Chapter 39

After sending my younger siblings back to the accommodation, I stayed behind in the studio.

It was to wrap up the remaining work.

You see, once I get into the flow, I have to keep going, or I won’t be able to sleep if I leave it half-done.

I stayed behind alone, just like the day I was preparing the arrangement for the year-end evaluation, and immersed myself in the work.

I had a rough grasp of our musical tendencies.

I opened the notepad on my laptop and started writing.

-Theme: Love (broadly)

-Atmosphere: Warmth

-Emotion: Joy

-Current song concept: Refreshing summer seasonal song

After writing down the facts I already knew, I pondered for a moment what was missing and added one more thing.

-Message to fans: ???

For idols, the most important listeners are their fans.

Unlike Something, which is a popular song, the biggest consumers of idol music are the fandoms.

Fans are the very reason idols exist.

So, what message should we convey to our fans, who are currently members of the fan cafe, and to those who will become our fans in the future?

After pondering for a moment, I tapped the keyboard.

-Invitation (?)

Idols and fans can be said to share the same dream.

So, I thought about writing something that invites them into our dream... but then I deleted it with the backspace.

It feels too heavy.

This song is our first meeting with the fans.

Such a message is too serious.

It’s like going on a blind date and suddenly the other person says, ‘Mr. So-and-so, why don’t you dream about the future with me?’

Burden ruins the fun.

If I met someone who acted like that on a blind date, I’d probably choke on my pasta.

Let’s go a bit lighter.

Instead of the heavy content of sharing the same dream, I’ll change it to something about playing together.

A message like, ‘Come here and let’s have fun together.’

Thinking about it, it matched well with the refreshing summer concept and the image of the sea.

Okay, let’s summarize.

In a warm and lively atmosphere (warmth), where people who don’t know each other meet and have fun (joy), friendships (love) sprout among those who meet at a travel destination.

If that’s the case, the core material should be about playing.

What title could symbolically express playing?

What do people do for fun at the beach?

My thoughts, which had been flowing smoothly, hit a wall.

Was it an unexpected obstacle?

When was the last time I played at the beach?

I think it was the field trip to the sea in front of Gunsan when I was in second grade.

After that, I moved to Seoul and continued my trainee life, and even on my days off, I just practiced.

Of course, I’ve been to the beach many times.

It was only a 30-minute drive from home, and I had many opportunities to go to the beach during my trainee days.

I received many offers to go to the beach on vacation.

But I rejected them all because they seemed to have ulterior motives.

Putting that aside, it’s quite shocking.

What have I been doing all this time?

I don’t even know what people do for fun at the beach.

Keywords like clams and swimming come to mind, but those are just stories I’ve heard, not experiences I’ve had.

Should I post a question online like, ‘What do people do for fun at the beach?’

Shaking my head, I thought it would be better to include some personal experiences in the song I’m making.

I remember playing at the beach a lot when I was a kid.

After drinking chocolate milk and thinking for a long time, I recalled a very faint memory.

When I was five.

It was a memory like an old, worn-out book.

Strangely, I don’t remember my parents’ faces, but the fireworks I saw back then are vivid in my memory.

* * *

“Fireworks?”

The next day, I announced the song title to my younger siblings.

“I want to make a song with a playful atmosphere of people playing at the beach, and fireworks seemed like a good symbolic material. Plus, fireworks have multiple meanings, like celebrating the start of something, just like the New Year. It fits the significance of our debut album.”

“Wow, you’re making a lot of sense today.”

Lee Hyuk expressed the highest level of positivity he could.

If Lee Hyuk, who is the most critical, approved, there was no need to ask the others.

Jung Hyun stroked his chin and asked.

“It sounds good. How did you come up with the title?”

“I remembered something from when I was a kid.”

Around the age of five, I was at a beach with my parents.

Strangely, I don’t remember their faces, but the fireworks I saw back then are vivid in my memory.

As I explained this, the kids smiled strangely.

Why are they reacting like that?

Bijoo smiled and said.

“I think it’s a good idea. It fits the song’s atmosphere.”

Just as I was about to thank him, the youngest member chimed in.

“Bro, are we going to use Korean for the song title?”

“At first, I thought about using English, but ‘Firework’ just doesn’t sound right. Plus, our grandma finds English difficult. She always calls Something ‘Ssam-sing.’ How unfamiliar would ‘Firework’ be?”

The younger siblings, sitting on the studio sofa, nodded.

Especially Jung Hyun, who grew up in a village with many elders, seemed to understand.

After I finished explaining the title I chose, Lee Hyuk raised his hand as if he had a question.

“What about the lyrics?”

“Oh, right. I forgot to mention that. I want you guys to handle the lyrics.”

“Huh?”

The younger siblings, looking surprised, exchanged glances.

“I mean, it’s our song. I composed it, so you should write the lyrics.”

Now it’s your turn to work hard.

* * *

Time flew by.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the entire month of April melted away. When I came to my senses, several days had passed.

Every day was busy with debut preparations.

During this time, our joint work also evolved.

After a few days of pulling their hair out and pouring their creativity into it, the younger siblings wrote the lyrics for their respective parts.

A few more days passed.

The once untitled source material had transformed into “Fireworks” by [Composition / Universe], [Lyrics / NewBlack].

The recording process went smoothly.

Although Jiho, who was directed by our team’s main vocalist, teared up, it was smooth because we had already experienced it once.

Finally, when “NewBlack - Fireworks” was completed and we gathered to listen, we felt a sense of déjà vu.

It was the same feeling we had when we first heard the completed version of Something.

“Didn’t expect it to turn out this well.”

Jung Hyun clicked his tongue in admiration.

“Bro, sometimes I think you might be an alien who came to help us. But... it’s good that it turned out well, though it seems a bit of a waste to keep it as a B-side.”

“Yeah, it’s good enough to release as a digital single later.”

“Thanks, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We need to hear what Manager and the A&R team think first.”

“Still, it’s good, so I’m saying it’s good. I know you’re not easy to praise.”

I know that very well.

As I smiled at Lee Hyuk’s words, I turned my gaze to the youngest member. I was grateful for the praise about the song’s quality, but it felt lacking to me.

It wasn’t really the message I wanted to hear.

I asked the youngest member, who was smiling brightly as if imagining something.

“Jiho, how do you think it captures our style?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure about the style. But when I listen to this song, it makes me feel good. It didn’t feel like that with Something, but this song makes me feel like I’m really watching fireworks.”

Jiho continued.

“It feels like I’m watching fireworks with the seniors at the beach. It reminds me of all the hard work we did as trainees, and the year-end evaluations and music shows we did after meeting Universe. And... how should I put it? It makes me feel like a bright future is ahead.”

Only then did I feel relieved. Jiho had accurately captured what I intended.

I thought I had done a good job, but whether it matched our intentions was a different matter.

In that sense, did the song capture our style well?

Bijoo nodded and said.

“I like this song, bro.”

“Really?”

“It feels good. It’s like a suit that fits us perfectly. It’s hard to say for sure, but...”

He smiled.

“It really feels like our song.”

* * *

Late April.

The conference room on the third floor of Lemon Entertainment was bustling with a group of people.

The employees, who were dressed more casually than those from other departments, were from the A&R team.

Artist and Repertoire (A&R).

One of the three major important departments in an idol agency, alongside new talent development and management, responsible for all aspects of an artist’s album.

They decide what kind of album suits a singer, and whether to solicit songs from outside or create them in-house.

The distribution of professional songwriters in Lemon Entertainment was high due to the influence of Executive Producer Jo Kwan.

Perhaps because of this structure, the conversation naturally turned to music.

“Have you heard the original song Universe is bringing today?”

“Manager said he hasn’t heard it yet. He only knows the title, ‘Fireworks.’”

“Fireworks?”

The employees tilted their heads in confusion.

“Isn’t that title a bit overused? I think we know at least five songs with similar titles.”

“Well, it’s just a B-side, after all.”

“Besides, the title and the song’s success are separate things. Who would have thought a song titled ‘Something’ would be a hit?”

“True. I was also surprised.”

They reminisced about the success of Something.

When they heard that Universe and the trainees were working together, their reaction was, ‘Oh, I see.’

After all, trainee management was the domain of the new talent development team.

If they thought positively, Universe was a talented singer-songwriter, so it would be good for free promotion if the song came out.

And then, when they had completely forgotten about it,

A song that dominated all the charts on every site appeared out of nowhere.

“At that time, I was really surprised. I came to work in the morning, and my phone was ringing nonstop, and the PR team was running around like crazy. It was Jiho’s graduation day, and there were a lot of reporters there because he was in Girls on Top.”

“Manager Yun also rushed to stop the kids’ interviews.”

“Well, the whole company was in chaos. Even Scarlett, which hit the top of the music charts relatively quickly, took a full year. Who would have thought that trainees who hadn’t even debuted would top the charts?”

One of the employees, recalling that moment, said.

“I hope this time, since we’ve entrusted him with the original song, it turns out well.”

“True. If it’s good, that’s great, but even if it’s not, it won’t be bad.”

“But shouldn’t we have helped him? Universe helped a lot with Something. It seems like the quality won’t be good if he does it alone...”

“We can always help with revisions, right?”

Everyone nodded at the casual remark.

While they all knew about the success of Something, the overall expectations of the A&R team employees were very low.

This was probably due to the purpose of entrusting the composition to Universe.

After the success of Something and the music cafe, the number of external songwriters offering songs increased. The reason for using a trainee’s original song for a B-side was simple.

Image-making.

It was to use the ‘composer idol’ image when promoting the debut album.

Therefore, they weren’t particularly interested in the quality of the song. This was business, separate from musical curiosity.

“Besides, the source material Universe is using this time is really difficult. Has anyone here even touched it?”

They shuddered at the thought of the notorious source material.

It was something that any songwriter in the A&R team would know. It looked easy at first glance, but once you touched it, it stripped you of your soul.

If you cut one part, another would pop out, and if you cut another, the first would reappear.

Everyone had given up, unable to figure out how to handle it.

Even professional songwriters had given up, so how well could a trainee who had just started composing do?

Thinking about this, they nodded.

“Definitely, this time it’s going to be tough.”

“Yeah. Instead, let’s give him a lot of encouragement. We’ve all, the company and us, eaten a lot of his food.”

“Didn’t we eat meat four times? He’s going to be a big star. He knows how to take care of people.”

Every time Something set a new record, Universe treated the Lemon Entertainment employees to dinner.

He also gave them various small gifts.

This was one of the reasons the employees liked and cared for the leader of NewBlack.

Therefore, the A&R team employees had prepared in advance what to say or react to, to ensure Universe wouldn’t be hurt or lose confidence.

“Manager and Team Leader are coming.”

At the youngest employee’s words, they all stopped talking and organized the documents on their desks.

Soon, Executive Producer Jo Kwan, A&R Team Leader, and Manager Yun Seok-hwan entered, followed by the NewBlack members, who trailed behind like chicks.

“Hello!”

The employees greeted the energetically greeting members with warm smiles.

After everyone was seated and exchanged pleasantries, it was time for Universe to present the results of his work before the meeting began.

“...So, I decided on the title. The main listeners of the song are set to be our fans or potential fans. I focused on creating a joyful atmosphere, and the genre is deep house, but it also has a tropical feel, so the boundary is a bit blurry.”

Universe smiled and bowed.

“Although it’s quite lacking, I’d appreciate it if you could look at it kindly, as it’s our first work.”

Of course. We’ll look at it kindly.

The A&R team employees exchanged glances, thinking that even if it was disappointing, they wouldn’t show it.

Finally, the song started playing from the speakers.

‘Hmm?’

When they heard the intro, they tilted their heads in confusion.

The intro was good.

The rhythm was unique.

A beat that sounded like stars twinkling in the night sky filled their ears, and a joyful melody adorned it.

Without needing to explain the background, a clear night sky came to mind.

‘Not bad? There’s not much to revise.’

They listened to the intro with satisfaction, thinking there wasn’t much to improve.

Feeling relieved that the work would be less, they were happy for a moment.

However, their expressions changed when Kim Jung-hyun’s rap came in.

‘Jung-hyun’s rap is good. He definitely has a talent for rap-making.’

Under the lively melody, the rapper’s voice flowed. His voice was strong, so it came through clearly even without much effort.

The employees exchanged glances.

But at that point, they were just thinking, ‘Jung-hyun is good at making raps.’

The real issue started from there.

From the part where Bijoo’s voice came in to Lee Hyuk’s part.

The rhythm and melody, which had been gradually building up, exploded into a chorus.

Like fireworks.

Instead of fireworks, a refreshing melody filled their ears.

‘...He made this?’

They were amazed not just by the quality of the song.

Honestly, they listened to overseas and domestic hits every day for study, so they wouldn’t be surprised by a song of this level.

What amazed them was the color of the song.

The strength of this song was how well it matched the members.

The musical color, you could say. It was so distinctive that anyone could tell, ‘Ah, this is their song,’ while also harmonizing well.

Like the group name NewBlack, different colors blended together to create a magnificent black.

No matter how good a song is, if it doesn’t suit the singer, it’s not a good song.

Even if a major agency has a lot of money, if they can’t provide a song that suits the singer, success is hard to achieve. Conversely, if a small agency can provide a song that perfectly suits the singer, they can succeed.

This is why people say that ultimately, idols are a battle of A&R and planning.

In that sense, Fireworks was not just a good song musically but also a success in terms of planning.

The A&R team employees’ minds became complicated.

They had prepared their reactions, expecting it to be bad, but they didn’t expect the song to be this good.

‘What should we do with this?’

They were impressed by the good song but also felt a bit awkward.

It’s like, in a movie where the main and supporting roles have already been cast, a bit player suddenly appears who is more suited to the lead role.

“......”

When the song finally ended, the room was filled with silence.