A New Career Singer Who Can Read The Future [EN]: Chapter 136

I walked onto the stage as the MC, a wave of nervousness washing over me. A music talk show with my name on it! It was surreal.

I’d finished rehearsals with the guests, but the real test was the actual performance. I was eager to see if I could pull it off.

Sun Hwa-seung, a Coast [a popular Korean band] senior, gave me an encouraging hug. He told me several times that I was doing well and that I had this.

His support was a welcome relief.

Stepping onto the stage, I was met with…

“Na Do-hyun! Na Do-hyun! Na Do-hyun!”

My fans were there, chanting my name. Purple cheering sticks, a symbol of my fanbase, were everywhere.

“Haha… Thank you, everyone. It looks like a lot of my fans came today. When you think of purple, you think of Na Do-hyun, right? I really like purple accessories too. They remind me of my fans.”

“We all know that!” someone shouted from the audience, making everyone laugh.

With the initial tension eased, Icarus’s performance began in earnest.

My segment was last, a special slot for the MC’s first broadcast commemorative stage.

Icarus delivered a perfectly synchronized dance and an amazing live performance. Hyun-ho had mentioned how hard they’d practiced due to multiple debut delays, and seeing it in person was impressive. It struck me that you needed that level of dedication to survive in this industry.

Of course, when I first started, I had that same fire. After my debut, it was tough because the other members didn’t share that intensity. Some even thought things would magically work out just because they’d debuted.

Anyway… Watching Icarus brought back a flood of memories.

“Okay, Icarus! Come and sit over here! You’re our first guest on . How does it feel?”

The leader, Hyun-ho, took the microphone and gave his thoughts.

“I’m so happy to be here! We’re glad to be able to show our performance in this venue!”

A standard, rehearsed answer.

But I didn’t want that for .

“Hyun-ho, that sounds a little canned. Let’s be honest. These days, when you think of synchronized dancing, you think of Icarus, and when you think of Icarus, you think of a killer live performance, right? Do you guys ever search yourselves online and read the reactions?”

Hyun-ho laughed, tilting his head back at my playful question. The other members smiled too.

“Of course! We’re human. We don’t look at everything, but we do check out the reactions. It feels good to see the positive stuff. We try to focus on the good things.”

“Right? It’s nice to hold onto those good feelings. So, the second song is related to good things… Please introduce it.”

Another member, Ji-seok, introduced Icarus’s second stage, ‘Beautiful.’

“Hello, this is Ji-seok! The second stage we’re going to perform is ‘Beautiful’! It’s a refreshing song about seeing and loving only the beautiful things in the world! There are a lot of couples here today, and we hope you’ll see the beauty in each other as we wrap up our performance!”

With that, Icarus sang ‘Beautiful’ and left the stage.

After that, Sun Hwa-seung, Coast, and other artists performed. I focused on my MC duties, making sure to keep the show flowing and engaging.

* * *

“Ugh… I think I have a stiff neck from being so nervous about today’s recording.”

After completing my final segment, I greeted the audience and headed to the waiting room.

The tension had really gotten to me.

Kang-ho offered to massage my neck, saying he knew how. But it seemed to make it worse.

“Hyung… Is it just my imagination, or does it hurt more when you massage it?”

“It’s because you’re so tense. It hurts more because you’re so wound up.”

“Ugh… I was really nervous today. I think I did okay when I was actually doing it. How was it from down there? Did I do well?”

I asked Kang-ho for reassurance.

The youngest stylist chimed in.

“Oppa [term used by younger females to address older males], you were really good! I was surprised you didn’t look nervous at all. You were great at it, just like when you were a radio DJ!”

“It feels good to hear that from the youngest, but… I really did well, right?”

“You did! Right, Ho-ya oppa?”

The youngest looked to Kang-ho for confirmation.

Kang-ho nodded.

“You did really well. It was great. You have experience as a DJ, experience as a judge on other programs, and you did a lot of research. You knew all about the guests’ new albums and their unique charms. I think you nailed it. You can definitely do this.”

“Thank you, hyung. I feel energized. I’m going to give it my all. I just want to do this 100 times, no more, no less. I guess that’ll be about two years…”

“If you factor in cancellations, one year is about 52 weeks, and if you broadcast 50 times a year, you’ll hit 100 quickly.”

I understood Kang-ho’s quick calculation immediately.

“That’s good. Two years as an MC. If possible, it would be amazing to aim for 1,000 episodes…”

“Then you’d have to do it for 20 years? Would you be okay with that?”

“But I’ll still be young then, right? I think it’ll be perfect. Let’s aim for 1,000 episodes. 20 years of broadcasting.”

“Haha… You have a hidden comedian in you, don’t you?”

I was serious, but Kang-ho took it as a joke. I just laughed, unsure of what else to say.

“Let’s go home quickly… No, hyung, can you drop me off at the company today? I have work to do.”

“What work do you have now?”

Kang-ho asked, puzzled.

“I have to restart the Monthly Do-hyun project, which I put on hold.”

I’d been too busy after the Grammy Awards to keep up with it.

Now it was time to get back to it.

“You’re going to burn yourself out. Take it easy. What are you going to do if you collapse again like before?”

“I had too many schedules back then. I’m fine now because I have a more balanced schedule.”

I said it casually, but Kang-ho was still worried.

“Still… Don’t you know your schedule has gotten even busier since you came back from the Grammy Awards? This week is manageable, but starting next week, you have photo shoots, interviews… Your schedule is packed.”

“It’s okay. Really. I have to make a lot of money while I can, and I have to work hard!”

With that, I headed to the company studio.

Kang-ho dropped me off and nagged me to rest. Of course, I didn’t listen.

Before entering the studio, I ran into PD [Production Director] Lee Jun-hyuk.

“Oh, Do-hyun. You’re here. I wanted to talk to you, and you showed up at the perfect time… Good timing!”

“PD, what’s up?”

“Well… Do-hyun. Would you be interested in working on a movie OST [Original Soundtrack]?”

“Yes? A movie OST?”

“It’s a movie OST project by director Jin Tae-wook, who won an Academy Award… You’d be involved from beginning to end. Director Jin has specifically requested you to handle a few songs.”

Director Jin Tae-wook.

A master who has won three Academy Awards. Producing the OST for such a director’s movie…

I was a huge fan and had watched his movies countless times. And now, I had the opportunity to work on Director Jin’s OST!

This was an incredible opportunity.

“Wow… I’d love to! I usually post 인증 [proof/validation] photos of myself watching Director Jin’s movies on SNS [Social Networking Service]!”

“Director Jin’s team said they believe you understand his work well, which is why he’s making the proposal. You’ll likely be working with the music director on the songs when the project starts. What do you think? Are you in?”

I eagerly accepted.

“I have to! This kind of opportunity doesn’t come along every day! I’m a fan of the director, and it’s an honor to work on the OST for his movie!”

“I figured you’d be interested… Thank you for agreeing. It’ll be a great learning experience.”

PD Lee patted me on the shoulder encouragingly.

I replied with enthusiasm.

“That’s right! I still have a long way to go. I need to learn a lot and work hard. I’m so grateful for this opportunity.”

“It’s all a result of what you’ve built. If you hadn’t shown anything, if you hadn’t expressed your likes and dislikes… This wouldn’t have happened. There’s no opportunity for a colorless and odorless entertainer. But you’ve consistently shown your distinct tastes through Monthly Do-hyun and SNS, and that’s why this opportunity came your way.”

I knew PD Lee Jun-hyuk was right.

“Thank you! Thank you for always saying such encouraging things!”

“What are you thanking me for? You have a great attitude of being grateful for the small things. It’s amazing that a singer who went to the Grammys hasn’t lost his 초심 [original intention/beginner’s mind] and hasn’t forgotten where he came from. If I were in that position, I would have become really arrogant. I wouldn’t have worked and lived recklessly.”

I burst out laughing. PD Lee also had been serious but then laughed as well.

“Did I go too far?”

“That’s right! Usually, when you win such a great award, you feel like you should work even harder. Although I ended up 공동 수상 [co-winning] in the New Artist category… I’ve set my next goal.”

“Um? Are you going to challenge the Grammys next year?”

“I think it’s hard to try once, but it’s not hard to try twice. The second attempt is for me to receive the awards that Adion received at the Grammys. That’s it. I want to truly showcase the charm of Na Do-hyun.”

“You’ve already done enough, haven’t you?”

“That’s why I want to promote myself even more. Once becomes twice, and twice becomes three times… If I pave the way well, Korean singers will make many challenges after me. Everything will get better overall. The music industry will come alive, right? So I want to become a central figure in the music industry.”

It was the moment when Do-hyun’s grand goal was revealed.