Rockstar Again - Chapter 55



Only Noblemtl

Episode 55. Wipe, tighten, and oil (1)

Right after Bitnaris took first place, producer Jo In-chang made time to buy them a meal.

But while we were talking about this and that, a story that really piqued my curiosity came out of producer Jo In-chang’s mouth.

“TH Enter is the company your brother worked for?”

Producer Jo In-chang laughs at my words as if they are absurd.

“Wow… … You’re really bad. You didn’t know that until now? Does that make sense? But I’m Jo In-chang?”

“But what about Jo In-chang? He lost all his senses and just stuck a straw in a young kid.”

“Ma! You, no matter what, aren’t you being too harsh? How much of an age difference is there between you and me? Huh?”

Then, he picks up the meat that has been cooked golden brown on the grill with tongs and places it on my rice bowl.

This gentleman is also very unique.

People around me call him a tiger producer, but when I look at him, I see him as a cat producer.

Among cats, they are the ones with short limbs and gentle… …anyway, they are like that.

As I looked at him as if I was pitiful, Jo In-chang looked at me.

“Was I being a little too prankster?”

“… … .”

“I’m kidding. What’s wrong? Huh?”

“I learn a lot from you, hyung.”

“Really? What are you learning?”

“When a creator loses inspiration, he becomes mean. He starts his own business and has a family to take care of, so he becomes infinitely miserable. Ah, I shouldn’t be like that, a kind of negative example?”

Jo In-chang laughed, as if his pride had been shattered.

“Mommy, inspiration will come back. It just needs time to recharge.”

“I don’t know how long you’ll keep charging, but I’ll trust you.”

“Yeah, Emma. Trust me. People need to be relaxed. That’s what I’m saying. They didn’t show up because they were working like they were being chased. Maybe it’s because our kids got first place and the company has been able to breathe a little easier, but I think they’re starting to feel better these days.”

“Okay. Are you close with the president of TH Entertainment?”

“Brother Taeho?”

“yes.”

Producer Jo In-chang hesitated for a while before slowly opening his mouth to the simple question of whether they were close.

“It seems like we’re close, but it doesn’t seem like we’re close… … What should I say… … He has no empathy? He only thinks of people through money? That’s right. He’s a bit cold-hearted. Who in the world wouldn’t be like that? He thinks of everyone around him as tools, and in the end, he’s the type to only think about himself?”

“Can I say this? Weren’t you once the CEO of the company?”

“I didn’t say anything wrong, so what? I acknowledge that you’ve helped the company grow, but being harsh is being harsh.”

“hmm…….”

People used to call producer Jo In-chang the tiger producer or something. Honestly, when the two of them are alone, I don’t feel that way at all, but this guy also talks without any hesitation.

When I first came to the practice room, I was staring intently at Dongsik hyung in front of me, so I guess he has some guts.

Anyway, the important thing is that since he is a person who has been exposed to the broadcasting station’s waters, he has his own filtering, but he does not try to hide his true feelings.

Producer Jo In-chang rinsed his mouth with water and made a “kew” sound.

“That guy. He has a really strong aftertaste.”

“?”

“Do you know why that gentleman sent me away when I was leaving?”

“Check if the feeling has gone away?”

“… … You really are a bad person.”

“So it’s wrong?”

“No… … That’s right. Oh, this is connected like that. Anyway, that guy has an incredible sense of smell for money, right? So when the rich kids say they’re leaving, he’ll either hold onto their trouser legs and hang on. But if they still say they’re leaving, he’ll have a huge tantrum. It’s one of the two… … .”

“But?”

Producer Jo In-chang, who laughed bitterly at my words, continued speaking.

“If it doesn’t smell like money, throw it away. Get out or leave. That’s kind of it. But the funny thing is, the timing is so strangely amazing.”

“… … .”

“I didn’t know, but it seems like he didn’t smell money on me at the time. So he didn’t hold on to me and just let me go… … Unlike him, he didn’t hold back.”

hmm.

In fact, after hearing the story about TH Entertainment CEO Choi Tae-ho from producer Jo In-chang, I didn’t plan on doing anything right away.

I can’t do that.

You have to enter it in advance.

Since he’s a bad guy, let’s hit him when we have the strength, something like that.

After eating a quick meal and getting up, producer Jo In-chang asks as if he just remembered something.

“Members… … how are you?”

“Are you curious about how old you are getting? Or are you curious about how much of your skills are coming back?”

“… … Hey, I’ve heard people say I have a poisonous mouth too, but you really… … . Even though you’re a member, you’re like older brothers, so don’t you think you’ve gone too far?”

“It’s just that those guys are going too far. Even if they let go of me, how can they let go like that? Oh. Thinking about it makes me angry again.”

Producer Jo In-chang was shocked by what I said. To me, even if those guys were old enough to shit on walls, they would have just been long-haired bony guys, long-boned guys, and North Korean spies.

“Ugh… … Okay. I decided not to understand you, but to accept you as you are. Anyway, are your skills… … coming back a little? No… … Do you have the skills to come back before that?”

“I’m working hard to oil it. It still squeaks.”

* * *

Has it been about two weeks since you had dinner with producer Jo In-chang?

There was quite a lot going on.

Bitnaris was in the final stages of promotions for their first single, but as a result of a series of events, their second song was also nominated for first place, and their promotions were extended. Meanwhile, the members of My Picked Idol have been busy performing on various entertainment shows and not even appearing in advertisements, and have finally entered a period of hiatus.

I don’t think you have any complaints since it was an activity you wanted so badly.

[Wooyeol: Dongha. I miss you. I’ll be able to see you when I die, right?]

[Ji-ha: Woo-yeol is just talking nonsense because he’s tired. Don’t worry, it’s not a sign of suicide.]

[Junho: Hyung. Do you know why idols are skinny? Because they’re squeezed. It’s not that they’re skinny, it’s that they can’t gain weight… … while they’re active. Ha… … I feel like running away.]

[Jiha: Junho is just moaning because he’s tired. But now that he’s going into his break, he wants to sleep without any worries.]

As usual, the group chat room of the members of My Pickled Stone was filled with occasional groans, but once the break period began, the group chat room became as quiet as a mouse.

I think everyone has their own way of finding time to recharge.

They were recharging because they had been working hard, while I just quietly worked harder, and finally, we completed ten songs to be included in the album.

“again.”

-Can’t we take a short break and then do it?

“If it’s not physiological, just keep going. I’m starting to feel it a little bit, but do I really want to go out and rest for five minutes and then come back and record for five more hours?”

―… … No. Okay, okay.

Then I took my hand off the mic button and looked back for a moment. Tae-joo and Dong-sik, who were standing behind me and looking at Yeong-pil with sad eyes, avoided my gaze.

“You can touch it with a machine, but that doesn’t mean the machine can create something out of nothing. Even if it could be created with a machine, it wouldn’t be a band anymore.”

At my words, Tae-ju, the CEO of a large corporation, and Dong-sik, who looked like a gangster boss, swallowed dry saliva.

The inspirations of Blue Porcelain are summoned to a recording studio less than 10 pyeong in size and are locked up in rotation until I give them the okay.

Whether you are the god of fighting, the god of money, or whatever.

usually.

When recording, the producer is God.

“Hyungs. Don’t you know what it means to debut with your face covered? It means that we have nothing to compete on except for music. If we make music a priority, won’t the fans understand if we reveal our faces? Don’t you think so?”

―… …I will work hard.

“You can’t just work hard. You have to do well. Those who come out with their masks off and sunglasses on are all old men. Huh? Fans have expectations, but the hyungs are destroying those expectations. Then, it’s not like you can just work hard now! You have to do really well.”

―… … I’ll do my best.

“Let’s go again.”

Oh my.

I’m the only one who feels frustrated.

It feels like my skills are coming back… … but it feels the same… … but it doesn’t feel like the hyungs I knew back then.

That’s why I’m just frustrated. I think the lifeblood of a band is live performances, but the guys’ skills right now aren’t up to par.

If you go on stage in this state… … even if the fans like it, that’s a problem in its own right.

It’s deceiving the fans.

I can’t just laugh it off and move on when the fans like it after putting on a show that I’m not satisfied with, right?

While I was feeling that some special measures were needed.

I met an unexpected person in an unexpected place.

* * *

Misari’s Heaven.

After the show, I was packing up as usual when someone in the parking lot suddenly handed me a business card.

“Hello. My name is Ohana, a writer for TVK.”

… … ?

Why is this older sister coming out here?

Wow… … I’m not the type to panic easily, but I’m quite panicked right now.

Why on earth?

As if confirming such doubts through silence, author Ohana begins to tell a story in a rambling manner.

“Oh, it’s nothing else. We’re preparing for a rock band competition this time. I heard that a really great band recently appeared in Misari, so I came to check it out… … It’s definitely good.”

“… … .”

I’m keeping my mouth shut because I’m afraid someone might notice if I raise my voice.

Perhaps misunderstanding something, Ohana laughed awkwardly and continued to ramble on.

“Ah. You might have some preconceived notions because of the band auditions we’ve had in the past. We’re going to pay a lot of attention to the sound. Honestly… … That doesn’t mean we’re going to focus entirely on the music… … If we did that, we wouldn’t get good ratings. The band isn’t popular. But our PD has made a big decision this time… … Um… … I promise there won’t be any of the devil’s editing.”

“… … .”

“Just because they’re bands in the indie scene, it doesn’t mean they’ll only be indie for their entire lives, right? If they appear on our show, they’ll definitely at least gain recognition… … .”

He cut Ohana off and asked with a slightly altered voice.

“PD… who is this? Is it Ahn Chi-seop?”

“Do you know our PD?”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Huh? Oh… … You’re kind of famous, right? Especially recently. But do you have a cold? Your voice… …?”

“No. I’ll think about it and get back to you. Thank you for your hard work… .”

I quickly checked on my brothers and they were all loaded up, in the car, and waiting for me.

I felt like there was no point in talking to writer Ohana anymore, so I ran away and got into the car.

Come to think of it, people always get into cars like this here, as if they’re running away.

As I got into the car, Tae-joo, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, asked me.

“That woman. Do you know her?”

“Huh? Oh. Yeah. The writer in charge of my previous picks. I was worried that she might recognize me. Wow… … But still, hyung. You wouldn’t recognize me if I covered you up, right?”

As the car starts off with a roar, Tae-joo takes off his mask and smiles.

“I don’t think you saw our performance?”

“Huh? What do you mean? You said you were going to recruit people after seeing their performances? You said it was good.”

“So you didn’t see it.”

In response to what I said, Youngpil, who was sitting in the backseat of the truck, spoke as if in agreement.

“Writer Ohana, you came just a little while ago when we were unloading our luggage? And… … .”

“and?”

“If you had seen our performance like Tae-joo said, you would have recognized me.”

What does that mean?

When I look at my brothers with eyes that say I still don’t understand, they laugh awkwardly.