Chapter 29. A Stage that Widens Stages (1)

Translator: Synopsis

“By impactful combination, do you mean arrangement?”

“That is so.”

“It will take a lot of money, though…”

President Yoon MoonSoo expressed his difficulty as he was worried. For a small entertainment company, the budget was always a pressure. However, KangYoon was firm in his decision.

“It’s a necessary investment. And there won’t be a lot of parts arranged. At most, it will be 1 minute. And it’s an arrangement to fit that 1 minute. There isn’t much arrangement, so we need to negotiate well with the composer. Although well-known composers have good ability, we’ll have to go for a not well-known one.”

“An unconfirmed one… Do you have anyone you know?”

President Yoon MoonSoo was worried. However, the risk of no money was considerable. In the end, it had forcefully made him select that choice.

However, unlike President Yoon MoonSoo who was worrying, KangYoon had assurance.

‘That composer should have started being active about now, right?’

There was one person he could think of. In KangYoon’s past, he was a composer who worked with the pen name YHB. Now was a period where this person was criticized a lot for his horrible compositions. However, he was also a person who would rise high in just one year.

“Don’t worry about the money for the song. I will make it that we use as little of the budget as possible. I know that it’s an invasion of rights for a planner to intrude on this, but as you want something more than just a performance, please understand me.”

“I understand.”

President Yoon MoonSoo obeyed KangYoon’s words. It was an event he found with a lot of difficulties. A TV program stage was distant, and it wasn’t easy to find a countryside event either. Despite that, it was fortunate that this event was quite a large-scale one. He was desperate for this opportunity.

“When are we in the order of sequence?”

When Song HaNeul asked, KangYoon flipped the setlist and answered.

“We’re 4th from the back.”

“A lot of people will only gather if it’s the first or last… how long is the time?”

“It says 4 minutes.”

“So short…”

Song HaNeul muttered as if she was disappointed. She debuted as a singer, but as she didn’t have many opportunities on stage, she had a lot of desire to go on stages. KangYoon replied immediately as if he had heard those words.

“We can’t do anything about the time. However, we should try to change the order of sequence. It’s a department store event. In such places, people come to see famous singers and not unpopular singers. They won’t give you much time.”

“We know that too…”

Kang HyeSeon expressed her rage a little as if her pride was attacked. She had thought that they were ignored when he said ‘unpopular.’ However, KangYoon had only told the truth, he had no malicious intentions.

“Then we’re just sidekicks for those famous singers?”

Song HaNeul asked directly. She didn’t want to show it, but the word ‘unpopular’ had struck where it hurts. Not only her, everyone else became depressed as their pride as singers were cut. However, KangYoon coldly spoke the truth.

“If we go without any preparation, then we’ll just be sidekicks. However..”

“However?”

“If we prepare meticulously, we may as well be the main character.”

At KangYoon’s turnaround, everyone focused their attention on him. The members of SeasonS were girls who had different expressions every hour. KangYoon found it curious that they could express such a variety of emotions.

“We need to do something transcendent that’s out of people’s expectations. This will be our objective.”

“A transcendent stage that’s out of people’s expectations?”

The members of SeasonS were all sinking into KangYoon’s words with HanNa as the head. They were all bewitched at his words as if those words were like magic.

***

“Uwaaah…”

HeeYoon, who arrived at the new house after finishing school, exclaimed when she saw the beautiful yard and the tree inside it. A dog house placed in one corner, and a shed to boot… As she had only seen houses which looked like they were about to collapse, such a house was a new world to her.

“Oppa doesn’t seem to be here yet.”

HeeYoon, who entered after pressing the password to the house, couldn’t adapt to the vast living room she had seen for the first time. The living room floor was wide and clean, and there was even a TV hung on the wall, the latest trend. To HeeYoon, who couldn’t talk to her friends a lot as there was no TV in the old house, everything was a new world to her including the large TV.

“……This is my room?”

When she opened the door to the room that she estimated to be hers, a bed she had never seen before was placed inside it. Also, there was even a desk and a computer. The furniture was all new as well. She rubbed her eyes thinking that this was a dream, but her books on the desk and her belongings in one corner of the room proved that it was indeed her room.

HeeYoon, who was dumbfoundedly exclaiming about her room became curious about her brother’s room. She immediately went to her brother’s room.

“…What’s this?”

However, HeeYoon was very much disappointed after she opened the door to KangYoon’s room she expected so much. There were only a bed and a closet. It paled too much in comparison to her room. He had always invested in HeeYoon and not in himself – HeeYoon felt stifled when she thought about it.

When she looked around the kitchen, bathroom, and the balcony, they were all new worlds to her. The new house was wide, comfortable, and warm. There were no leaks for cold air to come in. The window she had to cover with a plastic bag due to the cold, and the hot water which only existed by boiling the water with gas, all didn’t exist in this place. Even with those, HeeYoon was happy.

Excluding one thing.

‘What’s up with oppa’s room…’

When HeeYoon opened the door to KangYoon’s closet, there were only a few clothes hung here and there. It was due to not being able to look after himself as he invested a lot in HeeYoon. As this was the result, HeeYoon felt her heartache.

When she looked around the house and made dinner with the side dishes inside the refrigerator, KangYoon’s home time came soon.

And when she was about to finish preparing dinner, KangYoon arrived at home.

“Oppa.”

“I’m back.”

KangYoon also seemed awkward at the new house as he looked all over the place. It was despite the fact that he had already cleaned the house with the movers in the morning. It seemed like a little bit of time was needed to adapt.

“I already finished preparing dinner?”

“What’s for dinner today?”

“Jajangmeyon. You said that one eats these after moving.”

“Good. I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

While KangYoon was washing up, HeeYoon placed the dishes on the table. Unlike before, they didn’t have to take out heavy mini-tables and only had to deliver the dishes to the table. Everything had become more comfortable.

“Do you like the house?”

“No.”

Dinner time.

At KangYoon’s question, HeeYoon unhesitantly dropped a bomb.

“What? Why? Where?”

“Your room. It’s too small. And there aren’t many things in it. A man shouldn’t be like that. You’ll look bland.”

“I only sleep here, anyway.”

“Then what’s up with my room? No, do something about your room, oppa. What is up with that?”

HeeYoon blurted out everything inside her. The tattered room kept getting in her mind whenever she saw KangYoon.

“Little girl. Are you all grown up now? You’re even worrying about me.”

“I’ll be an adult soon. So do something about your… No, oppa. Shall I decorate your room?”

“How?”

“I’ll buy a duvet and change the blanket cover. Your room’s so dull.”

As HeeYoon was so stubborn, KangYoon had no choice but to hand his card over to her. With the words that she shouldn’t buy anything much as it will be heavy and affect her health. HeeYoon said ok and put the card in her pocket.

“Next time, I will do it with my own money.”

“Wow, you just promised, right?”

“I’ll become someone with as much ability as you and feed you.”

“You’re admirable.”

KangYoon was thankful even if it was just words. In fact, to KangYoon, HeeYoon was a thankful existence just by living. However, she even knew how to say such things… KangYoon could only be grateful.

The two’s happy dinner time flowed like that.

***

-It’s very easy – the word ‘parting’ – only takes a few seconds –

2nd floor of MG Entertainment, in a dance practice room, the title song for SeasonS was flowing out. KangYoon had called the SeasonS members and was looking at their dance routine.

‘Ha…’

KangYoon ended up seeing all sorts of lights from the SeasonS members when they shook their waist lightly – a part of the dance. It wasn’t that they were offbeat. However, KangYoon knew that these kinds of elements attracted attention.

“Thanks for your work.”

He had already dropped the formalities with the members of SeasonS. They also called KangYoon ‘oppa’ and started becoming friendly with him.

However, regarding work, KangYoon was cold.

“This is no good.”

“You’re too direct…”

Kang HyeSeon complained. She was the member with the most fluctuation in her emotion. It was an influence from being youngest in both her house and the team. She had an entirely different personality compared to her mature outer appearance.

“What should we do? Even if the song goes through an arrangement, it’s still this song.”

Jang HanNa asked worriedly. She looked for a solution, as expected of the oldest. She had a small stature and a cute outer appearance, but she was very responsible.

KangYoon was also worried in his own way. This group seemed like they debuted too early no matter how he looked at them. Even their dance abilities were at a level that was just above the trainees. Their looks were alright, though.

‘Did I know a girl group called SeasonS?’

Even KangYoon didn’t know all the singers. Countless singers hit it big and disappeared. In his memory, there wasn’t a group called SeasonS. That meant that they disappeared without making themselves known. Moreover, he had never heard of any of the members here.

In the end, this meant that he had to do everything with his own ability.

‘I think I should change the strategy first.’

A waist-focused dance. These were something that the male populace would like – this was definite. Moreover, the members of SeasonS all had beautiful appearances. KangYoon planned a strategy.

“Do you like clubs?”

“Clubs? Of course, they’re great.”

“Hey!!”

When Moon JiHye replied without batting an eyelid, Jang HanNa was surprised and smashed her back. Moon JiHye complained that it wasn’t anything big, but Jang HanNa suppressed with her age.

“Let’s do a club dance. A sexy one.”

“What?”

Excluding Moon JiHyeo, who said she liked clubs, everyone else’s eyes widened. To think it’s a club… They had never even thought about it. Moreover, this was an event at a department store where all sorts of an audience, including elderly and children, would gather.

“We’re not only looking for a reaction in the event venue itself. Isn’t the thing you want a ‘hot issue’ anyway?”

“But won’t we look too cheap if we do a club dance? Besides, the clothes are too indecent too.”

Song HaNeul shook her head as she was worried. Female singers already had skimpy clothing anyway. But to emphasize a club dance, more skin would show and whether it was trousers or skirts, it would get shorter as well. It was obvious that their stage costumes will become indecent. She didn’t like that.

“We’ll go with a club dance as the motif, but it’s not completely a club dance. To explain quickly, you can think that we’re just getting the theme. It’s the same with the clothes. In clubs, there is the objective to seduce the opposite gender, and hence, the clothes will get shorter, but for us, let’s not overdo it. Let’s change the dance routine to fit a club dance. We’ll arrange the song to be a little more electronic as well. Of course, the choice is yours.”

KangYoon thought that it would work on the populace. The place where the performance is is where people of all ages and gender, gather but the performance was at night – meaning many couples and other young people will gather. If they do a club dance that doesn’t look cheap, then they could expect a good reaction. Of course, it was a paper-thin difference so that it won’t be easy.

“We understand. We’ll do it.”

The SeasonS members, who discussed for a long time, eventually decided to do it. They couldn’t find a solution with their current dance routine anyway. They judged that it was better to go on an adventure. KangYoon wrote down the confirmed things and went out to request for an arrangement.

“Won’t we have to spend an enormous amount of money? We don’t even have any though.”

When KangYoon left, Moon JiHye asked worriedly. She became worried when so many optional products increased after they had bought the primary product.

“But doesn’t he have the ability? We should believe in him. I heard that he was a rising star nowadays. Sedy following JooAh – He said that he would rise more in the future.”

“Who did?”

“MoonSoo oppa did.”

Kang HyeSeon and Song HaNeul conversed worriedly. As they were of the same age, they liked to whisper to each other. Like many other people, they especially liked to talk about other people.

“Let’s first do as we’re told. He’s an expert. We should believe in him.”

“Ok, unni.”

Jang HanNa organized their opinions, and the members all agreed. However, they were worried a lot. How much more money would they have to spend, how would the people’s reaction be, and what will become of them after the performance – they had complicated thoughts.

However, those girls realized in less than one day. They realized how useless their thoughts are, even when they were ‘thinking about the future.’

***