Damn Idol - Chapter 161



Only Noblemtl

Fucking Idol Episode 161

Trot, which has a long history in the Korean pop music industry, is a genre whose exact origins or genre are difficult to find.

This was because it was a genre that mixed Korean folk songs, Western blues, and Japanese enka.

Likewise, Korean R&B, which dominated Korea’s music scene in the early to mid-2000s, was actually closer to medium-tempo ballads.

People just mistake it for R&B because it has the soul singing style that is unique to R&B.

So what happens when a medium-tempo ballad has a sophisticated electronic guitar riff as its main melody?

It’s getting closer to hip-shaking contemporary rock.

Choi Jae-seong’s song was shot above it.

Even if I live one day

It was you, still again

The lyrics and the beat don’t seem to match, but that’s not important.

Often times, the meaning of the lyrics is less important than you might think.

Choi Jae-seong sang the song lively with a brisk rhythm.

Unlike the original song which has a calm and composed feel.

Since when

Come quietly

Those who know Se Dal Baek Il well would have felt the scent of Koo Tae Hwan in Choi Jae Seong’s song.

After the first verse ends, a guitar solo bursts into life after a two-second gap.

Choi Jae-seong moved his legs to the beat as if he were a rock star.

Wetting my body

tide-!

He immediately burst into a high-pitched voice.

Just like a whole new world.

The contestants on stage number zero just blinked at this sight.

It’s completely different from the image that came to mind when I heard that Choi Jae-seong would sing “Even if I’m lost in the waves.”

This is… … .

‘That’s foul play!’

When I first heard that Han Si-on arranged it, I was jealous, but now I feel wronged.

That song, isn’t it a perfect song no matter who sings it?

It doesn’t necessarily have to be Choi Jae-seong.

dry, cracked

Two hands and two feet

The wave that sweeps me away

Choi Jae-seong’s voice, which likened the emotion of love to waves, was cheerful, but there was a bitterness that was not apparent.

This is what Choi Jae-seong learned from Han Si-on.

Han Si-on is a vocalist who can do many things, but what surprises Choi Jae-sung the most is his expressions.

Perhaps Han Si-on could convey feelings of love even if he sang lyrics full of profanity.

Choi Jae-seong didn’t get that far, but he still acquired outstanding expressive power.

As if covering the face

I can’t breathe

Breathe, Slowly

The judges who were listening to Choi Jae-sung’s song felt conflicting emotions.

The judges, who were all singers, thought I would like to sing that song.

At the same time, I wondered if I could sing better than Choi Jae-seong.

Honestly, I don’t know.

He may be better than Choi Jae-sung in certain areas, but how can he overcome that balance?

On the other hand, the judges who were composers were embarrassed.

What if you were asked to arrange ?

Even if the client requested 100 different versions of the arrangement… … .

‘Did you ever think of changing the song like this?’

I don’t think I could have done it.

I don’t think I would have done it this way even if I had made 1,000 versions, let alone 100.

How on earth did he play that crazy guitar riff that forms the main melody while barely touching the original melody?

I feel depressed and wronged.

The world is so unreasonable.

How on earth did Han Si-on develop such composing skills?

Even while thinking like that, Choi Jae-seong’s song progressed.

He inserted notes like Ion into the intense guitar riffs and played the high notes like On Sae-mi.

Based on Koo Tae-hwan’s sense of rhythm, Choi Jae-seong showed off his own balance.

Even if I’m drowning in the waves-

Even if I can’t breathe

Okay, since it’s you–

The lyrics, which are characteristically slightly childish in the early 2000s, sound like a playful yet sincere confession of love.

‘I can’t win this.’

‘Is it true that Choi Jae-seong is leaving?’

‘Fuck. Your albums are selling well, so why are you doing an audition program with me?’

Participants think like that.

‘What should I say in my review?’

‘The PD asked me to point out any regrettable points if possible.’

‘If I point this out, I’ll be the only one called a devil?’

The judges thought this:

But the main PD of Snumje was different.

‘Why is your expression like that?’

This is not the expression that Choi Jae-sung usually shows when he is immersed in a song.

There is a feeling of dissatisfaction and regret.

That’s not the kind of expression you should make while performing on stage.

That was the moment when the song, which had finished its chorus, reached its second verse.

“… … ?”

“… … !”

Suddenly, Choi Jae-seong stopped singing.

Don’t stand tall and sing.

When directing an audition program, it’s common for contestants to make mistakes, but that’s also part of the atmosphere.

There is always a shaky feeling that the contestants don’t seem to know the song 100%, and they always make mistakes.

But Choi Jae-seong wasn’t like that at all.

So it felt like the 3-4 second gap was intentional.

After a while, Choi Jae-seong smiled brightly.

Choi Jae-seong, smiling so brightly that it was hard to believe he was the face of someone who had made a mistake, grabbed the microphone.

And then he sang a song.

Even though I lived to the end

It was you after all

It’s already full of me

Soak and fill

The contrast between the lyrics of the second verse and the first verse was a characteristic of Korean R&B in the early to mid 2000s.

Choi Jae-seong sang with a suddenly refreshed face.

But it feels completely different from verse 1.

In the middle of the song, the feeling of Goo Tae-hwan, On Sae-mi, and Lee Ion all disappeared.

All sections are Choi Jae-seong.

I’m not sure if that’s better.

As for whether that’s worse, it’s not.

It just seemed like someone else was suddenly singing.

Whether the contestants and judges were confused or not, Choi Jae-sung finished the song.

Soon, as Choi Jae-seong stood before the judges with a relieved face, someone asked a question.

“Contestant Choi Jae-seong.”

“yes.”

“Why did you stop singing? It didn’t seem like a mistake.”

“I just… … . I stopped without realizing it because the best way to sing this song came to mind.”

“Did you show that method in verse 2?”

“No, I’m not. I knew I couldn’t do it, so I tried to call it by my own color.”

The judges didn’t quite understand what Choi Jae-sung was saying, and Choi Jae-sung had no intention of convincing them.

After that, the judging continued, and Choi Jae-seong just nodded silently.

After all the contestants finished their performances, it was time for the interviews before deciding who would pass and who would be eliminated.

At this time, the main PD of Snumje called out Choi Jae-seong.

The conversation between the two people who met without a camera began with a question.

“What are you going to do?”

There was no way Choi Jae-sung didn’t know the meaning of the question the PD asked.

That means, unless you accept NT’s offer, you’re done.

It was definitely shaky until yesterday.

But not now.

“I will step down voluntarily.”

“Have you made up your mind yet?”

“Yes.”

“I’m saying this out of regret, but I don’t think viewers will like it. There will be people who criticize it.”

“I know.”

Choi Jae-sung’s appearance on Stage Number Zero was a deal between SBN and Sedalbaekil.

SBN uses the three-month period to create buzz for its programs.

Sedalbaekil uses SBN to disrupt Choi Ma-ho’s influence.

The interests of the two groups aligned, and the results were good.

Thanks to that, I was able to appear on a music show.

But to viewers, Choi Jae-seong will appear to be an opportunist.

Because it seems like he appeared before 3 Months and 100 Days became successful, and then left as soon as it became successful.

Especially, getting off just before the top 10 is not something you want to do desperately.

Not being desperate may seem like you are ignoring the desperateness of other participants.

Or it may seem like it ignores the overall design intent of the program.

This was all because Sedalbaekil was too successful.

Choi Jae-sung is not an underdog, but a top dog, and manners and humility are required of the top dog in Korea.

“If you want, I can draw you as being eliminated on the last stage.”

“Then won’t the production team get criticized?”

“Is there anyone among the production staff of an audition program who hasn’t been cursed at?”

If Choi Jae-sung is eliminated despite presenting a great performance, the viewers’ arrows will be directed at the production team.

Then Choi Jae-seong is innocent.

Of course, it wasn’t because the PD was kind that he made this suggestion.

Considering the power of content these days, it makes sense to erase debt.

It would be best if Se Dal Baek Il appeared when launching the next program.

But Choi Jae-seong shook his head.

“I don’t want to be eliminated. Then the Se-dal-baek-il members will be eliminated.”

“hmm…….”

The PD felt regretful, but Choi Jae-seong did not feel regretful.

I realized it today.

That he could not be the main character.

And that’s not necessarily a regret.

“Thank you for everything.”

* * *

After finishing filming, Choi Jae-seong returned to his three-month-old residence.

As I open the door and go in, I see a camera placed on a shelf and members sitting on the sofa.

Judging from the camera angle, it looked like he was holding the sofa straight on.

“What camera? What are we filming?”

“Are you here?”

Han Si-on got up from his seat and dragged Choi Jae-seong to the sofa.

Then I used my smartphone to play a song.

The intro to started to flow.

There was no explanation, no discussion.

Koo Tae-hwan starts singing a song out of the blue.

Even if I live one day

It was you, still again

Koo Tae-hwan’s introduction was exactly as Choi Jae-seong had imagined.

No, it was better than I imagined.

It was quite natural for Choi Jae-seong to take over Koo Tae-hwan’s singing.

Since when

Come quietly

After that, Onsemiro suddenly created a change in vocal range.

Wetting my body

tide-!

Ion Lee’s precise notes seep into the electric guitar playing.

dry, cracked

Two hands and two feet

The wave that sweeps me away

It was all just as Choi Jae-seong had imagined.

Han Si-on had told Choi Jae-seong a while ago that he could not become the main character.

“I want to be the main character too.”

“Main character? Will it be difficult? No, is it impossible?”

“Because of your brothers? Or because of Brother Zion?”

“That’s not it.”

But he didn’t tell me why.

It was today, on stage, that I realized why.

All singers go on stage with a clear plan of how they should sing.

Choi Jae-seong had that too.

But I learned it while singing.

The answer to this song is set in stone.

The intro should be sung like Gu Tae-hwan, and the high notes should be sung like On Sae-mi.

When creating codes with synthetic sounds, you need the ability of Ion and the expressive power of Hanshion.

But Choi Jae-seong is Choi Jae-seong.

It’s not Koo Tae-hwan, it’s not Lee I-on, and it’s not On Sae-mi.

Not even Han Si-on.

No matter how much I tried to imitate the members, I couldn’t become one myself.

So Choi Jae-seong could not become the main character.

Because the main character of this song is set to be Sedalbaekil.

It’s not just this song.

The main character of all the songs they create and sing is Sedalbaekil.

Before we knew it, they were people who were more familiar with ‘we’ than ‘me’.

But without Choi Jae-seong, the main character would not exist.

Because Choi Jae-seong’s role was clearly present within the three months and one hundred days.

Han Si-on had tried to tell him that, and Choi Jae-seong realized it and laughed heartily.

And now.

The song they were singing carelessly in the living room of their accommodation was the ‘answer’ that Choi Jae-seong had imagined on stage.

It was a song sung by the main characters.

When the song ended, Han Si-on asked.

“I guess you know why.”

“Choi Jae-sung of Sedalbaekil sings better than Choi Jae-sung.”

Han Shi-on tilted his head.

“No? I was saying that I was the main character.”

“… … .”

“I’m kidding.”

“I knew it was a joke, but for a moment I felt betrayed.”

Han Si-on snickered and tapped Choi Jae-seong on the shoulder as he spoke.

“That feeling is enough. Now go and win.”

“yes?”

“Go to Ssnumje and win. Meet the PD tomorrow and change your mind about leaving.”

“What does that mean?”

“I really don’t understand. Why do you think that only planning companies can sponsor production?”

“… … !”

Choi Jae-seong, surprised, stammered and opened his mouth.

“But I think it’ll be hard for my brother to make it into the top 10… … .”

“I just told you not to be nervous. If you aim to win from the start, you might overdo it.”

The members who smiled faintly added to the story.

“If you don’t win, I’ll kill you.”

“Sammy. Don’t be a burden to me.”

“But if I don’t win, it’s a bit… … .”

Choi Jae-seong answered firmly.

“I would have died of embarrassment before.”