Finally, the day had come. The plan to cultivate each member’s talents was underway, and Yoon-jung had been producing tangible results through streaming. However, we were management.
This was the first recording since my regression, so it was only natural for it to feel special. I wasn’t the only one feeling nervous.
This was LOAN’s first recording session, and Hee-yeon was tense from the weight of her solo debut on her shoulders.
‘This isn’t good.’
My mind knew logic, but I couldn’t say anything because I was also nervous. However, there was no need to worry.
As soon as the recording started with the resident audio engineer in the studio, LOAN and Hee-yeon’s demeanors immediately changed.
‘Right. These two were geniuses.’
It was only then that I could watch them work in peace. The song was called ‘Wish Upon A Moon.’
Hee-yeon’s voice flowed through the speakers. She sang with unwavering confidence, as though the concept of being mentally shaken didn’t apply to her.
– Wish Upon A Moon.
I wished upon a moon.
There’s no way a miracle would happen, but just in case.
It probably won’t happen, but just in case.
The song felt bright while also capturing the rough feeling we initially aimed for when we first met.
The fresh, cozy, yet refined music was layered with Hee-yeon’s mellow voice. She sang with a rhythm, making the song pop with her charming vocals. She brought the song to life 110%.
– Wish Upon A Moon.
I wished upon a moon.
Today was really hard, too.
I’ll be vulnerable with you.
Would that be okay?
The lyrics were somewhat sad, but the emotions were light enough for everyone to enjoy. The drums and bass walked in step with the repetitive violin line, and the whistling sound made with synths created a rhythmic melody line.
Following that, a symphony of water droplets and synthesized tones created an artificial richness. We tried to keep a reasonable distance, where sorrow and gloom could be observed from afar. It was a deliberate way of shaping emotions into something more distant, like a painting.
– Wish Upon A Moon.
Today, too, I made a wish.
Share some of that radiance with me.
So that our darkness can depart.
While planning the concept, we intended to reflect Blue Sherbet’s current situation to some extent while not looking too pitiful. Without being too emotional.
If you listened to the lyrics in passing, this song was just a very bright and trendy piece of music that was very enjoyable to listen to.
“It would be weird if something like this wasn’t successful.” The sound engineer also constantly said things like this.
LOAN’s sharp direction reflected perfectly in Hee-yeon’s singing. The recording studio was on fire thanks to these two geniuses. You could say that this collaboration was already insane.
Plus, the music video directors were Jong-woo Kim and Eun-chul Lee. I just had to serve the public the dish made by the best chefs with the finest ingredients. I just needed to avoid the ones trying to ruin it.
“If I can’t do this, I might as well die.”
To reiterate, I saw through all of HS Entertainment’s tricks. It was something you learned after getting tricked once or twice.
***
Though the song recording hadn’t been mixed and mastered yet, Jong-woo and Eun-chul recognized the value of this song.
“…This is crazy.”
“Wow, this is…!”
Truthfully, anyone could recognize its value. Before my regression, the public had already experienced the collaboration of these two geniuses so much to the point of insanity, but they still went crazy for them.
What would happen if no one had a taste of either of them yet? How refreshing would it be to see a collaboration between these two unexpected geniuses? I was almost jealous of them.
“President Kang, is it really… okay to leave this to us?” Eun-chul asked seriously.
While it might be true that Jong-woo had no notable reputation at the moment, Eun-chul was still a promising rookie talent.
He agreed to be the music video director because it was an interesting, new experience and because he wanted to help a close friend. Although his interest in Yoon-jung and Hee-yeon and such led to his decision to direct the music video, there was also a feeling that he agreed to participate in something ‘lower level.’
Things were different now that he had listened to the song. Now, he was worried if he could take on this song.
“Are you feeling pressured? Or maybe worried you might ruin the song?” I asked with a smile. Eun-chul nodded honestly.
“Yes. Honestly… I didn’t feel pressured before, but I’m starting to feel it now. No matter how hard we try, it’s true that we lack experience in making music videos.”
“Then back out.”
“…!”
It was Jong-woo. His eyes were burning with something more than ever.
“Because I absolutely have to do this,” Jong-woo added, looking at Eun-chul with those fiery eyes.
“…Who said I’m backing out, dude?”
“President Kang, I’m sorry to ask but can we spend a little bit more of the budget?” Jong-woo suddenly asked.
“Sorry?”
“Enough to buy the others some fried chicken is good.”
“…?”
I soon understood what he meant.
After the sun set early in the back alleys of Ilsan, the moon and the stars shone brightly. The buildings were lined with shabby stores on the second and third floors. The lights were off, creating a certain charm to the place.
In this place with almost no people, a dozen students were busily moving around.
“Hey, don’t turn on the lights yet!”
“Oh, yeah! Sorry!”
“Sunbae-nim!* Isn’t this route a bit meh? I don’t think it captures the feeling of the storyboard.”
(T/N: Sunbae-nim is a title that underclassmen use to refer to their upperclassmen.)
“Ah, come on! Not here, over there!”
Watching them work on-site, I realized that fried chicken wouldn’t be enough. Eun-chul and Jong-woo seemed to have divided their roles in advance. Eun-chul was responsible for everything on site, and Jong-woo continuously listened to the music and tweaked storyboard details.
‘I’ll have to treat them to a good meal when the shoot is over.’
Just as preparations were wrapping up, a van pulled up with perfect timing. Everyone’s attention turned to the van. It was because they knew who would be getting off.
The door slid open, and Yoon-jung Hwang stepped out with her long legs.
“Hello. Wow, this atmosphere is really nice.”
Eun-chul and Jong-woo’s eyes widened. I felt like I could read their minds.
‘She’s prettier in person’ was what they were thinking.
Everyone who saw Yoon-jung in person would say that. Following Yoon-jung, Yumi Cho got off looking a little sulky.
“Why are my gummies in your pocket? Hello!”
Behind Yumi, Jin-ah Choi got off and put her hand on Yumi’s shoulder.
“Hey, now. I got confused. I’ll buy you ice cream later. My treat,” she giggled.
“No, thanks. How can you get confused?”
“Are you sulking? Sorry. Ah, hello!”
Yumi pouted over her gummies, and Jin-ah grinned playfully. Some of Jong-woo’s juniors were watching them with silly grins.
Yeah, I see that you guys can tell just by looking. You get it.
These two were in sync and were heartwarming to watch. I was keeping an eye on their chemistry, too. Someday, they would blow up in popularity. I looked forward to when that would happen.
And lastly, today’s main star. When she got out of the car, people gasped audibly. Though the previous members also caused wide-eyed reactions, Hee-yeon had dressed up today.
Black sneakers, equally black jeans, and a white t-shirt with a purple bomber jacket. Her outfit wasn’t particularly flashy, but…
“Wow…”
“Holy… that’s insane.”
“Gasp!”
Despite the simplicity of her clothes, everything else about her was exceptionally glamorous.
Her form-fitting clothes accentuated her physique, and her cool, cat-like gaze added to her charismatic presence.
Since she had visited the salon early today, her face was glowing exceptionally brightly. The way her silk-like hair tucked behind her ear on one side increased her charm.
Hee-yeon could even make wearing sweats look luxurious.
“Hello, I look forward to working with everyone today,” Hee-yeon said and bowed in greeting. Everyone was too mesmerized to respond.
I was curious to see their reactions when Hee-yeon changed into a bright, yellow dress later.
While I was watching their reactions with satisfaction, Jin-ah approached me.
“President Kang, I guess that old saying is right when they say ‘When it rains, it pours’!” she said.
(T/N: Original Korean proverb describes an unexpected event coinciding with another significant event.)
“What are you on about again?”
“That!” Jin-ah pointed up.
There were some clouds, but surely it wouldn’t rain. The weather forecast didn’t mention rain today.
“Don’t jinx it! It won’t rain. And even if it does, we’ll finish shooting before then.”
“Hm, really? Looks like it’ll rain.”
“Hey!”
Like she said, though, the old saying was right. Jin-ah’s words came true, and not even an hour later, the sky poured down rain.
Whoosh–
We took cover under a canopy at a shop, blankly staring at the torrential downpour.
“…Our luck with the weather is the worst,” I said and let out a long sigh.
Our music video had a tight budget, no dance scenes, and not that many locations due to lyrical reasons.
I considered two places, this one and the studio reserved for tomorrow. While there weren’t many issues with the locations themselves, the real challenge was with other costs: photography equipment and props, hair and makeup, styling, and other expenses.
Delaying the shoot one day meant that much more money bleeding from my pocket.
‘I guess it can’t be helped.’
I had no choice but to absorb the cost. I went to tell the two directors that we should pack up.
“Directors, let’s call it a– ”
At that moment, Jin-ah spoke.
“President Kang! Since we have cameras, can I try filming that?”
“That?”
“Y-You know, that movie! The B-boy movie. I want to try dancing in the rain, too. Like, swoosh! And splashing the water like this.”
“Dance as much as you want in the dorm shower. You’ll catch a cold doing it here.”
“…Sheesh, you’re no fun.”
No fun, my butt. Just as the thought passed through my head, Eun-chul exclaimed something, much like how Archimedes would shout ‘Eureka.’
“Yes! That will work!”
“…”
I glanced at Jin-ah. She was looking at me like she won. For some reason, it made me feel like I lost to her and my mood soured.
“You’re not seriously considering this silly idea, are you? Our song doesn’t have a dance,” I asked, hoping that he wasn’t serious.
“That’s not it, President Kang,” Eun-chul responded and continued excitedly. Jong-woo and their juniors nodded in agreement. Soon, I was also nodding.
As expected of Director Eun-chul. It was worth trusting him.
It could be that… no, it was likely this rain could help us.
“President Kang, didn’t I turn out to be right?” Jin-ah said, jutting her chin proudly.
“No, nothing you said happened though?”
“Look at you, refusing to admit it to the end.”
“If there was something to admit, I would.”
How was dancing in the rain the same as singing under the spotlight with a clear umbrella?
Anyway, we scrapped the storyboard we had prepared and set up the camera under the canopy. Hee-yeon held a clear, plastic umbrella as the lights dimmed. The scene on screen was stunning.
Was it a sense of solitude? Dignity? No, she embodied both of those. She stood radiant in the alleyway of this old, empty marketplace.
In this dark and dreary place, she stood as the solitary beacon of light amidst the pouring rain.
However, Jong-woo seemed unsatisfied.
“Hm… It feels a little lacking.”
“What the heck are you talking about?”
“Hey. Don’t you think there’s something more we can capture?”
“We’ve already lost the props and the storyboard we prepared, but this is better than what we initially planned, you punk. We got lucky, at least acknowledge that.”
“Hm,” Jong-woo hummed, and I also looked more closely at the screen. It was then that I realized something.
‘It’s acting!’
She still had another talent. I stopped the filming immediately.
“Hee-yeon, come here for a second.”
“Okay.”
She made her way under the canopy and folded her umbrella. I held her shoulders.
“Try acting.”
“Try… acting?”
“Yes. The scenario is… that would be good. It would be this situation, just a little more exaggerated. Today, we used every penny we had to shoot this music video. And if the rain doesn’t stop, we won’t be able to shoot the music video and shut down the company. All the members will go their separate ways, and I’ll end up drinking myself to death on a rooftop apartment.”
(T/N: Rooftop apartments are not fancy in Korea unless it’s a high rise. Look up “Korean rooftop apartment.”)
Everyone was shocked at my absurd request.
“We have no hope, and all we can do is pray. So, you make a wish to the moon. You ask them if they could stop the rain so that we can shoot our music video.”
“…President Kang, that’s really cringey,” Jin-ah said.
“Shush! Am I a writer? Besides, this much would be…”
Wouldn’t this much be okay for Hee-yeon?
While everyone agreed with Jin-ah’s blunt comment, only Hee-yeon showed a different reaction. She tilted her head a few times, and her face scrunched up.
One moment she was smiling, the next her eyes were filled with sorrow, and then her face showed anger. This all happened in an instant.
“…!”
“…!”
Maybe my request was the correct choice. After all, she still hadn’t learned enough acting to easily slip into new characters and situations. Yes, I’m saying I thought this through.
“Hee-yeon?” asked Jin-ah.
“What is it?”
Everyone looked at Hee-yeon, surprised. Something indescribable was emanating from her. It was the unique talent of an actor who could draw in her audience just from her expressions.
She was trying to express my vague request solely from raw talent. Hee-yeon seemed to have gotten a feel for something since she opened her umbrella and returned to her position without a word.
The crew started filming again in silence.
“She’s amazing…” said Jin-ah.
“Wow…”
We managed to capture an epic scene.
“…You’re saying this is what I asked for?”
Maybe I also had talent as a writer or director.
—