Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 4

Team Leader Jang Hae-jin observed the reactions of the other judges.

Even with her experience, she considered herself a non-expert, so she was curious about what the dance trainer thought. He was looking at Chae Ha-min with eyes like a child who had found an amazing toy.

‘He passed.’

At least she got one person, so the audition was worth it.

“Good job. Your skills aren’t bad.”

“Thank you!”

The mischievous look from before was gone, and Chae Ha-min was back to his gentle, smiling self.

Jang Hae-jin turned her gaze to Ji Dong-hwa, who was standing to the side.

“Next, can we see what Ji Dong-hwa has prepared?”

Ji Dong-hwa answered briefly and switched places with Chae Ha-min.

“We’ll listen to the song first, just like before. Should I play it now?”

“…Um, yes.”

At her signal, the intro began to play. The sound of a metronome echoed. On top of that, a trendy guitar sound was layered.

‘The song is good. What song is this?’

Just when it seemed to be getting a bit monotonous, the synthesizer sound that went up from a low note and then dropped caught her ear, and at that moment, the melody began.

Sorry, I’m a little confused right now
The moment I open my eyes, a space I’ve never seen before
When I take a breath, it’s a little difficult
The anxiety of a crash landing, It’s so brutal

The tone, which softly sang the lyrics with a sense of rhythm, was as refreshing as the wind blowing through a field, but the song’s exciting yet melancholic atmosphere and the confused feelings in the lyrics made the sadness stronger than the coolness.

‘What does it mean?’

Team Leader Jang Hae-jin forgot she was judging and was simply enjoying a good song she was hearing for the first time.

After a while, the sound of all the instruments, including the guitar, went silent for a moment, and after a brief moment where only the sound of the metronome filled the space, Ji Dong-hwa sang in a slightly higher tone in the chorus, amidst electronic sounds that sounded close to a siren.

Oh, Our love travel, the landing site is break up
A spaceship left alone after a crash landing

Listening to the lyrics, Jang Hae-jin was impressed.

‘He compared the breakup to a crash landing, and the speaker to a spaceship. Not bad.’

The song was good, but it suited Ji Dong-hwa well.

His skills weren’t good enough to be the main vocalist, but when she only listened to this song, she was tricked into thinking it would be okay to make him the main vocalist.

It was as if someone had written the song just for Ji Dong-hwa.

If he has the eye to choose clothes that fit him this well, he could work in the planning team or A&R [Artists and Repertoire] team if he improves his skills a little.

The song was arranged to end with about one verse, so it ended before long. Team Leader Jang Hae-jin asked with regret.

“Was the song arranged to only sing one verse?”

Ji Dong-hwa tilted his head, as if he didn’t understand the intention of the question, and said.

“Only one verse was composed, so I hurriedly finished the end. Um, I wanted to show you the whole song if possible, but I didn’t have much time to prepare……”

What is he saying? She tilted her head like Ji Dong-hwa from before.

However, when she heard the A&R team leader exclaim in admiration, she realized.

“Is this perhaps a self-composed song?”

“…Yes.”

“The lyrics too?”

“…Yes.”

Team Leader Jang Hae-jin reflexively looked at the A&R team leader. The A&R team leader, who met her eyes, raised his thumb under the table, out of Ji Dong-hwa’s sight.

‘That means the song is good, and if that picky person says it’s good……’

She slowly turned her head towards Ji Dong-hwa. His singing ability is between upper-middle and upper, his tone is a voice you want to keep listening to, his appearance is a bit cold, so he has a unique cat-like face, and he can also write, compose, and arrange songs.

Oh my god.

Ji Dong-hwa looked a little uneasy at the unsettling atmosphere of the judges.

Looking at him, Jang Hae-jin muttered inwardly.

‘I need to decide what religion to believe in first.’

* * *

I muttered inwardly, watching the judges exchanging signals with each other.

‘Unless they’re tone-deaf, it’s just a matter of taste; it can’t be a bad song.’

But their lukewarm reaction kept bothering me. I have no choice. I turned my head towards Chae Ha-min. He smiled and raised his thumb slightly.

‘…The song isn’t bad.’

Then why are they just standing me here and making a fuss among themselves?

After a bit of a boring wait, the woman sitting in the middle of the judging panel smiled slightly and began to speak.

“Your composing skills aren’t bad. Can we see you dance next?”

Ha, trying to dance after seeing Chae Ha-min dance is so embarrassing.

Chae Ha-min’s dancing skills, as seen through Knowledge Synchronization, were at a level that anyone would admire. But what can I do? If I have to do it, I have to do it.

* * *

On the way out after the audition. They said today was the last audition, and they’ll let me know the results by tomorrow.

I wonder if I’ll pass. My skills are generally decent, so if I get rejected because I don’t have any individuality, can I get the monthly rent?

“Dong-hwa, you’ll pass!”

…Are you a prophet? How do you know that?

He’s worth picking just for his dance, so it makes sense that he’s feeling relaxed.

“Your emotional expression was really good when you sang. I’m glad I listened to the song with the MR [music recorded without vocals] in the practice room. Is the lyrics based on a personal experience?”

‘This is awkward to answer.’

If it’s based on a personal experience, then of course it is.

Because the lyrics are about the embarrassment and confusion I felt when I first fell into this world.

The love story is just a seasoning and a smokescreen. Still, it wasn’t for nothing that I worked as a writer, and even though it was lyrics I wrote in a hurry, it was still worth listening to.

Hmm, it’s better to be honest.

“…Yeah.”

Chae Ha-min was surprised and then looked at me with pity.

He probably thinks I experienced a heartbreaking breakup, but no way.

How dare he think that about me, who has never loved anyone in 29 years.

Chae Ha-min looked at me walking silently without an answer and then asked me.

“Dong-hwa, now that today’s audition is over, should we go eat?”

I feel a strong sense of déjà vu.

I don’t mind eating together, but I didn’t want to eat that terrible pork cutlet that was a cross between a mushroom and a pig anymore.

“…What are we going to eat?”

Chae Ha-min smiled and said proudly.

“Wiener Schnitzel!”

‘……!’

Hey, you didn’t even know what it was last time.

“…Did you find out what it is?”

“Yeah, I looked it up because you said you liked it. I’ve never eaten veal before, so I was curious.”

My evaluation of Chae Ha-min rose vertically. He was quite a good friend, this friend.

“Then let’s go to a place I know this time.”

I told Chae Ha-min to follow me without even realizing that my voice was too excited. As I walked ahead, Chae Ha-min immediately followed and said.

“But there aren’t any mushrooms in Wiener Schnitzel, right?”

‘Shut your mouth, you rabbit bastard.’

I pretended not to hear and yawned once on purpose. Chae Ha-min was smiling without feeling bad.

* * *

The place I took Chae Ha-min to was a Wiener Schnitzel restaurant near Itaewon [a district in Seoul known for its international atmosphere].

It was a small place with about 12 tables that I had been to often since the last world.

First of all, the atmosphere, interior, and ambiance were similar to the restaurants I visited when I worked my butt off to save money and went to study in Germany.

The fact that there is such a place in Korea is the greatest blessing on earth.

However, there is a reason why this place has not become famous.

“Gute Abend. (Hello.)”

When I entered and greeted, the store owner was briefly surprised and asked.

“Guten abend! Wie viele Personen? (Hello! How many people are there?)”

“Zwei. (Two people.)”

That’s right. The owners of this store can only speak German. They can’t even speak English, so I wonder why they’re working in Korea.

“Folgen sie mir bitte! (Please follow me!)”

I grabbed Chae Ha-min, who was standing there blankly, and followed him. He handed us the menu when we sat down.

“Hier ist die Karte. Möchten Sie zuerst etwas trinken? (Here is the menu. Would you like to order something to drink first?)”

I told him to wait a moment and looked at Chae Ha-min and asked.

“Is there anything else you want to drink?”

Chae Ha-min, who was looking at me with a blank expression, quickly replied that there wasn’t. Both he and I are adults this year.

“The beer here is good. Are you okay with alcohol?”

“I like it!”

I turned to the owner.

“Zwei Glas Bier vom Fass, bitte. (Two glasses of draft beer, please.)”

After a series of conversations like that, we ordered food and turned our heads forward.

Chae Ha-min was looking at me with an expression mixed with admiration, surprise, and a bit of embarrassment.

His eyes were a bit burdensome, so I asked bluntly.

“…What.”

“…Dong-hwa, you’re really amazing.”

What nonsense.

“What language is that? You seemed very fluent.”

“German.”

“Do you know any other languages?”

“…A little English and French.”

Then he was startled and clapped his hands and asked.

“Can I ask about your skill level?”

Why is he suddenly conducting a background check? …But I didn’t feel too bad about showing off how hard I studied languages.

“I’m at a level where I can suddenly drop into England and be fine with English, and I can have everyday conversations in French.”

Then Chae Ha-min was silent for a moment, wondering what he was thinking, and suddenly said something strange.

“Isn’t it actually a great opportunity that I left the company to debut with you?”

“…What nonsense are you talking about.”

I answered indifferently to the ridiculous words. He’s just expecting too much from me, a novelist in the corner of the room. And he would have received some attention no matter who he debuted with.

“With your skills, you could have succeeded on your own.”

Chae Ha-min made an impression as if he was moved by my words. You’re full of crap, you rabbit. Of course, he can’t even see his own skill level objectively.

While we were having such trivial conversations, the Wiener Schnitzel and beer came out. I quickly squeezed the lemon juice first and cut a small piece and put it in my mouth. Chae Ha-min soon followed my example, as if he hadn’t investigated how to eat it.

Crunch.

I only chewed it once, but the juice that burst out, the crispness of the batter, the soft texture of the veal tenderloin that followed, and the refreshing lemon scent.

I closed my eyes and deeply savored the taste.

At that moment, the anxiety of crash landing in an unfamiliar environment ended, and only a great sense of fulfillment filled my chest.

What would be a way to express this feeling?

‘…I’m going to go home today and write either a story or a song no matter what!’

Chae Ha-min looked at me and chuckled, then put a piece in his mouth and chewed it himself.

“Oh, Dong-hwa, this is really soft.”

“Right? Wiener Schnitzel is originally made with veal tenderloin, but when I look at the schnitzel that is sold in Korea, there are only places that use pork. So when I found this place, I really felt like I was saved…….”

Why are his eyes like that? Chae Ha-min was looking at me as if I was strange. Did I say something weird……?

“…Why?”

“No, it’s the first time I’ve seen you talk so much.”

…Damn it, even I’m embarrassed if you say that directly.

I didn’t know how to react, so I turned my gaze to the window. But then the mushroom soup came out, so I tried to hide my embarrassment and greeted the owner.

Chae Ha-min looked at the soup and asked curiously. Ah, I didn’t explain to him what I ordered?

“What is this?”

“Mushroom soup. I thought you liked mushrooms.”

Chae Ha-min looked at me with the same expression he had when I praised his dancing skills earlier.

Ha, I’m always burdened by that kind of gaze. I lowered my head and focused on cutting the Wiener Schnitzel again.

* * *

Chae Ha-min thought as he looked at Dong-hwa sitting in front of him.

‘He seems embarrassed.’

His expression seemed indifferent, but the tips of his ears were red. Maybe it’s because I was looking at him with a moved expression.

Dong-hwa thinks he hides his emotions well, but unfortunately, when he’s embarrassed, his ears are too honest, so no matter how much he tries to hide his expression, it shows.

Honestly, I want to tease him a little, but I stopped because I thought he wouldn’t play with me again if I did.

Chae Ha-min recalled the audition as he cut the Wiener Schnitzel.

Honestly, when the song first came out, I was a little suspicious that it was self-composed. I knew he was good, but I didn’t know he could produce a song like that. A trendy song that could be heard on the streets of New York.

But his singing and dancing are also decent, and he has a brain that can speak 4 languages? Perhaps Dong-hwa is a friend who can be called a genius, even though he lacks social skills.

“Dong-hwa.”

Dong-hwa stopped trying to put the salad and Wiener Schnitzel in his mouth together and put down his fork for a moment and looked at Chae Ha-min.

“If you succeed, don’t abandon me.”

Dong-hwa stared at me blankly and then chuckled and replied.

“…If I succeed, you would have succeeded too, what are you talking about.”

Ji Dong-hwa said to Chae Ha-min, who was tilting his head because he didn’t understand the words.

“…We’re debuting together, right?”

“…That’s right. You’re right!”

Chae Ha-min took a sip of beer as he looked at Ji Dong-hwa, who was concentrating on the Wiener Schnitzel to a frightening degree.

‘Unexpectedly, he’s very good at moving people.’

Of course, Dong-hwa’s attitude is that he’s saying something obvious, so it doesn’t seem like he’s aiming for that.

Chae Ha-min was in a good mood, so he drank the beer next to him.