I Spent a Night with a Top Star Actress Chapter 11 - Crisis into opportunity.

I got off work and went straight home.

The message from the future, the bet with the Division Head, the flop group Twenty…

All that stimulation had left my body worn past limp, melting down into mush.

But why was it.

My body was dead tired, and my head was clear.

For one thing, the conversation with the rookie road, Lee Ye-ji, wouldn’t leave my head.

[“‘Youth Journey’, that’s a song Ga-eul wrote herself, words and music!”]

[“Director Kim Jang-hoon touched it up a bit, but Ga-eul wrote the words and the music, and you brought it up out of nowhere, Chief, so I guess she got anxious.”]

[“It’s a big issue, right? So she thought you were going to cut it from the track list.”]

In the end I couldn’t hold out, and got out a can of coffee.

Once the caffeine went in, my tangled head opened right up.

I let out a long breath and muttered slowly.

“…. So, let’s sort this out first.”

“Youth Journey”.

The song that takes the flop group Twenty to number one on the debut charts was written, words and music, by a member, Ga-eul?

‘Is there a case like this?’

Being an idol doesn’t mean your musicianship is weak.

The top copyright earner in this country is a former idol member.

But an idol who writes words and music from the start of her debut?

And a composer who made a song that grabs number one on the charts?

I’ll say it flat out: a case like this.

It isn’t common.

No, at least in what I know, there wasn’t one.

Right then I muttered without meaning to.

“…. I did think she was sharp, but that girl Ga-eul.”

Isn’t she a genius?

No.

I think she really is a genius?

Maybe I’m going a little too far.

But I’ve heard “Youth Journey” myself.

She’s barely in her early twenties.

And that an idol member who hasn’t even debuted yet wrote a song like that, words and music, is nothing but amazing.

Right then my heart started to pound.

-Thump, thump.

It shook so hard I could hear it up at my ears.

Inside that pounding, my curiosity about the Twenty girls turned into real interest.

The message from the future, the bet with the Division Head.

Regardless of the loud issues surrounding me right now, I’d started to want, as a manager, to raise the Twenty girls myself.

I clicked my tongue without meaning to.

“Ah, this isn’t good.”

What am I going to do, taking an interest in the Twenty girls at this point?

A guy who was digging in his heels about quitting only a few days ago?

“All right, first…. let’s sleep.”

I’m just too tired right now for my head to work properly.

Once I sleep and wake up, I’ll think differently.

I brushed my teeth and dove onto the mattress.

I’d had coffee a moment ago, but the second the soft blanket and pillow wrapped my face, a drowsiness I couldn’t fight came rolling in.

The thread of consciousness I was barely holding lost to the drowsiness and snapped clean.

In my fading consciousness a melody I still wasn’t used to came through.

[-Let’s go~ on a journey. Arms full of youth.]

Ah, this is going to drive me crazy.

---

The next day.

Instead of going in to Baekhak’s head office, I drove straight to the Sangam training center.

Normally you have to stop by head office even when you’re working outside, but it was a hassle, so I left Seok-du hyung a KakaoTalk message.

I could already hear Seok-du hyung’s nagging in my ears, but I decided to leave it to tomorrow’s me.

Chewing away at the McDonald’s breakfast I’d bought instead of a real one, I thought it over.

‘Today I’ll hear the Twenty girls sing “Youth Journey” for myself, and….’

If I can, I’m thinking of trying to talk Director Choi Jeong-eun around.

‘A rookie director, they say, but a director either way.’

From the album concept all the way to the overall coordination.

The one who makes the most important decisions is the general director in the end.

‘If I want to push “Youth Journey”, getting on Director Choi Jeong-eun’s good side is the fastest way.’

Up to here it was simple.

The problem is what comes next.

Whether to push “Youth Journey” as the title track or as a sub-title track, I still hadn’t picked a direction.

‘It’d be strange to suddenly say let’s change the title track, so should I push for the sub-title?’

That’s a bit of a shame.

This is a song that grabs number one on the charts. Shouldn’t it go as a double title track at the very least?

But realistically, the compromise was the sub-title track.

Turning all this over, I opened the door of Practice Room 3.

A melody I was used to by now came to my ears.

[-Let’s go~ on a journey. Arms full of youth.]

It was “Youth Journey”, which hadn’t left my head all last night.

My eyes widened a little.

“…Ga-eul-ssi?”

Real name Ga-eul.

Stage name Ga-eul was in the practice room, singing alone by herself.

“Huh? Chief?’

“Why are you here so early?”

“I came out to practice.”

“…. Practice at this hour?”

Ga-eul’s eyes went round as she nodded.

I had nothing in particular to say back, so I shut my mouth.

“….”

An awkward silence settled between Ga-eul and me.

‘This is a problem.’

To think there’d be a Twenty member in this early.

Isn’t there still an hour before Lee Ye-ji-ssi and the girls come in?

I lifted my head a little as I thought it, and there was Ga-eul, watching for my reaction.

‘She’s about to die of the awkwardness over there too.’

If we stayed like this we’d just keep reading each other, so I spoke first in the end.

“I’ll be over at the side going through some paperwork, so practice if you want to.”

“Ah, yes. Understood, Chief.”

Ga-eul started practicing again.

Pretending to look at the papers, I stole glances at her out of the corner of my eye.

‘No glasses today?’

Maybe that was why.

I could see that this girl Ga-eul isn’t only good at writing words and music. Her looks are pretty…. outstanding too.

‘Well, she’s in a girl group, so of course her face is pretty.’

And yet, name Ga-eul.

Stage name Ga-eul was pretty in a graceful way, different from the girl group visuals you see these days.

The…. how do I put it?

You know how some girls have that studious look and still catch your eye all at once?

‘Depending on how you do her hair, her makeup and her styling, her potential could blow up.’

I was stroking my chin, turning Ga-eul’s potential over this way and that without meaning to, when it happened.

A shadow fell over my head.

“…. Um, Chief?”

Ga-eul, who’d been practicing her dancing a moment ago, had her head stuck out toward me.

I flinched inside without meaning to.

Did she see me looking at her sideways?

Luckily my worry was for nothing.

Hesitating, chewing at her lip, Ga-eul asked a question I hadn’t expected at all.

“That… ‘Youth Journey’.”

“?”

“I did hear about it from Ye-ji unnie on KakaoTalk, but is it really going on our debut album, Chief?”

The corners of my eyes lifted a little.

“‘Youth Journey’?”

“…Yes. If it’s being cut, I’d like to prepare myself a little.”

Why would we cut it?

It’s the song that takes your debut release to number one.

Clicking my tongue inwardly, I explained it with no exaggeration and nothing added.

“It’s going in. Don’t worry.”

Ga-eul’s eyes went wide, then narrow.

“It’s definitely going in?”

“Yes. It’s definitely going in. The title track could get cut before ‘Youth Journey’ ever….”

“?”

“Ah, never mind. Anyway, ‘Youth Journey’ is going in no matter what, so don’t worry.”

Ga-eul’s face brightened visibly.

“Thank you, Chief!”

Maybe it was that voice, brighter than a moment ago.

I asked a question without meaning to.

“You have to sing ‘Youth Journey’ today. Is your throat all right?”

Luckily the conversation carried on naturally.

“Yes. My throat’s in top shape.”

“That’s good. The Director will be listening with us today.”

“?”

Real name Ga-eul.

Stage name Ga-eul’s pupils quaked.

“Wh, what? The new Director? Don’t tell me it’s the end-of-month test?”

“No.”

“Then…. why the Director?”

Doubt, anxiety, fear.

Those were the feelings showing in Ga-eul’s pitch-black eyes.

Right then I realized I’d brought it up far too carelessly.

‘What if this makes her slip during the live?’

After thinking a moment, I poured out excuses to take the pressure off her.

For something made up on the spot, they were fairly convincing excuses.

“I listened to the B-sides, and it was the best one.”

“…. Sorry?”

“I listened to every B-side on this ‘Attention’ album, and ‘Youth Journey’ was the best.”

“!”

“So I wanted to see it live, and I called the Director in while I was at it. I wanted to know whether it only sounds good to my ears, or to the Director’s too.”

Ga-eul rolled her eyes around, flustered.

“O, oh… yes. Thank you for explaining, Chief.”

She’s still a bit anxious…

But she definitely looked better than a moment ago.

To give her some strength, I carefully tapped Ga-eul on the shoulder, tap tap.

“So it’s fine if you make a mistake…. but since we’re doing it, let’s go in the direction of doing it as well as you can. You know what I mean, right?”

Ga-eul answered, stealing glances at my hand.

“Yes. I’ll do my best, Chief.”

“Good. Go on and practice now.”

Ga-eul checked my face once more and bowed her head.

After that she put on the backing track and started practicing again, the way I’d told her.

[-Let’s go~ on a journey. Arms full of youth.]

A clear, fresh voice rings out through the practice room.

The corners of my mouth lifted without meaning to.

‘She’s the type who does better when you praise her.’

The singing was much better than a moment ago.

What would Director Choi Jeong-eun’s reaction be, hearing this live?

Checking the clock again and again, I prayed for eleven to hurry up and come.

---

Around ten thirty, every one of the Twenty members came in.

I gave them time to warm up their throats, then took the members to Recording Studio 3 along with the rookie road, Lee Ye-ji.

Director Choi Jeong-eun, dark circles down under her eyes, waved a hand.

“Come in, come in.”

Director Choi Jeong-eun was in the same clothes I saw yesterday, so it looked like she hadn’t gone home.

Should I have brought coffee at least?

I regretted it for a second without meaning to, but seeing the plastic coffee cups piled up like a mountain, coming empty-handed seemed like the right call.

Director Choi Jeong-eun popped a red ginseng candy into her mouth and said,

“So…. Chief Kwon? What was the song the girls are doing live today?”

“‘Youth Journey’.”

“Ah, isn’t that the song you mentioned yesterday?”

“Yes. That’s the one.”

At this, Ga-eul, sitting across from me, went wide-eyed.

‘Ah, that look. I want it in a photo.’

She’s usually so blunt, so seeing her in that state, the taste of the gap was…. quite good.

I whispered to Lee Ye-ji-ssi beside me.

“Ye-ji-ssi.”

“Yes, Chief?”

“You saw the KakaoTalk I sent you last night, right?”

“Ah? The photos of the Twenty girls practicing?”

“Yes. If we want to give the fans service shots, you’ll have to take pictures like that often from now on. For example….”

I pointed at Ga-eul alone, so the other members wouldn’t notice.

“Ga-eul, right now, exactly that. You know what I mean, right?”

“Oh…. Yes, Chief! I understand what you mean!”

While she was nodding, Director Choi Jeong-eun pushed the Twenty members into the booth.

“Unnie’s tired, so let’s finish this in one go, girls~”

They’d already broken the ice, apparently, because the Twenty girls burst out giggling.

Moments like this they look exactly like college freshmen, but the second they put the headsets on their faces hardened as though none of it had happened, and they warmed up their throats.

I was watching it with interest when Director Choi Jeong-eun, tapping away at a MIDI keyboard and a pad controller, called me.

“By the way, Chief.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you so stuck on ‘Youth Journey’??”

Director Choi Jeong-eun handed me a headset as she spoke.

“Yesterday too…. and this morning too. You look more interested in ‘Youth Journey’ than in the title track. Is there some reason?”

She asks the same question as Ga-eul.

Was I making that much of a fuss over “Youth Journey”?

This time too I dodged it lightly.

“The title’s good, isn’t it?”

“Huh. That’s your taste? The kind that shouts about youth and love and all that?”

“Is it a problem if that’s my taste?”

“It’s not that…. it’s just a little…. off from your air, Chief.”

Lee Ye-ji, next to us, suddenly cut into the conversation.

“If I may speak frankly, I don’t think it suits you very well, Chief.”

“?”

A question mark rose on my face.

No, not just as a figure of speech. Really.

I glared at Lee Ye-ji-ssi, dumbfounded, and Director Choi Jeong-eun grabbed her belly and burst out laughing.

“Ah, Chief, your face right now is amazing. You know that?”

What’s wrong with my face.

“Ugh… too funny for this early in the morning.”

“Let’s get started soon.”

“Yes, understood.”

Director Choi Jeong-eun turned her head, grinning.

I turned with her and saw the Twenty girls, ready for the live.

Friendly with her or not, this was a session with the Director, so they looked thoroughly nervous.

All except one, Ga-eul.

Director Choi Jeong-eun gave the signal.

“The cue’s coming. We’re going straight through without stopping, so sing comfortably.”

Director Choi Jeong-eun shouted.

“3…2…1. Cue!”

Twenty’s “Youth Journey”.

Its first live begins.

---

About three minutes of live singing ended, and I turned my head.

“How was it, Director?”

At my question, Director Choi Jeong-eun’s shoulders jerked.

“Uh…. um…. uh….”

Director Choi Jeong-eun, broken down and unable to get the words out.

After picking at her words for a long while, she finally finished a sentence.

“…It’s good?”

The corner of my mouth twitched.

“I don’t know what’s good about it…. but it’s so good? Wow, incredible. What is this? This one’s better than the title track?”