A New Career Singer Who Can Read The Future [EN]: Chapter 140

Yun Min-hye’s face registered surprise.

To think they were both at the Grammys, an event notoriously difficult to get tickets for!

“Wow… How did you get the tickets, senior [a respectful term for someone older or more experienced]?”

“I scoured every site, asked everyone I knew. The Grammys don’t even accept press applications. I endured and persevered with the sole purpose of seeing Do-hyun. And actually… I also take photos of Do-hyun.”

“Seriously?”

Yun Min-hye’s eyes widened. Yu Ha-na nodded, then took out her phone to show off the photos she had taken of Do-hyun.

“Wow, isn’t this photo taken at the Grammys legendary? That photo that every Honey [Do-hyun’s fan name] absolutely saves! You took that, senior?”

“It just happened that way. Even getting a camera into the Grammys was a challenge. I had to match the dress code, too. It was really tough sneaking a camera in under formal attire. I was one of the few ‘jjik-deok’ [Korean term for a dedicated fan who takes photos of idols] who went from Korea.”

Yun Min-hye sincerely admired Yu Ha-na, saying,

“Thank you for capturing Do-hyun’s beautiful moments, senior.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I always want to do this. Unless Do-hyun does something terrible… I think I’ll keep being a fan like this. I’ve slammed the door shut on ever leaving the Do-hyun fandom.”

“When you’re a fan of Do-hyun, you realize it’s rare to find someone with such a good reputation in the industry. Honestly, working in this industry, you really feel like you shouldn’t trust anything that’s been ‘painted over,’ but… Do-hyun isn’t like that, which is great.”

Yu also nodded in agreement. She had seen such cases more than once before becoming a team leader. Before covering the K-pop scene, she often met actors while covering broadcasting, and she was often disappointed by how different the celebrities were on TV compared to their real selves.

That’s why she knew how difficult it was to have a good reputation in the industry.

“Right. It’s hard for people to maintain their initial attitude, but the fact that he’s doing it so well is really amazing. He could have become arrogant after ‘Your First Song,’ but instead, he communicates with fans through various channels, which is great. It’s neither arrogance nor conceit, but you can see the genuine Na Do-hyun… I just have to say it’s so great.”

“Senior! You and I have such similar feelings! Let’s meet more often in the field and have meals together! Isn’t your company near ours?”

“Yeah, I think so? There are a few internet news companies near our company. Let’s coordinate our lunch times and eat together!”

Yu was filled with joy at the thought of having a colleague to share her lonely fangirling with. Yun felt the same way.

The two were united by the name Na Do-hyun.

* * *

The movie that Do-hyun participated in with the OST [Original Soundtrack] was a huge hit. It set a record of 10 million viewers.

It was a given that Do-hyun’s OST would top the music charts. In particular, the song that showcased his vocal abilities was so popular that many people sang it in karaoke.

In the meantime, Do-hyun was helping Hyun-ho with his music production for Icarus’s album.

He wanted to be as helpful as possible since Hyun-ho was taking his first steps in producing.

“Do-hyun, I’m very pleased with the results of this song’s work.”

PD [Producer Director] Lee Jun-hyuk said in a much softer voice.

At those words, Do-hyun wore a joyful expression.

To hear that he was pleased from PD Lee Jun-hyuk, who was extremely picky about music.

It was something he couldn’t have dreamed of when he first signed with Hue Entertainment.

“Thank you, PD!”

“There’s no need to thank me. It’s all because you did well and achieved good results.”

“Still… I learned a lot under you, PD. I think that’s why I am where I am now. The fact that I’m even producing is all thanks to the help I received.”

PD Lee Jun-hyuk chuckled and continued the conversation.

“It’s all thanks to your passionate approach. There are a lot of friends who can’t be taught if they don’t want to learn. But you weren’t like that. I think that’s what was different.”

“Speaking of which… PD, I’ve been working on a song to release as ‘Monthly Do-hyun,’ would you like to listen to it?”

This month, too, ‘Monthly Do-hyun’ was released without fail.

‘Monthly Do-hyun’ initially had a period of once a month, but now it was proceeding with a definite deadline of noon on the last Friday of the month. He worked frantically because he had to deliver the song introduction before it was released on music sites.

“Let me hear it.”

“Just a moment.”

Do-hyun took out his phone and played the roughly recorded sound source.

PD Lee Jun-hyuk’s expression changed subtly.

‘Hmm… Does that mean it’s not good? I can never read this PD’s expression.’

Do-hyun was watching carefully, but it was still difficult to read the PD’s expression.

“…It’s good, Do-hyun. This song is perfect for the current season. However… the lyrics are a bit lacking. There are some pronunciations that clash. If you can fix those points, it should be fine.”

The composition passed! Do-hyun was relieved at the assessment that he only needed to pay attention to the lyrics.

“Thank you, PD!”

“You often say thank you, Do-hyun, but give yourself some encouragement too. I’m just in a position to judge whether it’s good enough to pass… and my feedback isn’t always entirely correct.”

“Still… thank you!”

At those words, PD Lee Jun-hyuk’s expression became very gentle. It was a rare expression.

“How is the song work going overall these days?”

PD Lee Jun-hyuk asked as if curious. At these words, Do-hyun recalled the status of his song work.

The song he helped Hyun-ho with was also in good condition, and the work on ‘Monthly Do-hyun’ was also nearing completion. He wasn’t experiencing burnout, nor did he think that his songs were inferior to the creations of others.

“Overall, the song work is going so well that I’m worried. I’d be a little scared if the song work suddenly stalled after working like this.”

“I recommend not working on songs when you have energy left.”

Do-hyun asked why, curious. At those words, the PD shared his experience.

“The work of creating is really like that. Some days, a song that wouldn’t come together no matter how hard you tried comes together well, and some days, a song that seemed like it would come together well sounds bad. It’s a job where you have to maintain a constant energy state.”

“…Ah! That feeling. I’ve experienced it too. So I don’t try to use up all the energy I can use in a day. I’m not the only one who felt that way!”

“Creators probably all feel similarly. The producers around me have gone through similar situations hundreds of times to get where they are now. In some ways, this job is like a battle where the one who endures the longest wins. Of course, you have to have talent, and luck has to follow you.”

As a senior in life, the PD’s words sounded absolutely right. Do-hyun recalled the time he had put in all sorts of efforts and endured to escape anonymity.

‘…It was a really tough time. There was a time when I hated myself for choosing the dream of being a singer.’

Do-hyun had also experienced a slump. At that time, he hated himself for choosing the dream of being a singer. He had even thought that it would have been better if his grandfather had let him live as a shaman instead of performing a ‘nulleum-gut’ [a ritual to comfort the spirits of the dead]. At least as the grandson of a ‘mansin’ [a hereditary shaman], he would have had some innate ability as a shaman, so he might have been able to make as much money as he wanted.

But now it was different. It wasn’t that he didn’t experience slumps now. But it was different from before. The period of getting out of the swamp of the slump was short. It was also because he was sure of what he wanted to do.

“Thank you always for your kind words, PD.”

“I’m saying this because I cherish you as a senior in life. In some ways, it may sound like nagging from an old man… but I’m saying it because I believe you’ll do well.”

“Thank you so much for thinking that way! I think I was able to come this far thanks to you, PD. I sometimes think back to the time when I was recording guide vocals in that studio.”

Do-hyun thought about the moment he first met PD Lee Jun-hyuk.

Back then, he couldn’t have imagined that so many amazing things would be in store for him.

“I also think about that day sometimes. It was a time when I got to know Na Do-hyun properly. I thought, ‘That friend has talent? It’s a waste to just have him do guide vocals?’ I’m satisfied with my choice.”

“I think I am where I am now because I was chosen by you, PD. Otherwise, I couldn’t have imagined it. Honestly, until then… my goal was to receive at least one grand prize in Korea and finish my singing career? But then I won an award at the Grammys, which is also criticized as a local awards ceremony, and I also worked on the OST for a famous director’s movie… It was really a series of surprises.”

At Do-hyun’s words, PD Lee Jun-hyuk closed his eyes and nodded as if in agreement.

“You really created a second Na Do-hyun, PD. In fact, if I hadn’t been able to debut for the fourth time, the existence of Na Do-hyun would have been forgotten. Well… there were hardly any people who remembered the name Na Do-hyun back then, though.”

“It’s different now, isn’t it? The whole world is waiting for your next move, Do-hyun. What do you want to choose as your next move?”

“…I want to go on a tour that only superstars can do.”

“Oh… a tour. That’s good. You’ve won an award at the Grammys, which is also criticized as a local awards ceremony, so a tour for superstars that you dream of will be possible soon. I’ll have to discuss it with the planning team and the management team.”

At PD Lee Jun-hyuk’s words, Do-hyun watched carefully, feeling like he had talked about too grand a dream.

But PD Lee Jun-hyuk’s face didn’t change at all. He seemed to be seriously considering Do-hyun’s world tour.

“If you want it… Hue Entertainment is ready to support everything.”

“Thank you just for saying that!”

“I’m not just throwing words around. Do-hyun, we know well. Which guy is likely to succeed, and which isn’t. Which guy puts in effort, and which is diligent. We can see it at a glance. Do-hyun, trust yourself a little more. We chose you not only because you had potential, but also because we judged that you could achieve your dreams. In other words… make your dreams a reality. You can do it.”