God of Music Chapter 84-86

– You are - the greatest gift - wait for me -

First was Lee Min again. She started off lightly just like before. The yellow notes from her generated white light after mixing with the recording.

– My heart burns - Please tell me -

Kim SeSol chimed in and the white light shook. A green note was coming out of her. When her light was added, white light gained strength. Unlike just a moment before when there was a little bit of grey light, there wasn't any grey at all.

– I know that feeling of being in love - I know the feeling of being excited -

While everyone was under surprise, Jin SeAh decorated the next part.

'Her voice is a little weak.'

It wasn't that the white light disappeared. Her voice was good and clear. However, it was a little weak so he wished it could be a little stronger. KangYoon boosted her a little. Then, the light became stronger after receiving a little bit of strength.
The song continued on. Perhaps due to the proper sound setting, the grey light was no longer visible anywhere. Even the TNT members were delighted as they sung.

– Don't tell me why —-

When everyone sung in unison at the climax bit, the sound meter went all the way up to yellow. The white light also reached its peak. KangYoon was satisfied with the voices he could hear through the headset. Although he would have to be even more detailed if he wanted to record, this was more than enough for the song selection.
After the song finished, the members of TNT left the booth in joyous expressions.

"This is so good."
"Didn't I say that we must absolutely do this?"

Joo JungHyun and Lee Min, who were of the same age, were all excited thinking about doing this song. Jin SeAh agreed as well. Only the quiet Kim SeSol and the leader Kim HyoRin had no changes in their expressions.
Now that the song was over, President Lee WooSung approached.

"Should we go with this one?"
"Yeees!"

When he asked, they all answered without a shred of hesitation. Actually, he was also inwardly agreeing with this as well. He heard all this, if he didn't accept, then it wouldn't make any sense.

"…Okay. Let's go with this."
"Yaaay!:
"Mr. composer, then please take care of us."

Amongst the cheering members of TNT, President Lee WooSung and KangYoon shook hands. KangYoon had a slight smile on his face.

'This is the start.'

He was able to convince everyone with his music. He felt satisfied and proud of that. However, he also felt heavy thinking that this one song would decide a group's fate.

When KangYoon came to work in the morning, President Lee HyunJi wasn't there yet. She messaged him that she would be a little late as she drank with some TV station people late last night.

"Sheesh, they're vicious alright. Drinking until 6 in the morning…."

Jung HyeJin shook her head after hearing about that. As gave a cup of coffee to KangYoon, she preached that alcohol was bad.

"Seems like you don't drink that much, Miss. HyeJin."
"Yes, I can't drink at all. Why are all the people in this industry drinking like there's no tomorrow… It's scary to think about it."
"It differs from people to people. Anyway, Director Lee also must be having a hard time. If it's the people from the TV stations, they must all be quite the alcoholics. She must be a female warror."

KangYoon felt pity for Lee HyunJi having a hard time doing business. It was also her tragic fate as a businesswoman. Though, she does drink quite well….
Around 10 in the morning, Lee HyunJi appeared at the office in immaculate form. There were no signs of having drank until 6 am on her at all.

"Are you alright?"
"I won't collapse from that just yet. I'm still young after all."
"Amazing."

KangYoon shook his head. Lee HyunJi, she was really like a female general.
The two started morning conference. Lee HyunJi talked about the things she talked about with the TV station people yesterday… well, today.

"Why don't you try appearing in a TV programme?"
"Me?"
"Yes."

KangYoon was slightly confused. A TV programme? He was no celebrity. This was out of the blue.

"Do you know about the programme called Korea ONE STAR?"
"Yes. Isn't it an audition programme? I remember it causing a sensation in the music industry."
"You've got an invitation, as a judge. Although it is just once as a guest judge in the regional preliminaries…. It should still help in public advertising."

(T/N: Basically… K-POP star)

KangYoon doubted his ears. Appearing on TV? And this was an audition programme too. When KangYoon asked for more explanation, she continued.

"To simplify, it's thanks to your actions three years ago, president. Yoy've done a lot of things back in MG. You'll be going on the regional preliminaries as a judge with the title of a concert planner."
"And that's why you drank until so late…."
"Well, I guess I had some hard time. I did have to pour soju for those old asses."

She drew a V with her fingers. KangYoon felt sorry for all her efforts.

"You must have had a hard time. And thank you as well."
"Why thank me? It's our work now. Don't tell me you're thinking of something weird because it was drinking? You're no kid."
"Pfft, there's no way I would, is there?"

Although Lee HyunJi spoke lightly, it was a position she earned after a long night of drinking. KangYoon.resolved to himself that he would do well.
After that, he talked about how he settled the song and Lee HyunJi praised him a lot.

"You snapped that Lee WooSung's stubbornness? Now that makes me refreshed."
"Well, a good song is the best attack."
"You really…. Sheesh, the contents are top-notch, I guess there's no way he would say anything."

Focus on the one, most important thing. That was KangYoon's style. Lee HyunJi liked this kind of style.
After hearing a lot of things, the two ended the morning conference. Lee HyunJi departed from the office saying she had something to do, and KangYoon also went back to his seat and started working.
When KangYoon was working, his phone rang. It was from HeeYoon. KangYoon was delighted and received the call after leaving the office. After an exchange of greetings, KangYoon talked about how HeeYoon's song was officially sold.

– Wow…. It's somewhat… mystifying.
"What's mystifying. You're a full-fledged composer now."
– I still can't believe it. A song I made is going to be sung by a singer.

HeeYoon felt somewhat weird. In fact, KangYoon was happier about it than her. He told her that the music was under the alias 'Muse', and told her to wish that it would go well.

– Okay, then. Oh, did you find any singers that would debut from your company?
"No, I'll have to start looking after this."
– Please look for one quickly. I have a lot of songs to give out.
"Fine, fine."

KangYoon said yes at HeeYoon's enthusiastic words. Their call ended after wishing each other safety.

'An audition, eh….'

KangYoon looked up the TV programme named Korea ONE STAR. It was an audition that any Korean citizen could participate in, and disregarded age, gender, and background.

'The Seoul regionals. Looks like there will be a lot of people at least.'

Seoul had the highest population density in all of Korea. It was likely that there were many talented people as well. Although appearing on TV was important, there was also the implication of having to find a talent if he could find one. Even small entertainment companies would have to have trainees if they wanted a future.

'As a small company, it's probably impossible for us to have a lot of trainees, so should we go with a solo singer? The trend is girl groups…. But doing something that everyone else is doing will obviously lead to failure….'

KangYoon was agonized. It wasn't easy to pick trainees. Trainees were precious existences for small companies like World Entertainment. They weren't treated like spare tires for a car which would be the case for large companies.

'It's time.'

Time flew by while he was immersed in his thoughts about work. Today was the day they recorded 'Good Feelings'. He already said beforehand that he would be present as the composer. KangYoon immediately headed to Laurel Entertainment.
When he arrived, an employee there guided KangYoon to the studio. The members of TNT were already in the booth, and President Lee WooSung was sitting in front of the mixer, controlling things.

"You're here."
"Hello."

KangYoon greeted him and stood behind him. The members of TNT also waved their hands at KangYoon. Jin SeAh was getting ready to record.

"Did you divide the parts?"
"Yes, we just need to record now."

President Lee WooSung was full of confidence, as though to say that everything was ready to go. KangYoon took a step back. The recording began.

– You are - the greatest gift - wait for me -

Jin SeAh did the intro. Like her outgoing personality, her voice was also quite strong and thick for a girl.

'Isn't this too strong for the intro?'

KangYoon was confused. This song wasn't a kind that was supposed to start off loudly.

"SeAh, the sound is a little weak. Can we do it again after raising it a little?"

But unlike what he thought, President Lee WooSung asked for a stronger voice.

– Yes.

The recording resumed. The voices of TNT became stronger and stronger, but the white light in KangYoon's eyes kept dimming. This was literally a waste of energy.

'This is not it.'

KangYoon shook his head. He felt as though the song was being interpreted wrong.
It was the same afterwards. With this song, KangYoon pursued ease of singing that would stick to anyone's minds. However, President Lee WooSung kept adding effects like echo when he pursued this song.

'Now I know why this place is so bad.'

This guy, just didn't have any senses. This was the conclusion KangYoon came to. The white light became weaker and weaker. At this rate, the song would go haywire.
After watching quietly for a while, KangYoon eventually stepped up.

"Why don't we try loosening a little at this bit?"

President Lee WooSung looked back at KangYoon who stayed quiet all this time. His eyes filled with displeasure.

"…Really?"

There was no way KangYoon did not know the implications behind that gaze. However, he continued on with his opinion while pretending not to notice it.

"As you said, president. It might be good to emphasize that feeling. However, I think that we might be able to add more rightness to the song if we loosen it up a little."
"……."

President Lee WooSung's reactions were very bland as he did not like someone interfering. However, it would be bad to ignore the original composer's opinions. He turned around to the mic after saying he understood.

"SeSol. Can we loosen up at the 'feeling' part?"
– Okay.

The reply came, and President Lee WooSung resumed the recording.

– I know that feeling of being in love - the feeling of excitement -

Kim SeSol loosened up a little. Then, the sound became softer. When her notes were mixed in, the light also became stronger.

"…Huh."

President Lee WooSung involuntarily made a noise as though he felt something. KangYoon's opinions wasn't anything big, but it made a clear difference. However, he didn't say anything since he didn't want to admit it.

'Sheesh, what a stubborn man.'

KangYoon clicked his tongue. However, he didn't stay still anymore. This guy's musical senses were definitely terrible. KangYoon made light advices when he felt something strange. Just enough so that he wouldn't scratch the other guy's pride. It was his own way of respect.
Perhaps thanks to KangYoon's advices, the recording speed got boosted. President Lee WooSung didn't seem to like listening to KangYoon, but he didn't just ignore them either. He didn't hide his displeasure, but it wasn't like he could simply ignore KangYoon's opinions. This was the power of the original composer.
Like that, the 1st verse ended and rest came.
President Lee WooSung left for a smoke, and KangYoon sat down for a little. He felt quite tired after standing throughout the entire recording session.
However, a lady approached him, it was Kim SeSol.

"Excuse me, composer."
"What is it?"

As they weren't that close yet, Kim SeSol didn't call him by name. Kim SeSol carefully spoke to KangYoon.

(T/N: If you haven't noticed already, in Korea, it's 'polite' to refer to people with their titles. It's like saying 'sir')

"I have a question. I'm doing the chorus for the 2nd verse, but I can't think of how I should sing that part."
"Oh, really? What do you think you should do ,then?"
"Me? Well…."

Kim SeSol spoke after a moment of thought.

"First, this is a retro-style song and a bright one, and it still has to be different from the first verse…. But JungHyun gave it power in the first verse. So that's why I'm worried about the 2nd verse. I don't have as loud of a voice as JungHyun.

Kim SeSol sighed in worry. Kim SeSol and Joo JungHyun were the two main vocals of the team. But Joo JungHyun had a stronger vocal power.
KangYoon picked up a note and a pen before speaking while writing some things down.

"Well, in my opinion, we should record from scratch with Miss JungHyun, but that's the president's right, so I can't help that. Since this is the case, why don't we try something different?"
"Something different?"
"If the first verse was powerful, we should add some characteristics for the second one. We'll add some effects to the voice to give it a different feeling. Your voice is more suited to adding effects so I think that would be good."
"Ah, okay!"

Kim SeSol seemed to be relieved of her worries as she left with a smile.
The resting time ended, and recording session began again.
Thanks to KangYoon's advices, the recording went smoothly. He could see President Lee WooSung getting tired of it, but he did not stop. If the light from the song shook even a little, KangYoon spoke without hesitation.

"SeSol, it's your turn."

When the recording progressed like that, Kim SeSol's turn came. She went into the booth and grabbed the mic.

– If you know how I feel - tell me - lululu -

Kim SeSol's song ended, and President Lee WooSung spoke into the microphone.

"SeSol, it's a little bit weak."
– Should I add some more power?

At that time, KangYoon spoke up.

"The first verse was powerful already. Wouldn't it be rather repetitive to go with powerful for the 2nd verse as well? She has a good tone of voice. I think it would be better to just mix it."
"Ehem. Is that so?"
"Yes. Miss SeSol's vocal power might be lacking compared to Miss JungHyun, but her tone is clear if we mix it well and edit it later, I think we'll have a good melody."
"… If you say so."

President Lee WooSung nodded with a displeased expression. And as KangYoon had said, he added a few effects before resuming.

– If you know how I feel -
"!!!"

President Lee WooSung was extremely surprised. He didn't even add that many effects, but the feeling was drastically different from the 1st verse. The melody was now a lot easier - he could feel that.

"Huh…."

He couldn't deny it anymore. This was the real deal. Without speaking anything, he replayed the recording back into the studio and the booth.

"Wow…."

After hearing it, the members of TNT widened their eyes. Even the owner of the voice, Kim SeSol doubted whether this was her voice or not. It felt like it stuck to the mind a lot easier and made them feel that they wanted to listen to more.

"Thank you, composer!"

President Lee WooSung bowed towards KangYoon from the bottom of his heart. KangYoon only shrugged his shoulders.

Midnight between Friday and Saturday.
The members of TNT, who had just finished their debut at a TV station, were gathered around a computer.

"Hey hey, is it there yet?"

When Jin SeAh asked, Kim HyoRin told her to look at the lock. Jin SeAh pouted saying that she couldn't help it.

"It's here!"

Around 5 minutes after midnight, the song 'Good Feelings' appeared at the bottom. The ranking was 98, rock bottom.

"Hey hey! Play it, now!"

To raise the rankings, the members all played the song on all the devices they had: computers, their phones, etc.

"We should have bought more computers."
"Where do we have the money to?"

Lee Min replied to Joo JungHyun's words, and the rest of the members were all talking about the rise and fall in the rankings.
Like that, 1, 2, …. 4 a.m.
Everyone couldn't fall asleep.

"Dammit, it sure isn't rising. Maybe because it's the night."

Complained Kim SeSol. The current ranking was 91.

"Did we get too excited? Let's sleep since we have a schedule tomorrow."

Eventually, everyone went to their rooms and slept under the leader Kim HyoRin's words. Wishing that their rankings would have rose when they woke up.
And the next day.

"…What the."

When Lee Min checked the first thin in the morning, it was at 88th place.

"Other singers get 1st as soon as they release, too."
"Are we those singers?"
"Just saying…."

When Joo JungHyun expressed her disappointment, Jin SeAh added. Everyone felt rather disappointed.
And a few days later.
Although they checked frequently while running events, but the rankings only went up to the 60s. The members were all slightly happy at the better results than before. However, they were disappointed as well as they thought that they would go up to the 40s at least.

"Haa… so it's an ordinary one this time?"

Kim SeSol, who was checking for the comments on her phone in the van, sighed. Although none of the others said anything, they felt no different from her.

A week passed since the release.
Kim HyoRin woke up first as always and stretched her body before washing her face. As always, she started the day with checking the rankings of the song on the computer.
However….

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek?!"

She, who was always calm as the leader, screamed after looking at the computer screen.

"Unni, what is it!?"

Jin SeAh was surprised by the scream from the living room and rushed out. The other members all rushed out to the living room after hearing their leader, who was normally very calm, scream.

"Unni, what happened?"
"N…. n…. num… …."
"Num?"

Kim HyoRin only pointed at the screen with shaking hands, so no one understood anything.
Jin SeAh looked at the computer.

"WHAT!!!!!!"

Everyone gasped. They jumped 47 places and were now placed in the top 10. This….

"What, the hell is this!"

Even Lee Min, who was rarely surprised, gaped her jaws in shock. It was needless to say that the other members were equally as shocked.

"Call the president immediately!"

Among everyone's excitement, Min HyoRin called President Lee WooSung with her phone.

"The top 10, huh? That's quite high."

Lee HyunJi, who was monitoring it, couldn't hide her surprise.

"Really?"

KangYoon only smiled lightly while drinking the coffee Jung HyeJin gave him.

"Looking at you, I feel like you saw this coming."
"Really?"

KangYoon shrugged his shoulders. Then, he spoke on after sipping the coffee.

"The producing side of Laurel was a bit of a pity. If that was better than the reaction would have been better as well."
"Well, we can't help it since his skills are only subpar. It seems like your advice played a big role. But rather than that, the choreography is quite good. Their accents are on point."
"The leader has good senses, as well as experience. She's quite the unlucky fella."

After watching the music video, KangYoon was surprised by Kim HyoRin's dance. He even felt that she was lowering her skills intentionally to match the rest of the team.
The fact that the song was in the top 10 meant that the public would know about the group. After all, many people from all over the country must listen to the song for the rankings to go up.

"So, it's about time we did the next thing."
"Yes. Now there's only the receiving part left."

President Lee HyunJi laughed at KangYoon's words.

"You know what, the more I look at you, the more I think you act on practical benefits. You should have had a hard time dealing with that old ass Lee WooSung, too. Did you know that it will come to this?"
"Maybe. He probably didn't know that our song would go so well when we signed the contract. Well, he tried to abandon the music with all sorts of excuses, so he probably accepted such a contract."
"He's a fool alright."

KangYoon shrugged his shoulders while thinking about the contents of the contract.
Once in the top 10, a percentage of all profits gained from the song must be paid to the composer. Instead, the cost of rights to use the song was lowered. Thanks to that, President Lee HyunJi could get him to sign the contract easily. President Lee WooSung tried to abandon the song with various excuses, but he could not think of one, and things eventually lead to this.

"Pfft, well then. I'm off to collect some money."
"Watch your words, there."

Seeing Lee HyunJi speak like a loan shark, KangYoon jokingly warned her. However, he also felt relaxed after enduring it for such a long time.

'Was the audition programme this week?'

KangYoon called the number he got from Lee HyunJi. A producer of the programmer answered the call and notified KangYoon of the schedule. When he asked if there was anything to prepare, he was replied that only himself needed to be there. Also, he was warned that he may be physically fatigued as there would be a lot of people.

"…Okay."
– Before the shoot, there will be an interview with the writer of the programme. Is there anything else you need?

KangYoon asked him that he would be represented as a CEO of a company. He was doing this to advertise the company after all. The producer gave a positive reply.
After the call, KangYoon downloaded the audition programme videos that took place until now and watched them.

'There are a lot of styles.'

From judges that blatantly shouted at the candidates, to those that praised but gave them a fail as well as judges that silently did their markings; there were a lot of styles. The most eye-catching one was without a doubt the one that shouted and drove the candidates to the bottom. However, they had their charms as well: they said that it was to motivate them to do better. This kind of style grabbed attention and produced some news articles as well.

'So, all in all, it's a TV programme.'

It was an audition, but at the same time, it was a TV programme. After everything that's said and done, it was done to grab viewers at home. So, the judges were writing dramas in various styles. Even KangYoon thought that he might do that as well.
When he was thinking, he got a call. It was from Lee HyunJi. She spoke of her matter immediately.

– Everything went as the contract stated. We'll receive the money by today.
"Thank you for your work. You must have had a hard time."
– Not really. Oh, President Lee WooSung wishes to call you, should I hand it to him?

When KangYoon gave the okay, the caller switched.

– Composer, I'm Lee WooSung.
"Yes, President. Congratulations to you."
– Thank you. Thanks to you, the results were good. I thank you again.

Good greetings were exchanged. President Lee WooSung didn't have that complaining tone anymore.

"Not at all. Thanks for your hard work as well."
– Not at all, no. It's all thanks to you.

That attitude. There was definitely something he wanted from this. Probably something like lowering the contract conditions. KangYoon knew that well. Of course, he wasn't going to do that.

"Oh, I must apologize, I have a different call. I'll call you next time."
– Composer, com….

KangYoon ended the call. He waited to see if he called back, but there were no calls.

"You deserved that."

The superior position in this contract was flipped.

"…I apologize. I don't think I can go there alone."

Lee HyunAh voiced her thoughts to the scouter of Yerang entertainment.

"I wished that we could have a better relationship… but okay. Let us meet next time if fate allows us to."

The scouter from Yerang entertainment gave Lee HyunAh a business card while expressing disappointment. Lee HyunAh received the business card and put it in her bag.

"Man. Maybe I'm missing an opportunity because of that oppa."

Left alone inside the café, Lee HyunAh drank the rest of the Americano and grumbled. However, her expression looked as though she was relieved.

"Well, then. I'm not so busy anymore so let's go hit him in the chest."

Having drunk the coffee, Lee HyunAh was about to leave through the front door. However….

"Excuse me, miss….
"Sorry? Is something wrong?"
"You haven't paid."
"Sorry? Didn't the woman that just left pay?"
"She only paid for one person."
"……."

Lee HyunAh felt absurd after seeing the meticulous 'going dutch' (individual pays for himself/herself) from the businesswoman that seem to imply that their fate ended there.

– Wow!! Oppa, what is all this money?

HeeYoon called KangYoon after seeing so much money in the bank account.

"What do you mean? This is all the profit from the song this time. I'm not sure about the cost of rights to use the music, but I got loads from the extras."
– You're one capable man.
"I must get the proper payment for a good song. Eat some nice things with that money."
– Okay.

KangYoon was delighted to give HeeYoon so much pocket money. To be exact, he was planning to give HeeYoon all the composer rights, but HeeYoon left the money with KangYoon saying that he should use it for managing the company. KangYoon was proud to see her sister's growth over these years.
After telling her to beware of boys, KangYoon ended the call and stood up. Today's was the filming day of Korea ONE STAR. KangYoon headed to SBB TV station in Seoul.

"Hello."
"Hello."

KangYoon headed inside the station with the assistant director that came out to meet him. He leads KangYoon to the makeup room. He had his hair done and put on some light makeup.

'This feels awkward.'

Although he visited TV stations many times, this was the first time he would be appearing on any programme. Although it was a special guest appearance, he felt very fresh.
It took around 30 minutes for the stages to be set up. KangYoon headed to the waiting room. Today, veteran singer Lee JaeHyuk and compose Moon SangJae were there. KangYoon greeted them and got ready.
One of the programmer writers entered and they started an interview. He asked about their standards for their judgment today as well as their preferred genre of singers. KangYoon was interviewed last.

"What kind of candidates are you planning to pick?"

When he was asked that, KangYoon answered after a little bit of thought.

"I wish to pick a candidate that has a unique trait as well as skills."
"Do you have any candidates that you have your eyes on?"
"Hmm…."

He didn't specifically have one, so he shook his head.
After the light interview, the judges took their seats. The audition started like that.
Although this was the 2nd round of auditions, there were still a lot of candidates. Although each of them got less than 5 minutes' worth of time, the endless numbers of candidates exhausted the judges.

"My heart - to the sky— "
"Wait wait. Did you not have breakfast today? You sound too powerless."
"S…. sorry."
"This is an audition. Try again."

Singer Lee JaeHyuk was like a roaring tiger towards the applicants. Sitting in the center, he glared at the applicants through his sunglasses. Moon SangJae supported his words as he branched off the candidates.
KangYoon was also judging the people coming on stage. He was looking at the light emitted by them while saying some comments. However, there was a problem.

'Why is everyone so stuffy?'

It was grey light everywhere. Not only that, KangYoon was now more influenced by the musical lights. It was hard to endure this audition venue that was filled with grey light. He tried his best to endure by drinking lots of water. However, the stuffy feeling did not go away so easily.
They continued the audition without even eating.

"Number 701 entering."

With the assistant director's notification, a girl clad in school uniform entered with a guitar.

"Hello. My name is Kim JiMin. I'm 17 and I currently go to XX Girl's High. Please take care of me."

All the judges were fixated on the guitar behind the girl's back. The first one to ask was Lee JaeHyuk.

"So, you play the guitar?"
"Yes. I liked playing it since I was young."
"Really? Hmm."

He seemed to be interested and urged her to play. Then, the girl started playing on the seat that was prepared for her. At that time, Lee JaeHyuk coldly spoke.

"Wait, aren't you going to tune it?"
"Ah, I forgot. Tuning…. Tuning…."

Nervousness made her forgot about the most important thing. Kim JiMin finally took out the tuner from her bag but there was no way the judges would wait for that.

"…Forget the guitar. What have you prepared for us today?"
"A song called 'Romance'."
"Oho. That's a hard one. Go ahead, then."

The song 'Romance' was a high-pitched song sung by a veteran female singer. Lee JaeHyuk's eyes shined in interest. KangYoon was the same. Kim JiMin did a light vocal exercise and started singing.

"The romance I dream of - "

Quiet and soft - Kim JiMin's voice rang out. Lee JaeHyuk and Moon SangJae closed their eyes and admired her song.

'Strong.'

KangYoon was surprised. The white light from the purple notes was getting stronger as the song progressed. Lee JaeHyuk and Moon SangJae were humming under its influence.
However…

"Go—slowly—roman…"

Due to her nervousness, she messed up a tone. Thanks to that, Lee JaeHyuk and Moon SangJae's eyes abruptly opened, Kim JiMin ended up stopping there as she was surprised by their reactions.

"Ah…."
"Hm."

Lee JaeHyuk and Moon SangJae shook their heads in disappointment. Her voice was very good, but it felt as though she was lacking something. Lee JaeHyuk started his evaluation first.

"Your voice is very good."
"Thank you."
"But you're too nervous. You must learn to relax a little bit more. And right now, only your voice is good. Come again after you get used to this kind of stage. For me…."

He pressed X. It was a fail.

"Ah…."

Kim JiMin lowered her head. There were two votes left.

"I'm not that much different from Mr. Lee JaeHyuk's. You have a good voice, but I wish you could practice some more before you come again."

Moon SangJae pressed X as well. 2 out of 3 gave an X. This was a fail.

"…Thank you. I wish I can see you again at this place next time."

Without even looking at KangYoon's result, Kim JiMin left.

"Looks like she was disheartened."
"It's a pity. Her voice was really good."

Lee JaeHyuk and Moon SangJae talked about Kim JiMin. Her voice was good, but it was too early for her to get a pass. This was their opinion.
However, KangYoon was different.

'If she relaxed a little more, she would be really good. Looks like I'll have to see her again.'

Just the voice was good? Not in KangYoon's opinion, no. Among the trainees KangYoon saw, there were rarely any that could produce such a clear white light. He stood up from his seat as though something tugged his mind.

"Can we have a little rest?"
"Hmm…. Should we? I'm hungry too."

When Lee JaeHyuk agreed to KangYoon's request for a rest, the programme was paused. KangYoon immediately left and looked for Kim JiMin.

'Where is she?'

However, she wasn't in the lobby. When he asked a staff in the lobby, he got the reply that a girl with a guitar had just left the lobby, and he ran out.
Fortunately, he could see the girl not far away from the building. KangYoon ran.

"Wait!"
"Eh?"

The girl turned around at KangYoon's call.

"Sir judge?"
"*pant pant….*"

Looking at the girl's confused expression, KangYoon made a bright face.

"Fuu, I was looking for you."
"For me?"

The girl, Kim JiMin, looked at KangYoon with very confused eyes.

"Please, sit comfortably."

KangYoon offered a seat to Kim JiMin on one of the benches. When she sat, KangYoon bought a canned coffee from a vending machine and held it out to her.

"Thank you."

Kim JiMin expressed her thanks to KangYoon receiving the hot coffee. Although it was spring, warmth was still precious as the winds were still cold outside. KangYoon spoke of his mind while warming his hands up with the coffee.

"I found it slightly disappointing that I couldn't listen to your song for long enough."
"What?"

Kim JiMin suddenly panicked due to the unexpected words.

"You didn't even see my results and just left."
"That's…."

Regardless of KangYoon's results, there was no next time. If she stayed here any longer then it would just become a more painful injury. So, she didn't want to stay there. But this guy, he was quite strange.

"I thought differently to the two people."
"…I failed anyway. There's no use in staying here any longer."

Kim JiMin was feeling down. She had gone to several auditions. However, the taste of failure was just as bitter as the first time.

"You may have failed the audition, but it might be an opportunity for me."
"What?"

KangYoon took out a small card and handed it to Kim JiMin.
It was a business card.

"World… Entertainment, Lee KangYoon? You were a CEO?"
"If you have any thoughts, then come for an audition later. There's my contact number as well as the address, so you can just use those."

KangYoon stood up right away. He had to go inside for the filming.

"W, wait!"

Kim JiMin grabbed him.

"What is it?"
"This, uh… so…."

Kim JiMin was confused. She felt as though she received salvation from the depths of the abyss. It was hard to express her feelings of having been chosen after being abandoned for so long. Although she saw this person for the first time today, the fact that he was an audition judge added credibility to his words.

"You should have school too, so come around this Saturday. 2 pm should be good. As for the song, come with anything you're comfortable with. It's fine if you make mistakes like today, so relax and don't get too nervous about it. You'll be showing me a lot of things then."
"Yes! I'll definitely be there!"

Kim JiMin shouted with hope as KangYoon turned around. This was the first person that acknowledged her.

"Oops, I'm late."

KangYoon left Kim JiMin and headed to the studio.

"World Entertainment? Well, whether it's big or small…. I'm okay with it!"

She gripped her fists. She resolved to herself that she would definitely pass this time.

T&T were on a roll with their title song, 'Good Feelings', by the day.
Ranked 7th on one website was just the beginning. Various other music websites also ranked them as 6th and 8th. On top of that, they became more popular with various events. They became a hot potato on social networks as well. As people started talking about them, articles about them started rising, and eventually, they were called by a TV station.

"…Where are we going again?"
"Shooting, duh."
"…You think I don't know? I'm just emotional."

Lee Min stiffly replied to Joo JungHyun's words. The two quarreled for quite a while.
During their 2 years of activity, never have they appeared on a weekend 7 pm programme, and with all 5 of them together, and now, they did. In the flood of girl group idols, it was an amazing feat to appear on a weekend evening program. Especially for groups like them who were usually bottom-of-the-rung.

"*Sob*…."
"HyoRin-unni's crying again."

Jin SeAh teased the emotional Kim HyoRin. Then, she denied it and the two started quarreling as well.
With the song turning out good, everyone was happy. Although they were busy, their hearts were filled with joy.

"But the President's expression wasn't that good…."

Kim SeSol muttered as though she remembered something."

"Apparently, he used too much money on the song. That's why he doesn't look good nowadays."
"Oh, really? But isn't becoming popular a good thing?"

Kim SeSol was still confused with Joo JungHyun's reply. Then, Kim HyoRin wiped her face and answered.

"I heard from the secretary-unni, and apparently, they had to pay a lot of money this time. The president even had to use his emergency funds."
"Even the emergency funds?"
"Yeah, apparently, it was something about the contract. I don't know the details either. Well, we just need to run a lot of events and earn a lot of money, don't we?"
"Yup yup."

Everyone replied in unison to Kim HyoRin's words.
Their president had long since lost their trust, so whatever happened to him was out of their interest.

"An audition?"

Lee HyunJi doubted her ears. During the past few days, she was rarely at the office because of business matters, and now that she came, she heard a surprising news from KangYoon.

"There will be an applicant in the afternoon. Come observe with me."
"Okay, if it's someone who caught your eye, then I'm curious."

Lee HyunJi became interested. She already knew that KangYoon had good eyes for people as well as songs. However, while he was at MG, he only had to face a select few that were already selected through an audition. She was interested to see what kind of gem KangYoon had found from seeing all the people and not a select few, filtered set of people.
After eating with Lee HyunJi, it was 1 pm. KangYoon brushed his teeth and headed to the basement floor for the audition. There was a small studio in the basement floor. He turned on the lights and turned on the power.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have bought them used."

Grumbled KangYoon as he saw the mixers and speakers. Although he wanted good equipment, the funds were insufficient, so he bought them second-hand. Thanks to that, he was able to get cheap and good quality equipment, but the feeling of disappointment remained inside him.
Normally, auditions are supposed to be done without any gear, but KangYoon was planning to do various tests today. For this, he had to prepare various instruments and set up the mic as well.
When he was just about done, the doors to the studio opened.

"Director, what is it- "
"LEE KANGYOON!!"

However, 'something' charged towards him. And then a heavy pain struck KangYoon's body.

"Urgh!"

It was a strong body slam. With a shout, KangYoon was about to fall over, but he barely held on.

"What the!? Huh? HyunAh?"
"…Dammit, I thought you were just tall and no power, but you are quite strong. I was planning to knock you over. And anyway, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

Long hair that reached her shoulders, cute appearance as well as a tall stature. It was Lee HyunAh. Behind her were Lee HyunJi and the band that she belonged to, 'The Formidables'.

"What is this?"
"Revenge."
"Huh?"

KangYoon was confused. Never did he imagine that he would get body-slammed like this.

"…Well, I'll let you go for now."
"……"

Lee HyunAh spoke curtly and put her hand out.

"Hello, oppa. It's been a while."
"Y… yeah. But you… are quite weighty."
"Are you picking a fight?"

Although he was ambushed, KangYoon didn't lose out at all in words.
After a joyful reunion, everyone sat down around the sofa in the studio. They talked about what happened recently. When they were talking, Jung HyeJin entered through the door. Behind her was Kim JiMin who was still wearing a school uniform.

"Welcome."
"Hello?"

Kim JiMin gasped at the studio as well as the people inside it. KangYoon offered her a seat as she was looking around.
KangYoon told Lee HyunAh that they should talk later and turned around to Kim JiMin.

"Have you prepared?"
"I did as much as possible."
"Really? Then should we see?"

When Kim JiMin was about to take out her guitar, KangYoon gestured her not to.

"Let's try singing first. We have a lot to try out today. Don't be in a rush and just calm down; Okay?"
"Yes."

In the previous auditions she had been to, she was allocated 3 minutes to 5 minutes at best. However, this person was a little different. Even while being confused, she exercised her voice and got ready to sing.
Then she closed her eyes and started making a half-whisper sound.

"- cause you - hold me— "

Kim JiMin's voice was very clear when it was small and had a slight whisper-like effect on it when it was loud. And that had a charm to it. Moreover, she had a good vocal power. A pure voice, that did not go through any sort of tampering started to fill the studio.

'This is it.'

The yellow note that came out of her was very distinct. White light was obvious. After listening to around a minute, KangYoon told her to stop.

"Stop."

When Kim JiMin stopped, her eyes were filled with worry. KangYoon wordlessly pointed towards the guitar. Then, she took out the guitar. When she was about to sing, KangYoon spoke again.

"Can you sing the same song?"
"Sorry? Oh, okay."

She didn't know the reason for it, but she still proceeded to play the guitar. When she played the guitar, the blue notes from the guitar and the yellow notes from the voice inter-mixed and started making white light. However, the light was weaker than before.

'Looks like her guitar skills need some working.'

When she did the two together, she lost focus on one thing. The blue notes were fainter than the yellow ones. In KangYoon's eyes, the effects of the guitar did not compliment the voice.
KangYoon made her stop after the first verse again.

"This time, let's do it in there."

KangYoon pointed towards the studio booth. Then, Kim JiMin headed inside with nervousness.

'Wow, KangYoon-oppa is being meticulous.'

Whispered Lee HyunAh from the back. Lee HyunJi added in.

'She's the first trainee candidate, so yeah.'
'The first? Oh….'

Hearing those words, Lee HyunAh started observing carefully again.
KangYoon had no idea what was happening back there, so he turned on the mixer and set the microphone to the standard settings and told Kim JiMin to connect the guitar to the line input. The line input was connected, and her voice started ringing out the studio along with the guitar.

"Can you try the same song again?"

After they were ready, Kim JiMin started singing on KangYoon's signal. The speakers started producing musical notes as well as white light. However, the light was stronger than last time.

'The sound quality becomes better through the microphone. Now, that's something innate.'

KangYoon was ensured. His eyes weren't wrong.
Kim JiMin thought that they would end on the first verse as well this time, but KangYoon gestured her to continue. Then, she sang all the way to the end and exited the booth after leaving the guitar to the side.

"Well done."
"Fuah."

This was the first time she sang inside a booth. Although it was nerve-wracking, it was also fun. Seeing Kim JiMin's lively expression, KangYoon also smiled.

"Well, then. Welcome to World Entertainment."
"Yes, President."
"Pfft, just call me sir."
"Okay."

No more words were necessary. KangYoon noticed Kim JiMin's talents, and Kim JiMin grabbed KangYoon's hands.
Like that, she became the first trainee of World Entertainment.

Kim JiMin greeted with Lee HyunJi as well as the families of World Entertainment. KangYoon told them to treat her well as she would be the new addition to the family. Lee HyunJi said that that was natural as she approached her, and Jung HyeJin told KangYoon to relax as she would treat her well, saying that Kim JiMin looked cute in her uniform.

'Did I just give fish to a cat?'

KangYoon sweated cold sweat at their dangerous(?) words.

"Miss JiMin. Then should we go somewhere else?"

Lee HyunJi headed to the office with Kim JiMin to talk about the contract. Left inside the studio were KangYoon, Lee HyunAh as well as the rest of the band.

"She sings quite well."
"This is just the start. She's a source stone that needs polishing."

KangYoon shook his head at Lee HyunAh's words. In his view, this was just the start. He was planning to polish her well before her debut.
KangYoon cleaned up the studio, he turned off the power and cleaned up the cables. Lee HyunAh approached him as he did so. She was now about to speak to him about the real reason why she was here. KangYoon stretched out his back while cleaning the cables.

"Oppa, can you accept us too?"
"The entire band?"
"…Yes."

Seeing Lee HyunAh carefully speaking about it, KangYoon quietly put down the cables. He did foresee this from the moment she stayed here during the audition. KangYoon felt that the talk was going to be long and asked all of them to sit down.

"I've heard that you were contacted by Yerang last time."
"I've refused that for sure. I don't want to be separated from my team."

Lee HyunAh's opinion was firm. The rest of the team seemed to feel sorry, as they had complicated expressions. KangYoon looked around at everyone and spoke calmly.

"Is there a reason you want to come here?"
"There's that we're close to you, oppa… but it's more so to do with the fact that you were famous at MG, I guess."
"I'm famous?"
"You're the planner for Eddios, aren't you?"

Lee HyunAh had found out about that as well. While KangYoon was shrugging his shoulders, she went into the topic.

"Oppa, please accept us."

Not only her, KangYoon could feel desperation from all the members. However, KangYoon couldn't nod his head so easily. It was very hard to succeed as a band in Korea. He couldn't just accept them just because he knew them.

"Do you know why bands are hard to succeed?"
"No."

There was no way Lee HyunAh would no details like that. KangYoon calmly explained.

"These days, the major source of income for singers is not from selling songs. It's events. For example, let's say you earn 10 million won (10,000 USD) every time you go to an event, and there's another singer for the same price. To call you, however, the event manager would have to take care of instrument loans as well as the price to all you. Wouldn't it be much better to call the other option instead?"
"……"
"Is this was overseas, then it might work. However, we live in Korea, and in Korea, we need a strategy that fits Korea. There's a reason why Yerang wanted to scout you alone."

Lee HyunAh had nothing to say. Being told the logical reason made her run out of any reasons. He was right, but she was still very sad to hear that from him since this was their first meeting in 3 years.

'Though it might be difficult, if they do succeed, it would be a huge jackpot…'

KangYoon fell into thought as he looked at Lee HyunAh.

Chapter end