Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter - Chapter 155



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Raising a Neglected Singer-Songwriter Episode 155

155. Are you ready?

The contestants are making bets among themselves for the headliner spot that the organizers have decided on.

If things had gone as they were, Sungjun’s bet proposal would have been impossible.

If the head of this year’s 2024 Lollapalooza hadn’t been ‘Laura’.

‘You’re saying you’re going to have a match with a headliner?!’

Laura’s eyes sparkle at Seongjun’s sudden suggestion.

Festival is an entertaining show.

There has to be an issue that the audience can cheer for.

A showdown between American pop star brothers and a new artist who took the Korean music scene by storm upon their debut!

The match between the two teams will be an exciting firework that will heat up this festival.

As a show business person, Laura couldn’t help but perk up her ears.

Moreover, luckily, the official lineup for the festival has not been announced yet.

There was ample room to replace the headliner.

Laura’s brain is spinning fast.

‘What if we announce the lineup and hold an event match to select one headliner team…?!’

It could have been a pretty good box office hit.

“A bet?! Alright!”

“I won’t let you come near American soil again!”

As it turned out, the rude twin brothers also accepted the offer.

Even though their personalities are completely different, their experience and skills as musicians since they were young cannot be denied.

They obviously didn’t expect to lose even an inch, so they probably accepted a bet that didn’t give them any advantage.

Or maybe it was because the fever was so high that rational thinking was impossible.

While watching the situation.

Seongjun, the man who created the current situation to his advantage, looked at Laura and asked.

“I’m sorry, Laura. I yelled without thinking… Are you okay?”

Seongjun’s words send shivers down my spine.

All the celebrities in the party were looking at him with eyes full of anticipation.

If I were to stop the bet between the two teams here, I might end up being labeled a ‘boring woman’.

Expectations for the festival will also cool down.

You created an atmosphere where no one could refuse, and now you’re ‘pretending’ to calmly ask for my opinion.

He is a man who is different from his appearance and is like a snake.

‘It’s shameless. But I like it.’

The corners of Laura’s mouth slightly go up.

She had already calculated various interests in her head.

The situation has already come to this.

As the host of the festival himself, it was his job to make this event a big success.

Laura slowly opened her lips as she looked around the room.

“The headliner of the Lollapalooza festival belongs to the ‘deserving’ ones.”

Laura’s hot and sophisticated answer causes whistles and cheers to erupt throughout the party.

“OMG! Who knew this exciting match would happen!”

“As expected, Laura. She’s a woman who knows her stuff.”

“This Lollapalooza is going to be so much fun, I have to tell my friends about it. So Laura, when is the official announcement? I want to post it on my SNS right away.”

Everyone who attended today’s event is a star in their respective fields.

Just having them show interest would have a huge publicity effect.

Meanwhile,

“Then everyone gathered here is a ‘notary public’.”

Seongjun said, looking at the heated reactions around him.

By even bringing up the word ‘notarization’, he made sure that this bet would not end up as a simple ‘happening’ that arose from an argument at a party.

He cannot help but be a man who is thorough to the end.

‘This much confidence.’

When I listened to Sungjun’s latest album, it was a fact that he was a talented person who could confidently display his skills.

One thing, the Johnson brothers, their opponents, cannot be ignored.

‘Anyway, it’ll be a fun festival.’

Laura’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

*

one side,

‘Okay!’

In the hot atmosphere of the party, Sungjun was swallowing his joy.

I never thought a bet would be settled this easily.

‘It’s a good thing the Geogi brothers are proud guys and Laura is a calculating ‘businesswoman’.’

It was clearly Sungjun’s plan to provoke the Johnson twins and heighten the mood.

Thanks to this, the plan to create a situation where not only the two brothers but also Laura, the head of the festival’s organizing committee, had no choice but to take the bet worked out.

furthermore,

‘This bet also gives me a chance to aim for the headliner spot!’

After hearing from Mark that his brothers were ‘headliners’, the idea struck me the moment the ‘new song competition mission’ with them arose.

If you win, you’re a headliner.

If you lose, your festival invitation will be invalid.

High risk, high return.

All or nothing.

In terms of pros and cons, it was a more profitable bet for Seongjun.

That was when.

Tiring-

A message window popped up along with a system notification sound.

[An additional mission has arrived.]

[Win a headline spot at one of the world’s top three music festivals.]

[Reward upon success: ??]

An additional mission appeared one tempo later.

The mission, which was originally going to be a battle of new songs, seemed to have generated additional missions based on the bet made.

‘I didn’t know you could pull off additional missions like this.’

I think I need to use my brain to be able to recall related missions as I proceed with future missions.

one side,

‘This is the first time that a mission reward has a question mark.’

Does that mean the compensation hasn’t been determined yet?

Or is it because it’s a new item that you’ve never obtained before that it’s marked with a question mark?

Somehow, it seems like I can hear Orpheus’s annoying voice saying, ‘You worked hard for the extra mission, so it’s a favor. I wonder what the reward will be, right?’

‘Ugh, when you say voice, memories of ‘Cheong-eum’ come to mind.’

It was when Sungjun trembled with a sense of awe and fear.

“It makes me feel good to see the rude twins embarrassed.”

Ariel said to Sungjun.

“Is that okay? Even so, Brother Bbaedo is a fairly famous artist in America.”

Ariel expresses a subtle worry.

“If it’s because of fame, then there’s nothing to lose. I have a stronger ally than anyone else through featuring.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Seongjun’s ‘Nudeunah’, Ariel chuckles.

“Besides, I never intended to lose to music in the first place.”

“You’re so confident. I might even be a little in love with you.”

“Well, ‘that’ melody has to be a normal melody, right, George?”

“Well, it may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I can’t imagine a better song coming from brothers than that.”

George nods at Mark’s words.

After a suitable time, Sungjun and the Brown Division left the party venue.

However, the heat of the party that Sungjun had heated up continued until dawn even after they left.

And the next day.

“Is this true?!”

The news that came up in the morning turned both Korea and the United States upside down.

The title of the article, which featured a photo of Sung-jun walking into a party arm in arm with pop star Ariel Grande and a photo of the Johnson Twins smoking cigarettes in the garden, was as follows:

『American Pop Stars Johnson Twins vs. Korean K-Pop Star Sungjun (D.Voice) to Compete for 2024 Lollapalooza Headliner?!』

*

Regarding the new song, the schedule in the US continued a little longer.

Is this really America’s top class?

The pace of work of George Brown’s division was remarkable.

The mixing and mastering work was completed within two days of recording, and the finished product was flawless.

“I had a lot of fun working on it because I really liked the song.”

“I can honestly say that this is the best song I’ve heard this year.”

Veteran engineers who have worked on numerous songs for American pop stars unanimously praised Sungjun’s song.

“Best song of the year? Wait, you guys just worked on my song!”

“They were just being honest, Mark.”

Mark’s reaction to the impact is so good that it makes you laugh,

Engineers’ comments that Sungjun’s song was better than his song that entered Billboard’s TOP 10 raised expectations for the new song.

one side,

While working on a song in the studio.

Sungjun finished filming a music video with Ariel.

The script and direction of this music video were written by a director who is friendly with George Brown.

He is a famous director who has worked on music videos for Justin Bieber, Ariel Grande, and Marc’s latest song.

He is a director with a huge salary, as is typical of the United States, and thankfully, George paid all the expenses to bring him on board.

anyway,

Since there weren’t many scenes with Sung-jun and Ariel together in the script, two days was enough.

The remaining scenes will be filmed in Korea and the United States respectively after Sungjun returns to Korea, and then combined.

Because the song the two of them sang together was that kind of song.

[Destiny]

It’s a stereotypical love song about a man and a woman feeling a fateful attraction.

While the regular album being prepared in Korea did not have a single love song, we accepted George’s opinion that in order to aim for Billboard, it had to have a love song.

Thanks to that, it will be a great surprise gift to fans who have been waiting for a sweet love song from Sungjun like he did with his first EP ‘LOVE CYCLE’.

Anyway, the scenario of the music video planned based on the story of the song was like this.

The concept is that two men and women who have never met before are living ordinary lives, when one day they suddenly feel the presence of each other on opposite sides of the world.

If this reminds you of a story from a famous Japanese animation that was a huge hit a few years ago, where you ask for the other person’s name… you’re right.

As it turned out, the music video director who directed the film was a huge fan of Japanese animation.

The scenario for this music video was something like an homage.

Anyway, so Sungjun and Ariel only had to film a short meeting scene at the end of the music video according to the script.

Time passed so quickly.

Seongjun, who finished his short trip to the United States, is on his way back home.

“Stay a little longer and then go. There are still many people I want to introduce to you.”

“I wish I could, but I’m busy preparing for my comeback.”

I feel just as sorry as Mark, but the release of my regular album is just around the corner.

We need to start the final preparations.

There was another reason why I hurriedly returned home.

– ^^

– Do you like it, oppa?

– Seongjun, I’m disappointed.

– Composer······.

What is all this?

This is the content of a message that came straight away from the ‘Featuring Avengers’ (excluding Oh Jin-woo) who participated in the regular album, not long after the paparazzi article was published.

In particular, the moment I saw Seol Hye-yoon’s message that only sent a smiling emoticon without saying anything, a chill ran down my spine.

‘Why am I so nervous?’

It was Sungjun who couldn’t figure out why.

“Anyway, once the new song is released, America will come back to us soon.”

Seongjun, who promised to meet again, hugs George, Mark, and Ariel in turn.

Then, he boarded the plane with Oh Hae-soo.

As always, returning from abroad is incomparably faster than going there.

In the blink of an eye, 10 hours had passed and I arrived at Incheon Airport.

While waiting for the luggage, Oh Hae-soo, who was playing with his cell phone, gives a tip.

“Brother. There are reporters swarming outside.”

In addition to the photo op with Ariel, it was a bet that she would be booked for Lollapalooza and headline with the Johnson Twins.

In addition, ‘Breeze’ produced by Sungjun has been gaining explosive popularity not only in Korea but also overseas, showing unprecedented progress as a new girl group.

It was natural that the reporters would have a lot to ask Sungjun.

Thanks to that, MXM Entertainment’s public relations team, including Baek Seok, will be mobilized and a short interview will be held at the interview zone set up at the airport.

‘Director Baek said that if he was going to draw aggro, he should do it properly···.’

It was an aggro on a much larger scale than expected.

“let’s go.”

After taking a deep breath, I headed out to the immigration office.

Black-suited, sturdy bodyguards stood like statues, and behind the long fence, a sea of ​​fans swarmed the stadium, shouting and dazzling flashes of light.

‘and···.’

Seongjun swallowed his exclamation at the overwhelming sight and moved to the interview zone.

At the interview zone where we arrived, Director Baek Seok and the head of the public relations team were gathering the reporters and giving them instructions.

And soon the interview began, led by the public relations team leader.

The first to open the door to questions was Lee Jun-min, a reporter for the entertainment section of The Star News who has an incredible nose for a scoop, is Sung-jun’s ardent fan, and is a huge fan of the story.

“Is it true that you worked on a song with Ariel?”

“you’re right.”

“I understand you were courted enthusiastically by George Brown. Did you join the New Era?”

“That’s not it. We have a partnership with New Era.”

“What is your relationship with Ariel?”

“We’re good friends. We talk about music, just like George.”

“Is it true that you’ve been invited to the Lollapalooza festival this September? Also, tell us about the article about you headlining with the Johnson Twins?”

“It’s hard to say anything about that right now. The official lineup for Lollapalooza hasn’t even been released yet.”

Just like when MXM Entertainment and New Era met while staying in the US.

Please tell me the answer frankly and honestly without holding back.

Seongjun continues to answer while hiding the things he cannot say yet.

“Well then, as I informed you in advance, we have a schedule, so we will end the interview here.”

When Baek-seok, who checked the time, gave the signal, the guards secured Seong-jun’s path.

Seongjun finally exhales after making his way through the crowd and getting into the van.

“You must have had a hard time since you arrived.”

Baek-seok, sitting in the passenger seat, hands over a cup of coffee he had prepared in advance.

“Thank you, sir. As expected, you have a good sense.

A sip of caffeine through the straw clears my mind, which was noisy from the interview earlier.

“How was America?”

“It was fun. I want to go again soon. This time for a little longer.”

Baek-seok immediately understood the meaning behind Seong-jun’s answer and let out a sly laugh.

“That’s right. But first, domestic activities come first. The album showcase schedule has been confirmed.”

This is the first full-length album since debut.

As this is a monumental album, we decided to hold a showcase, which we had omitted during the release of our last two EPs.

“The second half of the year will be quite busy for you. Are you ready?”

From the release of a regular album to a showcase.

Then there’s the US single release and a showdown with twin brothers for a Lollapalooza headliner.

In addition, we are also aiming to hold a solo concert.

A tight schedule with no time to breathe in order to accomplish everything you prepare for.

one,

‘It’ll be fun!’

On the contrary, it was Sungjun who was full of energy.

Being able to be busy while making music was Sungjun’s dream.

“It’ll be busier than you think. Director Baek and Haesoo, please brace yourself.”

“Brother, your comments are becoming more and more worldly.”

“That’s right.”

Oh Hae-soo and Baek-seok burst into laughter at Seong-jun’s teasing.

And after migration.

『Sungjun, First Full Album ‘I’ Showcase Open!』

News about Sungjun’s activities in the second half of the year has spread.