Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 371



Only Noblemtl

Episode 371

The abbreviation ‘Purple Tulip’ signifies the conclusion of the Girls’ League narrative that has been ongoing for a year.

If you are a fan who has been watching Girls’ League’s music videos consistently, you cannot help but know the meaning behind ‘Purple Tulip’.

‘We’ve had a hard time so far. Let’s take a rest now.’

After a tough fight, they finally find peace and go to an amusement park together.

They joke around with each other and laugh and have a great time. But they are not the only ones at the amusement park.

There are a lot of people there.

Just like the Girls’ League, there are people there who laugh happily and enjoy happiness.

The amusement park is a reward for the Girls’ League’s achievements, and at the same time represents the world they have created for their fans.

‘We’ve come this far. Did you all enjoy it?’

That’s what I ask my fans.

It’s a song with a lot of meaning in many ways.

Not only to the fans, but also to the Girls’ League.

“Teacher, how long are you going to cry?”

Joara roughly hit Baekseolha’s back. But Baekseolha showed no sign of stopping crying.

Snow White always stood facing the light coming from the stage.

“Now… … it’s over… … .”

The last song of the concert, ‘Purple Tulip’, was also completed.

The Girls’ League had just returned backstage after saying their final goodbyes to their fans.

They lined up and looked down the hallway connecting the stage and backstage.

I walked around that narrow place countless times for about 3 hours. Now, it feels like the alleys of my hometown that I used to walk around in when I was young.

“It’s the end… … .”

Snow White couldn’t stop crying.

Memories of my difficult days as a trainee.

A debut that I was able to endure because I was with the members.

Those were the days when I was anxious that I might fail.

And the fans who filled the auditorium and gave him rave reviews.

All of these things were mixed up in her head, and Snow White was struggling with emotions that she couldn’t describe in words.

‘Thank goodness, I’m really thankful… … .’

I’m so glad I decided to become an idol again.

Snow White wiped away the endless tears with the back of her hand. She continued to look at the faint light coming from the stage with her blurred vision.

When the group she had previously belonged to disbanded, Baekseol-ha left the company building in a dazed state.

I kept staring at the building until the sun went down, praying that the lights would come on. But in the end, the lights never came on.

Memories of that day linger in the background.

The darkness of that day was an awl stuck in Baekseolha’s heart.

But the concert hall in front of the backdrop was bright, unlike the dark memories of that day.

‘It’s so bright I think I’m going blind… … .’

When I looked at it again, it was so beautiful that I wanted to engrave it in my eyes forever.

“It’s over now… … .”

“It’s not over!”

When Baek Seol-ha cried, Rika’s eyes reddened without her knowing it. She held Baek Seol-ha’s hand tightly and shook it up and down.

“There’s still an encore left! You can see your fans again! So stop it!”

“That’s right, sis.”

Jang Ha-yang also joined the procession to Baek Seol-ha.

“Go out again and say goodbye to your sister, who you couldn’t say because she was crying. Be sure to thank your fans.”

“Ugh… … .”

Snow White patted her cheek as she was comforted by her younger siblings.

You have to be alert because the encore is coming up soon. You really have to show one last performance… … .

“however.”

Shin Areum said.

“Will there be an encore?”

There was silence.

The silence between them was accentuated by the noise of the staff bustling around backstage.

Shin Areum added, embarrassed.

“You might think it’s really over!”

“Hey, Shin A-reum. President Cho said that encores are an essential element in Korean performance culture.”

“How come your pronunciation is so accurate? You even use words in strange ways.”

Shin A-reum looked at Jo A-ra in disbelief. Then Jo A-ra understood why.

Joara was frowning as if she had cut an onion. She was probably holding back tears.

It seemed like Joara’s way of holding back tears was to pronounce things clearly and use vocabulary she didn’t normally use.

“There will be an encore.”

Joara spoke to herself, still in a clear tone.

I waited for about 30 seconds.

“… … It’s not coming out?”

I couldn’t even hear the ‘Ang’ in ‘Encore’.

Snow White shivered as if she had been kicked out of her warm cabin into the snowy field.

Then, Jang Ha-yang, who was standing next to her, grabbed her hand. Rika also grabbed Baek Seol-ha’s hand tightly.

Despite the warmth felt from both sides, Snow White could not easily calm down.

A minute has passed.

“… … Hey Shin A-reum.”

“why.”

Joara quietly grabbed Shin A-reum’s hand. Shin A-reum didn’t say anything either, just held her hand tightly.

“Ahh! Ara-chan is so cute! Atashi (I) want to hold hands with Ara-chan too!”

So all five of them joined hands.

They waited in a chain until they heard the word ‘encore’.

Like a tree rooted in the same spot forever, I waited and waited for the encore.

Snow White’s eyebrows trembled gloomily, as if she would cry again soon.

“I guess we couldn’t do it… … . Hey, I guess I should do the guitar solo and stuff… … .”

Maybe the audience has already left.

Jo Jin-man must have been so dumbfounded by that that he didn’t give any sign.

Only such desperate thoughts dominated Baek Seol-ha’s mind.

“Ah, Atashi (I) actually… … .”

There was a hint of crying in Rika’s voice.

“When I was saying hello to ‘Purple Tulip’ and going in… … . The words ‘Can you do an encore?’ were really on the tip of my tongue… … .”

I hadn’t done it.

It’s not only unsophisticated but also looks ugly for a performer to personally request an encore.

Rika hiccupped.

“I should have… … .”

“Did you just hear that?”

Jang Ha-yang perked up his ears.

“I heard you.”

Everyone tilted their ears forward a little like Jang Ha-yang. Then they began to hear a small but clear cry.

All the members raised their heads.

“Oh, just now… … .”

“It’s an encore!”

Shin A-reum leaned her upper body forward as if she was going to leap like a bullet.

“We have to get out quickly before it stops… … !”

Encore!

Shin Areum stopped in her tracks at the scream that was noticeably louder than before. And then she heard it again.

Encore!

It’s gotten much bigger than before.

Encore!

Much clearer than before.

Encore!

It was a shout so loud that no one could mishear it. 3,000 people shouting for an encore at the same time.

I want to see the Girls’ League again.

It’s a shame to go back like this.

Come out just one more time.

I hope with such a wish.

Encore!

“……haha.”

Rika proudly puffed out her chest as if she had never cried before.

“There’s nothing I can do! Then… … !”

“That’s a line you should say on stage!”

“Oh, right! Uh, uh, what do you do? First, the microphone… … .”

“Stop it and get out!”

Shin A-reum ran towards the stage, carrying the remaining four people in a row. Her face was filled with joy.

Everyone was like that.

The stage we arrived at, entranced by the endless shouts of ‘Encore’.

The stage I thought I was familiar with felt so unfamiliar.

Encore.

Thousands of people chant that short word simultaneously.

* * *

“Encore!”

Seongpil shouted for the last time.

He cleared his throat and straightened his collar. He took short, deep breaths, but it was hard to calm down.

‘We’ve finally arrived at Angkor.’

There was a time when Jo Jin-man and Hong Yeon-heon competed over a performance plan. At that time, Jo Jin-man wrote the entire performance, including the final direction, and submitted it to Garo Enter.

Seongpil and Han Guin shed tears after seeing it. It was a moving stage production that made their hearts ache just by imagining it.

The Girls’ League was seen running out from backstage.

After the audience appeared, he slowly regained his composure, but it was obvious from his steps that he had been very excited up until just now.

‘Hey guys, watch carefully.’

How much you are loved by the world.

* * *

“I can’t help it!”

Rika came out on stage and shouted excitedly.

Her eyes resemble stars showing off their light for the last time before the sun pushes out the moon.

“It’s an encore!”

A song included in Girls’ Union’s first regular album.

Last track, the link between wings.

As the refreshing sound that stimulates memories began, the members grabbed the microphone with firm hands.

I even pressed down on the earbuds for no reason.

‘It’s the last song.’

This is really the last song.

An ‘encore’ is when the audience applauds and requests the performer to perform another performance.

These days, it is said that it is customary to ask for an encore unless you are quite bad at it. Even though it is customary, it is definitely not a light feeling when you receive it directly.

‘Us.’

Rika carefully placed the earphones into her ears.

‘Because you wanted to see us a little more. Because you liked our performance.’

So they shouted for an encore.

You should never fall behind your previous performance.

As the end of the prelude came, Rika nodded to Baek Seol-ha on her left. Baek Seol-ha nodded and opened her mouth.

‘A fruitful life.’

It is a combination of the words ‘biikjo’ (bird with comparable wings) and ‘yeonriji’ (branch with linked principles).

A pair of birds with only one wing uniting to become a complete pair. A pair of intertwined trees becoming one through their knots.

That is, they cannot live without each other.

‘I will sing this song to express my gratitude to you all.’

A serenade from the Girls’ League to their fans.

Thanks for being with us this far.

That is why it is the last track of the first regular album and the final repertoire of the concert.

Baek Seol-ha sang that she had to appear at the very end.

“Instead of the sky… … .”

Suddenly the music cut off.

“Shiiin… …?”

Snow White’s song was also cut off.

The Girls’ League standing on the stage couldn’t help but feel flustered when the sound suddenly went blank.

But there was no change in their expressions. They continued to stand on stage as professionals.

Baekseolha quickly recovered from the sudden change in tone and continued singing.

Instead of the sky.

“Have you ever looked at a bird in more detail?”

It’s been almost ten seconds since the music stopped, and there’s still no sign of it being fixed.

Snow White took her mouth off the microphone, sweat dripping down her face. Jang Ha-yang received the next lyrics.

Jang Ha-yang sang as if nothing had happened, but her expression was not at ease as she realized that the situation was becoming serious.

“Triangle with wings

“Let’s advance in formation.”

When on earth will the music come back?

Joara sang with an anxious expression.

“Even if one is far away,

“Not everyone falls.”

Shin A-reum took a step forward with a smile. The other members were taken aback by her attitude.

She showed off her natural showmanship as if she could hear the music. It wasn’t intentional. It was something that came naturally to her.

“To the sky without promises

“Let’s fly together as one.”

When on earth will the music come back?

In the midst of the endless wait, Rika stepped forward. She showed no signs of agitation.

It was just a matter of will.

There is no music, but there are voices.

Rika sang to fill the empty music. She echoed all the love she felt and let the audience hear it.

‘I’m conveying my feelings.’

You must return the happiness you have received.

It’s okay without music.

Just sing a song that is more than just music.

‘That’s my reward as an idol.’

Satisfying fans’ expectations in any situation.

Because that’s an idol.

“Be my wings

“Please give me your wings.”

That’s why I have to sing.

A song that pierces through the silence and touches everyone’s heart, a song that will remain in our hearts as a treasure forever.

“I will illuminate the lost path with you.

“Fly with you.”

Rika sang with all her heart.

He gave it his all with only one thought in mind: to reach his fans.

We must not let this turn into a failed encore.

That was the only thought on Rika’s mind.

“I’m still standing

“I hope you find it.”

So I didn’t hear it.

Shin A-reum also taps my shoulder.

Joara is also saying something next to me.

Snow White is also pointing forward.

Jang Ha-yang is also shedding tears.

Rika is… … .

“Rica!”

Shin A-reum came to her senses only after screaming.

“Let’s fly together… … .”

As soon as she finished singing the lyrics, a passionate wave filled her ears. A sea of ​​sound surrounded her.

“together…….”

[Let’s fly together.]

I’m singing.

Who could it be making such a loud noise?

[Please be my wing]

The voice was not uniform.

Men and women are mixed.

There is a mixture of loud and soft sounds.

The bass and treble are mixed.

None of them are the same.

Yet they say the same thing.

Sharing the same feelings.

[Please be my wing]

The audience, the whole world is singing.

The Girls’ League is singing its own ‘Biikyeonri’.

The microphone Rika was holding slowly lowered down. She didn’t even think about singing, but simply accepted the light that filled her vision.

A sound of thousands of people, mixed together in a dizzying, yet beautiful way, swirled through the light.

[Please be my wing]

Shin A-reum held the microphone politely with both hands and lowered her head.

[Please be my wing]

Joara turned her back on the audience and looked at the ceiling.

[Please be my wing]

Jang Ha-yang stands still, covering her face with her palm.

[Please be my wing]

Snow White is on her knees, sobbing.

[Please be my wing]

Rika, Rika is just watching.

He just watched the light coming towards him. The light was so overwhelming that he couldn’t even think of echoing it back.

The human voice.

The sound of thousands of voices simultaneously unleashing a torrent of emotions that shakes the heart.

At this moment, Rika realized.

Why is the human voice called the greatest instrument?

[Please be my wing]

There is emotion in the voice.

The voice is the best instrument because it can most directly connect with human emotions.

It will definitely be like that.

The emotions that had finally built up to their limit rose to the tip of Rika’s chin. Rika frowned at the trembling that reached her lips.

The song of the Girls’ League, this abnormal yet ecstatic situation where thousands of people sing your song.

If it’s this beautiful, I have no words.

This is what it feels like to be loved by the world.

“Hey, everyone… … .”

As Rika was about to say something in a wet voice, the screen behind her began to glow.

Rika looked back, shivering.

His own image was appearing.

[When is your happiest moment?]

The members’ faces are captured one by one in response to that question.

Snow White answers.

[Um, when I sleep. Oh, no, I didn’t mean it weird!]

Joara answers.

[When dancing.]

Jang Ha-yang answers.

[When I’m with everyone.]

Shin A-reum answers.

[When you win.]

And then I ask again:

[When are you the happiest?]

Rika thought for a long time. Then she smiled bashfully and spread her arms wide.

[Atashi (I) like it the most when I see what the fans like! They like our performance and like our songs! They just sing along! When I see that, I like it sooooo much! Ah, it’s even better than good!]

[sure?]

[I’m happy! So please love me a lot!]

The members playfully harassed Rika.

[Rika, if you say that, what will become of us?]

[Are you just trying to look good to your fans?]

[I want to change my answer too. Can I take it again?]

[But isn’t that obvious?]

When Baek Seol-ha speaks, everyone looks at her.

She explained, embarrassed.

[Ah, no, it’s only natural that we’re happy when our fans like us… … .]

[It’s also important to express the obvious in words!]

Everyone nodded, saying it sounded plausible.

[Then, will you all change your answers?]

The members answered simultaneously.

[yes!]

The members on the screen answered with bright faces that they are happiest when they are loved by their fans.

After the video ended, the fans started singing again.

[Be my wings.]

Soon Rika falls to the floor, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, and starts sobbing.

Is it really possible for someone of his stature to receive such great love?

I don’t know.

I don’t know, but I’m so happy I can’t think straight.

The fans who saw this sang even louder. Their voices also became moist without fail.

[We were going to the same place

So be my wings.]

Everyone in the concert hall looked like each other.

Position.

Thoughts.

The situation.

None of them are similar.

But they had the same dream.

Humans and humans, who originally could not fully understand each other and could never fully connect, have become connected through the frequencies of different individuals.

[Be my wings.]

With music, the world can become one.

* * *

The encore stage, ‘Biikyeonri’, has also ended.

The audience watched the final VCR footage.

The images of the Girls’ League members quickly pass by, and unfamiliar faces appear.

They were either men or women.

Young or old.

They were either Western or Eastern.

But they all had something in common.

They have props with Joara’s symbol, wear clothes in a similar style to Rica, hold tulips in the middle of the 68 revolution, stand at the forefront of the French Revolution like Baek Seol-ha, and dance like Shin A-reum.

Among them was Rosa.

“Ah, that person… … .”

Kim Maria looks back and forth between Rosa on the screen and Rosa standing next to her with a look of incredulity.

Rosa answered with a smile. Rosa on the screen was in the middle of the 68 revolution, dressed similarly to Jang Ha-yang.

“okay.”

The propaganda officer was still unable to get over the emotion of ‘The Story of a Daughter of a Beast’.

He said, rubbing his eyes.

“So this is what the Girls’ League was like.”

It was only after the concert that the true meaning of the Girls’ League was revealed. The Girls’ League did not mean a group or collective of five girls.

Anyone was a girl’s league.

“Everyone who resists and struggles is the Girls’ League… … .”

Everyone can become a girl’s league.

Everyone has something special about them, like the Girls’ League.

The Girls’ League sends that message.

The message was embraced by the fans, and the lights slowly began to brighten.

The show is over.

“Rosa, aren’t you going?”

Rosa stood still despite Plekhanov’s question. She stood like that for a while.

The audience started to leave and the concert hall became deserted. As the situation became more relaxed, the staff members who were guiding the audience to leave also disappeared one by one.

In the almost empty audience, Rosa stared blankly at the stage.

In the meantime, someone came out from backstage. It was Jang Ha-yang. She walked around the stage as if feeling the afterglow, and then her eyes met Rosa’s.

The two people looked at each other.

When Jang Ha-yang smiled, Rosa also smiled. Rosa turned around and left the concert hall.

“Rosa, how was the show?”

It was already dark outside.

When Rosa was asked that question, instead of answering, she stretched. It was refreshing for everyone who saw it.

She exhaled with relief and spoke quietly into the refreshing night air.

“I want to come again.”

That would probably be the highest compliment to the Girls’ League.

* * *

“How long are you going to stay here?!”

Rika nagged Seongpil.

Seongpil had been wandering around the concert stage like crazy since a while ago.

If eyes had a tongue, he would have been licking the floor the Girls’ League had walked on with his tongue.

“Everyone has already gone to the company dinner! We’re the only ones who are late!”

“Rika, you can go by yourself.”

“The director has a car, so how can I go alone?! Please give me taxi fare!”

“Ugh… … .”

“What the heck is ‘eh’?! Sir, do you know that using a little Japanese has been known to be discriminatory and makes me mad since long ago?!”

“You’re so grumpy today… … .”

Seongpil approached Rika with a regretful expression, licking his lips. Then he looked back at the audience for the last time.

‘They really did have a concert.’

Even just now it was full of people.

We’ve finally reached this stage.

Seongpil is an idol.

Music.

A song.

Dance.

Culture.

And finally.

‘Arrived.’

created the world.

He became a true producer who no one can refute or belittle.

I held in my hands what was only a dream in my past life.

however.

‘Now that it’s all over, I don’t really feel anything.’

Seongpil turned his gaze from the audience to Rika. He just looked at her for a while.

Rika looked back. After confirming that there was nothing, Rika tilted her head.

“Why are you doing that!”

“… … I don’t think I’m the type of person who lives by reminiscing about the past.”

“Chunibyo (middle school syndrome).”

“Think whatever you want.”

“Why do you think of that when you see me!”

“Just. The concert, you know, was it good?”

“of course!”

Rika’s hands and feet were still shaking slightly. Just hearing the word ‘concert’ sent an electric current through her toes and into her brain.

Now that the concert is over, I feel a sense of emptiness and futility in life. After receiving such intense love, I suddenly find myself in silence, so I guess I should say that life feels empty.

“… … Huh?!”

Rika was astonished.

“S, you didn’t like the concert! Doshite (why)?!”

“No. It’s not that it was bad. It’s just that just thinking about it doesn’t make me feel as excited as you do.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about… … .”

“just.”

Suddenly, Seongpil laughed loudly.

“I can’t express it in words. Um, Rika.”

“Hi (yes)?”

Seongpil bent his back sharply. Rika was shocked again and tried everything to wake Seongpil up. But Seongpil did not budge.

“If you’re going to say something embarrassing, I’ll hear it at the company dinner! Stop it and get up! The cleaning lady is watching!”

“Thank you for being my idol.”

Rika’s movements stopped.

Seongpil straightened his back and smiled.

“You said that before. ‘Thank you for looking for me.’ But then I thought about it again, and I think I should be the one thanking you.”

Seongpil recalled the concert. It was a good memory, but it didn’t really move him.

Rather, Sungpil feels even more moved when he sees Rika and the Girls’ League in person. An indescribable thrill runs down his spine at the fact that they exist at this time.

No matter how many descriptions I tried, in the end it meant that I was happy just by looking at the members.

“I’ll say it again. Rika, thank you for becoming an idol.”

“… … .”

Rika raised her eyes to Sungpil, her chin buried in her chest. She blushed as if she couldn’t stand the embarrassment, and stammered.

“Really… … Is that so… … ? Are you grateful… … ?”

“Then. If Rika hadn’t become an idol, who in the world would have become an idol… .”

“……person?”

“There were only Seol-ha, Ara, Hayang, and Areum?”

“What is that vaguely broad category?!”

Rika patted Seongpil on the shoulder, saying, “Take out all the emotions!”

Seongpil laughed happily at the sight of her with her mouth sticking out. Rika showed her resentment, then sighed, saying that she couldn’t help it.

“If Atashi (Je) doesn’t play with the old director, who will? There’s nothing I can do! I have no choice but to take this fate to Silvertown! That’s why I looked into a nursing home!”

“already?”

“I’m in Japan!”

“Japan is not that great… … .”

“Eh?! Japan has a very developed silver industry! It entered an aging society earlier than Korea! It’s a silver-advanced country!”

“Well, I’ll think about it in ten years.”

“Maa (what), 10 years later it won’t be too late!”

The two walked side by side.

As they were leaving the stage, Rika grabbed Sungpil’s clothes.

“what’s the matter?”

“Director Park, do that, do that!”

“That? Oh, that.”

“Hi (yes)!”

“Ugh.”

“hurry!”

Seongpil and Rika raised their index fingers at the same time.

They formed their hands into the shape of pistols like Western gunslingers, then simultaneously turned back and extended their index fingers forward.

“I won! Part 3 is over!”

Concert, over.