Chapter 110
[Over here . ]
HeeYoon was lead by her friend, Helena, to a place where the cheerleader club of her university was practicing . Several ladies wearing tight-fitting clothes were in the middle of practice in a place that was like a basketball court .
[Wow . Everyone’s so pretty . ]
[Right?]
HeeYoon couldn’t hide her surprise while looking at the several white ladies who had a tall stature and a thin bodline . They were wearing red cheerleader clothes and looked very pa.s.sionate about practice . They lifted others up like it was nothing, jumped 2m into the air like it was nothing, and landed down like it was nothing . This was a completely new experience for HeeYoon .
[They’re so cool . ]
[Not everybody can do that . Those girls have quite the background . Don’t even start with me with their studies . ]
They had the looks, the smarts and the background . They truly were perfect .
Just as HeeYoon picked up her pen to write something down, the leader-like lady walked towards them .
[Helena? Wow . This is rare . What are you doing here?]
[Mich.e.l.le!]
The two ladies hugged each other as though they were overjoyed to see each other . After having a brief talk, Helena soon introduced HeeYoon too her . Although Mich.e.l.le didn’t seem to have any interest in the rather short, Asian lady in front of her, her eyes changed when she heard the name ‘HeeYoon’ .
[HeeYoon? From composition?]
[h.e.l.lo, I’m HeeYoon Lee . I came here to get some inspiration . ]
[Really? If I can help, I’d be glad to . ]
Mich.e.l.le seemed to have heard a lot about HeeYoon recently, and approached her very kindly . She gladly accepted HeeYoon’s request . She even prepared a seat for her .
[Thanks . I’ll treat you to something next time . ]
[Sure . This is good, getting treated by the top student of Composition . ]
Although HeeYoon herself wasn’t aware of it, she was rather famous within campus . Well, it was reasonable, since she never failed to take the top spot .
‘My brother said that there should be differences in cheerleaders of America and of Korea, and yet he still told me that they were fundamentally the same . Here, the girls have power . What are the cheerleaders of Korea like?’
Mich.e.l.le returned to her place, and practice resumed after a loud shout from the cheerleaders .
Listening to them, HeeYoon wrote down the things that came up in her head into the notepad in front of her .
***
Currently, Yoonseul Entertainment was in an uproar after they heard about who their president went to for DiaTeen’s next song .
It was none other than Eddios’s former planner!
This rumor, spread around by Kang SeGyung, caused a big wave across the entire company . The directors, the ordinary employees, and even the members of DiaTeen were worried that KangYoon might give them a strange song to help Eddios out . The company-exclusive composers especially had a lot of complaints about this as they were practically left out this time .
Those complaints showed up in the meeting .
The PR team leader showed his objection with his low voice .
“If I had known that the composer Muse was the planner of Eddios, I would have objected to this idea . ”
How much have they suffered thanks to Eddios until now? They did their utmost best to topple Eddios’s place and take the top spot . But the person they asked to write their song this time was none other than the source of all their troubles; the planner of Eddios . As the planner of Eddios, he may have the skills, but his intentions were still concerning .
Another member of the planning team cautiously spoke out .
“I also don’t see it as a good opportunity . If he was simply from MG Entertainment, we wouldn’t go this far, but he just had to be related to Eddios . He’s the person that created the group that we so hated until now . As for what he thinks of Eddios… I do not know what to say . ”
Advertis.e.m.e.nt
One composer, with a rather peculiar hat, added to this opinion .
“There are many good composers that make good songs that follow the trends . There are many good composers out there other than Muse . I’m rather concerned that you picked a composer that may become a problem to us later . ”
Everyone was of one mind . However, President Choo ManJi shook his head in dissatisfaction .
“Think about it in another way . Lee KangYoon wasn’t in a good place when he left MG . Despite his numerous achievements, he was framed of embezzling company funds . Though, he was proved innocent later . MG chased out the golden egg-laying goose without even cutting its stomach . Do you think Lee KangYoon has good will towards MG? Wouldn’t he be rearing to topple them down instead?”
“That’s… . ”
Seeing the employees unable to answer, President Choo ManJi seemed to be more motivated and continued to speak .
“MG’s former president, Lee HyunJi was also working with him . HyunJi, that picky girl isn’t someone to work with just anyone . The two seemed to get along well, and we can see that from their company’s growth rate . Some time ago, they perfectly made Kim JaeHoon return in an absolute blast . Though, this is a field separate from composition . Do you really believe that we should let these people, who don’t have any good will towards MG, and are skilled to boot, go?”
“Oh… . ”
Everyone then exclaimed in realization . When everyone accepted, President Choo ManJi shook his head and looked at everyone as though they were pathetic .
“Think . Lee KangYoon is a sword that we must use . And we are the person that possesses that sword in our hand . We just need to worry about not getting cut . If everyone’s so concerned about it, I’ll tell him to send us a sample, so think about how are you going to promote DiaTeen’s next alb.u.m by the next meeting . ”
President Choo ManJi waved his hand to declare the end of the meeting . Everyone left the meeting room like a receding tide . There was no way they felt good since they started out kind, but ended with a scolding .
“Secretary Yoon, call Lee KangYoon and ask him when he could send a sample . ”
– Yes, sir .
“Oh, and also, tell him to visit our company once . ”
Ordered President Choo ManJi before heading to the practice room where DiaTeen were currently practicing .
***
“…I’ll send it to you by tomorrow . ”
– Okay . And also, the president has asked you if you can visit the company, if your time will allow it .
At that request, KangYoon thought about it for a while before replying .
“Okay, then . Please tell him that I will visit the company tomorrow along with the sample . ”
-Then I shall tell him that .
After the call, KangYoon turned around to his score . However, that last request to visit YoonSeul Entertainment didn’t leave his mind .
‘They sure seem concerned . ’
The song wasn’t even finished, but he was asked to visit their company . It was safe to say that the other side was rather concerned . It wasn’t that he didn’t understand . For DiaTeen, the fact that the planner of Eddios was writing them a song must have made them complicated .
‘Well, if they reject purely due to that, then they are only at that level . ’
KangYoon decided to take it simply . If the other side was so petty, he would get nothing out of working with them . He instead thought about how to arrange the song that HeeYoon sent him .
The next day .
KangYoon finished editing some of the song and visited Yoonseul Entertainment . The secretary came out to greet him and immediately lead him to the president’s office .
“Welcome . ”
President Choo ManJi and KangYoon shook hands, and Choo ManJi brewed him coffee as well .
“I’m very sorry . I did not want to disturb you until you finished on your work… . ”
As he brewed him coffee, President Choo ManJi seemed very apologetic . KangYoon shook his head whie accepting the coffee .
“It’s fine . I understand . It must not have been easy to let the former planner of Eddios take care of DiaTeen’s song . ”
“Hahaha . I’m rather embarra.s.sed . The people under me are rather short-sighted . I really should have denied any objections . But these days, kids don’t work properly if they don’t get a reasonable explanation . ”
Although what he said was right, KangYoon understood the implications behind those words as well . President Choo ManJi also wanted to listen to what the song was like this time .
KangYoon handed him a USB stick . He didn’t want to talk about this topic anymore . President Choo ManJi accepted the USB and played the track .
“Electronic?”
A rather crude Electronic music soon changed to a fun beat . President Choo ManJi widened his eyes after hearing the music that grabbed his heart in an instant . Although the first verse started 4 seconds into the song, it was replaced with a hum since it wasn’t recorded yet . However, the feeling could be transferred .
‘This is it!’
President Choo ManJi got the ‘feel’ . Although the repet.i.tive electronic style was simple, it was powerful, and it suited DiaTeen’s voices and ch.o.r.eography perfectly .
Although the sample was only a part of the 1st verse, he fell for it already .
“Let me listen to it just once more… . ”
He played it back once more just in case he had misheard . However, it wasn’t like the same song was going anywhere . The melody that easily stuck to his ear grabbed his heart immediately . Obviously, this was a great outcome .
Hiding his excitement about having received a good song, President Choo ManJi spoke to KangYoon .
“…It’s not bad . ”
“That’s good . Do you need anything else?”
“Hm… . Why don’t you meet the girls first? I think you should refer to their opinions rather than mine . ”
President Choo ManJi himself had nothing else to ask of . He only wanted KangYoon to give him the best song he could .
KangYoon, along with President Choo ManJi, headed to the practice room where the girls of DiaTeen were .
The 5 girls of DiaTeen were doing practice when the two entered .
‘This… it’s been a while . ’
The smell of thick sweat, the heat coming off their bodies; seeing DiaTeen practicing while wearing comfortable jerseys, he remembered of his past . Eddios also practiced like that – he made a bitter smile .
“Everyone gather round . ”
President Choo ManJi gathered the girls . Everyone wiped the sweat off their heads and approached him .
“Huh? Composer . ”
Kang SeGyung realized it was KangYoon, and KangYoon waved his hand . Soon, President Choo ManJi introduced KangYoon to them, and the members widened their eyes in shock . This was the case since Kang SeGyung had already told them that their song was coming from the former planner of Eddios .
“There, there, there . You have a lot of things you want to ask, right? And about Eddios too, right? But first comes the song . ”
President Choo ManJi knew of his priorities and plugged the USB into the audio first . Soon, the song played back . The repet.i.tive yet familiar song made the girls all shake their bodies according to the rhythm . And when the melody started, they exclaimed slightly as well .
“This song’s so good . It’s like a night-club song . ”
The most honest one of DiaTeen, Joo YeAh, spoke . A girl of the same age, Ji HyunJung, also agreed .
“You’re right, the beat’s good, and the melody’s good as well . The pitch isn’t too high, either . ”
The youngest ones, Kim JiSook, and Han HyoJung, also added .
“I was worried that we were getting a strange song because of Eddios, but… is this a trap?”
“What the h.e.l.l does that mean . ”
Of course, the youngest ones were the rudest ones as well .
Kang SeGyung shook her head and spoke to KangYoon .
“The song is really good . If the entire track is like this, and there’s good ch.o.r.eography, this alb.u.m will be a huge hit . Can I ask you one thing?”
“Go ahead . ”
“Who’s the one doing the guide voice?”
Kang SeGyung wanted to know who the one humming was . The voice was very clean .
KangYoon answered honestly since it was no secret .
“She’s Lee HyunAh, a singer in our company . ”
“Oh, I asked since I wanted to do something like a featuring later . Her voice is just so good… . ”
Although this was rather random, KangYoon had no reason to refuse . More good relations were better .
“That’s good with me . We’ll be helping each other out . ”
Since the song was very good, the mood was very good as well .
The members of DiaTeen asked KangYoon an incredible number of things at this opportunity: about how KangYoon came to make Eddios, and what kind of people they were . Their questions were endless . President Choo ManJi also didn’t stop them either . He actually also wanted to borrow their words to satiate his own curiosity .
KangYoon told them reasonable stuff . He didn’t leak any company secrets, and usually told them about Eddios’s trivial habits and their lifestyle .
“Ha, sheesh . So Neither you nor Eddios talked to each other that much?”
“…Yes . Those girls act so cold . How scared do you think we were?”
KangYoon had already become close to DiaTeen, and was unable to hide his surprise when Han HyoJung grumbled .
“That’s strange . There’s no way they acted like that . I always told them to not make any enemies in this industry . ”
Just as KangYoon tilted his head in confusion, Kang SeGyung replied .
“Their and our schedules overlapped for a while, didn’t it? At that time, Eddios avoided us consciously . At first, we talked to them a lot, but from some time onwards, they acted so cold . ”
“Really?”
KangYoon thought about it for a moment .
Just when Eddios was able to firmly stand on their own in the industry, KangYoon took his hands off them and started doing another work . Although he received reports regularly, he did not specifically interfere with others’ work . He thought about the things he heard about them .
‘I heard that they put up a strategy to no longer meet with DiaTeen, and that’s the reason . So they chose to avoid them . I’d rather crush them head on . ’
KangYoon would have done so; enough to never let any girl groups rise in the industry again . However, the company decided to go safe rather than the dangerous route . Whether there were some behind-the-scenes deal, he didn’t know .
In any case, to Eddios, who rose to the top in one go after their debut, DiaTeen were naturally an obstacle to them . In the first place, the ‘top spot’ was harder to maintain than to get . Perhaps that was why they decided to not a.s.sociate with DiaTeen .
‘A failure in strategy let the rise of a rival . Or, it might be that they needed a rival . ’
To sum it up, it was like that . The result? Eddios and DiaTeen were in a horrible relationship . And that was why the girls of DiaTeen were worried that KangYoon might give them a strange song . Though, they were touched to receive such a great song .
KangYoon only laughed .
“You’ll have to listen to the end to find out . You only got the sample right now . ”
“Even so, I think something like this is just great . ”
Kim JiSook showed absolute trust in the song . Her eyes were already sparkling .
“Well, I’d be thankful if you do trust me . I shall reply with a good song . ”
“Yes! Thank you, KangYoon-oppa . ”
“Oppa?”
KangYoon slightly smiled at that word .
“Lol . Looks like KangYoon-‘oppa’ likes it . ”
“That’s right, he’s an oppa . ”
Joo YeAh and Ji HyunJung giggled . KangYoon’s tall stature and wide shoulders were attractive to the girls . Although he was in his 30s, he was skinny and had sharp eyes . He also had all the perfect conditions, so he was worthy(?) of the girls to call them ‘oppa’ .
KangYoon also…
Didn’t dislike being called that so much .
***
The acoustic and illumination construction was finished, and acoustic equipment started coming in one after the other over at Lunas .
Thankfully, the speakers, mixers and other devices coming from foreign countries managed to pa.s.s customs early, and the construction was finished before the due date . Jung HyeJin was proud to have done all this .
“This speaker looks cool . ”
Exclaimed Lee HyunJi while looking at the speaker hanging in the air . The speaker was hanging in the air with chains and was facing down . There were woofers on its side as well . There was no worry about sound at all .
“I also put design into consideration . You don’t even need to mention sound . ”
KangYoon was confident in his choice . Since these came from foreign countries, their functions were over the top . Although he had to go through some suffering, it was all worth it – he thought .
“The first concert at Lunas will be from White Moonlight, right?”
“Of course, it was for them we constructed all this . ”
“I wish we could invite another singer . Of course, with a low budget . We don’t have a lot of money on hand . ”
Lee HyunJi said those last words just in case KangYoon brought some world-cla.s.s singer . KangYoon was definitely the person to do that in her mind .
However, as always, KangYoon gave a completely different answer .
“How about we bring ‘her’ out this time?”
“Her? Who?”
“You know, the one we’ve been raising until now . I don’t think it will be bad to do a mid-way check . It will also be an experience for her too . ”
“EEEEH!?”
Lee HyunJi realized what KangYoon was saying and shouted .
“You, you mean… JiMin?”
Kim JiMin .
KangYoon was thinking of showing the public World Entertainment’s sole trainee this time .