Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 366



Only Noblemtl

Episode 366

“As expected, the person who pointed out Director Jeong as his rival is different.”

Yoon Hee-yeon, director of KS Entertainment’s visual division, said with excitement.

I never imagined that Rika would show off her impromptu DJing skills.

Yoon Hee-yeon waved at Rika as she was leaving, wishing she had bought a cheering stick. Then she asked Jung Ho-hwan.

“How was it? Did Rika follow Director Jeong’s footsteps?”

Rika’s impromptu performance and the final performance of her self-composed song had a powerful effect that would leave an impression on even those who did not know much about DJing stages.

It was a performance that truly showed off artistry, breaking away from the typical mold that idols can show on stage.

“How do you feel now as the person who received the challenge?”

Yoon Hee-yeon asked Jung Ho-hwan with a smile.

He had been keeping his mouth shut and just staring at the stage.

At first, I was moved to tears and occasionally exclaimed in admiration, but after watching Rika’s solo stage, I didn’t really react.

‘Are you enjoying watching your granddaughter’s talents? Or are you thinking, ‘Why did you invite me and only show me this much?’

Jeong Ho-hwan is the person who embodies KS Entertainment.

As a music producer, he has been at the forefront of trends for nearly 30 years and is an industry leader with unrivaled experience and skills.

To him, a young and innocent person, even an idol, sent him a challenge as an artist.

It may not be a pleasant feeling… … .

“What is that… … .”

“yes?”

Jeong Ho-hwan accepted the challenge.

However, when I went to the meeting place, my opponent had prepared a completely different game.

Jeong Ho-hwan went there knowing how to fight with his fists, but it was similar to the situation where Rika was wearing armor and holding a longsword.

“I can’t do that… … .”

“… … .”

Yun Hee-yeon quietly turned her gaze straight ahead.

‘I was expecting something like a freestyle DJ battle, but you can’t do it.’

For some reason, I feel a little disappointed.

* * *

After finishing her DJ performance, Rika entered the backstage, taking turns with Jang Ha-yang and Baek Seol-ha.

As soon as Shin A-reum saw Rika, she ran to her and hugged her passionately.

“Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for your hard work.”

Shin Areum hugged Rika as if she was really great and patted her on the back.

Shin A-reum praised Rika with all her might, having seen how anxious she was because of this stage.

‘It’s an impromptu stage.’

No one knows what the outcome will be until the stage is set.

Of course, it would have been possible to set the direction of the arrangement in advance and go ahead with it, but Rika refused to do so.

The reason was that I wanted to show off the songwriting skills I had been learning for 3 years and the DJing skills I had been learning for a similar period of time.

‘Because you’re an idol… … you said that, right?’

Shin A-reum didn’t quite understand what that meant, but she knew that Rika was under a lot of pressure.

So now that the stage was over, I thought Rika needed a big hug.

Even if it were Shin A-reum herself, she would have wanted someone to hug her.

“Go to the break room and rest. Your turn will be later… … .”

“Beautiful… … .”

Rika fell down with a thud as if her legs had lost their strength. Shin A-reum was startled and grabbed her armpits to support her.

“I, I made a mistake in the middle of this… … What should I do… …?”

“What? Mistake?”

Rika was talking nonsense.

What I should have done I didn’t do, what I would have liked better I chose something else, my timing wasn’t right, and my head was a mess.

So the audience couldn’t help but know.

“I’m so excited by myself… … .”

Rika said while crying.

“I’m screwed… … .”

Shin A-reum was embarrassed for two reasons.

First, Rika had no idea what mistake she had made.

Was there anything to call a mistake? At least to Shin Areum, it was a flawless remix, and the audience’s response was good, if not bad.

‘No, it was just very enthusiastic.’

The second reason I was embarrassed was because Rika’s Korean was very fluent.

Rika usually speaks in short, choppy sentences as if to show off that she is Japanese, and she often stutters or slurs certain pronunciations.

Although it was well-received by fans as a ‘point that explodes with fangirl charm’, Shin Areum thought it sounded like excessive coquetry.

But now, even when Rika was crying, her pronunciation was very fluent.

‘What he was talking about was the concept… … ?’

True idol Ishikawa Rika.

A secret that even the members who live closest to her did not know was now revealed in front of Shin A-reum.

anyway.

“No, it’s not ruined.”

Shin Areum snickered and patted Rika’s head. Then Rika sat down on the floor.

The staff also came closer to Rika one by one, wondering what was going on.

“I told you you did well.”

“I think I’m screwed… … .”

Shin A-reum comforted him a few times before closing her mouth. It wasn’t because she was tired of dealing with Rika, who kept repeating, “I’m screwed.”

Because I understood Rika’s feelings.

‘A minor mistake.’

There are times when even the smallest mistake that no one but oneself is aware of can come across as a huge sense of guilt to a performer standing on stage.

I couldn’t show my best to the fans who spent their precious time and money to come to the concert hall.

Rika can’t stand the pain of not being able to make the time that will never return 100 points.

Shin Areum knelt down to be at Rika’s eye level and quietly hugged her.

“Beautiful… … .”

Rika hugged Shin A-reum while sobbing bitterly.

“I’m screwed… … .”

“Oh, you’re screwed.”

“uh?”

“You’re screwed.”

“This is too much!”

Rika lay on the floor like a baby, shaking her limbs and crying so loud it seemed like it would reach the sky.

“How long are you going to bother the staff like this! Get up quickly!”

Shin A-reum rolled Rika into a corner like a garbage bag. Despite being treated harshly, Rika did not resist and only cried sadly.

“Comfort me! Comfort me! Tell me it’s okay!”

“It’s not okay!”

When Shin Areum shouted, Rika suddenly stopped crying. It seemed like she had never thought that Shin Areum would get angry in front of someone who was crying.

“If I don’t meet your standards, then it’s not okay! You lost! You lost! But what consolation is that!”

Rika looked at Shin A-reum in a daze, then crawled away somewhere.

“Ara-chan… … .”

The idea was to go find a substitute.

Shin A-reum caught her.

“Joara is tired and resting. Don’t touch her.”

“Park Isaniee …

“Team leader, stay in the audience. If you’re confident, go down and take a look.”

“Keeeeeeeeeek!”

“Oh, Pak-ssi!”

As Shin A-reum raised her fist, Rika ran to the corner and trembled.

Shin Areum approached Rika, whose mental state was not sound, and extended her hand. Rika trembled and guarded her face. Nevertheless, Shin Areum’s hand penetrated the guard and roughly wiped Rika’s eyes.

“Hey, what if you cry? It’ll be harder to touch up your makeup.”

“Ugh… … .”

“Rika, I think, you’re just too used to winning.”

“……I?”

“Yeah. Unless you have a natural talent like mine, losing is a daily occurrence.”

“Ugh… … .”

“‘Eh’, what?”

“This, this (no)… … .”

“Anyway, you’re going to suffer many defeats in the future. You were born with a vaguely good talent… … .”

“Do you know that Areum has been really unlucky since a while ago?!”

Shin A-reum’s story did not sound like a simple joke to Rika.

In the past, Rika compared herself to the members and was disappointed in herself for not being outstanding. But when she heard such a story from the outstanding Shin A-reum, she thought that there was no deception this great.

“You said ‘comfort me’ earlier, right?”

“Yes! I did! What should I do?! Empathy is also intelligence! Arum is intelligence… …!”

“Is it over if I comfort you? Is that the end of it?”

“Huh?”

“If I pat your head, hug you, and give you a kiss, will that make you feel good and that’s it?”

“Kissing is okay… … .”

“Okay, go and kiss Ara-chan, the girl you like, instead of me.”

“Ah, no, it’s okay… … Don’t change the subject! That’s not what we were talking about!”

Although Rika was initially upset, she understood what Shin A-reum was trying to say.

“What I mean is, people can’t always succeed and win.”

“I don’t want to hear it from A-reum, who cries and complains that she lost to Minju and clings to the director!”

When Shin Areum raised her fist, Rika shut her mouth tightly and avoided eye contact.

“You can’t always win, but you don’t want to keep losing either. Comforting them? I can. But I don’t feel like comforting someone who just sits down after finishing a stage and keeps saying, ‘I’m screwed.’”

Even if you just look at Joara, she can be compared to Rica.

She continued to sit on the sofa in the break room, saying she was tired. This was because she had made some mistakes on stage with Shin A-reum.

But rather than blaming herself and feeling frustrated, Joara was analyzing why such a mistake had occurred.

So as not to repeat the same mistakes tomorrow.

“After you fail, you have to learn not to fail again. Like Joara.”

“Ara-chan?”

“Yeah, he’s… … .”

This fucking bitch!

What a piece of trash!

Is that all you can do?

I practiced it several times, huh!

Joara’s screams rang through the entire backstage area, breaking through the break room wall. It was as if she was slamming the door, and a series of creepy crashing sounds were heard.

“… … .”

“… … .”

“… … Ara-chan, what?”

“… … .”

Shin Areum patted Rika’s shoulder gently and helped her up.

“How was it, did my comfort help you?”

“Not at all.”

It definitely helped.

Because Rika started speaking Japanese again.

“I don’t know how much it will reach you even if I say, ‘Well done,’ but you did well.”

Rika pursed her lips, but a smile seemed to be on the verge of breaking out.

At that time, Baek Seol-ha and Jang Ha-yang came backstage. Their duo stage had ended.

Snow White approached with an expression full of excitement. She looked so happy that it seemed as if she was at the peak of her life.

“Hey guys, did you see our stage? Did you hear the cheers outside? Wasn’t it amazing? We really, really shot a legend!”

I haven’t seen it.

Rika and Shin Areum glanced at each other and acted over the top as if they had planned it.

“Teacher, you are truly the role model for idols! You will go down in history! You are amazing! You are awesome!”

“I felt like they were on a completely different level from us.”

“Ehehe, that, that much… … .”

Baek Seol-ha couldn’t hide her shame and joy at the same time.

“Me, Hayang is really better than me… … .”

At that moment, a thud was heard behind me.

When the three of them looked in that direction at the same time, Jang Ha-yang was lying forward with his head on the floor.

* * *

Joara, who was glowing in the break room, couldn’t hide her embarrassment.

Jang Ha-yang, who was carried in on a mat, was breathing irregularly as if she was about to die, and she was sweating a surprisingly large amount.

The emergency staff examined Jang Ha-yang’s condition, then massaged the back of her neck and spoke.

“Men, please leave so I can change your clothes.”

After the male staff left, all that was left were a few female staff members and members of the Girls’ League.

The break room door was closed.

“Ms. Hayang, how are you feeling?”

“My throat is dry, yea.”

Jang Ha-yang said pitifully.

When the staff gave her water, she gulped endlessly. As soon as the staff saw that, he put the water bottle away.

“You shouldn’t drink it all at once like that.”

The staff did not give Jang Ha-yang water even though she asked for it.

What she consciously wants and what her body truly needs are two different things.

The staff asked the members to take off Jang Ha-yang’s clothes so that her body could cool down as quickly as possible.

I took off my pants halfway and my top as well, but the heat didn’t go down easily. The staff continued the massage and fanned me.

“Why is it like this… … ?”

Baek Seol-ha asked with impatience.

“It happens when you perform certain movements and actions excessively, so the blood is not distributed evenly, causing temporary dysfunction in other organs or muscles.”

“……yes?”

“Oh, it’s like exhaustion, um, because I used up a lot of strength.”

“Oh, yes. Uh, when will it get better?”

“It can take up to 30 minutes.”

Snow White barely managed to hold back the urge to shout, “30 minutes?!!”

“It will be very painful.”

It seems so.

I don’t think Jang Ha-yang has ever been like this, except for the early days when he entered Garo Enter.

Even then, Jang Ha-yang was in so much pain that she felt like she was going to suffocate. She is still the same now.

Snow White bit her lips anxiously, then immediately covered her mouth in surprise.

‘I just now… … .’

Snow White was just angry.

‘Ha-Yang’s stage is only 7 or 8 minutes away, and if she collapses like this… ‘ I thought to myself.

Her beloved younger sister was lying on the floor in pain, and Snow White was getting irritated.

A feeling of inferiority came over me.

The staff decided that massaging and fanning alone wouldn’t do the trick, so they brought a portable oxygen mask from the corner and placed it on Jang Ha-yang’s mouth.

The sound of Jang Ha-yang taking a deep breath was much louder. The members looked at her gloomily.

“Can’t we change the stage order? We still have time.”

Joara spoke in an urgent tone.

“no.”

The one who answered was Shin A-reum.

“That’s what Hayang’s next stage is. Wire Flying. She’s prepared everything, so we can’t change it now.”

“Then what should I do? I can never go on stage like this. I should at least say something to President Cho… .”

Jang Ha-yang raised his arm.

Naturally, everyone’s attention turned to him. The staff member was startled and gently grabbed Jang Ha-yang’s arm, placing him back on the ground.

“You can do it.”

Jang Ha-yang’s voice was still filled with a sigh of pain.

The members’ expressions were crumpled with pain. Just seeing Jang Ha-yang suffer was painful. Sarang’s younger sister and older sister are suffering like this…

“Hey guys.”

“yes yes!”

Jo Ara grabbed Jang Ha-yang’s hand. Shin A-reum and Rika also realized that she was calling them and gathered around Jang Ha-yang.

“Hey, would you like a massage? Rub your thighs? Where would you like me to rub?”

“Good job.”

“……yes?”

The hand of Jang Ha-yang held by Jo Ara exerts a force so weak that it is almost pitiful.

Jang Ha-yang must have tried to hold on to it tightly, but it was so weak that Jo Ara had a hard time even noticing it.

Jang Ha-yang laughed. She tried to laugh.

“If I don’t want to lose on my next stage, I have to work harder.”

The next stage was the vocal performance of the younger line. Next was Jang Ha-yang’s stage.

Jang Ha-yang declared that she would show a better stage than her three younger siblings. It was a joke typical of her, and it was so out of place that it was filthy and unfunny.

Jo Ara smiled sadly as she looked at Jang Ha-yang, who was not controlling her jokes even in this situation.

“Sister, if you still have the energy to say something like that, then take care of your health. If you keep looking like this, Sister, we’ll never win… … .”

“Ahaha… … Haha… … .”

Jang Ha-yang slowly closed his eyes and let his arms hang down.

“Sister. Sister? Sister!”

Joara hugged Jang Ha-yang’s head and cried out.

“If this continues, what are we going to do?”

“I, am, not, dead… … .”

Joara just let Jang Ha-yang’s head go. Her head fell like a bean on the soft mat.

The staff was surprised and shouted something at Jo Ara, but Jo Ara didn’t listen.

In her eyes there was only will.

It was a will that was passed down from Jang Ha-yang, who encouraged Jo Ara even to the point of her ending up like that.

“I’ll talk to Mr. Cho and try to buy as much time as possible. Two minutes, no, even one minute. I’ll be recovering by then. Let’s go, guys!”

The younger brother resolutely opened the door to the break room. Sungpil was standing right in front of him. He was frozen in his pose as if he was about to knock.

Seongpil’s eyes went over his younger brother’s shoulder to Jang Hayang, who was half-naked to cool down.

Seongpil’s eyes immediately turned to the ceiling.

“… … .”

Baek Seol-ha began to slowly and tactfully dress Jang Ha-yang.

Even though Jang Ha-yang said, “It’s hot… … Why is it like this… … It’s hot… … ,” she moved her hands busily.

“Hayang, Director Park is here… … .”

“It’s not hot.”

Seongpil patted his younger brother Line’s shoulders alternately.

“Guys, do your best for the next stage.”

“Sir, why are you here… … .”

“2 minutes left!”

The three of them hesitated for a while and then ran to the stage. Seongpil came into the break room and asked.

“Can I come in now?”

“No, right now, Hayang needs to rest… … .”

“I told you it’s not hot.”

Jang Ha-yang tightly grabbed the staff member’s wrist. The staff member was surprised at where she got such strength.

“You can rest like this.”

“Ah, yes… … .”

The staff took a half step back.

Seongpil knelt down on one knee next to Jang Ha-yang who was lying down.

Baek Seol-ha asked in amazement.

“Mr. Director, you should be in the audience.”

“I came to check on Hayang’s condition.”

Snow White wanted to ask, “Can you tell just by looking at it?” but stopped herself.

I thought that might be the case for Seongpil.

“Hayang-ah.”

Seongpil said as he fanned Jang Hayang. She was still holding the oxygen mask to her mouth.

“I have to go see the kids on stage, so I’ll keep my remarks short and leave.”

“You were going to stay with me all the time, weren’t you… ?”

“Your stage was really good.”

Jang Ha-yang was dumbfounded by the sudden compliment. Then, she felt happiness filling her heart.

Although the concert is only halfway done, I received praise from Sungpil.

“I feel the energy.”

I was sincere.

Jang Ha-yang seemed to be radiating some indescribable energy from his entire body.

Everyone in the venue could feel it.

The members who saw her up close felt even more so.

What we call stage presence, aura, and stage presence. Jang Ha-yang poured out the intensity of life without holding back.

Beyond the limits.

“I thought it was really great. It was to the point where I thought, ‘Can you really do this?’ But I could see at a glance that the energy control wasn’t working.”

“but…….”

“I know. I want to show the fans the best stage. I want to put all my effort into one stage.”

It may not be appropriate to say this, but members who have been able to see Jang Ha-yang up close have thought this at least once.

He said, ‘You seem like a crazy person.’

Jang Ha-yang’s performance even showed madness. She poured out stamina that cannot be maintained in the long term into each stage and each movement.

The other members were like that at the beginning of the concert. However, as they entered the first half, they sensed the danger of such a performance and showed restrained movements as they practiced.

Jang Ha-yang didn’t do that.

because.

“But, if not, I… … .”

You will fall behind the other members.

You will just end up being a dim star among the members who shine brighter than you.

I don’t want to do that.

Jang Ha-yang knows that he lacks the abilities of most of the other members.

The way for this self to be loved was to burn herself and shine a stronger light.

“I can show you a better side of myself, but if I don’t, it’s unprofessional… … .”

“I’m not saying that I’m going to do it half-heartedly just because I’m not giving my all on one stage. There are almost 20 concerts left. Can you do all of them like today?”

Are you going to endanger the concert itself by collapsing like this every time?

“Hayang, the purpose of a concert is to make the fans happy, right?”

“that’s right…….”

“The way to make your fans happy is to show them your healthy side. You should perform healthily at every concert where you can show your side. You should not lack anything in any of the 20 concerts. Hayang, I know that too.”

When you go up on stage and thousands of people cheer you on, your adrenaline rush is so crazy that you can’t think rationally.

Many musicians have described that ecstasy in interviews.

The adulation of fans is like a drug.

I want to get more.

So I want to squeeze out everything I have and show it to my fans.

“I don’t know how I sound, but it’s much better to perform averagely on all stages than to excel on a few stages. No, that’s right. You have to be able to control that to be a pro. And Hayang, you’re good enough if you just do what you practiced. You’re good enough and beautiful enough.”

Jang Ha-yang looked at Seong-pil through her tired, slightly closed eyelids, and she shed a tear from uncontrollable self-loathing.

“Sir, I… … .”

Jang Ha-yang stopped talking.

He just let out a heavy, meaningless breath, without even having the energy to speak. The staff member gave Sungpil a look telling him to leave. He said he couldn’t go any further.

Seongpil hurriedly turned around and left the break room.

I could hear the sounds of people putting ice packs on my back, fanning me, undressing me, and giving me massages.

Jang Ha-yang was still breathing in pain.

* * *

The younger brother’s line’s performance lasted only 4 minutes.

The chances of Jang Ha-yang’s condition improving in those four minutes were close to zero.

Director Jo Jin-man gave the instruction to ‘look at the situation and make a judgment.’

Changing the order of the setlist poses a huge risk to the performance itself.

From the director’s perspective, who couldn’t see Jang Ha-yang’s condition in person, he couldn’t help but hope that the situation wasn’t as bad as he had heard.

Jo Jin-man tapped his fingers on the table impatiently. There was only one minute left until his younger brother’s performance ended, but there were no reports coming in from the scene.

‘What happened? You have to say something.’

Jo Jin-man was dying trying to control the stage while also taking care of Jang Ha-yang’s circumstances.

Meanwhile, a report came from backstage.

[Hayang enters standby.]

Jo Jin-man cheered in his heart.

‘Thank goodness it wasn’t that bad.’

* * *

Jang Ha-yang’s ‘Epitaph’ performance features five backup dancers.

One of them, dancer Lee Myung-chul, who was also a backup dancer for ‘Arabesque’ at the HPT Music Awards, looked at Jang Ha-yang in a daze.

Jang Ha-yang staggers onto the stage.

Everyone backstage stopped and watched the scene.

‘Can you stand on stage in that condition? …?’

Lee Myung-chul asked a fundamental question. It was probably a question that everyone had.

Jang Ha-yang was walking while standing, but at the same time, he seemed to be crawling forward on the ground. His body itself was bent forward greatly.

Behind her, several staff members are desperately supporting her.

Apply an ice pack to the back of the neck, fan the patient on both sides, and massage the patient’s hands continuously to keep the blood flowing.

‘Isn’t this something I should buy? I should stop… … .’

Fortunately, the stage director stopped Jang Ha-yang.

“Mr. Hayang, if you decide to come, you can’t stand on stage.”

“I can do it.”

“Is this the appearance of a person who can do this?”

[1 minute.]

Jo Jin-man’s instructions were mercilessly inserted into the staff’s ear.

As the remaining time came directly into his ears, even the stage director who had been blocking Jang Ha-yang flinched.

I didn’t know what to do.

Should I stop it?

Or should I send it out?

“It’s my body.”

Jang Ha-yang spoke while still hunched over. She seemed to find it painful to straighten her back, and cold sweat hung down her forehead and chin.

“I know best. I can do it.”

“but…….”

“So many people.”

Dozens of staff members entered Jang Ha-yang’s eyes. They all looked only at Jang Ha-yang and were here to wish for her success.

“You are helping me. And outside of me.”

Jang Ha-yang saw the light coming from the stage.

“There are fans waiting for me.”

[30 seconds. How is Mr. Hayang’s condition?]

Jo Jin-man asked.

The stage manager turned on the walkie-talkie and said, “Ah… … ” for a while. As if to help him make a decision, Jang Ha-yang slowly but steadily headed toward the stage.

The backup dancers followed her anxiously.

“Now, come in… … .”

The stage manager spoke uncertainly.

The backup dancers followed Jang Ha-yang and hoped the director would say, “No.”

All five backup dancers, that is.

Jang Ha-yang’s legs were shaking. It was serious. Looking at her heavy breathing and cold sweat, it was similar to the symptoms of dehydration that are common in the summer.

‘If you have symptoms similar to dehydration… … .’

Backup dancer Lee Myung-cheol got goosebumps on his back.

‘Just standing there would be so much pain that I could die… … .’

“Now, yes, Hayang, come in.”

The director finally gave the OK sign.

All the staff members blamed the director, but also thought that there was nothing they could do.

The aura that Jang Ha-yang gave off was like that of a martyr, so the criminal could not dare to say anything. Only she could decide what to do.

“Sister, are you okay… …!”

Jo Ara, who was coming backstage, stopped as if her mind had been cut off. Shin A-reum and Jo Ara did the same.

Jang Ha-yang looked no better than before. She wiped the sweat from her face and neck with a towel.

She threw down her towel carelessly, hugged her younger sister Line all at once, and passed them by without saying a word.

Three people and Jang Ha-yang crossed paths.

The three of them turned around in a hurry. They were thinking of stopping Jang Ha-yang. The moment they saw Jang Ha-yang’s back as he walked towards the stage, the three of them were startled.

A completely different person is standing there.

A straight back and powerful legs that seem to cut through the waves, no part of her body shakes.

Jang Ha-yang stepped into the darkness and stood. Soon, light fell on her head.

A clear sound pierced through the darkness, contrasting with her condition.

[When I die]

Jang Ha-yang sang.

[Please write your name on the tombstone.]

Epitaph.