Volume 2 / Chapter 71
TL: LightNovelCafe
As they descended down the stairs to the club, the bass bumping through their bodies grew louder.
While they were sitting in an area on the 2nd floor, Kwak Hye Sung and Jang Na Rae were already moving to the music.
Jun Hyuk was already out of his mind. How could there be a place like this in the world? More than the music, the first thing that caught Jun Hyuk’s eye was the girls in promiscuous clothing, and the second thing was the way they moved.
There were women who moved lightly to seduce men, but there were more women who left their bodies to the simple beat and shook without a care. It was the same for the men. There were men who looked at the women more than they cared about the music and dancing, but there were also a lot of men who were dancing wildly.
Fast beat, a volume that could be felt with the entire body, the drunkenness that alcohol provides. All of this combined to make it hot in the club.
After drinking two or three beers, Kwak Hye Sung and Jang Na Rae could no longer stay seated and went into the dancing crowd. They also moved their bodies so they were inseparable from the crowd.
There was no other way to describe this spectacle than as a culture shock.
Music to Jun Hyuk meant there is a performer and an audience, the audience becomes immersed in the music that the performer delivers, and they cheer and applause in response to an excellent performance.
However, there was no performance in this place. It was just a DJ mixing with machines to make a fast bass beat.
There was no audience listening and enjoying it either. This was a place to leave your body to the music and move on instinct. Jun Hyuk also felt the primordial joy provided by the music. He could feel his shoulders moving to the music.
People here were moving to music like cavemen dancing to the sound of a simple drumming.
While Jun Hyuk was awed by the world of clubbing, Yoon Jung Su was having dinner with Son Jin Young.
“Take a look at this song.”
“Oh, you wrote a new song?”
“Don’t say anything and just look at it.”
Son Jin Young took the score from Yoon Jung Su and hummed to the notes.
“Hey, Jung Su! You wrote a really good one for the first time in a while! Are you giving it to me?”
“Why is a judge being like this? I want to hear your comments.”
“You don’t even need to look at the sabi. It’s good just from looking at the intro and verse. You really do find appreciation in emotional ballads.”
There was no insincerity in Son Jin Young’s evaluation. This had implemented a fresh ballad unlike songs these days that were sad ballads or dance songs with fast beats.
“I wrote the lyrics to this, but someone else composed it.”
“Who?”
“Guess. It’s someone we both know.”
“There aren’t just one or two people that we both know.”
“Ha ha. That’s true. Jun Hyuk wrote this song. I wrote the lyrics for a week.”
“Jun Hyuk? That or… rascal?”
Son Jin Young almost said orphan. There is a big difference between orphan and rascal. In the entertainment industry, rascal is not a slight.
“Yeah, and he said he made that song for Nam Seung Hee.”
“Nam Seung Hee? The Nam Seung Hee in our agency?”
Son Jin Young’s eyes widened at the mention of Nam Seung Hee.
“Yeah. He made the song to match her tone after he listened to her voice during the 2nd mission. In a day.”
How could he create a melody like this in a day? Son Jin Young stook out his tongue.
“But why did you write the lyrics?”
“Jun Hyuk doesn’t have the emotions to write lyrics of affection like this. It’s understandable when you think of the environment he grew up in.”
He had grown up in difficult conditions. No, it had been too shattering to be called difficult. How could a child like that have experienced emotions of love and farewell, that could be seen as a luxury?
Yoon Jung Su met eyes with Son Jin Young,
“What do you think?”
“Let me see. Will this fit well with Seung Hee?”
It was unnecessary to ask. Of course it fit well. However, it was far from the style and commodity that Son Jin Young was pursuing.
Son Jin Young used a thorough calculation to choose people to train.
Body proportions that would come out well on TV, the ability to show sexiness through dance – he chose each by the role they would play in a girl group.
To him, music is just a tool that can bring out sensuality. It is a time when music is no longer for the ear, but visual. Music worked to support an elaborate and sexy performance. It is now rare for artists to be able to make money with only their music.
He needs to make singers that the public wants to see. Singers that people only wanted to listen to did not make money.
It was the reality of Korean pop music that out of the overall sales that SN Entertainment, one of the largest agencies made, only 16% was from track sales and concerts. Now, music itself does not make money.
They needed to make money with the fees from drama, CF, entertainment program, and event appearances.
No event looked to hire a rookie singer with great vocals. There was always a line of events looking for pretty and sexy girl groups regardless of the music.
Even sign star Shin Ji, who is in a JSY girl group, became a star overnight after appearing in a popular movie. It was not music.
Due to these situations, it was understandable that Son Jin Young is hesitant at the mention of a ballad.
“If Nam Seung Hee doesn’t use this song, our singer is going to use it.”
At Yoon Jung Su’s words, Son Jin Young’s hand went up,
“Hang on. You’re sure Jun Hyuk wrote this song for Nam Seung Hee?”
“Yeah. He said it’s a gift for Nam Seung Hee. Producer Kim even recorded it. I’m pretty sure he’ll be editing that right now. He’s trying to make an atmosphere of the two as a couple.”
“A gift… This paints a pretty good picture.”
“You’re doing it again. I can hear the wheels turning in your head.”
Son Jin Young was better at business than he was at music. It was possible that he had already drawn up the whole picture in his head.
“Then it basically means that this song becomes Nam Seung Hee’s debut song…..”
“I’m sure it will.”
Nam Seung Hee was participating on the program to become known. What if she released her first single after the broadcast? The fees to market one debut song was tremendous. This could be an opportunity to save on that.
The program’s viewer ratings were rising steeply because of Jun Hyuk right now. If the first episode’s eye of the storm, Jun Hyuk were to play the piano as well, could there be better marketing than this?
With this, the calculation was complete and the picture had been drawn.
“Bro, let’s meet Producer Kim first.”
The two men left the half-eaten food and rushed to the broadcast station.