Chapter 33

Chapter 8. Untitled

A week after the Music Cafe recording.

Officially, we had ended our broadcasting activities, but that didn't mean everything was over.

There were still events to attend.

'Something' was undoubtedly the biggest hit of the first half, and it was being performed everywhere.

Naturally, the company was excitedly scheduling our appearances.

We repeatedly had a schedule that involved getting up at dawn to visit the southern region, stopping by Gangwon-do, and then returning to Seoul.

One moment I would close my eyes and it would be Gyeonggi-do, and the next moment I would open them and it would be Seoul.

Before long, my sense of space would disappear.

"Still, the air in Gangwon-do is better."

"Here, we're in Seoul, sir. Pull yourself together."

I stretched in the car and looked out the window.

Huh, what is it?

It really is Seoul.

The moment I saw the city filled with skyscrapers, the fresh air that had been coming in through the car window suddenly felt stuffy.

"Yeah. This is what the placebo effect is, guys."

Jiho grinned from the seat next to me.

"Since you're the senior, you should call it the soufflé effect, not placebo."

"That kid is still arrogant because he hasn't appeared on Music Cafe yet."

The broadcast will air next week, so it's only about a week away now.

I smiled warmly.

"Wait and see. If a clip of you crying goes viral, I'll spread it everywhere."

"I'll help too."

Leehyuk readily chimed in, but the maknae just laughed confidently.

"That won't happen, seniors."

"Why?"

"I sent a lot of chicken gifticons to the Music Cafe writers."

In other words, he had lobbied hard to have his crying scenes cut from the broadcast.

"......"

As Leehyuk and I stared at each other, I spoke up.

"Five hundred won if we get fans."

"Add another five hundred won if we get close-ups."

"I don't think we'll get close-ups."

While the rapper and the maknae were excitedly discussing, Leehyuk sighed from behind.

"You need to have fans to worry about fan service, people. Shouldn't you be thinking about how to get fans first?"

As we all stared at Leehyuk, Jung-hyun whispered to Jiho.

"He's spreading ashes again."

"Oh, that's a good rhyme. Let's put it in the mixtape, senior."

Jiho and the maknae hummed and transformed the phrase into a rap, while Leehyuk shook his head.

Honestly, I agreed with Leehyuk.

How to get fans.

After our debut, we'll gradually gain more fans, but what can we do right now?

I asked the manager sitting in the passenger seat.

"Seokhwan hyung."

"Hm?"

"Is there anywhere else we can go?"

"You know you barely managed to get on Music Cafe, right? I and the CEO worked really hard for that."

"......I know."

"Besides, our status is a bit delicate."

Lemon Entertainment is one of the top five agencies for actors, but it's a mid-sized agency in the music industry.

Of course, it's not a hole-in-the-wall that can't even secure a variety show appearance.

However, if we want to go somewhere, the broadcasting stations will demand something in return, like one of our actors.

Pushing us through with actor appearances as a condition is a bit delicate given the current situation.

The broadcasting stations are treating us as new idol group that debuted with 'Something.'

But to say we're officially debut singers... well, it's a bit of a stretch.

That's why I understood the company's position.

If we had a proper album, they might say, "Sure, let's promote New Black!" and trade appearances with other company's entertainers and variety shows.

But 'Something' is already a famous song for promotion.

Moreover, the main singer is from another agency.

Even if we appeared on a variety show and gained popularity, it wouldn't be beneficial.

We only have 'Something' to sing.

This feels like a dilemma.

We don't have songs, so we can't promote, and even if we promote, we don't have songs to sing.

In the end, is the problem the songs?

But this isn't something we can solve right away. The songs for our debut album are entirely supervised by the company's A&R team.

Then, what can I do with my own hands?

"Variety shows are out of the question. What else, Lee-hyuk?"

"Maybe SNS? We have an official SNS account. We could post updates and interact with fans."

Seokmin, who was driving, nodded in agreement.

"Good idea. What do you think, manager?"

A kind smile appeared on our manager's face.

"Seokmin, you'll have to manage it."

"SNS doesn't seem like a good idea, guys."

We all laughed at the road manager's change of stance.

It was cowardly, but we couldn't really argue with him.

Usually, a road manager would be assigned to a group of our size, but Seokmin hyung was handling everything alone.

SNS was put on hold.

I crossed it off my mental list.

Jung-hyun suggested a self-produced reality show about our daily lives, but it was cut off by Yun Seokhwan.

The publicity team is swamped with promoting recent movies featuring our company's actors.

The employee in charge of video editing is also overwhelmed with work.

"Beju, what do you think... Oh, you're listening to music."

I was about to ask Beju for his opinion, but our main dancer was staring out the window with his headphones on.

It didn't seem like the right time to talk to him.

But then.

As I turned my head, something seemed off.

The headphone jack was disconnected from his phone.

Was he just wearing them without listening to anything?

His eyes were unfocused, and he seemed different from usual.

Was he very tired from the event?

I decided to keep an eye on him.

Yun Seokhwan spoke as if he had just thought of something.

"By the way, there is a variety show that wants Beju."

"Really? Me?"

"Someone noticed you. They said it's fine even if you're a trainee."

"Wow!"

"But I thought you might not like it..."

I interrupted the manager, who trailed off.

"What are you talking about, hyung? It's about making our name known. I'm willing to go, even if it's a jungle survival show or an extreme experience program."

"Really?"

"Of course. I can do anything."

Seeing my determined resolve, Seokhwan hyung smiled strangely. Then, the name of the show popped out of his mouth.

"Army experience variety show, 'Men Go to War.'"

"Absolutely not."

At that moment, everyone except Beju burst into laughter.

* * *

After finishing our schedule in Chuncheon, we headed straight to the company instead of going to our accommodation.

It was because of the lessons and practice.

Now that we've officially ended our broadcasting activities, we need to focus on our debut preparations.

"......Juya. Seonwoo Juya?"

A well-dressed man was looking at me.

I realized I was in the recording studio.

To be precise, I was receiving composition lessons from Director Jo Gyuwan.

"Why are you so spaced out?"

"I was thinking about going back to the army."

Seeing my strange expression, Director Jo asked me to explain the situation. When I finished, he burst into laughter.

"I'm being serious, Director."

I maintained a serious expression, but he kept laughing.

This guy, really.

When I looked at him, he waved his hand and said,

"It's because you're cute. You're just so cute."

"Director, can I really close my eyes and go out once? If it helps to make our group's name known, it would be a good opportunity."

"Hmm......"

Director Jo Gyuwan stroked his chin.

"That seems to deviate from the core issue."

"The core issue?"

"Yes. As you said, it would be great to have fans even before debuting. The power of idols comes from their fandom, which is why agencies these days are so focused on debut reality shows."

A recent example was the Street Boys, our competitors during the year-end evaluation.

"Your idea to increase fans is good, but the direction is wrong."

"Of course, an army variety show wouldn't be effective. It's better not to go..."

"No, no."

Our producer laughed and waved his hand.

"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the overall direction. Since our company is an acting agency, let's use an actor as an example. If you were an actor and wanted to become more popular, what would you do?"

The answer came out without much thought.

"I'd try to appear in good works. Movies or dramas. Good scripts or good directing... Ah!"

"Do you understand why it deviates from the core issue now?"

"Yes, I think I do."

The point our producer was making was simple.

Just as actors gain popularity through their works, singers need to gather fans through their songs.

Not through variety shows or other minor things.

"Of course, I'm not saying singers should only compete through songs like in the 90s. I'm suggesting it because it's the easiest."

"Easiest?"

"How was it when you appeared on Music Cafe? Wasn't it difficult?"

"Yes, it was quite challenging."

"Actual variety shows are even more challenging. I once appeared on a show, and I couldn't even say a word, overwhelmed by the presence of the variety show stars."

I felt a bit embarrassed.

It's like being caught drinking kimchi broth alone.

I had thought that appearing on an army variety show would definitely go well, even though there was no guarantee of my performance.

Why did I think that?

Maybe it was because of the consecutive successes—the year-end evaluation, the success of 'Something,' and the appearance on Music Cafe—that made me overconfident.

"There's nothing easy, and I don't know why I thought it was."

"Everyone thinks that way when things are going well. You're not the only one."

His warm words made me look at him anew.

How should I describe him?

He's not only our group's producer but also a reliable advisor.

Whenever I have a problem, he provides a good solution.

When I was worried about 'Something' not going well, he was there too.

Suddenly, a sense of gratitude filled my heart.

"Thank you. I'm glad I asked you, Director."

"No, you're the one who asked a good question."

He smiled.

"I'm proud that you guys are thinking about these things. Not everyone can do that."

I nodded after some thought.

Then, I repeated the solution he had suggested.

"In the end, we need to compete with good songs."

"Exactly. That's why we're having these lessons."

With that, the lesson resumed.

We spent time learning various techniques from the composition program on the laptop screen.

When the lesson finally ended, Director Jo organized his documents and said,

"Have you heard anything from the management team? We've decided to release the debut album as a single album with 4 or fewer songs."

"No, I haven't heard anything about that."

"It seems the news hasn't been passed on yet. Anyway, that's the decision. There's something I need your understanding for..."

He asked,

"How about one of the songs being your original composition?"

"Original composition?"

"It's not the title track, just a B-side, so you don't need to feel pressured."

Well, it was about time I started composing my own songs.

I had studied composition during my time in the army, and I had started receiving serious composition lessons from Director Jo in December last year.

Since it's not the title track but a B-side, I thought it was worth a try.

"Sure, I'll give it a shot."

I felt relieved after saying that.

It was like I had found a solution to my worries.

Right.

Making good songs is more important than planning to get fans through variety shows or other programs.

Definitely not an army variety show. No way.

"Alright, we'll discuss the details with the A&R team later."

Director Jo Gyuwan looked at his watch.

"It's about time the others arrive."

"The others?"

Just as I was wondering, the members entered the recording studio with a knock.

Beju, who was smiling brightly, led the group in greeting Director Jo.

Yun Seokhwan and Seokmin were also standing behind them.

Now that I look, Seokmin hyung is holding a small handheld camera.

What's going on here?

I don't remember planning to film anything.

Seeing my puzzled expression, Director Jo Gyuwan smiled meaningfully.

"We've prepared a gift for you."