Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 201

Once again, the “cut” sound echoed, and only after I was certain that the teaser video shoot for the intro was truly over did I finally get up from my seat.

“Phew, Dong-hwa, you worked hard on the shoot today.”

“PD-nim [Production Director], I’m really sorry, but would you allow me to bring a brick to the next shoot?”

“We’ll proceed with the main filming during the next shoot.”

“…Could I possibly know what the next shoot will involve?”

“Of course not! Professor Dong-hwa is supposed to maintain composure ‘no matter how sudden’ things get, right? We were really surprised by your heart rate. It was genuinely stable.”

Right, I’ve been through far more serious situations than this, so I won’t crumble easily. I’ll be able to endure the next shoot too. I’ll reclaim the title of Blossence’s last shred of reason, not just some subtle madness.

* * *

[Ji Dong-hwa Spotted in Hongdae [a vibrant and trendy district in Seoul]]

(Photo taken during a chaotic interview.jpg—Ji Dong-hwa is dressed very formally and is serious about hot pink knitting.)

….? It feels distant, a little.

Comments:

—What the heck is this LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL can’t believe it LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL what is it LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL└The moment I saw it, I burst out laughing LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL what’s the situation└ㄱㅆ [abbreviation for ‘real comment’] They say they couldn’t figure out what he was doing…

—I rushed over here because I heard there was a Ji Dong-hwa sighting, but am I normal for thinking this Ji Dong-hwa is okay too…?

└Is everyone… going crazy like this?

—Blossence’s hidden madness…

└Where did the last shred of reason go?

└No matter how you look at it, Ji Dong-hwa is the real madness.

—I really think idols are amazing. It’s not easy to smile in that situation ㅅㅂ [Korean slang for ‘swear word’]└The people behind him are all walking by while he’s doing that LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL└ㄱㅆ [abbreviation for ‘real comment’]) He even played classical music.

└Why…?

The idol scene isn’t that big. Small issues are quickly shared, and most idol fandoms can easily access them.

So, the most frequently discussed issue these days was the ‘Ji Dong-hwa Hoffin Composer Incident.’

It was an unprecedented event: someone who seemed to know the members’ vocal tones, dance lines, and points to emphasize in large group choreography better than the Diony Entertainment company staff was actually another idol member.

While reading the acceptance announcement, Lee Hyun-jae suddenly found the idol community talking about Dong-hwa hyung [older brother or male friend] interesting and turned his attention to it.

He was happy to have been accepted, but there weren’t many things as fun as reading posts from people who liked their members.

“…It’s amazing. Two Korea University students in one group.”

According to Dong-hwa hyung, it was something that was possible because he was smart from the start, but it was a bizarre thing if you thought about it.

If he had given up halfway through the survival show, he would have just gone to university, and then, as his parents said, gone to graduate school and tried to become a professor, though he wouldn’t know if he would succeed. The thought of ‘I’m happy to be able to sing’ was only possible after meeting Dong-hwa hyung.

Lee Hyun-jae closed the internet window. He needed to take care of his skin for the making-of film shoot for ‘Under the snow’ with Dong-hwa hyung tomorrow.

“Hyun-jae, did, uh, you, pass?”

Opening the door, Ryu Iden was standing there awkwardly, holding a plate of sliced strawberries in his hand.

“…What are you doing, hyung [older brother or male friend]?”

“No, I was just wondering how our maknae [youngest member] was doing.”

“Um, it’s a secret.”

Lee Hyun-jae maintained a poker face as he had learned from Ji Dong-hwa and sat down next to Ryu Iden. Just when he was wondering what he was doing sitting by the door, the front door opened and Ji Dong-hwa entered.

“…What are you two doing?”

Ryu Iden was about to burst out laughing at their similar reactions, but he held back, fearing that Lee Hyun-jae might have failed.

“Come eat this.”

Ji Dong-hwa put a box on the desk with a face that showed extreme fatigue and a deathly gloom.

“Oh, what is it? Food? We just started our diet, is this a cheat day already?”

“Cheat day or whatever, Hyun-jae, come sit down quickly.”

Ryu Iden looked hurt and sulky, then became puzzled.

“Today, you’re the star.”

“Uh… why?”

“You passed.”

“…It’s a secret.”

“Come eat.”

Ryu Iden was startled by Ji Dong-hwa’s headstrong congratulations. What if he had failed! Ryu Iden gestured with his hands, face, and mouth to stop Ji Dong-hwa. Please! Understand! Hyun-jae’s atmosphere didn’t seem like he had passed!

However, Ji Dong-hwa shook his head, looking more mentally scattered than ever.

“If he failed, it’s academic corruption.”

Ji Dong-hwa wiped his face a few times, took a deep breath, and then, returning to his usual expression, smiled.

“Congratulations on passing.”

Lee Hyun-jae turned his head with a sulky expression and muttered.

“…I have to help tease Iden hyung [older brother or male friend], right?”

“Sorry, my mental state is, right now, quite dangerous.”

Ryu Iden, who had been listening to all the conversation, couldn’t help but have a rotten expression.

“What, maknae [youngest member]. Our Hyun-jae. I practically raised you! How could you!”

“That’s why I want to tease you more.”

Lee Hyun-jae said sulkily again and ran to the box, which he was sure contained his favorite strawberry cake.

Left alone, Ryu Iden held the plate of sliced strawberries preciously and pondered.

‘…Is he saying he’s thankful and loves me?’

The interpretation is a bit of an overreach, but it’s not entirely wrong. Ryu Iden, feeling better again, ran towards Lee Hyun-jae.

The ‘Under the snow’ making-of film shoot was actually in my new studio, with a separate recording room.

It’s the first project I’m doing completely autonomously after learning how to produce, and it’s the first recording I’m doing in my new studio, which was set up in the company this year.

Also, it’s Lee Hyun-jae’s first year as an adult, my first production, Lee Hyun-jae’s first solo song, so everything is tied to firsts.

I stared blankly at the screen in front of the computer and let out a deep sigh.

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], I think I’ve been feeling a deep sense of reality since yesterday.”

“…The new shoot this time feels a bit strange.”

“Ah, is it because of the sighting that went up yesterday?”

“Yeah.”

I want to die.

“What kind of program is that, anyway?”

“I don’t know either. The purpose seems to be to kill me with shame.”

“Oh, I have to watch it as soon as the first video is uploaded. When does it start?”

“…A month from now.”

Come to think of it, a lot of things are packed into a month from now. I heard the drama will premiere around that time too.

“First, let’s have him sing.”

The recording is already done, but we might be able to get something even better. After that, all that’s left is to finish the post-production with pitch adjustments and such.

Lee Hyun-jae is scheduled to appear on the radio, and after that first reveal, the making-of film will be released in place of a music video.

Wait, that’s also being released in a month, then.

“…Something’s strange.”

“Why, did something go wrong?”

“A lot of things are packed into a month from now.”

It’s strange. I feel like something like this has happened before, where things got tangled up like this.

“It’s good to be busy. I want to get back to work quickly because I don’t have anything to study these days.”

“Yeah……. First, let’s have you sing from beginning to end as a warm-up. We’ll be filming it like that for the making-of, so don’t push yourself too hard.”

“I’ve already warmed up my voice.”

Lee Hyun-jae smiled for the first time in a while and walked into the recording room. I also took out the lyrics paper, which was tattered with all sorts of memos scribbled on it.

Winter plum. The concept Lee Hyun-jae chose. It’s also proof that the high school senior’s soul hasn’t disappeared yet.

As the title ‘Under the snow’ suggests, the speaker in the lyrics is a seed trembling in the darkness beneath the snow. I think it’s a concept that suits Lee Hyun-jae, who has been gradually revealing his ferocious nature these days.

As a result, I reduced the bright feeling of the song that I originally wrote thinking of a tree in spring, and I strengthened the delicate feeling of the flower.

Looking at him, he says he wants to be like me, but he’s not going to be like me in that he says what I only think. If he weren’t an idol, he probably would have had a rough mouth.

[Shockingly accurate!]

Right?

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], I’ll try singing it once.”

“Okay.”

I played the MR [music recorded] without much thought. We’re not recording properly, and it’s a process of listening to the flow from beginning to end to get a feel for it, so we’re going to sing it from beginning to end.

The intro that flows at the beginning is reminiscent of spring snow. The falling snowflakes are beautiful like well-honed swords, but they also feel cold. Snow falling coldly at a time when it should be warm is also paradoxical.

Lee Hyun-jae took a few breaths and closed his eyes tightly.

I’ve never seen the sunlight, no
I’m more used to the cold snow, hey
What’s beyond, me
I wonder, but I close my eyes

I told him not to push himself, but our junior doesn’t listen. I could see that he was putting all his effort into suppressing his emotions, even though I meant for him to sing comfortably. What is he imagining and singing about beyond those tightly closed eyes?

I didn’t want to think I was lonely
The shell only gets harder and harder
I didn’t want to show I was suffering
The days I was just trembling under this snow

Thanks to the arrangement while writing the lyrics, delicate and detailed violin performances are added, as if representing the cautious steps of a delicate flower stalk, rather than the confident march of a tree branch.

Practically, it was necessary to record new sounds because the original instrument sounds were not enough, but this was also easily resolved by adding it to Hwa-yang’s debt.

It’s not good to process it with built-in instruments, and it seems impossible to request a large amount of support from the company for just this one song.

The following staccato of violin and piano sounds like footsteps, and it also sounds like snow falling.

You hugged me on those days,
Can I say I want to meet you.
The day I finally take a step.
Can you watch over me.

The caution of the staccato is connected to a smooth performance, and several instruments are added, leaving an impression like joy.

The chorus, still cold and fragile, but sounds solid as the sounds overlap. As if representing the bravery of the moment when the seed in the lyrics first sprouts.

One step, panting breath, breaking through the shell I built alone
Two steps, brightening you, cold air fills me
Three steps, if I meet you, I’ll be sure to ask you this
Four steps, you coming closer, can I call it spring

Damn it, I like it. I was so engrossed that I forgot I was producing.

Lee Hyun-jae’s tone was so clear, transparent, and pure that it suited the heart of a flower running out in the cold of winter so well.

I also liked the feeling that the chorus progresses rhythmically, unlike the beginning, and gradually speeds up as if a person walking is running.

‘As expected, our mother is…….’

I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to keep up with my mother, even if I compose for the rest of my life. If she had been a little more greedy for money, she would have certainly enjoyed greater success. I’m confident I can catch up with my father.

The interlude moved the symphony part that was there before the arrangement to this side. A bright and exciting atmosphere. The energy of spring feels stronger than the remnants of snow.

And when the interlude ends and Lee Hyun-jae has to sing, I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. To appreciate it in more detail. Actually, a producer shouldn’t do this, but it’s practice.