Idol Hides His Military Service Chapter 221: Title Track Selection Meeting

"The listening for the third song has ended. From this point, please each write down your thoughts on the third song for about ten minutes, and as soon as that is done, we’ll move on to the fourth song."

The mont CEO Kim Sanghyeok finished speaking, everyone began talking among themselves and writing their impressions of the song that had just played into their notebooks.

'This one was a little safe.'

Lucas, too, was discussing the song with Raon, who was sitting beside him, while honestly writing down exactly how it had felt to him.

The eting to choose the title track for Iam’s third mini album.

In truth, when he first heard that they would be choosing the title track through a eting, Lucas had been sowhat dissatisfied.

And that made sense, because with Raon and himself there as producers, not only were they taking a song from mber Geum Shinyu, they were even accepting songs from outside composers and selecting the title track through a eting.

At first, he had been angry enough to think they simply did not trust his abilities.

But—

-That’s just how the K-pop system works. It’s not only idols who are pushed into brutal competition. Even if soone’s an unknown composer, if the talent is there, they’ll entrust that person with producing. Because it’s rational.

after hearing Raon’s explanation, he had been able to understand it to so degree.

After all, KJ Entertainnt had boldly entrusted the production of the second mini album to Lucas himself even though, apart from the career he was keeping secret, he was just an unknown composer with nothing to his na.

'I think I’m starting to understand now.'

Lucas had realized that the Korean music market and the Western music market ran on completely different systems.

If the Western system centered on the artist, with the singer personally participating in making the songs or leading the style so that individuality was emphasized, K-pop was the exact opposite.

Starting from composition and going all the way to choreography and styling, teams of specialists worked together to create a single finished piece.

Like a real industry, finely constructed gears shed together to produce an idol.

Because of that process, there were people who criticized K-pop as an industry baby, a singer made by the system, but Lucas actually found that part appealing.

'What’s wrong with each person doing what they’re best at?'

There were people who sang well, and people who danced well.

There were people born beautiful, and people born with a gift for composition and lyric-writing.

And it would be nice if all those talents were given to a single person, but God was fair enough not to pour every one of those gifts into one person.

That was why the K-pop system was about gathering people who possessed top-tier talent in each field and creating a perfect group.

Like the Tower of Babel that people long ago had supposedly built in defiance of God’s authority.

If God would not grant all talents to one human being, then they would challenge perfection through a system instead—a conceit as arrogant as it was reckless.

Because of that, K-pop producers were given far more authority than Western producers.

'The fact that there’s a singer who can perfectly bring to life what I imagine—from the song itself to the choreography, outfits, and performance—is appealing enough on its own.'

And that was exactly why Lucas had remained at KJ Entertainnt, even extending what had originally been a one-ti contract.

Unlike the West, where the artist ca first and the producer followed behind, Lucas liked that Korea felt like they were walking side by side more than anything.

"Next, we’ll listen to the fourth song, working title 'Tulip.'"

Lucas, who had been briefly writing down his impressions while thinking over his feelings about KJ Entertainnt, refocused at Sanghyeok’s announcent that it was ti to listen to the next song.

♬

Soon, the lody of the song filled the conference room.

'It’s Raon’s song.'

The intro was very short, so humming from the vocal ca in almost imdiately, and Lucas instantly recognized that the owner of that sound was Raon.

The title track selection eting was being conducted as a blind test, with the composer’s identity hidden for fair evaluation.

But there was no way Lucas, who had been working with Raon in the studio almost every day for the past several months, would fail to notice Raon’s music.

If it had been a song by soone he did not know at all, that would have been one thing, but composers naturally tended to have their own habits and quirks seep into their work.

Still, since he could not make it obvious that he knew, Lucas only gave Raon beside him a quick glance before focusing back on the music.

"Tulip," which began with Raon’s light humming, was quite impressive.

You could say it grabbed the ear far more than the three songs they had heard before.

As expected of soone who was living proof of K-pop, she had matched the multiple electronic instrunts in such a clever way that even a complex lody could still sound light.

The fast tempo throughout the song already made Lucas picture clearly how much more it would shine once choreography was added.

'She’s definitely better than in this kind of area.'

Lucas thought that, in terms of overall compositional skill, he was better than Raon, but when it ca to this kind of structure that took an active singer’s stage into account, he felt he could not keep up.

Like—

-Sion! Why are you so good at go-stop?!

-Haha, the experience I built up in harsh places where your wrist gets chopped off if you pull any funny business is on a different level.

-You gamble too?

-No. I just used to play a lot at ho with my parents, betting fried chicken. My dad was a devil, and my mom was a card shark who hunted devils.

just as Lucas, who had recently gotten deeply into Korea’s traditional folk gas and found them fascinating, had kept losing over and over to Lee Sion, a genuine native hustler, and had already gotten shaken down for hundreds of thousands of won worth of snacks.

A particular kind of vibe that could not co out unless soone had actually experienced the field.

That was what Raon’s song contained.

"What did you think?"

"Are you not even trying to hide that it’s your song?"

"You were obviously going to know anyway."

"When did you even make a song like this?"

"I may not look like it, but I’m the original producer, you know? I’ve been making songs all along. Lately people keep looking at like I’m Lee Sion’s trainer!"

As soon as the song finished playing, Raon imdiately asked for his reaction, and Lucas,

'Isn’t she Lee Sion’s trainer, though?'

briefly thought that, but kept it to himself, knowing that if he said it out loud he would be on the receiving end of Raon’s hands, which had been getting much harsher lately, so he returned to the main point.

"This one was good. The lody mixing a fantasy feel with world music is unique, and the way the song develops isn’t typical—it keeps changing and surging forward? It definitely doesn’t feel unfamiliar, but it feels fresh."

"I mixed in a little Middle Eastern-style lody. At first I thought it might co out sounding playful, but it actually worked better than I expected."

"Ah! Arabian? So that’s what it was. I kept listening and wondering, and it really was Arabian."

Only then did Lucas realize, at Raon’s answer, what that feeling of being both familiar and new had been while listening to the song.

To think she had mixed an Arabian-style lody into K-pop.

'This really is the appeal of K-pop.'

Raon’s song felt completely different from existing K-pop, but Lucas thought that this was K-pop more than anything.

Mainly Arican music, sotis European and Japanese music, and sotis even Korean traditional music mixed in as well.

Because of that, it had a complex structure and could feel unfamiliar on first listen, but the power to keep changing by accepting new things instead of being fixed to a single genre—that was the driving force behind K-pop’s evolution.

In fact, if you compared K-pop from a few years ago with recent K-pop, the difference was so great that it made you wonder whether it was even fair to call them the sa genre of music.

"The next song is coming on."

While he and Raon were briefly exchanging impressions of the song, the fifth track was being prepared.

♬

"This is···."

As soon as the fifth song began playing, unlike before, this ti Raon glanced sideways at Lucas.

And Lucas, seeing that, let the corner of his lips lift slightly into a smile.

Because this ti it was his own song, "Trace."

***

"This is good, though?"

"Wow··· what is this song? It’s making my heart race."

Listening to the mbers speaking beside her, Shinyu did not show it, but inside she nodded in agreent.

'It’s Lucas oppa’s song.'

The fifth song that had been put up as a title-track candidate, working title "Trace."

It had not been revealed who made it, but Shinyu knew that this song playing right now had been made by Lucas.

Lucas.

The new KJ Entertainnt producer who had co over from Sweden was practically Shinyu’s teacher.

-Can I touch up this arrangent a little more?

-Of course!

-Good. Let’s surprise SY.

-Yes!

She was learning composition from Raon too, but since Raon had to pay attention to many other kinds of detailed managent as well, the person who mainly taught Shinyu composition was Lucas.

Of course, since Shinyu had also learned a lot by now, it was not simply a matter of receiving instruction all the ti, but had beco sothing closer to discussions where they exchanged opinions and talked over what could be improved. Even so, Shinyu still thought of Lucas as her teacher.

'How can he make a song this simple and still bring it so fully to life?'

Even "Trace," Lucas’s song, was the kind of song Shinyu, as she was now, could not even begin to grasp how to create.

Drums, bass, chords.

Compared to "Tulip," which had played just before, the progression was made up of only the most basic instrunt sounds to a degree that could not even be compared, so it was a song structure that could easily have beco monotonous.

But Lucas, instead, boldly exposed those elents and used them to create a repeated structure that produced a sense of space within the song.

A song that first made you think, What is this?, and then before you knew it had you nodding your head along.

It sounded easy when described in words, but drawing that kind of reaction out of people was extrely difficult.

If you were talking purely in terms of difficulty, it would actually be much easier to use a variety of instrunts and create a complicated composition.

In that sense, it was precisely this kind of ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ simple song that fully revealed a composer’s skill.

If made well, it beca a compelling song that could work anyti regardless of era or trend.

But it was also the kind of song many composers attempted, only to repeatedly swallow bitter defeat and give up.

And yet Lucas’s song now was different.

Sweep.

When Shinyu looked around the conference room, what ca into view were the people listening to the music with the greatest concentration they had shown all eting.

The earlier songs had certainly been good too, but while they had split people’s likes and dislikes depending on personal taste, "Trace," made by Lucas, was a sophisticated, emotionally stylish song with no such divide, the kind anyone could like.

There were no vocals in it yet, so it could look a little bare, but it seed everyone understood that once it went through arrangent and mastering, it would beco an incredible song.

"Hoo···. Now that we’ve listened to the fifth song, working title 'Trace,' please once again evaluate the songs individually before we listen to the final track."

At last, when Lucas’s song ended, Sanghyeok, sounding as though he had let out a sigh of admiration, continued the eting.

"Shinyu."

Squeeze.

While everyone was busy evaluating the songs, Shinyu felt soone take hold of her hand under the table.

"Sion···."

"As a morial for today’s title-track selection eting, decide what you want to eat for dinner tonight."

"···You really don’t have to comfort like that. All the songs that ca up in today’s eting are such good songs."

As always, Lee Sion seed to be trying to comfort her by taking her side, so Shinyu lowered her head and quietly refused.

And it was not only Lucas’s song.

There was Tulip, which she was not completely certain about but thought had probably been Raon’s song, and also the other songs that had likely been from outside composers.

Every single one of them had shown high completion and outstanding mass appeal.

Until before entering today’s eting, Shinyu had still thought that maybe the song she had submitted had so chance this ti, but now, if she could turn back ti, she felt like she would want to refuse Raon’s suggestion that she submit a song for the title-track selection at all.

But—

"That’s no-no."

"What?"

Lee Sion was shaking her head with a pout as she looked at Shinyu’s downcast face.

"Did you have fun making this song, Shinyu?"

"That···."

At the sudden question, Shinyu could not answer right away.

'It was fun.'

She had definitely been exhausted, barely sleeping and spending all day thinking of nothing but the song, but even so, it had been so enjoyable that she could not stop working.

Unlike before, when composing had always ant facing other people’s snide looks, this ti soone had believed in her and given her a chance, and that had made her so happy.

Especially since this song had been made while thinking of the mbers—of Lee Sion most of all—Shinyu had found herself smiling without realizing it even while composing it.

"Straighten your shoulders and lift your head. If you’re not confident in the song you made, then how can other people listen to it and be persuaded by it?"

"···I don’t know if I’m really allowed to be this greedy."

"Shinyu, I like the song you made."

"Sion, you say you like it every ti."

Flick.

"Ow!"

At Shinyu’s response, Lee Sion’s finger flick flew in without the slightest delay.

Shocked by the pain in her forehead, Shinyu let out a little cry, and the eyes of the people in the conference room briefly gathered on her. But as soon as they saw Lee Sion beside her, they all simply thought, Of course, and turned their heads back to focus on their evaluations.

And once people’s eyes had moved away, Lee Sion began speaking again.

"I said I like it because I like it. I’m an extrely cold-blooded person, so if I don’t like sothing, I won’t even look at it."

"···."

Pat.

This ti, it was Lee Sion’s palm on her back.

Unlike before, it felt like a hand patting her in encouragent, and as soon as Shinyu felt it, for so reason she felt confidence starting to rise inside her.

"You can’t get discouraged over sothing as small as a title-track selection eting."

"A title-track selection is sothing as small as that?"

"Of course. You’re the person who’s going to be put in charge of the OST for the remake version of Kongming of the Three Kingdoms ten years from now, so if you’re trembling over sothing this small, how could anyone trust you with such a great undertaking?"

Pfft.

A laugh escaped Shinyu without her realizing it.

Sure enough, the mont she imagined making a drama OST that matched Lee Sion’s tastes, what was happening now felt endlessly light by comparison.

"Now we’ll listen to the final song of today, working title 'Pirate.'"

And at the sa ti, the turn for "Pirate," the final song of the eting and the song Shinyu had composed, began.