Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 218

It’s hard to judge what is just, but it’s relatively easy to judge what is unjust. Other values like goodness or fairness have similar tendencies, just like the scene unfolding before my eyes now.

“Um, hello.”

I’m clearly in the arrangement team’s practice room, so why are there only two people? I came in knowing that the choreography and vocal practice would be over. This is clearly unjust. For a moment, my mind raced.

“Oh, uh, hello!”

“…Hello!”

“I thought you’d be in the middle of working, so I bought coffee.”

I did perform at an event, but it’s still 12 o’clock. It’s definitely the time when you should be working, because two days is a very short time.

But why are there only a ‘squirrel’ [someone who is energetic and busy] and an ‘illegal sampling criminal’ [referring to someone who might be cutting corners or doing something they shouldn’t] here? I’m really curious. It can’t be that they’re having a secret affair, so what could it be?

“Ah, that’s…”

Park Eun-gu only moved his lips; the rest of the words didn’t come out. The ‘criminal’ next to him pondered for a while and carefully raised his hand.

“Everyone, they said they were tired, so…”

“Oh, really? Then shall I tell them to go back so they won’t be tired at all?”

At my words, the two shut their mouths. Um, this is a little fun. One person admires me, and the other is very afraid of me.

“Was it like this from the beginning?”

“No, it hasn’t been long since the two of us started working together.”

“Is that so.”

I sat down in the same spot and handed over the coffee first. It’s obvious that their night will be long, so it would be hard to endure without coffee.

Park Eun-gu and the ‘illegal sampling criminal’ accepted the coffee and drank it silently, but they still looked uncomfortable. When I think about it, is this similar to a university professor acting like they know you in the library? When I thought about it that way, I couldn’t help but feel sorry. If I hadn’t received the money, this wouldn’t have happened.

“I have a question: did you allocate the parts to be produced?”

“…Ah, the opinion was gathered that it would be better to do it all together.”

But where did everyone go? The degree of inconsistency between words and actions is severe.

“Hmm. Then how much did you all work together?”

“That’s, everyone said let’s work tomorrow, so…”

“Then what about the two of you?”

“…I thought it would be easier when everyone works together if we do a little bit beforehand.”

If this were a university, their collaborative score would be deducted, and they would receive an A0 or A- like me. But in terms of broadcasting and survival, it would be a wise thing to do. The PD [Production Director] will reward their efforts through editing, so I should listen to the results of the work.

“Can I listen to it?”

* * *

Park Eun-gu quenched his parched mouth with an Americano. He felt like a child being inspected for homework. It was clear that his mother was less scary than Ji Dong-hwa.

Kwon Han-jin, who was only recognized as a ‘criminal’ by Ji Dong-hwa, felt the same. It would be okay if he did well, but he was afraid of the intense criticism that would flow from his mouth if he didn’t.

Ji Dong-hwa listened to the short arrangement without a word and nodded.

“You put a slight variation on the first verse. An additional synth riff was added.”

That was exactly right. In order to change the atmosphere a little and explode the song after the second chorus. ‘I heard he doesn’t do anything but work; I guess it’s true,’ Kwon Han-jin thought to himself. He was scared that he would catch it right away just by listening.

Ji Dong-hwa nodded without saying anything and moved his hand slightly. He brought up the timeline on the monitor and looked at it in detail.

“If you’re going to make a change, it would be better to make it more ear-catching. If a new element is added, the atmosphere must also change. If the atmosphere remains the same, it’s just a meaningless change. It’s a shame that you seem to be afraid of changing it.”

Ji Dong-hwa was busy trying to minimize professional terms and speak in a way that viewers could understand, as requested by the PD. Park Eun-gu nodded silently. After all, it was scary to change it since it was being attached to Ji Dong-hwa’s arrangement.

“Anyway, it’s good enough that you didn’t just follow what I did.”

Ji Dong-hwa stood up expressionlessly.

“And to the rest of you, I hope you will definitely convey the message that I hope to see you all tomorrow.”

At that, Park Eun-gu and Kwon Han-jin’s heads went blank as if they were empty. It was as if the meaning behind what it meant was running wild in their heads. Isn’t that openly saying, ‘I’m going to mess you up, so be careful?’

So, the next day dawned, and when the arrangement team gathered, Park Eun-gu frantically urged people to divide up the work and worked hard in between practices. At the very least, they had to show evidence that they had all worked together.

‘I don’t care what happens to others, but as the leader, it will look like my responsibility if the team members are lazy. Dong-hwa hyung [older brother/male friend] will definitely think that way. That hyung is secretly FM [field manual; someone who sticks to the rules], so.’

Ji Dong-hwa often broke his own principles to be called FM, but in Park Eun-gu’s head, he was Ji Dong-hwa from the AI era who acted like a machine, sticking to everything according to the schedule, so a small misunderstanding arose.

“No, is there any need to be so urgent?”

Team members who don’t care about such things.

“Yesterday, Dong-hwa sunbaenim [senior/mentor]…”

Everyone opened their mouths comfortably, but when they conveyed ‘Ji Dong-hwa’s words’, they shut their mouths like ghosts. Those who had the memory of the first evaluation vividly in their minds could only tremble at the fact that ‘they are scheduled to be fact-bombed today’ [criticized harshly]. Maybe this is the virtue of the monarch that Machiavelli talked about.

And when the time finally came, all the trainees heading to the practice room where Ji Dong-hwa was were cowering like cows approaching a slaughterhouse.

Ji Dong-hwa in a suit as soon as he opened the door. It seemed that his clothes were still the same because he moved right after the schedule. Ji Dong-hwa looked at everyone’s faces closely and threw a word.

“Everyone, your faces don’t look very good. Did you perhaps work all night?”

Wince.

“When I came here around 12 o’clock yesterday, I saw only two people, and I felt a little sorry.”

Wince.

“I was thinking of a picture of you all huddled together to make good use of the two days. So, there are eight cups of coffee left.”

Wince.

“I was so sad that I drank it and arranged the entire song.”

And shock.

“I think it would be a good lesson to compare the amount of work you did in a day with the amount of work I did alone.”

In other words, what were you guys doing sleeping? It meant that they had to work even if they were bleeding from their noses and collapsing. In fact, he has been stuck in the studio without sleeping since his debut.

Park Eun-gu swallowed hard. It seemed that pushing them to gather the amount of work today was a good choice.

“Then, Eun-gu leader, would you like to let us hear it?”

“That, as you advised yesterday, we divided the parts and worked on them!”

“Please let us hear everything.”

* * *

A mess.

I listened to all the files and tried to naturally connect the pieces in my head, but all the pieces were playing too separately, so I couldn’t believe it was a song.

After thinking deeply about how to fix it, I realized again. There’s no answer.

I should have told them at least how to work efficiently in group work, instead of just delivering the mission and ending it, following the production team’s words yesterday. It’s my mistake that I thought they would know that much.

“To divide the parts and work on them, you must share a certain direction with each other. Otherwise, a work that no one can believe is an arrangement will come out like this, no matter how much you think about it. And the person who should play that role in this team is…”

Park Eun-gu dropped his head and raised his hand.

“Yes, it’s trainee Eun-gu. I’ll help you too, so let’s start by firmly establishing the direction of how to arrange the song today.”

“Yes!”

“Jin-san and Eun-gu’s works are the best, so I think it would be good to listen to them together.”

Looking at the fact that they are the only two who know what an arrangement that makes you want to listen to the song is, the answer came out. If an arrangement battle breaks out in the survival shows that will be held later, there will be no one else who has a chance of winning besides those two.

Of course, you never know. A great person who stays up all night and tries various arrangements may appear.

“Ah, by the way, I think I did about ten times more work.”

The atmosphere froze over with the joke. They all looked at each other and lowered their heads with their hands neatly gathered.

Oh, I didn’t want this. Why did I become like a bad person who enforces military discipline at university? I have to change my words quickly.

“Anyway, after listening to the two songs together and telling you why they are good arrangements, I will give you feedback one by one and slowly explain why they are not good arrangements.”

…Wait, what am I doing now? I came as a helper, not as the head of a teaching center. Why is it an arrangement academy? The PD clearly said that I only need to set the direction and give a rough feedback, but this damn perfectionism is back.

“Then, let’s listen to it first.”

Okay, now that it’s come to this, let’s raise our arrangement skills endlessly. At least theoretically, it should be perfect so that you can find out the problems when you listen to it.

* * *

Ryu Iden laughed like crazy, listening to Ji Dong-hwa’s anecdotes in the dorm.

“Ji Dong-hwa’s arrangement class!”

“Shut up.”

“You’re the type of person who can’t easily abandon kids who work so hard because of your personality. You’re kind, considerate, and you try not to show it on the outside, but I can see it all if I look closely. Oh, you’re so lovely, our Dong-hwa!”

Ji Dong-hwa clenched the brick cushion, which is essential when meeting Ryu Iden, in one hand and gritted his teeth. He is thinking of countless ways to effectively shut that damn bastard’s mouth.

Chae Hamin, who was sitting next to him, nodded, saying, ‘That’s right, Dong-hwa is a bit lovely,’ without knowing anything, adding fuel to the fire.

“Well, think positively. I think people will like it too.”

“That’s true, but I’m wondering if this is something I should be doing.”

Chae Hamin was drinking vegetable juice when she tapped him on the shoulder.

“If Dong-hwa teaches me, I’ll go and listen too. What are you talking about, Dong-hwa?”

“Um.”

“Not um, but! You are? Your skills are now! Amazing!”

Chae Hamin, whose language skills had degenerated to the level of a rabbit due to intense emotions, was jumping around. It’s because she’s been feeling restless as the members’ personal activities have increased and the time they spend playing together has decreased. Ji Dong-hwa lay down on the sofa.

“It’s relaxing.”

“That’s right, it’s the first evening in almost a few days that we’re all spending together!”

“We’re going to live together in a twilight mansion in our old age anyway.”

“That’s that, and this is this. How happy are we now that everyone is gathered together and monitoring like this…”

Chae Hamin seemed to feel drowsy, so she put her legs on Ji Dong-hwa’s lap and lay down on the sofa.

“Ah, Hamin.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going to write a song for you.”

“Wow!”

Then Chae Hamin immediately raised her upper body from her seat, and Ji Dong-hwa’s knee was crushed by Chae Hamin’s bony feet. Ji Dong-hwa, who suddenly became an azalea flower [unable to move or speak due to pain], couldn’t even scream and hugged his knee.

“Oh, oh?! What should I do! Hospital?”

“Hamin, if you go to the hospital with that…”

Ji Dong-hwa pressed down on Chae Hamin’s head, who was making a lot of noise next to him, and sat her down on the sofa, then closed his eyes and endured the pain.

Ryu Iden, who was quietly watching this mess, fell into deep thought about whether Ji Dong-hwa would ever rest, and whether it would be right to tell him or if it would be stirring up trouble.

Maybe Ji Dong-hwa already knows it. Because he has a strange ability. Ryu Iden bit his lip as he watched Chae Hamin tremble with joy.

‘It’s difficult; I don’t want to make his head complicated when he’s already busy.’

Numerous thoughts crossed Ryu Iden’s smiling face.