Entertainment Life With A Camera

Chapter 78

Is he really possessed?

(I hope he didn’t feel awkward because of us. I’m sorry.)

“No, it’s fine. We wanted to take a picture with you guys too. The fans also wanted to know how the Mafiaz are doing.”

(Really? That’s good then… Are you going back to Korea now?)

“Yeah, we just left the hotel. We have to start working on our next album as soon as we get there.”

(You guys will do well. We’ll be there soon too.)

Lee Joo-hyuk sighed with relief after finishing his call with Mike Jung-ji-soo. 

Awi loaded their luggage into the van and headed to the airport.

“Are you already drooling over the thought of eating kimchi stew when you get to Korea?”

“My stomach is nervous.”

Kim Hyun and Park Jin-hyuk chatted while Lee Joo-hyuk closed his eyes from exhaustion. 

Jo Tae-woong and Ian were also tired and just looked out the window. 

Kim Joo-young, who was listening to music, handed one of his earphones to Park Seo-dam.

“…Seo-dam, try singing this.”

“What is it?”

Park Seo-dam frowned as he shared the earphone with Kim Joo-young.

“Hyung, this is too low for me.”

“Really? Just try it once. I think it suits you well.”

After the study group, the members had a lively exchange of opinions. 

Since they could only practice singing in the van, they hummed songs without disturbing the driver.

“Ah… ah. Is this the right pitch?”

Park Seo-dam cleared his throat and sang. 

The song was by Kim Hee-sang, released in the late 80s, a legendary song among maniacs, with a charming low voice.

Suddenly, Lee Joo-hyuk, who was sleeping, opened his eyes wide and turned his head to look at the back seat. Kim Joo-young flinched at his movement.

“What?”

“What… what?”

“It suits you so well? Who chose this song?”

Park Seo-dam pointed his finger at Kim Joo-young.

“Seo-dam has a talent for low notes?”

Lee Joo-hyuk muttered with a blank face. Awi’s overall direction was focused on strong performances. 

As a result, most of Awi’s songs were high-pitched.

The low parts were handled by Lee Joo-hyuk and Park Jin-hyuk, who rapped, and the high parts were mainly by Ian. 

The members who couldn’t hit high notes mostly used falsetto for recording.

“Joo-young, how did you know?”

“I just… thought it would suit him well? His voice is really low when he’s not fully awake.”

That’s why Park Seo-dam had never sung in a low voice before. It was an unexpected discovery.

The members looked at Kim Joo-young with puzzled expressions. 

Kim Joo-young shrugged as if nothing was wrong.

[Does he have a good sense?]

‘It’s amazing that he matched this song with his sleepy voice.’

He even chose a song that fit Park Seo-dam’s vocal range well.

It was Park Seo-dam’s low voice and Kim Joo-young’s rediscovery.

***

Awi returned to Korea and went straight to the company’s practice room without any rest.

Lee Joo-hyuk, who had been lost in thought since Osaka airport, finally came to his senses. 

He grabbed Kim Joo-young’s arm.

“Joo-young, let’s go to the composing room.”

“Me? Why me?”

“I have something to do with you. Jin-hyuk, come with me too.”

Kim Joo-young and Park Jin-hyuk were dragged along, and the remaining members did stretching exercises in the dance practice room. 

Ian, who was twisting his waist with his hands on his knees, said.

“Hyun hyung, teach us some dance moves.”

“Should I? I revised the choreography we made before. Let’s record it and upload it on MyTube.”

“Sounds good.”

As they were about to practice lightly without music, with Kim Hyun in the center, something happened.

“Guys, are you here? Good job.”

“Hello, director.”

The director, Seo Su-ryeon, opened the door of the dance practice room and greeted them with a smile.

“I was worried about you guys, but I’m glad you came back without any trouble. Where are the others?”

“They’re in the composing room. Joo-hyuk hyung is going crazy right now. He’s almost possessed.”

“Really? He must be working well… Well then, let me introduce you to our new trainees first.”

“Trainees?”

Seo Su-ryeon opened the door of the dance practice room.

“Hello!”

A group of boys with fresh faces that looked like they had just entered middle school came in and bowed deeply to Awi.

“These are our new trainees.”

“Oh, you already auditioned them.”

“Some of them came here because of you guys. They said you’re their role models.”

Role models already? 

Ian looked at the trainees with a strange expression. 

He roughly counted them and there were about 20 of them. 

The trainees looked at Awi with sparkling eyes.

“Hello!”

The members greeted them awkwardly. 

They had always been juniors, but now they were seniors and it felt weird.

The new trainees would start their training in the practice room that Black Rush used to use.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your practice, guys. But I thought you should get to know each other’s faces, so I called them.”

“Thank you!”

The trainees shouted enthusiastically, making the members flinch. 

They felt the same way when they greeted Black Rush. 

Jo Tae-woong tapped Ian’s arm.

‘What do we do in this situation?’

‘I don’t know.’

Ian shrugged his shoulders. Kim Hyun stepped forward as the representative.

“Hi. Oh, can I speak informally? You guys are younger than us, right?”

Kim Hyun spoke in a playful tone, making some of the trainees laugh. He had the confidence of a veteran trainee.

“We’re preparing for our album right now, so we don’t have much time, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask us anytime.”

“Yeah. Don’t think too hard about it.”

Ian added to Kim Hyun’s words.

“You’re handsome…”

One of the trainees opened his mouth and there was a roar from here and there saying that they were really fans.

“Do you remember me? Do you want me to buy you a drink?”

Jo Tae-woong smiled mischievously at the trainee. 

The trainees laughed. 

Awi made them feel comfortable without being too heavy-handed, and the trainees looked more relaxed.

“Well then, guys, good luck.”

“Yes. Please go ahead, director.”

The trainees followed Seo Su-ryeon out of Awi’s practice room. 

As they left, they wanted to watch Awi’s practice, so they glanced back at them. But as soon as they went out into the hallway, they stuck to the glass door of the practice room and watched Awi.

“They’re young… I used to be like that too.”

“They’re cute. It’s like watching our younger siblings.”

“Seo-dam is exactly like that when he was younger, right?”

Jo Tae-woong and Park Seo-dam said, and Jin snorted as if they weren’t much different in age.

Ian waved his hand at the trainees outside the glass door. 

The trainees immediately responded by waving their hands back.

“Can you believe we’re seniors already?”

Kim Hyun chuckled. 

He also used to be in that position, greeting Black Rush and watching them practice by the door.

“Alright, let’s practice!”

***

[M Column] I-One’s disbandment and My-Dear’s joint enlistment… Who will be the next K-pop star?

…Multiple music insiders unanimously picked ‘AWY’ as the next K-pop star to succeed I-One and My-Dear. They said:

“They have high-quality performance and songs that show their unique color. Not only that, they can also compose, write lyrics, rap, dance, sing, and act… Each member has versatile charms.”

“They are different from My-Dear, who prioritized group activities. They can showcase their individual talents in various fields while being group-oriented. I like that.”

“They are a group that never stops growing.”

Then, who is the most anticipated member among AWY? The answer was surprising.

“Seodam. I saw Seodam’s cover video on MyTube a few days ago. It was a rediscovery of her voice. I look forward to her future.”

“I would choose Joo Hyuk, the leader. The songs he composed were not very popular, but I think he had a great musical sense. If he can capture the public’s taste, he can make a long-running hit song.”

***

After Kim Joo Young’s rediscovery, Lee Joo Hyuk asked for opinions from other members whenever he worked on a song.

“Hyung, is this really helpful?”

“Of course.”

Lee Joo Hyuk smiled at Ian’s question. 

AWY had received songs from the hit-makers Blue Mix and Jung Se Joon, so he felt pressured to present his own song as the next one.

But he realized that it was too heavy to carry it alone, so he asked for feedback from the members. 

They were the ones who would sing the song anyway.

“How about this?”

“Oh… This is good. Where did you learn to compose?”

“Just a little bit?”

He didn’t expect his past composing experience to be so helpful. Ian laughed softly.

“Hyung, but I really have nothing in mind.”

“…Really?”

The members cut their free time to gather in the composing room for Joo Hyuk. 

They studied together, played pranks like hidden cameras, and chatted about trivial things.

Joo Hyuk observed them and put the mood that came to his mind into the song.

Even Jo Tae Woong acted out his previous roles in front of the members.

“Then just play any melody.”

Joo Hyuk tapped the keyboard. Jo Tae Woong sat in front of the keyboard with a doubtful face.

“I don’t know how to play piano.”

“Then play with your feet.”

And Jo Tae Woong really played with his feet. Ian quietly took a picture of that scene.

***

The members who habitually visited the composing room gathered one by one.

“What? Joo Hyuk hyung is not here.”

“Wasn’t he a ghost here?”

“He must have finished his work.”

They didn’t see Joo Hyuk who always stared at the monitor. 

He arrived last, with a face that showed he had slept well after finishing his work last night.

“Guys, I have a guide now… Do you want to listen?”

“Finally!”

The members shouted. 

It was a song they made together in a way, so they all had high expectations.

Joo Hyuk played the song. It was a song that he recorded all by himself, including the guide vocal.

“Wow.”

“Isn’t it good?”

The members exclaimed as a sophisticated Latin pop song filled the studio. 

The melody was catchy from the intro.

‘Is it just me who likes it? What do you think?’

[Well… It’s not bad.]

That was a very positive reaction from Jin.

“We don’t need a blind test for this, right? It will totally beat the other songs.”

“There’s more.”

“There’s more?”

Lee Joo Hyuk turned his laptop and showed it to the members.

“…How many songs are these?”

The computer folder was full of files with names like _final, _finalfinal, _nailedit, etc.

“These are all done except for recording?”

“Well, there’s still post-production, but yeah.”

“Wow…”

“But these are not the songs I’ve been working on alone. These are the ones I wrote with you guys. You all did a great job.”

Lee Joo Hyuk played the songs one by one. 

The members gaped. 

The number of songs was not something that could be produced in a short time, and the quality of the songs was very high.

‘Did he get possessed by a god?’

[Wow… This is good too.]

Jin was immersed in the music. 

The members clapped after the last song ended.

“Wow, hyung, this is amazing.”

“Seriously, these are not just good because they’re our hyung’s songs. They’re all masterpieces.”

“Let’s go for all-title tracks.”

The members flattered him. Kim Hyun took out a small jelly bag from his pocket and handed it to Lee Joo Hyuk.

“Hyung, don’t die.”

“Let’s make a committee to prevent Lee Joo Hyuk’s overwork death.”

“Hyung, let’s stay together for a long time.”

The other members also gave him snacks one by one. 

Lee Joo Hyuk laughed and accepted their gratitude.

“I don’t have anything like that… But this.”

“Oh, come on.”

“Why!”

Of course, he didn’t take the pine leaf drink that Ian offered.