NOVEL NEXT Chapter 22
What Does It Feel Like To Lose?
Grade B Translation: Manually edited MTL. Translated and interpreted as best as I can.Mixed with some Korean terms. Misinterpretation may occur due to limited comprehensive ability.
Awkward English, bad grammar, and typos may often occur as Translator is not fluent in English and not edited by Editor nor proofed by Proofreader.
BHL Ent’s CEO Lee Byung Hun has been in a good mood these days. Black Rush’s recently released album sales increased by 60,000 copies and although a rookie, Awy’s portal community indicators were rising noticeably.
A ‘return initiation’ exclusive interview with Kim Hee Sang, the legend of the music industry and the god of singing ability.
…And when asked if any singers caught his eyes these days, he picked Seo Ji Woong, Lee Hyun Ah, and Awy who was together on K Station’s year-end stage.
He said, “It was good to see young friends working hard. In particular, I was surprised with a friend named Choi Ian who could harmonize in that short time.”
He also picked Awy as the singer he wanted to work with later. “I want to show music that encompasses generations. I think idol friends are amazing these days.” he said with a kind smile.
Lee Byung Hun looked satisfied with Kim Hee Sang’s interview. He heard that K Station will launch a music-related program, so wouldn’t it be a good thing to look forward to?
He accessed the music site with little expectation. Awy as expected was still not in the rankings. He must have eaten kimchi soup in bulk since a bowl wasn’t enough1Drinking kimchi soup is a metaphor similar to counting chicks in advance. , but it was still too early to expect the sound source.
“Who’s this guy?”
When Lee Byung Hun scrolled up again, a singer who took 1st place, beating the fandom streaming-type Mydea and public favorite Lee Hyun Ah, stood out.
Deok Dae Seung, it’s a name like tteok-twi-sun2A combination of tteokbokki, twigim(fried food/tempura), and soondae(blood sausage). Dad jokes. Really something like what my dad would say. . He put on earphones and played the song. He frowned not long after he heard it. This kind of cow-driving sentimental music from the early 2000s is number one? The lyrics are also spectacular.
Asleep? Look at me again. I miss you, so I got drunk. Sorry, I gave you a 5,000 won couple ring ‘cuz there’s no money.
You don’t even have money to buy couple rings, but you drink enough to get drunk. Really, acting as if terribly miserable.
In 4th place, there was also another unknown singer. Hwang Chan Wook, what’s with this punk too. When he heard it, it wasn’t an addictive melody and about getting drunk too.
Lee Byung Hun doubted his sense of whether these songs really deserved to be in the top 10.
“Did you see the chart? Saw it?”
Lee Byung Hun eventually went downstairs. Oh, you all saw it… Director Seo Su Ryeon and other employees had cloudy eyes.
“Ah. That thing, sir? There are a lot of talks these days.”
“How can a song like this rank 1st and 4th? Are there any trends that I don’t know about?”
“It’s a reasonable doubt, but it’s likely sajaegi3 사재기. The literal meaning is hoarding or illegal bulk buying. But in the music industry referring to chart manipulation, especially using bots to repeatedly stream songs. .”
“Those bastards are still alive?”
Lee Byung Hun was shocked. When he established an entertainment company and launched his first singer, a broker contacted him and said would push him to 1st place for 100 million won.
“Yes. If the graph is similar to Mydea at dawn, it’s a no-brainer.”
“To beat Mydea’s 1.2 million in the first week? Such a corrupt…”
“To do that, at least they should’ve come out here and there on TV and made us know their name. But, aren’t they unheard of names?”
Fandom streaming-type idols have many users at dawn hours. There is no way that an unheard-of song can beat an idol fandom who sleeps with all the songs on the album playing.
Idol fandom even downloads massively on time, organizes streaming lists, and streams them systematically.
The popular Lee Hyun Ah also saw a decrease in the number of users at dawn hours.
“Do you know what they said when the suspicion grew? It’s Social Media’s pick4A coin(?) word from the Produce 101 series. The chosen one(?). , because their songs have dawn sentimentality.”
“If you’re drunk and the film is cut off, go to an alcoholism center.”
“If you only have 10,000 won in your pocket and can’t buy food, go to Kimbap Heaven.”
The employees sighed. It was a chart that they also looked at quickly and smartly during Black Rush’s comeback. Even then, sajaegi was booming, so they unfortunately missed the opportunity to make it to the top 10.
“Even if they are called bizarre and get swear, I want to see our kids line up on charts.”
“By the way, aren’t they going to Imjingak today?”
“Yes, but today’s weather is crazy.”
What to do with the kids if it is too cold? Seo Su Ryeon looked out the window with worried eyes.
***
“Hyung, please put this in too.”
Ian held out a Boston bag full of contents to the manager. The manager who opened the trunk of the car received the bag, but it was quite heavy. Kim Ju Young was bringing an armful of blankets.
“What’s this? Hot packs? Hyung also bought a lot, though.”
“Ian prepared these blankets, too.”
As if the blankets were new, each was wrapped in plastic. Kim Ju Young shoved the blankets into an appropriate corner. Manager Park Dong Soo also bought a lot, but he did not bring as much as Ian.
“The more the better, Hyung. It’s minus 12 degrees today, but do you know how much it feels? 20 degrees.”
Jo Tae Woong made a fuss.
“It must be quite a lot of money? If you give me the receipt, I’ll take care of the expenses.”
“It is okay. Since there are a lot, Hyung can use it and share them with the seniors as well.”
“Ian is thoughtful.”
What thoughtful, it’s image management. Ian swallowed it inside and laughed. Jin was grumbling behind him, saying he was an abominable guy.
On the way to Paju, there was traffic even though it was not peak hours as it was the last day of the year.
“Did you see Sonsaeng nim’s interview? He even mentioned our group?”
“Of course, I saw it. Keuh, won’t it be good if all seniors in the world are like him.”
Everyone chatted except for Park Seo Dam, who slept well with his eyes closed.
“My relatives called my mother after the broadcast.”
“So, did you get aunties’ true education, Hyung?”
“Ah, of course. I was on the same screen as that Kim Hee Sang Sonsaeng nim.”
Park Jin Hyuk was noticeably elated.
“Oh my~ Did you know that Kim Hee Sang praised our children after broadcast~”
“Ah, Hyung!”
“He really shouldn’t act.”
When Park Jin Hyuk impersonated his mother with a coquettish voice, everyone’s shoulders were shaken. Lee Joo Hyuk, who was sitting in the back seat, threw a neck pillow on Park Jin Hyuk’s head.
“I hope we can go out on many broadcasts next year.”
“We will be.”
Ian replied to Lee Joo Hyuk’s words. Awy will wrap up their first album promotion with today’s broadcast.
They were going to shoot their self-produced content, do personal broadcasts on Y-app, and shoot pictorials without a break.
The inflow trend was unexpectedly so good that the company planned to keep the baits5New contents, especially to feed fans. from drying out even during the break.
“We’re here.”
“Woah, it looks cold already.”
Since there were no tall buildings, the open park looked even more desolate because the grass was not green.
“Let’s go in.”
‘Come to think of it, where’s that guy?’
Ian followed the members to the waiting room and looked back. He couldn’t see Jin who was still next to him in the front of the dorm.
***
“Eugh, save me.”
“Isn’t the wind too strong?”
It was only 5 minutes ago that they bragged that it was worth it to stick hot packs all over the body like plaster.
Ian and members stuck to each other like magnets in the biting wind. The way they gathered wearing black long padding jackets looked like penguins.
“Hyung!”
Kim Hyun and Kim Ju Young welcomed the dancers who had just come up. The time was tight and the weather was cold, so they wondered if they could cast them, but the dance team they knew readily accepted.
“Take this first, please.”
Ian and members handed out the pre-prepared hot packs to the dance team. The dance team was full of laughter even in the cold weather.
“What the, did you take care of it yourself? That’s touching.”
“I’ll use it well.”
While the dance team was sharing the hot packs, several staff came up to explain how the stage would be going.
Ian also distributed hot packs to the staff. Today’s concept is serial hot pack killer6Ian used a pun here, mixing the word hot pack and serial killer. Not quite good though in English. He is doing a crime by killing(?) everyone with hot packs. .
“Awy rehearsal is over.”
“Thank you for your hard work!”
The rehearsal is over. The members’ ears were red from the cold.
He could see some people filming fancams, but he didn’t really need Jin. Since the rehearsal fancam is trying to watch the members being playful and dancing lightly.
And the company’s video team was also filming behindcams with the permission of the broadcasting station.
“Waiting room race, go? The last person to arrive is today’s shuttle7
A slang(?) used especially by students to call someone who is doing errands like buying something. Most notably is ‘bread shuttle’, where bullies order someone ‘the shuttle’ to buy them bread in the school canteen. A slave-like entity(?). Anyway, Awy used this in a friendly tone. !”At the same time as Jo Tae Woong shouted, he ran. If everyone ignored it, such a small bet would disappear, but that desire to win has always been a problem.
“Not shuttle!”
When Kim Ju Young ran to the automatic reflex, the wary Park Seo Dam and Park Jin Hyuk followed.
“Ridiculous.”
Ian stretched his legs out and did simple stretching.
“Why run like that, what to do if they fall.”
“Ian-ah. You know, right?”
Only the remaining three were relaxed. Ian handed over the long padding jacket to Kim Hyun. It was cold, but it was tolerable because he was going in soon.
Naturally receiving the padding, Kim Hyun threw Ian a thumbs up. Lee Joo Hyuk rubbed Ian’s shoulders.
“I just have to go and stop Jo Tae Woong, right?”
If there’s one thing Jo Tae Woong overlooked, it’s that Ian is a former high school football player, and bets like this usually go to the person who suggested it first.
Just at the right time, there were not many people on the way to the waiting room. Ian quickly beat the three who went first. At a short distance from the waiting room, Ian stepped on the right wall and jumped to the opposite direction.
“You can’t pass.”
Overtaking Jo Tae Woong in an instant, Ian just learned for the first time that this body knows parkour too. As Ian blocked the front of the waiting room, Jo Tae Woong screamed.
“I was the first one to go, so why is it you again!”
“What does it feel like to lose? I’m scared of myself, too.”
“Ian-ah, ma friend. Hyung nim!”
Jo Tae Woong tried to get in, but Ian didn’t move even an inch. The following Kim Ju Young laughed silently and blocked Jo Tae Woong. Then Park Seo Dam and Park Jin Hyuk slipped into the gap that Ian had left.
“Knowing you’re going to lose, why did it again.”
“You can’t beat Choi Ian with this.”
“Won’t a dance battle be possible?”
“Aren’t you two pretty much the same? And that can’t be evaluated objectively.”
Lee Joo Hyuk and Kim Hyun, who walked leisurely, crumpled up and entered the waiting room.
“Ju Young-ah put your foot in.”
“Okie.”
Ian and Kim Ju Young took a step into the waiting room as they blocked Jo Tae Woong.
“Shuttle Jo, please go get some water.”
“Don’t wannaaa!”
Jo Tae Woong knelt on both knees and screamed. It makes me want to do more if the reaction is that strong. He’s a really fun guy to tease.
“Woah, guys. You’ll do well even if you film a chase.”
And the company’s video team, who was filming this situation, glinted, saying that he found good material. Ian should have sensed something ominous at this time.
However, he couldn’t see the facial expressions of the employees because he was paying attention to Jin, who popped out of nowhere.
‘What the? Where have you been?’
［Went to see someone.]
Jin’s voice answering was somewhat weak.
* * *
［Why did you play with Choi Ian’s emotions? Were you jealous of him being reborn?]
［Dunno…]
［We couldn’t assume the variable that the negative energy of your soul would shake human emotions.]
［…]
［Well… It was your specialty to create conflict in a similar way.]
It’s my negligence. Grim Reaper stroked the lens of the camera. It was a gesture as if to lock something.
［Since then, you have been helping diligently despite being annoyed.]
It was a dry voice with no emotion. Grim Reaper put the camera he was holding in the air.
The camera did not fall to the floor and floated on the spot.
［Yeah, how was it?]
［…]
［You didn’t look for the ‘body’.]
Jin was silent. Grim Reaper raised one corner of his mouth. It was an awkward smile because his eyes were still not smiling.
［Well, it doesn’t matter. Just follow the contract.]
Grim Reaper said as he scattered like smoke.
［Because he’s your way to live.]