Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 412



Only Noblemtl

Episode 412

An empty room with a black background.

In the center there is a single round chair.

A door is heard opening, and a person enters the camera angle.

[Hello, this is Seol-ha from the Girls’ League.]

Snow White seemed to be unable to bear the awkward situation, so she smiled shyly and tried to appear natural.

Her fingers ran absentmindedly over the armrests of the chair.

[Yes, I became the first batter for the ‘Our Producing’ project. Yay… … .]

The screen reflected the past.

Our producing meeting a few months ago.

In a solemn atmosphere where no one could move their mouth even once, the members were just avoiding one man’s gaze.

[Girls’ League Main Producer Park Sung-pil]

Seongpil moved his eyes around in an atmosphere where it was difficult to breathe.

Finally he said.

[Well, there are no applicants. Then let’s start with Seol-ha.]

silence.

[… … Huh?]

As the screen returned to the present, Baekseolha cried out in a state of resentment.

[Isn’t this just ridiculous?!]

The staff outside the camera angle burst into laughter. Baek Seol-ha glared at them and sighed as if she had no choice.

[That’s how I became the first producer. First of all, what is ‘our producing’?… ]

Baek Seol-ha explained the project.

There was no script. She just spoke about what she thought the project meant.

[Director Park had often said this to us before we debuted. He said that since we thought about it, there would be something we could express better. To be honest… … I was really scared. That’s because when I was practicing to become an idol, I never thought that a moment like this would come.]

Baek Seol-ha became an idol simply because she liked idols who shine on stage.

I only looked at the light on stage and had no interest in what was happening in the darkness behind the stage.

[Before I became a member of Girls’ League, I never thought that it would take tens or hundreds of people to create an idol group. Right? I thought it would be enough to just make a song, make a dance, put on a costume, and send them on stage… ]

It was a task that required much more effort and people than I could have imagined.

[When I was young and liked idols, I used to blame the company for making comebacks so slowly. Now I understand. If they make a comeback once every six months, I think, ‘Wow, the company is really squeezing people out.’ Huh? Ah… … .]

Snow White smiled bitterly.

[Our ‘Ani’ and then ‘Long For’ were really hell. We made a comeback after 4 months, right? At that time, we hated our company staff, but now that I think about it, I think they must have had a hard time too. Yeah, anyway.]

Baekseolha has acquired a lot of knowledge through her two years of idol activities.

Using that experience, Baek Seol-ha becomes a producer.

[Please keep an eye on my producing in the future.]

What do you want to express?

[What? Um, I decided on love… … That’s because we’re at an age where we’re most interested in love, right? There’s no other time when we can be as absorbed in love as we are in our 20s… … .]

A shadow fell over Baek Seol-ha’s face. She looked like a prisoner in prison.

[So, now we want to show you the love that only we can express.]

Are you releasing it as an album?

[Yes, it’s an album. I’m thinking of mini volume.]

Have you decided on a title for the album?

[… … Don’t you know everything?]

[Seolha, this is a video to show to the fans… … .]

[Ah, ah! Sorry! Again!]

Snow White made a gesture of crossing her hands as if asking for a cut. Of course, as you can see, it wasn’t cut at all.

Snow White fixed her bangs and polished her expression as if she was starting anew.

[What’s the album title? The title is… … .]

Intro: Love.

[‘Intro, Love’]

If it’s an intro, does that mean that the worldview and story of the album will continue in the future, like the Girls’ League trilogy album series?

[Ah, actually, I don’t know much about that part. But I think organic nature is also taken into consideration when our members take charge of producing. That’s because the topic of love also came up during our discussions.]

Wasn’t Seol-ha chosen because she’s interested in love?

[… … Yes, well, anyway. The members said that since I was the starter, it would be good if the album name included the word ‘intro’. I thought it was good too, so I decided on this. Okay, then.]

Snow White got up and approached the camera.

[Please look!]

A few months ago again.

The first concept meeting for ‘Our Producing’.

Snow White was holding a folder in her arms like an office worker heading to a conference room. She looked at the camera with the aforementioned face.

[Oh, I’m so nervous. I even drank milk, which I usually don’t drink, to calm down before coming… ]

Snow White knocked on the conference room door.

Inside, there were employees from various departments of Garo Enter. Baekseol nodded to them and sat down in her seat.

As the meeting began, Baek Seol-ha went to the front of the conference room and explained the concept plan she had come up with.

In other words, the content was that ‘summer’ and ‘love’ were confirmed as the full-fledged concepts.

Then one person raised his hand.

[Yes, yes, Director Son.]

The camera focused on Son Hye-bin.

She kept a serious expression on her face, but then she couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.

[What does a 25 year old know about expressing the rise, development, turn, and conclusion of love! Ahahahaha, I’m laughing so hard I’m dying!]

Snow White’s dumbfounded expression is zoomed in.

[… … Huh?]

[End of ‘Our Producing’ prologue.]

Kim Chae-hyun’s expression after finishing her appreciation was complex and subtle.

The Soviets’ comeback is confirmed, and it will happen in the summer. It could happen as quickly as two months.

But I didn’t feel refreshed.

Kim Chae-hyun quickly checked the comments.

[Is this a variety show for real?]

[Are the Soviets really producing this?]

[Seolha is so cute~]

[I’m looking forward to it, but I’m also worried.]

[The company will take care of managing it well.]

[I came to see the ‘cute genius who also sings well’. I thought ‘a cute genius who also sings well’ was right, but after watching this video, the cuteness definitely stands out more.]

[The Soviet Union didn’t have a concept of releasing seasonal songs… ]

[Has the Soviet Union lifted its ban on dating?]

[The rise and fall of love expressed by a 25-year-old… … .]

The comments were not as refreshing as Kim Chae-hyun’s feelings. Many people were happy about the comeback of the Girls’ League, but that joy was mixed with worry.

‘Is Seol-ha really in charge of producing?’

It’s not uncommon these days for idols to be able to produce their own music. There are even groups that use that as a sales strategy.

There are even fans who go around selling the song, saying, “When our kids prepare for a comeback, the only thing they pay for is the electricity bill. They create all the choreography and songs themselves. It’s really impressive. ㅠㅠ”

But that’s only common in boy groups.

‘Among girl groups, there are those that produce their own music… ‘

Kim Chae-hyun folded her fingers one by one. Then she stopped at three.

Even Kim Chae-hyun, who had lived on the stone plate for a long time, could only think of three groups. No, it was embarrassing to even count them by group.

Even those three examples only happened to include one person in the group who had talent and interest in producing.

‘Rather, female idols tend to do a lot of their own producing when they make solo comebacks… … .’

I think this is definitely the first project in the history of idols where the group itself jumped into producing.

‘Oh, this isn’t the first time.’

There was one among the boy groups.

There is a group where all members have produced albums and even made solo debuts.

So, Girls’ League should be said to be the first girl group. There are girl groups that debuted solo or made comebacks, but there is no case where the entire group advertised, “We’re producing!” like this…

‘This is really my first time.’

So I don’t know what the outcome will be.

‘however.’

Kim Chae-hyun was still anxious.

‘Can Seol-ha compose songs?’

This was the point where Kim Chae-hyun felt uneasy. No, it was the reason why the people were expressing their concerns in the comments.

When people hear the word ‘producing’, they naturally think of ‘composition’.

When we say ‘producer’, we think of ‘composer’.

The public is not familiar with the concept of producing. It is not well known that there are various parts to producing and that producing is the work of planning and executing it.

So, Kim Chae-hyun and most people misunderstood that Girls’ League was producing and composing.

‘All the members compose songs… does that make sense?’

* * *

The agenda submitted by PR team member Kang Ji-hye was enough to make Seong-pil flustered.

“Do the fans know that Seol-ha composes the songs?”

“That’s the atmosphere.”

So, he said he is very worried.

Of course, when idol members release songs they composed themselves, fans like them. But that’s because they’re fans.

It is usually difficult for idols’ songwriting skills to be on par with professional composers. Idols’ self-composed songs are often seen as fan service.

“This is… … .”

Seongpil’s head became complicated after seeing the data organized by Kang Jihye.

‘Where should I start telling you?’

The misunderstanding is deep.

No, this is not a misunderstanding, but rather… … .

‘Everyone’s understanding is completely different.’

This is the first time I realized that the word ‘producing’ can be interpreted in so many different ways.

‘If this is the case… … Seol-ha might get criticized for even listing her name as a composer in the song credits?’

If you look at the song’s credits, there are cases where multiple people are listed for composition and arrangement. These days, that’s the case for most songs. Co-composition has become the norm.

There was a time in the past when idols would get a lot of hate if they had their name listed in the credits for composing a song.

He said that he proudly put his name on it while only lifting a spoon.

‘Some people think producing is composing. I think of it as writing a song by yourself, not just composing.

This was an unexpected situation for Sungpil and his staff, who were well aware of the meaning of producing as they were in the industry.

“What should I do?”

Kang Ji-hye asked.

Seongpil spoke blankly, reading the materials she had prepared.

“Should I at least provide an explanation?”

“Explanation… … .”

Kang Ji-hye smiled weakly.

The word explanation wasn’t the right word to use in this situation, but no other word fit it better.

In order to correct fans’ misunderstandings, efforts at the level of explanation will be necessary.

Kang Ji-hye said in a troubled tone.

“But explaining it in detail is a bit… … .”

If you just write a bunch of text on the Girls’ League channel announcement board, how many people will read it?

Besides, even if you read it, it will probably be like, ‘Actually, that’s not true… ‘, so some people might take it as an excuse.

‘Some people might think that he made a fuss about producing, but then backed out as soon as it became a topic of conversation.’

There will certainly be those who believe that Girls’ League and Garo Enter are distorting the meaning of producing.

To someone who firmly believes that producing is ‘composition’, how would they perceive it if you explained in detail, ‘This is actually what producing is’?

I guess he’ll count the days if he thinks I’m trying to teach him.

‘This is a problem that will be solved when our producing series videos are uploaded one by one. People who watch the series will get to know the entire producing process by watching Seol-ha do her work.’

The problem is that the information is reproduced and amplified before the misunderstanding can be corrected.

“Ms. Jihye.”

Finally, Seongpil’s judgment was made.

“This is something that needs to be corrected at least once to alleviate the fans’ concerns.”

“Shall we post an explanation, or rather, an explanatory statement?”

“No. Let’s film it.”

“Video? Oh, who’s going out? Don’t you need to have some expertise to explain it?”

“I know.”

Joara will go out.

“……why?”

Kang Ji-hye asked again, really unsure of the answer. She even used the tone of voice that should not be used with a director, ‘Why?’

“I have explained a lot about producing to Ara in particular.”

Jo Ara had shown interest in the process of producing an album since ‘Long For’.

Seongpil explained the producing process to her with sincerity every time.

And at some point, whenever Joara had nothing to say to Sungpil, she would ask him industry knowledge, “What is that? What is this?”

“It would be better for a member of the Girls’ League to explain it rather than an old man like me going out and explaining it in detail. If it’s Ara, we don’t even need a script. Let’s just film it and upload it.”

“yes yes!”

* * *

[Joara’s producing briefing session.]

The optimal time for the video generation to focus as much as possible.

Only 10 minutes given!

Joara, dressed in a suit, stood in front of the blackboard and spoke passionately. Her eyes kept going to the stopwatch in front of her and then to the camera angle.

[First, let’s take a quick look at the song production process! Let’s say we’ve finished setting the concept!]

Joara’s appearance reminded me of the Daechi-dong 1st class instructor. This was because Seongpil had been making a fuss, saying, “This is urgent. If we don’t solve this, we’re screwed!”

[Required elements: artist and song! Then, composition, arrangement, vocal recording, and session recording depending on the song are also required! Here, session simply means instruments… … .]

Joara wrote on the blackboard like an earthworm crawling. When it wasn’t as easy as she had thought, she broke the chalk and threw it on the floor.

[Arrangement You’ve only heard about arrangement, but there aren’t many people who know exactly, right? I’ll explain it really simply. The three elements of music are melody, chords, and rhythm. Arrangement is expressing these three elements through instrument arrangement. Right? Easier? It’s controlling the arrangement of instruments that are playing at the same time. That is, that is, it’s placing them here and there so that they don’t hit each other. Okay?]

Three minutes have already passed.

I’ve only explained the arrangement so far!

Joara continued her explanation with a more nervous tone. Sweat formed on her forehead and dripped down her chin.

[The song is out! Then let’s record it! Here, the singer records according to the vocal director and producer’s instructions. However, recording is not just about doing what is actually instructed, but it is the most important part where the singer’s creativity can be displayed… ]

next!

[After finishing the recording, we then move on to mixing! This is the most important part of the entire music producing process, production… … .]

next!

[There are three things to worry about in mixing. Up and down, that is, height and frequency range. Front and back, that is, depth and effects. Left and right, that is, width and panning… … .]

Now that mixing is done, let’s move on!

[Going to mastering!]

5 minutes have passed!

Joara felt like her throat was choking. She took a sip of water and continued her explanation.

[Mastering is the process of adjusting the tone, level, song spacing, and song order of recorded songs… … .]

[Araya, without any technical terms… … .]

[Packaging the product nicely! Next!]

Visual settings that express the song.

[There are many parts to visuals, but the most important visual part in K-pop is the music video! The first thing to consider in this music video is the concept! For example, in our old albums, it is the worldview, the visual story, effects, and devices that express the mood of the song… … .]

next!

[Costume! Costumes are divided into self-made costumes and ready-made styling. Although it is called ready-made styling, there are more cases of alterations than wearing clothes as is. This costume also starts with planning… … .]

next!

[Does putting on makeup require a meeting? I personally like glitter, so around my eyes… … .]

Okay, next!

[Oh, right, choreography! This, this is where you form a performance directing team and, uh, put in the order! You nominate a few dance teams, send them the song, and then receive a draft? It’s really long and hard to choose a team to receive this draft… … .]

next!

[You can use the choreography you received as is or mix and match several of them to create your own! We need a central performance team to oversee this process!]

next!

[Even in the process of mastering this choreography, the artist’s creativity is demonstrated. Especially in the case of facial expression acting, since it is not included in the draft, our expressiveness is important… … .]

The choreography is done now!

[It is better to check the level of completion by doing choreography part by part rather than going through it in a run-through… … .]

9 minutes have passed!

[I’ve said everything I need to say! Lastly, promotion! No matter how good a piece of work is, if people don’t see it or listen to it, it’s meaningless! We’ll promote it in every way we can! Teaser videos, teaser images, media articles, we’ll spread the word everywhere so that at least one more person can know about us!]

and.

[Okay, this is.]

Joara said, panting for breath.

[The entire production process.]

My throat was so dry that I couldn’t speak properly. I had to swallow hard before I could speak properly.

[A position that oversees this process and makes decisions for each process.]

Joara bowed her head.

[They call me producer.]

10 minutes have passed.

Joara’s producing briefing session, end.

* * *

Joara took off her suit and immediately changed into comfortable training clothes.

But as soon as I changed into them, instead of feeling refreshed, I felt uncomfortable.

‘Oh, I wore this the whole time I was practicing.’

The back area is damp.

Joara was thinking about going to get some extra ones, but decided against it. She was going to go practice right away anyway.

She hung her suit roughly on the hook next to the sink. Then, like a nomad who has discovered an oasis, she washed her face in a hurry.

After washing my face cleanly, I dried it with the mini towel provided.

When I looked in the mirror, I saw myself with a dry face without any makeup on. I must have washed my face so thoroughly that there was no makeup caked on.

‘Well, even a bare face is worth seeing.’

Jo Ara often went out without makeup when she did her V Live. Because of that, her live captures often showed her face as lifeless.

Her lips are noticeably more flesh-colored than others, so if she doesn’t put anything on them, she looks like a ghost.

‘The doctor said that the reason why there are so many red tones in makeup is to intentionally create the appearance of excitement and blood rushing to the skin.’

It was said that putting on red makeup on your lips or cheeks was similar to saying, ‘I’m excited.’

So, what I’m saying is that the other person feels sexuality.

‘Does that mean I look non-sexual?’

Rika has a good complexion. Her lips are also red. So even when she’s still, she looks full of energy.

Joara tapped her lips.

‘Wait a minute. So men also look more attractive when they wear red lipstick?’

I remember that the lips of the male idols I met at the broadcasting station were particularly red.

When I think about it, the only thing that comes to mind is the dark color of her lips.

‘Come to think of it, your lips were a little red too. Did you put something on them? Or is that just how they are?’

If you put something on your lips, is it to impress someone? Or is it just a courtesy?

Well, it’s not surprising that she wears makeup, since she sprays perfume every day and uses a sheet mask before going to bed.

At that moment, Joara’s cell phone in her pants rang.

[Uncle’s adopted daughter: Aren’t you done with work yet? Aren’t you coming to practice?]

The moment she saw that message, Joara felt her heart sink. Yeah, I should go practice.

To practice… … .

Joara left the bathroom with her suit bundled up in one arm. Coincidentally, Sungpil was passing by.

“Oh, Araya. You haven’t gone to the practice room yet.”

“I was sweating a lot, so I washed my face.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Are you surprised that I asked you to do this all of a sudden?”

“I was really surprised.”

When I first received the request to explain the process and meaning of producing in 10 minutes, I was nervous, thinking it was some kind of surprise test.

I said I understood right away after hearing the circumstances.

“It was really unexpected.”

“What is it?”

“You remember what I said in much more detail than I thought.”

“I remember, okay? There’s some junk food from the company, so I should explain that much. Do you think I went to Ji-eum oppa or Yui unnie for no reason and harassed them?”

“That’s great, Araya.”

At that moment, Joara had a silly question in her mind.

‘Is there a difference between when you just call me Ara and when you call me Ara? Do you just call me whatever you want?’

I guess you can call it whatever you want.

“How’s practice?”

“It’s just so-so. It’s similar to the old days.”

“Is Seol-ha bothering you too much?”

“I’m used to being bullied. When I first came here, it was hard to learn the new broadcast choreography.”

“Is broadcast choreography very different from street dance?”

“Really, it’s as different as heaven and earth.”

“That’s about it.”

“When are you going to have an explanation session about this?”

Seongpil laughed loudly.

Joara looked at his mouth. Certainly, Sungpil’s lips had a stronger color than others.

“Okay, let’s do it later.”

At that moment, Joara’s cell phone rang again.

[My most adorable Kawaii Rika-chan in the world (Ara-chan, if you edit this, we’ll break up!): I miss Ara-chan ㅜㅠ]

I really have to go now.

Because every minute and second of practice is precious.

‘I have to somehow reach the level the teacher wants. I have to work hard, work hard… … .’

I can’t breathe.

My stomach feels heavy, as if something is stuck in it.

It’s hard to even take one step.

at that time.

“I’m going to go now. Araya, cheer up.”

Seongpil turned his back while greeting.

I was about to bid him farewell, but I quickly walked over to him a few steps and grabbed his sleeve.

Seongpil looked back in surprise.

“Sir, buy me food. I’m hungry.”

“What? It’s only been two hours since lunchtime?”

“At my age, my stomach gets fat quickly. Buy it for me.”

“I?”

The corners of Seongpil’s mouth curved with playfulness.

“You’re richer than me. You’re using me to skip practice. I’m not fooled.”

Sungpil pulled his arm slightly and shook Joara’s hand off. Then, this time Joara grabbed Sungpil’s wrist. Very tightly, as if she didn’t want to let go.

Seongpil’s body froze.

“Oh, Araya?”

“Then I will live.”

“uh?”

“I’m buying it. Then… … do you want to go?”

Seongpil’s eyebrows twitched a few times in embarrassment. And this time, the corners of his mouth curved unnaturally, as if it were forced.

“Our Ara, why are you suddenly like this?”

At that moment, Joara realized.

When Seongpil calls her ‘Our Ara’, she is embarrassed.

“song.”

Joara grabbed Sungpil’s wrist and forcibly led him. Her cell phone rang in her pants, but she didn’t look.