Chapter 146: Saving private Jo A-Young, Part 1

There was a term for people who performed better under pressure, those who thrived in real-life situations.

They might not always be the most prepared, but they could weave together information and counterarguments based on their existing knowledge.

What was the opposite of that?

“Hmm…”

Someone who choked under pressure.

And surprisingly, the I-cup woman before Hayoon was a severe choker.

‘This is tricky.’

Jo A-yeong. Vivian.

Her assigned song was “Witch’s Forest.” Like Baek-seol’s song, it followed a J-Pop chord progression, but with a strong band sound and a structure similar to Korean ballads.

It wasn’t a particularly difficult song, and the prominent band sound meant the vocals didn’t need to be overly emotive.

Hayoon wasn’t that clueless a producer. However…

“Wi-witch’s fo-forest, the wind whi-whispers…”

This was bad.

Jo A-yeong wasn’t a great singer, but she wasn’t terrible either.

On a karaoke machine, Hong Seo-hyun and Seo Ji-woo consistently scored around 95, Baek-seol around 87, and Jo A-yeong around 84. Decent enough.

“Whis-pers of sad-sadness in my ear…”

Her pronunciation and pitch were all over the place, purely due to nerves.

Receiving an original song, written just for her, had made her far more anxious than usual.

“She’s not a performer. She’s choking.”

“Yeah, I can see that.”

Jo A-yeong knew she was messing up, but Hayoon didn’t interrupt.

Her voice wavered, her lyrics stumbled, and the studio owner shook his head.

“She wasn’t this bad during the cover recordings. What’s going on?”

“The original song completely broke her. I’ve never seen this before…”

Hayoon felt a headache coming on.

She couldn’t use the same pressure tactics she used with Seo Ji-woo, and telling her to relax would only make it worse.

“So… was it… bad…?”

Jo A-yeong, sensing the heavy atmosphere, hesitantly asked for feedback.

She looked utterly defeated, like a dejected Seo Ji-woo, bracing for criticism.

However…

“You know you need to improve, right?”

“I know…”

Hayoon decided against harsh criticism.

They had less than 60 days until the concert.

“Let’s start with a familiar cover song to warm up your voice.”

This wasn’t something that could be solved with pressure.

Positive reinforcement was needed.

Hayoon shifted their focus to a cover song to help Jo A-yeong regain her composure.

Jo A-yeong’s cover song performance wasn’t bad.

“Her Japanese pronunciation is good. Not perfect, but good enough for most listeners.”

“Still a bit shaky, but much better than the original song. Maybe because there’s more reference material?”

“Could be. Some singers rely heavily on references. They can sing well when imitating someone, but struggle on their own.”

“I don’t know… It doesn’t feel like she’s just imitating…”

It seemed the pressure of performing an original song, written specifically for her, was the main issue.

If it were just stage fright, her struggles would have been apparent during the earlier cover recordings.

“I think the pressure is the bigger problem. Any solutions?”

“Pressure? Yeah, that’s likely it. The solution is simple! Just show her someone worse…”

The studio owner, having identified the problem, offered a solution, then paused, realizing the flaw in his logic.

“She’s the weakest singer in the group.”

“Right, I didn’t think of that…”

The best way to alleviate pressure was to show someone they weren’t the worst.

Show A someone worse, B.

But if Jo A-yeong was A, there was no B in Trinity.

The only option was to tackle the problem head-on.

“So, how was that? Better?”

“You’ve memorized the lyrics well.”

“Of course! I really like this song, so I’ve been practicing.”

“Excellent. The lyrics will be displayed on a monitor during the concert, so it will be even easier. The cover song is perfect as is.”

Grooming, more grooming. If alleviating pressure directly was impossible, then instilling confidence was the next best thing.

“Okay, let’s try ‘Witch’s Forest’ again, Unnie. You can do this!”

And so, fueled by this newfound confidence…

“Wi-witch’s fo-forest, the wind whi-whispers…”

“Okay, the pronunciation is still off. Let’s break it down syllable by syllable. You can do this, Unnie. This is how we practiced the cover songs, remember?”

“R-right…”

They meticulously dissected the song, syllable by syllable.

Unlike Seo Ji-woo and Hong Seo-hyun, Jo A-yeong wasn’t fluent in Japanese, so she memorized the pronunciation and lyrics phonetically for covers.

They applied the same method here.

The only difference was the language; the rhythmic and pronunciation challenges were the same.

“Witch’s Forest, the gentle breeze…”

“Good, good. Pronunciation is good. Now let’s focus on the rhythm. Emphasize the ending notes.”

They needed extra encouragement now.

The previous struggles with J-Pop covers stemmed from unfamiliarity with Japanese.

Now, the pressure was making her stumble even with Korean.

“Good, good.”

Hayoon showered her with praise, and after hours of painstaking practice, Jo A-yeong finally managed a decent rendition of the intro and part of the first verse.

The rest of the song was still rough, but…

“Min Hayoon would have made a great social worker. Her mental care skills are top-notch.”

The improvement was remarkable, considering her earlier state.

Even the studio owner praised Hayoon’s coaching abilities.

“Okay, let’s take two days off and come back in three days to practice. Unnie, practice enough to keep the momentum going, and let’s work together to create a performance we won’t regret. Promise?”

Hayoon, still not entirely reassured, continued praising and encouraging Jo A-yeong.

30 million won.

30 million won.

She couldn’t afford to fail.

She prayed Jo A-yeong would deliver a flawless performance.

Hayoon went into full “Jo A-yeong” (Jo A-yeong Makeover) mode.

She brought in a vocal coach and a lead vocalist to provide technical guidance and share their expertise. Jo A-yeong needed both encouragement and practical advice.

For every bit of constructive criticism from the instructors, Hayoon offered tenfold praise and support, pushing Jo A-yeong relentlessly.

“Hmm, hmm, how was that?”

“Sounds good, right, owner?”

“The overall quality has improved significantly. A few more recording sessions to polish the rough edges, and the track will be ready.”

“
Nice!”

“Yes!”

By mid-to-late November, they were making good progress.

After recording the final version for release in the last week of November, they would move on to the unit’s first group song, “Omnibus,” which they had been practicing alongside their individual songs.

Once “Omnibus” was recorded, all pre-concert projects would be complete.

“So, the unit name is Trinity, and the group song is ‘Omnibus’?”

“Yes.”

“Min Hayoon, your naming sense is…”

“What’s wrong with it?”

While other titles might have been more creative, given BGG Company’s emphasis on individual Vtuber backstories, “Omnibus” felt like the perfect title for their first group song.

“People will love it. And if they don’t, I’ll make them love it.”

Hayoon was confident in their success.