Volume 1 / Chapter 50

TL: LightNovelCafe

Jun Hyuk was put in the same group as Nam Seung Hee and Kwak Hye Sung, and went to the recording studio.

“Oy, welcome. I’m Jo Hyung Joong.”

Jo Hyung Joong was in his mid 40s and at one point had established his name as a hit song maker with over 200 songs registered in the Copyright Association. He was a composer and famous producer.

He had a gentle impression and as he made coffee, he took the time to get to know the three rookies better,

“Seung Hee, you like hip hop?”

“Yes, teacher.”

“You didn’t do hip hop in the qualifiers, right? You sang a ballad.”

“Yes. There wasn’t a hip hop song in the mission songs.”

“If you’re a hip hop mania, there’s a hip hop audition program but why…..”

“That’s… My agency…..”

“Ah, you have an agency?”

“Yes, I’m in JYS Entertainment. I’m just a trainee. It’s my third year.”

A slender girl whose voice was fit for singing ballads but she liked hip hop. There was no doubt JYS liked her for her slender body and fresh face, not her ballad or hip hop.

“Well that still means you’ve gotten recognition since you’re in one of the big 3 agencies.”

Kwak Hye Sung looked dejected at the talk of agencies.

“I heard Hye Sung doesn’t have an agency yet.”

“Yes that’s correct.”

“Have you thought about why an agency hasn’t gotten in contact?”

“Because I’m fat?”

Kwak Hye Sung rubbed his bulging stomach. He had lost 2 inches over the last 10 days that had been no different from fasting. His expression remained dark though.

“Hey, your self-criticism is harsh. The reason is simple. They haven’t been drawn to you yet.”

“Are you saying I don’t have charm?”

“That’s right. I saw the tapes for all of the elimination rounds. Anyone would agree that you have great vocals.”

Jo Hyung Joong gave him a thumbs up,

“Your range is amazing… but that’s it. Your high notes and control of your voice can be advantages since there is a lot of music that you can execute. But music isn’t about who can go higher or who can be louder. There’s an emotion in the song. You need to express that. You’re lacking a bit in that area.”

His faults that a famous producer had specifically picked out. Kwak Hye Sung could not lift his head.

“Hey… cheer up. You still have a lot of time left. And you have two really strong weapons. Let’s use those weapons to make a stage full of emotion. I’ll help you.”

Jo Hyung Joong smiled warmly at Kwak Hye Sung whose face had brightened and looked at Jun Hyuk,

“So you’re Jun Hyuk. Hey, you’re as good looking as they said. With that face, you would do better as a model or actor than as a singer.”

Jo Hyung Joong thought that if the votes were done fairly, Jun Hyuk would get tons of votes just by standing on the stage.

“But I heard that you don’t sing. Why?”

“There are a lot of good singers. I just need people who will sing the songs I make well.”

“Ha ha. That’s the mind of a typical composer. Okay then, who do you wish would sing your song?”

“Um… Adele, Marvin Gaye, Floor Jansen of Nightwish, John Mayer, Eva Cassidy, Thomas Cloverope, and…”

“Hey, that’s too ambitious. Ha ha. There aren’t any Korean singers?”

“Of course there are. Lee So Ra, Kim Chang Hwan, Lee Sun Hee, Jeon In Kwon when he debuted, Kim Gun Mo 10 years ago…”

“What? Kim Gun Mo 10 years ago? So not the Kim Gun Mo now?”

“No. I think he’s aged a bit.”

“You think so? He’s still great though. If he meets a song that fits him, he’d be able to get the value out of it. Well… I think it’d be a good idea for you to make a song. You have no thoughts of singing on the live stage as well?”

“No, I’m going to try to stick it out with an instrumental.”

“Good. That’s cool. I’ll help you as much as I can, so try sticking it out. I have expectations to see how much you can advance.”

These were not words he was throwing out as a broadcast moment for the cameras next to him. He had heard that Jun Hyuk was only now 17 years old. It was a rarity to find a young child with such a firm sense of music. Aspiring celebrities were all hanging onto the idea of success. Jun Hyuk gave him pride.

This was enough for first meetings and they started preparing for the mission in earnest.

“Seung Hee, I chose a song fit for you but it’s a drama OST. It’s a slow song but I changed it so it’d be a little fast and light. Listen to it.”

When Jo Hyung Joong finished speaking, the person in charge of the recording studio sound system turned on the music. The theme song from a popular drama that had aired not too long ago came from the studio speakers in a different version.

It was not a dance song, but it was youthful and light enough to incite automatic humming. The arrangement could have been perfect for a pretty and cute girl group to sing.

It seemed that with the strength of the original song’s popularity and the audience’s desire for lively music, everything matched up well and would bring good results.

Jo Hyung Joong saw that Nam Seung Hee looked pleased with the arrangement and turned on Kwak Hye Sung’s mission song in succession.

The original version of Kim Kyung Ho’s ‘The People Who Make Me Sad’ played from the speakers. Unlike Nam Seung Hee’s song, it had not been edited in any way. Kwak Hye Sung just blinked as he could not figure out Jo Hyung Joong’s intentions.

“Hye Sung can easily sing this song, right?”

“Yes.”

“Seeing your expression, looks like you’re wondering why this song wasn’t arranged.”

“Oh, yes… because the original song came out all of a sudden.”

“The tone of your voice is the arrangement itself.”

“Excuse me? My tone?”

He did not understand yet. Jo Hyung Joong just laughed as if this appearance was amusing.

“The arrangement is unnecessary because they both have extreme vocal tones. On top of that, it’s possible to dominate the stage with his overwhelming vocals which is his advantage.”

In contrast to Kim Kyung Ho’s sharp vocals was Kwak Hye Sung’s thick and heavy voice. Jun Hyuk who had been still expressed Jo Hyung Joong’s intentions.

“That’s it. Jun Hyuk and I are cut of the same cloth. Ha ha.”

It had not been long since they met, but he could see the flash of talent. No explanation was necessary. He could figure out a producer’s motives just by listening to the music. Producers could work comfortably if singers had as much sense as Jun Hyuk did.

“It’ll be easy for Hye Sung to practice. There, will the two of you go and start practicing? I think my talk with Jun Hyuk is going to take some time.”