Chapter 58

Although we did create the base, it was you who finished the song . I really should have asked for permission beforehand, but there was no time, so . Im sorry .

Not at all . Its a good opportunity . I will also go to cheer them on if I have the time .

After finishing the call, KangYoon turned around to Lee HyunAh who was just looking at her phone .

Apparently, youre going to a competition with your song .

A competition?

Although Lee HyunAh was doing something else, she was still listening . From the moment KangYoon was surprised too when the word competition was mentioned, she knew that it wasnt such a light topic .

Apparently, you are going to the College Pop Festival with the song you composed .

.

HyunAh?

.

Seeing Lee HyunAh still unresponsive, KangYoon called out to her a few more times . He tried pushing her and poking her as well, however, there was still no reaction . After a blinking a few times, she

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHK????

Screamed out . Although there was no one around to see her, KangYoon still looked around .

You freaked me out .

C, C, C, C, C, College Pop fest?! (E/N: CCCCC-Combo breaker)

Yup . It looks like the professor liked it .

Were going there?! With my song?!

She felt something waving towards her heart . Confusion, panic, joy, it was hard to describe it with just one word . KangYoon tried explaining the things he heard from Professor Choi ChangYang .

College Pop Festival is a big competition thats been running for over 30 years though! There will be a lot of people attending too .

So what? Original composition, check, band, check . You meet the criteria though?

Aah . I dont know whats going on .

She just lowered her head and didnt raise it back up . The coming storm wasnt easy for her to endure . KangYoon patted her back as he consoled her .

The basics are the same whether you go to a big competition or a small competition . Preparation is everything . If you prepare well, there will be a possibility . Im not sure if the Professor knows or not, but this means that your song is good . Isnt that a good thing?

.

Well, if you keep chickening out like you did today, that will all be for naught .

Of course, KangYoons consolation came with some sharp words .

Lee HyunAh resolved herself while feeling the warmth on her back .

***

Wheres this?

Wow .

Jung MinAh and Ailee Jung couldnt hide their surprise after seeing the underground studio . Seo HanYu and Lee SamSoon felt the same way .

Younguns .

Christie An poured them some cold water .

Youve only come here once too . Dont boast .

How can zero and one be the same?

Jung MinAh and Christie An quarreled while Han JooYeon sighed . Just as the quarrel was about to become a fight for the strongest, KangYoon, Composer Loin and Producer Oh JiWan came in .

Hello!

Producer Oh JiWan replied with a smile after hearing their vivid greetings .

Kids sure are good .

Uu, oppa . You really are . Hey, youre drooling .

Soonie, you like the boys too .

Producer Oh and Composer Loin were also preparing to fight against reality . Of course, just preparing .

Like that, everyone prepared for the song selection and the recording . The booth in the studio already had 6 microphones as well as other devices set up .

KangYoon told the girls of the things that they were going to do and made them enter the booth .

Lets start with the first one .

Producer Oh started setting Han JooYeons microphone since she was at the far right . Unlike JooAh, these girls had no preset settings so they had to set the microphones on the go .

Ah-ah . Mic testMy hometown .

With Han JooYeons as the beginning, all the microphones were starting to get set . Producer Oh was satisfied, saying everyones voice matched each others well . KangYoon watched the process from behind .

Since there were 6 of them, it took quite a long time to set . Although the setting took a long time, KangYoon put a lot of attention into it since this would eventually be recorded .

Shall we start?

Producer Oh asked KangYoon as soon as the settings were done . When KangYoons order came, the MR started flowing out of the speakers . Since they hadnt separated the song into parts yet, they decided to sing it all together .

The girls counted down the beats and started singing .

One day at the park at night playing on the white horse rocker

The first song was Our Story . KangYoon concentrated on the musical notes that came out of the girls .

Its not bad .

The song progressed but there was nothing that caught his eyes . The light mood and the girls voices filled with vitality was creating a good mood .

What is the reason that this failed in my previous life?

As the song reached its climax, KangYoon was wondering about this . The white light was in no way, weak, and the musical notes from the girls werent strange either . It was literally just, not bad .

Wow, this is a good one .

Of course, its Team leaders request after all .

Composer Loin smiled after hearing Producer Oh JiWans words . She seemed satisfied about the praise .

Like that, the first song ended without a hitch .

Team leader, was our song okay?

Han JooYeon asked from inside the booth . KangYoon answered to her through the microphone .

Its not bad . I think your voices fit well too . Shall we go over the next one then?

Yes .

The girls were in great condition as well . Everyone seemed to be full of energy . When the next song was prepared, Producer Oh gave a signal and the girls prepared to sing .

The second song Together began .

When I open my eyes the fresh sunlightgreets me and the expectationfor today

This was the same as well . Although the vividness was completely different from the previous song, the light wasnt that different . The white light was constant until the very end . Both Producer Oh JiWan and Composer Loin listened to the girls voices until the end with their eyes closed .

After the 3-minute song ended and the girls left the booth, KangYoon gathered them .

Lets do it by parts this time .

What?

Parts so suddenly? Everyone was confused at KangYoons words .

With all of you singing together, it feels like a choir instead . I cant get the exact feeling . Lets do it by parts this time . Miss Loin wrote the parts right?

Yes .

So HanYu will be up first . Lets .

KangYoon distributed parts to the girls just as Composer Loin had intended to . The parts where he thought that it didnt fit, he changed or put two together at once . After distributing the parts for both songs while listening to the girls opinions as well, he sent the girls inside the booth again .

Start .

With KangYoons signal, the song started again . This time, Seo HanYus voice flowed out first .

One day at the park at night playing on the white horse rocker

Seeing that the notes were different from the first time, KangYoon focused a little more . Seo HanYu was generating a yellow musical note and the light was slightly stronger than before . This was because the song had to have a softer start but was too strong with the six girls singing together .

After Seo HanYus verse ended, Lee SamSoon caught it next .

If my feelings are indeed love Please cherish this me as well

Lee SamSoons voice was neither high nor low but had power . She was the perfect one to raise the mood . Thanks to her influence, the white light started being strengthened after her musical note was mixed into it . KangYoon recorded it down and kept watching the girls .

Our story was a good piece . He even wondered why this song failed in his previous life . Although the members had changed, he didnt know that this song would fit them so well .

The song ended, and while Composer Loin and Producer Oh JiWan were high-fiving each other, KangYoon urged them onto the next song .

Yes, yes .

Producer Oh JiWan played the MR for the next song Together next . This time, the first verse was taken by Ailee Jung .

When I open my eyes the fresh sunlightgreets me and the expectationfor today

Since the start of this piece was low-pitched, her low voice was emphasized . Even the other girls were surprised . Producer Oh also seemed to be surprised after seeing the number of bars represented on the machine .

Ailee definitely has a good low voice .

KangYoon was satisfied with the low voice that was a little like jazz . It was worth it to specialize their characteristics until now . With good results being shown off, he felt quite good .

The next off was Han JooYeon .

The smile that makes me shy without me knowing I think there will be good things

Han JooYeon did well in the high-pitch but also did well in raising a low verse to high . However, KangYoon also thought it was slightly disappointing . He thought about how it would be if Jung MinAh did that part . He was worried about the other members if Han JooYeon was being too emphasized . It was a bit like balancing the dance so that Jung MinAh wouldnt crush them all .

The light from the girls was strong . The white light from Our Story was quite strong as well . And this song was on par with it too . When Christie An emphasized the climax, the brightening white light made KangYoon fall into a dilemma .

Let us think about the good things-

The song finished with everyone singing together . The strong light eventually faded and KangYoon told the girls to come out while saying that they did well .

Wow, Soonie . Both are great .

Yep, though, I did have to wrack my brains for these two . But the rewards are worth it if its this team . And hey, did you just call me Soonie again? Do you want to fight?

Lol . Looks like well get some pretty money this time .

Composer Loin imitated counting money like an evil man before acting like she would attack Producer Oh JiWan .

Both Producer Oh JiWan and Composer Loin had a good feeling about this project .

You did two songs . How were they?

When KangYoon asked the girls, everyone answered in the same voice .

They were both great .

They seemed to still be deluded about their own song and they seemed to like both . KangYoon understood how they felt but still cool-headedly told them .

We need to set on a title song . In the showcase, well do both, but we do need to choose one for the cover piece . Which song do you think is better?

Hmm .

However, no one chose easily . They liked both . It felt like they finally wore clothes that fit them after wearing someone elses for all this time .

While everyone looked at each other and were indecisive, KangYoon was thinking about it himself as well .

Is it because the team members have changed from my previous life? Our Story isnt bad either .

KangYoon predicted that Our Story would be clearly bad and Together would be clearly good . However, they were actually neck-and-neck . With that being the case, deciding after considering the dance routine, the lighting, and the theme of the debut was one way to decide this .

Girls .

When KangYoon called out to them, everyone focused .

Lets do it this way . Lets practice both, and decide on the title song later . Practicing both will be advantageous for events later too . What do you think?

Okay .

Jung MinAh answered first . The others replied as well .

Then lets go into recording after a little bit of rest . Producer Oh, shall we rest a little?

Okay .

With KangYoons words, everyone turned into laundry and hung themselves on chairs and sofas . In fact, the girls had built up a lot of fatigue .

***

The girls were finally all revealed . All the members were revealed in different ways, and the reactions were different as well . Even though they hadnt debuted yet, a fan club was made, and with various news articles coming out on the internet, reactions started appearing . A fan club for trainees was something unexpected by everyone .

Of course, they had anti-fans as well . The anti-fans made various rumors saying that they didnt like this girl for this reason and that girl for that reason . However, the company meticulously managed their personal lives and practically forbid any social network activities, the source of all rumors . Most of the rumors were baseless as well . Any photos of them were from TV programs or their everyday life at school or their graduation album so the rumors didnt last long . KangYoons contribution to this was big since he managed all of this .

The day Jung MinAh won the dance competition, Jung MinAh was revealed in the MG Entertainment home page and the profiles of all 6 girls were tied into one . And the 6 girls were officially named EDDIOS . There was a link to the fan caf as well where photos about their practice rooms and other simple things were being uploaded . The fans started advertising the group known as EDDIOS by themselves while the anti-fans also started a war with a few set of materials . Everyone was busy making popcorn to watch, while the media wanted their own share of interviews and articles as well . It was literally becoming a hot issue .

KangYoon successfully made the girls into a hot topic as he had intended and put a lot of mind into the PR team .

. Then please watch the internet like youre doing now .

Yes .

You do know that todays work ends early right?

Dont worry .

After the meeting with the PR team, KangYoon headed to the roof . Working all day made his body crave for some nicotine . However, when he arrived at the roof, his phone started ringing instead . Since it was an unknown number, KangYoon thought of rejecting it but received it anyway .

Yes, Lee KangYoon here .

KangYoon-oppa? Its me, Lee HyunAh .

HyunAh?

It was Lee HyunAh from the band . He didnt tell her his number, though, KangYoon was confused .

I asked for your number from the professor . Im sorry . I know I shouldnt have done this .

Whats up?

Professor Choi wasnt someone that would tell others his number so easily . So, if he did, there had to be a good reason for it .

We passed the preliminaries for College Pop fest . I called you since I wanted to tell you quickly .

Really? Congratulations . Did you really pass the preliminaries?

KangYoon was honestly surprised . College Pop Festival was a competition where all sorts of talented young musicians competed from all over the country . There should have been numerous teams from all over the country, but they still passed . KangYoon was really surprised .

I still cant believe it . We were going to tell you if you came last week, but you didnt . So, I thought I should give you a call .

Really? Thanks for telling me . The finals . Congratulations .

Thank you . I heard you were busy nowadays . But still, please make some time for the actual performance .

KangYoon said okay and finished the call .

Thats great . The finals, eh?

A slight help resulted in the finals of the College Pop festival . KangYoon felt weird the more he thought about it .

Finishing his last cigarette, KangYoon headed not to his office but to L Hotel . This was the day he was going to showcase the girls in front of the company people and other related personnel .

Welcome .

Having arrived at the hotel, KangYoon was guided politely to the Crystal Room where the showcase would occur . There were already round tables for customers, and there was also a stage for the girls to perform on . Since it wasnt time yet, there was no food on the table .

KangYoon headed to the waiting room where the girls were at .

Huh? Its ahju . der .

What the hell does that mean .

Jung MinAh greeted KangYoon first . The girls were busy undergoing makeup . Since there were so many girls, they had called outside external makeup artists as well as bringing their own . From their hair to their costume, they were undergoing a full transformation . Next to them were high-heeled shoes that were asking to be worn .

Ah, Im nervous .

When Seo HanYu spoke out, Christie An replied in a chic voice .

Thats so not like you .

Sheesh, unni . Even I get nervous .

Lies, that invincible Seo HanYu gets nervous?

The practice room was very noisy, but there was a strange tension in the air . KangYoon grabbed everyones attention and spoke calmly .

Were finally in orbit now . Youve practiced hard until now, didnt you?

Yes .

There will be a lot of people . From the people from our company to news reporters . Todays matters will be sent out and many people will start talking about you .

.

Everyone became nervous after KangYoon said that . Being talked about by other people was a scary thing . Ailee Jung especially seemed to be scared as she was shivering slightly .

We havent even debut yet, so it might be a little hard on you with many things going around . You may feel its a little cruel . Why are they saying such things when we havent even had our debut yet? You might want to swear at them . But from this moment onwards, its real . I want you girls to accept reality as it is .

.

The girls all nodded their heads . The noisy atmosphere of before was completely gone . The heavy atmosphere pressured their shoulders .

At that time, Jung MinAh spoke .

Youll always be on our side, wont you, ahjussi?

.

Right?

Jung MinAh stared at KangYoon . No, it wasnt just her . Everyone was asking that with their eyes as well .

Why are you asking the obvious?

Then thats fine . I know that youre stronger than a million anti-fans, ahjussi .

How does that work? And stop calling me that .

Ugh .

The girls giggled thanks to Jung MinAh . Thanks to that the heavy atmosphere lightened in an instant . KangYoon was surprised to see such a side to Jung MinAh but was proud of her nonetheless . Though .

Ouch!

He did give her a smack .

***

Oh my, Chairman .

Its been a while, President Kang .

Calm music faintly flowed in the background, and Chairman Won JinMoon was greeting a big man . He was President Kang ShiMyoung of Yerang Entertainment, one of the four big management companies in Korea . Unlike Chairman Won JinMoon in his suit, he was wearing ripped jeans and a sleeveless T-shirt .

Did you say it was EDDIOS? It seems like theres a big interest in the kids this time . The fan club is considerably big even though they didnt debut yet .

Hahaha . Lets sit down first .

Chairman Won JinMoon lead President Kang ShiMyoung to the seats . With the two seating together, not many people could approach them . However, there was someone who did .

Haha, welcome . President Choo .

President Choo ManJi politely greeted Chairman Won JinMoon and sat next to him . He was the president of yet another one of the four big management companies, Yoonseul . Unlike President Kang ShiMyoung, he had a skinny figure .

With three bigshots on one table, not many people tried to approach them . The vice-president of the final one of the 4 big management companies, GNB Entertainment, approached them and told them that the president was currently overseas and couldnt attend this event and sat down and the atmosphere became even heavier .

With the tables being filled and the atmosphere running to its climax, the broadcast sounded out .

[Dear esteemed guests . The showcase of the new girl group, EDDIOS, from MG Entertainment will happen soon . Please be seated . I repeat . ]

President Choo, who was conversing all this time, raised the glass of white wine .

Chairman . I have high expectations for today .

President Kang also spoke with a smile .

Im also looking forward to it . What kind of kids are they?

Chairman Won JinMoon replied with a benevolent smile .

Lets not do this . Hey, its beginning .

With his words, the surroundings darkened and the lights on the stage started being turned on one by one .