Chapter 32. A Stage that Widens Stages (4)

Translator: Synopsis

“So, you are determined.”

“…In fact… Yes.”

There was no hesitation in Min JinSeo’s answer.

Acting.

As she had decided, there was no tremble in her eyes.

KangYoon, who understood her will, calmly spoke.

“To say it coldly, this maybe an opportunity for you. There isn’t a precedent where our company had succeeded with an actor or an actress but, we have plenty of know-hows regarding singers. Perhaps it might be better to debut as a singer rather than an unsure actress.”

“…I know that.”

Min JinSeo was trembling slightly.

She knew well of KangYoon’s intentions while speaking those words. ‘How about debuting as a singer first then shifting to acting?’ – was what he meant.

However, Min JInSeo was firm with her decision.

“… I don’t have any talent in singing. It’s not interesting either. It’s tough for an actor or an actress to escape the bias of the people if he or she had shifted after being a singer, no matter what they do. I want to walk the path of an actress properly from the beginning. The more I practice, the more I find fun in acting. I don’t want to go back just because it’s difficult.”

Min JinSeo continued while putting power into her voice.

“After talking with you, I set on my path. I will become an actress. I practiced harder from that time onwards. I want to debut as an actress and grow as an actress.”

Perhaps it was a high-class worry.

However, KangYoon knew that her worries were serious.

Getting your dreams snapped because of being pushed around by others was a tragic thing.

‘What should I do?’

KangYoon fell into thought.

The Min JinSeo he knew had high chances of becoming successful.

She was a top-tier actress in KangYoon’s ‘past.’

‘If Min JinSeo left the company, then she might be able to spread out her dreams. The ‘past’ Min JinSeo was running on a path of success, and even after that she also… No, wait.”

KangYoon thought about Diros Entertainment where Min JinSeo went to in his ‘past’.

‘A few strange rumors were surrounding Diros Entertainment. Starting with rumors that she had a slave contract with them and the rumor that she had to do ‘service’… there were a lot of rumors. The truth of the situation wasn’t revealed, but it continued. In the end, it didn’t even make it to the media, but the noise kept continuing even as Min JinSeo’s success continued.’

If Min JinSeo went to Diros Entertainment for acting, will she have been happy?

KangYoon’s conclusion arrived here.

The fact that there was noise meant that there was a reason for it.

Diros Entertainment was a small company. Such a small entertainment company had achieved success with an actress in a short period.

Will it really have gone through the normal process?

‘I’m not sure, but they should have used a lot of bad methods.’

KangYoon organized his thoughts.

Will Min JinSeo really be happy if she went to Diros Entertainment?

Will she have a good environment to spread out her wings?

The conclusion was no.

For a better result, KangYoon began talking.

“Did some other entertainment company contact you?”

“……”

Min JinSeo twitched as if she was poked where it hurt. She was bad at concealing things. KangYoon knew that he was right and he grabbed his head.

“As expected.”

“It… was from a small… place.”

Min JinSeo shut her mouth after speaking vaguely.

However, when she met her eyes with KangYoon’s again, she started speaking carefully while looking down towards the ground.

“…Unlike the current company, they said that they would let me focus solely on acting. They also said that they would help me debut soon too…”

To MIn JinSeo, it was a very seductive condition.

An acting class on top of debut… There was nothing to compare with MG.

“By chance, is that company called, Diros Entertainment?”

“…Yes.”

At KangYoon’s pinpoint attack, Min JinSeo was really surprised.

It was to the point that she even thought that KangYoon knew everything.

This was something she had never talked about to any of the members in this company.

Min JinSeo became frightened as she didn’t know how KangYoon would react.

However, unlike her thoughts, KangYoon’s reaction was soft.

“What are you planning to do from now on?”

“I… don’t know yet.”

“If, you can continue acting here, will you remain here?”

“Sorry?”

Min JinSeo wondered what kind of thing KangYoon was talking about. Question colored her face.

“I think that you will definitely succeed if you become an actress. To be honest, I’m thinking that I shouldn’t let you go.”

“…Why?”

“I shouldn’t let go of an actress who will achieve success for sure, right?”

It was the same as last time. KangYoon kept speaking good words to Min JinSeo.

She didn’t hate those words, but it is hard to believe in them. In Min JInSeo’s eyes, there was doubt.

“You also said last time that I will definitely succeed. I really thank you. You made me able to walk my path. However, we didn’t even meet each other that many times. To you, I may just be one trainee out of countless of them… can you honestly say that easily that I will succeed? Aren’t you just saying that because you don’t want to let go of a trainee?”

As Min JinSeo was desperate, her reactions were extreme as well.

He could have said that she was rude, but KangYoon received her desperation head on.

“Should I show you evidence?”

“……”

“You just said that you were one of the countless trainees, right?”

“……”

“I will show you that you aren’t. As proof, I will solve your anxiety within this week. Instead, please delay your decisions for transferring to another company.”

“Sorry?”

Min JinSeo couldn’t understand what KangYoon was saying.

Solve her anxiety? She didn’t know what that meant.

KangYoon seemed to have read that as he repeated his words clearly.

“I will make you able to focus solely on acting in the future.”

KangYoon’s figure in the sunlight was very bright.

She was thankful for just those words. Who, in this company, ever put effort for her like this? Min JinSeo was very grateful for just that.

However, she suppressed her emotions and replied.

“…I understand.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

She tried her best to shake her head and erased her strange fantasy.

KangYoon, who made a promise with Min JinSeo, went back to his office after saying that resting time was over.

While looking at KangYoon’s wide back while he was going down the stairs, Min JinSeo quietly muttered.

“This week… Yes, if it’s just one week…”

Min JinSeo sighed while placing her arms on the hand bar.

***

The day of SeasonS’s performance.

KangYoon finished his breakfast before going to work and was changing his clothes.

“Oppa, you got a call.”

KangYoon was changing when HeeYoon came with his phone which was lying in the living room somewhere. KangYoon put down the tie he was going to wear and accepted the call.

“I received the call. Chief Han, Yes.. what? Son’s traffic accident?”

KangYoon’s voice became a pitch higher. The employee who was supposed to go couldn’t go now due to his son’s traffic accident.

“…I understand. I will go myself. Please look after the child. Yes.”

When seriousness filled KangYoon’s face after he ended the call, Hee Yoon, who was tying KangYoon’s tie for him, asked.

“Oppa, what is it? Was there an accident?”

“The employee who’s supposed to go to Daejeon can’t go. His son got caught up in a traffic accident.”

“Really? Then what will happen?”

“I think I need to go. And here, I planned to come back early and go with you to the hospital…”

KangYoon became sorry, and he avoided HeeYoon’s gaze. It was the day of the performance, but as he judged that there was nothing he should worry about. However, now, his schedule was all screwed up.

However, HeeYoon warmly smiled as if trying to console KangYoon.

“It’s alright. I heard you saying that they want you there anyway. It’s good.”

“If this continues, then I’ll have to keep doing that. I can’t differentiate whether I’m doing work as a planner or a consultant…”

“So what? If you have the skills, then you do both. Here you go, that’s done.”

HeeYoon splendidly tied KangYoon’s neck tie. The purple necktie went well with the white shirt.

“My oppa’s so cool.”

“Of course, your oppa’s the coolest. Then I’ll go. Don’t forget to go to the hospital.”

“I know.”

After receiving HeeYoon’s bidding, KangYoon headed towards the company. As he heads to take over chief Han’s work and go to Daejeon, he had to hurry. Of course, everything was something that he had instructed, so it didn’t take long.

KangYoon went to Seoul Station after preparing fast at the office. As he took the KTX(T/N: Korean Express Train, i.e., Bullet Train), it didn’t take long for him to arrive at Daejeon.

‘It’s here.’

When KangYoon had arrived, the technical rehearsal was already underway. KangYoon immediately handed the lightings memory to the lighting director and conversed with him for a bit. The lighting director marveled at the fact that KangYoon had brought something like a lights memory in a small event like this while saying that it was unheard of. When he stated that he would try his best even though he had come here with a relaxed mind, KangYoon said please and held out a packet of cigarettes. It was, in a sense, a bribe.[1]

KangYoon looked for the SeasonS members who were in the middle of practice after having borrowed a spare area.

“Huh? Hello.”

When KangYoon arrived even when he said he wouldn’t, everyone greeted him delightedly. Their morale rose sharply as if they just gained unexpected support. KangYoon gave out bottles of water he had bought, and the girls gathered like bees to honey. As they had already practiced a lot after arriving, they had all emptied the bottle by half at once.

“To think that the Team Leader would come himself, I’m surprised.”

When President Yoon MoonSoo spoke with both delight and a tinge of chilliness, KangYoon could only shrug his shoulders. There was no need to talk about the circumstances on his side.

“Oppa, we practiced really hard.”

Song HaNeul, who drank more than half of the bottle at once, boasted. No, it wasn’t just her.

“We practiced until late last night. We’re confident now.”

Kang HyeSeon also joined in. Everyone seemed to agree as they nodded when KangYoon nodded his head in understanding.

“I look forward to the rehearsal.”

“Yes!!”

After the technical rehearsal finished, it will go onto the pre-rehearsal.

When the SeasonS members were on the stage to dance a little and to confirm their line of sight, Jang HanNa expressed her complaint towards the monitor speaker which protruded out in the middle of the stage.

“This is a bit of a bother.”

“But without this, you won’t be able to listen to the song.”

The sound effects engineer replied worriedly. SeasonS didn’t have individual ear-microphones. In the end, if there was no monitor speaker, then they had to listen to the song with the main speaker. It wasn’t easy to listen to the song on the stage through the main speaker. It was because the song will be too quiet. At that moment, KangYoon who was at the front of the stage stepped in.

“We’re going with an AR(Music Recording + Voice) So let’s do without the monitor speaker.”

“But if we don’t listen to the song, then we might miss a beat.”

Moon JiHye asked worriedly. If one missed a beat, then the entire dance would crumble. It was a small stage, but today’s stage was critical to them. So, a tiny mistake would put them in a difficult position.

“The stage is small here. So, even without the monitor speaker, you would be able to listen to the song. Even if people gather, it’s an outdoor stage and looking at the position of the main speakers; you can hear the songs from them too. The main speaker is not at the front but up above.”

If the main speaker was at the front, then the sound will only spread out towards the audience so for the singers on the stage, monitor speakers were a must. However, if the main speaker was above or at the sides, then the sounds will flow into the stage as well. It didn’t happen a lot in big concerts, but in small concerts, it happened frequently.

KangYoon requested the sound effects engineer to remove the monitor speaker, and they rehearsed again. Then, although it was smaller than before, they could hear the song well.

“Is it alright?”

At the sound effects director’s words, the SeasonS members made a circle with their fingers. An OK sign.

They all did a thumbs up towards KangYoon while coming down from the stage. As they had little experience regarding stages, KangYoon’s help in this regard was excellent.

“He’s a hundred times better than our President.”

At Song HaNeul’s direct words, Kang HyeSeon agreed. Jang HanNa didn’t say anything, but she did agree while nodding. And…

“Should we just make him our President?”

Moon HyeSeon refreshingly struck the finisher. Only KangYoon, who didn’t know what kind of conversation went on between those words, held onto the rope of nervousness while looking at other singers’ stages.

.

.

.

Yen Department Store Opening Celebratory Concert.

As it was a department store opening event, there were a lot of people. There were a lot of singers as well, both famous ones and not famous ones. So when famous singers went on stage, people gathered, but when nonfamous singers went on stage, there was an extremely small amount of reaction from the people.

KangYoon marveled at such an extreme difference in reaction. In an ‘event’ the people’s reactions were mostly cold.

“Thank you.”

Clap clap clap.

When a nonfamous male singer finished his stage, people lightly applauded. After his stage was over, the MC went forward. He was a comedian who often showed up in TV shows.

“It’s a new singer this time as well.”

At those words, the people’s reactions weren’t that good. KangYoon shivered at the people who were trying to stand up while saying it wasn’t interesting. It didn’t even start, but their turn in the order of sequence wasn’t good. It was because the order of arrival of the singers were all twisted.

“I introduce to you. A new group, SeasonS!”

The people greeted them with an applause. However, it was just an applause in form.

‘Unni, I’m scared.’

Kang HyeSeon seemed to be scared of the sunken gazes of the people as she kept trying to look towards Jang HanNa. However, at that moment, she met her eyes with KangYoon’s who was in the middle of the audience, next to the sound effects engineer. KangYoon was signaling her.

‘It’s alright. Be calm.’

Kang HyeSeon, who received KangYoon’s signal, shivered for a brief moment before calming herself down. Now was the time to open the lid. She knew that if she was nervous now, then it might not do any good for her. It was rude to everyone including KangYoon, who prepared a lot. Time passed, and the people talked to each other, but KangYoon was relaxing them by signaling it was okay. The girls all took deep breaths and calmed down.

After he saw that they all calmed down, KangYoon signaled the engineers. The start signal.

“Huh? What’s that?”

All lights went off, and the green lasers started beautifully decorating the stage. With a surprise from the audience, the mood reversed instantly. The people who didn’t have much of a reaction until now started turning their gazes towards SeasonS, who they thought was just side mobs after they reacted to the big stimulation.

[1] A lighting memory is essentially a guide to how he would like the lighting to go aka positioning and timing of the lights/ colours of the lights.