Chapter 102 : Looks Pretty Convincing?
Chapter 102: Looks Pretty Convincing?
My days were always the same.
Today was no different.
After performing the night before, I came home at dawn, washed up roughly, and passed out like I’d fainted.
When I woke up, it was nearly noon.
I rummaged through the fridge and finished all the side dishes Mom had made.
Once my stomach was full, a melody naturally slipped out.
My mouth reacted before my head did.
“Doobirubam– srrrp–”
Humming along with the melody, I brewed some coffee.
Wooong–
At last, I had succumbed to that wicked potion known as Americano.
Feeling like a busy office worker who drank coffee like water, I added three pumps of syrup.
“As expected, it’s gotta be sweet.”
I sat down at the table with my coffee.
Maybe it was because I was tired. I couldn’t quite wake up yet.
I picked up my smartphone.
As soon as I turned off Do Not Disturb mode, a call came in.
It was my college friend, Baek Junhyun.
We weren’t close enough for him to just call out of the blue. What could it be?
Still, it was nice to hear from him.
Ahem. I cleared my throat and pressed the call button.
Hey, hey! Seo Taeyoon! Why aren’t you checking your messages? I thought you blocked me! You busy?
An attack of questions before I could even say hello.
He was still as impatient as ever.
“Huh? Had some work. Why?”
Check the link I sent you. Watch that first.
“Okay.”
As usual, my messages were piled up.
I scrolled until I found his name and checked the message.
No explanation.
Just a YouTube link.
[ Signum – ‘Avalanche’ Recording Behind. ]
Ah! Right—today was the day the behind-the-scenes and highlight sampler were being released.
The day of the recording was still vivid in my memory.
So, for me, this was practically a rerun.
That’s what I thought—until…
Hmm… They did a nice job.
My thoughts changed when I saw the thumbnail.
Suddenly, I was curious.
What would the Signum kids look like on screen?
And how would I look, seen from a third person’s eyes?
Well, probably just my voice popping in here and there.
Thinking that, I clicked play.
“Oh?”
As Avalanche’s intro riff played, subtitles appeared.
[ Avalanche – Recording Diary. ]
Then, the members’ faces appeared one after another.
Heh, seeing them like this, they actually looked like idols.
As the members’ faces faded out—
Babam!
With a distinctive sound effect—
My voice came in first.
[ I only show you the direction. The real stars of the song are you guys. ]
Then subtitles followed:
[ A producer who’s like a member! ]
[ Producer: STaY ]
Wow, this actually felt pretty good.
As a composer, I’d only ever seen my name in the album credits before.
But now, my stage name was right there for fans to see in a behind-the-scenes video. It felt satisfying.
And that wasn’t even all.
They’d put the so-called “kick” part right at the start.
Pulling the fun part forward to grab attention—very trendy editing these days.
I’d give feedback, the members would take it in, and the sound would come back even better.
They’d even kindly added subtitles to show who was speaking, for viewers watching without sound.
Now that’s some top-notch editing.
[ Producer STaY: That phrasing was really nice just now. If you take a breath and deliver it like you’re exhaling, it’ll sound clearer. ]
[ Yehwan: Should I push it a bit? ]
[ Producer STaY: Nah, the rhythm should stay on beat. Don’t make it too decorative. ]
[ Yehwan: Okay! ]
Even though I’d already lived through it, it was fun to watch.
They’d edited me like I was some… kind of genius producer.
I wasn’t that good, though.
[ Producer STaY: For “Deep like base,” whisper the “like,” then Base! Something like that, okay? ]
[ Jaeho: Could you do it one more time for me? ]
[ Producer STaY: “Deep like base, lower and thicker…” Wait a sec. Why’re you looking at me like that? ]
[ Jaeho: You sound like a singer, PD-hyung. ]
[ Producer STaY: You’ve already heard the guide! Come on, let’s go again. ]
They’d captured the friendly hyung–dongsaeng vibe between a producer and his artists perfectly.
Now I could tell for sure—this wasn’t your typical recording behind video.
It wasn’t saying, “Our kids follow the producer’s directions perfectly.”
It was saying, “Look how great the chemistry is between our kids and the producer!”
It really felt like Manny Entertainment had put effort into this one.
[ Producer STaY: When you say “deeply,” make it sound just a touch shorter. Loosen your breath a little… No, wait. Listen to this: “Deeper into me.” Feel that real depth. ]
[ Signum: Yes! ]
Twenty minutes passed in a flash.
It felt a bit awkward to say this about my own video, but—
“…Looks pretty convincing?”
It was actually quite a solid piece of producing.
The members followed along well, and the atmosphere was great.
I’d really worked hard, hadn’t I?
Though maybe that was just my own bias talking.
I wondered what fans thought after seeing my producing.
↳ The guide vocal tone’s insane. Who is that?
↳↳ Probably that “STaY” guy?
↳ Signum’s great and all, but isn’t that producer legit god-tier?
↳↳ fr that brief voice—straight to heaven;
↳ The way he catches on instantly and switches tone, unreal.
↳ Maybe because it’s his own song? He really nails the vibe.
↳↳ The members too—geniuses. That Avalanche~ part won’t leave my head.
↳ It’s crazy how fast they get what the composer wants. The chemistry’s amazing.
↳ Curious what the producer looks like. Sounds so young.
↳↳ 11:38—you can kinda see his face for a second. Dude looks like an idol.
↳ Wait, for real ㄷㄷㄷㄷ but can’t really see him clearly.
↳↳ He flashes by too quick ㅠㅠ but that voice, damn.
↳↳ Wow. First time I’ve ever been curious about a producerㅋㅋ
…Huh?
I’d watched pretty closely, but I didn’t even notice my face showed up.
The condition for releasing the behind-the-scenes was that my face wouldn’t appear.
Just in case, I rewound to the timestamp where they said it did.
“Can’t really see it, though?”
Even my mom wouldn’t recognize me at that angle.
Only a faint glimpse of my side profile.
That’s why I’d worn a cap, after all.
Surely Baek Junhyun didn’t recognize me from that? He wasn’t exactly the sharpest guy.
Still, I figured I should check.
When your face gets exposed…… life gets troublesome.
I called back, and he picked up right away.
“What’s that video about? I watched it—why?”
I pretended not to know, but the guy chuckled slyly and asked back.
It’s you, right?
“What is?”
I knew the moment I heard it. It’s you.
“What do you even mean, you ‘knew’?”
At times like this, what do you do?
You deny.
If I said it wasn’t me, what could he do about it?
Wait, hold on.
He didn’t say “the moment I saw it.” He said “the moment I heard it.”
So he didn’t recognize me by my face?
At first, I didn’t notice ‘cause it sounded different from your usual voice.
“…And then?”
But when you started singing, your real voice came out. That ‘Deep like base~’ line? That’s when I knew for sure. It’s Seo Taeyoon.
“Hm……? Hey, hey. Do it again.”
Huh? Do what?
“Do it again. Deep like base.”
What the heck, why suddenly? Anyway, it’s you, right? Man, I was so shocked.
The one who was shocked wasn’t Junhyun—it was me.
Was his tone always this nice?
His voice coming through the receiver sounded surprisingly soulful.
Different from the Signum kids—more mature.
Unpolished, plain—but it had a charm that drew you in.
“Forget that. Sing it again, just like before. Don’t overdo it.”
……What’s this? You trying to produce me now too?
“Try another part. Avalanche~ wanna give it a shot?”
Avalanche! Deep like base……. Ugh, what am I doing. Why am I just doing what you say?
Why else?
Because he’d just tripped my radar.
Rough and clumsy, sure—
But it made me want to hear more.
Not even other singers’ songs had made me feel that way before…… maybe it was greed?
“You busy?”
Yeah, working part-time. Hey, stop changing the subject. It’s really you, isn’t it?
“……Yeah, yeah, it’s me.”
For real? Whoa, insane! Then you must’ve met Han Yujin, right? Is she pretty?
“Did you see my face in the video or something?”
Nope. What are you talking about? I recognized you from your voice, told you.
Thank God—it wasn’t from my face.
Now, I needed a line that’d sound natural and make him drop the topic.
He was just as much of a loner as I was, so I doubted he’d go bragging around—but still.
“You’re a fan of Han Yujin?”
Who isn’t? I bought like twenty CDs just to go to her fansign.
“So, did you go?”
Nah. Couldn’t get in, of course. The cutoff’s brutal.
“Want me to get you an autograph?”
What? Seriously? Whoa, dude, you’re not kidding—you really are STaY! I got chills. I knew you’d make it big one day.
Yeah right.
What you are is totally hyped right now.
“I’ll get you a signed CD, so let’s meet up.”
Hell yeah! My treat when we meet! Where should we meet?
No hesitation—I went straight to the point.
“Karaoke?”
After setting a meeting with Junhyun,
I sat back at my desk and replayed the highlight sampler.
These days, people said highlight sampler instead of highlight medley.
They meant the same thing, really.
Only the wrapping had changed.
Click.
[ Signum 2nd Mini Album <Avalanche> Highlight Sampler. ]
It started with my song, <Avalanche>.
Then came Busan Goblin’s track, <Spell!>.
After that, the other songs followed.
Naturally, tracks 1 and 2 drew the most attention—
the title track and the follow-up.
Even through the highlight sampler alone, their contrasting concepts stood out.
The Signum I wanted to show.
The Signum Busan Goblin wanted to show.
Hearing them back-to-back made the difference even clearer.
And I could now see why Manny Entertainment had changed the title track.
[ Signum’s new album is on another level. The concept’s insane. ]
↳ Track 1’s the title, right? Avalanche? Fits perfectly.
↳↳ Yeah yeah, every song’s good. Gonna blow up.
↳ Busan Goblin’s song is totally the follow-up lololol
↳↳ But honestly, I like Spell better.
↳ Even from that short snippet, the accompaniment sounds easy. Guess we’ll get to hear it live soon? They’re a band idol group after all…
↳↳ Feels like they simplified the instrumental on purpose?
↳↳↳ Still sounds full though.
↳ Song’s so good.
↳ Lol the lack of a cringy bridge makes it pop even more.
↳ Is this a double title track?
↳↳ Nah nah, Track 1’s the title. But Track 2’s great too.
↳ Wow…… wow…… this is insane. The song fits them perfectly.
↳ Manny must really care about music. Sleekest idol release lately.
↳ Not even a fan but the intro alone—damn, just applause.
↳↳ Easy to listen to. The song really suits them.
Endlessly refreshing the page in secret—that was my little secret.
Amid all the buzz, the showcase went off without a hitch.
Then, the digital release dropped.
Signum swept music shows with <Avalanche>—and that wasn’t all.
[ Signum’s “Avalanche” Tops Maron Chart. ]
[ Signum: “Our first win since debut—thanks to our fans.” ]
[ Chart No.1: Avalanche / No.2: Spell! The Power of Signum! ]
[ Band Idol Signum Keeps Their Reputation—The Secret to Success Is ‘This’. ]
[ Signum Ranks #1 in Male Idol Brand Reputation. ]
[ Signum’s 2nd Single Album Surpasses 2 Million in First-Week Sales! ]
They dominated the charts and rocketed to the top tier of 5th-gen boy groups.
The unbeatable No.1, title track <Avalanche>,
and right behind it—the follow-up, <Spell!>.
Every day was a celebration at Manny Entertainment.
“Bonuses are coming next month!”
“Signum…… hurrah!”
“Shouldn’t it be STaY hurrah instead?”
But—
For Tomorrow Entertainment, the company next door that failed to sign STaY,
every day felt like walking on thin ice.