Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 551



Only Noblemtl

Episode 551

The ‘Automata’ music video enters the bridge after the second verse ends.

What the Girls’ League has shown so far is the image of perfect dolls. They dance and sing intensely without distorting their expressions at all.

The background is just an artificial place.

In the middle of a forest made of paper crafts.

A well-groomed, artificial square.

A room with black metal material on all sides.

They are, after all, dolls, beings artificially created by humans, and they only exist within artificial spaces.

‘at las.’

Yoon Sang-yeol resumed the breathing he had been holding without realizing it.

The bridge part, which leads to the final highlight at the end of the intense second verse performance.

Finally, a section where the members can take a breather has arrived. In a sound that is almost empty compared to before, the Girls’ League begins a chorus reminiscent of Gregorian chant.

Maintaining a low-pitched one-note melody (a melody line consisting of only one note), the members enter the booth they were in and shout toward the glass wall.

[Sing this song to victory

Higher Stage Higher

[To the end of the dawn road mixed with darkness]

It’s like a folk song that protesters used to sing. It’s not so much the lyrics, but the atmosphere is similar because it was made by Haneum Production.

Easy to sing and doesn’t require much effort… … .

‘Are you conserving your strength here?’

I guess there will be an incredible performance after this.

Yoon Sang-yeol stared quietly at the screen.

Finally, the music stopped.

Yoon Sang-yeol furrowed his brows. He didn’t like this kind of directing in music videos.

That is, turning off the music to create a scene.

‘This music video has no story, and yet they’re directing it like this… ‘

At that moment, the camera zoomed in on Jo Ara’s face. As soon as the music stopped, Jo Ara tilted her head.

Then the other members also fell limp. They just stood there like toys that had lost their power.

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds… … .

‘It’s long.’

It is a music video with endless scene changes and intense performances.

When a scene like this suddenly appears, I naturally look forward to the next scene with the thought that it’s ‘long’. No, I get annoyed and want the next scene to come out quickly.

‘If I do something like this on a real stage, all eyes will be on Ara.’

Surely there would be no such long gap in the original song.

That was when.

3 seconds.

Joara, who had been bowing her head, suddenly looked forward. Music started playing.

[victory!]

With the cheers starting again.

[fight!]

All the walls that confined them collapsed.

[liberation!]

A human dance, not a puppet, unfolded.

* * *

The end of verse 2.

Highlight Phase 2.

Joara, who was standing on stage, felt her breath hitch even though she wasn’t singing.

The lights are so bright that they blind you. Above all, it’s hot. The thin piece of cloth covering your body feels thicker than any leather in the world.

Hot, hot, painful, difficult, all at the same time.

‘It reaches.’

The feeling of moving as one with the members gave her an incomparable sense of fulfillment.

There were over a hundred spectators in the audience.

Outside the audience seats, you could see employees from other companies and idols who had come to watch the live broadcast.

‘Everyone, me, no.’

Watching us.

Stare at the Girls’ League.

To see the end of ‘Automata’.

‘Look around as much as you want.’

End of verse 2.

Jo Ara, who is at the very front, walks towards one end of the stage. Shin A-reum, Jang Ha-yang, Baek Seol-ha, and Rika follow her in turn.

[Sing this song to victory.]

The bridge section is the only resting area to conserve energy for the final highlight.

[Higher Stage Higher]

All members sing in one voice, low but loud, keeping the format of the song.

All members sing it, but it puts more pressure on Baek Seol-ha. She is the only one who can perform like this and show off her perfect live vocals to the people.

In fact, people will listen to Baek Seol-ha’s voice the loudest. Because of her, the other members can relieve their vocal strength and conserve their stamina.

[To the end of the dawn road mixed with darkness]

I feel sorry for Baek Seol-ha. But at the same time, I feel grateful.

Not only to her, but to all the members, I am only grateful.

With the support of all members, there is a point that Joara must reach.

This is the beginning.

‘Go.’

The afterimage part, start.

* * *

The Girls’ League on stage walked to the end of the stage and lined up in a single line. It seemed as if the people in front were obscured by the people behind them, making it impossible to see them.

‘No, I can see the head of the person behind me.’

Joara was in the front, and they were standing almost in reverse order of height.

While thinking that way, Siace’s Kyuyoung watched the performance with interest.

This type of choreography is common in K-pop. It is the position often used in group dances, commonly called ‘Thousand-Armed Guanyin’.

Or, a large group with many members may run forward one after another as if expressing an afterimage.

‘The bridge is a completely resting part.’

If it’s the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara dance, you’ll have to keep your feet still so you can rest, and if it’s the jumping forward, some of you are guaranteed a rest.

Choreography that only means rest… … .

“uh?”

no.

All members dance the same dance.

It wasn’t because of that that Gyuyoung was surprised. It was the dance they showed.

‘Korean dance?’

There is a sense of leisure in the slow steps. The hand that is swung only once has a weight that seems to catch the wind.

And Rika, who was standing at the very back, stopped moving while performing a Korean dance.

It’s an afterimage.

Next, the members jumped up. Then they lightly landed on the floor, showing off their graceful steps and arm movements.

Snow White stopped in a pose like a butterfly fluttering in the spring breeze.

‘The dance genre changes every second.’

That’s why it’s amazing.

And then, your eyes should go to the person in front. Because, with the genre of dance changing every few seconds, your eyes can’t help but be drawn to the spectacle.

But Gyuyoung’s eyes went to those who had stopped one by one, to the afterimages.

“… … .”

Gyuyoung’s heart ached.

He is the main dancer of C.A.S.E.

The main dancer is someone who doesn’t get much attention in a sense. K-pop is all about performance, but in the end, it’s all about the song. People have to listen to it for them to see the dance.

Dancing always takes a back seat.

He too used to be full of passion.

‘People will definitely see this dance.’

I’ll pay attention.

I too will become popular like our team’s main vocalist, and my dancing will become a hot topic, so I will be able to contribute to the team.

I’m the main dancer so I have to be cool.

You have to dance in a way that steals people’s attention.

That’s what I thought, and I thought I could be recognized for my dancing.

But that wasn’t the case.

‘Dancing, or rather, the individual who dances, is surprisingly… … .’

Can’t get any attention.

No matter how well you dance, in the end it is just a part of a group dance. Few people are interested in the dance that Gyuyoung has honed with all her heart and soul.

No matter how much attention to detail he pays.

No matter how much better you are than others.

In the end, they are pushed out by those in other positions.

Dancing is just a side thing after all.

however.

“haha…….”

The remnants of the Girls’ League display dance.

Fix it as if it were nothing and show it to people.

Dance is language.

As soon as it is used, it disappears into thin air.

The art of squandering that cannot be stuffed.

Dance exists only in the time that has disappeared. However, the Girls’ League preserves dance in that time that has disappeared and exhibits it to the public.

“awesome…….”

The members who stopped as an afterimage seem to be saying this. Our dance was so beautiful in the disappearing time.

Gyuyoung has been diligently writing about the art of dance for the sake of the air. The moment that dance exists is only a moment, so people do not recognize it well.

The Girls’ League forcibly held that in the air.

They force people’s eyes onto themselves and onto the dance.

The beauty of the moment, which eventually fades away in an instant, is forcibly captured and made to realize this.

Gyuyoungdo and everyone else realized it.

What the Girls’ League is trying to show.

A stuffed animal of time.

And before they can even begin to linger, people’s eyes turn to Jo Ara.

The music stopped.

Was this a broadcasting accident?

‘no.’

Joara moves.

While the other members stand still like wind-up dolls, only Jo Ara stares ahead.

* * *

Among the members, Jo Ara is more proficient in dancing than any other member.

Naturally, she is the best dancer in the Girls’ League.

That is, the first task for the afterimage part is for the members to follow Joara’s dance.

‘Thank you, everyone.’

First afterimage.

Joara expressed her gratitude to the members inwardly.

How much did it take to practice to get to this stage?

How stressed were the members?

‘thank you so much.’

Second afterimage.

Every time I came out of this part, Joara felt like this.

The members are pushing me from behind.

‘Thank you for coming this far.’

The third afterimage.

Rika, Baek Seol-ha, and Jang Ha-yang.

In turn, he pushes Joara’s back.

Don’t worry and do whatever you want, we’re behind you.

‘thank you.’

The fourth afterimage, and the last afterimage.

It was Shin A-reum’s turn. Jo A-ra was sure that she was a perfect match for her.

The performance was perfect.

‘now.’

Everything is to get here.

‘Everyone is looking at me.’

The music stopped.

Naturally, all eyes turned to Jo Ara. With the music stopped and the lights dimmed, Jo Ara was the only one moving.

‘Look only at me. At my body.’

There is no song, no music, nothing. The only thing you can see on this stage, the only thing you have to see is Jo Ara’s body.

That is, Joara’s dance becomes everything on stage.

‘Just 3 seconds.’

In the time allowed only to her.

In a vacuum state that has reached the end of the afterimage.

With all the longing and anticipation in my heart.

‘Absolute Dance.’

This is pure dance, excluding music.

Joara’s movements swallow up time and space.

The pinnacle of expressionism, which died out 60 years ago, and the greatest experiment in the history of dance.

Absolute Dance is revived for just 3 seconds.

The dance is improvisational. It has to be improvisational.

The very commercial reason that Lee Jae-ho claimed.

‘If the dance is different for each stage, wouldn’t the number of views increase because it’s fun to find it? If Ara can do it.’

And the very artistic reason that Seo Yu-seon insisted on.

‘If Ara can do it, this would be the best. Since dance is an expression of emotions, if it’s the purest dance, it should express the emotions at that moment.’

Soon, Joara begins to move.

The surroundings are surprisingly quiet. Not even the usual coughing or swallowing sounds can be heard.

The only sound that could be heard through the speakers was the sound of her shoes rubbing against the floor.

She didn’t move violently.

Rather, it was static. The quiet movement attracted attention from all sides. And yet, it was so unified that it seemed like an extension of the afterimage part.

1 second.

‘i get it.’

What I felt while working on this project with numerous choreographers.

Every dance has roots.

There is a circle.

2 seconds.

‘I see, I see.’

To reach this moment, I danced in silence hundreds and thousands of times. And now, finally, something is beginning to show.

Just like the original ‘bad’ seen in ‘Aoa’, Joara reached it.

In the original form.

‘It was you, Isadora.’

Isadora Duncan appears.

The first dancer to elevate original choreography to the level of art. Before she appeared, mankind did not even have the concept of ‘dance as an expression of individual personality.’

She did not use dance to tell stories like ‘The Nutcracker’ or ‘Swan Lake’.

It’s not a made up story, it’s a story that he created himself.

Teacher and mother of all dancers.

‘Thanks to you.’

Her life flashed before Joara’s eyes.

When I was a girl, I loved dancing in the village.

A youth that received acclaim in the United States, Europe, and even in Russia, the empire of ballet.

But she was too old to stand on stage. She had begged.

‘I want to dance. I just want to dance.’

Still, she couldn’t stand on stage. No one would put her on stage.

For a dancer, youth is a blessing and old age is a curse.

And Joara is in the blessing.

There is a dance that can only be performed in blessings.

There is a level that I will never be able to reach again after this moment passes. No, even if I do reach it, I will never be able to stand on stage and appear in front of people.

Isadora died alone under the curse of the dancer.

But Isadora’s dance is immortal.

Every dancer immortalizes her.

The branch of dance stretches out forever, and now on the last branch.

‘I am standing.’

3 seconds.

Absolute Dance is over.

Other members also start to move.

After a brief moment, less than a second, the song starts playing.

‘This is a reckless performance.’

It’s a complete mess and a total mess.

But Joara decided to do it this way.

I decided that this was a performance that could only be done with this age, this body, this mind, and this skill.

As time goes by, you can’t do it.

so.

‘I have no regrets.’

She sings.

[Victory! Fight! Liberation!]

The final highlight.

Everyone’s resolution.

Of one’s own will.

‘This is mine.’

Towards the world.

‘Idolism.’

Shout out.

* * *

The once bustling restaurant fell into silence.

All the employees hold their breath and stare at the television. The eerie silence naturally creates a vacuum.

All eyes are on a girl on television.

Okay.

The main dancer of the Girls’ League.

In a vacuum that sucks up all attention, in the stopped time, only Joara’s dance cuts through the air.

1 second.

2 seconds.

3 seconds.

After that, and the melody of ‘Automata’ is heard, the sound of breathing spreads throughout the restaurant.

“Isn’t this a broadcasting accident?”

Jeong Ho-hwan answered Director Yoon Hee-yeon’s question.

“It was intentional.”

It is an intentional silence and stillness.

These three seconds of silence may not be noticeable when you just listen to the music, but when brought out into the realm of performance, it becomes a wonderful device.

Sometimes, the disappearance of sound is more noticeable than a sudden burst of loud noise.

And what unfolds is the highlight performance of the first verse. The dance that made the members drenched in sweat with just the first verse is recreated.

“These guys are really great. They’ve sharpened their knives.”

Director Yoon Hee-yeon was purely impressed.

Jeong Ho-hwan felt more than admiration. He was reminded of Seo Yu-seon from Darkest.

‘At the concert… … .’

There was a time when Seo Yu-seon ignored her assigned part during one of Darkest’s concerts.

All eyes were on him.

His aura had captured the hearts of tens of thousands of spectators. Only then did he resume his performance.

No, the condition for starting the performance was that the audience’s gaze was focused on him.

Aura, the power to captivate everyone.

He seemed to have finally found his strength at that concert and set his soul on fire.

Jeong Ho-hwan seemed to have seen it again.

Highlight Phase 1.

“When these guys finish their performance, can we all applaud together? Just looking at them makes me want to applaud.”

“me too.”

Jung Ho-hwan believes that dance is all about formal beauty. Expressing emotions is possible through highly calculated facial expressions.

The expression of emotion in dance is a criterion that cannot be objectively evaluated. The only criterion for dance is the perfection of the movements.

I have always believed so.

Highlight Phase 2.

“It’s over now. Now, everyone, get ready to applaud!”

But after seeing the Girls’ League on stage, my thoughts are changing.

Isn’t dance about emotions?

Why, there are cases like that.

Or clenching your fists and throwing them toward the sky in joy. Or staggering and writhing in sorrow. Or waving your arms in anger.

Expressing emotions that cannot be expressed in words through the body.

Isn’t that dancing?

Isn’t it a language that anyone can understand and accept? Expressing emotions through the language of dance.

therefore…….

“It’s over now… … Huh?”

“More, more?”

“There’s one more part? At the end?! These kids are gonna die!”

Dance is truly an expression of emotion.

Jung Ho-hwan smiled while watching Jo Ara on TV. Jo Ara was also smiling. When he saw her, his expression naturally followed suit.

Highlight Phase 3.

A powerful stride and intense expressiveness that surpasses all previous movements.

Joa seems to be saying it with her facial expressions and also with her dance.

‘Look at me,’ he said.

Joara’s dance is shouting out to the world.

* * *

Ending pose.

After finishing her ‘Automata’ performance, Joara struck an ending pose and looked only at the camera in front of her.

The version that will be broadcast is the pre-recorded version that the Girls’ League recorded in the morning. The reason they perform on time for the live broadcast is solely because of the audience that came to the broadcast.

Naturally, the audience is a mix of fans from various groups, mostly fans of boy groups that are active and numerous.

Usually, the fans tend to suppress the cheers of other groups who are competitors. To make up for that, when their own group comes out, the fans intentionally raise their voices.

But the Girls’ League doesn’t seem to need that.

“───!”

A shout that I couldn’t even tell what was being shouted filled my ears.

As if it was going to penetrate the earpiece, Joara’s serious expression disappeared and she smiled seductively without realizing it.

Then the female audience members screamed even louder.

‘Oh, what is this?’

It’s a landslide victory.

The ending pose is surprisingly long.

Since the recording will be broadcast anyway, the members visit fans and blow kisses or wave their hands during that time.

Joara also committed a slight deviation that she had not done during the pre-recording. She looked around the audience with her eyes.

Then, the person I was looking for appeared in the hallway leading to the audience seats.

‘mister.’

Joara looked at him and raised her head confidently.

‘Did you see that?’

This time, there is no need for his evaluation.

You can tell just by looking at Seongpil’s face.

Joara reached where she wanted to be.

While she was so sure, Sungpil also thought to himself.

Performance by the Girls’ League.

‘It’s 100 points.’

* * *

After Yang So-min left, Yoon Sang-yeol waited for the music show recording to be uploaded to iTube after the music video was released.

I saw it as soon as it came out.

I saw it again and again.

With a deep sense of defeat, he felt a feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Yoon Sang-yeol sank deep into his chair.

‘I am…….’

Why did you start liking idols?

Why do you live as a composer and producer?

You received a good education, so why did you choose to become an idol?

Because I’m Korean?

Is it because Korean popular music is idol, or K-pop?

no.

There was no reason to earn a living like that.

‘Because it’s good.’

Because I like idols.

Yoon Sang-yeol was impressed by the first generation idols when he was young.

There is a fresh song. There is a great dance. There are handsome and pretty people. This is really new and amazing and beautiful and cool.

Later, he realized that it was a Japanese and American scam and was a bit shocked, but anyway, Yoon Sang-yeol came to like idols.

“under…….”

Yoon Sang-yeol let out an inexplicable sigh, resting his elbows on the desk and resting his chin on his hand.

As I was thinking about how to express this feeling, a story my father told me a long time ago came to mind.

Yoon Sang-yeol’s father graduated from a university in Japan. This was possible because his family was wealthy, and he followed the elite path to make his family even wealthier.

That father always listens to Beatles or Surfin’ USA songs on records at home.

He asked if I wasn’t bored.

There are so many new and good songs, so why do we always listen to the same ones?

‘To me, this is the best music.’

One day, when I was in college, my father was listening to the radio at a friend’s house. The song that was playing on the radio was the famous Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

My father said he felt like he had been hit in the head. And he said he thought this.

‘This is absolutely amazing. This is music I’ve never heard before in my life. It’s so new. I love it.’

It was an innovation that only those who lived in the same generation as the Beatles could feel.

The Beatles’ song form, which was innovative, is neither new nor particularly good for modern people to listen to, as it is now easy for anyone to use.

It is an admiration that only contemporaries could feel.

That admiration and happiness were forever engraved in my father’s heart.

‘The Beatles will always be the newest singer to me.’

Everyone has moments like that.

Yoon Sang-yeol understands that feeling.

People’s tastes are permanently fixed in the music they listened to in their teens or twenties. To them, that music was the most innovative, and later on, it became the most familiar, so they only listen to that.

About 10 years have passed since the revival of idols, the second generation.

People who listened to that song in their teens say this when they are in their 20s.

‘I liked the song back then. I don’t listen to the songs these days because they’re weird and difficult.’

People change so much in just 10 years.

These days, teenagers are all crazy about those weird and difficult songs.

For the same reason, Yoon Sang-yeol understands the recent trot craze.

Would the elderly, who used to listen to trot all day and night, not be able to turn their eyes and get tired of it when young, pretty, and handsome kids sing the music of their youth?

It seems that human taste in music stops forever in youth.

‘And that’s what I, as a producer, have to be most wary of.’

Yoon Sang-yeol must always remain young.

You must always be young.

But these days, I’ve forgotten that feeling. I’ve been forcibly following trends. I’ve been forcibly trying to fit into global standards.

I didn’t enjoy music, I just studied.

Because if you don’t study, all you can think about is ‘Why is this good? Why am I listening to this?’

His heart grew old, naturally, along with all the people in the world.

however.

“under.”

Yoon Sang-yeol let out a short laugh. Then he looked at the Girls’ League that appeared on the monitor.

‘Am I still okay?’

Like when my father first heard the Beatles.

Just like when Yoon Sang-yeol first saw the first generation idols.

And just like when I gave birth to Darkest.

He felt it this time too.

Newness and innovation that only our contemporaries can feel.

Yoon Sang-yeol once again thought back to the thoughts his father had recalled from his college days.

‘This is truly amazing. This is music I’ve never heard before in my life. It’s so new. I love it… … .’

Let me change it a little.

‘This is a performance I’ve never seen in my life… … something like that.’

Yoon Sang-yeol covered his eyes with his arms.

I laughed like that, but then I started sobbing.