Godsent Top Star [EN]: Chapter 60

The Great, the More, the Better (1)

2021.12.30.

There was no need to overthink it. Of course, the sound quality was sacrificed in the process, needless to say. “I don’t have to touch a thing. This isn’t something I can even touch. It’s practically a finished song as it is. If you release it as is, I think it could sweep the charts. The melody carries it all. The lyrics just need to not be too weird. The melody is going to carry it by the collar.” It was an unexpected rave review, with an extra spoonful of cheesy praise on top. “Didn’t I tell you, Yeonwoo? I knew you’d get a good evaluation,” Kwon Seong-hyun, who was leaning back leisurely, smiled. “I thought Mr. Kwon Seong-hyun tended to be a bit biased…”

In fact, Kwon Seong-hyun was the first person to hear this draft. He gave an immediate thumbs-up without a second thought. When Yeonwoo seemed unconvinced, he called Lee Ju-ha. “But in the end, I was right, wasn’t I?” His leisurely smile is annoying, but it quickly subsides. Lee Ju-ha’s evaluation was quite helpful, even if it had cheesy side effects. However. “That guy may be a bit simple-minded, but his ears and skills aren’t bad.” “What’s that, Kwon? Are you insulting me right now?” “Ah. I’m glad you have the intelligence to understand that much.” “Wow. This guy is completely ignoring me? I shouldn’t have said anything. Ah. Yeonwoo. But there’s one thing that’s a shame.” “A shame?” “The melody, the flow of the song, the storytelling, the emotional effect, all that is great!” “……?” “The sound quality is the problem.” “Ah.” “Other than that, it’s perfect! Perfect!” Clap clap. Lee Ju-ha applauded solemnly. “But Kwon, why did you call me when Yeonwoo is such a genius? I’m enjoying the ear candy after a long time, but… are you trying to discourage me? Or is this a kind gesture to make me go back to Berkeley and rekindle my passion?” “Tsk. I thought you had some brains, but I was mistaken.” “Wow. I’m holding back because of Yeonwoo’s face. So, why did you really call me?” “You said the sound quality was a problem.” “That’s right. You know I don’t usually say this, right? Even though I’m like this…” “You have a lot of pride.” “I have a lot of pride… no! It’s called self-esteem!” Lee Ju-ha, who had inadvertently echoed Kwon Seong-hyun’s words, burst into anger. Fortunately, he regained his composure and continued, “Anyway! It’s true that the level of completion and artistry that isn’t hidden by that terrible sound quality seemed flawless.” Terrible… it feels like a scratching word, but it doesn’t matter. “So, I want you to cover that sound quality.” “Huh? Me?” “There’s no one else I can ask. I can’t trust the other guys.” “Wow. Kwon, are you about to die? Why are you suddenly saying such nice things? Yeonwoo, did he eat something wrong today?” “I don’t know,” Yeonwoo shrugged. Kwon Seong-hyun chuckled and said, “I can’t put anything less than the best next to Yeonwoo.” “Wow. H-h-holy. Are you really Kwon Seong-hyun?” “Why?” “No. I can’t believe you’re praising me as the best with your own mouth… I can’t believe it…” Lee Ju-ha flexed his bulging arm muscles and brought his hands together. Kwon Seong-hyun and Yeonwoo’s faces soured at the sight of his bashful gesture. “Okay. Ahem. This body is indeed the best! You saw it exactly right! But, Yeonwoo isn’t just going to work on one song, right? I can fix this song, but what are you going to do in the future?” “That’s why I want you to teach him how to do it.” “Really? All that stuff?” Lee Ju-ha pointed around the studio in shock. “Hey. Do you even know how long it would take to teach him all that and improve his skills? Even learning the basic techniques would be completely unfamiliar to a beginner, and it would take a long time to be able to make songs fluently.” “So?” “It’s a waste of time! Not only is it a waste of time, but there’s no greater waste of manpower. Wouldn’t it be better for Yeonwoo to come up with melodies than to study, learn, and master that? If you just decide on the main stream, the other engineers can fill in the rest of the technical stuff.” “Hmm.” “The important thing is the theme and emotional line in the song. The engineers can’t do anything about that. That’s why Yeonwoo is so great. Frankly speaking, you can use those devices to extract plausible pitches. But will that song be successful? No. That’s another problem.” “So, it’s better to use people than for Yeonwoo to handle all that?” “That’s right! Just think of it as taking dictation. It’s an act of courtesy to humanity for Yeonwoo to create great songs instead of learning how to handle that stuff!” It feels like the story is branching out into something very grand. The problem is that the person speaking is very serious. “Kwon, what’s the point of having a lot of money? You have to know how to use it properly! You’re very incompetent! Tsk tsk.” “Just say enough.” “Yeonwoo’s time is gold. You’re taking Yeonwoo but you don’t even know how to take care of him properly. If you’re going to use Yeonwoo like that, give him to me!” “…Lee Ju-ha. Are you very free these days?” A picture-perfect smile appears on Kwon Seong-hyun’s face. Leaning against a large, luxurious sofa with his legs crossed, Kwon Seong-hyun was handsome enough to be in a magazine pictorial, but it wasn’t for the person receiving the smile. “I’m sorry,” Seeing Lee Ju-ha immediately back down. “A person, huh? That’s not a bad idea.” “Right……?” “I’m definitely getting hazy when it comes to music.” “Huh? What are you……?” Kwon Seong-hyun smiled instead of answering. Needless to say, Lee Ju-ha flinched again. “I need to find some people. Since they’ll be next to Yeonwoo, they need to be decent people who won’t have any funny ideas…….” “Right. If you get a weird guy, he might steal Yeonwoo’s songs, so it’s better to do a thorough reference check.” “Steal Yeonwoo’s songs?” “Acting or voices can’t be stolen, but songs are a bit different. You can correct the facts and sue or go to court, but the process is a bit tiring. As they say, better safe than sorry.” There are definitely several ways to get back the copyright of a stolen song. Since we don’t live in a world where songs are made by drawing sheet music on paper, there will definitely be several pieces of evidence to present. In other words, it’s not about getting it back, it’s about the problem in the process. “I need to choose carefully.” Lee Ju-ha’s thick shoulders trembled at Kwon Seong-hyun’s muttering. “It’s true, but why do I feel so cold?” “You’ve been useful for the first time in a while, Lee Ju-ha.” “……Is that a compliment?” Watching the two bickering, Yeonwoo thought. ‘They seem to get along well. Is it because they’re friends?’ It’s a thought I had before, but it comes to mind again. Yeonwoo nonchalantly thought about the thought that the two would jump up and down if he told them.

***

“Ah. So, Yeonwoo, do you have any thoughts about radio?” “Radio, you mean?” “Yeah. I told you on KakaoTalk [a popular Korean messaging app]. I wanted to ask you again since we’re meeting today.” The messages that had poured in when I woke up flashed through my mind. A message that came with the sentiment of 2 AM, saying ‘Are you sleeping……?’ I vaguely remembered it because I erased it from my mind as soon as I saw it. “Don’t misunderstand, it’s definitely not because our writer noona [term for older sister or female friend, used by younger males] is going to kill me if I don’t ask.” [Tsk tsk. Looks like that’s right.] “Ack! A sparrow pecked my head!” [A bear like you is being dramatic.] Even under Dong Ja-ryeong’s scolding, Lee Ju-ha was persistent. “Our radio is very free? The PD hyung [term for older brother or male friend, used by younger males] and writer noona are very nice people. The writer noona is your fan, so she’ll probably say everything you do is good and dote on you.” But she’s so strict with me, Lee Ju-ha grumbled. “Isn’t that not allowed? What if there’s a broadcasting accident if you do whatever you want?” “They’d welcome an accident like last time? No, I think they’re hoping you’ll cause such an accident? And our viewers really like you a lot. They’re thankful just for you coming. They were going crazy about your drug voice.” Suddenly, an embarrassing word pops out. “It’s not like some kind of miracle water testimony…… There were more than a few people who put water on the table and prayed for you to come. The listener bulletin board was a mess. Look at this.”-I fell asleep listening to your voice. -After hearing you say good night, it was already morning. -Time warp;; -Did you put drugs on the airwaves……? Why is it morning when I open my eyes……? The memory of that time must have been quite intense. He kindly shows me the bulletin board on his phone and passionately explains. A hand suddenly cuts through the space between them. “Yeonwoo. Don’t stay too close to this guy. It’s contagious.” “……Kwon, are you treating me like I’m some kind of germ?” “You are. It would be a big loss if your stupidity rubbed off on Yeonwoo.” “Wow. Look at the discrimination.” ‘Radio, huh?’ It definitely wasn’t bad in my memory. Like Lee Ju-ha said, the lifespan I harvested compared to the number of listeners was quite good. ‘It might not be bad?’ I also have the A-grade ability I received from Lee Ju-ha. I wonder how effective it will be if I mix this ability with spiritual power. ‘I’m also curious about the influence of sound alone, not video.’ I should also make good use of the composing ability I received. I’ve already experienced the effect directly in Europe during my reward vacation, but it wouldn’t be bad to test how much the influence of sound alone can be maximized on the radio. “Friend. Are you really not thinking about it? It’s not long. Just one month! I think it’ll work out somehow if it’s just a month? Really?” “I understand.” “Don’t take that back? No take-backs, you know? Huh? I’m going to tell the writer noona right away?” “Go ahead.” Lee Ju-ha quickly took out his phone. “Noona! The dongsaeng [term for younger sibling or friend] I told you about is doing it! @#$@#$@#$!” “Ah, my ears are going to fall off. You can’t break my delicate ears.” @#$@#$@#$! The sight of a large bear holding a palm-sized phone and struggling to talk was quite a spectacle. It’s amazing how unmatched they can be. “Are you really going to do the radio?” “I don’t think it’s bad. It seems like it’ll be fun.” Freedom. That was one of the conditions Lee Ju-ha had offered. “How about doing a drama? Or a CF [Commercial Film, Korean term for advertisement] shoot. That would be more efficient than radio. There are a few synopses that have come in.” “I don’t think there’s anything very good.” If there was a good work, Kwon Seong-hyun, who has a great eye for works, wouldn’t be still. “You remembered what I said?” Kwon Seong-hyun, who had opened his eyes in surprise, soon said, “I feel good. That you’re remembering it.” He smiles, curving his eyes. “……Anyway. I’m more interested in radio right now.” It might be better to constantly show my face on TV. But that’s only from Kwon Seong-hyun’s point of view. “I don’t want to go into a work that has no vision. It’s obvious that I’ll only be a supporting role or a minor role at best.” Showing my face itself will be helpful, but it’s not a suitable place to test ‘influence’. How much can a minor role or a supporting role close to a minor role do? It’s better to try various things in a much freer environment. “Yeonwoo, you can definitely take on a leading role. But you’re right. It’s better not to go to a work that has no vision. It’s better to manage your filmography from now on…… But,” Kwon Seong-hyun paused for a moment. “……You’re not just going to go that way, are you?” “Yes.” “That’s a relief. Radio might be better than music……” “……?” Kwon Seong-hyun mutters something incomprehensible. What Yeonwoo wants to know is simple. He’s just curious about how much he can do with sound media like radio or music. It’s not that he’s excluding the small screen or the big screen altogether. ‘If possible, I should do everything I can.’ The ancient sage’s wise words that the more, the better, are not wrong. “Yeonwoo! Noona wants to see you right away? What time are you free?” The large bear asked, his eyes twinkling.