Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 353



Only Noblemtl

Episode 353

After a long time, peace has returned to the Caius dorm. The atmosphere that had been anxious because they couldn’t get along with each other has been completely renewed for the showcase.

Because I finished a regular album, the most difficult task a musician can take on.

The members sat around the table and tasted the oily, savory dishes that KS Entertainment had specially allowed them to eat that day.

“Jinsoyu, try this. It’s delicious.”

Why did Kim Min-ju take Jin So-yu’s mouth into consideration?

Appetizing meat was placed on Jin So-yu’s plate.

“Thank you, Minju.”

“Uh. If there’s something you can’t reach, tell me. I’ll pick it up for you.”

The table was large and plentiful enough to warrant that.

“Then can I ask you one favor?”

“Do whatever.”

“I want to shower first.”

“Don’t cross the line.”

Jin So-yu shrugged her shoulders and focused on eating. She used her knife to scrape off the oil and seasoning that covered the meat and ate it.

Of course it’s good to have a pleasant mouth.

But there is nothing better in the world than beauty.

Fashion model Kate Moss gained notoriety for saying, “There’s nothing sweeter than being thin,” claiming she promotes the depersonalization of humanity and stereotypes about gender.

‘Kate Moss isn’t wrong. But… … .’

There, Jin So-yu wanted to say, ‘There is nothing sweeter than beauty.’

Born with beauty in her hands, she knew the power of beauty.

If you keep saying things like this, you’ll end up like the Kate Moss of Korea.

Anyway, Jin So-yu didn’t want to see fat accumulating on her body for the sake of momentary pleasure.

“Hey, Sister Erica.”

Ginger, who had learned from Kim Min-ju, cleaned the oysters in front of her and put them on Erica’s plate.

He pushed the lemon, sauce, and salad towards her.

“This is delicious.”

“……huh.”

Erica ate the food Ginger recommended with a faint smile.

Erica furrowed her brows as the oyster’s distinctive flavor spread through her mouth.

“Mom, is it not tasty?”

“No, it’s delicious. Ginger gave it to me, so it can’t be bad.”

“I’m sorry… … .”

While preparing for the album, Ginger had been hearing all sorts of things from her sisters on a daily basis. Even though Erica tried to comfort her, she lost all motivation because she thought she was being mean.

Erica then held Ginger’s head to her chest.

“Ginger, why are you doing this on a nice day?”

A shiver ran down Ginger’s spine.

I’ve seen a similar situation before.

Erica put her arm around Kim Min-ju’s shoulder and whispered in her ear, “On a nice day, don’t let the mood X-wind blow and just smile.”

Ginger trembled.

“I’ve been really sensitive lately because of work, right? I’m really sorry. I didn’t want to be like that… … .”

“Oh, it’s okay! I don’t care at all! Just… … .”

Ginger said carefully.

“Sister Erica, is there something on your mind?”

“What’s going on? Are you working so hard that you’re burning out? Haha.”

Erica returned to her seat and resumed eating.

Was there something on your mind?

It was because of one of the songs included in the debut showcase, a performance of Erika’s solo song.

Erica waited for Sungpil to cry, but he didn’t. Why on earth? What was lacking in me? Why did I cry when I listened to Ginger’s performance and singing in the past? What’s the difference? Wasn’t it a technicality? Was it a problem with the song’s emotionality? Does Sungpil like traditional songs of Chinese ethnic minorities? Is it some kind of minor taste… … or a folklorist… … .

“I’ll wake up first.”

Jin So-yu disappeared from the table.

Kim Min-ju was eating protein-rich foods to her heart’s content, just like when she was training to become an athlete, when all of her movements suddenly stopped.

“… … That bastard!”

Kim Min-ju jumped up and ran to the shower room.

As expected, Jin So-yu was already there. Kim Min-ju knocked loudly on the door.

“Jin So-yu, if you stay for more than an hour, you’ll die!”

“Do you want to wash together?”

“I know exactly what you’re doing inside!”

Kim Min-joo returned to the table, suppressing her anger. Then she spoke to Erica absentmindedly.

“Is that because it’s regular? It’s understandable to be concerned, but we did well, right? We did so well that no one could say anything. So don’t be so mean.”

“Are you comforting me?”

“Above… … I don’t like seeing you sagging.”

“Thank you, Minju.”

That wasn’t the reason, but whatever.

Just saying ‘thank you’ would make Kim Min-ju feel better, knowing that she did a good job of comforting him.

What’s good is good.

‘Yeah, that’s right. You did so well that no one could say anything.’

With such achievements, no one in the world can doubt or belittle Caius’s skills.

Of course, album sales aren’t everything that determines talent and value.

‘The boy group seniors who debuted 3 years before us sold 1.5 million albums last time.’

1.5 million albums!

What kind of amazing achievement is this?

However, the title song of that album briefly entered the top 100 of the music charts and then disappeared.

‘There are many standards in the world.’

Erica was not an arrogant person.

It’s okay if the album sales are high. It’s okay if we reached number one on the charts. It’s okay if we won an award.

I don’t think so.

Those are obvious things.

‘It takes more than just the obvious.’

Life requires values ​​that cannot be expressed in numbers, values ​​that go beyond what is taken for granted.

Erica was surprised that her thoughts had even reached that point.

‘I never thought about this in the past.’

After competing for first place on a music show with Girls’ League, things have changed in many ways.

It makes you think about the meaning of victory.

‘I started to take things that were obvious for granted.’

Is this a positive change?

I don’t know yet.

But what… … .

‘Now Girls’ League can’t keep up with album sales.’

Maybe, for the foreseeable future, until the day they disband, Girls’ League will never reach the level of performance of Caius’s first full-length album.

There is no need to worry about that.

‘Democrats are right.’

It was so successful that no one could say anything.

It’s a worn-out expression, but success is a given for her.

‘Seeing Director Park cry… … Let’s look into that a little more.’

* * *

Seongpil has been receiving a lot of calls from people in the industry recently.

They all said similar things.

Have you seen the KAUS music video? Does the KAUS album sales make sense? How is KAUS’s new song? Should I buy entertainment-related stocks?

And when will the Girls’ League make a comeback?

‘Our kids were spotlighted as the rivals of Caius.’

The rival girl’s league of Kaius.

This was not the structure that Garo Enter had intended. However, it could not be denied that the Girls’ League was the beneficiary of this structure.

‘Everyone talks to me like they’re asking me about the results of some fight.’

It’s what everyone is looking forward to.

It remains to be seen what kind of results Girls’ League’s next album will produce.

Isn’t it Girls’ League that earned the nickname of a legend among girl groups from small and medium-sized agencies, having achieved 120,000 pre-order sales within a full year of their debut?

‘I hope you show me another miracle.’

People’s expectations are focused.

It’s not exactly a pleasant expectation.

‘If you don’t meet the standards that people want, they’ll criticize you even more than they’ve praised you before… … .’

Even without that, Youth, a fandom of Kaius, is not pleased with the actions of the Girls’ League.

In some wild communities, people even say things like, “How dare you compare those street idiots with no foundation to Caius?”

What I mean is, how can you establish a rivalry structure when you’re not even level-headed?

‘They’re turning it around like a towel and saying that the horizontal enter is causing the unfollowing… … .’

Right now, such public opinion is only blooming in negative places, but what if the Girls’ League makes a mistake even once?

‘Because it feels right, even people who have been quiet until now will gather together.’

Even those who weren’t interested in Caius and the Girls’ League will surely flock to them like flies smelling rotten food and get their dirty hands dirty.

Of course, this wasn’t something to worry about now.

There are more important things at hand.

“This is Stage A.”

Jo Jin-man finished supervising the installation and came to Seong-pil’s side.

Atlas’ Jo Jin-man rented an indoor basketball court for a day and set up a trial stage for the concert. This is a necessary step for a concert.

‘To give the staff the experience of setting up the stage themselves. And to make it easier to set up when the time comes, and to find problems when setting up directly.’

Today, we only installed Stage A, but we will soon rent another location and install Stage B as well.

The venue where the two stages are combined is the main performance venue, Olympic Hall.

Until then, the stages must be installed and operated separately.

“Are you adding more facilities here?”

“Yes. The facility supervisor is outside unloading the equipment.”

Seongpil has been feeling less burdened by the word ‘director’ lately than before.

This is because whenever Jo Jin-man describes staff from other companies who will help him, the word ‘director’ is always included.

Laser director, lighting director, stage director, facility director, lighting director, sound director, visual director, etc… … There are more than 10 directors.

Moreover, since they were all from different companies, I could see the hard work that Jo Jin-man put in to coordinate them all.

“Should I add more today?”

“No. Anything additionally installed on the stage, like decorations or lighting, is installed once and then removed. Only the stage remains.”

“And our kids practice on top of that?”

“I decided to take it tomorrow morning, so I have plenty of time to practice.”

Seongpil nodded and looked at the set-up stage. It was taller than a person and wide enough to span a basketball court.

I had no idea how they got this into the basketball court. If I had watched it from the time it was assembled, I would have learned something.

“Mr. Cho, you’ve seen a lot of idol concerts, right?”

“I’ve seen enough to be proud of having studied.”

“Have you ever seen a concert at Olympic Hall?”

“yes.”

“Compared to those… … Ah, of course, the point of comparison is to divide them into levels… … .”

“The concerts by the Girls’ League members are the best.”

As Seongpil opened his eyes wide, having his mind read, Jo Jinman raised the corners of his lips faintly.

“It will be the best, I am sure.”

“… …Is that so?”

Seongpil stared at the stage that was gradually becoming more colorful.

‘What’s wrong with Caius?’

The current task of the Girls’ League is a concert.

Best concert ever.

Because I’m so focused on that, I don’t have the energy to look anywhere else.

* * *

To check the completed stage, backup dancers and session dancers arrived at every moment to rehearse the stage.

The band ‘Debbie’ went to their seats on stage and set up their instruments.

“We’re standing on such a big stage… … ?”

“So what? If you want to stand on the main stage of Rock Festival, you need to have this kind of experience.”

The band members were terrified and were calmed down by the leader and bassist, Kwon Dong-ha. He opened the cap of a bottle of mineral water, but his hand shook and spilled some.

“… … You have to have experience.”

The atmosphere of confusion was short-lived, but when it came to the sound control stage, their expressions became even more serious.

Dong-ha Kwon, who was adjusting the bass, raised his hand and shouted.

“Please reduce the mid and high ranges!”

[Okay! What about the bass?]

“Just like this!”

The sound director was actively coordinating with the band.

The guitarist closed his eyes and plucked the strings, then raised his hands.

“Please reduce the echo a bit more.”

[All right!]

As the two people’s opinions took hold, the drummer and vocalist (who played the keyboard) who had been cowering also expressed their opinions.

“What is the overall master volume right now?”

“I’ll keep tapping from the bottom up, starting from the kick! I’ll adjust them one by one!”

“Could you please turn it down to minus 6 decibels for a moment? Oh, yes, I’ll go up from there.”

The sound director complied with all their requests without showing any sign of annoyance.

I said this with a little surprise.

‘I guess it’s because they were in a rock band. They really focus on their instruments and their sounds. They’re really detailed.’

Moreover, since they have a lot of experience performing in concert halls, they were able to easily create the right acoustics for the space without any instructions from the director.

Once the instrument sound setup was complete, more than 10 dancers came up on stage.

They moved around the stage, following the stage director’s directions, and got a feel for the space.

“The passage is narrower than I thought when I looked at the drawing?”

“Which side are we coming from?”

“You have to be careful when you come in here.”

The role of a backup dancer is not limited to just dancing on stage.

They can also act as actors in concerts.

For example, they wait in the aisle of the audience and then rush onto the stage to create an impact, or they act as the crowd to create an atmosphere that fits the song.

“Please focus on getting your bearings today.”

Jo Jin-man was sweating profusely as he dealt with the supporting actors of the concert who arrived one after another.

Even if you give them a blueprint of the performance hall and a script, it’s completely different from seeing it in person and practicing.

‘Rehearsals after the actual stage is set up are far from enough.’

This time, the rehearsal for the makeshift stage was the same.

Jo Jin-man would have liked to have rehearsed more than 100 times. It’s just a shame that he can’t do that because of budget.

It was not to ease the minds of others, but to ease one’s own mind.

‘We have to achieve perfection in the main broadcast with less than 10 rehearsals.’

Every rehearsal is important.

‘There were several technical rehearsals to check the equipment.’

And today’s rehearsal is much more meaningful than other times.

“hello!”

At the voice coming from the entrance, the eyes of all the staff, session, and dancers inside the basketball court turned.

A magic that makes a space fresh just by appearing.

“i look forward to!”

The Girls’ League appears.

Jo Jin-man held the script tightly as if it was about to be crumpled.

‘Yes, we had several technical rehearsals.

Today is the next step.

‘Artist rehearsal.’

* * *

Seongpil went up to the second floor audience seats and watched the rehearsal carefully.

A run-through rehearsal is a single, uninterrupted, scripted performance, just like an actual concert.

However, today’s rehearsal had a lot of break time because we had to check and confirm each stage.

‘It’s four times longer than the actual concert.’

It’s quite boring to just sit there and check it out…

‘It’s fun.’

If he were a normal person, he would have gotten bored and played a game on his phone, but producer Seongpil didn’t do that.

If producer is used to mean a producer who creates idols, then a concert is the most difficult thing a producer can create.

The product is the ultimate goal of any producer. So there can be no boredom.

‘But will this work…?’

I know there are still a few rehearsals left.

But when you see mistakes happening right before your eyes, you can’t help but feel quite anxious.

The dancers are confused about the movement and direction.

There is no synergy between the band and the sound.

The light only illuminates the members’ toes, not the members themselves.

The music is delayed by about ten seconds.

There were other unspeakable mistakes as well.

Every time, Jo Jin-man would think deeply, find the problem, and make sure to impress the problem on the person in charge.

Are the staff and cast the only problem? The members’ mistakes also exploded one after another when they were in real situations.

‘President Cho must be having a hard time too… … .’

“It must be hard.”

Suddenly, Hong Gyu-heon popped out from the side.

Seongpil opened his eyes wide and looked at her. Then Hong Gyuheon smiled back.

“Why is it weird that the president is participating in the rehearsal?”

“Oh, no.”

I didn’t hear that you were coming in person today, so that’s why.

Seongpil was at a loss, so he took out the handkerchief he always carried with him and laid it out on the seat next to him.

“It’s overdone.”

Hong Gyu-heon snatched the handkerchief, folded it, and placed it on Seong-pil’s thigh. Seong-pil smiled and turned his eyes back to the stage.

“How come you came here to cheer up? Then you’re welcome. If you see our kids on stage, all your worries will fly away.”

Seongpil’s words had some substance.

It contained questions that I normally wouldn’t dare ask directly.

Hong Gyu-heon seems depressed these days, but he doesn’t seem to be telling me why. Of course, Sung-pil is the only one who thinks he’s depressed.

‘Other people say I care too much about the boss, but that’s not true.’

Seongpil, who has been dating Hong Gyuheon for four years (in the sense of friendship), asserts that he can detect her subtle emotional changes.

Like noticing the hunger of an expressionless Korean man, or catching the quiet gaze of Jang Ha-yang watching from afar.

“Think back four years. Can’t you believe we’ve come this far?”

Seongpil continued to speak with the meaning of, ‘If you have any concerns, tell me right away!’

“What, that’s true. Honestly, I still can’t believe it.”

But Hong Gyu-heon showed no sign of answering.

However, she kept fiddling with her hands nervously, wondering if it was true that she ‘couldn’t believe it’.

“A concert is… … well… … it’s about seeing the figures of kids that were only seen as numbers in reality. It’s about seeing that there really are people who leave comments like ‘We’re getting beaten up by the Soviets, really (ㅠㅠ)’.”

“Yes.”

“It’s something that can’t be done unless you really have to… … .”

[Why do I keep getting howled?]

Jo Jin-man shouted loudly into the microphone. It was louder than the voice that had previously directed the stage.

Hong Gyu-heon continued speaking.

“It’s not something that can be done easily. Do you know that? It’s hard for a group from a small or medium-sized agency to last for three years.”

“On average, underneath the countless groups whose names we know, there are groups that have disappeared without being known.”

“Yeah. And, it’s hard for a company to survive for 10 years. Most companies don’t survive for 10 years and disappear. I… … .”

Hong Gyu-heon continued massaging his hands as if they were numb.

“It’ll be 10 years soon. Even though the company went bankrupt before, we’ve managed to survive by somehow getting it back on track, so it’ll be 10 years soon.”

Hong Gyu-heon’s tone was calm.

But I couldn’t accept the content of the words calmly.

Her words were filled with memories of growing the company she had named Garo Enter.

“I once thought about throwing everything away and running away. That’s understandable. Burning 4 billion is no ordinary thing. A normal person can never recover. It’s social death.”

“Boss… … .”

[What if I still haven’t removed that temporary wall?! Because that thing is holding it up, the sound is reflecting strangely and the acoustics aren’t right!]

The stage crew was seen hastily moving the wall.

Hong Gyu-heon smiled brightly.

“You were just trying to comfort me, weren’t you? Like when you get carried away by the kids’ talk?”

“What is it? Is that our company’s catchphrase? Yui-ssi, you keep saying that my language usage is ‘obsessed.’”

“I don’t know why.”

“hmm…….”

“Is it because the video of Director Park confessing to Baek Seol-ha spread within the company?”

“It’s 100% because of that?!”

It must have been Joara who spread it.

Because she is the only one who remembers that video and still talks about it.

As Seongpil ground his teeth, Hong Gyuheon let out a hearty laugh that he hadn’t seen in a while.

“Director Park, after the concert is over… … .”

“Just a moment.”

“why?”

“Rika told me not to say things like, ‘When this and that is over, let’s do this and that.’ In a movie, any character who says something like that always dies.”

“Oh, so that’s a death flag?”

“So, if possible, please speak in a more hopeful way.”

“Let’s all have a meal together.”

It’s surprisingly not a big deal.

“Before Girls’ League debuted, it was because the kids weren’t famous, but the company staff would go to restaurants and eat together and stuff. I don’t think that happens these days. In the past, we all felt like one family, but as the company grew, it feels like we were divided into several parts.”

Of course, Hong Gyu-heon knows that it is inevitable.

There is something called the Rule of 3 and 10, which states that every time a company’s employees reach a multiple of 3 and 10, everything in the company changes.

Scheduling, payroll processing, employee benefits, decision-making models, budgeting, and more.

The number of employees at Garo Enter has grown from 3 to 10, and then to over 20. If Garo Enter really becomes a great success, it will exceed 30, and then maybe even over 100.

“Of course it can’t be the same as before… … .”

Hong Gyu-heon awkwardly massaged the back of his neck.

“You don’t feel like having a company dinner with your boss?”

“I’ll break the legs of all those who say they won’t come with my own hands and carry them on my back.”

“That much?”

“I don’t know if you remember, but when we suggested shortening the Girls’ League debut period to one year.”

“Oh, I remember.”

Hong Gyu-heon’s eyes looked into the distance. A smile spread across her lips.

“You said you would do anything I told you to do?”

“Yes. Because I work for the boss.”

“That was when Director Park Leez was in office.”

“Are you past your prime now?”

“Well, it’s okay now, but it was tighter back then.”

“You were talking about looks?! And the fact that she was plump is clearly sexual harassment!”

“Sorry. Please don’t write a proposal.”

The two exchanged laughter that was built on four years of relationship and trust.

“Don’t the kids feel pressured before going on stage?”

“Yes. You all are really great.”

“You care a lot about Keus. Was it okay after seeing the showcase?”

“Rather, it was a motivational boost and it got better. This time, KARS… … is experimental, but in terms of performance, it will go down in the history of K-pop.”

“Right. How can I put in a one-minute dance break? And the dancing, man, I can’t explain it.”

“fragment…….”

“You don’t have to explain it professionally.”

“… … Anyway, Caius’s experiment might work out well for our children.”

“Are you talking about ‘our producing’?”

Kaius’ new song was an experiment.

It’s a collection of experiments.

It feels like they put it out there without even being sure whether something like this would really sell in Korea.

‘That’s what KS Entertainment used to be like.’

Because the very act of giving birth to idol culture in Korea was an experiment for them.

Industry leaders have a duty not only to maintain stability, but also to lead the industry in a better direction. At least that’s what Sungpil thought.

‘KS Entertainment has had as many failures as successes.’

Some people laugh at their failures, but it is because of such seemingly reckless challenges and failures that the idols of today exist.

but…….

‘I never thought I’d be able to experiment with Caius.’

It’s clearly different from my previous life.

KS Entertainment had established a boy group at the forefront of such musical experiments.

Boy group fandoms are much more solid and passionate than girl group fandoms, so even if they slip up a few times, they maintain their loyalty by saying, “Our kids can do it, let’s support them!”

‘What on earth is Director Jeong Ho-hwan thinking?’

There is no way Sungpil would know what the industry leaders are thinking.

Even if he knew the knowledge of the future, Sungpil did not have the ability to replicate future success.

Producing is about choosing your own path among millions of paths.

Even if you know the general direction of ‘what will be popular in the future’, there are thousands of paths leading to that direction.

It is impossible to derive a formula for success that is exactly the same as in your previous life.

“Yes, in ‘Our Producing,’ our kids will each create songs with their own thoughts. I think KARS will be a good stimulus.”

Seongpil doesn’t know the way.

There is no one path that can be determined.

So, I hope that the path they have chosen, each embracing their own artistry, will lead to a bright future.

The artist’s creed that ‘I can express myself best because I thought of it myself’ is something that applies regardless of the times.

“Stimulation… … yeah.”

Hong Gyu-heon nodded.

“The kids are so close-knit that they’ll do well… … .”

“Get up and grab a seat right now!”

Shin A-reum’s scream, no, her desperate cry was heard.

“Will you do this at a concert? Will you ask to rest for just one more minute? There’s a set time and a set task, and you’ll say this because it’s a little longer? Right now… … .”

yet again.

“Get up──!”

She was possessed by evil and screamed at the members.

Seeing that, Hong Gyu-heon was speechless.

“Also, if you stick together well, you’ll do well… … . Is there any discord among the kids that I didn’t know about?”

“……mole?”

“Don’t say ‘I don’t know.’”

Seongpil hurriedly went down the stairs and ran towards the stage.