Chapter 31
“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 very difficult for a 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 als… No, wait . ”
KangYoon thought about Diros Entertainment where Min JinSeo went to in his ‘past’ .
‘There were a few strange rumors 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 of time .
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 .
“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 will let me focus solely on acting . They also said that they will 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 was difficult 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 really 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 an evidence?”
“……”
“You just said that you were one of 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 with just those words . Who, in this company, ever put effort for her like this? Min JinSeo was very thankful just with that .
However, she suppressed her emotions and replied .
“…I understand . ”
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 suppose 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 suppose 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 head 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 lightings director and conversed with him for a bit . The lightings director marveled at the fact that KangYoon had brought something like a lightings memory in a small event like this while saying that it was unheard of . When he said that he would try his best even though he had come here with an easy mind, KangYoon said please and held out a packet of cigarettes . It was, in a sense, a bribe .
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 really practiced 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 is done, 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 small . 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 very important 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 listen to 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 very good .
“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 non famous singers went on stage, there was an extremly 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 non famous male singer finished his stage, people lightly clapped . 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 .