Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 805



Only Noblemtl

Episode 805

Erica and Noah ran around the practice room to the beat of ‘Sweet’, which Rika was DJing.

Holding hand microphones, they maintained eye contact as if there was an audience.

As they entered the drop part after the build-up, Noah and Erica jumped up and down and raised their hands in the air to elicit cheers.

After the stage, Erica and Noah caught their ragged breaths. Noah collapsed on the floor, and Erica picked up her phone in the corner and watched the video Rika had given as an example.

‘This is the stage of EDM vocals… … .’

The song that Rika gave as an example is, according to Garo Enter Manager Ahn Sang-sang, a song that anyone who went to a club 3 years ago would know.

A song by an artist who is gaining attention in the club scene, and the stage was an EDM festival in Korea.

The vocalist never stayed still for a moment in front of an audience of over 10,000 people.

‘I went here, I went there, I ran around like crazy… … .’

The drop in EDM is the chorus, or highlight, in pop. Unlike the song I gave as an example, ‘Sweet’ has lyrics even in the drop.

It’s just repeating short words, so it’s not that burdensome…

‘The tension on stage is high. If you calm down and try to sing well, you’ll end up ruining yourself.’

The ‘Sweet’ stage in ‘Ayumu’s Jukebox’ has no dance. In order to make up for this, the Samurai Girls discussed it, and Rika’s suggestion was accepted.

The idea was to decorate the stage with inspiration from EDM singers. As a result, the stage layout was created to feel like an EDM festival.

‘It’s definitely weird to stand still and sing like a ballad singer in a song with a sweet vibe.’

Still, I’m not sure if this is okay.

‘Ayumu’s Jukebox’ has a rather quiet atmosphere. The stage has a dark tone overall.

But that’s an environmental issue, not a Samurai Girls issue.

‘If it doesn’t fit, that’s fine. We just figured out the best answer.’

A pianist was invited to the club.

I played Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2.

The atmosphere suddenly becomes cold, but that can’t be the pianist’s fault.

Of course, the Samurai Girls stage will not receive such an extremely negative response.

‘Sweet’ just feels like it’s for show, and the real main character is somewhere else.

‘Noah’s lotus.’

Erica looked at Noah who was acting up in front of Rika.

Noah was amazed every time Rika added variations and sounds to ‘Sweet’ while DJing.

“Amazing, I want to learn it too.”

“Haha, one day, Korea’s club scene will also be baptized with Kawaii Bass!”

“Is that so? Is that world coming? I can feel it too. I can feel the overwhelming power in Rika’s DJing. I can feel the sound of the times. I have to prepare for it.”

“I love the song ‘Flori Girl’! You should definitely listen to it!”

“I see. ‘Florigirl’. That’s an unusual name.”

Thanks to Noah’s flattery or sincere compliments, Rika became even more excited and started tapping the launchpad.

Although Rika looks like a puppy excited to receive a treat, her skills are definitely extraordinary. Even Erica, who is a DJ novice, can feel the impact.

‘Why did you train in such a skill that has nothing to do with idols?’

Well, Erika herself is in no position to say anything to Rika. She has also been practicing her guitar skills, which have nothing to do with being an idol.

Erica now turned her gaze away from Noah to another corner.

Seongpil had been sitting there with a blank expression on his face, having lost consciousness for about an hour.

‘Even Director Park is not familiar with electronic music or EDM.’

It is unlikely that he will be able to give advice.

As soon as Sungpil started practicing, he went into a corner on his own. Erika and Noah were flustered, but Rika was used to it.

‘It seems that Rika’s DJ performance at the first Girls’ League concert was also something that Rika had taken the initiative to do.’

In other words, the ‘Sweet’ stage practice is only Rika’s time. And now, Rika’s time is over.

Erica told everyone.

“Shall we move on to ‘Lotus’ now?”

Sungpil’s eyes, which had been blank like a robot that had been hit on the head with a ladle, returned to their original state. He grabbed his knees and straightened his stiff legs.

He approached the samurai girls and twisted his neck from side to side.

“Should we go now?”

“Director Park, don’t you like it so much! You should have at least applauded me while I was practicing!”

“Let’s divide the practice part.”

“ignore?!”

“Rika and Erika, please match the instrumental solo parts. I will supervise Noah’s vocals.”

At Noah’s enthusiastic request, Erica decided to perform a guitar solo.

It would be entirely up to Erica to decide what kind of performance she would do, as she had the experience and ability to do so.

And Sungpil’s realm was to color Noah’s vocals. More precisely, to make her confident in her own voice.

An imaginary line divided the practice room in half, with Erika and Rika occupying half of that space.

Seongpil and Noah were in the other half.

“Noah, have you thought about something?”

“Thoughts… shall we say… … .”

“for a moment.”

Seongpil raised his palm and stopped her from speaking.

“Shall we do it in Japanese?”

“But why?”

“Noah, are you familiar with Japanese?”

Noah wondered if he was really comfortable with Japanese. It didn’t seem like he was.

I’ve been living in Korea for a long time, so I’m more comfortable with Korean than Japanese. The only time I’ve really used Japanese is when I was working with Samurai Girls.

It’s just that my Korean is awkward, but I’m more familiar with Korean.

“not really…….”

“Is that okay? I just wanted to make sure you were using more efficient language to express your ideas.”

“Team Leader Park is kind.”

Noah smiled sheepishly at the unfamiliar hospitality.

“It’s okay. I’m highly intelligent, so Korean is enough. It’s also less embarrassing this way… … .”

shame?

Seongpil was puzzled, but he thought it was just that, so he didn’t ask again.

“I’ll continue what I was saying earlier. I didn’t have anything in mind, I just kept singing. I sang along to the feeling I had at the time, and when I felt like ‘this is it,’ I stuck to it.”

“Uh… … So you’re saying that you adopted the technique of ‘I like this’ while singing?”

“What is adoption?”

“… … .”

First, I listened to the ‘Lotus’ version that Noah fixed. It had changed a lot since the first time I practiced it.

As soon as he finished singing, Noah immediately showed signs of nervousness. This part alone has not been fixed yet.

Seongpil felt bad because he saw a child who was used to being scolded. So he deliberately tried to appear much brighter.

“It’s good? The best part is the end of the second verse, eeeeeeeeee―.”

Seongpil showed off vibrato (a technique of singing by repeatedly moving the pitch up and down to make it vibrate) that left him speechless even when a vocalist sued him, saying, “Are you making fun of us?”

Noah reacted.

A half-open mouth, upper and lower lips sticking out. Eyes that seem to have a strong will.

It’s the expression she makes when she has something to say but is too polite to say it.

“If you have something to say, say it.”

“No. I was surprised that you sang it well. Is that the good part? I thought so too.”

Seongpil took out a printout of the Lotus sheet music and wrote ‘trembling’ in Japanese on that part.

Then Noah was surprised.

“Can I use it?”

“Huh? Yeah. Chinese characters are hard though.”

“I can’t write Chinese characters either.”

“You’re Japanese.”

“If I had gone to high school, I would have gone to liberal arts.”

“Really? But Noah.”

“What?”

“Do you usually speak informally to me?”

Noah’s eyes wavered. Her gaze slanted down, and her lips, which were protruding slightly, let out a small sound.

“That, that’s right.”

“Well, I guess so. I think it would be weirder if you used formal language.”

“That’s right. I’ve been speaking informally to you since we first met.”

After that, the two continued to chat from time to time and completed ‘Lotus’.

Noah felt strange. He didn’t have any particular rest time, but he wasn’t tired. It was completely different from when he practiced as a globetrotter.

No, it was different from when I was training as a Samurai Girl before coming to Japan.

And I also began to think that I was a person who laughed so much.

“Rika, why did you suddenly stop?”

“Oh, yeah! Sorry! I can’t remember the code!”

Rika pressed the synthesizer’s keys once or twice without meaning to, then turned her eyes to look at Seongpil and Noah.

The two of them, speaking informally, exchanged jokes and then laughed loudly. Then, as if they had never laughed before, they quickly moved on to talking about work.

Rika’s index finger weakly pressed the keys.

* * *

Final practice for ‘Lotus’.

We gathered the band session that would perform on stage with us at ‘Ayumu’s Jukebox’ and held a general practice session.

Although only drums and bass were added, the atmosphere was much more lively than when the samurai girls practiced alone with virtual instruments.

Seongpil, who feels more inspired by pop than rock, couldn’t help but feel thrilled at his first performance.

When the allotted practice time was over, Sungpil unconsciously tightened his arms.

‘It’s possible.’

This works.

If you’re a fan of Samurai Girls or an event unit, this is definitely something that will resonate with the general audience as well as fans.

‘If Noah’s story is added to the song… … .’

‘Lotus’ will be completed.

“Thank you for your effort!”

Seongpil sent off the band session with a loud greeting. He then stood in front of the Samurai Girls and praised everyone’s efforts.

“Thank you all for your hard work.”

“Are you trying to match the tone of your speech to Eri-chan?”

“Team Leader Park, being polite isn’t bad either.”

“Samurai Girls. It was a long project if it was long, and a short project if it was short, but the result was better than I imagined. Although not everyone who worked on Samurai Girls gathered together.”

Yoon Sang-yeol, Kang Dong-hyun, Jeong Ji-eum, and Yoon Hee-yeon.

Each of us is in Korea as the end of the year approaches.

Yubin was caught by Seiko and went to film an iTube video.

In order to save Seiko’s iTube channel, which was in a miserable state compared to Ayumu, Seiko brought along the producer of Samurai Girls.

I’m just worried about Yubin’s poor Japanese.

anyway.

“I would like to congratulate you in advance on your accomplishment.”

As Sungpil clapped, the other three also followed suit. There was still one broadcast left, but it would all end tomorrow.

It was an activity that left me with a lot of fatigue and satisfaction.

“Then, I hope you all get some rest today in preparation for tomorrow’s schedule. Okay, let’s disperse!”

Thank you for your effort

As we were about to go get our luggage after saying hello.

“Hey, Team Leader Park.”

Noah caught Seongpil while looking around.

“Is this okay?”

“huh?”

“Practice… Is it okay if I don’t do it anymore?”

“It’s better to rest for tomorrow. Noah, you’re in perfect condition. What matters is whether you can show that perfection in a real match. In weight training, rest is just as important as exercise… .”

“You don’t have to worry about my body.”

Seongpil stopped talking after seeing the desperation in Noah’s eyes.

“If Team Leader Park says he wants to do more, I’ll do it. What do you think… … ?”

It’s getting late.

‘Ayumu’s Jukebox’ recording begins at 6 PM.

I wake up in the morning, do a little practice, go to the shop for styling, and then go straight to the broadcasting station to start recording.

Going back to sleep now was the only rest they could get. Erica and Rika knew that, but they couldn’t blame Noah.

Because they had all experienced the same desperation and anxiety that Noah felt.

A state where you can’t trust yourself even after you’ve finished preparing. A state where you keep doubting yourself and wondering if there’s something lacking.

This is the anxiety that only those without experience will experience.

Seongpil towards Noah like that.

“Then how many more times should we practice?”

I decided to go along with Noah’s wishes. No matter how sweet and reasonable my words were to coax her, I knew she wouldn’t be able to rest properly.

As expected, Noah immediately brightened up.

“It’s okay if you go back, Erica. I’m sorry, Rika, but can you wait a little bit? Or should I call your manager?”

“I’ll wait!”

“then.”

Erica bowed apologetically, carrying her bag on her back.

“I will go first.”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

“Director Park too. Rika, Noah, I’ll go.”

So Noah practiced along to the band’s newly recorded version of ‘Lotus’.

It is not an exercise with a clear goal.

It wasn’t like I was trying to reach a certain point, see new realms, or fix what wasn’t working, it was just singing.

Noah only made noise, but it was a comfort to her that he spent his time like that.

“good.”

Every time I finished a song, Sungpil’s compliments were a comfort to me more than just passing the time.

I said I would practice a few more times, but it turned out to be over 10 times. I brought several humidifiers to increase the humidity, and I drank water to moisten my throat. The number of times I practiced exceeded several dozen.

The time has come for night.

“Noah.”

At that point, Seongpil had to stop it too.

But sooner than that, Noah smiled.

“I know. I’ll stop now.”

Noah smiled sincerely. How did he know it was sincere? Because Sungpil could see her sincerity.

This is not an occult story.

One thing I learned in my past life was that Noah adjusts his facial muscles very delicately when he smiles. The reason was that if he smiles without strength, he looks ugly.

Although it didn’t seem like that to Seongpil, Noah himself said it was like that.

Noah’s smiling face is asymmetrical. One eye is less open.

“Thank you, Team Leader Park.”

For Noah, the perfect stage always followed the standards of others. Those others were none other than Yoon Sang-yeol.

There was a time when I thought to myself, “I’m good.” There was a time when I was proud of myself, judging that the angle of my feet and the tips of my fingers were all perfect.

But after Yoon Sang-yeol pointed out my perfectionism dozens and hundreds of times, my confidence itself disappeared.

“I think I can finally trust myself.”

But after a very long time, Noah began to believe in himself.

“I forgot, it feels good.”

“… … If there is a special idol awards ceremony.”

“Is there such a prize?!”

“If there is, it would be a great honor for Noah.”

Noah pondered what to say, then smiled brightly again.

“I see, am I special?”

* * *

Seongpil and Rika walked to the parked car, seeing off Noah who disappeared in the manager’s car.

Rika wasn’t as noisy as usual. Sungpil thought she was tired from the long practice.

“Director.”

However, as soon as Rika got into the passenger seat, she opened her mouth.

“Do you feel sorry towards Noah-chan?”

“Sorry……?”

Rika twirled her hair with her free hand.

“It came out of Success Entertainment… … .”

Do you feel sorry for leaving the globe behind? So.

“I guess he has feelings for Noah-chan… … and that’s why he intentionally treats her more kindly… … .”

“… … .”

Certainly, I can’t say that I don’t have that kind of feeling.

“Why do you think so? Do I seem kinder to Noah than to you guys?”

Seongpil started the engine and started the car.

“No, that could be a mistake. It could be that the circumstances didn’t allow it. Director Park wasn’t very active in the Samurai Girls Project, was he?”

“It was like that.”

Because Samurai Girls wasn’t a project led by Sungpil.

“But you seem to be very concerned about Noah-chan’s performance. It feels like things don’t fit together… Do you understand?”

“… … Ah, I get it.”

In short, it means that Seongpil seems to be putting in more effort and time than necessary for Noah.

“My heart aches… … .”

Seongpil focused on driving without looking at Rika.

“I have a desire to do well… … but… … .”

The unclear speed of speech, as if it came from thought, and the slurred endings. All of these linguistic techniques supported Seongpil’s sincerity.

“I said I couldn’t help it, but from my perspective, I couldn’t help it. I think the children who were left behind will feel the same way. If I had the chance… … .”

I can’t help but want to do well.

“… …Is that so?”

Rika didn’t ask any more questions after that.

Seongpil didn’t really continue the story. And what he said was a lie.

Of course, after Sungpil left, I feel sorry for the Globe members who are in a situation that is clearly different from their previous life. That is why I feel like I want to take better care of Noah.

However, it is a sad story for both Rika and Noah, but Sungpil is not interested in the ‘lotus’ for such romantic reasons.

Rather, it is an effort that stems from negative emotions.

It was an inferiority complex.

‘I have to be better than Yoon Sang-yeol.’

Since Girls’ League is doing better than Globe, doesn’t that prove the difference as a producer?

That conclusion is not refreshing.

‘Even if the Girls’ League surpasses Caius in every indicator, it’s not like I can beat Director Jeong Ho-hwan.’

The world that Sungpil is in is entertainment, not sports. There are not only results cut with a knife.

People, situations, and times are different.

Many people ignore it, but the biggest factor that affects any success or failure is luck.

This complex world is full of things beyond human control.

‘Even if the Girls’ League outpaces the Globes in terms of metrics, it’s not entirely my fault.’

Rather, Sungpil would like to give credit to the Girls’ League. And to everyone at Garo Enter. If there wasn’t even one person, the current results wouldn’t have been possible.

So then, how can Seongpil’s determination to ‘be better than Yoon Sang-yeol’ be achieved?

‘Beauty.’

Whenever he thinks about the differences between himself and Yoon Sang-yeol, Seong-pil can’t help but think of Shin A-reum.

The absolute throne as a performer, where Shin A-reum sat in her previous life, was Yoon Sang-yeol’s work in terms of production.

I hate to admit it, but Shin A-reum and Yoon Sang-yeol’s styles are a perfect match.

The blinding flames that appeared in the previous life’s Shin A-reum were created by the combination of the two.

Of course, even now, Sungpil has witnessed such a spark of Shin Ah-reum.

A level that far surpasses even one’s own limits as a performer. ‘Louder’ with Kim Min-ju and ‘The King’ presented in ‘Newasa’.

‘Not all of it is my work.’

‘Louder’ and ‘The King’ were composed by Jung Ho-hwan. Also, ‘The King’ is a song by Darkest, so Yoon Sang-yeol played a part.

Shin A-reum was a flame, and is a flame. But now, she is a flame that Seong-pil has never been able to light.

If burning yourself to make me happy is your happiness, then burn. Sungpil couldn’t give her any fuel, to the point where his request became meaningless.

‘Our Producing’ is her last turn, and I don’t doubt that she will burn, but I’m still afraid.

‘I must be a better person than Yoon Sang-yeol.’

I have to become better than the one who made my previous life shine.

And the way to prove it appeared unintentionally before Seongpil’s eyes.

It was Noah.

‘My way is better.’

Not only can it elevate Noah to a higher level, it can also make her happier.

Seongpil wanted to scrape off and wipe away the colors of Yoon Sang-yeol from Noah, and give him a new light that was completely his own.

That’s an important criterion only to Seongpil.

The goodness that only Seongpil knows in this world.

Standards and lines that are not important to anyone except Seongpil. By meeting those standards and crossing those lines, I want to prove myself.

‘I.’

That I’m better than you.

That is the justification for Sungpil to bring in Success Entertainment and make Globe his own.

It seems that Yoon Sang-yeol will be coming to ‘Ayumu’s Jukebox’ as an audience member tomorrow.

‘The answer sheet for the lotus flower you made looked too dry to me.’

So now, look at the answer sheet I wrote.

I will definitely surpass you.

And if that happens.

‘Araumi too… … I can make you happier… … .’

“Sir, I’ve arrived.”

Rika said, unbuckling her seatbelt.

Seongpil arrived in front of the accommodation and still stood there without moving. He came to his senses belatedly and unbuckled his seatbelt like Rika.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“No, nothing.”

As he got out of the car, Seongpil felt uneasy. He soon realized what the uneasy feeling was.

“Rika, you don’t raise the end of your voice these days, do you?”

Rika, across the car, gave Seongpil an ambiguous smile.

“I think I’ve gotten used to Korean.”

* * *

‘Ayumu’s Jukebox’, the day of recording.