I secretly sighed in relief as I watched Jang Si-woo scribble away in his notebook, pretending not to see me.
I was hoping to see him after a while, but he's still pretty shy.
I wondered if it'd be alright since our team members were Yoo-chan hyung, who had built up his social skills in the outside world, and Ryota from Japan.
Still, I was glad that we sorted it out before things got awkward.
"It's been some time now. Have you all thought about the song?"
"Uh, not yet… The result was so surprising that nothing comes to mind right now."
"I've been thinking about it too, but I'm not sure… I'm sorry."
"..."
The first step in dealing with our youngest, the sensitive cat Jang Si-woo was…
"This won't do. Let's all think more clearly together. We're all teammates with 'equal' roles, right?"
Not picking on him nor treating him like a child.
Perhaps because of his young age compared to his outstanding talent and handsome face, Jang Si-woo was often treated as, "Aww, our youngest Si-woo."
But that's not right.
Si-woo was noticeably disgusted by that. He even went so far as to deliberately debut solo with a sexy concept to shed his 'cutesy idol maknae' image, that says it all.
It didn't go well, but that's another thing.
He needs to be properly respected. As an individual, not dismissed simply because he's young.
And truthfully, Si-woo performs best when treated like that.
"―!"
As expected, Si-woo's expression brightened considerably at my words, which emphasized the word "equal". Only I see it now, but it'll be more noticeable on TV.
Okay. Let's just keep going like this. Si-woo isn't the only mountain we have to overcome right now.
"I think it would be better if we spoke in detail."
"Oh, really? There's probably a board over there."
"I'll bring it."
I dragged the whiteboard to the back of the practice room and wrote in large letters with a marker.
[Min Si-young]
The biggest challenge our team has to overcome right now.
I could handle Si-woo with my 7 years of experience, but this was truly incredibly difficult.
Who is senior Min Si-young?
A female soloist who debuted in her 2nd year of middle school and established AG into what it is today.
A pillar of AG, a year-end award thief. A genius who excels at songwriting and composing, writing every song on her own albums.
"Keuhm."
"Hm? Chunyong-ah, what's wrong?"
"Oh, no. Just coughing…"
How surprised I was when I heard that name earlier.
If it were Lady Swan seonbaes, they're at least idols. Min Si-young stopped dancing after becoming a senior, only singing high-note medleys that no one else could.
…and now she even openly hates me.
"It really pisses me off that our agency's trainees were rejected because of someone like you who lacks professionalism."
…Of course she hated me before too.
Kkeeeek-
"Uwaaa! Chunyong aniki, no, that's a scary noise!"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry."
I accidentally scratched the whiteboard when my hand went weak, sending a horrible, scraping sound echoing throughout the practice room. As if it was saying:
You guys are screwed…
Screwed…
Screwed…
I gritted my teeth and steeled my resolve.
Who's screwed?
When I said I'd do anything to turn back time, it wasn't a lie. I truly came back determined to do anything.
For my family waiting at home for the first episode to air, to avoid the emergency arrest and getting locked up, I had to debut through
It's not like I wasn't prepared for something like this.
I spoke cheerfully while drawing a few branches next to the name 'Min Si-young'.
"First of all, Yoo-chan hyung. Is there a song by Min Si-young seonbae that comes to mind right now?"
Yoo-chan hyung, who was deep in thought while stroking his chin, blinked and spoke.
"…How about '25th Hour Message'? Haha, it's my favorite karaoke song…."
I nodded and wrote down Yoo-chan hyung's pick on the whiteboard.
<25th Hour Message>
A vocal song that boasted Min Si-young's wide vocal range, alternating between high and low notes.
However, since it was a vocal song with light choreography and a cute stage composition, it seemed like Yoo-chan hyung had thought long and hard about which song would best suit the team.
Well, it's really one of hyung's favorite karaoke songs.
Actually, '25th Hour Message' wasn't a bad choice.
The cute lyrics, "I've been waiting for your call and it's already 25 o'clock," fit the trainees participating in the survival show very well, and the high and low tones are clearly divided, making it easy to distribute parts.
Yet…
"I think it will have less impact compared to other teams."
Yeah, that.
"'25th Hour Message' has very simple choreography and relies heavily on stage composition with the backup dancers… so it would be overshadowed by teams like Leopold or 2OCD with powerful choreography."
Jang Si-woo, who had been engrossed in his notes, pointed out Yoo-chan hyung's blind spot in a small voice.
Then he turned nervous, as if worried that he might get scolded for refuting without much explanation.
"…I'm sorry. I thought about something else too."
"Oh, I see. I was just saying what came to mind. You're right, Si-woo, you're really smart!"
"..."
Yoo-chan hyung is quick-witted. If he just paid the slightest attention to how I treat Jang Si-woo, he'd pick up on it. But we're still not quite on the same page.
Still, it wasn't a completely bad approach, hyung.
I secretly gave a thumbs up to Yoo-chan hyung, who must have stood around -42 points in Si-woo's head, and smiled at Jang Si-woo, who had opened up to us a bit more.
"Jang Si-woo, any thoughts? Feel free to share. It'd be great if we could have a mind map."
Jang Si-woo widened his eyes, bit his fingernails once, then opened his mouth.
"I… Si-young noo- no. 'Snow High' from Min Si-young seonbae's 7th album that won Album of the Year last year."
"Snow High? Ah, that double title track! I think I know what it is. Hmm, 'let's go high together in this snow', right?"
As Yoo-chan hyung showed off his main vocalist-worthy voice, Jang Si-woo smiled slightly and continued.
"...Yes. The backup dancers match the choreography, and since it's summer, I think it'll give off a cool vibe. As for the outfits, it'd be nice to have something like goggles or a hat."
"Hmm. I agree with Si-woo, but wouldn't the vocal range be too high for four men to sing? Well, Chunyong and Ryota's tones are a bit deeper…."
"…ah."
Yoo-chan hyung and Jang Si-woo exchanged awkward glances. I could immediately tell what they were thinking.
'I knew it'd be difficult, but not this much.'
In the lost practice room, all kinds of song titles started popping out.
From the debut song that showed Min Si-young's genius, to the digital single released last month, to the guitar piece that took first place, etc.
I calmly wrote down all the songs on the whiteboard, licking my lips. Of course, I didn't forget to mention any songs I found useful here and there.
But….
If I just push a bit more, maybe the song I'm thinking of will come out.
What should I do?
I'd kept quiet for the sake of this mission's smooth sailing, but then sternly turned to Ryota, who was still kneeling, to give him a small hint.
"Ryota? Didn't you say you had some ideas earlier?"
"Uh, um. I, I mean…"
Ryota glanced at me, Yoo-chan hyung, and Jang Si-woo, then broke out in a cold sweat, banging his head on the practice room floor and yelling.
"I'm sorry! I really don't know mentor Min Si-young's songs!"
Cue the day's third dogeza.
Now used to it, Yoo-chan hyung and I mechanically comforted Ryota while lifting him up. Meanwhile, Ryota looked as if he was dying.
"That's alright. Ryota isn't Korean."
"I understand, since you've probably listened to more male idol songs. It's also very like you to say you haven't listened to your mentor's songs in front of cameras."
"Ugh, I'm of no use right now…!"
"It happens."
I calmly patted Ryota on the shoulder.
Jang Si-woo, who had been watching Ryota's comedy from afar, seemed to have gotten accustomed to the atmosphere, and now stood watching us awkwardly.
This won't do, Ryota.
I was going to pretend to be inspired by your idea.
"…Oh, then… Min Si-young seonbae used a different stage name when she was active in Japan. Maybe you know it?"
At my words, Ryota wiped the tears off his face with a puzzled look.
"Another stage name? Did mentor Min Si-young have to use a different name?"
"Well, not for a big reason. She said something about wanting to increase accessibility. What was it… Yuki Ame?"
Ryota's eyes lit up at my clumsy words.
"…Chunyong aniki, are you talking about Yuri no Ame (百合の雨)*?"
[*百合の雨* - Lily Rain]
Yep, how could he possibly not know.
I held back my laughter and patted Ryota's thigh.
"Ah, right! That's the one. Do you happen to know it?"
Ryota glanced at the three Koreans, including me, and straightened his back with a slightly more confident expression now.
"Well, if it's Yuri no Ame, there's a song I know. I think you all know it too…"
* * *
"Huh, this kid is really…."
"Huh? PD-nim, what's wrong?"
"No, Kim Chunyong's team already chose a song. This writer should take a look."
Main PD Joo Cheol-young handed writer Lee Hyeon-jeong the proposal containing the song title and arrangement direction.
The song choice was so surprising that it amazed everyone who checked the footage in the editing room.
Upon reading the paper, Lee Hyeon-jeong's eyes widened in disbelief as she reread it to confirm what she saw.
The song title remained the same.
"…'Us Beyond the Waves'? My goodness, was this Min Si-young's song?"
The opening song for the children's anime "Let's Go on a Galleon," which became a huge hit in Japan and was even exported to Korea.
The lyrics, saying "The sea we set into with friends is not scary at all, and beyond those waves, a treasure chest awaits," were easy for people of all ages to sing along to, and there was little dissonance when covered by Japanese and Korean singers.
Plus, summer was just around the corner, it'd be hard finding a better song.
At Lee Hyeon-jeong's puzzled look, Joo Cheol-young clapped his hands and continued speaking.
"Yeah. I was surprised too, so I looked it up. Turns out Min Si-young sang it in Japan. Before she even debuted."
"Before Min Si-young debuted… so she sang it when she was a child. Is that why no one knows it?"
"Well. Maybe Min Si-young didn't want to include an anime OST she sang as a child in her brand name. But that's not the point. It's Kim Chunyong who chose this song. It's getting scary now, really."
"He has a knack for choosing songs. That explains the songs he chose for the first ranking evaluation."
"That's not all for this guy. He didn't just say, 'Let's sing this song!', instead, he led the other members to suggest it themselves."
"Hmm? That's a bit surprising. He'd get more attention if he brought it up himself. Even if he's perceptive, I didn't think he'd think that far ahead."
At Lee Hyeon-jeong's words, PD Joo looked puzzled for a moment, then tapped his knee as if he realized something.
"Oh, right. This is your first survival show, isn't it?"
"…Huh? Yes. This is my first time working with the PD."
"Then it must be your first time seeing the trainees choose songs, arrange them, and choreograph them."
PD Joo spoke bluntly with a strange smile on his face.
This writer.
If things don't go well in a survival show…
"You'll end up getting criticized for everything. That's survival."