CH28

Jo Gi-Jeong was a little flustered.

While the drums, keyboard, and bass got ample time to sync up and tweak their parts, poor Jo had not been given any time.

Maybe Han Si-On was carried away by the music and started singing the song without realizing it.

However, it was not a big problem.

Jo Gi-Jeong was the original singer and composer of Under the Streetlight.

He could vibe with any rendition of it.

The intentionally plain development of the original song would not fit here.

The keyboard had already poured out an overly stimulating melody, so following the original structure would only cause him to be drowned out.

It would be better for the keyboard and guitar to compete instead.

'I'll show you the charm of improvisational performance.'

With that mindset, Jo Gi-Jeong shredded on the guitar like he was under a spell and listened to Han Si-On's voice.

Shadows laid with less spread color

Why are they, orange

The drums held steady, and the keyboard took the lead.

The guitar battled it out with the keyboard while the bass firmly supported all the sounds from behind.

And Han Si-On's voice coated over it all.

Jo Gi-Jeong became increasingly immersed in the performance as he listened to the sound.

He did not know how, but it was just perfect.

The four of them were as tight as if they had rehearsed with sheet music in advance.

Moreover…

Han Si-On's singing's so beautiful.

Standing there—starkly

Under the streetlight, orange

Jo Gi-Jeong was not the only one who felt this way.

Even Kang Seok-Woo, who had been blankly watching, was also dumbstruck.

That was an entirely different song.

It was not just Jo Gi-Jeong's original or Han Si-On's cover of Under the Streetlight.

To be exact, it appeared as though a new arrangement had been added to the song performed by Han Si-On.

And it harmonizes like it is the track's original ensemble.

"Nice…"

It was a tune that hooked you with a soft and quiet feel, like someone's casual muttering.

Though the feeling was slightly different from current pop songs, this was the kind of song that transcended eras.

In the meantime, the song reached the PRE-HOOK.

That moment.

Bwang, bwang.

Han Si-On intentionally struck a dissonant chord, forcefully slamming the keys

You and I –

Under the streetlight -!

The drums and keyboard abruptly stopped, but the guitar and bass did not.

The vacancy left by the drums and keyboard was only about a second, but it seemed to be anticipating something.

Which was the incredibly powerful chorus that would come after the pause.

Han Si-On's voice burst out.

둘이-!

여기서-

여기서—

여기서——!

The two of us!

Right here!

Right here—

Right here——!

Under the Streetlight was a song that had received tremendous love for its chorus.

As such, Han Si-On barely modified the chorus itself.

That was because altering the chorus' identity would no longer be a remake.

However, he escalated the straightforward spreading of the notes like climbing stairs.

And while doing so, he sang in a clean, crisp style, departing from the original's wailing vocal technique.

The result?

It created a chorus that satisfied those who loved the original while also feeling much more refined.

Those who had been watching let out internal cheers. They could barely hold back at the pristinely powerful chorus that sent chills down their spines.

If this were a concert venue, they would have shouted out loud, but since cameras were rolling, they had to hold it in.

However…

Right here!

Right here—

Right here——!

Someone could not hold back and exclaimed in admiration as the chorus burst out once more, with an even higher pitch.

Soon, LB Studio was rocking like a concert hall.

After the impromptu jam, Jo Gi-Jeong called me to the rooftop.

"Cigarette?"

"Oh, I don't smoke."

For vocalists, smoking is an absolute taboo when it comes to tuning one's vocal tone.

Nah, saying it like that makes it sound like I'd light some up once I'm done tuning.

I just don't smoke, without question.

I even avoided it when my antidepressant medication caused anhedonia and a loss of taste.

Who knows how many albums I must drop before hitting that sweet 200 million mark, but it will be at least a solid 10.

So, keeping my pipes in primo shape is my top priority.

As I'm mulling this over, Jo Gi-Jeong blows out a cloud of smoke and starts talking.

"Everyone except me was really in that jam earlier, right?"

"Yes, seonbae. My apologies."

"No need to be sorry… But why?"

"I wanted to show the PD how convincing the song is."

That's right.

Today's performance was something I'd worked out with Lee Hyun-Seok and Lee Young-Ha since yesterday.

"Ever think about arranging the OG?"

"I bet PD Kang would have a fit."

"Oh really? He might not like the new vibe…"

If PD Kang Seok-Woo isn't feeling it, there's an easy fix.

I just have to make him like it.

From dealing with countless producers, I've learned they're influenced by their tastes too.

They might act all objective for ratings, but deep down, they want to showcase what they love and cut what they don't.

Jo Gi-Jeong has a much better business sense than Lee Hyun-Seok, so he understood my words right away.

"Does the PD hate the arranged version?"

"On air, I just tweaked the vocal on top of your original. Won't viewers be confused if there are two remakes?"

"Even if they're scratching their heads a bit, it's no biggie. The PD's vibe wasn't too shabby, right?"

As Jo Gi-Jeong points out, it feels like PD Kang Seok-Woo might greenlight a fully rearranged version.

He didn't say much, but he showed several times that he liked the song.

"Well, it's all business, so not my place to butt in… What I'm really curious about is how I blended in with that set."

The three of us have had rehearsal beforehand, but Jo Gi-Jeong just improvised his part.

Still, he nailed it just like I wanted.

Not 100%, but about 80%?

So, I can't help but feel sorry for Jo Gi-Jeong.

He had clearly said that he would perform impromptu, but I had already fully predicted it all.

"How'd you pull that off?"

It's simpler than he thinks.

I analyzed Under the Streetlight.

That let me peek into Jo Gi-Jeong's composer brain, his melody connections, and the thought process behind his chord progressions.

At the same time, I was able to figure out what kind of composition Jo Gi-Jeong considered ideal.

Based on that, I nudged Jo Gi-Jeong's improvisation in the direction I wanted.

In other words, I didn't predict it.

I presented the path for him to take.

I even kicked off the song fast, worried that if he got lost in thought, his instincts wouldn't kick in.

Sure, it worked because Jo Gi-Jeong's a bit of an old-school composer who writes music in a classical way.

But even after my spiel, he didn't seem convinced.

"That's it?"

In the end, he chain-smoked two cigs and nodded slowly.

"Yeah. I guess the workings of a genius can't be fully explained in words."

"It's not like that, seonbae."

"You're an idol, right? I heard you're on some team showdown show."

"That's correct."

He didn't seem to know the format of Coming Up Next but I didn't bother explaining.

Then Jo Gi-Jeong said something I never expected.

"Can your squad stay together?"

"Sorry?"

"If I feel this jealous, how could your other teammates not feel the same way?"

"…."

"If they ain't feeling a twinge of jealousy, they don't have talent. And if they can swallow it down, it means that they have no ambition, right?"

"…."

"Am I wrong?"

Honestly, I was floored.

To be honest, I expected Jo Gi-Jeong to say the same thing as Lee Hyun-Seok.

Like 'why is a musician like you becoming an idol?' or 'Wouldn't it be better for you to pursue a solo career or a different music genre instead?'

I get where Lee Hyun-Seok's coming from.

After talking with him, I realized he doesn't dislike or have any prejudices against idols.

But he believes there's a big difference in what soloists and idol groups can pursue.

When part of a team, the team's identity takes priority over the individual's.

So, rather than music that showcases me well, I would have to do music that showcases the team well.

That's what he found regrettable.

But Jo Gi-Jeong's question hit different.

'Can the squad stay together?'

Honestly, I was stumped.

It wasn't because of On Sae-Mi, Lee Ye-On, Go Tae-Hwan, and Choi Jae-Seong that I met on Coming Up Next.

Even though we were on the show together, I haven't yet considered them to be 'my teammates.'

The reason I was left speechless has its roots further in the past.

It's kind of blurry now.

Or, the memories I've been trying to blur out.

6th regression.

"Will folks believe all four of us? Or will they believe just you?"

"Feelin' sorry for us? Han Si-On and his barnacles."

Then the 7th regression.

"You're really selfish, you know that?"

"All great for you, huh? 'Cause you're a genius."

"Is it really that hard for us losers to just get scraps off the genius's plate?"

The reason I left for America and completely avoided the K-pop industry.

The reason I kept putting off my challenge to become an idol, despite knowing I had a chance to sell 200 million physical albums with GOTM.

And…

The reason I'm stuck being a 'damn idol.'

It's because I've already done those damn things before.

This damn thing that remains as the worst memory.

"Han Si-On?"

"..."

"Han Si-On!"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. I got lost in thought for a sec."

"I must've asked a sensitive question. Sorry about that. My bad."

"Not at all."

Jo Gi-Jeong glanced at me and then changed the subject.

"How are you going to do the session when you record the rearranged version?"

"I'm going to handle the instruments solo. Since I can't do drums, I was thinking of hiring a session drummer or using virtual instruments."

"Want me to lay down some guitar?"

"Um… I don't know if we'll be able to pay you because of the production costs."

"I'll do it for free. The song is good."

Maybe Jo Gi-Jeong said it to comfort me…

But honestly, I'm better at guitar.

Still, it'd be a huge plus if we got a "ft. Jo Gi-Jeong" on the song.

He's got a big old fanbase, and they can blow away all the negative evaluations of the remake critics.

"Thank you."

"Please head down first."

On the rooftop where Jo Gi-Jeong's left, I mull over the topic he threw out there.

The GOTMs were the team members who made me feel most at ease, but even they had their moments of envy.

In fact, this was the biggest reason why GOTM's lineup kept shifting.

If even GOTM, with their top-tier talent, had issues, what about Korean wannabe idol trainees?

Are there any who can pursue their goals with outstanding talent and an endless drive for self-improvement?

And even if such people exist, how many regressions would it take for me to make them my teammates?

No clue.

But one thing's for sure.

"Damn."

I still hate this whole idol thing.

Then my phone buzzes.

[Mr. Han Si-On. Let's have a talk about the audio source. Please come down quickly.]

A Message from PD Kang Seok-Woo.

Down in LB Studio, PD Kang Seok-Woo seemed to have finished reviewing all the previous footage.

"Here's the deal. You know you'll be meeting with Take Scene soon, right?"

"Yes."

"First mission's a face-off between same positions on both teams."

"So, main vocals vs. main vocals, lead vocals vs. lead vocals, and so on?"

"You got it. You'll be doing the rearranged Under the Streetlight."

It's not a bad call.

Performing the same song twice does carry some risk, but in this case it should be fine.

I only did the first verse in the pre-mission, and Under the Streetlight will have the most captivating chorus. Hands down.

"Got it."

"Bring your A-game, okay?"

"Yes. I'll try my best."

Yes, it's not yet time to execute the regression turn.

I should try going as far as I can first.

With that in mind, I shake hands with PD Kang Seok-Woo.

TL/n - 

You can read 5 chapters in advance on p@treon.com/inkbound