Becoming An Idol Wasn’T On My Plan [EN]: Chapter 96

96.

I was a little puzzled by Nesquick’s use of the creative term ‘household mate.’

Is there some kind of rite of passage these days for bourgeois [upper-class] people to become celebrities? Starting with Chae Ha-min, why do they all want to be celebrities while holding the highest power of capitalism?

“Ah… now that I think about it, I think I saw that person at a yacht party before. I guess we both didn’t remember because we just passed by each other.”

Chae Ha-min nods as if he finally remembers.

“Ugh, do you know how much I was monitored because that bastard declared he would become a singer first? They were so adamant that they had to raise you properly.”

Nesquick checks his outfit with a disgusted expression.

“I need to win with this stage to feel relieved. Even if that damn bastard is good at composing, Dong-hwa will be a little better.”

His raised eyes were full of enthusiasm.

“Let’s work hard and beat that guy. Let’s overwhelm him with our skills and make him lose control of his bladder!”

Nesquick, raising both hands and preparing for battle, seemed to have a real problem.

Our members, suddenly summoned to a family feud, just look at each other with embarrassed eyes and smile.

And after a while,

“Jeongmunsa Group, please stand by!”

It was time to go on stage.

* * *

Kim So-young PD [Production Director] looked around from under the stage and admired quietly.

Was it because it had been a while since she had invited idols? The scene of so many seats with cheering tools in their hands felt unfamiliar.

‘Indeed… the ticket power is different from the indie scene.’

As soon as the pre-application opened, it was quickly closed. She somewhat realized why the assistant director kept talking about idols.

And it was showtime. A simple performance consisting of existing song stages, interlude talks, and then a new song stage. However, ‘Jeongmunsa Group’ probably needed more preparation.

Because they would have to rearrange the existing song stages as well.

The lights dim.

As it goes completely dark, the prelude to Blossence’s title song, ‘The Last Beginning: the First Last,’ flows with a slight rearrangement.

‘Hmm, is Nesquick going to do a separate solo stage? That would ruin the atmosphere.’

There’s a reason why idols aren’t invited to play with indie singers.

The lights turn on, and Blossence appears, dressed in a way that imitates the characters in Wizney [likely a play on ‘Disney,’ avoiding copyright], without being excessive, only capturing the feel of the characters.

“Ji Dong-hwa’s outfit is crazy!!”

“Jun-ah!! Mr. Jun is so pretty!!!”

Someone screams while crying. Kim So-young PD shudders at the excessive heat.

The stage had already been seen enough. She thought they were handsome young men and felt pleased inside, but her heart ached when she thought about the atmosphere that Nesquick would ruin.

However, the familiar stage changed in the second verse. The beat, which she thought had been slightly rearranged, gradually spread throughout the song and completely transformed into a hip-hop beat.

And Nesquick appears with horns on his head like a witch, a shocking visual.

The second verse, where Seok-jun and Nesquick exchange four bars of rap each, was structured like a conversation between a man and a woman obsessed with each other. The clinging lyrics and the sharp yet dull bass and drums made it feel like watching a melodrama of love and hate.

“…Oh, not bad.”

Kim So-young PD, who is in her fourth year of songwriting and can be said to be an expert in musicality, could not help but admire Ji Dong-hwa’s arrangement skills. The original is good, but in terms of musicality alone, this might be better.

As the stage ends, Blossence’s fans are slightly embarrassed by the appearance of a new face, but they shout at the top of their lungs with the determination to support their idol.

* * *

During the talk time, I used my mental strength to lift my trembling legs as if I was about to collapse. I might need to exercise.

It was awkward to have a talk without an MC [Master of Ceremonies]. But there are social people, so they will take care of it. The topic to talk about is clearly defined anyway. Funny episodes that happened during the songwriting period.

I took a sip of water placed under the chair. Carefully so as not to smudge my lipstick.

The talk proceeded in the form of a Q&A between Ryu Iden, Chae Ha-min, and Nesquick. I was worried that Nesquick might swear, but I was relieved that he wouldn’t do that unless he was crazy.

“Oh, Dong-hwa’s songwriting skills are really amazing. The Luminaries [Blossence’s fanbase name] know it best, but while working together, I thought a lot, ‘How does this person not sleep?'”

Nesquick smiled as if he was amazed while talking about me.

“He really stays up all night. Even when he sleeps, he only sleeps for about two hours and works, and if it doesn’t work out, he reads a book. He’s the most… someone I want to emulate but was afraid he would collapse.”

“That’s right. Everyone, Dong-hwa has a habit of staying up all night. Please nag him to take care of his health. The company keeps telling him to sleep and that we can do the work, but he doesn’t sleep.”

Ryu Iden continued Nesquick’s words and delivered something of a finishing blow.

…Wait, isn’t this a situation where I’m a little sorry to the Luminaries? They bought the album to live happily, but I’m repaying them with an act of ruining my health, am I ungrateful?

The people who came to see a good performance, not our fans, made sounds of admiration as if they were amazed.

On the other hand, those who were presumed to be our fans were in shock with the expression ‘Not you again!’

In the end, I had no choice but to quietly raise the microphone in that atmosphere.

“…I’m sorry.”

The members and the audience laughed.

After introducing a few episodes—mostly the bizarre things I did while composing—it was time to present a new song.

“Everyone, it’s time to show you the stage we’ve been preparing for about three weeks! We’ll show you a story in a fantasy land.”

“But, Dong-hwa, what’s the title?”

Nesquick asks with a sly look. I smile at the camera.

“The song that Jeongmunsa Group will tell you is ‘Truth or Tragedy.'”

This time, it’s a title that Lee Hyun-jae and I decided together with the consent of the members and Nesquick.

* * *

The Blossence members on stage lean on each other and walk forward. A lush forest full of vitality unfolds on the screen.

Blossence comes out to the center of the stage as if running out from between them. Energetic beat, exciting atmosphere, and warm colors. Everyone is smiling brightly. They looked like good colleagues to anyone. This is the part that Seok-jun arranged, focusing on the beat that Ji Dong-hwa had created.

Chae Ha-min and Ryu Iden become the double center and sing.

One word my mother told me when I was young

You are the child who will save the world, baby

The first dream I had, now I have endured all the trials

It’s time to save this world with my colleagues

The lyrics of this part are based on the cartoon that Chae Ha-min and Ryu Iden watched when they were young, and they wrote about the story of a boy dreaming of a hopeful future.

The members also smile brightly in response and dance excitedly, led by the dancer line.

Next, the chorus consisting of Seok-jun’s neat rap unfolds.

Truth or Tragedy, the world to be saved by me

Even if the path in front of me is full of rough trials

Please Look at me, will you look at me

I will run believing in only one truth

The members run up to what looks like a hill and look at the VCR screen where the sunset is unfolding.

And on top of that, Lee Hyun-jae pushes Seok-jun’s back with both hands. The music is cut off for a moment, and that moment is highlighted.

And Lee Hyun-jae comes down the hill with a sad smile, and behind him, the shocked expressions of the members come into view. If Seok-jun is the savior of prophecy, Lee Hyun-jae becomes the betrayer who pushed him off the cliff.

The major key is changed to a minor key, and the piano scale that was laid in front is twisted and corrupted.

Dark lighting is laid down, and Lee Hyun-jae creates an eerie atmosphere with humming, then sits on a rock on the right side of the stage and sings. A thin crescent moon is floating on the VCR.

One word my mother told me when I was young

That child killed my father, baby

The first despair I had, the beginning of all trials, now

It’s time to throw everything away and achieve my revenge

The story that unfolds afterwards is the backstory of Lee Hyun-jae. Rather than specific content, metaphorical expressions were used. Under the name of a journey to save the world, the story of a boy who ran to avenge his father, whose death was justified. This is the result of Lee Hyun-jae’s three days of thinking after watching Fruits World [likely a reference to a specific anime or cartoon].

Truth or Tragedy, the world to be saved by you

Is just meaningless garbage to me

So Curse me, will you curse me

Because I have lived only for this moment

And against that backdrop, the scene of the members supporting Seok-jun and walking down the cliff forms the background.

Lee Hyun-jae sighs as if he is disappointed when he sees that scene and disappears off the stage.

The four of them continue to walk out, and Ji Dong-hwa raises the microphone and inserts a brief humming before moving on to the bridge part. The humming in the night-like atmosphere is reminiscent of a lonely end.

The part composed by Ji Dong-hwa twisted and distorted the part composed by Seok-jun, and depicted the bleak landscape where hope collapsed like a raw thing.

And as they walked to the end of the stage, Nesquick, dressed as a witch, appeared on the left.

The sad atmosphere is added by taking over the slightly dark and dull beat created by Ji Dong-hwa’s humming.

A woman who has been alone since she was a child

And a lover who only looked at her

The moment they were swept away by an untimely wind

Realizing that the world had abandoned us

Ultimately, the story of a woman who became a villain. The backstory of a woman who only nurtured revenge against the world. Her birth and the prophecy of salvation intersect, and Seok-jun believed himself to be the savior.

But, will that really be everyone’s salvation? Ji Dong-hwa pondered that point with Nesquick.

Seok-jun’s group stood in front of the witch with difficulty. Nesquick, looking down at Seok-jun’s group from the hill on the stage, continues to sing the chorus with a resentful voice.

Truth of Tragedy, the truth of the world you will save

Is ultimately only for those who have it

But Trust me, I will change it

Because I will show you the truth of the tragedy before your eyes

And at the moment when everyone faced each other like that, even Lee Hyun-jae appeared from the side and sang each of their choruses again. When the rhythms, which have the same form but slightly different contents, harmonize and mix together to create a single shape, a certain thrill rose from within.

Kim So-young PD watched all the process, and swept her arms a little. It was chilling that they were showing off this level of music with a childish story, and that the concept didn’t feel excessive because they were so good.

‘…If this goes wrong, this concept will be a mess.’

Especially Lee Hyun-jae in the middle part is amazing. I looked up all the stages from his debut because of the casting, and he had a vocal range similar to that of a solo singer.

In addition, the facial expressions and stage composition that allow people who do not know the original movie to understand the relationship, and the neat composition that encompasses all of that. It was a beautiful stage that I saw in a long time.

Therefore, Kim So-young PD stood up and applauded, watching the Jeongmunsa Group, who gathered in the center again after the stage and greeted. A desire to edit quickly springs up.

I heard that Ji Dong-hwa took the lead when composing.

‘……Now I can be sure. Ji Dong-hwa is the craziest.’

A great crazy person who makes me want to recommend regular appearances on the program.