Chapter 85 - Your Skills Are Amazing

“PD-nim, that’s not what I meant…”

Seok-joon tried to save the situation, forcing a smile. However, PD Kang Eun-jeong's attitude remained unchanged.

“Are you smiling? You find this funny?”

“……”

Seok-joon’s face stiffened once again. His strategy of using his handsome face to act cute was no longer working.

“Who taught you to do that? Did your Team Leader Kim teach you?”

“No, Team Leader-hyung just…”

“It seems I'll have to have a talk with Team Leader Kim. About how I was indulgent with you, and now this idol bastard is getting uppity.”

Kang Eun-jeong was someone who had implemented an anti-authoritarian policy herself since taking charge as the 'Music Big Show' PD. She had eliminated the custom of having performers wait and greet the PD all at once, and she hadn't abused her power over the managers.

Seok-joon had gotten used to that easygoing manner and ended up crossing the line.

“PD-nim, that wasn't my intention…”

“Enough, go tell Team Leader Kim to get his ass over here. I want to tell him to educate his people properly.”

Not just Seok-joon, but the other members were also begging profusely, but Kang Eun-jeong’s attitude was merely cold.

Baek Hyeon-woo watched the scene with interest. He had thought the method of flirting with a female PD using a handsome face to do business was commonplace, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

“Seok-joon, just think about singing and dancing. Stop thinking about getting special favors by making eye smiles. Got it?”

“Yes, I'm sorry…”

Kang Eun-jeong, who had finally accepted Seok-joon's apology, walked over to Baek Hyeon-woo.

“Hello, PD-nim.”

As Baek Hyeon-woo greeted her, the smile returned to Kang Eun-jeong's previously cold face.

“I saw the new variety show on TVX. I hear you're the one who got WAVE's Yoon Si-kyeong to appear on it, Team Leader Baek?”

Hearing the name of WAVE's Yoon Si-kyeong, Drum Fire, who had been standing in the corner with sullen expressions, flinched.

“When he asked me about you last time, Team Leader Baek, I thought something was up, but to think it would lead to this. As expected, Team Leader Baek, your skill is no joke. Did you plan it on purpose, thinking it would help promote the new song?”

“It just so happened that our paths crossed well. It wasn't planned.”

“It’s even more amazing if it happened by chance.”

It was a heartwarming atmosphere, the complete opposite of when she was scolding Seok-joon.

“Newstarz's recording is starting soon, right? I'll be counting on a good stage.”

“Everyone has prepared diligently. We'll be able to show a performance that meets your expectations.”

“I'll look forward to it.”

Saying that, Kang Eun-jeong left the spot.

Only Baek Hyeon-woo and Drum Fire were left in the hallway.

“……”

The Drum Fire members, including Seok-joon, were glaring at Baek Hyeon-woo with gazes full of animosity.

They had been thoroughly beaten up, but Baek Hyeon-woo had just been creating a heartwarming atmosphere with Kang Eun-jeong, so there was no way they'd be in a good mood.

On top of that, it was a situation where it had become known that he was Newstarz's manager.

It was a good thing this was a broadcasting station; if it had been a back alley somewhere, the atmosphere was such that they might have surrounded him and collectively assaulted him.

“You guys.”

However, the one who opened his mouth first was Baek Hyeon-woo.

“Smoke a little less. If you really can't stand it, smoke e-cigarettes.”

“……!”

Seok-joon's facial expression hardened.

It was the same for the other members.

– Decreased oxygen-carrying capacity is occurring due to excess carbon monoxide.

– Body Condition is slightly lowered.

– Minus corrections will be applied to Vocal and Dance.

When Baek Hyeon-woo looked at Seok-joon's status window, everything else was good, but this phrase was attached at the bottom.

All the other members were in the same state.

The fact that 'excess carbon monoxide' appeared on the status window meant that the carbon monoxide absorbed from smoking cigarettes still remained in the body.

They had smoked combustible cigarettes, not e-cigarettes, since the morning and gone up on the pre-recording stage.

Although male idols are in a better situation compared to female idols, in any case, there is nothing good to come from the fact that they are smokers being known.

‘How did he know? Does the smell of cigarettes still linger?’ With that expression, the Drum Fire members urgently checked their own bodies.

Seok-joon, in particular, looked at Baek Hyeon-woo with a hardened expression.

He was worrying about whether Baek Hyeon-woo would snitch about this somewhere.

“Punk bastards.”

Snapping that one phrase, Baek Hyeon-woo left the spot.

Without giving any more of his attention to Drum Fire, who were staring at him.

……

Behind the pre-recording set, reporters gathered in small groups and whispered.

“What do you think Newstarz will be like today?”

“Their preparation period was too short. I don't have high expectations.”

Currently, 'Music Big Show' allows reporters to enter the pre-recording set and cover it.

Reporters don't show much interest in the stages of singers who don't have much buzz, but today is different.

Because today is the day Newstarz's new song, which has recently become a hot topic, goes on stage for the first time.

The popular boy group Drum Fire's pre-recording was also today, so even the reporters who had finished covering Drum Fire flocked to Newstarz's pre-recording set.

“The song itself is good. I heard it's Seol Woo-myeong's comeback song.”

“The music track is all corrected. It's bound to be different on the actual stage.”

“They say they're doing it with MR, but they'll probably do it with Live MR, which is close to AR.”

If you look at a music broadcast cue sheet, terms like AR, MR, and Live MR are written. AR means a music track where both the voice and accompaniment are recorded, and MR means a music track where only the accompaniment is recorded. If it's AR, you can just think of it as all lipsync, and MR means they're singing completely live with the singer's voice.

Then what is Live MR? The base is MR, but it's a music track where a live-feeling vocal is partially inserted in specific parts. If they do it all as lipsync, they get criticized by the viewers, and if they do it all live, there's the risk of their voice cracking, so a kind of compromise was made.

You play the pre-recorded vocal sound for the difficult parts, and if you sing the easy parts yourself, mixing in ad-libs, you get a passable live feeling. Newstarz will probably do that today too.

“We will now begin the rehearsal!”

When it was time, Newstarz's rehearsal began. The reporters were watching without high expectations, but their expressions gradually changed.

“What?”

“Is this really a rehearsal?”

An intense aura. That was being felt from the stage.

Seo Na-eun, Kim So-yeong, Laura, Kanade, Yoo Jeong-ah... the five members showed their performance while emitting a tremendous presence.

What was surprising was the fact that while performing the intense dance, they sang with their own voices from beginning to end.

“They just sang the whole thing raw from beginning to end, right?”

“Well, since it's a rehearsal...”

Soon, the real recording began. As it's a recording, not a live broadcast, they are given several chances. There are many cases where they record two or three times and then edit it together to air on the broadcast.

However...

“We will conclude today's recording! You've worked hard!”

“……!”

The recording ended with just one performance. And it's no wonder, as the stage was too perfect. The rehearsal earlier also had no room for fault, but the real recording was even more than that.

The reporters were all dumbfounded.

"Wow, their skill is really amazing."

"They're this good without correction? This is idol vocal ability?"

"It seemed like they didn't get tired at all until the end? Is their stamina incredible?"

Now they will go around all the other music shows and continuously show a stage like that. It means a high-quality stage video will be dropped every day. What will the ripple effect be?

"Where's the manager? Team Leader Baek Hyeon-woo."

"I want to hear a few words from Team Leader Baek Hyeon-woo, not just the members."

The reporters, smelling a big hit, moved busily. They saw the tall young man greeting the members coming down from the stage. The moment the reporters rushed in, taking out recording equipment and trying to conduct an interview.

"I'm sorry. Greeting the fans comes first."

Baek Hyeon-woo's sharp control blocked the reporters' approach. In the meantime, the Newstarz members conveyed their sincere thanks to the fans who had come to watch the pre-recording. In the end, the reporters had to just watch Baek Hyeon-woo's back for a while.

"That Baek Hyeon-woo person, when he first came as Newstarz's manager a few months ago, he asked me this and that. Back then, I thought a total rookie who knew nothing had come."

"Why didn't you build a connection then?"

"I know, right. I regret it so much."

They had failed to recognize the sprout of a promising tree in advance. That regret lingered among the reporters.

……

Baek Hyeon-woo, who had finished all his schedules, took the Newstarz members and headed to the parking lot. However, there were people waiting for Baek Hyeon-woo.

"Team Leader Baek Hyeon-woo-nim!"

"You guys haven't left yet?"

It was the 6-member girl group Bling Baby. They had taken off their stage outfits and removed their stage makeup, so they just looked like a normal group of high school girls.

"Thank you for helping us earlier!"

All six of them bowed their waists at the same time. It was an expression of gratitude for helping them when they were being held up by Drum Fire earlier.

"Honestly, we were in a very awkward situation then. They're a sunbae group that's much more popular than us, so it was hard to refuse them easily..."

Hearing the leader of Bling Baby speak, Baek Hyeon-woo smiled.

"That's a relief. I was worried that maybe I had interfered while you were chatting with handsome male idols."

"Ah, I hate people who are overly dressed up like that.”

“He looks like he'd cheat a lot.”

“And like he'd do bad things to women.”

Among the chattering members, the leader clasped her hands in front of her chest and spoke.

“I think a sincere feeling, like yours, Team Leader Baek, is much better.”

“Me too!”

“……”

Look at these kids.

Whether they're intentionally sucking up to say something nice, or they're saying it because they genuinely think so... they're really bold kids.

“This is coffee, please drink it when you're thirsty!”

“We bought it ourselves, we didn't make our manager do it!”

The leader held out the coffee to Baek Hyeon-woo on behalf of the group.

The fact that they bought it themselves, rather than ordering their manager to, was appealing.

While there are groups like Drum Fire or N.A.N whose average character is terrible, there are also groups like Newstarz or Bling Baby that are full of only good kids.

He was newly reminded that idols, too, come in all shapes and sizes.

“Yeah, I'll drink it well.”

Suddenly, the back of his head felt itchy, so he turned around, and Seo Na-eun was watching him with a cold gaze.

Does she have a complaint or something?

“Hyeon-woo oppa, aren't you looking way too giddy just because you got a present from some girls?”

At that moment, Laura poked Baek Hyeon-woo's side and snapped.

“I wasn't looking giddy.”

“Your expression is a world of difference from when you received the present from Joo Ga-hee. Getting all happy just because you're popular with some younger kids.”

“You can't compare it to that time. And even if they're 'younger kids,' they're probably only two or three years different from you guys?”

Just as Baek Hyeon-woo was retorting to Laura.

The leader of Bling Baby raised her voice with an expression as if she had forgotten something.

“Ah, right! Sunbae-nims, I saw Lap Music earlier, congratulations!”

“Lap Music?”

The members' eyes went round.

Come to think of it, because they had all submitted their phones in the waiting room earlier, they hadn't been able to check the charts until now.

“……?”

Baek Hyeon-woo tilted his head and took out his own phone.

There shouldn't have been any issue to make the chart rank fluctuate greatly.

Seeing as she said congratulations, their rank must have gone up, not down, so what on earth had happened?