chapter_0123

123 – A Word Without Legs Travels a Thousand Miles

123 – A Word Without Legs Travels a Thousand Miles

Before the recording, both the first-generation trainees and Majiya had already visited the CAT headquarters for preliminary lessons.

However, on the actual day of recording, everyone was in a frenzy, claiming they were nervous.

The significance of a recording studio is indeed peculiar.

It resembles a kind of stage without an audience where one must showcase what they’ve practiced in the lesson room under time constraints, striving for the best performance.

The time limitation arises because the number of recording studios is fixed.

In the case of All Might Production, which is responsible for Parallel, it is one of the five mainstream labels that have set up offices at the CAT headquarters, so it does have its own recording studio.

However, the work on Parallel’s songs isn’t the main focus.

Since they are currently working on it as an add-on to an ongoing project, time was not abundant.

At least, it was better than other small to medium-sized labels under CAT, which had to strictly adhere to their reserved time for shared recording studios.

In that case, once the reservation time was up, they had to leave without exception, but here, it was possible to extend or adjust the time a bit, considering the next schedule or circumstances.

In any case, it was a memory that all the members would never forget.

Maru, who was the most agitated, said this:

“It was always my dream when I was in practical music school. I never thought I would achieve it like this. It feels like I’m in heaven…? I’m nervous, but when I look around while singing, I feel at ease… Phew.”

Seeing Snowyn, who reached as far as the American Billboard, Rain, who flew to Korea wanting to become an idol rapper, was so moved that he forgot his English, unlike his usual noisy self.

“Crazy. Awesome. This is insane.”

For the members, it was a dream-like opportunity.

Thus, Majiya also prepared thoroughly until her turn came.

It was a whimsical dream she had joked about since the members’ debut.

To get even one step closer to gathering 100,000 spectators at the World Cup Stadium, Majiya could not afford to make mistakes.

As mentioned before, her role was featuring.

She was like a sweetener sprinkled on top of a beautifully served ice cream cone.

“Hello…?”

However, Majiya did not expect Chief Producer Na Hyun-gon to come in person.

Since Ena was busy preparing for the debut of the second-generation trainees, today was essentially a one-on-one meeting between Majiya and Na Hyun-gon.

Although Team Leader Kang accompanied them, as soon as Na Hyun-gon appeared, he realized it was an important discussion and subtly excused himself, recalling something he had forgotten.

“I heard you were visiting the headquarters today, so I came down for a bit. While I was here, I looked into some news, and it seems you had quite a few interesting events over the past two months.”

Majiya awkwardly smiled and replied.

“It just happened that way.”

“I’ve been keeping an eye on it, and even considering that I’m not very familiar with Virtual Youtuber broadcasts, it was quite entertaining. How should I put it? There’s definitely a strong appeal in Jia’s broadcasts.”

“That’s really flattering…”

As Majiya shivered at the compliment, Na Hyun-gon chuckled and got straight to the point.

“Anyway, I hope today’s recording goes smoothly as planned. Actually, I came here a bit forcefully because I wanted to ask you something.”

“Oh, yes. Please go ahead.”

“These days, there are widespread rumors that Jia is debuting. While it’s just a part of the chatter, it seems like her core fandom is talking as if the second-generation trainees are confirmed.”

You even looked into that?

Of course, he must have had someone check it out, but for Majiya, it was quite surprising how well-informed he was.

It had been a rather noisy affair, but honestly, it wasn’t something that the chief producer of a major agency necessarily needed to know.

“Since my daughter is close to Jia, I get a lot of information through her.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

“However, according to the reports I’ve received, it seems that not many people believe in the debut rumors. Sena seems to be almost certain about Jia’s debut, similar to her core fandom, so there must be some internal information that my daughter isn’t sharing, right?”

Majiya felt a bit flustered and lowered her gaze.

Now that she thought about it, Ena also seemed to have been caught off guard.

Na Hyun-gon continued with his questions.

“So, what is the truth? We are partners working on the music, after all. I would appreciate a little hint.”

In that moment, Majiya almost revealed the truth but remembered Cheon Do-hee and kept her mouth shut.

After organizing her thoughts, she said,

“Can I discuss it after consulting with our boss?”

Na Hyun-gon laughed heartily at that.

“Haha! Of course, of course. It’s not urgent. Take your time with your answer. I’m just really curious.”

It seemed a bit trivial for someone of his stature to focus on such minor details, but that wasn’t the case.

“If this song does well, we need to move on to the next step, and in trying to envision that picture, it seems like whether Majiya debuts or not will slightly change the course we take.”

“Should I ask right now?”

“No. As I mentioned earlier, it’s fine to let me know slowly. More than anything, we came here to record today, so it wouldn’t be right to take time away from that.”

Ultimately, since it was a matter for Cheon Do-hee to decide, it could be brushed aside, but Na Hyun-gon’s words carried the nuance that Majiya should be involved in the next project as well.

Having heard that, Majiya couldn’t just let it go without asking.

She had thought there might be additional music work depending on the results of this project, but from what Na Hyun-gon said, it sounded like a future plan was already laid out.

“Producer, can I ask just one question?”

“Yes, feel free.”

“Does my debut status really have that much impact on CAT’s plans? If it’s a sensitive matter within the company, you don’t have to answer. I’m just curious. I thought it might help when I talk to the boss.”

Na Hyun-gon stroked his chin and smiled.

“If you debut, the existence of Fan_C as a singer becomes meaningless. There’s no need to split people’s interest into two tracks.”

“Oh.”

“However, if Majiya doesn’t debut as a Virtual Youtuber, I plan to continue pushing Fan_C’s individual activities starting with this song.”

Since the topic was brought up, Na Hyun-gon elaborated on how he would develop Fan_C as a singer.

“I don’t intend to start from scratch. As you know, the music industry in our country is a serious red ocean, expecting a star’s slow growth. We need to ride on existing singers or establish equal presence to appeal to the public.”

As Majiya nodded with shining eyes, Na Hyun-gon continued.

“So, if Fan_C’s activities are formalized, I will first promote a collaboration song with Lee Yura and Jia, who are both under All Might Production. Their vocal colors are completely different, and if we maximize each other’s strengths, it will feel like fencing with songs. At the same time, if we open a music channel on YouTube and upload a version sung separately by Jia…”

However, the subsequent discussion became too technical for Majiya to fully grasp.

Seeing Majiya, who had always looked at him with sharp eyes, now deep in thought, Na Hyun-gon realized he might have said too much and held back.

“I’m sorry. Since Jia isn’t very familiar with this industry, I ended up talking a lot without realizing it because you understood what I was saying so well.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t understand everything, but it was interesting. More than anything, I’m really grateful that someone like you, a producer recognized in the industry, shares these insights. I hope to learn a lot whenever there’s an opportunity in the future.”

Although Na Hyun-gon had a high opinion of Majiya, as their meetings increased and their professional exchanges continued, that evaluation only rose.

Her attitude of diligently learning and striving in a field she wasn’t familiar with was the best work ethic a growing employee should have.

In Majiya’s case, her talents were so diverse that she was more than just an employee.

Well, it seemed she preferred to be recognized as an employee.

Na Hyun-gon smiled pleasantly.

“Then, since Jia arrived early, we have some time before the recording, so shall we talk more about it?”

“Yes.”

The recording went smoothly, and Majiya successfully delivered her prepared 100% without any nervousness.

During the session, the vocal guide made various requests, but just like when she recorded songs for the illegal duet, she understood and incorporated them well, earning compliments like, “There’s a reason you excel at impersonations.”

She was about to say that it just turned out this way because she worked hard at following along, but fearing it might come off as boastful, she simply expressed her gratitude.

In any case, the important thing was Na Hyun-gon’s request.

The next day, when Majiya reported the news, Cheon Do-hee’s jaw dropped.

“Are we really going to do a collaboration song with Lee Yura right after debuting as a singer…?”

“That’s what he said.”

Two and a half months ago, the Virtual Youtuber EULa had 2.5 million followers.

Using her real name transliterated like an English word, she had previously participated in illegal duet content and won awards with overwhelming performance.

She was recognized as one of the top talents.

When her videos were uploaded, there were more comments from overseas than domestically, proving her international popularity as a Virtual Youtuber, and her growth had not stopped, surpassing 2.7 million followers.

Recently, she appeared as a guest at the most beloved Virtual Youtuber concert in Japan, showcasing her popularity.

Collaborating with such a person.

Moreover, instead of a complementary form, the concept was to spark fireworks by highlighting each other’s strengths.

No matter how much Cheon Do-hee tried, revealing a rivalry with a singing genius like Lee Yura was a bit daunting.

Given how well the other person sang, it would require significant effort to match that level.

In any case, it was not an easy opponent.

But retreating was not an option.

After all, it was a project that Producer Na Hyun-gon had personally mentioned.

“Anyway, since it seems the producer has a vision in mind, I’ll schedule a separate meeting and make sure to inform you. You can focus on your own tasks.”

“Yes.”

Momo felt a strange mix of emotions.

Majiya, who was already overwhelmed with work within the company, seemed to be inundated with tasks from all sides even outside the company.

However, the dynamic of both Cheon Do-hee and Majiya simultaneously asking for work was already quite ideal.

It seemed that managing Majiya’s workload to prevent her from overworking would be Cheon Do-hee’s top priority.

“Speaking of which, is the preparation for the training of the kids next week going well? Are you not too tired with everything being busy lately?”

From Monday to Friday next week.

The members would receive training on how to deal with malicious individuals from the special instructor Majiya.

It was a curriculum that had also existed during the first generation, where Majiya would personally recreate numerous malicious encounters she had observed so far through chat or donations, causing chaos for the second-generation trainees.

For reference, during the first generation, Maru genuinely cried out of frustration, and Rain almost got into a fight with Majiya.

Perhaps a similar scene could be recreated during the second generation.

Each member had weaknesses they needed to focus on, so Majiya was quite looking forward to it.

Imagining the enjoyable (?) time she would spend with the second-generation trainees, Majiya wore a purely villainous smile.

“The enhanced version of the malicious template 2025 is waiting for you.”

A word from the author (Author’s note)

The ongoing series is like Schrödinger’s cat,

It can exist or not exist, and it can be both absent and present…

Even as I say this, I don’t know what I’m talking about.

Hehe.