Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 62

19. Pink Diary

“You’ll join us, right?”

“Of course, I have to join.”

He didn’t hesitate. MS [likely referring to a specific company or agency] was great, but that was precisely why there was no place for him.

Right now, MS was beyond saturated; it was oversaturated.

“You can bring anyone you like.”

“I already have someone in mind. They’re from a manager background, but they seem to have a good sense for this.”

Tokashi smiled pleasantly at the mention of someone to bring. If it was Lee Jiwoo’s eye for talent, who had picked both him and Gowoo, there was no need to hesitate.

“Ah~. I’m full. Senior, that was a great meal.”

But his smile didn’t last long. He belatedly realized that Gowoo had eaten all the cold noodles and the new meat by herself.

“Bakayaro!” [A Japanese swear word, roughly equivalent to “idiot” or “jerk”]

Tokashi was dumbfounded and berated her in half-Japanese, while Gowoo, barely listening, patted her full stomach and wondered what to eat for dessert.

Lee Jiwoo shook his head at their antics.

“To think I’ll be seeing that again, I don’t know if I made the right decision.”

But contrary to his words, a wide smile was spreading across his face.

Having nothing to hand over, Lee Jiwoo immediately resigned and came to YC Entertainment, where he couldn’t help but be amazed.

“I knew his eye for talent was great, but this is something else?”

It was an exclamation that came out as he examined the web hard drive full of data that Youngchan had uploaded.

The more he examined the data on the web hard drive, the more he was amazed.

Why did these gems fail?

The idols that YC Entertainment had brought in all possessed dazzling potential, to the point where he wondered.

Even after raising his standards at a large agency like MS for several months, it was still the case.

In particular, when looking at the recent practice videos, they were comparable to MS’s Black Diamond, which currently topped the girl group market.

Even though they hadn’t properly established a concept, their future was bound to be promising.

However, what he really admired were the opinions on the concept to contain them.

The thoughts and ideas that were thrown out casually brought both plausibility and freshness, as if they had seen the future.

‘Innocent Power, is it?’

He thought that the combination of two words that seemed like they should never be put together was surprisingly not bad.

No, the more he thought about it, the better it sounded.

In both the 1st and 2nd generations [referring to earlier generations of K-pop groups], the concept of innocence for female idols ended there.

Before he knew it, it was as if it had become a formula.

So, adding the keyword ‘Power’ to innocence felt like encountering a new, fresh breeze.

‘Especially the idea that girl crush will be popular in a few years seems plausible.’

No, even when looking at past hip-hop girl teams that weren’t orthodox female idols, it was true.

“Of course, we can’t create a team like that right now.”

It was certain that trying to create a hip-hop girl team that had received support from girls with a girl crush concept would fail one hundred percent right now.

In reality, the hip-hop girl teams had strong personalities, so they often caused accidents in the past.

Therefore, it was right to highlight the girl crush with an emphasis on the feminine side, and in that respect, Innocent Power would be one of the alternatives.

“The proportion of innocence is high at first, and then gradually shifts to power.”

Having a unique color that is difficult for other teams to imitate makes it easier to make an impression on the public.

Team Leader Lee Jiwoo clicked his tongue after examining everything up to this point.

That was also the case for Kang Chan, the manager he had brought in.

“There’s a genius… there really is a genius.”

Having learned under Lee Jiwoo and gained confidence in planning, Kang Chan felt like he was losing his mind in front of the fresh and ingenious data.

Team Leader Lee Jiwoo chuckled at his junior’s words before lightly patting him on the shoulder.

“Who says there’s only one genius? There’s one over there too. Our Director Tokashi.”

“Ah. Director Tokashi?”

Kang Chan’s face as he looked at Director Tokashi was not very welcoming. He had heard from Team Leader Lee Jiwoo that he was great, but he wondered how great he could be, considering he was the same age as him.

However, those thoughts disappeared as the first meeting of the planning team began.

Creative Director.

A term that refers to the top manager of the advertising creative department, as the superior of the art supervisor and copy supervisor.

In the planning system of advertising agencies and storytelling companies, they are the top manager in charge of production, literally overseeing everything in planning.

It was not an easy position.

It was not a position that could be easily handled just because one had a lot of experience.

But Tokashi had a natural talent for this creative director position.

He easily grasped the big picture and brought in the right parts to create a huge picture.

When you look at it from right next to him, it’s like he’s just making dots, but after time passes and you take a step or a few steps back, you realize.

That what you thought was just making random dots was actually drawing a picture with pointillism (a painting technique of drawing a picture by making dots).

‘He made plausible works even with poor or terrible materials. What can that guy make now with the best materials?’

When he first entered the meeting, Team Leader Lee Jiwoo’s heart fluttered with anticipation.

And in that meeting, Tokashi drew a framework that more than fulfilled his expectations.

“Before I talk about the concept in detail, I want to say something first. I hope that we can avoid artificial narratives (contrived stories or explanations) as much as possible, and not force symbols and interpretations one step ahead.”

When he heard that, Team Leader Lee Jiwoo’s lips unknowingly curled up.

It was because he knew very well how difficult that was. And in order to make that possible, his role in coordinating it was more important than that of the team members.

Simply put, the reason he brought this up now was because he was confident that he could do it, so he was telling them to trust him and follow him no matter what.

Team Leader Lee Jiwoo smiled inwardly and glanced around.

‘Right now, only me and that kid Gowoo are the only ones who know what that means.’

Kang Chan and the experienced employees who were selected as talented people were still not grasping what he was saying.

This was not something that could be grasped just by talking about it, so they would probably have to be broken countless times.

Tokashi first talked about the name of the girl group they were going to create this time.

-Blue Rose-

Directly translated, it means blue rose.

People tilted their heads at the name. It was a reaction that showed they didn’t know why he was suddenly mentioning flowers.

However, the moment they knew the meaning of the Blue Rose flower, they unknowingly nodded their heads.

-Miracle-

Originally, blue roses were a symbol of impossibility that could not be reached by scientists studying flowers and plants.

Even though there were 15,000 species of roses that had been cultivated and hybridized since 2000 BC, roses with a blue tint did not appear.

Then, in June 2004, Suntory Holdings succeeded in developing a blue rose after 20 years of research.

The miracle that was thought to be impossible had been achieved.

The reason why the flower language of blue roses is a miracle was precisely because of this.

In that respect, the current moment when third-rate idols, who were no different from sacrifices, were getting a new opportunity and running towards success again was no different from a miracle.

This was the reason why they nodded their heads.

Above all, since they were using innocence as a weapon, the combination of flowers and innocence was not bad.

Tokashi also nodded his head at their reaction, and then talked about the concept.

“I’m thinking of proceeding with the album in a diary format.”

“A diary?”

“Do people still write diaries these days?”

It was not surprising that the employees were questioning it.

This was because there were not many people who kept diaries these days.

In the days of 00 World [likely referring to a specific social media platform or online trend], it was fashionable to write sentimental diaries here instead of diaries, and now that the trend was over, everyone was busy posting pretentious posts on social media.

However, in the past, girls carried a diary in their bags without exception.

This diary was also used as an exchange diary with friends or lovers, and it became a friend who comforted them on sleepless nights.

In that respect, a diary can be said to be an item full of girlish sensibility.

However, since it was definitely a sensibility that did not match these days, Tokashi smiled at the worried expressions of some of the employees and continued.

“I’m also thinking of including retro elements. The sensibility of the mid-90s.”

The reason why Tokashi set this period was because it was the period just before the Internet became popular.

In other words, he wanted to capture the unique color of analog [referring to non-digital technology and aesthetics].

“That’s good. The 90s retro style is popular again these days.”

Gowoo began to write down keywords and ideas that came to mind as if she was interested.

Tokashi, who was looking at Gowoo with a fond look, soon took out the last keyword.

“I’m going to make the color of the diary pink. And we’re really going to make the album into a diary.”

“Yes?”

Not one or two people were embarrassed at the thought of really making a diary. That was also the case for Team Leader Lee Jiwoo.

It was absurd to make a diary into an album, not just a concept.

As if knowing their thoughts, Tokashi continued.

“What do you think is the reason why album sales are decreasing?”

“Isn’t it because you don’t have to listen to CDs anymore?”

Tokashi nodded at Team Leader Lee Jiwoo’s words.

“That’s right. Because of this, core fans often buy CDs in bulk and donate them to senior citizen centers. Even if you put them out to sell, there’s no one to buy them, and if you leave them, they become garbage.”

“Hmm! I see what you mean. So, in the case of Blue Rose’s CD, you don’t have to worry about that.”

“Yes. If we do well, we can sell CDs to consumers who like to listen to songs, not just core fans.”

“The quality is the problem, but if you make it in large quantities, the price will go down, so it doesn’t matter…”

Team Leader Lee Jiwoo, who had a lot of experience, was able to estimate the approximate budget. It seemed enough to increase it by about 30% compared to a normal album.

“That’s right. Quality is important. Quality that makes people believe that goods released under the name of Blue Rose are worth buying. This will be a weapon that turns even non-fans into fans.”

“Goods!”

Kang Chan, who didn’t know that Tokashi was thinking that far, had to look at him with awe.

His awe-inspiring gaze grew as Tokashi elaborated on the keywords he had said.

+++++++++++++++++

”
… Tokashi is crazy good?”

It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t worried.

Anyway, it was officially Tokashi’s first project. In addition, I couldn’t help but compare him to Tokashi, whose form was at its peak, so I secretly resolved to lower my expectations.

“But, this is the result?”.

Even considering that I gave him data related to future trends, this is as good as the Tokashi I knew.

What impressed me about Tokashi was not just his ability to create a fresh big picture.

Even though it’s just the first report, the structure within it is connected like an organism.

At the same time, the concept doesn’t feel artificial, and it naturally makes you accept it without forcing it.

The word genius is not too much to say.

“Is it my turn now?”

Since he made it better than expected, I had to respond properly to him.

As I was looking at his first planning report, the inspirations that came to mind were rising like a tail.

Even though the inspirations were pouring in, I didn’t get impatient.

Other composers would be in a hurry to seize this rare opportunity, but this was like everyday life for me.

‘It’s just a storm in a teacup.’

It feels like a big inspiration, but if you take a step back, it’s just a collection of very small pieces of inspiration.

You can’t put anything in your mouth just because you’re hungry.

I boldly cut out the things I couldn’t eat slowly, and only picked out the things I wanted and rolled them around.

Like a snowball rolling on white snow, I didn’t hesitate to swallow the huge lump of inspiration that had grown so big.

Now all that’s left is to realize it, and this was too easy for me.

-Tatadadak!-

First, I created the money code that is the core of the song.

Money code.

The money code refers to the chord progression used in famous hit songs. The word money code came about because the song was a big hit and made a lot of money from copyright revenue.

A representative example is the Beatles’ Let it be.

From the intro, it progresses 1-5-6-4, and if you look at it based on the C key, it progresses C-G-Am-F.

Composers refer to this money code to create songs.

The reason is that it is a proven method that has been used in many hit songs.

It’s boring and obvious, but in the end, what people want is not to deviate from the existing one.

I used to use this method a lot in the past without knowing it.

However, the money code used this time was different.

I put my money code, which was so popular in that world that there was a separate word called YC code, into this song.

If you look for it, there may be similar money codes, but the way to apply it is completely different.

It’s a money code that only stands out when it contains my unique color, so most composers couldn’t even dare to try it.

This is also why my money codes became famous as the word YC code.

After creating a loop with the money code. Using samples such as whistles, wind sounds, and cat meows, I brought in the unique dawn atmosphere of the mid-90s.

After that, I immediately created a voice sample to match the dreamy synthesizer loop, and then mixed it with the synth.

After that, I emphasized the sound of the pen’s texture, and completed the intro of the song with a mumbaton (a genre that mixes house music and reggaeton that originated in Puerto Rico) rhythm drum beat.

The reason why I create the beginning of the song in such a complicated way is not for any other reason.

Because I have to express the unique sensibility of a girl, I can’t hit the ears with intense beats or synths.

So, I had to go back to the method of building up the intro and putting it into the head instead of the ear.

The biggest advantage of the song created in this way is that it is highly addictive but does not get boring easily.

It’s because it’s a song that approaches emotionally rather than through the ears, so there may be people who have never heard it once, but there will be no one who only listens to it once.

“It’s fun to do it after a long time?”

Even after writing one song, the inspiration didn’t disappear, so I wrote three more songs on the spot.

After that, I simply recorded the guide with humming, and then had to record it a few more times with the lyrics that came to mind in the middle.

After finishing all the work, a day had passed.

“Haaam~. I’m going to die.”

Even though I tried to take care of my body, it seems that I can’t hide my age. I’m so tired after only staying up one night.

-Tak!-

I barely held back the yawn that was coming again and sent the songs I had created to Tokashi.

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