Chapter 214: New Beginning (2)
Kang Ha-Na's enchanting timbre vividly revealed her soul and emotions, captivating me completely.
Because of this reason, I momentarily put aside my questions about why they had moved the recording studio and started to immerse myself in Kang Ha-Na's singing.
『People say I can't do it. In painful moments, in hard times, they say it's all my fault. But I was a fool to not realize all that was just irresponsible meddling. So I mustered the courage although I was afraid. At that moment, a small path appeared before me. Hello, a different me from yesterday, hi~. Say goodbye to the hard days, bye~ A path no one else has taken, who knows if at the end of that path there might be a leprechaun's pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or an oasis in the desert. If I just stopped here, I'd be a mere ant struggling forever in a desert's antlion pit. So I took a step forward. Although I'm small like an ant, and my steps are short, the fact remains that I'm moving forward. Hello, a different me from yesterday, hi~ Say goodbye to the hard days, bye~...』
The lyrics spoke of forgetting the pains from the past caused by those around her and taking on a new life. Kang Ha-Na was expressing her determination to walk her own path despite all the struggles with her unique voice.
Yet desperation was also evident in her voice, perhaps because she thought that her failure to debut with Eye Stone Entertainment might have been due to her own lack of talent.
'There's no need to worry, Ha-Na,' I silently assured her.
Just when I thought I should reassure her, the song ended. Only then did my steps which had paused momentarily as I got lost in the song began to move again.
"Ran-Hee, let's go."
"Yes, Mr. Jung."
I headed toward Room 4 to console Kang Ha-Na. But just as I grabbed the doorknob of the recording studio, a different note mixed with the original guitar accompaniment began to filter in.
Ding~?
"Huh? A piano?"
A new version of Kang Ha-Na's title song, 'New Beginning,' began to flow from the recording studio.
***
Circumstances changed the future, sometimes for the better or the worse.
That was why any matter related to Kang Ha-Na had to be handled with care no matter how small. After all, actions done with good intentions could often lead to bad outcomes.
But now, a piano accompaniment was unexpectedly added to Kang Ha-Na's song. The situation had changed from that in my past life; it was no longer just an acoustic guitar being used.
A moment later, I opened the door to the recording studio after the version with the piano interlude finished. But an unbelievable scene unfolded inside.
"What's this?" I asked.
In a separate recording booth inside the studio, there was a grand piano engraved in gold with the brand Steinway & Sons.
In front of the piano was Kim Jong-Hoon positioning himself.
"Was Jong-Hoon the one playing it?" I muttered.
At that moment, Bang Seon-Woo, who was adjusting the control panel of the recording studio, turned around and said, "Oh, here you are, hyung."
"Hey. What's going on here?" I asked.
"Oh, the piano? Jong-Hoon hyung brought it over early this morning. He wanted to try adding piano accompaniment to Ha-Na noona's song."
"How did you manage to bring such a big thing here?"
"We called some people to disassemble and move it. It was actually done in no time."
That's when a chill ran down my spine.
'Surely he hasn't brought it from SJ Entertainment, has he?' I thought
The face of Lee Seo-Jun, president of SJ Entertainment, flashed through my mind. As Kim Jong-Hoon's stay at Hoop Entertainment extended under the guise of rehabilitation, Lee Seo-Jun had been sending me daily KkTalk messages because he was worried that we might snatch his prized franchise star who was trained with care ever since before his debut.
Of course, I had assured him several times that such a thing would not happen. But Lee Seo-Jun still did not trust my words.
"Ah. You guys moved to Studio 4 because of that?" I remarked.
Bang Seon-Woo nodded. "Yes. We all thought the biggest studio would be best since we're working together. Besides, there was no other place to put Jong-Hoon hyung's piano."
Fortunately, it wasn't the pressure from Singer Division 1 that had forced them to move the recording studio.
"Then I'll request that all the equipment here be upgraded. But next time, tell me in advance if you're moving rooms. Got it?" I replied.
"Okay!"
Just then, the door to the recording booth opened and Kang Ha-Na drenched in sweat stepped out. "Oppa! What did you think of my song?" Kang Ha-Na asked nervously.
"You know it~. It was obviously the best," I encouraged her.
Kang Ha-Na smiled and said, "That's a relief."
I calmly met Kang Ha-Na's eyes as she sighed in relief. "And you've heard about your MeTube debut schedule, right?"
"I have."
"We're scheduling the music shows right now, so take good care of your voice until then. We'll make a big splash once we've built up responses on MeTube."
At that moment, Kang Ha-Na's expression brightened significantly. "Okay, I got it."
Just as I expected, it turned out she had been worried about her debut.
That's when Do Ran-Hee laughed as if she couldn't believe it and asked, "Ha-Na, why do you react so differently when you talk to me compared to when Mr. Jung is here? You smile so brightly."
Kang Ha-Na waved her hands in denial at Do Ran-Hee's tease. "N-no. That's not it. It's just that the song recording went well today and I'm in a good mood. That's all."
Do Ran-Hee narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you..."
"What are you, what are you talking about?"
In all seriousness, there might be no more tedious job than being a singer for those who love to sing. Every album release involved singing the same song repeatedly, hundreds or even thousands of times. Moreover, worries such as whether the song will be a hit or whether the fans will like it also increased with each practice.
Confidence faded in singers as often as these questions tormented them.
But seeing how happy Kang Ha-Na became from just a word of praise, I thought I should compliment her more often to boost her confidence.
At that moment, Kim Jong-Hoon followed Kang Ha-Na out of the recording booth and raised his hand to greet me. "Hey~ I heard you're very busy. What brings you here at this time?"
"Speaking of which, what about you? You surely didn't bring your company's property here, did you?" I replied while pointing to the piano.
As I pointed to the piano inside the recording booth, a playful smile appeared on Kim Jong-Hoon's lips.
"Oh, you worry too much. It's my own piano," Kim Jong-Hoon clarified.
I let out a sigh. "That's a relief. I was worried..."
Kim Jong-Hoon made a face as if to say it was ridiculous. "Hey. Didn't you once tell me to live as I please without caring about what others think? You even vacated a room in the dorm for me to live with Seon-Woo. So why are you so concerned about our company's opinion?"
"I never thought you'd stay this long. I thought you'd leave in a few days."
Kim Jong-Hoon smiled. "If it bothers you that much, should I just move to Hoop Entertainment?"
At that moment, I imagined Lee Seo-Jun of SJ Entertainment furiously running over here and saying, "No, don't come! Go back! There's no place for you here!"
Actually, there wouldn't be anything wrong with Kim Jong-Hoon joining our company. But given that Lee Seo-Jun of SJ Entertainment treats him like family and his group members are still waiting for him, I had no intention of interfering with Kim Jong-Hoon.
"Okay, fine. Relax."
"But why the sudden piano?" I asked.
The success of the song would be guaranteed if we released the original version. But the problem was that the piano remix version I just heard wasn't bad either.
"While listening to Ha-Na's song, it felt like the mid and low ranges were lacking. So I thought it'd be good to enhance them a little bit. It just so happened that Seon-Woo recommended trying the piano," Kim Jong-Hoon explained.
Bang Seon-Woo joined the conversation. "Adding the piano as a base definitely improved the song. But Yoon-Ho hyung, which version do you like better?"
I was asked to choose between the original acoustic guitar version and the newly arranged version with added piano.
If I were to go by what I knew, I should choose the acoustic guitar version. However, the version with the piano did indeed sound better.
After a moment of thought, I asked Kang Ha-Na for her opinion. "Ha-Na, what do you think?"
Kang Ha-Na smiled and answered, "I really can't decide. So please, you choose for me, oppa."
At that moment, all eyes suddenly turned toward me.
***
We sat around the large sofa in Studio 4 and started the meeting.
I looked at everyone and said, "Let's hear others' opinions first."
I would choose the originally planned version for a stable success, but the piano version was exceptionally good.
At that moment, Do Ran-Hee spoke up. "Mr. Jung, what do you think about promoting Jong-Hoon oppa and Ha-Na together in a joint event? It seems like it could be very effective."
Kim Mi-Hye from the promotions division, who had come down to the studio upon being contacted, also agreed.
"There's still a lot of public curiosity about why Mr. Jong-Hoon suddenly halted his last album activities. I vote for Miss Ran-Hee's idea as well. I feel uneasy about borrowing Mr. Jong-Hoon's fame, but using his name could really help."
Kim Jong-Hoon responded with a smirk. "Well, you can use my name as much as you want if it helps. I've already talked to Mr. Lee about it."
Only then did I understand why Lee Seo-Jun from SJ Entertainment had been bombarding me with KkTalk messages.
"Thanks to that, your president keeps sending me messages non-stop and I've been ignoring them. Very thankful indeed," I said sarcastically to Kim Jong-Hoon.
Kim Jong-Hoon played along. "Hey, don't mention it. What are friends for, huh?"
After his past suicide attempt, Kim Jong-Hoon's personality changed 180 degrees. He used to be an extremely sensitive and sharp person with too many thoughts. However, perhaps because he had more friends to talk about music with lately, he had become cheerful and bright.
But as everyone suggested using Kim Jong-Hoon's name, it actually made my decision easier.
"Thanks for all your ideas. But for that reason, I think we should go with the original acoustic guitar version that Ha-Na played," I said.
Everyone wore perplexed expressions as they didn't expect me to pass up the opportunity to promote using Kim Jong-Hoon's name.
"Yoon-Ho, are you really going to release the acoustic version?" Kim Jong-Hoon asked in a puzzled tone.
I nodded. "Yes. To be honest, your participation in the session would definitely boost the promotion but I don't think we should do that this time."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want Kang Ha-Na's name overshadowed by yours."
"What?"
I made my intentions clear to the other talent agents as well. "To establish the personal brand of Singer-Songwriter Kang Ha-Na, Ha-Na has to start on her own whether we like it or not."
If we began by promoting Kang Ha-Na with Kim Jong-Hoon's name, it would weaken the image of Singer-Songwriter Kang Ha-Na. Even if he were to just participate as the pianist, Kim Jong-Hoon's name had more than enough impact to overshadow Kang Ha-Na's image.
At that moment, Kim Mi-Hye asked, "Mr. Jung. I understand your intention, but won't it be difficult to make Ha-Na's face known with the promotional budget allocated?"
I grinned in response, "I have no intention of throwing money at reporters."
"Then what are you planning to do?" She asked further.
"I have an idea. And if it goes as I think, it will be much more effective than soliciting publicity from reporters."
"How so?"
"I'll tell you about it later."
Having concluded the discussion, I asked Kang Ha-Na, "Ha-Na. This is what I think, but your decision is also very important. What do you think?"
Kang Ha-Na looked at me with unwavering eyes. "I told you. I'll do as you say, oppa."
As a talent agent, these moments were the most gratifying and thrilling—the fulfillment that came from my artist fully trusting me. Thanks to this, I smiled broadly at Kang Ha-Na.
At that moment, Kim Jong-Hoon, who had been deep in thought, pleaded, "Yoon-Ho, can't you save this song somehow? We could at least add the piano accompaniment as a separate track. I'm not saying this because I played it myself, but it really turned out well. It would be a shame not to use it"
I've always noticed that Kim Jong-Hoon's obsession with his music was similar to Bang Seon-Woo's.
When I looked around the surroundings, everyone seemed to feel the same way.
"I agree. It's too good to waste it."
"True! Mr. Jung, I agree as well."
I felt the same—it was indeed too good to waste.
While I was contemplating what to do, an idea struck me. "Hey, Jong-Hoon."
"Yep."
"Would it be okay to hide your name?" I asked.
"What do you mean by...wait, no way. Are you suggesting...?" Kim Jong-Hoon stuttered.
"Yes. If we use a pseudonym for the piano session, we can release the piano remix version as well. But we can only do so two weeks after the release of the original track."
Kim Jong-Hoon's mouth snapped shut. He seemed shocked that he couldn't even use his own name. After a long pause, he sighed deeply and said, "Okay, let's do that."
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes. But man, you're harsh. To the extent that I can't even use my name?"
"I'm sorry. Once Ha-Na gains recognition as a singer-songwriter, we can reveal your name."
"And when will that be?" Kim Jong-Hoon asked.
I held up three fingers.
"Three years? Come on. I know Ha-Na is talented, but that's too early..." Kim Jong-Hoon replied in disbelief.
I shook my head. "No, just wait three months. Everything will be clear by then."
At that moment, everyone's faces began to show a mixture of shock and confusion.
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