No matter how popular they were, would a broadcasting station really make a prime-time show about how a single singer’s album was made?
Yes, it would. That was, as long as it was a fill-in show instead of a regular program. Oh, and as long as the ratings were guaranteed to be high.
“Really? I just have to make an album?” Yumi tilted her head with wide eyes.
“Yep. What did I tell you?”
“As much as I can. Whenever I can. Don’t overthink it. Just do what I want,” Yumi said automatically.
“That’s the motto of this show, too. You want to try a different genre but don’t know enough about it? Then ask. CEO Hae-yeol, LOAN, and anyone else. If you need a band? A rapper? Just say the word. The entire process will all be part of the show.”
She just had to think of it as doing what she usually did in her room, but on a bigger scale. A reality show about a celebrity living alone was interesting, so why not a genius musician in her prime making an album?
Our show was would be a comfort-focused reality TV series, the kind where the cast is filmed in their everyday routines while hosts watch and comment from the studio. The reason we went with this direction was simple.
“I’ll be filming with you.”
“Really? I won’t need to ask other people, then!” She clapped her hands together and smiled brightly.
That smile would comfort anyone who saw it.
…which was just my opinion. Producer Park seemed to want to focus more on showcasing the music and capture the feel of that with DSLR cameras.
The guy had weird taste. It would be about EDM and hip-hop, not even classical music.
“It doesn’t have to be a full album. Creativity isn’t something that just comes out whenever we want. You can just meet musicians you like, arrange songs, or compose a song and gift it if you want. You can learn things you’re not good at. Does this explain how our show will be more comfort-focused?”
This was the official reason this would be a comfort-focused show.
Yumi nodded enthusiastically.
“I think it would be good if this became a regular show.”
“Haha. That won’t happen.”
Or could it? Looking at it one way, it didn’t seem completely impossible. Whatever. I would think about that if it came up later.
Getting offered a regular slot didn’t necessarily mean we had to take it, right?
“When do we start filming?”
“They said the sooner the better. So, we decided to start with a meeting. That’ll be in the recorded footage too. They sometimes do it this way if they’re in a rush. Classic way of doing it, I guess.”
***
As soon as we entered the meeting room, we saw cameras.
They were obviously set up on the desk, and cameras were installed in corners of the meeting room like security cameras.
When we sat down, Producer Park and the assistant director smiled and welcomed us. I wondered how much that bonus actually was. My curiosity piqued.
“Before we start the filming the main part, I think we should do introductions first. And this will be the topic of our first filming session.”
“Introductions?”
Producer Park and I had already discussed this part, but I hadn’t told Yumi.
“Yes. Introductions. Some viewers might not have heard of you, and even those who have heard the name ‘Yumi’ might not know what you do or how amazing you are.”
“Oh! Um… so what should I do?”
It was apparent that she was still awkward with the cameras, as she continued to glance at them in slight embarrassment.
Right. It had probably been a while since Yumi was on camera. Not only that, this was her first time being filmed for something that would be broadcast on TV.
Producer Park wouldn’t miss the chance to capture a scene like this. Sure enough, the corners of his mouth were already twitching.
Right. I kind of expected this to some extent after watching the edits of Jin-ah and Hyun-hee. That guy probably ran fan YouTube channels before becoming a producer.
*Note: Fan YouTube channels are channels run by fans to promote their favorite artists.
That made him feel even more reliable.
“For the introduction part, there’s nothing specific we’re looking for. It’ll be a part that focuses on the music you’ve made so far. You can think of it as reminiscing in the past, just with the cameras.”
“Ohhh!” She turned to me, clearly lost.
I tried explaining it in simpler terms.
“In EDM and hip-hop, people talk about your music like… um… like, it has that guk-ppong vibe. You know, that kind of over-the-top Korean pride, like a nationalistic high. That’s the ppong part. You’re basically feeding that craving.”
“Oh! Hahaha! Really? You think there’s actually something in my music to feed that?”
She immediately understood and burst out laughing.
Is there stuff to feed, she asks? Producer Park pointed at the assistant director with his chin.
When our attention focused on the assistant director, he jumped up from his seat and started explaining with a fake cough.
“So recently, Yumi kind of… blew up. Like, massively. And that’s partly because of those predictable, totally ridiculous rumors. You know, the ones about her being ‘talentless’ or whatever. And then, the whole bullying thing came out at the same time, which just made everything blow up even more.”
The assistant director’s voice gained strength.
“But! Compared to how much of a hot topic she’s become, we concluded that the Korean people still don’t know much about Yumi! Yes… so, by understanding how we got here…”
“You can speak comfortably.”
“…while we feed into that ppong craving, we figured it would be smart to introduce her that way. Yumi? Yeah, everyone knows her. What about ‘I Don’t Love Anything’? Hip-hop and EDM? Oh, she’s good at both? Yeah, yeah, sure, we know. Wasn’t she a singer or something? Any songs we actually know? Pshh. What’s that even about? It’s just marketing fluff.”
The assistant director carried on with his performance, channeling an almost possessed mischievous energy .
Yumi slapped the table with her palm and burst out laughing.
“This is also for people like that. Thank you.”
We all clapped and praised the assistant director’s bold and playful acting.
Since it was being recorded, there might have been some overacting, but viewers would clearly understand the reason for our first filming session.
“So, what exactly should I do first?”
***
This was another kind of product placement — a beer company was hosting a hip-hop festival. We were here to film for that.
Whether it was the beer brand’s marketing team or our own crew, all we could say was, wow.
Forget about introductions or what. It was about the money in the end, wasn’t it? Whatever. I was also involved in the planning, so I couldn’t complain.
I figured it just came down to talent.
We headed toward the artists’ waiting room with our cameras.
“Are they filming? Who’s… wait, no way.”
“Huh? What? Didn’t Crescendo say he was shooting today… whoa?!”
It was a wild sight.
The same people who were known for being intimidating were now staring wide-eyed at a tiny, delicate girl.
Yumi walked past them, glancing curiously at the them, as if THEY were the weird ones. Producer Park chuckled and didn’t miss a single shot.
When we entered the main waiting room, Crescendo, CEO Trezis, and some pretty famous rappers greeted us.
They must’ve been cracking jokes or something because the energy was through the roof, seeing how they were laughing, shouting, and just making all kinds of noise.
Stuff like “Yo! Come on!” was standard hype talk, but things like “Brrrrrrrrr!” or “Majesty!” definitely sounded like inside jokes.
One of the guys even got smacked on the back by a woman rapper next to him.
“Hello. My name is Yumi from Blue Sherbet. Thank you for the warm welcome.”
I was glad she had agreed to join the show. Yeah, this is exactly what I expected. Even though she was smiling, she was clutching the edge of her shirt without realizing it.
“Wow. You’re seriously so adorable. And your music is da bomb.”
“This new song is the best one yet. I thought Crescendo was exaggerating, but it was actually true. It’s amazing.”
One by one, they greeted Yumi with friendly compliments and her grip on her shirt slowly began to relax. Still. She wasn’t a little kid.
“This is that thing, right? Making an album?”
At Crescendo’s question, the room suddenly quieted just a little. You could feel everyone start to tune in.
“Yes. It’s for an album. But they told me I could do whatever I want. I don’t have to make one if I don’t want to. I can just learn, or collaborate, or follow whatever music ideas I want.”
Yumi glanced at me, like she was checking if she said that right. The rappers followed her gaze and looked at me too.
I nodded, and they turned back to her.
Was this one of those moments? Where they wanted to ask for a song but weren’t close enough to bring it up yet?
In hip-hop, a top producer’s influence would only keep growing, so it made sense. They probably wanted to be on good terms with Yumi that much more.
That one song was still holding onto the number one spot on the charts. It was rare for a hip-hop song to hit number one, and hers wasn’t just a hit. It was a full-on phenomenon.
There was nothing bad about getting friendly a little earlier on. Well, that, and the fact that Yumi was cute.
“Are you performing that song today?” Producer Park asked.
Everyone knew what he meant.
Crescendo nodded, then looked over at Yumi.
“Wanna do it together?”
“Uh… how would that work?”
She was asking if it was okay for her to sing it. Jin-ah had done the original, and there were cameras everywhere. Was it okay for her to sing it?
“Oh, right. You haven’t talked to the event organizers yet.”
Crescendo chuckled like it had just occurred to him. Of course, the organizers were watching the shoot. Things suddenly got busy behind us.
Which meant we had to decide fast.
I caught Yumi’s eyes, smiled, and nodded.
“Do whatever you want.”
“Okay… but wasn’t someone else supposed to sing it? I don’t want to just jump in and be rude—”
“It’s totally fine! Please sing it!” Another voice cut her off.
It was the singer who had planned to do Jin-ah’s part. She was a top-tier artist too, so she wasn’t the type to cling to one performance. Most of them didn’t show up to these events for just one song, anyway.
With that, the problem was solved. Crescendo pointed at the camera and grinned.
“You said this was your intro, right? Idols are singers, too. Go for it. I heard the guide track. I’ve got to say, you’ve got a great voice. I saw a bunch of comments asking what you’re like as a singer. As a producer, you nailed it. But as a singer?”
Someone in the crowd called out with a grin:
“Show and Prove!”
(T/N: It’s originally in English, but this just means prove yourself through action.)
Crescendo added, “Your voice was too good to keep to myself.”
***
“President Kang, what do I do?! I really… maybe I shouldn’t have said yes. What was I thinking? I just got too excited.”
She was behind the stage, pacing and panicking.
I expected this.
She hadn’t been on stage in a long time, and now she had to go up with no rehearsal. On top of that, there was a lot at stake.
If she messed up, maybe she could say it was a last-minute thing. If people were disappointed, maybe she could say her voice wasn’t warmed up.
She closed her eyes and spun her head in circles.
It was an outdoor stage, so the sound wouldn’t bounce well. Another singer had already finished soundcheck, so technically it wasn’t a big deal. Still, she didn’t have much experience.
‘I’m an expert at calming down my artists.’
I held Yumi’s soft, squishy cheeks.
“You are allowed mess up out there. I’ll deal with what comes after.”
That was how Hee-yeon got through her scandal in the rock world without succumbing to her nervousness.
“Yumi, I want you to trust me too.”
“If I mess up, I’ll make you look bad.”
“What…?”
What a backward way of thinking. Yep. Definitely a creative one.
I was about to say something encouraging when Yumi suddenly frowned with fierce determination.
“There’s no way I’m going to mess this up.”
Her fighting spirit suddenly kicked in. I guess everyone got wobbly before a big performance. But hey, the nerves were gone so that was something. All that mattered now was that she crushed it onstage.
“We’re up! Right now!”
Freaking stagehands, rushing over like that and pushing her along. Did they even know how much that ramps up an artist’s nerves?
Contrary to my worries, Yumi walked proudly in step with Crescendo with full confidence.
“Let’s blow up that stage, Yumi.”
“You got it!” She clenched her fist and bit her lip.
Good. Looked like her nerves had been replaced by pure determination. Now I could finally relax and enjoy the show.
For Yoon-jung and Yumi both.
‘It’s not like they didn’t sing because they couldn’t.’
They were just amazing at so many other things.
—