Jin-ah’s practice continued until 9 a.m.
Of course, it wouldn’t finish here.
She had to do it again with the other members.
“Ugh. I’m tired. I’m hungry.”
“Since we need to get the others, let’s eat at the dorms and come back.”
“Okay.”
A sweaty Jin-ah sat in the minivan.
She smelled a bit, but I couldn’t cringe at something like this.
How could I complain when she sweated from practice?
…Still, she would probably shower today, right? If she didn’t shower today and smelled tomorrow too, then I couldn’t be blamed for cringing.
The car started and we set off. Jin-ah connected her phone to the car via Bluetooth and played Beyonce’s If I Were a Boy.
She was listening to it again even though she practiced so much.
She was really working hard. Even though she had talent too.
“…President Kang.”
“Hm?”
It had probably been about a minute since we left when Jin-ah glared at me with her nose covered.
“Please buy some air fresheners for the car.”
“…”
Haven’t you considered that the smell was coming from your body?
I couldn’t bring myself to say that.
“Let’s open the windows. Just bear with it for today.”
“Ugh, seriously?”
“…”
The car quickly approached the dorm.
It’s been a while. This old dorm.
I walked up the villa stairs, feeling a new wave of nostalgia.
‘Why do I feel so nervous?’
I didn’t know what expression to make when I saw them. I felt like I could even cry at the thought of being able to right my wrongs.
‘No, I shouldn’t. They would think it’s weird.’
I should act as calmly as possible.
Jin-ah opened the door to the dorm and quickly went in.
I followed her in.
“Seriously, what are you all doing! Get up, quick! We have practice! I’ve already been at it for hours!”
Although it was nice to see her practicing hard, this just was her showing off despite practicing out of boredom.
What was the point of showing off to people who were asleep?
‘Anyway.’
My nervousness left me after that.
I stood in the middle of the living room and looked around.
A nostalgic feeling.
And an even more nostalgic voice.
“President Kang, you’re here?”
I heard a similar voice just a few hours ago, but the feeling was completely different.
“…Yeah. Hee-yeon, did you have a good rest?”
A half-awake Hee-yeon shuffled out of the room and stretched out in a big motion.
She overlapped naturally with the Hee-yeon I saw before I came back.
It felt like she wasn’t as stiff at this point. No, maybe it was because it was morning?
“Yes, I got a good rest. Did you get a good rest, too?”
“Yeah, I did. It’s time to eat and go to practice. You should start getting ready.”
“Okay. I’ll go shower.”
As Hee-yeon entered the bathroom, I heard Jin-ah’s voice from the room that Yoon-jung and Yumi used.
“Seriously, what are you all doing! I said we need to hurry and go practice.”
“But Hee-yeon went to go shower. Why don’t you go shower before waking us up? You smell.”
“I smell because I came back from practice. Yoon-jung, at least get up and do your stretches.”
“This little…”
“President Kang is here.”
“…What?”
As I was facing the door of their room, Yoon-jung opened the door and came out.
She had a tall and slender build with big, doe-like eyes.
Like Hee-yeon, she was a member with flawless beauty that put even models to shame.
Upon seeing me, Yoon-jung bowed politely.
She was our group’s main dancer.
“You’re here, President Kang?”
“Yeah. Did you have a good rest?”
“Well, I guess…”
She averted her gaze and mumbled.
“You were busy playing games, right?”
“Oh… Um… Yes…”
“That’s good. Do it whenever you have time. You don’t have to hide it.”
“…Sorry?”
“I’m saying you should aim to be a top-ranked player if you’re going to play anyway. It’ll be useful someday.”
Goodness. Who would have thought that she would go viral on YouTube after the company fell apart?
Games, cover songs, dance covers, and even dance choreography.
Like a unending well, she never ran out of content.
She was a stunning beauty with model proportions who danced incredibly well. On top of that, she was also good at singing and her gaming was top tier.
Thanks to that, she gained popularity overseas and was able to reach a whopping 10 million subscribers.
Of course, more than half of them were interested in her dancing content, but there were also many people who came for the gaming content and stayed for the dancing.
Since she was an idol, had a clean personal life, she also appeared on TV frequently. She was even a judge for dance auditions.
“Hey! I said wake up! Why is the youngest the laziest?”
“God, Jin-ah! I woke up earlier. How could I keep sleeping with you screaming like that?”
“You should go greet the President. Did you think I woke you up just because?”
“Fine, fine. You with your excuses.”
And so, our group’s maknae*, Yumi Cho, appeared.
(T/N: Maknae is used to refer to the youngest member of a group.)
Her charming face was as adorable as a hamster. She bowed in greeting.
“President Kang, did you have breakfast?”
“I was planning to eat with you all.”
While talking, my gaze fell on her fingertips.
Fingers wrapped in bandages.
“I was changing my guitar strings and I accidentally… I’m sorry,” she said and smiled awkwardly, having caught me looking.
“No, it’s okay. It’s a relief that you didn’t get hurt during the events. You’re not hurt too badly, are you?”
“No, I’m okay. It’ll heal soon.”
Yumi, our group’s sub-vocalist and weakest member – the main tanker.
She often dealt with Jin-ah’s attacks as her easiest target.
“Are you composing a song?”
“Well, I did make something, but it’s not that good.”
Her greatest talent?
Composing songs and writing lyrics.
Ballads and dance music were a given, but she also composed songs for rock, hip-hop, and EDM genres.
Hee-yeon may have been the biggest star among the members, but Yumi probably earned the most money.
It was amazing how everything she created became a success.
Her talent hadn’t fully blossomed like Jin-ah’s, but you never know.
If I help draw it out, her talents could bloom faster.
‘Unbelievable.’
It’s scary how sharp my intuition is.
To think that one group was filled with a fantastic lineup like this.
‘People weren’t wrong to call it a miraculous company.’
Though in the future, it would be called a miraculous company in a positive sense.
***
We had salad as a simple breakfast and headed to the practice room.
It was a ten minute walk from our tiny office to the dorm.
But to go to the practice room, we had to drive.
I thought we could easily make the money to change the company, the office, and practice room, but we couldn’t. That’s why we were currently putting up with this inconvenience.
After arriving at the practice room, I spoke to them as they stretched.
“Today, we’re evaluating everyone’s skills.”
“…!”
“…!”
Among the surprised members, Jin-ah was the only one smiling.
“I already did mine earlier. Just do it like usual. Why are you so nervous?”
No one paid attention to her words.
“Should we start with you, Hee-yeon?” I said to Hee-yeon.
She was our main vocalist, the singer who gained the love of the public, and also an actress with exceptional skills.
Her monstrous talent grew without an end after being belatedly recognized by others.
I was eager to check her skills.
How skilled was she around this time?
“Should I start with singing?”
“Yeah. Sing any song you like.”
After warming up, she connected her phone to the practice room’s speaker.
Then, the sound of the instrumentals flowed through the speakers.
“Ha!”
I smiled.
Jin-ah’s eyes opened wide and met mine.
Maybe this was to be expected.
A skill evaluation meant looking at various aspects of a skill.
She knew that and chose a song that would showcase her vocal skills and talent.
It was a song that skilled trainees would sing, but could never sing to satisfaction.
Beyonce’s ‘Halo.’
The drums, piano, strings, and clapping played and the song started.
“Remember those walls I built.”
With her eyes closed, her body lightly swayed to the rhythm.
Her voice started to make its way into my heart.
To think she had such stage presence from the start.
Because of Beyonce’s incredible skills, this song requires skill with every verse, beginning to end.
Power, technique, emotion, vocal range, fundamentals, individuality, and color were all part of it. And to do it without preparations..
That was the reason why I was watching with my mouth wide open.
‘She’s already… almost there.’
Her talent was already like a flower bud, ready to bloom magnificently.
The song was at its climax, but she already showcased her falsetto and vibrato, her articulation and dynamics control.
“I can’t feel your halo halo. I can’t see your halo halo.”
Even without a microphone, her strong voice resonated in the practice room.
And she had the ability to convey an emotional performance.
Then, I remembered.
Because there were more benefits for the group to rise together than gain individual recognition, I buried her skills.
‘You fool.’
I told myself that it would be fine to showcase her skills after the group made it.
…But now I knew.
All four members could gain individual recognition.
The timing was just slightly different. No one would be left in the shadows.
‘I need a change of plans.’
Rather than a Power Ranger team that only shines when they’re all together, I needed to aim for an Avengers team where each hero shines on their own.
Malicious solo fans? If all four had a big fanbase, the solo fans would just be looking forward to things instead.
Since they would know that no one would hold back anyone else, they would look forward to the synergy of the group when they come together.
After the song ended, I was grinning and nodded in approval.
“You did so well. But you know that you still have a lot to improve, right?”
“Me?” she asked, seemingly unaware of her boundless potential.
“Yes. Much more.”
“…I’ll try.”
“Shall we move onto dancing?”
“Okay.”
As she began to dance, I was able to remember again.
Our group was balanced quite well.
Hee-yeon lacked talent in dancing.
The opposite of her singing.
‘…Yeah. She’s kind, diligent, a good actress, pretty, and sings well so it’s not strange she can’t dance. I mean, she’s human.’
I finished everyone’s evaluation and made a major announcement.
“For the timing being, we’re going to pause group activities.”
They seemed shocked to hear that.
“And we’re starting solo activities.”
“…What?”
“Jin-ah, focus on practicing your dancing and singing going forward. You just need to do what you’ve been doing so far. Yumi, I want you to immerse yourself in composing songs and writing lyrics. Focus mainly on arranging music. Try arranging anything that comes to you. If you do that, there’s a feeling you said… no, you’ll feel it. Of course, you’ll need to keep up with your skills in singing and dancing so they don’t get rusty.”
The members began to realize that they misunderstood and started to focus on what I was saying.
“Yoon-jung, make sure your singing doesn’t rust and just focus on your dancing and gaming for now. And Hee-yeon—”
“W-What?” Yoon-jung was visibly flustered.
I shrugged as if nothing was weird.
“You’ll start with YouTube and streaming. Focus on doing cover dances and choreographed dances. Not just simple girl group dances, but dances that showcase your full skill set. Also, try to improve your gaming skills for streams. Once you get better, you can start streaming.”
I left a soulless Yoon-jung and looked at Hee-yeon.
“Hee-yeon, you’re… going to start doing activities. Solo songs. Can you do it?”
“…”
The practice room was silent for a moment before Hee-yeon spoke up.
“I’ll give it a try. I trust you.”
“Good. Everyone, don’t worry and trust me. I’ll take you all to the top.”
I could already see what type of rumors would spread in this industry.
People would think that the group didn’t do well and that we were going to focus on one member to sell the rest of the group.
‘Well… It’s not a bad idea to let them misunderstand.’
It would make them lower their guards.
‘First…I should find LOAN, the songwriter.’
A pearl still buried in the mud.
This time, I would be the one to unearth that pearl.
—-