Chapter 57

It seemed that Jinho Do needed only about 15 seconds to sufficiently evaluate a piece of music.

-♪♫♩♩𝄞.

The intro began to play.

-Didn’t know you would leave me….

“Cut. Cut. Cut.”

He signaled a cut even before the first line could be sung.

“What’s wrong with this? This song is super famous! And, by the way, I’m not even a guy.”

“Oh dear, you’ve listened to how many songs now, and still can’t seem to grasp it?”

Arin responded a bit curtly, but Jinho Do clearly looked exasperated.

“What?”

“This is clearly one of those mainstream hit songs. Do these drama OST-singers even know anything about niche gaming stuff? Design students just draw realistic art, and computer science students are likely forced by their parents to learn coding.”

His criteria were firm.

“We do need a female vocalist, but there’s no strict reason she has to be from our school. So, someone who brings in a song completely off-brand like this should definitely be passed over.”

“Hm….”

Although Arin still seemed unclear, Ha Yun sitting beside her didn’t seem too bothered, so she reluctantly agreed. After all, Ha Yun was practically the leader of the club.

The silence from their leader was essentially an OK sign, which meant Arin didn’t have much room to argue.

“Let’s move on to the next one.”

Satisfied that they were on the same page, Ha Yun moved the rejected song to a hold folder and played the next one.

-!-!-!!-!!!!—!!!!

This song had a strong, dynamic hip-hop beat.

“Wow.”

Jinho Do, seemingly unfamiliar with this track, began to immerse himself with a sense of admiration.

But then…

-Yeah, oh.

-Yeah, yeah.

“Cut.”

The moment a gritty, rough voice started, Jinho abruptly cut the song before the verse could really begin.

“Hey, I thought she was a female rapper and got my hopes up for nothing.”

“Female rapper?”

Arin was baffled. If this was just a rapper, well, rapper or not, why was there special expectation for a female rapper?

“Well, aren’t there hardly any cases in this genre where the characters’ songs or opening and ending themes have rap? If a female rapper has decent skills, she might at least get a 4th or 5th rank, but if it’s a guy, it might just be one of those ordinary ‘pretentious’ rappers that don’t work.”

“Oh, so rareness.”

“Exactly, I was expecting rareness because of that. It’s kind of meaningless otherwise if she’s not a rapper.”

This suddenly made sense. Even Ha Yun thought that if a female rapper sang the opening or ending theme of “Miren,” it could capture a distinct position compared to usual soundtracks.

Ha Yun, who even had playlists dedicated solely to “Miren” O.S.T., figured that the rhythm and rap verses blending seamlessly into the soundtracks would definitely enhance their value.

“It must be great. Definitely.”

“Even though earning royalties in this industry isn’t easy, trying something different is certainly not a bad idea. Of course, we shouldn’t go overboard by using male vocalists or rappers.”

“Of course not.”

Ha Yun and Do Jinho might have been in sync with sharp opinions, but compared to them, Choi Arin seemed like an average person struggling to follow their flow.

She tried to keep up with the conversation, but as time passed and more than 100 songs were played and cut, Do Jinho’s “OK” sign never came easily.

It was expected.

From Do Jinho’s standards, male singers were automatically disqualified. And those who sang mainstream songs or drama O.S.T.s were simply too mainstream and not worth considering. Hip-hop, well, too many “pretentious hip-hop kids.”

Cut. Cut. Cut. Cut.

The cuts continued, until finally, the 111th song appeared.

“111 has a good ring to it, doesn’t it?”

After continuously cutting songs, was he feeling a bit awkward? Do Jinho made an uninspired joke as he played the music, while Ha Yun and Choi Arin nibbled on late-lunch delivered “Shai-Burger.”

“Hmm?”

A familiar intro began to play. It was J-pop. Until now, J-pop had only been sung by men, and therefore rejected without listening.

But this time, would it be different?

-If this world were all just a dream, wouldn’t it be wonderful?

“Female!”

“Female!”

Ha Yun and Do Jinho cried out almost simultaneously.

Ha Yun had choked on her Shai-Burger, hurriedly gulped down some bottled water next to her, while…

-Until now, I’ve still been dreaming about you.

“Wait?”

This time, they realized the lyrics were in Korean. It wasn’t just J-pop; this was a Korean cover.

“You know how to rewrite lyrics?”

“Wow, this thing is legit…”

The previously stern judges, Ha Yun and Do Jinho, turned back into J-pop fans, immersing themselves silently in the music. The voice was exceptional. Not just having the characteristic clear voice of a woman, but even after converting the Japanese lyrics into Korean, there was no delay in the rhythm.

-A deep sense of grief lingers within my chest; this bitter scent of lemon.

-I can’t go back until the rain stops.

And then came the climax. It was perfect. It skillfully conveyed the emotions of the original song even with the Korean rewritten lyrics, followed by a few more lines of verse that ended abruptly.

The first complete song at the 111th attempt.

“…”

“…”

“…?”

Ha Yun and Do Jinho were silent, while Arin looked between them, trying to read their reactions. She wondered if they still didn’t like it, but in fact, it was quite the opposite.

“Wow, this is good…”

“This mind-set is definitely hardcore niche fandom. The kinds who hear and sing Korean covers of J-pop usually consist of die-hard, crazy-good people.”

“Right, just thinking that they’re the ones who prefer Korean over Japanese already says a lot.”

Satisfaction filled the room. The ability to rewrite lyrics into Korean not only showed a basic level of musical appreciation but also a solid understanding of the Japanese language.

“Should we place this as number one for now?”

“Even to me, that seems right. If someone has the ability to rewrite Japanese songs into Korean and sing them, they’re not just your usual fandom. The vocal skills themselves are commendable. Since Miren songs generally follow a simple and easy-listening format…”

“This means there will be no technical regrets.”

Nods.

Nods.

Ha Yun and Do Jinho exchanged glances and kept nodding, while Choi Arin, unsure what all the technical jargon meant, smiled anyway, thinking the singer must be good. They listened to more songs afterward, several even featuring J-pop combined with female vocals, which Ha Yun and Jinho loved. But none of them matched the one already in first place.

A few days later, Monday, the start of the new week, arrived.

#

They say when a hobby becomes a job, it gets difficult.

Because it’s hard to see that hobby as just a hobby.

But if you self-motivate and enjoy diving deep into your hobby, it doesn’t always feel burdensome because your learning is part of that hobby’s fun.

However, if someone forces you to study your hobby, the situation shifts.

Especially when you have weekly assignments to submit.

“Haa…”

Recently, Hong Seohyun’s life had become quite tough. Her hobby was music recording and even dabbling in rewriting lyrics. She was the type who respected the original track but also wanted to belt out her own Korean version to satisfy her own itch.

Her posts on her small community didn’t get bad reactions either. Though the absolute majority liked covers in the original language, there’s a group that specifically enjoys Korean language covers. They were fewer in number but more passionate.

Hong Seohyun liked those small, but fervent reactions.

So, she’d gone all-in and enrolled at Yongsan IT High School, determined to learn video editing techniques to support her career as a cover artist in this field. As a video-major student in the Content Design department.

She intended to use this technical knowledge to start up her YouTube channel and build her career as a professional Korean cover artist utaiter.

But, unfortunately, life wasn’t as simple as that.

“Assignments, assignments, assignments, more assignments.”

She couldn’t seem to free herself from this swamp of assignments. It was the epitome of studying something because someone else told you to.

Video editing was just a step further in her journey, all she needed were cutting techniques and simple effect placements. She hadn’t desired anything more complex.

A Meister High School focused on teaching real-world, employment-ready skills.

She wanted to learn just the basics, but even that wasn’t possible here. Dropping assignments or skipping classes just wasn’t in Hong Seohyun’s nature.

She had no time now to sing as she wanted.

A complete reversal of her original intent.

She doubted when she would finally debut as a utaiter YouTuber. Hong Seohyun attended school like a walking corpse, feeling a deep sadness.

Until one day…

“Vocal contest…?”

It was strange for a school usually obsessed with job preparation to hold such an event.

“Game release team?”

Apparently, some club was searching for a vocalist to sing the opening song for their game and decided to open a vocal contest, even offering three fried chicken gift vouchers as first-place prizes.

She had no clue why the game release team would hold such a vocal contest, but…

“I don’t care, I’ll just give it a try.”

For Hong Seohyun, the reason didn’t matter. She needed an opportunity to sing. An excuse to neglect her assignments and pour her heart into singing was exactly what she needed.

She immediately sent in her participation form via her smartphone and submitted her recorded song just in time for the deadline.

When Monday came,

-Ah, student Hong Seohyun from the second-grade Design Class 3, please come to the Game Release Clubroom. Once again, Student Hong Seohyun from the second-grade Design Class 3, please make your way to the Game Release Clubroom.

She was summoned almost immediately.

---