SGM 06

chapter 6

The moment I sprang up from my seat, Professor Oh’s eyes flashed with excitement as he took several steps toward me.

“Oh? Really? Then go ahead and say it. What exactly is the problem?”

I knew very well that I absolutely wasn’t in a position to say something like this.

After all, I was a road manager right now.

But my conscience as a musician overpowered all realistic restraint.

“It’s a mess. In one word.”

Admittedly, my words came out a bit harsh.

I could feel people flinching all around me.

But now that things had come to this, what was the point of beating around the bush?

“Ha! What on earth do you mean it’s a mess?”

Professor Oh retorted in disbelief, and Team Leader Kim joined in.

“Hey! Yoon Junghoo, stop right there!”

I ignored Team Leader Kim.

“First, Mujin. From a vocal standpoint, he doesn’t even have the basic foundation. But you’re telling him things like ‘control your breathing’ and ‘put strength into your abdomen’? How is that supposed to solve anything? The structure itself is the problem, so why are we talking about breathing? It’s like pedaling a bicycle with a broken handlebar.”

At that, Professor Oh folded his arms, tilted his head slightly away, and let out a dry laugh.

“And Juha’s pronunciation issue exists because the oral structure suited for vowels isn’t properly formed in the first place. If that’s the case, you should calmly fix that problem. But instead you tell him to put strength into his lips? That just creates tension in the throat, blocking the airflow, which makes normal pronunciation even harder.”

By this point, the atmosphere had begun to change.

Professor Oh’s expression slowly stiffened. Director Choi, Team Leader Kim, and even the members all looked confused, wondering what was going on.

“And finally, Serin. This one is the most ridiculous. A person’s voice cannot be changed. You find ways to make their original voice sound better—you don’t change the voice itself. Even if you adjust it, it has to stay within a certain range. Forcing a tone color that the person doesn’t even possess? That makes it impossible for them to sing at all. The entire approach is wrong from the start.”

Professor Oh’s face had practically turned pale.

“Th-This is unbelievable. From the looks of it, you must’ve picked up a few things hanging around singers. But people like you are usually the ones who sing terribly themselves. All talk…”

That was a statement that would have suited Professor Oh perfectly.

I continued speaking.

“You can’t train like this. If you do…”

Only one word came to mind.

“You’ll fail.”

With that single sentence, intense agitation filled the room.

Since he apparently had nothing to say to me directly, Professor Oh turned his anger toward Director Choi.

“Director! This is extremely insulting. I cannot continue in this kind of environment. Someone who probably can’t even open his mouth to sing dares to say all this? Is Reunion really such an unorganized company? You said he was my assistant today!”

So I couldn’t even open my mouth to sing, huh…

Well, the water had already been spilled.

If I wrapped things up halfheartedly now, I’d just end up looking like a fool.

If I had started something, I might as well finish it.

Ending things awkwardly would only make everything more awkward.

I quietly walked to the piano and spoke to the accompanist sitting there.

“Let me sit here for a moment.”

Team Leader Kim rushed toward me again.

“Hey, seriously, what are you trying to do sitting here now? That’s enough! Stop it!”

As expected, more shouting poured down from above.

Team Leader Kim—his character was certainly consistent.

At that moment, Choi Ilseon stepped in.

“Team Leader Kim, just leave him alone for a moment.”

Professor Oh looked utterly dumbfounded.

“What are you doing, Director?”

“Professor, just a moment. We’ll soon see whether he really can’t even open his mouth to sing.”

“Ah, seriously…”

Choi Ilseon.
Looks like you and I weren’t destined to be enemies after all.

* * *

The road manager Yoon Junghoo—
or perhaps it would be more accurate to say Han Jihyuk—

had just thrown the entire room into chaos.

His hands moved toward the piano keys.

The melody that began to flow from his fingertips was the famous pop classic “You Were My Light,” a song that almost anyone would recognize from somewhere.

It was also a song Jihyuk had frequently sung on broadcasts before he died.

These days people would call it one of his signature cover songs.

For the first time in thirty years, Jihyuk was about to sing in front of people again.

Of course, the body belonged to Yoon Junghoo, but that didn’t matter.

All that mattered was the thrill of singing again.

As his voice began filling the training room, the first emotion that surged through him was pure ecstasy.

“Because~…”

—Huh?!

—What the… Yoon Junghoo?

—How is this…?

—Isn’t he our road manager?

He had only sung a single word.

But in that instant, everyone in the training room stopped breathing.

Even with just that one word—barely even a phrase—just a single word and three beats of pitch, it was already on a completely different level.

“…of the light that is you,
I was good with the darkness.
Even if it was a place with you and darkness,
I was content.
Because~~ you were my light~.”

After reaching that point, he immediately changed the chords and moved into the final highlight.

“If we dream together,
the eternal day~~~~ will conti~~nue.”

The natural voice that Yoon Junghoo possessed, combined with the instincts and intellect from his past lives, created a breathtakingly beautiful tone.

No one reacted.

Not even the slightest movement.

But this silence itself was the result of overwhelming shock.

The astonishment and emotion of hearing such extraordinary singing in an unexpected situation had paralyzed everyone.

The phrase “frozen in shock” wasn’t a literary exaggeration here.

Director Choi was the first to break the silence.

“Ah… w-wait… how are you singing like that? Manager Yoon, were you originally an aspiring singer? No… this is beyond that. How can you sing like this?”

Director Choi had spent decades in the music industry.

More than anyone, he knew that what he had just heard wasn’t merely “good.”

Team Leader Kim was also staring blankly at Yoon Junghoo with a stunned expression.

The Laminus members were the same.

All of them looked as if they were dreaming.

After all, they had just seen a completely different side of their road manager.

The most shaken person was Professor Oh.

Yet he still tried to maintain his pride and spoke in a deliberately arrogant tone.

“Hmph. Y-you sing fairly well. But pop music… well, with talent, people can sometimes sing it well by chance. But you dared challenge a professor of classical vocal technique like me?”

As if implying that classical singing was on an entirely different level.

Hearing that, Yoon Junghoo placed his hands on the piano again.

The melody that filled the room this time was none other than “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s opera Turandot.

Although the piece was composed in 1926—after the lifetime of Brusco, the opera singer he once had been—he had loved the song during his life as the musical actor Matthew Connors and often sang it.

In other words, it was the fusion of Brusco’s operatic technique and Matthew Connors’ musical artistry.

Puccini’s magnificent melody poured from his fingertips.

Everyone was once again drawn in.

Then came the voice—bursting forth, piercing straight into their ears.

“Dilegua, o notte!
Tramontate, stelle!
Tramontate, stelle!
All’alba vincerò!”

A voice fully supported by breath.

Elegant yet dazzling.

A sound that embodied thousands of years of passion for singing.

It was simply an extreme form of vocal art.

—Wh-what is this? Opera technique too?

—That sound… is that even human?

—What the hell is Yoon Junghoo?

—Manager Yoon! That voice is unbelievable…

The resonance vibrating through every space in his body filled the room like a dense silk thread piercing the air.

Everyone in the training room was no longer merely surprised—they were in a state of panic.

The instincts of Helios, the originator of ancient theatrical singing, and Brusco, the pioneer of bel canto technique, had fused together.

This ultimate expression of art drove the emotions of everyone present to their peak.

“Vincerò!”

Just before the final high note, a mysterious anticipation filled everyone’s hearts.

Then—

“Vince~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~rò!”

The final explosive high note rang out.

“Vincerò,” the Italian word for victory.

As the note stretched on endlessly, everyone in the room trembled.

And just like the meaning of the word—

he had become the victor of this moment.

The applause that filled the room finally snapped me back to reality.

👏👏👏👏👏

“Wow!”

“That voice is insane…”

“How can a human produce that sound…?”

Everyone—everyone except the red-faced Professor Oh—was clapping.

Professor Oh stormed toward the door in humiliation.

“Director! I’m leaving! This is ridiculous. Are you playing games with people or what!”

When Team Leader Kim tried to chase after him, Director Choi raised a hand to stop him.

Seeing that, Professor Oh grew even more irritated, sighed sharply, and slammed the door behind him.

Director Choi walked toward me.

“Manager Yoon… how is this even possible? Opera too? I really don’t understand. Why is someone who sings like this working as a road manager?”

Hearing that question, an old memory suddenly came to mind.

Ilseon, who used to say that Jihyuk hyung was the best and that he was both his manager and his number-one fan.

“Why am I a road manager? What’s wrong with that?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. But with singing like this, you should obviously be pursuing music.”

“Well… there are circumstances. Anyway, Laminus should find another trainer.”

“Right… I suppose so… but that’s not the important thing right now…”

Just like before, once something caught Ilseon’s attention, he couldn’t focus on anything else.

Fine.

Then I’d have to guide the conversation.

“Director, the important issue is the next album production. It’s right around the corner.”

“Right… that’s true…”

“First, Mujin needs to start from the low register and build proper vocal form. Juha needs vowel-switching exercises on a single pitch for pronunciation training. And Serin…”

I looked at Serin for a moment.

Her already bright eyes widened even more when her name was mentioned.

“Serin… doesn’t fit the current Laminus.”

A small but clear gasp escaped her lips.

“What… what do you mean by that?”

“I mean she doesn’t fit the current Laminus. The group’s concept needs to change.”

Serin let out a sigh of relief.

“Change the concept?”

“There are four members in Laminus. But all four parts are basically the same. There’s no distinction. You need to create a part that highlights Serin’s individuality. Her range is lower, but she has a sensual and stylish vibe. She should train to sing with her natural voice.”

Team Leader Kim cut in again.

“Hey! Yoon Junghoo, just because you can sing doesn’t mean you can say whatever you want—”

“Team Leader Kim! Be quiet for once. Haven’t you realized you’re the one who’s been ruining the mood?”

“…Yes, Director. Sorry…”

After Team Leader Kim shrank back, Director Choi spoke again.

“I understand what you mean, but like you said, the single album release is right around the corner. The song is already chosen, and there’s no time.”

“Then there’s nothing you can do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just proceed like this.”

“You’re not trying to fix it?”

“Then postpone it.”

“…What?”

“The single album release date.”

Director Choi’s mouth fell open.

“…That’s not exactly easy.”

I hated conversations that went in circles.

If they wanted a better album, they should delay the schedule and train properly.

If not, they should just release it as it was.

Simple.

“If that’s difficult, then just do it as it is.”

Director Choi nodded slowly.

“I see. If we don’t delay it, there’s no solution.”

Exactly.

That’s what I meant.

I quietly nodded.

“But if we delay it, someone needs to handle the training…”

“You two should find someone good this time.”

That was their job.

Not mine.

“How about you try it?”

What?

Now he wanted me to train them?

That was completely out of nowhere.

Ilseon really hadn’t changed.

Still the type to casually ask difficult favors.

Why would a road manager be asked to train singers?

“I’ll focus on being a road manager. It’s my job.”

“I see… that’s unfortunate.”

“A road manager’s work is important too. You know that.”

Director Choi Ilseon—who had once been my own road manager—should understand that better than anyone.

“Yes… that’s true… but still…”

“Haha. Don’t think too much about it. Just find a good trainer. Even if it looks difficult, if you search hard enough, you’ll find someone. There’s always an answer if you work hard enough.”

That was something I used to say often.

To people.

And to Ilseon as well.

If you work hard enough, there’s always an answer.

His eyes narrowed slightly when he heard it.

The old pop song I had just sung.

My tone of speech.

They were all very much like Han Jihyuk.

But there was no way he could ever imagine that road manager Yoon Junghoo and Han Jihyuk were the same person.

“…Alright. I’ll tell the New Talent Development Department about you. We’ll arrange an audition soon.”

New talent development.

A rookie audition, huh…

Well, procedures did exist for a reason.

But I had only possessed this body one day ago.

How I started singing again—

that decision was mine to make.

And however I started would determine my position as a singer.

I had no intention of starting as some rookie and crawling through the same process as everyone else.

“Thank you for considering it, but I’ll pass.”

“Huh… really?”

I glanced around.

Team Leader Kim was still standing there in shock.

The Laminus members were frozen like statues, staring at me.

Like baby birds waiting to be fed.