "Dancing Star" program featuring him dozens of times.

But what Baek Min-jung said felt like telling Jo Ara that she couldn't become her idol.

As a child, Jo Ara had been angry with Baek Min-jung, but as she grew older, she slowly accepted it.

As she grew, her once-flat body developed curves.

Today, it all made complete sense.

"They are different."

Then.

"How can I use that difference?"

Jo Ara's goal was always to be a dancer.

Even if her target was to become an idol, her purpose didn't change.

She swept her hand over her chest and hips again.

"Is this beautiful? If so, how can I make it more beautiful?"

It couldn't be just about moving her chest and hips.

That would only arouse sexual desire, not aesthetic appreciation.

Jo Ara fell into deep thought. Suddenly, a book came to mind.

She went to the bookshelf on the first floor, installed at Han Goo-in's suggestion. Most of the books were brought by Han Goo-in.

One day, Han Goo-in had given a book presentation, and his words echoed in Jo Ara's mind.

"This is a book about aesthetics."

"What's aesthetics?"

"It's a study of the essence of beauty. This book focuses more on art, so it's more suitable for you to read..."

"Next."

"......The next book I'll introduce is..."

"This is it."

Jo Ara picked up "Introduction to Aesthetics."

There were many paintings from the Renaissance era depicting the female body.

And explanations of them.

"The beauty of the body (美) is..."

Jo Ara read the book.

* * *

They say money can do anything, but there are things it can't.

One of them is getting a song from a composer.

Famous composers don't want to give their songs to uncertain small companies.

"I don't know how many times I've been turned down."

Sung Pil tried to meet famous composers using his connections.

Yes, he did meet them.

He pretended to run into them by chance, joined private gatherings, or waited in front of their studios.

He tried every method and had a few serious meetings, but the responses were always the same.

"I don't think our styles match."

That's the best response he could get.

"I'm sorry."

Many people were blunt.

But Sung Pil didn't lose his will.

He had faced this countless times.

"Good job today, Sung Pil."

Son Hye-bin sat at her desk and put on her headphones.

She was reviewing demo songs from music publishers.

"My sister must be working hard too."

Son Hye-bin was also meeting people to secure songs.

But she found this embarrassing.

At SMS Entertainment, she didn't have to bow to get cooperation. People were eager to help her.

But as soon as her background changed to Garo Entertainment, her treatment changed, and Son Hye-bin was quite troubled.

"Good job, sister."

Sung Pil searched for the studio of the composer he was meeting today, Kwon Soon-young.

He didn't particularly like Kwon Soon-young's songs.

He just thought Kwon was good at making popular songs.

Of course, that's a valuable and impressive skill.

It just didn't move Sung Pil's heart.

"Surprisingly close."

Kwon Soon-young was the most friendly among the famous composers he had met so far.

Maybe today he would get a good song.

While memorizing the route to Kwon Soon-young's studio from his phone, a shadow fell in front of him.

It was Jo Ara.

"Uncle."

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Jo Ara started dancing.

Just one move.

She moved her upper body to the side and emphasized her hips. She stopped and asked:

"Does it make you feel sexual desire?"

"Are you crazy?!"