A New Career Singer Who Can Read The Future [EN]: Chapter 3

I couldn’t help but feel nervous. After all, Lee Jun-hyuk, the A&R [Artists and Repertoire, the division of a record label responsible for talent scouting and artistic development] team leader from Hue Entertainment, one of the big three entertainment companies, was sitting right in front of me, listening to my song.

The tarot cards I had drawn flashed through my mind: Wheel of Fortune, The Sun, Nine of Pentacles. If my shaman grandfather was right, this could be a golden opportunity.

Initially, Team Leader Lee Jun-hyuk just watched with his arms crossed, but gradually his posture changed. He leaned forward, observing Do-hyun as he sang.

“Team Leader, he’s good, right?”

At the composer’s words, Lee Jun-hyuk nodded slightly.

“He’s been a nobody despite debuting three times, but his skills are genuinely top-notch.”

“If he’s been a nobody despite debuting three times, isn’t that as good as saying he lacks talent?”

“No way! That guy is among the best main vocalists in the idol scene. He just happened to end up with bad agencies.”

“Well, let’s go with that.”

The first recording ended. Do-hyun took off his headphones and waited for feedback.

“Na Do-hyun.”

The microphone turned on, and Team Leader Lee Jun-hyuk called out to Do-hyun.

Do-hyun, slightly nervous, replied, “Yes?”

“It’s all good, but instead of pronouncing ‘Fly’ as it is in the song title, try singing it more fluidly. Like pronouncing it ‘F-ly.’ Your pronunciation sounds too much like the Korean phonetic transcription. Your voice isn’t bad, but bring out a bit more of a refreshing vibe.”

“Understood!”

At Team Leader Lee Jun-hyuk’s signal, the MR [music recorded without vocals] started playing again.

Do-hyun was determined to pass this time, focusing intently on the recording. He knew what Team Leader Lee Jun-hyuk was asking for. It wasn’t for nothing that he had debuted three times. He had met countless directors and been trained by their direction.

Do-hyun glanced outside. He met the eyes of Team Leader Lee Jun-hyuk, who was meticulously observing him.

He subtly avoided his gaze, worried that he might seem like he wasn’t concentrating on the recording.

“F-lyyyyyy! So F-lyyyyyy! Haaaaaa!”

He was more confident than anyone in the high-pitched parts. One of his most powerful weapons was his ability to move through various vocal ranges.

That’s how the second recording ended.

“Do-hyun, let’s do it just eight more times. You’re in good condition now, and it would be great if you could bring out a bit more of that refreshing vibe.”

At the composer’s words, Do-hyun in the recording booth nodded.

‘Just eight more times, an opportunity to catch Team Leader Lee Jun-hyuk’s eye. If I seize this opportunity, if it can come true as the tarot cards foretold…’

There was still a part of him that doubted the tarot cards. He couldn’t help but question them. Could something as simple as tarot cards foretell my future?

Do-hyun closed his eyes and focused on the song to clear his head of distracting thoughts.

He showcased his skills in the scat parts, flowing with the melody. Do-hyun’s fans loved the ad-libbed scatting the most. When he flowed with the melody like that, the fans would go wild.

‘Well, that’s all in the past.’

That’s how the recording continued, once, twice.

Before the last recording, Do-hyun was given a break. Team Leader Lee Jun-hyuk, who had been like a tiger, briefly left his seat, and the composer *hyung* [older brother or male friend], with a cigarette in his mouth, asked.

“What do you think? What’s your impression of Team Leader Lee?”

“It’s not like I met a celebrity, what impression do I need to have, *hyung*?”

“Still, you’ve seen someone who’s soaring in this industry. If you make a good impression, you might sign a contract with Hue Entertainment and work as a singer. That guy is incredibly picky, but he has an accurate eye for talent.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s undoubtedly great, but I hope he likes the song first, even though I’m just a guide vocalist. It reminds me of the excitement I felt when I debuted.”

“Beastly idol, flower boy idol, audition idol. You’ve literally done everything you can. By the way, did you hear the news?”

“What news? Are you talking about the audition program that KBC is running?”

Soon, the preliminary rounds of the audition program ‘I Want to Be Your First Singer’ on KBC would begin. Do-hyun had also applied to participate.

“Oh, you know about it?”

“They’re promoting it so openly, how could I not know, *hyung*?”

“Are you planning to go?”

“I have to. I’ve already applied. What does it matter if it’s my fourth debut? I’d be happy as long as I can continue singing as a singer.”

At that moment, Team Leader Lee Jun-hyuk came in. Do-hyun stood up, shook out the remaining water, and went back into the recording booth.

“Let’s go for the last recording, Do-hyun.”

He sang for about 3 minutes and 40 seconds without a break. Because it was the last recording, he concentrated even more, and the time passed in an instant.

“Do-hyun, you worked hard.”

“Na Do-hyun. Thank you for your hard work.”

Team Leader Lee Jun-hyuk spoke in a softer tone than when he first saw him.

“*Hyung*, Team Leader, you both worked hard. I’ll be going now.”

Do-hyun left the studio and trudged home, hoping that the tarot cards would bring him luck.

* * *

Back home, Do-hyun was curious about the outcome of today’s events. He had drawn tarot cards three times for himself so far. He wondered what the fourth tarot reading would bring.

“Hmm, I don’t completely believe it, but let’s take a look anyway.”

Do-hyun shuffled the cards and spread them out in an arc.

But what was this?

Before, he could pick out the cards that gave him a strong feeling right away, but now his vision kept blurring when he looked at the cards.

“Huh? Am I just tired today?”

Do-hyun rubbed his eyes and tried again. But even after opening his eyes again, the cards were blurry as if they had a blur effect on them.

“Should I just pick one?”

He decided to just pick any card.

Then he flipped the card over, but all he saw was a black background.

“Huh? Why can’t I see any picture?”

Do-hyun, wondering if this was possible, flipped over all the cards. No matter which card he flipped over, all he could see was black. Panicked, Do-hyun shuffled the cards several times and spread them out, but it only produced the same result.

“Wait. Maybe there’s a limit. Like, after drawing three times, there’s a temporary restriction, and then after that, you can draw three more times. Something like that?”

Do-hyun made his own guess. Rather than a simple guess, it seemed appropriate for the current situation.

“If so, how many days or how many times is the restriction?”

Do-hyun was a little frustrated because he couldn’t know the timing, but he could only hope that the results of the cards he had drawn before would come true.

“Son! Dinner’s ready.”

“Okay! Mom. I’ll go eat.”

On the table were stir-fried pork and all sorts of side dishes. It was a meal he couldn’t usually enjoy.

“Mom, what’s with this feast?”

“I prepared it because my son worked hard singing.”

“Wow, I should sing every day. Then Mom’s meals will be special too!”

“My son, let’s become a singer who goes thinly and long, rather than thickly and short [a Korean expression meaning to have a long but less successful career rather than a short and very successful one].”

“Um, Mom, I disagree with that. I want to go thickly and long.”

“So you said you applied for the program on KBC this time, right?”

“Yeah, I applied. This time, I’m really going to re-debut and escape my anonymity. After escaping my anonymity, I’m going to change my real name to Do-hyun….”

“I told you that’s not allowed. Have you forgotten everything your grandfather said before he passed away? Your grandfather, who was a shaman, foretold your future and left.”

That’s because Mom didn’t want me to become a singer according to my grandfather’s words. She just wanted me to live a long, ordinary life as an ‘unknown.’

But how could she break her son’s stubbornness? She prevented him from changing his name, but she couldn’t stop him from continuing his life as a singer.

Do-hyun sighed while wrapping stir-fried pork in lettuce.

That damn opposition, opposition, opposition!

Why can’t I change my name? It’s nice that they named me ‘Unknown’ so I could live long, but Do-hyun sometimes hated himself for living as an unknown singer, the only one forgotten while the other members all succeeded.

“Mom, then discuss it with Dad. If I win first place in this audition, I can change my name.”

“You know your father follows your grandfather’s words even more. You know that just by how many times you’ve been caught trying to change your name.”

“Sigh, still, please tell him. I already know that winning first place on a TV audition program is difficult because I’ve been on one before. Before, it was about creating an idol group, so I could at least get into the debut group, but this time, they’re picking individuals, Mom.”

Do-hyun tried to persuade his mother, but her firmly closed lips didn’t change.

‘If I get first place, I’m going to change my name first thing.’

As he was thinking that and scooping rice, his cell phone in his room rang.

‘Who is it at this hour?’

He usually doesn’t get calls in the evening, so the fact that he’s getting a call at this hour makes him think it’s someone from the industry, so Do-hyun put down his spoon and walked to his room.

Looking at his cell phone screen, an unfamiliar number was displayed.

‘Who is it at this hour? And it’s an unknown number. Could it be fans calling?’

There were times when *sasaengs* [obsessive fans who stalk or invade the privacy of celebrities]—a term that wasn’t even worth calling them fans, a group that chased after his private life so relentlessly—would call.

Do-hyun hoped it wasn’t one of those calls and answered the phone.

“Yes. Hello.”

“Is this Na Do-hyun’s cell phone?”

“Yes, this is Na Do-hyun. Who is this?”

“This is Lee Jun-hyuk, the A&R team leader from Hue Entertainment, whom you met today.”

In that instant, Do-hyun’s hand lost strength, and he almost dropped his cell phone.

“Ah, yes. Hello, Team Leader.”

“I have something to discuss, what’s your schedule like this week?”

“I don’t have any special schedule. I can adjust to whatever schedule you want!”

“I see. Then how about 3 PM tomorrow?”

The three cards he had drawn flashed through Do-hyun’s mind.

Wheel of Fortune. The Sun. Nine of Pentacles.