Damn Idol - Chapter 12

Choi Dae-Ho was stubborn, had an old man’s temperament, and had the stubbornness unique to middle-aged, successful men.  

 

So there were times when he would mess up a project cleanly or do something that looked really weird to others.

 

But he was the CEO who created one of Korea’s top 3 agencies.  

 

He was a person with a sense of planning and business.

 

To CEO Choi, the success of <Coming Up Next> hinged on Team B’s hustle.

 

If both teams got equal airtime, viewers would think Team B was the sacrificial lamb.

 

So, they had to flip the script.

 

Putting Team B in the spotlight from the get-go.

 

To the point where viewers think ‘What? Why are they hogging the screen?”

 

That was why Team B got rolling first.

 

For the same reason, in this ‘pre-mission’, stage skills took a back seat.

 

Singing?  

 

It would be nice if they sang well.

 

But what was really important was what they threw down in their intro.

 

They had to make an impression on viewers about what kind of character they were.

 

What if someone was frozen with tension and couldn’t sing a single phrase?  

 

It would seem like they flubbed it.

 

But what if, despite not nailing the singing, they really brought it with the dance moves? 

 

If that impressed, wouldn’t that count for something?

 

Viewers will know that the participant is in a dance position and the type that buckles under pressure.

 

Then, a success.  

 

And if by any chance, they sing the song well in the actual competition?

 

An epic success.

 

Of course, such dramatic situations cannot be intentionally created, but CEO Choi hoped the participants would make even a little clever intentional choices.  

 

Whether that intention caught on or not, he wanted to see if they had the intention themselves.

 

But….  

 

“It’s a bit disappointing.”

 

As Songwriter Lee Chang-Jun said, it was disappointing.  

 

Everyone seemed to be in a rush to sing well, showing nothing more than that.

 

“Exactly. There’s no sign of them worrying about what kind of charm to show.”

 

“Ah, expecting those kids to consider that at this stage would be like asking for a second go at life.”

 

BLUE’s words were not wrong, but the disappointment was inevitable.  

 

At that time, the fourth participant went up on stage.  

 

Han Si-On.  

 

“Mr. Choi. Is this the kid? With the arrangement?”  

 

“That’s him.”

 

Choi Dae-Ho had shown Han Si-On’s audition video to songwriter Lee Chang-Jun.

 

It was to tease Lee Chang-Jun, who was worrying about the program’s standards.

 

Well, in the end, he recruited them with money but still.

 

“Is it really his own work?”

 

“I haven’t checked, but if not, we’ll catch it quick.”

 

Trainer Yoo Seon-Hwa, who had not said much except critiques decided to speak up.

 

“What arrangement are you talking about?”

 

“Ah, when that kid auditioned, he sang a song he arranged himself.”

 

“Can you call it an arrangement? Is it more like a remix?”  

 

CEO Choi gave songwriter Lee Chang-Jun’s words a thumb up, nodding his head.  

 

“No. He completely flipped the script on the song’s vibe.”

 

“For real? Got me curious now.”

 

After chatting, the judges turned their attention to Han Si-On’s application.

 

Since they had agreed not to talk about his family situation yet, the questions were not difficult.  

 

“Han Si-On, why’d you join our program?”

 

“I dreamed of becoming an idol but didn’t know how. Then I happened to see the announcement for <Coming Up Next>.”  

 

“Why do you want to become an idol?”

 

“I did write down my reasons and couldn’t quite put my finger on it…. I’m not sure.”  

 

“You’re not sure?”

 

“Yes. I have a desperate feeling but I don’t know why or when I started having it.”  

 

BLUE chuckled at Han Si-On’s answer.  

 

“True that. Sometimes you don’t know clearly why a dream appealed to your heart.”

 

It was not a bad reply.  

 

So far, other participants were all praising about the singing and stage life.

 

After that, the judges threw simple questions and Han Si-On’s answers were appealing.

 

Finally, Yoo Seon-Hwa spoke up.  

 

“What were your thoughts on the song selection? Honestly, it doesn’t seem a very appealing selection to me.”  

 

Worried it would sound disparaging about the song itself, BLUE quickly added:  

 

“What she means is that even though <Under the Streetlight> is a masterpiece, it’s not advantageous to show charm in one verse under the show rules, especially the first verse, right?”

 

Realizing her mistake late, Yoo Seon-Hwa sent a grateful look to BLUE and nodded her head.  

 

“Yes. The charm of this song is not contained in the first verse.”

 

“I chose it thinking it might be okay if I sang it a little differently.”

 

“Differently? How?”

 

Han Si-On grinned.  

 

“Wouldn’t it be better to see for yourself?”  

 

When he talked, there was a feeling of sucking people in.  

 

If the Q&A with the other participants felt like an interview, the one with Han Si-On felt like a conversation.  

 

And a conversation quite on an equal footing.  

 

‘Ah, tempting.’  

 

CEO Choi thought, a smirk creeping in.

 

‘He seemed well suited for the leader role in the team, with the instinctive charisma and personality.’ Thought Dae-Ho

 

“Alright. Let’s listen to it.”

 

“I’m quite pumped for this.”  

 

Following the judges’ words, the intro music started flowing.

 

*   *   *

 

Four judges,  

 

Nine participants.  

 

Around fifteen filming staff.  

 

Broadcast writers. Roughly the same number.

 

Less than forty audiences.

 

Han Si-On held the mic in front of them.  

 

Infinite regression was painful.  

 

Boring and difficult.  

 

Sometimes he even wanted to just go crazy and break free of the shackles of recursion.  

 

But even so, he had not given up yet…  

 

Because he held on for the fans.

 

The only realism in the Truman Show where every other thing goes fake with just one recursion.  

 

The cheers from audiences for his music.  

 

‘Childish, maybe?’

 

But Han Si-On sincerely believed so.  

 

He especially enjoyed it when audiences had their arms crossed, flipping skeptics’ vibes.

 

When he could completely change those eyes, he could feel this was reality.  

 

That was why he began to sing.

 

 

회색빛 골목 끝 어딘가-

 

주황색, 가로등 아래서

 

(Somewhere at the end of a grey alleyway-

 

Under the orange streetlight)

 

A different beginning from the original song.  

 

‘Sure, he upped an octave.’  

 

Some of the participants nodded.

 

Originally, the intro of this song is sung quite flatly in a very low range.  

 

Raising the octave of such a section was not anything special, but it looked like a wise choice.  

 

But the judges thought differently.  

 

“Hmm….”  

 

“Mmm…”

 

It was the worst choice.

 

Because the original song’s range is so low, cranking it up an octave did not make it feel unstable.  

 

Han Si-On sang well.  

 

But even so, the reason this choice was the worst was that the strength of the song disappeared completely.  

 

<Under the Streetlight> is not a good song choice, but focusing on the emotion line while tapping the low tones can make it a unique selection.  

 

It can also appeal to those who like this feeling.  

 

You do not even have to go as far as Bob Dylan. There are singers who sing like this and gain popularity.  

 

But cranking it up an octave?

 

It becomes neither here nor there.  

 

There are far more charming vocal lines overflowing at this range.  

 

So there is no reason left to sing <Under the Streetlight>.

 

색이 덜 번진 채 깔린

 

그림자는 왜, 주황색

 

 

(Shadows laid with less spread color

 

Why are they, orange)

 

 

 

‘The timbre matches well.’

 

‘He’s clean, but why this song?’

 

‘Stable.’  

 

But still, the judges’ thought that the song was a bad choice did not change.  

 

It would only be acceptable up to this point.

 

The first verse of this song is quite tedious because the vocal line repeats every two measures, with almost no variation except for one or two notes.

 

No matter how well the timbre matches, hearing the same progression four times can only become tiresome…

 

아마도 그건, 내 방향이

 

골목 끝, 네 집에 닿아-

 

(Perhaps, it’s because my direction

 

Reaches the end of the alley, your house-)

 

“What’s this?”

 

BLUE, the judge with the least musical expertise, blinked.

 

Among men who boast of hitting high notes, who hasn’t tried singing this song?

 

Yet, before reaching its high-note-praising chorus, it’s a song that can bore even the singers who perform it.

 

But….

 

Why is it good?

 

Something was different.

 

There was definitely something different from the <Under the Streetlight> he knew and had performed.

 

It simply could not be like this just by singing an octave higher.

 

서 있어- 우두-커니

 

가로등 아래서, 주황색

 

(Standing there- starkly

 

Under the streetlight, orange)

 

“Huh?” 

 

“What?”

 

The participants stirred.  

 

After BLUE’s cue, they caught that Han Si-On was singing in a different way.

 

But they could not figure out what was different.  

 

If he had raised the range significantly or twisted the melody, they would have noticed immediately.  

 

But that was not it.  

 

It was similar to the original song.  

 

There was an impression that the vocal line or pitch bends somehow differently, but it was not very different.  

 

There is only one clear difference.  

 

It was not boring at all.  

 

It was nice to listen to.

 

 

주황색- 주황색-

 

해가 지는 반대 방향-

 

(Orange – Orange –  

 

The opposite direction of the sunset)

 

“Ha ha.”

 

At that moment, songwriter Lee Chang-Jun let out a small laugh.  

 

Not a laugh made consciously aware of the camera, but a laugh he genuinely let slip.

 

‘Man, he was a real prodigy, huh?’

 

To be honest, after listening to Han Si-On’s so-called arrangement of <Tony Bright>, Lee Chang-Jun had doubted that someone else had done it for him.  

 

The moment he chose <Under the Streetlight> as his audition song, the doubt turned into certainty.

 

Still, he could give a round of applause.

 

Even if someone else had arranged it, it was Si-On who delivered it in the end.

 

But listening to this song, he got it.  

 

He now believed that Si-On arranged it himself.  

 

He would not have even tried such a special way to revive the song if he did not have that level of skill.

 

‘It’s not something you can do even if taught.’  

 

Meanwhile, Han Si-On’s song was starting to reach the end of the first verse.  

 

A catchy chorus was already hovering in everyone’s head.  

 

‘Since he raised the octave, will the chorus go up too?’

 

‘But won’t that be too high?’

 

The chorus of <Under the Streetlight> is lit.

 

If you endure the boring time of the first verse, an auditory delight bursts open and pierces your heart.  

 

That is why this song once topped the charts as the most-sung song by men in karaoke bars.

 

At the same time, it was also ranked #1 among the songs women hated the most to hear at karaoke, but still.

 

 

아주 잠깐만 걸으면,

 

너와 내가, 머물던

 

그곳, 그곳, 거기에–

 

 (Just walk a little more and,   

 

You and I, stayed

 

There, there, right there–)

 

 

Han Si-On did not hold back his intentions anymore.

 

Now, a song with a clear difference from the original flowed out.

 

He introduced a non-existent PRE-HOOK in the original to the 11th and 12th bars.

 

Surprisingly, he pulled it off without even touching the MR.

 

As the chorus beckoned, the range slowly ascended.

 

As if riding a roller coaster, clack clack up to the highest point.  

 

Just passing one more verse and the high notes will shower down, igniting a fiery melody.

 

 

너와, 내가-

 

가로등- 아래서-!

 

(You and I –  

 

Under the streetlight -!)

 

 

 Right now!

 

 -Thud.

 

 

“….”  

 

“….”  

 

“….?”  

 

People were perplexed.  

 

“Is this a broadcast mishap?”

 

The participants who were internally singing along thought so.  

 

At the same time, they felt deep regrets.  

 

No, to put it more frankly, they were pissed off.

 

It’s about to drop!

 

That damn awesome chorus is coming out!

 

Broadcasting guy, what the hell are you doing?

 

Among the participants, only one person wasn’t fazed.  

 

Han Si-On smiled nonchalantly and greeted.  

 

“Thank you.”  

 

Only then did the participants come to realize the reality of the situation currently…

 

“Huh?”  

 

“Ah….!”

 

That they were currently filming the preliminary mission of <Coming Up Next>.  

 

And the rule for the preliminary mission was to sing only one verse.