Chapter 211:
How are you doing these days?
Jo Tae-woong and Kim Ju-young jumped up with a clatter at the sound of Lee Hyun-as voice. They quickly tidied up their surroundings and stood side by side to greet Lee Hyun-a.
Hello!
Water droplets fell from Jo Tae-woongs damp hair.
How is your work going?
Well
Not so well, right?
Lee Hyun-a remembered the two arguing earlier and sat down on the chair that Jo Tae-woong had prepared for her. She went straight to the point.
Do you have any songs for me to listen to? Let me hear one.
Yes.
Kim Ju-young played the second song that he desperately needed the mentors opinion on. Lee Hyun-ah listened silently and then gestured to turn off the music.
She turned it off without even listening to the whole thing. It didnt seem like a good sign. Kim Ju-young and Jo Tae-woong swallowed their saliva nervously.
Can I be honest with you?
Yes.
It sounds like a generic dance song.
Kim Ju-young and Jo Tae-woong slumped their shoulders.
But, what is the theme of the song? Or the genre?
Actually we just made it as we went along.
I see.
Lee Hyun-ah nodded her head. It was not bad for a song that was made on the fly.
I noticed something from the song you were debating about earlier and the one you just played It seems like you dont have confidence in your songs.
Kim Ju-young felt like he was hit by a sharp remark and inhaled sharply.
Dont you have anything you want to say through your songs?
What I want to say I dont really know how to do that.
Dont think too hard. It could be a tribute song for your fans, or a song about what you are thinking. I think it would be nice to express those things in a song.
She smiled gently at the two who still had complicated expressions on their faces.
There is no better material than experience. If you dont have any ideas, you can start with writing lyrics and then match the music to the lyrics.
She knew that this survival show was about choosing a title song, but she thought that the essence was to compose a good song regardless of the title.
Title, its important. But the priority is to make a song that people like to listen to.
And a good song will naturally become a title song. Dont worry about the title and just do what you want to do.
Kim Ju-youngs eyes sparkled.
Then, can I reduce the performance a bit?
Most of the songs in AWY were focused on powerful performance-oriented dance songs, so he only thought about dance songs.
Did I care too much about the title?
The sampling song from Bluemix was excluded from the title candidates, so he was obsessed with making the last remaining song fit the title.
How about it, do you think you have an answer?
Yes.
They nodded their heads with determined expressions. Lee Hyun-ah smiled with satisfaction.
***
Next was Park Jin-hyuk and Park Seo-dams turn.
Its very unique.
Lee Hyun-ah listened to the 7-minute and 43-second long song and opened her mouth in astonishment.
It feels like you put everything you wanted to do in this song. I dont have anything to advise you on this song.
She couldnt even if she wanted to. Unlike the difficult variations, the song had a strange charm that stuck to the ears. And the song was so long that she didnt know where to start.
Park Jin-hyuk and Park Seo-dam chuckled.
Do you have another song?
They played the next song as if they had been waiting for it. The cheerful sound of brass instruments decorated the introduction, followed by an 8-bit sound in the background and a lively piano melody.
The mood is very different from the previous song, isnt it?
Lee Hyun-ah tilted her head in surprise.
What did you base this song on?
This song is tailored to the voice of our youngest, Seo-dam. Seo-dam, show her.
Ahem, ahem.
Park Seo-dam cleared his throat and picked up the microphone. Soon, he sang along with the music.
It was the scat that he had sung in a half-conscious state at dawn.
Wow
Lee Hyun-ah exclaimed. When Park Seo-dam sang, it felt like the song really suited his voice.
A song for one person only, thats nice. But you do know that this song is for all seven members to sing, right?
Yes.
I think it would be good if you also considered the strengths of the other members.
Yes, I understand!
Before leaving their dorm, Lee Hyun-ah turned around and said.
This team has the highest completion rate. I look forward to your finished song.
Park Jin-hyuk and Park Seo-dam smiled at each other.
***
And then it was Lee Ju-hyuk, Ian, and Kim Hyuns turn. She listened to the song that Lee Ju-hyuk had produced and couldnt hide her admiration.
Youre really good. I dont have anything to add.
Thank you.
Can you play the next song?
Her eyes were filled with anticipation. Lee Ju-hyuk played the song that Ian and Kim Hyun had composed.
She closed her eyes and listened. When the song ended, she opened her mouth right away.
I like how the song starts with a classical guitar, then a bass, and then an electric guitar, creating a rising feeling. Who mainly worked on this song? It doesnt seem like Ju-hyuk did it
Lee Ju-hyuk pointed to Ian and Kim Hyun.
Did you two work on it together?
We have to do our best when we have such great mentors.
Good.
Kim Hyuns words made Lee Hyun-ah smile. She, who had become a teacher, liked the sight of passionate students.
But this song is how should I put it
You know how we often arrange our songs in a band version for our concerts?
Yes.
This song feels like that.
Ian asked.
Do you mean it doesnt sound like an original song?
Yes, I think you need a special melody here.
Ian and Kim Hyun looked thoughtful. Lee Hyun-ah said.
You two are not used to writing songs, are you?
Yes.
She remembered when she had worked on her first song. Who would listen to this song? Is this song worthy of being released to the world? She had all kinds of thoughts.
But her worries were short-lived. A few years later, her first song captivated critics, the public, and fans, and it was rated as the best song she had ever composed.
Its okay to be clumsy. There are things that are completed by being clumsy.
***
Lee Hyun-ah came out to the yard after listening to all the teams songs. The PD smiled and said.
How was it? Did you find the most promising team?
Yes, Park Jin-hyuks team. Both songs had the most clear concept and the highest completion rate.
Lee Hyun-ah answered without hesitation.
Why not the other teams?
Well, Kim Joo-young doesnt seem to have a clue yet, so theres nothing to evaluate. And Lee Joo-hyuks team has one song thats kind of iffy.
Lee Hyun-ah trailed off. She hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth again.
I guess it depends on what the next mentor advises them.
Joo-hyuks team or Jin-hyuks team?
Yes.
***
After Lee Hyun-ah left, Ian and Kim Hyun groaned and held their heads.
Ugh, they said its the concert arrangement version, but it sounds exactly like that.
Whats the special melody? How can we add anything here?
Lee Joo-hyuk smiled faintly at them. His notebook was filled with sentences.
Guys, cheer up. Youre doing great.
Hyung! Help us!
Kim Hyun crawled to Lee Joo-hyuk and grabbed the hem of his pants. Ian followed him and slapped Kim Hyuns hand away.
No way. We agreed not to get Joo-hyuk hyungs help.
But why are you and Joo-hyuk hyung so diligent?
Kim Hyun shouted in frustration. Jin, who was watching from the side, chimed in with [Right!].
I just wanted to try it. Its good to know a lot of things. I was inspired by Joo-young.
Seriously, Im going crazy.
If you dont want to do it, then dont.
Kim Hyun was about to say something, but he shut his mouth. He couldnt be the only one who did nothing.
Talented bastards, Im annoyed.
Ian snickered at Kim Hyuns grumpy remark.
Kim Hyun was doing his best with what he had, and Ian was not afraid to challenge new things. That was the only difference between them.
Honestly, Im not that talented.
You?
Ian and Kim Hyun exclaimed at the same time. What kind of newfangled humility was that? They were speechless.
Hyung, that was totally a lie.
If not you, then who?
Lee Joo-hyuk laughed and said.
Youll see when you work with Jin-hyuk and Joo-young.
***
After Lee Hyun-ah left, Kim Joo-young and Jo Tae-woong also stared blankly at the monitor.
Hey, this is not working. Lets start over.
Really?
Kim Joo-young, who had decided after much deliberation, deleted all the songs he had worked on.
Wow.
Jo Tae-woong looked back and forth between the monitor and Kim Joo-young in disbelief. Kim Joo-young turned his chair and stared at Jo Tae-woongs face.
Hyun-ah sunbae was right. Instead of thinking about a song that fits the title, we should
They decided to get rid of all the forced rap parts and strong dance beats that they had added because it was a song that seven people had to sing together.
I think its good to tell our story with this song.
Then should we start with the lyrics?
Yeah. Hey, Jo Tae-woong.
Kim Joo-young asked with determination.
How are you doing these days?
What?
Jo Tae-woong widened his eyes at the sudden question.
Im just wondering if youre okay.
Of course Im okay, why wouldnt I be?
Jo Tae-woong knew what Kim Joo-young was trying to say, but he pretended not to.
Kim Joo-young chuckled. He knew what Jo Tae-woong was thinking.
I just wanted to try it. Its good to know a lot of things. I was inspired by Joo-young.
What are you talking about?
You must have seen Rural Life. I honestly dont know why I became the leader.
Kim Joo-young was still unsure of himself, and Jo Tae-woong looked fine on the outside, but his inner state was unknown.
Ive opened up to you, so tell me something about yourself. We all knew that it wouldnt be easy to recover.
Really?
The other members also had to go through counseling while Jo Tae-woong stopped his team activities due to panic disorder.
They also learned how to behave around him, and the advice they received was to keep a close eye on him.
Youre suddenly opening up to me.
Jo Tae-woong smiled awkwardly. But he didnt look pale. He was just embarrassed to reveal his feelings.
Well Im using the internet less now. But I had a hard time, actually.
Really?
Kim Joo-young felt relieved. He was worried that he might have been too blunt.
We had a lot of opportunities this year, right?
Yeah.
When I think about it, we missed a lot of them.
They were supposed to have a world tour this year, their Japanese album was postponed, and they were on the verge of breaking into the US market while doing Kaden Hurt Show locally.
There were also many other schedules, such as small concerts and advertisements, but some of them were delayed or canceled.
All this happened because he stopped working for a few months.
I wondered if it was all because of me.
Do you still think that?
Sometimes.
Kim Joo-young sighed. He didnt know what to say, so he closed his mouth. Jo Tae-woong was also too embarrassed to say anything.
After a while of silent thinking, Kim Joo-young jumped up.
Hey. I just remembered something.
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