Chapter 185
by Novelpia from Temu
Chapter 185
Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.
Episode 185: I’ll Be By Your Side
In the conference room where all of TwoBear’s staff were gathered, Cheon Aram asked again, looking troubled.
“So, Team Leader Seon, you’re saying we should change the main title track that’s already mastered and had its music video filmed?”
I hid my tension and spoke as calmly as I could.
“Not everything. I just want to change the direction. We won’t discard all the existing material.”
“But still, we’d have to rip open and redo the completed work, right?”
She was right.
What I was proposing was that reckless.
Since it was about changing the focus of the song, it wasn’t just rewriting or slightly tweaking—it fell within the realm of full rearrangement.
But even such a rearrangement meant reworking all the existing material.
Moreover, Girl Revolution’s comeback schedule was just around the corner.
If we had lots of time, maybe. But in this tight timeframe, revising the title track was no small thing.
Fully aware of all that, Cheon Aram still tried to consider my opinion as much as possible and said,
“Yeah, if the final product has problems, then even if we have to delay the comeback, even if we pay penalties for the schedules and promotions, we should change it. But Team Leader Seon, do you really think the current result is that bad? I’m embarrassed to say this as the CEO of an entertainment company, but I don’t know. It’s a good song, good choreography, good visuals. Is it really possible to get something better?”
All the TwoBear staff looked at me, unable to nod but clearly sharing the same question.
Everyone seemed to feel the same doubts as Cheon Aram.
“I would also like to speak to that point.”
It was Oh James, head of TwoBear’s A&R team, who responded to Cheon Aram’s essential question.
“The title track ‘I’ll be by your side’ that Team Leader Seon created is a song boasting the highest level of perfection.”
“Bold bass movements, string melodies, dazzling and dreamy synths, a bell sound center—forming a dramatic and unconventional harmony that unfolds uniquely.”
“…I’ll be blunt. Among pop dance tracks, songs of this quality are extremely rare.”
“Girl Revolution’s upcoming album will become a classic.”
“Other composers will disassemble and obsessively analyze ‘I’ll be by your side’ to try and copy it.”
“That’s the kind of song we’re talking about. The one we have right now.”
I smiled bitterly and said,
“Because Composer Oh James helped me.”
“…You’re saying I helped?”
Oh James frowned at me.
“No! Please stop that fake modesty!”
Then, his face flushing, he raised his voice in frustration.
“How can you come this far, make something like that, and still not have any confidence?”
“All I did was tweak the snare drum sound that was a bit too airy and refine how it plays back during mastering—was there anything else I even did?”
“Even my drunk-ass little brother can do that during mixing sessions!”
“Wait, why am I getting dragged into this…?”
Plagiarist composer Oh Jinwoo protested unfairly, but Oh James didn’t even glance at him and continued.
“Have I ever spoken lightly about music production?”
“Did you think my evaluation of you was just kindness?”
“No. Absolutely not!”
“This song is complete.”
“There’s no need to add or change anything.”
“This is the greatest achievement that Composer Seon Taeyang will accomplish.”
“When people hear this song, they’ll think of your name—it’s a life’s work.”
I shook my head.
“Exactly. That’s why. Right now, this song is still Seon Taeyang’s song.”
“And what’s wrong with it being Seon Taeyang’s song!”
Isabella tried to calm him down, but Oh James didn’t care and kept going.
“I’ve seen and understood that Team Leader Seon has been feeling depressed lately.”
“I sympathized too.”
“Probably because of anxiety and uncertainty about your work.”
“It’s tough.”
“That’s why I’ve been constantly telling you every chance I get.”
“‘This song is amazing. This song will be a hit. This song is the best!’”
“How many more times do I have to say it before your anxiety ends?”
“Have confidence!”
“I can keep praising you until you’re sick of it if that’s what it takes!”
“…”
It seemed that Oh James’s intense reactions lately had all been because of me.
I had been crushed under the weight of expectation, unconditional support, and praise.
Seeing that, Oh James chose to praise me even more aggressively.
Hoping I would gain more confidence.
In the end, what was hidden between the lines was pure goodwill.
…Really, human relationships are so complicated.
“…”
I bowed my head deeply before him.
“I’m sorry.”
“No… Team Leader Seon. There’s no need for you to apologize like that.”
“I just…”
“No. It’s my fault for not properly facing Composer Oh James’s kindness.”
“I’m really sorry for disappointing you, and…”
I lifted my head and spoke seriously.
“I’m going to disappoint you a little more.”
“…Huh?”
Under everyone’s gaze, I asked Cheon Aram,
“President Cheon.”
Cheon Aram smiled lightly and replied calmly.
“Yeah, Team Leader Seon.”
“‘I’ll be by your side’—whose song is it?”
“Obviously, it’s your song, Team Leader.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“…If not the person who wrote it, then whose is it?”
With conviction, with faith.
I said,
“This song belongs to Girl Revolution.”
With those words, I played the revised version of ‘I’ll be by your side’ that I had completed with the kids’ help yesterday.
It started with Oh Yoori’s vocals.
Charming, cute. Pretty.
The voice of a kid like Oh Yoori usually brings those images to mind.
And thanks to that charming allure, it helped solidify Oh Yoori’s image as the beloved maknae and fueled her otaku fanbase.
However, if you asked vocal experts if it was a suitable voice for singing, most would shake their heads.
Saying it’s better suited for streaming or variety shows.
But that’s what people say when they don’t really know Oh Yoori.
That girl knows how to act—not just when standing in front of a camera as an actress, but even when she’s singing.
She immerses, she draws you in, she becomes one with the moment.
And that immersion transforms into an overwhelming vocal appeal.
Just like now.
Next came Yeoreum’s vocals.
Yeoreum’s voice is elegant.
It goes beyond simple beauty, evoking an intangible sense of luxury.
If idols are beings who sell fantasies, then she would be among the most talented in the world.
Yeoreum’s voice spreads with such grace and nobility, as if she were on a different plane of existence.
Beautiful and mesmerizing enough to make anyone long to follow.
Next came our main vocalist, Gaeul’s voice.
Her voice carries an overwhelming and unrivaled emotional power.
One small verse, one short hum, just a few seconds—and that’s more than enough time to fall under Gaeul’s witch-like spell.
Right now, she doesn’t need much more.
And if she meets the right song, if just one more drop of experience is added to her,
Her voice will someday undoubtedly be called one of the best vocals representing this country.
And lastly, it was Gyeoul’s voice that decorated the ending.
Gyeoul’s voice is incredibly pure and clear.
Her voice is so pristine now that the memories of her struggling to fix bad habits under Cheon Jonghoon feel distant.
And that pure whiteness is like a blank canvas that can be painted with anything.
Gyeoul has learned, felt, and embraced lessons from countless emotional downpours, experiences, and cherished memories.
And all those stories she’s accumulated are richly drawn into her pure, white voice.
So that no one will ever forget her voice again—loud and clear.
“…”
The song ended like that.
And the staff who had been shaking their heads and showing doubts at my reckless proposal fell silent, as if their breaths had been taken away.
Among those lost for words, it was Oh James who spoke first.
“…This sticks out.”
Under everyone’s gaze, he put his impression into words.
“The previously rich and elegant strings, and the groovy bass—all of it is gone. The tightly tuned and layered sessions and trap beats have fallen apart. Only the vocals, which had been polished to raise the overall quality, burst out without any limits. It’s closer to lowering the original level of perfection.”
“That’s right. It sticks out. Each vocal is too individualistic. Instead of the song’s elements coming together as one, they’re being overwhelmed by the vocals. But was it bad?”
“…”
Oh James, Cheon Aram, Seo Soo-yeon, Lee Hyerin, Song Johan, Isabella, Seok Hyun-woo, Oh Jinwoo, Park Miso, Jo Narae, and Seo Eun-byeol—none of them denied those words.
And from seeing that, I gained certainty.
“When people hear this song, it shouldn’t be the composer they think of. Not the session musicians, and definitely not the manager. The only ones they should think of when they hear this song are Girl Revolution.”
Maybe my method was different, but it wasn’t wrong.
“And if we want to make them the protagonists, if we want to engrave the names Gyeoul, Gaeul, Yeoreum, and Yoori into people’s minds…”
“…”
“I think this is how the song needs to be changed.”
Cheon Aram looked straight into my determined eyes, then spoke to Seo Soo-yeon.
“…Soo-yeon, can we still reflect that suggestion within the schedule we have left?”
“It’ll be hard. But if we pour enough money and manpower into it, it’s not impossible.”
At those words, Cheon Aram gave a small chuckle and said it almost too easily.
“Then do it.”
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