Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 408



Only Noblemtl

Episode 408

The vocal line of ‘Apple Crush’ has been completed.

Jung Ji-eum rubbed his tired eyes and saved the file. His fingers were shaking as he typed the file name.

[Apple Crush ver.26]

Version 26.

As its name suggests, Apple Crush was a song that underwent a whopping 26 revisions.

The changes were so drastic that it felt like a different song compared to version 1.

“Brother.”

When Jeong Ji-eum looked to the side, Baek Seol-ha, who also looked tired, was holding out her palm.

Jung Ji-eum clapped his hands coolly with hers.

“Thank you for your hard work, Seol-ha.”

“You too, oppa.”

Apple Crush wasn’t a fully finished song yet.

The only thing they kept revising was the vocal line, the melody that the lyrics would go into.

‘Apple Crush’ requires Girls’ League’s vocal skills to be pushed to the limit. In other words, the vocals were the alpha and omega of this song.

The completion of the vocal line meant that more than half of the song work was done.

“I can get the lyrics now.”

“That’s right. I was nervous every day because I thought I wouldn’t be able to meet the deadline.”

Baek Seol-ha sighed in relief as she checked the calendar on her phone.

She has recently experienced the pain of being a producer firsthand.

Producing involves multiple areas at once. If you were to check, supervise, and confirm everything one by one, you wouldn’t have enough bodies.

‘I’m able to live thanks to Director Park’s help. Director Park has been doing all this by himself up until now.’

In the past, Sungpil had explained in detail what a producer was. This was because the members couldn’t properly answer the question, “What does a producer do?”

‘At that time, Director Park showed signs of disappointment.’

That’s worth it.

Even though they worked so hard, the members didn’t even know exactly what a producer was.

Jo Ara even joked that he was a ‘practice room peeper’. Even if it was just a joke, Sungpil must not have felt good at that time.

“Now that we’ve received the lyrics and finished recording the guide vocals, we’ll add choreography and start practicing in earnest, right?”

“yes.”

“What about recording?”

“When the members’ skills are developed.”

“Yeah. Seol-ha is teaching me like a ghost, so I’ll be able to do it soon.”

“Like a ghost… … .”

The two shared the joy of completion through a casual conversation. Then, Baekseolha left the studio to take care of other work.

Jung Ji-eum was left alone as usual.

He played Apple Crush version 26.

‘The vocal line is complete.’

Now all that remains is to complete the song itself.

Jung Ji-eum thought that it would be as difficult as creating a vocal line.

‘The ideal of Seolha is high.’

Jung Ji-eum didn’t think the members would be able to fully perform ‘Apple Crush’.

Of course, problems will arise here and there during the recording process. It is inevitable that Baek Seol-ha will make corrections to the vocal parts.

If Baek Seol-ha’s ambition is to compete with vocals, Jeong Ji-eum approaches it in the opposite way.

‘We have to decide the outcome through song.’

The success or failure of ‘Apple Crush’ depends on the composition.

Even though he had just finished work, Jeong Ji-eum continued working without stopping.

* * *

At one point, the song was called ‘Apple Crush’ as ​​if it was a given.

Jang Ha-yang blushed in embarrassment every time she heard that name.

Anyway, the Girls’ League ‘Apple Crush’ lyrics keyword meeting has begun.

“There are many ways to express love.”

Seongpil opened the meeting.

“What I’m asking you today is not to think of the entire lyrics. It would be best if you could write the lyrics in a complete form, but it would be more complete if you left it to the lyricist.”

There was no dissent from him.

These are the lyrics of a song that could become the next title song of Girls’ League. No one has been able to come forward and say, “I’ll write it!”

“What I want is a keyword to express love. I believe that you will come up with heart-fluttering words and sentences that express love that are appropriate for your age.”

Seongpil looked at the members one by one.

When I was getting the lyrics idea for ‘Long Four’ in the past, Son Hye-bin was there because the members couldn’t open their mouths easily.

‘It must have been because I was embarrassed.’

I thought that I could come up with ideas more freely to Hye-bin Son, a woman, rather than to Seong-pil Son, a man, so at that time, Hye-bin Son was in charge of collecting ideas.

But now it’s different.

‘The kids are starting to feel more friendly towards me, so I should take charge this time.’

Isn’t that Seongpil, the main producer of Girls’ League?

Lyrics are the soul of a song. As the main producer, I wanted to feel the souls of the members as they are.

There was no doubt that this would be of great help in the later producing process.

“Okay, guys.”

Seongpil threw out a topic to signal the start of a full-fledged meeting.

“What is love?”

It was a very comprehensive question.

Love is… … .

It’s a question that can’t be easily answered even if you ask an adult. That’s why it’s good. Because it doesn’t limit your imagination.

At that moment, Jang Ha-yang raised his hand.

“Oh, Hayang, the lyricist genius.”

“Ahaha, Seol-ha unnie is a professional at writing lyrics. She’s a genius.”

“Seol-ha hasn’t written any lyrics herself yet. Hayang is the only one who has her name on the credits.”

Seongpil just ignored Baekseolha’s words comparing herself to Jang Ha-yang.

Seongpil encourages Baek Seolha to challenge herself in writing lyrics.

‘I want to write lyrics when I’m ready.’

Baek Seol-ha thought that she didn’t have much talent for writing lyrics. At least, she didn’t have the boldness to express her feelings as they are like Jang Ha-yang.

So, I think I will start writing lyrics in earnest after learning more from lyricist Lee Su-yeon.

‘I won’t fall for the director’s provocation… … .’

“When I think about it like that, Ha-yang is really handsome. Should I give him a reward?”

‘… … It won’t go over.’

Snow White pouted her lips sullenly.

Jang Ha-yang looked at Baek Seol-ha as if she found her cute. Then, he continued what he had been trying to say earlier.

“First, I think it would be good to talk about the feelings you have for someone you love. When I look at the lyrics of my seniors’ songs, I see that most of them only confess the feelings of the person who is singing.”

“That’s okay! It’s much better than a half-hearted question like ‘What is love?’”

“Rika, is that what you want me to hear?”

“It’s a hundred times better than the insincere questions from producer Park!”

“Okay, Rika. You speak first.”

Rika was momentarily flustered when she was pointed out, but quickly regained her smile.

“Shouldn’t it be different from the ‘Long Four’?”

Rika laughed like a mischievous child. Then, the idea Rika had come up with at that time came to Sungpil’s mind.

Clearly, at that time, Rika had someone she loved.

‘I want to dominate… … .’

He said.

Seongpil smiled back at Rika.

‘Well, I don’t know who Rika’s future husband will be, but since he is the lover you chose, I hope you live well.’

Seongpil briefly sent words of encouragement to Rika’s future lover.

Indeed, how has Rika’s perspective on love changed in the present? Seongpil was also curious about what the youth, whose dating ban will soon be lifted, will think of love.

“I want to see you not being able to do anything!”

“Oh, I see.”

It’s no different than two years ago.

If there is anything that has changed, it is that I can now talk about love without feeling embarrassed in front of Seongpil.

“Uh… … That’s good too. But Seol-ha.”

“yes?”

“Should the lyrics of ‘Apple Crush’ be direct seduction?”

“As I said before, no. But I still want to hear Rika’s story until the end.”

“Yeah. You might get a good idea unintentionally… … .”

“I want to see you get disappointed when you coldly and rudely push away someone who has high expectations! Like a puppy that got scolded and wags its tail! And I want to see the other person get happy when I console them right away! Like a puppy that got scolded and then wags its tail when you pet it!”

“Let’s use that as material later when Rika makes her solo debut.”

“Oh, you’ve already planned that far! I feel relieved that the money we earned isn’t being wasted!”

“What is it? Why are you only letting Rika debut as a soloist? Are you favoring Rika?”

Despite the members’ mischievous nagging, Seongpil just laughed.

I feel sorry for Future Rika’s lover, whose face I don’t even know.

“Well, it’s not a bad feeling.”

“to?”

When Seongpil answered seriously, Rika was surprised. Seongpil wrote down exactly what Rika said in his notebook.

“What Rika is talking about is a pushover. Like, ‘Come closer, okay, okay, you’re doing well, now go.’”

When Sungpil sang impromptu lyrics to the melody of ‘Apple Crush’, the members exclaimed in admiration, “Oh!”

“Team leader, are you going to debut as a lyricist? It’s a bit too easy on the tongue.”

“Right, right, well done.”

As Seongpil said that with a sly smile, Shin A-reum rubbed his shoulder.

“Wow.”

“How is it, do you feel it?”

“Isn’t it creepy?”

“… … .”

“Does it feel like an old man asking a young girl to do something?”

Park Sung-pil, giving up on debuting as a lyricist!

“Rika, tell me more.”

“Are you going to keep using it… … ?”

“Huh? I have to write. It’s an idea meeting.”

Rika was unusually embarrassed.

No, for some reason, I felt satisfied.

“Ehehe, I feel embarrassed because it seems like Atashi’s (my) secret taste has been revealed… … .”

“Isn’t self-expression artistry? Let’s spread your tastes all over the country.”

“Okay! Leave it to me!”

30 seconds later.

“Rika, are you kidding me?”

“This is no joke!”

“What, did you just watch ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’? If you keep doing this, I’m just going to leave?!”

“It’s not a joke, so write it down in that notebook!”

“Just try writing it.”

Shin A-reum looked at Rika in fear.

She covered Rika’s eyes with her hand, blocking the view connecting her with Seongpil. It seemed like she was trying to protect the innocent Seongpil from Rika.

“You can never write such vulgar words in the notebook I gave you as a gift.”

“Vulgar?! Arum is too much!”

“Even if Rika gets on her knees and begs, it won’t work.”

“Eww, is that it?! Isn’t that a pretty universal love!”

In the end, the only thing left in Seongpil’s notebook was the word ‘secret love.’

Because honeymoon is used quite often in lyrics.

“I, I… … .”

Snow White timidly raised her hand.

She didn’t want to stifle Rica’s creative ideas, but she felt this part had to be addressed.

“The love I want to express is, that is, more than the secret love or the techniques of love between a man and a woman… … .”

Snow White found the right words.

“That, that is, it feels like a Disney animation… … . The world sparkles, and you sit under a parasol with a summer breeze blowing, holding hands, that kind of feeling… … .”

“Snow White, Forbes’ cutest 25-year-old in the world.”

“uh?!”

“Everyone agrees?”

Everyone agreed with Joara’s declaration.

“But.”

Shin Areum said nonchalantly.

“I don’t like a style that is too innocent.”

“Oh, that, that’s right… … ?”

“It’s not that I don’t like your opinion, teacher. I just like the kind of songs that girl groups sing, like ‘I’m innocent and pitiful.’ To be honest, I don’t have the confidence to express it well.”

Certainly, Snow White could not have imagined the appearance of the Girls’ League shyly confessing their love while wearing a flowing skirt.

It is uncertain whether the fans will accept the Girls’ League, which dominated the stage with its performances while wearing tight-fitting uniforms, in such a way.

There is a similar feeling in the songs included in the Girls’ League album, but…

‘huh?’

Snow White suddenly came to her senses.

Why are you taking this so seriously?

‘You have to emphasize sexuality, not innocence.’

Still, I would like to wear clothes like that someday… … .

“hmm?”

I kept hearing a rustling sound from next to me.

When Baek Seol-ha looked, Jang Ha-yang was drawing something again in his notebook. Shin A-reum said that she was fed up with seeing it.

“Are you drawing again, Sister?”

Jang Ha-yang suddenly raised his head at Shin A-reum’s question mixed with nagging.

Five pairs of eyes staring at her. Jang Ha-yang, sensing an ominous atmosphere, tried to hide her notebook slowly.

“Let me take a look.”

“ah!”

Shin A-reum took Jang Ha-yang’s notebook and read it without being able to do anything.

There was also an apple drawn on it.

This time, the difference was that the hand was holding an apple. Before, there were only drawings of apples, the meaning of which was unclear.

“Another apple? How much are you obsessed with apples?”

“Ah, no… … .”

Seongpil and the members also saw the picture drawn by Jang Ha-yang.

Someone was holding an apple in their hand.

What on earth does it mean?

“I… … I also feel really strange. When I listen to this song called ‘Apple Crush’ and hear Seol Ha unnie’s producing direction, for some reason I can’t help but think of apples.”

“You said this apple is your motif? You want to make the apple your symbol?”

“yes…….”

Seongpil looked at the clothes he was wearing.

This time it was a blue coat instead of a red padding.

“It doesn’t have to be an apple. Blueberries, or any fruit… … .”

For some reason, the conference room felt cold.

Seongpil turned up the heater temperature and pulled his coat tighter.

“Ahaha, that’s weird. The visualization came to mind before the lyrics even came out… … .”

“Oh, no. That could be true. There are many cases where the music video storyboard is made first and then the song is created. So, Hayang, is there a scene you want to include in the music video?”

“Yes, that… … .”

Jang Ha-yang blushed in embarrassment.

Seongpil said to him seriously.

“Hayang, don’t be shy about expressing your thoughts.”

“Director Park, when Atashi (Je) expressed his opinion, you told me to know shame!”

“Well, talking about love can be embarrassing.”

“I was ignored.”

“But Hayang’s idea is very valuable. It’s something that only you can think of at this moment, at this time. So tell me.”

The love that Jang Ha-yang expresses now.

The love I want to express visually.

“……yes.”

Jang Ha-yang also wiped the embarrassment from his expression.

“First of all, since it’s a love song, apples and other fruits symbolize ‘you.’ Those fruits… … .”

* * *

“Director Park, is the meeting over?”

As soon as Han Gu-in saw Seong-pil in the hallway, he approached him with great anticipation.

The first lyric keyword meeting of the Girls’ League members has just ended.

I kept waiting for Sungpil to come out because I wanted to know what the Korean-Indian Girls’ League wanted to express.

“Oh, yes. Just now.”

Seongpil looked tired.

‘You must be tired after talking to the members for 3 hours.’

Han Gu-in looked at him worriedly.

“Do you organize those ideas and then ask the lyricists to translate them?”

“No. The A&R team needs to sort it out again. We also need to have a few more meetings with the guys.”

“okay.”

Han Gu-in’s gaze was directed to the notebook Seong-pil was holding in his hand.

“Would you like to see it?”

“Is that okay?”

“Yeah, well… … I guess it’ll be okay.”

Han Gu-in happily accepted Seong-pil’s notebook and read it. After a while, he returned the notebook with trembling hands.

“I, I need to take a break for a while… … .”

Seongpil looked at Hanguin walking away in the distance. Was it his mood that made his back look so miserable? Or was it because Seongpil’s heart was so miserable that he looked miserable?

Seongpil read what was written in the notebook again.

[Squeeze the juice… … .]

I covered the notebook.

I have been in the idol industry for over 20 years, including my previous life.

Seongpil was able to explain this phenomenon philosophically.

‘I see… … This is the moment to truly declare the identity of the Girls’ League. It is a declaration of self as a mature woman who will no longer be tied down to girls and will no longer wander. It also reverses the conventional gender roles and expresses that women can also be bold, selfish, and destructive possessive subjects. Yes, it is about conquering rather than seducing. This is definitely a bold challenge for a girl group. To yearn for love so intensely… … .’

Yeah, that’s right.

You’ve grown up, kids.

‘This is the idol I raised, the idol I produced… … .’

Seongpil staggered forward with his eyes wide open.

* * *

Lyricist Lee Su-yeon went to work in the studio where she writes songs with her colleagues.

Perhaps because she arrived early in the morning, there were no colleagues around. She naturally sat down at her seat and turned on her laptop.

I made some coffee and sat back down.

I opened the request email from Garo Enter.

‘Horizontal Enter… … .’

Garo Enter’s music producer, Ji-eum Jeong.

Just looking at the letters “horizontal enter” brings to mind a stop sound.

‘no!’

Lee Soo-yeon shook her head vigorously.

They say nothing warms the human heart more than unrequited love that is left unfulfilled.

That was Lee Soo-yeon’s current state of mind.

If you want, we can meet.

That could be possible.

I’m so scared of being rejected… … .

‘Stop! Seriously, stop! I came to work today!’

Let’s write lyrics.

Let’s do it.

Let’s do my best in life!

Lee Su-yeon read the lyrics keywords and the general concept of the song written in the email.

‘Wow, love in the summer? I can’t wait. I didn’t know that Girls’ League would approach such a popular topic.’

Lee Soo-yeon also likes idols and works in this field. Naturally, she is also interested in the Girls’ League.

‘I’m really looking forward to it. The love of the Girls’ League is… . ‘

Lee Su-yeon, who was reading the keywords, rubbed her eyes.

And when I looked again, the keywords written in the email had not changed.

Lee Soo-yeon laughed.

‘It’s stronger than the long gun… … .’

I used to call it the Ladies League when I saw the lyric idea for ‘Long Four’.

What on earth do you call this?

Lee Su-yeon was absentmindedly reading the keywords over and over again. She suddenly got up and got angry.

“You want to play with guys like that?!”

Lyricist Lee Su-yeon is confused when she sees emotions she cannot express.

* * *

The weather was nice.

Seongpil sat on the terrace outside the company building for the first time in a long while. The chair felt cold for a moment, but the sunlight pouring down just right made Seongpil tired.

At that moment, the wind swept Seongpil’s hair.

‘Oh, it’s a spring breeze.’

I thought it would be cold because of the wind, but it was unexpectedly warm.

Yes, it is spring.

The first thing that reacts the fastest in this strange season called spring is the hearts of young people in love.

The second was the music charts.

Seongpil glanced at the chart as soon as he remembered.

‘That’s unexpected.’

On the music charts, there were hardly any songs that were blatantly targeting spring.

But perhaps because it was spring, songs with love as their theme were showing their presence all over the charts. There were even many songs that had the word love in their titles.

There were also some odd songs.

‘Stronger by Kelly Clarkson.’

After the broadcast of ‘The Unknown Singer’ featuring Baek Seol-ha, ‘Stronger’ immediately rose to the top of the music charts.

The impact of Baek Seol-ha’s stage was that great, and the public’s response was also hot.

‘I’m looking forward to when Seol-ha’s true identity is revealed.’

As Sungpil was scanning the TOP100 chart, the name ‘CAUS’ caught his eye.

‘The debut song Chaos is still in the top 30.’

‘Gaia’ is in the top 50.

The title song of the album, ‘Time’, which most recently achieved legendary sales for a contemporary girl group, was barely hanging on to the top 50.

It was amazing that all of a group’s title songs were still on the charts after so long.

In comparison, all of Girls’ League’s songs were out of the charts.

‘I can’t help it.’

It’s been over a year since Girls’ League hasn’t released an album in Korea.

When they make a comeback, songs from their previous albums also tend to have a rebound effect and climb the charts.

Even KARA was still holding strong on the charts thanks to the influence of ‘Time’ that was released a few months ago. No matter what anyone says, they are clearly destined to become the best girl group of the current generation.

‘We should make a comeback in May at the earliest, or in June or July at the latest.’

After a long hiatus, the Girls’ League will make its first appearance in the world.

Seongpil hoped for a good result. No, it didn’t end with just wishing, but he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the work.

What’s different is that he doesn’t wield absolute power as the main producer.

‘I’m not leading from the front, each part of Garo Enter is moving in step with me.’

Seongpil is limited to assisting in producing rather than showing leadership.

It is meant to preserve Baekseolha’s autonomy while also giving each part of Garo Enter a chance to grow.

Of course, if Sungpil were to run around and get involved in all areas like he did in his previous albums, things would go much faster. He could also move forward with unity.

But Seongpil didn’t do that.

I’ve been determined to do this for a long time.

‘I won’t end up like Yoon Sang-yeol.’

Yoon Sang-yeol is a capable producer.

I realized it painfully in my past life.

He is like a team just by being there. He controlled all the production aspects of Success Entertainment as a one-man team.

That’s why the company couldn’t do anything more than support Yoon Sang-yeol.

‘Success Entertainment was bigger than KS Entertainment. But in the end, it couldn’t achieve the same cultural achievements as KS Entertainment. It was just bigger, but it couldn’t exert leadership or influence in the industry as a leader.’

Success Enter in my previous life was nothing more than patching up rags and making them bigger.

Kim Tae-hoon’s aggressive business expansion.

The growth of artists relying on the power of individuals like Yoon Sang-yeol.

There are bound to be limitations.

‘In order for Garo Enter to cultivate creative capabilities like KS Enter, a system led by one person cannot become rigid.’

Sungpil decided to end his role as a director as a producer. He now wanted to become a supporter and help maximize the capabilities of the Garo Entertainment staff.

‘So far, everything is going well.’

Preparations for a comeback are underway with Baek Seol-ha appointed as the first producer of the Girls’ League.

So far, there doesn’t seem to be any significant friction.

A producer has many responsibilities.

First is budget management.

‘I’m helping with this.’

The second is human resources management.

‘It’s well distributed in the right places.’

The third is time management.

‘There’s nothing distorted yet. The schedule is proceeding as expected.’

Fourth, production management.

Overseeing the entire music production process.

Although grandiose, what Sungpil identified as the core elements of production management were simple.

Coordinating well between proud artists and ensuring the production flows smoothly. That’s all.

‘If you tell me this, I have no worries.’

I don’t think that Baek Seol-ha, with her gentle personality, would hurt anyone.

Besides, since she is a child who speaks out when it comes to work, I am not too worried about Baek Seol-ha’s mental state.

‘Everything is going well… … .’

“You were here.”

While I was feeling the pleasant spring breeze, I heard Baek Seol-ha’s voice from behind.

Before Seongpil could even look back, Baek Seol-ha sat down across from him.

“Did you find me?”

“Yes. I came because you said you were here.”

Seongpil checked the time.

At this time, I should be having a meeting with the A&R team about the song.

‘Ah, it worked out well and ended quickly.’

Composing music is a very strange thing.

When things don’t work out, it can take months, but once things go smoothly, it can be over in just a few dozen minutes.

“Sir. I… … .”

Snow White seemed to be in trouble.

Her lips hesitated to let out a voice, as if she didn’t know whether or not she should tell this story.

“Is it something personal? Well, the weather is nice so I want to go for a drive. Want to take a drive around?”

Seongpil’s joke did not go unanswered. His expression was still serious. Seongpil just smiled, embarrassed.

“what’s the matter?”

When Seongpil asked, Baekseolha finally opened her mouth as if she had made up her mind.

“My brother Ji-eum… … .”

The story was short.

Seongpil, who had heard everything, repeated the story Baek Seol-ha had told him as if he could not believe it.

“Ji-eum, are you saying that you deliberately don’t pay attention to your songs?”

“Yes. My brother Ji-eum… … .”

Baek Seol-ha tightly held her hand that was on the table.

“My brother Ji-eum is pushing ‘Uparupa’ as our title song.”

“So you’re saying you’re deliberately not paying attention to ‘Apple Crush’? Does that mean you’re slacking off?”

To fulfill your desires?

“yes.”

Baek Seol-ha nodded vaguely.

“It’s ‘Apple Crush.’ The guide recording is almost done, but it’s not finished yet. But my brother, my brother Ji-eum… … .”

I’m still only looking after ‘Uparupa’.

“This is too much… … . The song selection vote is coming up soon, but if we keep doing this, it means we should just throw away ‘Apple Crush’… … .”

“Did you tell the author too?”

“… … .”

“You tried it.”

And it seems like I didn’t get a satisfactory answer.

Seongpil woke up.

“I’ll tell the author.”

Seongpil entered the building and headed to Jeong Ji-eum’s studio.

One of the producer’s jobs is production management. The key is to properly manage conflicts among production team members.

‘I thought everything was going well.’

What Baek Seol-ha said was shocking.

And it’s just horrible.

Because the music producer is ignoring the artist’s requests because of his own likes and dislikes.

If that’s true… … .

‘You can’t just let it go.’