The camera director asked with a worried look, “Producer Park, will this be okay?”
“What will be okay?”
There were cameras filming the audience, cameras filming the stage from various angles, cameras filming the rappers and singers below the stage, and cameras filming Hyuk Kang. Many cameras were focused on Yumi’s sudden performance.
To add to that, there were countless cameras filming from the audience. It was an unplanned performance. If the performance didn’t live up to everyone’s expectations…
“I’m talking about this program. With everything on social media already, wouldn’t this put it in hot water before it even airs?”
“…How would I know?”
“What?”
“We just have to trust Crescendo, President Kang, and Yumi.”
At that moment, Producer Park was more nervous than anyone. If everything went well, they could ride the hype to greater heights. If it didn’t, it would block some momentum.
Of course, it wouldn’t hurt too much even if Yumi didn’t sing well since her image as a producer was strong. Still, wouldn’t it be better if nothing bad happened at all?
“But… looking at President Kang, it feels like we’re worrying for nothing.”
“…Agreed.”
Producer Park and the camera director sighed as they looked at Hyuk Kang. They were so worried, but he was freely joking around with the rappers nearby.
“Hello, everyone!”
Finally, Crescendo went on stage, and the air of the already hot outdoor stage seemingly burned hotter.
“Woooh!”
“Crescendo!”
He was currently the number one artist on all music charts. It was natural for hip-hop fans to welcome him so proudly.
The audience cheered, not knowing that things could get any hotter. When the beat dropped, they jumped up and down, and went wild.
Yumi – Monday Party.
The audience swayed like strong waves. It was partly because other artists had already warmed them up, but the shouts and cheers were clearly different from before.
“When Yumi goes on, do a close up the audience’s faces.”
Yumi was still backstage, waiting for her part.
Producer Park’s lower lip felt dry.
‘I hope it goes well…’
The rappers didn’t say anything, but they all held their breaths as they watched. The audience was busy grooving to the beat and enjoying Crescendo’s rap. They were oblivious, not knowing that Yumi would come out soon.
Finally, as the hook approached, a mischievous smile spread across Crescendo’s face.
He shouted loudly into the microphone, “Make some noise for! Yumi!”
Some of the audience’s confused faces were shown in close-up, and everyone’s eyes followed Crescendo’s hand to the side of the stage.
Yumi stepped out slowly, a microphone in hand. With each step she took from the darkness of the backstage, the scenery changed dramatically.
The audience that she had only been able to peek at before, now filled her entire view. Their loud cheers and passion surged as if they would swallow the stage.
The camera captured this scene perfectly as it closely trailed behind Yumi. It captured her slightly parted lips, her trembling fingertips, and even her emotionally tearful eyes.
Yumi brought the microphone to her mouth. It was time for the hook. Everyone’s eyes were on her lips, and as soon as Yumi opened her mouth to sing… she stopped.
“…Huh?” Yumi said, flustered.
Yumi’s eyes, shown in the camera, trembled in obvious shock.
It was clear why. The audience sang along at the top of their lungs, their voices echoing in her ears.
Not all of them were Yumi’s fans, but they all knew her song. They were all soaked in the excitement of the festival. That, and they all liked Yumi’s song and were singing along.
For them, it didn’t matter if Yumi sang well or not. They were just enjoying the moment and felt even happier just because Yumi herself had appeared.
Yumi stopped for a moment to take in the huge spectacle before resuming her singing, her eyes curved gently.
***
The next day, a new category appeared on SBC’s YouTube channel.
<Yumi’s F.M.P>.
In addition, a 2-minute teaser video was uploaded. The video started with Crescendo and Yumi walking towards the stage, and it cut off where Yumi chuckled softly at the group sing-along and continued singing.
It was a short but powerful video.
– No way, the cliffhanger is real
– This makes me feel so emotional… amazing camera work. I got goosebumps after seeing things from the singer’s perspective
– Yumi’s popularity’s gonna explode lol. Looks like an actual good variety show
– Blue Sherbet is goated for becoming a top girl group just from their solo activities. Oh, wait! Each member is already top-tier, right?
– But doesn’t it seem like she kinda sings well? I thought she might not be good at singing since she’s good at composing and arranging.
– We can’t tell just from that part yet. But she definitely isn’t bad, for sure.
– Didn’t you watch the fan cam? Did you just come out of a cave? She sings well too.
Things progressed lightning fast from then on.
Variety shows were similar to dramas. On one hand, there were pre-produced dramas that did everything they could do even if they shouldn’t. Then, you had the dramas productions that moved so fast that it was basically the same as doing it live.
We were closer to the latter because we had to fill in for a show that ended suddenly. The hype around this show had already taken over the internet, partly thanks to the shocking reveal of Yumi’s identity still being a hot topic.
To exaggerate a bit, the show was created as soon as Yumi’s identity was revealed. The planning happened in an instant, filming started right away, and the teaser was uploaded in just one day. It was more than enough to capture the public’s interest.
“They’re curious about who you are.”
At the dorm, I was monitoring the teaser video’s reactions with Yumi using a laptop that sat on the living room table.
“Will I get a lot of fans?”
“You already have a lot of fans. And when this show airs, I bet Korea will be overflowing with your fans too.”
She smiled brightly at my answer and looked at the comments again. All the reactions were positive, so it felt like her happiness piled with every glance she took at the comments.
“What topic should we do for the next filming?”
“The production team is waiting on that, too. It’s only been one day since we filmed, but they’re already so restless. Goodness gracious.”
“Are they going to plan around our suggestions?”
“Not necessarily. We need to adjust things as we go. If you don’t have any ideas by tomorrow, we can follow the production team’s suggestions.”
Yumi rested her chin on her hand and frowned. The pose itself was a good one, but would a good idea pop out just by posing like that?
“Maybe I should just make a new song?”
I guess an idea wouldn’t pop out that easily. I chuckled at her innocent words.
“Making a new song is good, but don’t go writing just anything because of the show. Even if the show’s title is about making a full album, there’s no need to force it. We talked about this in the meeting because we wanted to be clear about it from the start.”
It was better to finish the show without writing a single song than to force songs to fill a full album.
“Oh, okay.”
“If you don’t have any specific ideas, we’ll leave it to the production team.”
“Okay.”
“But keep brainstorming. Not for the show, but for what you want to do.”
“Got it!”
I told the production team anything was fine as long as it didn’t involve making a new song for the album. Our deadline to make a decision was tomorrow, but it was usually better to tell them quickly for things like this.
It wasn’t like I had any specific plans either.
“President Kang.”
A calm voice came from the opened door. I turned my head and saw Hee-yeon, with basic makeup and comfortable clothes. She had a slightly worn-out script in her hand.
I checked the time on my phone. Yoon-jung’s dance lesson should be ending soon. It was funny. Yoon-jung taught Sung-ah, and Sung-ah taught Hee-yeon.
I stood up from my seat.
“Let’s go.” To grow a new talent.
***
“Oppa!” Sung-ah smiled happily and waved her hand. Her hair was still wet, as if she had just washed off sweat, and her soft skin was flushed red.
“You came just in time.”
Her clothes were similar to Hee-yeon’s, simple jeans and a plain t-shirt. It was a very ordinary combination, but it felt like the value of the clothes changed depending on who wore it.
Sung-ah radiated a charm that made her look ready to jump into a photo shoot at any time.
“Where is she?” She was asking about Hee-yeon.
“I told her to wait in the car. I thought it would be complicated if I brought both you and Yoon-jung.”
Actresses known for being picky would nitpick about every little thing like this to start a war of nerves by saying things like, ‘Shouldn’t she be coming out to greet me?’ or ‘How rude.’ Sung-ah, though, did not.
Instead of saying she was picky, I would describe her as something else. Maybe fierce?
There might be a difference in preference as to which is better, but having experienced both, I could confidently say that picky was better. Fierce… is truly fierce. Really.
“Yoon-jung. Come out quick,” said Sung-ah.
“Yes, Unnie! Just a moment!”
Yoon-jung, who was greeting the people from ALTO, walked over with a tired expression.
“Good job today. Wouldn’t you say I’ve improved a lot?”
“…You’re not wrong. You must have practiced a lot. How much do you practice, anyway?”
We walked in step. Chattering sounds tickled my ears from behind.
“This movie will do really well. If I do well, that is. That’s why I’m working even harder.”
“It’s amazing how fast you’re improving even with no talent. You’re not overworking yourself, are you?”
“It is hard. But it’s also fun? I didn’t know dancing was this fun.”
The videos Yoon-jung and Sung-ah filmed together made the news and received a great deal of attention. At this point, Yoon-jung seemed to realize that Sung-ah was surprisingly easygoing, and she didn’t hesitate to say she had no talent.
Maybe their popularity grew so much due to this. You could see their relationship developing, right? It was also nice to see two stunning beauties becoming close quickly. It even warmed my heart, and I smile proudly.
Yoon-jung wasn’t the type to cross the line just because they became close, and she definitely wasn’t the sly type that Sung-ah hated, nor was she cunning. As a result, they seemed to get closer quickly without much trouble.
Personally, I hoped Sung-ah and I maintained this exact level of relationship. No more, no less. With Yoon-jung, and with Hee-yeon too.
“Oppa, you know there isn’t much time left until the free period ends, right? The audition was pushed back as much as possible. Most of the other roles have already been decided. Even if I teach her, if she doesn’t pass, that’s it.”
“I know. If it doesn’t work out this time, we can just have her learn acting slowly. Even learning from you for a short time will help a lot.”
After leaving ALTO, we walked to the car. My heart pounded even though I knew she wouldn’t dislike Hee-yeon. I had seen her casually curse at strangers too many times.
Surely, she wouldn’t do that to Hee-yeon, right?
“It doesn’t really feel like you’re disappointed. Is it because everyone is succeeding in music that you don’t care if she fails the audition?”
“No. It would be good if she passed. I told you it would be a hit movie. The character is also charming.”
I opened the back door of the car. Hee-yeon, who was looking at the script, turned her gaze towards us.
“Hello, Sunbae. My name is Hee-yeon Lee from Blue Sherbet.” Her calm expression was matched by an equally calm voice.
Her head bowed slightly in a greeting as she quietly looked into Sung-ah’s eyes.
“Hmm.”
Sung-ah met Hee-yeon’s gaze with a light smile. Then, her smile widened.
“Nice to meet you.”
I silently breathed a sigh of relief. Sung-ah, who disliked artificiality, wouldn’t dislike a dry type like Hee-yeon. I knew this. I definitely knew this. Still, I felt needlessly nervous.
Feeling relieved, I got into the driver’s seat when a voice came from the back.
“But looking at the script, it doesn’t seem like she knows anything even though it’s worn out. She just kept reading it, right? Like a novel.”
I chuckled and asked, “Didn’t you do that?”
“I’m a genius. Oh, right. Did you say she also has talent for acting?”
Talent?
“See for yourself. Her talent.”
After dropping Yoon-jung off at the dorm, we immediately headed to the practice room. There, Hee-yeon and I saw Sung-ah’s strangely distorted face.
“…Did she really not learn acting?”
She did, if you counted her experience playing the best singer, Hae-chun Lee.
—