Damn Idol Episode 7
* * *
Lion Entertainment.
LPL Entertainment.
Double M Entertainment.
These three companies are commonly referred to as the top three entertainment companies in Korea.
In fact, if they strictly consider sales, it has been a long time since they were not in the top 3 in the industry, excluding Double M.
However, the public still regarded these three companies as having the highest name value, so they were called the top three agencies.
One of them, Choi Dae-ho, CEO of Lion Entertainment, planned an ambitious project one day.
"...... What do you want us to do?"
"I mean, in-house survival."
Choi Dae-ho.
His name is a big tiger, but he acts like a wildcat.
No, he's like a cat.
Cats may be cute, but they cause harm to humans.
That's why it's Lion Entertainment.
It was inevitable that the reactions of the fans he saw while monitoring yesterday were automatically replayed in the team leader of the planning team.
"CEO. Does that make sense?"
"What's not?"
"We have already organized the debut group into five members and are preparing for debut. They even included their debut song in their team name. What kind of in-house survival is happening here?"
Team name, Take Scene (TAKE#).
Debut song, scene stealer.
Everything is ready.
But suddenly, let's add a few more trainees and have a survival show?
This is ridiculous.
Even if a great genius appears and joins after passing all of the survival stages, the team chemistry is bound to be ruined.
"The competition must end before the debut group setting. I am against it."
"Wait, wait. Team Leader Park. I guess you misunderstood something."
"Please tell me."
"We have to tie all five of our kids together. How did you train them and how did you select them? Who are you putting in there?"
"Sure?"
"What I'm saying is, let's do it five to five. We will split teams into teams A and B, and the winner will debut."
"Yes? Team A will of course be take scene........ Where do we get the B team? If we bring in trainees who have already been eliminated, there won't be any tension, right?"
CEO Choi Dae-ho responded to Team Leader Park's words.
"Now we have to pick it."
"Where? From the inside?"
"No. Let's get applicants from all over the country to participate in this survival event. Debut immediately after winning. Aren't there a lot of kids who would be tempted? Because we're going to broadcast it too."
Team Leader Park blinked.
Park Seung-won started as a road manager with no experience and became team leader after 7 years.
Although he was promoted too quickly and his rank remains at team leader, his actual treatment is not much different from that of the head of a business division.
This meant that he was an extremely capable person, and that he read CEO Choi's meaning between the lines.
"You mean to give it a narrative?"
"Right. Isn't it a bit difficult to hit the ground running these days when there are so many boy groups?"
"What if the B team kids are okay? There will be anti-take scenes, right?"
"Anti is the force that unites the fandom, right?"
"Hmm.......While recruiting survival contestants, you also want to bring in some first-team trainees, right?"
"Also. Our team leader Park."
In an era where there are millions of aspiring celebrities, there are an abundance of trainees.
However, there is always a shortage of trainees with real talent.
Moreover, even if you have talent, it takes time for it to mature, and those who stand out are quickly transferred to small or medium-sized agencies.
It was because they wanted to debut as quickly as possible.
Recruiting survival personnel can be a trick in that regard.
To put it bluntly, Team B could become the follow-up boy group to Take Scene.
While the planning team leader was lost in thought, CEO Choi Dae-ho spoke in a subdued voice.
"How is it okay?"
"I think it will be okay as long as two things are resolved."
"What?"
"First of all, it's confirmed that Take Scene will debut, right?"
"Do you think you should ask this? Do our kids suck? If we gather five people who can sing and have them compete, is it enough for them to lose?"
Idol is a profession that is sometimes disparaged and sometimes ignored.
However, in reality, the tears and sweat that must be shed to become an idol are by no means small.
The talent of a musician and that of an idol are clearly different.
"Still, kids may take it differently. They may get tired of the constant competition."
"Then convey it unofficially. Just a nuance."
"It's for promotion?"
"Okay. What's the second one?"
"What is the cause? If we want survival like this, we have to have a good reason."
'Actually, this competition is all fake, it's a program made to make them watch our kids. There is no crazy person who would say, 'Oh, I will also secure trainees.'
So they needed a plausible reason.
At that moment, Choi Dae-ho avoided his eyes.
"...... ?"
"...... I couldn't think of anything. Until there."
"...... !"
"...... "Please."
"...... !!!"
Although his name was a big tiger, the representative guy was no better than a wildcat and ended up giving him a lot of overtime work.
This was 4 months ago.
It will be aired under the title <COMING UP NEXT> in collaboration with a cable channel called M Show.
With Han Si-on's participation, things will jump out in directions they never imagined.
This was when the program was planned.
* * *
"Yes. Uncle. I already ate rice. What about uncle?"
I left LB Studio while talking on the phone with Uncle Hyun-soo.
Originally, I had planned to stay until midnight on Sunday when my uncle was leaving, but the boss said I could stay as long as I wanted, so I stayed one more day.
They didn't take the money.
Instead, he coaxed me to watch me compose and I said okay.......
"Why! Why! Why!"
He cried later.
Why not become a producer or composer instead of being an idol?
If it's an idol you want, why not form an idol band?
There are places I can recommend.
But, it's not good.
From my perspective, in this life, I have to challenge the idol with the most typical style.
If an idol has a unique or original concept, there is a high possibility that errors in information collection will occur.
So I flatly refused and asked to be recommended only for Lion Entertainment's Survival.
I don't really need a recommendation, but it's convenient to receive.
Afterwards, I heard about the plan for Coming Up Next from a crying Lee Hyun-seok.
This is a program created to promote a team whose debut has already been decided, and no matter what they do, debut will be impossible.
Everyone knows this, so try to find another way.
But after listening to the explanation, I thought it was even more attractive.
First of all, they broadcast it.
I can let the world know that a product called Han Si-on exists.
I don't have a very handsome face, but it's not so much that viewers find it unappealing.
It has its own charm.
This is not my opinion, this is what I heard from the style team that takes care of only the top actors in Hollywood.
So, even if the broadcast shows only half of my skills, I will immediately receive love calls saying they will debut me.
When I looked at the recruitment notice, it said that those who were eliminated from survival were free to choose where to go.
Of course, Lion Entertainment isn't a pushover and will try to keep me as a trainee somehow, but I'm not the type of person who should suffer that.
If there's one thing I've realized while living a longer life than others, it's that it's generally better to make a choice than to be chosen.
I don't want to be chosen by a company that is worried about whether to debut me or not.
I want to personally choose the company that wants to debut me.
The second attraction was that you could learn about the lives of idols in a short period of time.
I don't know much about idols, and it's been too long since I spent time in Korea.
I definitely need an adjustment period, and the program called Coming Up Next will help me adjust quickly.
And last.
This is the most important.
At least I won't get tired of Coming Up Next.
Even now, if I try to audition as a trainee at Entertainment, I am confident that I will be selected.
I am confident that I will definitely debut through my trainee life.
But that's so boring.
You will learn what you know how to do, and you will be pointed out what you can do.
Even to those who are worse than me.
I don't have the patience to endure this.
If you think about my regression rules, there is no guarantee that I won't regress without realizing it.
That's why I wanted to appear on Coming Up Next.
Of course, Lion Entertainment may not choose me, but.......
If it's a company that doesn't have that level of insight, it's probably not the place to learn something.
-Zion?
"Oh, just block my uncle's number."
-No matter what, they are still relatives.......
"He said he lived far away and didn't come to visit, but he came in a hurry when they were told he could be my guardian. Trash."
-...... okay. I get it.
After finishing the call with Uncle Hyun-soo, I searched my wallet and found Seo Seung-hyun's business card from BVB Entertainment.
There are a total of 7 songs I made over the past 3 days.
Among them, with the exception of <The Crooks>, the remaining 6 songs were not newly composed.
Would it be accurate to say that I printed a song I composed in the past?
Anyway, they are all songs that were on the Billboard Hot 100, and were carefully selected songs that were also loved in Korea.
There are three No. 1 songs on the Hot 100, and the genres range from electronic pop to hip-hop.
I'm thinking of selling this.
Lee Hyun-seok of LB Studio said he would help if he wanted to sell the song, but it was Seo Seung-hyun who would handle the consignment sales.
This isn't the network I originally created for this purpose, but if it seems useful, I should use it.
'I guess I'll have to start with the guide first.'
I didn't record vocals in the studio.
I stayed up all night for almost three days and wasn't in any condition to sing.
Although it's a bit shabby, I have home recording equipment at home.
Even before my contract with the devil began, I was an aspiring singer.
Anyway, I'm a bit curious.
How will the Korean music industry, which revolves around idols, arrange my song, what lyrics will they add to it, and what singer will they give it to?
* * *
Seo Seung-hyun, head of the BVB Entertainment A&R team, went on a 5-day vacation including the weekend.
I hated the company I went to work for after such a long time, but what could I do?
I'm a slave to my salary.
When I opened my mailbox to take care of the backlog of work I had done while on vacation, I was surprised.
-Hello. Dreamcatcher Enter.........
-Hello. TNT Enter.......
-We are called PPN Entertainment.......
This was because emails from numerous entertainment companies caught my eye.
Due to the nature of the A&R team's work, there is not much interaction with other companies.
When we communicate, it is usually when there is conflict.
'What the hell is going on?'
When I looked at the email closely, I realized that it wasn't just from entertainment.
Some come from indie bands active in Hongdae, while others come from advertising companies.
Seo Seung-hyun moved the mouse to check the identity of the unknown mail bomb.
And then he tilted his head.
The content of the email was largely the same.
I want to buy the song you posted on SoundCloud.
Sound Cloud.
Sakeul for short.
A platform where indie musicians can freely upload songs.
This is a place where I've been hearing stories for three years now that it's running a deficit every year and will disappear next year.
Every time that happens, singers from American soccer groups send donations to maintain the place.
It's like an oasis in the indie scene.
But.......
'I haven't uploaded any songs to SCL?'
Since I first got a job at BVB, I haven't done any composing.
I traced back the name of the song written in the email to see if there was an error.
When I clicked on the account contacted by so many companies, the artist's name was confirmed.
HAN SI ON.
'Han Si-on?'
Where have I heard.......
'Ah? That kid from back then?'
A polite and handsome young employee at H&R Corporation.
He said he would settle down in Korea.
But why would they send an email to him using Han Si-on's SoundCloud account?
Seo Seung-hyun, who thought so, soon discovered his email address written in the artist's account information.
<SHSEO@BVB.COM>
This ridiculous guy wrote someone else's work email into his social network account.
'What kind of mistake are you making? No, is this a possible mistake?'
Seo Seung-hyun, who had finished understanding the situation, now became curious.
How on earth do you have to upload such good music to receive such a barrage of entertainment contacts?
There were 12 tracks uploaded, but only 6 songs.
He uploaded all the songs in two versions: an Inst version without vocals and an AR version with guide vocals.
Seo Seung-hyun played the track that Han Si-on had put on the cycle as if he were mesmerized.
Some time has passed.
After listening to the entire song, Seo Seung-hyun found his business card and called Han Si-on.
-The phone is turned off... ... .
"Why!"
Two of these songs must have been written for NOP!
He called again, but it was still off.
It couldn't be helped.
At that time, Han Si-on was undergoing testing at Lion Entertainment.
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