My personal resentment toward the hallucination aside, I think bringing in a trainee with a talent for songwriting isn't a bad call.
>PLT has the skills but their songs are always disappointing
⤷They'd be bigger if only the songs were good, what a shame
⤷⤷They should try more diverse concepts too, it's boring how they just copy themselves every time
⤷Their looks and skills are seriously going to waste ㅠ They have lots of members with good vocals but none of it comes across
⤷They're still singers, so what are they supposed to do if the songs, the most important part, are meh;
⤷I think plastering the lyrics with English because they're supposedly aiming overseas is a barrier too, every time a new song drops I'm like what are they even saying?
>I became a PLUTO fan after hearing Orbit, any songs you'd recommend?
⤷Personally I like Moonlight and WARS, but if you're hoping for something like Orbit you'll probably be disappointed
⤷Not a hate post but seriously, Orbit is their best output
Because PLUTO's song quality was always so-so.
With looks and skills like that, the fact that they wrapped up their activities barely scraping into the second tier probably owed a big share to their so-so song selection.
Still, the old PLUTO got a chance to rebound when Baek Ji-hyuk drew buzz by taking a shot at acting, but the PLUTO debuting this time doesn't even have that rotten lifeline.
No proper talking points, and the songs are bad too? Perfect conditions for disbanding without a sound.
If someone with a talent for songwriting joined, it might prevent, to some degree, the situation of putting out nothing but so-so songs one after another.
If worst came to worst, they could at least step up and say they'll work on the songs for the album themselves.
I still don't really know why something that threatens me by holding my lifeline would order nothing more than helping out an unfortunate group, but.......
Well, it's much better than being told to join in inhumane acts like murder or terrorism.
Before starting the groundwork for bringing in Go Yeon-gyu, I decided to first look for evidence that would make certain 'Hayden' and 'Go Yeon-gyu' were the same person.
***
Today was Saturday, so the afternoon was filled with self-practice.
Instead of heading straight to practice after lunch, I knocked on the door of the New Talent Development Team office.
Kim Ji-su, who had come in to work despite it being the weekend, greeted me warmly.
Does this person even get days off? Isn't she working seven days a week?
"Seol-han, what's up?"
"Is there a place in the company where you keep your own artists' albums, by any chance?"
"Of course there is! Why, are you looking for something?"
Kim Ji-su had a proud look, like a teacher looking at an admirable student.
She seems to be mistaken about something, but this isn't because I have some great loyalty to your company. It's because I have something to check.
"You'd go to the production division for that... Since it's come to this, want to look around the office with me? It's the weekend, so not many staff will be in!"
"Is it a place trainees are allowed to go?"
"Aren't you curious what kind of place your debut album gets made in? You should see it at a time like this!"
Just looking at the albums directly would have been enough to achieve today's goal, but an unexpected bonus had come up.
If this goes well, I might even hear about Go Yeon-gyu straight from the staff.
There was no reason to refuse an opportunity that had rolled right in, so I went up with Kim Ji-su to the floor where the production division was.
Inside the production division office, packed with all kinds of documents and electronics, there were two staff members in the middle of working.
"Excuse me."
When I spoke up, a man dressed neatly enough to give off a dandy impression came over.
"Say hello. This is Choi Jeong-hoon from the Planning Team, and the person sitting over there is Lee Da-eun from the A&R Team!"
"Hello. My name is Pyeong Seol-han."
"I was surprised when I saw the photo, too, but you really do look like Ji-hyuk. You're not... twins or anything, right?"
As if. That guy and I were born in different years to begin with.
Though I don't know how the setup has changed now that we're the same age.
The woman introduced as Lee Da-eun, who had a tired face and her hair roughly pinned up with a claw clip, pointed at a bookshelf on one side of the office.
"I saw the message. So, you want to see the albums? They're all over there, so don't mind us and take a look."
"Thank you. Then, excuse me for a moment."
I skimmed the bookshelf lightly, then pulled out a box made to look like a thick hardcover photo album.
Then I opened it and checked the names written in the album credits.
Thankfully, they were just as I'd known. I'd looked it up online in advance, but just in case, I'd wanted to check the real thing as well.
Choi Jeong-hoon, who had been watching intently from beside me, asked.
"That's Jeong Ru-i's album. Are you a fan, by any chance? Well, she is famous."
"That too, but there's a song on this album that I really like."
"Oh? Which song did you like?"
"Track 3, 'Dawn.' The lyrics are good, and the melody feels like it comforts a tired heart......."
"Right! That one's so good! This kid knows his stuff!"
Lee Da-eun, who'd been wearing an indifferent expression the whole time, sprang up from her chair and shouted.
"You know what? That song was made by a kid who used to be a trainee here."
I know. That's why I looked for this album.
Jeong Ru-i's second full-length album includes two songs Hayden worked on under a pseudonym when he was in high school.
Of those, 'Dawn,' the one I just mentioned, paired Jeong Ru-i's tone—evocative of a quiet night—with a lyrical acoustic melody so well that it enjoyed popularity rivaling the title track even at the time of release.
Later, when it became known that Hayden had made the song, it even pulled off a reverse run back onto the charts.
I'd heard the behind-the-scenes story that he'd worked on it through a personal connection, but who knew that connection was him being a trainee at the same agency.
With this, it was certain that 'Hayden' and 'Go Yeon-gyu' were the same person.
Pretending to know nothing, I opened my eyes wide and asked.
"A trainee made it?"
"Yeah, a kid named Yeon-gyu composed it."
"So the person who composed this was that Yeon-gyu."
"What? Seol-han, how do you know Yeon-gyu?"
"The kids told me the other day. That among those who got cut from the debut team, there was a friend who was really good at composing."
I deliberately lowered my eyes and put on a forlorn expression.
Then, gently stroking the album with my fingertips, I asked carefully.
"But, um... how did this person end up getting cut from the debut team, by any chance? It's hard to believe someone who makes songs this good got cut."
Kim Ji-su, who had been watching from beside me, looked at me with a face that said she was seeing all sorts of strange things.
Read the room and pretend you don't know. I'm doing some social maneuvering for effective information gathering.
Choi Jeong-hoon, who smiled awkwardly for a moment, explained in a soft voice.
"Hmm, well, you see. Yeon-gyu was a liiittle! Just a tiny bit off from the concept we wanted......."
"That's part of it, but to be exact, it's because of Baek Ji-hyuk."
Lee Da-eun said, enunciating each word in a tone mixed with strong anger.
"If he was going to leave like that, he could at least have brought Yeon-gyu back. What the hell is this?"
"Da-eun-nim, calm down."
"No, listen. Yeon-gyu isn't the kind of kid to rub people the wrong way first, okay? However you look at it, when they fought like that, it was Baek Ji-hyuk who picked the fight first!"
Choi Jeong-hoon, who had tried to intervene in the middle, finally gave up, shook his head, and backed off.
Go Yeon-gyu and Baek Ji-hyuk fought? Now that's interesting information.
"I told you so many times when I brought this up that it'd be better to put Yeon-gyu in the debut team than Baek Ji-hyuk. What did you say every time? You ignored me, saying Baek Ji-hyuk fits the group's image better, right?"
"...Lee Da-eun, there's a kid right here. Let's be mindful of what should and shouldn't be said, okay?"
When Kim Ji-su, who had been quietly observing the situation until now, spoke through gritted teeth, Lee Da-eun finally shut her mouth.
Well, it's an understandable reason.
The concepts PLUTO mainly tried were dark and powerful ones.
If you had to choose between Go Yeon-gyu, with his glass-like feel, and Baek Ji-hyuk, overflowing with power and fierce-looking, obviously the latter was the right pick.
"I see. It's a shame—it would've been nice if they'd debuted together."
"Did you like Yeon-gyu's song that much?"
"Yes. And... I think it's even more of a shame because I heard he was close with the kids."
"Aigoo, I see......."
Choi Jeong-hoon sighed on hearing my pitiful remark, into which I'd poured my whole heart as an actor.
Since I'd come this far anyway, I looked through a few other albums on the shelf too.
The artists signed to Solar had a consistent trait.
They always took part in production in at least one field, whether lyrics or composition.
Colorize in particular was famous for all its members participating directly in album production.
But there was an exception to this trait.
The group I'd be debuting in, PLUTO, was that very exception.
As far as I know, PLUTO, unlike Solar's other artists, deferred to the company's decisions on everything.
None of them ever seemed at all interested in the producing side, come to think of it.
A look at the clock on the wall said it was already past 2.
I'd checked everything I wanted to check, so should I head back now?
I bowed to Choi Jeong-hoon and Lee Da-eun, who had each gone back to their seats.
"Then I'll go practice now. Thank you for letting me look around."
At that, Lee Da-eun, who had been talking with Kim Ji-su, poked her head over the partition.
Unlike earlier, when she'd exploded in anger, Lee Da-eun's face was quite calm.
Maybe talking with Kim Ji-su had softened her anger a lot.
"Don't you just have self-practice on Saturday afternoons anyway? You can stay longer."
"My skills are still really lacking. If I don't want to be a burden to the kids during group practice, I should practice a lot while I can do it on my own."
"Oh, how diligent. Practice hard~"
"Oh, Seol-han, are you going? See you next time!"
I gave a socially adept smile to Lee Da-eun and Choi Jeong-hoon, who saw me off to the door, and slipped out of the production division office.
The moment I closed the door and stepped into the hallway, Kim Ji-su marveled.
"Seol-han, you're good at acting......."
Can that even be called acting? Grab any office worker passing by and tell them to do the same thing, and they'd manage this much.
Around the time we'd put some distance between us and the office, I casually asked Kim Ji-su.
"By the way, were this Yeon-gyu person and this Ji-hyuk person on really bad terms, by any chance?"
"They were on really bad terms, yeah. Enough that we were scared of what problems would blow up if we debuted them together......."
In the tired face of Kim Ji-su, who trailed off, the hardship and fatigue she'd been through showed deeply.
It seems clumsy of them to fight so openly that company staff would judge it that way, but on the other hand, I also think it was a real stroke of luck.
Because the PLUTO with Baek Ji-hyuk gradually festered and then went under, while Go Yeon-gyu, who debuted solo, kept up his activities without much noise.
"He was a kid who always did well in the monthly evaluations too, so it's a shame."
"With skills like that, he could have just debuted solo. It's not as if only idols are signed here."
"We thought so too, but Yeon-gyu himself turned it down. I guess he hated even being at the same agency as Ji-hyuk."
"Now that this Ji-hyuk person isn't here, couldn't you bring him back, even now?"
At that, Kim Ji-su let out a deep sigh.
"Hmm, that's not something I can decide on my own. And we can't even reach him, for starters."
"If you could reach him, would you be able to try, at least?"
"I suppose so, but....... Why do you ask about that, though?"
Toward Kim Ji-su, who was sending me a suspicious look, I put on the very same smile I'd shown the staff earlier and answered.
"If it's not rude, there's something I'd like to ask of you, Team Leader."