“Hello, Trainee Han Seungbeom. Did you sleep well? I didn’t. I hope you slept soundly while I was having a hard time sleeping. It would be a problem for me if Trainee Han Seungbeom become frail.”
“…Yes, hello. Good morning. Fortunately, I couldn’t sleep well either. I had a lot on my mind.”
Why was I so stressed out this early in the morning?
It was because Cha Woon, armed with the impeccable excuse of being the composer of the competition song and an arrangement trainer, had very calmly barged into the Lucky Center.
And I was dragged by Cha Woon’s hand into an empty practice room without even having time to open my eyes, still wearing my pajamas. Even though my pajamas were just a black T-shirt and sweatpants, the sudden interruption to my sleep put me in a terrible mood.
‘Are these guys not busy with their own activities? Is it really okay for them to keep coming to me like this?’
Actually, I already knew the answer to this question.
Unlike Jay, Cha Woon lacked extroversion and tended to make occasional verbal mistakes, so he rarely had any personal schedules.
In short, he was free.
I blinked my heavy eyelids a few times in my palm before finally opening my mouth again, “So, what brings you here this early in the morning?”
“I have something I want you to listen to.”
“…Something you want me to listen to?”
“Yes, as you know, the final broadcast of the program is coming up. I’ve been tasked with one of the songs to be performed during the live broadcast. I’d like you to take a listen to it.”
“…….”
I wondered why he wanted me to listen to it.
Cha Woon probably didn’t know that the soul inside Han Seungbeom was
me,
and Han Seungbeom was nothing more than a rookie with a huge seniority gap compared to him.
As I remained still with a face full of questions, Cha Woon seemed taken aback by my reaction. He pressed his lips tightly together and let out a faint groan, then began explaining with difficulty.
“The song I’ve been tasked with this time is not the kind of song my group usually does.”
I recognized the hesitation in his voice and immediately realized what he was trying to say.
“You’re in charge of a ballad, not a strong dance song.”
In idol survival programs like Survive IDOL, several performances would take place before the real-time text voting was closed during the final broadcast
‘It’s just a way to fill time during the live broadcast, but for the trainees, it’s their last chance to make a lasting impression.’
The songs for those performances were prepared in various styles to avoid boring the viewers, and one thing that never failed to appear every season was the heart-wrenching ballad.
There’s no other song that would make Cha Woon so nervous, except for that one.’
This kind of survival program allowed viewers to walk together with the trainees, who were once just chicks, until they were able to successfully perform on a stage. The viewers weren’t just spectators; they became companions in the trainees’ growth, and they would experience the final moments of the program together.
So, having a song that could amplify those emotions as the final performance was a huge help in driving deep immersion. Among the songs to be revealed in the final live broadcast, that song was the one that would be remembered the longest by the public, almost like the highlight.
‘By the time the project group disbands, everyone will probably be crying while listening to that song on repeat.’
This was an opportunity that most composers coveted. However, the reason why Cha Woon didn’t seem particularly happy and why my heart felt uneasy had an explanation.
‘I’ve never heard a ballad composed by Cha Woon before.’
Prism was a performance-focused group, so we often released albums with charismatic concepts. Since I was originally the center, what more explanation could there be?
As a result, all the songs I composed were centered around strong concepts. It was only natural for Cha Woon, who had learned composition from me, to focus on creating similar tracks.
‘Cha Woon’s goal was to have one of his songs included in Prism’s album.’
While I encouraged Cha Woon to “
build his own style
“, I couldn’t completely ignore the practical limitations.
‘He’s probably the most anxious. He’s about to do something he’s never done before … I shouldn’t doubt it before even hearing it.’
I let out a small sigh as I realized how anxious he looked.
However, Cha Woon began to explain as if to justify himself, “As Trainee Han Seungbeom knew, the song I delivered to Trainee Nagi Zen’s team during the third mission was exceptionally successful. So, the production team seems to have very high expectations of me. They’ve asked me to work on a song for the final live broadcast.”
“…….”
As Cha Woon said,
Growl!
became the biggest hit among the original songs of the program, gaining immense popularity among the public. As soon as the broadcast aired, it took over the top spot on music charts, so it’s reasonable to say that it did better than
Marine Marine!
, the song I was assigned to.
‘Some people are saying that the reason for Zen’s ranking skyrocketing was all thanks to that song, so that pretty much says it all.’
However, I couldn’t guarantee that the song’s success would be a good thing for Cha Woon.
Cha Woon referred to it as a “
song I delivered
“, not a “
song I composed
“. He didn’t think for a second that the song came from his own hands.
“I’m not sure if Trainee Han Seungbeom understands it yet, but there are things called adult circumstances involved. I’m in a position where I can’t refuse. And I have to make it a success.”
‘It must be Kang Hyukwoo. He’s got the chance to offer a song to the current most popular program, so there’s no way he’d refuse that. Even if Cha Woon rejected it, Kang Hyukwoo would have pushed forward with it.’
I had a rough idea of how the situation had played out.
In the end, Cha Woon found himself in a situation where he had to fully bear the expectations of success, even though that success wasn’t something he achieved himself.
I recalled what Jay had said as I watched Cha Woon’s unstable movements.
‘He warned him that it will eventually come back to strangle him, and it seems that those words really came true.’
The songs in the cloud were already deleted, the plagiarism was discovered by someone else, and the public and clients were expecting a hit song equivalent to
Growl!
.
As Jay had predicted, Cha Woon was being cornered.
“…How are you planning to solve this?”
When I asked in a seemingly heavy tone, Cha Woon let out a sharp breath and replied firmly.
“I have to compose it. I’ve already finished all the work. All that’s left is to deliver it to the production team.”
“So, I assume you’re here because you wanted my feedback on that piece of work.”
“Yes, the only ones who know about what I did are Jay and Trainee Han Seungbeom. But with Jay … I couldn’t ask him for anything. As you saw when we fought that day, we’re not exactly on good terms. Of course, considering what I’ve done, I guess it’s to be expected.”
‘Knowing that, why do you still try to fight him to the death every time you see his face…?’
I felt a sharp pain at the back of my neck as Cha Woon grudgingly mentioned Jay, as if he was trying to hold back his displeasure. Without me around, these two seemed to have running wild like unrestrained colts, fighting and misbehaving as they please.
I must endure. I have to endure. I’m a trainee. I’m much junior than him.
After enough mind control, I swallowed the retort that threatened to fly out of my mouth, and I quickly summarized what Cha Woon had said.
“….Before handing the song over to the production team, do you want someone who is aware of your circumstances to listen to the song and make a judgment? Whether the song can satisfy the public and the client or not?”
“Yes, I want Trainee Han Seungbeom to listen to this song. Trainee Han Seungbeom, you are also a composer, and since you know my situation, I think you can give me the most accurate judgment. If that hyung were still with us, I wouldn’t have to ask for this kind of favor … but since the situation isn’t ideal, I’m desperately in need of someone to help me with this now.”
“…….”
“I won’t repeat the same mistake again. And I’ll use this as a turning point to judge whether I’m the kind of person who can continue to compose songs.”
My eyes widened a bit in surprise as I listened to Cha Woon’s resolution.
‘Was there a change of heart?’
I had no idea what had influenced Cha Woon, but if he had decided not to commit plagiarism anymore and to move forward on his own strength, then that was exactly what I had hoped for.
I straightened my posture, sat down in front of the speaker, and said, “Please let me hear it, the song you worked on, sunbaenim.”
.
.
.
As soon as the song ended, Cha Woon asked me with a nervous look on his face.
“…How is it? Is it okay?”
“…….”
I shook my head at his question. Then, the color drained from Cha Woon’s face. He must have taken it to mean that this song wasn’t good enough.
But my reaction wasn’t because his song was bad.
‘What is this…….’
It wasn’t even
okay
enough.
It was the best song he had ever played for me. It was so good that it could be included on the album right now.
‘Why did he try to depend on my song when he was capable of doing this much on his own?’
The song began with a gentle melody that beautifully portrayed the trainees’ journeys. It then built up to a thrilling climax with soaring high notes, taking into consideration the trainees with exceptional singing skills. The final part, a heartfelt thank you to the viewers who had supported them throughout the competition, made it the perfect ending for the survival program.
As soon as I heard Cha Woon’s song, I realized what I had missed.
In the first place, Cha Woon’s specialty was not the strong concepts that Prism usually went for.
“I can’t compose a song like that.”
From the very beginning, Cha Woon had spent years trying to force himself into clothes that didn’t fit him.
‘His personality and appearance make it seem like he’d never listen to a ballad. I never would have guessed that composing ballads would suit him. Why the hell am I only finding this out now? He never showed them to me.’
The years I spent struggling with Cha Woon over composition passed before my eyes like a phantasmagoria. Overwhelmed by a sudden sense of disillusionment, I grabbed my forehead and poured out my words.
“The song is great. The highest note stays within the vocal range of the vocal position’s trainees, and the lyrics reflect the trainees’ stories, so I’m sure everyone will be happy with it. To be honest, I can’t understand why you took such a long detour until now when you were capable of making a song like this.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
Cha Woon seemed a bit overwhelmed by my words and. He quietly lowered his head, hesitating to answer immediately.
Then, he muttered, “A ballad as an idol title track isn’t particularly marketable. Prism doesn’t need a song like this.”
Who said that?
Did Kang Hyukwoo say that?
So, you hid it without even letting me listen to it?
“I disagree with that.”
I got angry and quickly denied it, but Cha Woon chuckled lightly and replied casually.
“It’s fine. You don’t have to sugarcoat it. Anyway, I’m glad to hear it’s okay. Well then, I’ll go ahead and send the song to the production team as is. Thank you for your cooperation.”
When I saw that Cha Woon wasn’t even pretending to listen to what I was saying, I made a sullen face. Then, Cha Woon rested his chin on his hand and began to speak in a relaxed manner.
“Trainee Han Seungbeom, don’t you know that now is not the time to be worrying about others?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your debut is just around the corner now. Surely you’re not seriously considering debuting with Trainee Lee Danbi, are you?”
When Cha Woon suddenly mentioned Lee Danbi, I fell silent. Then, as if he expected it, Cha Woon sighed deeply and began to speak.
“I was only half-joking when I asked you about Nagi Zen, but this time, I’m serious. That kid shouldn’t debut. For his own good, and for everyone else.”
I frowned, somehow already knowing what was about to come out of his mouth.
However, Cha Woon’s mouth moved without stopping.
“That’s because, as for Trainee Lee Danbi….”
“…….”
“He doesn’t have the talent.”
And the truth in his words was something I had also felt all along, so I couldn’t deny it.
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Translator’s Corner:
Sigh … this arc really added ton of heaviness to my heart