Producer with no Regrets - Chapter 817



Only Noblemtl

Episode 817 Epilogue: Young Forever (3)

During the filming of ‘Project For You’.

“ha.”

The bathroom was the only place where Shin A-reum could vent her emotions.

The filming set was like a dormitory where 100 people stayed together. You couldn’t even sleep alone, and wherever you went, there were trainees and staff members everywhere.

Living in an environment with absolutely no privacy was extremely stressful.

If I had been feeling normal, it would have been okay, but on the way to the filming location, I saw something I didn’t want to see.

‘Ishikawa Rika… … .’

This is a trainee who was by Sungpil’s side. Since the company’s circumstances were not good, Sungpil, who was called a director, personally drove the trainee around like a road manager.

The innocent eyes that seemed to know nothing, the mouth that chattered towards Seongpil, the sociability that was evident from growing up with parents who seemed like they were drawn in a picture and friends who supported him.

When I think of that child, it feels like a stone has settled in my stomach.

‘The team leader… … .’

That child and Shin Areum will build memories in a place that Shin Areum doesn’t know about.

Just as she herself has been.

Shin A-reum stared intently at the bathroom mirror. When she relaxed, her face sagged like a deep-sea fish caught out of the ocean.

The deep-sea fish in the mirror shook its head.

‘stop.’

This is independence.

The pseudo-family game that he has been playing with Sungpil has to end. How long will he hang out with him? At best, it will be until his idol activities end.

Humans are creatures who cannot be infinitely altruistic unless they are bound by blood or a marriage certificate.

‘I have to be independent here.’

For your own happiness, and for Seongpil’s happiness… … Isn’t that why you sent him? Isn’t that why you didn’t go with him?

‘I’m not a kid.’

I am not so stupid as to ruin my life plan by clinging to immediate pleasure.

First of all, the first goal is to enter the top 10 of ‘Project For You’ and debut as a project group. From there, we will build up our recognition and return to Success Entertainment to re-debut.

‘I saved money and opened a store for my mom… … .’

Shin A-reum, who was checking her future plans, was startled and turned her eyes into the bathroom.

‘Did you just hear a noise?’

I thought there was no one there, but it seems I wasn’t.

A faint sound was heard from the last room. When I listened more closely, I saw that it was crying.

“Mom… … Mom… … .”

It’s a voice I remember.

Woo Hyo-min.

‘Is it because the first round is over?’

Half of the children who used to eat, laugh, and chat with us until yesterday have disappeared.

The once bustling accommodation suddenly felt empty, and that brought about a kind of fear. It was a fear that a place that had become quite familiar now felt unfamiliar.

It is also a fear that arises from the worry that one day one too may contribute to this disappearing landscape.

“Ugh, huh, ugh… … .”

A moment later, Woo Hyo-min came out of the compartment at the same time as the sound of water being flushed. She stopped walking in surprise, like a rabbit that had discovered a predator.

Shin A-reum stared at Woo Hyo-min through the mirror.

‘Are you older than me?’

And yet, you have such scared eyes.

Shin A-reum’s subconscious made a decision. That’s something I can eat.

“hey.”

Woo Hyo-min flinched. Even though she was being called ‘hey’ by her younger brother, she only shrugged her shoulders and showed no proper reaction.

“Uh, yeah.”

Weeping weakly, like the tear tracks engraved in the corners of his eyes, was all Woo Hyo-min could do in response.

Shin Areum said to Woo Hyo-min.

“Do you want to be my friend?”

“……uh?”

Shin A-reum wants to be independent from Seong-pil. She feels that if she gets sucked into him any further, her life will be distorted in some way.

But I didn’t want to break away from him.

Shin A-reum learned a lot from Seong-pil, just like children learn a lot from their parents.

“Let’s be friends.”

It was a sociability that approached people and a kindness that reached out to the weak.

Just like when he was sitting alone in the school playground during the sports day, Seongpil came and sat next to him.

Shin A-reum also wanted to sit next to Woo Hyo-min, who was shedding tears.

“no?”

Woo Hyo-min looked obviously flustered. He tried to figure out Shin A-reum’s intentions and doubted her true intentions.

Shin A-reum thought. Did she have that kind of face when Seong-pil first approached her?

How much effort would it take to draw out sincerity from someone who makes such an expression? How much of your heart would you have to expend in the meantime, and how much would you have to be hurt in the meantime?

Seongpil endured all the effort and approached Shin A-reum.

He hugged himself, who was curled up like a hedgehog because he was hurt, even though he was pricked by thorns.

That was the warmth that Shin A-reum received from Seong-pil. She wants to repay it by giving it back to others.

“Oh, I see.”

That was the beginning.

* * *

People need paths.

The path to progress as we grow.

The name of the road is role model or mentor.

If a person’s role model’s actions and the advice he or she receives from a mentor lead to success, then the role model and mentor become gods to that person.

Shin A-reum was Woo Hyo-min’s role model and mentor.

The problem is that the mentor abandoned him and left.

And while his mentor was the world to him, he was just a piece of the world to him.

That’s why I lived so happily without you.

‘I wanted to debut with you.’

That couldn’t be done.

‘I wanted to be with you.’

That couldn’t be done.

‘The scenery I want to see with you is as wide as the ocean and as numerous as the mountains.’

That couldn’t be done.

The resentment grew.

At a solo concert celebrating the completion of Project For You activities, she invited Shin A-reum to relieve her pent-up emotions.

However, Shin A-reum was still far away. She lived happily with her new colleagues in the Girls’ League, in a world where she still had no confidence.

‘… … I want to come closer.’

Woo Hyo-min chased after Shin A-reum with a strong desire, as if he was looking for his lost half.

‘How can I become like you?’

I want to just smile, regardless of the hardships that come my way.

‘How can I become like you?’

I want to be confident and not be intimidated by the expectations and envy of those around me.

‘How can I become like you?’

I want to sing and dance to the tune of something that will make everyone cheer.

‘You know.’

The joint enter has been placed under the horizontal enter.

Shin A-reum made a guest appearance in Woo Hyo-min’s ‘Call Me Sultanly’ music video.

While Woo Hyo-min was still chasing Shin A-reum, she said.

‘The team leader said that just as I’m running towards my future self, my future self is also running towards me.’

So we will meet someday.

Woo Hyo-min also thought it would be good if it turned out that way. However, there was a difference from what Shin A-reum had said.

‘We met.’

The point is that Woo Hyo-min is not heading towards his future self, but rather towards his present Shin A-reum.

[It’s been a long time, we’ve been best friends for 5 years! Besties who have been together since Project For You! A collaboration stage by Girls’ League’s Areum and Hyomin!

now!

Let’s get started!]

Under the spotlight that makes your whole body shine as if it were plated with gold.

The Colosseum, bathed in red light from dozens of cameras like the eyes of a beast.

A mighty roar that shook the earth of 50,000 people.

On the Tokyo Dome stage of the HPT Music Awards, the biggest and best event in the K-pop scene, Woo Hyo-min and Shin A-reum.

‘We met.’

This time it’s not like it’s a friendly appearance.

I became an artist who fits in with you and stood on the same stage as you.

The blood vessels all over my body dilated and my skin felt tingly.

A pleasant dizziness takes over my vision.

When they met in the bathroom, Shin A-reum was only looking at the mirror, but now she was facing Woo Hyo-min. They were facing each other on equal footing, and she asked with her eyes.

‘Let’s get started.’

Are you ready? Are you okay? Can you do it?

It wasn’t that kind of considerate gaze. It was the gaze of someone who treated an artist of equal level, a colleague.

‘huh.’

Woo Hyo-min finally met Shin A-reum, whom he had been chasing.

And then the performance begins.

It is not a performance where Woo Hyo-min unilaterally imitated Shin A-reum like in Project For You.

This time it’s the station.

Shin A-reum imitates Woo Hyo-min.

Shin A-reum is following the time that Woo Hyo-min has accumulated as an artist.

Even amidst the loud noise piercing through the earphones, Woo Hyo-min remained calm.

I could only focus on the performance with Shin A-reum, who was standing next to me. As if they were playing with air, the two of them were their whole world, and each other’s breathing was the only thing.

‘I get it now.’

How did Shin Areum just smile and ignore the hardships that came her way?

Were you confident and not discouraged by the expectations and envy of those around you?

Did you exude a song and dance that made everyone cheer?

‘Because I had something to carry.’

When people talk about their dreams, what they need is not will, drive, or a plan.

What is needed is possibility.

The reality you can give to the dreams you pursue. The proof of your dreams that you can proudly bring out when someone asks, “Will it work out?”

‘Araumi wanted to become a possibility.’

For the Project For You colleagues who only look behind themselves.

There’s a world of difference between ‘can do’ and ‘might be able to do’.

Because he didn’t want to see those who followed him kneel in despair and hopelessness.

I wanted to hold on to the hope that ‘you can do it like me’, no matter how much it hurt.

That’s why it was so strong.

‘I took it on to become a possibility.’

Woo Hyo-min also found something to carry, and it was the producer’s name.

Even while eating triangle kimbap and cup ramen with Kim Myeong-un in a small room, Woo Hyo-min did not feel any pain.

Kim Myeong-un filled his stomach with cheap food and told stories of his dreams with sparkling eyes.

I enjoyed hearing that story.

‘It’s about putting lyrics that sound like Japanese into the song.’

‘I want to create a group that will receive the award someday.’

‘Before that, Hyomin’s first dream would be to receive the award.’

A solo musician from a small agency receives the award. If anyone in the industry heard it, it would be a ridiculous dream that would make them laugh, and it would be dismissed as a drunken lie.

Woo Hyo-min wanted to prevent Kim Myeong-un from being treated like that.

I wanted to give weight to his declaration.

So, I want to make it a possibility.

‘I can.’

Carrying producer Kim Myung-woon’s name on your shoulders.

‘The best solo musician.’

It works.

May his words of dreams become ambitions rather than empty words. May his juniors, after hearing his words, dream bright dreams rather than giving up.

Woo Hyo-min runs beyond the present Shin A-reum to meet his future self.

* * *

In the practice room of Yim Entertainment, the trainees sat around a television and watched the ‘HPT Music Awards’.

“Senior Woohyo-oh, your form is crazy.”

“Is that our senior who steals cup ramen from the steam room… …?”

“Shin A-reum is just crazy.”

“Hey! Senior, call me! If we go along the line, there’s a horizontal enter!”

“evil!”

Children who looked like elementary school or middle school students were joking around and making jokes noisily.

It was an age where I still didn’t really know what was what. Rather than having something I wanted to be, it was an age where I did something because someone told me to.

Of course, even though the atmosphere was playful, it didn’t mean they weren’t serious.

My eyes were glued to the television, and the admiration continued.

They know how hard it is to sing while dancing. They haven’t fully grown yet, so it’s hard for them to perform like their senior idols.

That’s why Woo Hyo-min and Shin A-reum’s live performance looks even more amazing.

“When will we ever get to do that?”

“Does Senior Woohyo look like a rice cooker?”

“Since our senior did it, we can do it too. Right, sir?”

The children’s heads turned to Kim Myung-woon, who was sitting behind them. And they were startled.

Kim Myeong-un was frowning and shedding tears.

The children were shocked, not just surprised. It was the first time they had seen a middle-aged man cry. It was also the first time they had realized that a middle-aged man could cry.

“Then, you can do it… … .”

Kim Myeong-un pointed to the stage.

“Your senior did it.”

The children nodded.

And unconsciously, to protect the middle-aged man’s sentiments, I turned my eyes to the television, pretending not to see anything.

The children agreed. It was a very simple reaction, but it was by no means a simple reaction. They could agree because there was a real possibility.

After several idols’ performances, it was time to announce the main prize winners.

The main award is, in other words, the ‘TOP 10 of the Year’. It is an award given to 10 artists who shined this year, excluding the grand prize.

Since there were three grand prizes, this year’s TOP 10 was essentially an award given to the artists who shone the brightest each month but unfortunately did not meet the qualifications for the grand prize.

Caius and the Girls’ League had already broken through that wall in their second year.

“Have you already announced the grand prize?”

It’s an important award, but will it be announced right after Part 1 has been going on for about 30 minutes?

My curiosity was quickly satisfied.

The main prize is awarded to 10 people, and it takes quite a bit of time for all 10 people to line up and give their acceptance speeches.

It’s a big break in the tempo of the broadcast. So, starting this year, they’re going to cut it off and accept 3 or 4 people at a time.

Among those three, Woo Hyo-min was included.

“Woohyo!”

“Hey, I believed you!”

“Thank you, Woohyo Minsu!”

The trainees went wild and praised their senior.

Kim Myeong-un stared at the screen as if in a trance, still unable to wipe away his tears.

[And finally, thank you so much, CEO Kim Myeong-un!]

Love’s emergency rescue worker Woo Hyo-min drew a big heart with his arms. Then, Kim Myeong-woon’s tears fell.

[I really love you all at Iim Enter!]

At that moment, Kim Myeong-un’s cell phone started making crazy beeping sounds and vibrating.

It was a baptism of countless congratulations from industry insiders who knew him.

[Team Leader Ahn: Congratulations on Hyomin’s grand prize.]

[Director Kim: I believed in 5252!]

[Representative Kang: Congratulations, Representative Kim. When will we meet again… … .]

Among them was ‘CEO Kang’, or Kang Sung-wook, the former CEO of SMS Entertainment.

and.

[Director Park: Congratulations on the grand prize, Hyomin. You’ve worked hard. In the future too… … .]

The current owner, Park Sung-pil, director of Garo Enter, was also there. Kim Myeong-un called him, but he couldn’t get the words out properly.

[You can’t express it in words, right?]

Kim Myeong-un nodded silently.

* * *

‘There’s only one.’

Only Shin A-reum appeared on stage.

‘But this level of cheering… … .’

It’s comparable to when Bugbug came out on the opening stage. Yes, Bugbug is a Japanese idol with Japanese citizenship. And he’s also recently become very famous through media promotions, so I understand.

But Shin A-reum is only one of the members of the Girls’ League. And yet, the cheers are at this level.

It’s similar to the heyday of the senior group Butes, when their leader winked at fans in a jacket that exposed his chest.

‘This is not normal.’

Erica ran her arms over her goosebumps. Then she noticed that her legs were shaking slightly.

I can’t believe it.

“… …The Girls’ League.”

Have you been chasing after Caius like this all along?

The first HPT Music Awards received only so-so responses.

At the second HPT Music Awards, they turned their fandom against KS Entertainment and created a wall of silence.

The third HPT Music Awards received huge cheers, proving the size of their growing fandom.

And fourth, this year, they’re drawing praise that only top idols would receive, even though there’s only one person on stage.

‘how?’

Erica was purely curious.

‘How could you call Caius your rival after going through countless situations like this?’

Album sales, chart rankings, and other indicators aren’t important.

There will be a difference in level that can be felt through the skin.

Even when giving a presentation at school, the applause that a popular kid gets is different in quality and quantity from the applause that a kid who is cowering around in class like a mouse gets.

Even in a place like that, people are bound to feel intimidated and hurt.

‘How about you guys… … .’

Erica asked herself, clutching her trembling thighs.

‘Couldn’t you have not given up?’

The answer came quickly.

‘Because I have something to carry.’

Erica, Caius, and KS Enter must not lose. It means they must not be pushed out anywhere.

That would be a blow to the reputation of producer Erika and Jung Ho-hwan.

‘You shouldn’t be afraid.’

You have to go out and fight.

‘I am the best material recognized by the best producers in K-pop. Don’t be nervous, you shouldn’t be nervous. Change your mindset. I will turn those Japanese guys cheering for Girls’ League and Garo Enter (Erika is Japanese) into my fans. No, even if you’re not a fan, you can’t help but applaud this performance… . . . ‘

I have to, I have to do it.

“What are you doing? You’re not going out.”

Can you do it?

Erica lost her confidence on stage for the first time as she watched Park Soo-ryun walk towards the stage ahead of her.

That person who doesn’t attend practice on time, skips practice sessions, and even when they do practice, they voluntarily shorten the time and skip out.

Will they be able to put on a performance that will turn non-fans into fans?

‘I had a goal. As fans often say, it’s a legendary stage. Oh, will something like that happen with our activities?’

This is what one of the members of WTP said.

Legend stage.

It refers to a performance stage video that people continue to look for even after time has passed. The members of WTP have over 100 million views on their stage cam videos alone.

Any successful idol has one or two videos like that.

Of course, there’s also Keus. Erica also has a solo video with over 10 million views.

‘My goal is to make every stage a legend.’

I’ve always done it with that kind of mindset.

Fortunately, the members of Kaius also followed suit.

however.

‘Can I do it with that person?’

While I was worrying like that, I found myself standing on stage.

Still, there was no sign of tension in Park Su-ryeon. Suddenly, Erica noticed Park Su-ryeon’s body.

‘You’re so skinny.’

I can’t see any muscle at all.

Advances in bodybuilding techniques have made it possible to train only specific muscle groups.

Of course, if you don’t have bodybuilding techniques, it’s impossible to use only certain muscles. Even if you try to use them, you’ll naturally use other muscles as well.

But with expert help and consistent training and practice, it is possible.

With the help of top-notch professionals, Caius has trained the muscles needed for performance with little external evidence.

Kim Min-ju did go out of her way, though.

So, even though the members of KAIST may look thin on the outside, they have at least the minimum ability to deliver an explosive performance.

however.

‘This guy is just a matchstick.’

It’s the body of an ordinary idol.

This is the body of a person who repeatedly starved and did not eat in order to make themselves look smaller in the media.

There’s nothing I can do.

At the time when B1A4 was active, KS Entertainment was not wealthy enough to provide its members with such luxurious training.

The body was maintained by moderate exercise and moderate fasting. Everyone thought that was enough. That inertia remains, and it is still like that now.

‘Even when I practice, I am disciplined, but it just looks like I’m swaying… ‘

Transparent, thin skin with blue blood vessels showing through.

When you see it on TV, it’s what women want, but when you see it in person, you feel its abnormality.

As the saying goes, a leg that looks like it would snap if you low kicked its knees. A body that looks like a hole would be ripped open if Erica were to use extreme karate.

‘I will give it my all.’

But Park Su-ryeon, with that kind of body and with a mind that doesn’t even practice properly, released ‘Portrait in You’ a few years ago, so she may have forgotten all the details.

‘Can I do it properly?’

Standing next to her as she dances and sings with all her might, will Park Soo-ryeon be able to stay safe?

It is not a difference that can be covered up by words like ‘dance line’ or ‘individuality.’

Although BBS is a respected senior, KS Entertainment’s training techniques evolve over the years. However, it was hard to think that Park Su-ryeon, who is lazy even in putting in effort, would be better than Erica.

The only thing I can trust is songs.

‘Harmony… … .’

Should I match it?

The answer came in an instant.

‘no.’

We are both putting Jeong Ho-hwan’s name on the line.

Erica couldn’t stand being sloppy in the name of harmony. She wanted at least one person on this stage to make his name shine.

May this stage become the most splendid requiem for him.

therefore.

‘I won’t give in.’

It has begun.

The famous song ‘Portrait in You’, which brought immortal fame to B.I.S., flows out.

Park Su-ryeon moves her matchstick-like arms.

And her arms were actually matches.

When you draw a line in the sky, fire burns.

The fire she lit spread throughout the audience, soon turning the world into a sea of ​​fire.

Park Soo-ryeon is enthusiastic, and the audience is crazy.

‘ah.’

Erica was astonished.

‘How could this be… … .’

How did Park Su-ryeon become one of the top players of the third generation?

I’ve been wondering this for a while, but at this moment, the answer has come.

‘Advanced training systems are meaningless.’

In the past, there was an era of 1 million trainees.

If we call a score within 4% of the college entrance exam a grade 1, what should we call a score within 0.0001%?

‘genius.’

Park Su-ryeon was one in a million, the brightest jewel in the sea of ​​jewels.