These lewd things are idols?: Episode 43

Episode: 43

The morning of that day, I never thought the new song would arrive just two days later.

The monthly evaluation was over, and although practice, management, and various schedules continued as usual, the atmosphere had become somewhat more relaxed.

As the kids had been working so hard, I was preparing something special for them today: crab meat rice bowl.

I started by making the sauce with ingredients like soy sauce, mirin, water, allulose, and various other seasonings.

“Phew. This isn’t easy.”

Instead of feeding the kids something like frozen crab meat, I wanted to give them something better. So, early in the morning, I went to the market and steamed fresh snow crabs, carefully picking out the meat myself.

Since the price wasn’t cheap, I scraped out every last bit of meat from the crevices. As I sautéed the crab meat with onions, I was timing when to add the rice and sauce.

“Wow. That smells amazing.”

“Seriously! Even my dad doesn’t make something like this. Manager, you’re the best!”

“I could eat only the manager’s cooking for the rest of my life.”

“Yeah, it does smell good.”

Though Seri didn’t drink alcohol, she acted as if she had, leading the kids as they all rushed out of their rooms.

“It’ll be ready soon, so just wait a bit.”

“Ah, Manager, look at this.”

“What is it?”

While I was carefully making the crab meat rice bowl, the kids all found their spots and started shaking their hips.

“We’ve been together for 24 hours. Appeal your body~♬”

“Men eat women.”

They even started singing live.

They were good.

But aside from that…

‘If their parents saw this, they’d probably cry tears of blood.’

Even as someone who isn’t their parent, it’s a bit much.

“I miss the way you’d push your hips at me every morning.”

“What kind of crazy song is this?”

As I turned off the stove and gave them an incredulous look, the kids responded.

“It’s called ‘Her Butt,’ the most-viewed song by the composer who’s making our song. By the way, it got 120,000 views.”

“Still, the song itself isn’t bad.”

“The lyrics are decent too. The rhythm is definitely unique, so it seems like it has character.”

“Se-ri unnie said you’d like it if we showed you this, Manager.”

Then they each struck a pose and started…

No, they actually began twerking right in front of me.

This was really something.

Four young idol trainees, wearing nothing but dolphin shorts, singing a 19+ song and twerking in front of me? Even though the lyrics were a bit provocative, I couldn’t deny that the song itself was good.

“Since we’ll be working with that composer anyway, we thought we should study in advance.”

“But when I listen to this song, I keep imagining the composer’s girlfriend shaking her hips every morning.”

“In a way, it’s kind of romantic.”

“I think it’s nice, that kind of thing.”

I covered my mouth with one hand. Maybe this was my fault. Maybe I turned these kids into strange ones.

“Shake it up and down, girl. Shake it, girl.”

“Is today your day off?”

“Yes. So we’re just going to hang out at the dorm all day.”

The kids had already gathered around the table, holding spoons and chopsticks in both hands like baby chicks waiting for food. As I evenly divided the fried rice among the four of them, I started to wonder.

‘Should I change the composer now?’

The thought of these kids singing something like “Up and Down, Rub My Hips” on a showcase or, worse, on a music show made me dizzy just thinking about it.

“Wow! This is so good.”

“Ugh. This would be perfect with a shot of soju.”

“Manager, your cooking is the best.”

“Oh, this is pretty good.”

Unlike the kids who didn’t seem worried at all, I couldn’t tell if the crab meat rice bowl was going down my throat or up my nose as I kept thinking about STB’s song.

“That guy honestly isn’t untalented, but why does he have to dig into such a minor genre?”

'Even though the most popular song only had 120,000 views,'

If you searched the internet, STB’s status wasn’t exactly low either.

As I’ve said many times before, in the underground scene, he was a pretty respected composer.

Though his provocative lyrics often became the subject of gossip, STB's unique sound was undeniably one-of-a-kind.

'These days, it's hard to come up with a new process. Most beats out there feel like slight variations on ones that already exist, stitched together.'

Yet even in such times, the ability to create something entirely new was impressive.

'With that talent, damn it, why not make a more mainstream song?'

After all, it's KPOP!

I considered calling him to try and persuade him in that direction, but then I shook my head.

Regardless of the success rate Nobel had shown me, how much did I really know about composing?

I was just someone who understood roughly how this industry worked, including planning and production.

If I started meddling, it would only unsettle the composer.

“Did you say today is your day off?” I asked while doing the dishes.

The kids were sitting on the couch watching TV, and Hee-ju was next to me, carefully stacking the washed dishes on the shelf.

“Yeah, today’s a total rest day. Relaxing time. Ah, maybe I should have a drink. It'll be gone by tomorrow anyway.”

“We don’t have vocal or dance training today. It’s a day to recover the energy we’ve spent.”

“Guess I’ll watch a drama.”

Each of them talked about how they planned to spend the day.

The last to speak was Eun Hee-ju.

“Today’s a day for some… fun.”

Here was a naughty little chick tugging at my sleeve.

“You do that regularly.”

“Today’s a day for more. It’s a rest day.”

Her gaze was filled with unwavering trust, as if she didn’t doubt for a second that I would disagree.

“…Alright. Once I finish these dishes, I’ll help you.”

“Yes, Manager.”

And just like that, I accepted Hee-ju’s suggestion.

“Oh, Manager. If you don’t want to see me drinking later, count me in too.”

“I’ll be doing it while watching a drama today.”

“Gasp! I’m okay with being last.”

[Do you know why people can’t quit gambling once they start, Master?]

I had a feeling, but I asked anyway.

Why?

[Once you’ve tasted it, you can’t stop.]

[Just like these kids now.]

[Hoo-hoo. Still, it’s not boring to watch from the sidelines. Constantly getting it on with pretty girls, after all.]

Crazy woman.

While I cursed Nobel in my mind,

[A new email has arrived.]

[Sender: STB]

“Huh? It’s from the composer?”

The first thing I felt when the email arrived was anxiety.

I didn't think there was any way the song could be finished in just two days.

After all, unless this person was some kind of AI, they couldn’t have composed and written a song in two days.

But…

[Hello, Manager Kim Hyun-woo. This is STB.]

When I opened the email, there was an encrypted file attached.

[Hello, Manager Kim Hyun-woo. This is STB.

I’ve finished one song, so I’m sending it over first.

Please listen to it with everyone. If there are any parts you don’t like or if there’s anything you definitely want me to revise, feel free to let me know. I’ll try to fix or improve it as quickly as possible.

I hope you, and the kids, have a wonderful day.]

Though I had planned to spend the entire day with the kids, rotating between them, I felt like I should check this out first.

“How do I unlock this file though?”

When I clicked on the file, a message popped up:

[This file can only be accessed with the administrator's approval.]

Then,

[Confirmation received.]

[Download complete.]

Right after I checked the email, another email arrived, saying the approval had gone through.

It meant that as soon as the composer saw I’d received the email, they immediately authorized access.

‘What kind of person is this?’

I was surprised that they had managed to make a song in just two days, but it wasn’t exactly a pleasant surprise.

It was a song made in two days, after all.

“Are they trying to make easy money?”

It was hard not to expect that only a song into which a lot of time and effort had been invested could produce good results.

“Shake it up and down, my hips?”

“If it’s that kind of song, I’ll reject it right away.”

If it turned out to be such an indecent song that I’d feel like I had to cover the kids up in bikinis and send them onto the stage, then I would reject it completely, regardless of any success probabilities.

But then…

[Song Title - Radiance]

"Radiance?"

"Hmm, the title feels pretty good."

Titles like this were in trend nowadays, and I found it somewhat appealing. With K-pop spreading worldwide, it had become common to use English titles with a lot of meaning packed into them.

[Radiance means ‘light’. I told you that day, didn’t I? That it felt like I had seen the light.]

Inside the file was a text document containing an explanation and interpretation of the song "Radiance."

[Of course, there’s also the word ‘light’ in English, but it feels a bit different. Radiance refers to light with happiness embedded in it. There’s also warmth included. This song contains everything, from the unexpected surprise I felt to the emotions that touched me.]

I guess I'll understand once I hear it.

“Da-young, you need to evaluate this objectively.”

Among our members, the one with the best eye for detail was Lee Da-young.

“Well, I can’t say I have the best ear for it, but I’ll give it a try.”

Gathered together in the living room, we played the song that Kim Gi-bok sent us on the laptop.

-♪♬♪♬

"……."

As soon as the song started playing, I was a little surprised.

The light rhythm that delighted the ears was quickly followed by lyrics within the first two seconds. It was a start that suited Eun Hee-ju perfectly.

“The singing isn’t great.”

“Well, that’s understandable. He’s a composer, after all.”

Given that the song was composed in just two days, it seemed there was no time to hire a demo singer, someone to sing it before handing it over to the singer. Or perhaps he wanted to sing it himself and show us directly.

“It feels intense at the start, yet somehow also calm.”

Indeed, it embodied Hee-ju’s personality. Even if a demon were to stab her heart, she would remain unshaken, exuding a sense of tranquility and uniqueness.

Next came a rap, something essential in K-pop. As expected from an underground composer, the quality of the rap stood out.

“This seems like Da-young’s part.”

In our group, the rappers were Da-young and Seong Se-ri. Judging by Se-ri’s words, it seemed this rap was made with Da-young in mind. It was meticulous, making it easier to perform.

Then, as with any K-pop song, came the repetitive highlight section. Just as the hook came in, the rhythm exploded like light bursting forth. It was unique and impressive.

"……."

The song’s length was 2 minutes and 43 seconds, not long at all. While one might attribute this to the fact that it was made in two days, I didn’t think time was the issue.

The fact that the song was only 2 minutes and 43 seconds long actually made it a perfect fit for today’s busy society. The difficulty was on the higher side, with non-stop high notes, rap, and highlights. Although our members could pull it off without a hitch, it was still challenging enough to require significant practice.

People often say that certain famous ballads seem like they were written only for the singer. This song seemed tailor-made for our group, with a difficulty level just right for us.

"He nailed it."

Not only was the song unique and original, but it was also incredibly mainstream.

For those familiar with STB’s underground work, they would never guess that the same person had created such a mainstream song. 

The biggest reason this song was a hit was precisely that.

"Da-young, what do you think?"

Though she could be harsh, irritable, and had a sharp tongue, Da-young always pointed out our flaws and demanded corrections. That’s why her next words were unexpected.

"There’s nothing to fix."

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