Episode 10. Object of Adoration (3)
As soon as Kang Dae-oh confirmed the signal sent by his second daughter, he unknowingly let out a sigh of relief, thick with a sense of ease.
Na Jun-tae tilted his head at Kang Dae-oh’s reaction.
“Perhaps, was it inconvenient for you that I suggested meeting at Father’s cafe today…?”
“No, not at all.”
A noble person who would greatly influence Kang Yera’s life had arrived.
It would be absurd for her father to think ill of Na Jun-tae.
Just in case, Kang Dae-oh asked his second daughter again for confirmation.
“Is it really that producer Na Jun-tae?”
“Yes, it’s definitely him.”
This young producer Na Jun-tae was someone Kang Yebin had never seen before, so when she first met him, she was unsure.
But upon closer inspection, she realized that producer Na Jun-tae’s physical characteristics remained entirely.
The most prominent feature was,
“He has a big tear mole on his left eye.”
“Oh, really.”
Could it be that he was destined to shed many tears?
Was it because of the information Kang Yebin had provided?
‘All I see is the tear mole.’
It was even quite large.
Kang Dae-oh’s gaze fixed on Na Jun-tae’s face.
Feeling his intense (?) gaze, Na Jun-tae offered an awkward smile.
“Is there something on my face?”
Kang Dae-oh shook his head, repeatedly indicating that was not what he meant.
Since things had turned out this way,
Kang Dae-oh decided to naturally connect it to what he had wanted to ask earlier.
“When you first contacted me, I thought you were someone older. But then someone who looks similar to my age came, and that’s why I find it fascinating. Did you start this work quite early?”
“Yes. But a fast start doesn’t always mean fast success. I don’t have much work these days. Fortunately, a children’s animation production company commissioned a theme song, so I can breathe a little easier this month.”
He, too, was struggling with the difficulties of being unknown.
“Oh, but that doesn’t mean I dislike this job at all. I actually like this work.”
He hoped there wouldn’t be any misunderstandings.
He concluded with such a nuance.
“I happened to see a video of Yera by chance when I was looking for a child with a voice that children would like. When I first saw the video, I thought… ‘I want to give this child a song she can sing to her heart’s content!’”
“Is the song already completed?”
“Yes. Would you like to hear it? It’s already been guide-recorded, so you’ll be able to hear all the lyrics.”
Kang Dae-oh nodded, actively expressing his desire to listen.
“Just a moment…”
He took out the laptop he brought and maximized the volume.
Before playing it, Na Jun-tae briefly explained which animation the song would be for.
“It’s a magical girl animation where they bake bread to stop the invasion of bad aliens.”
“…The genre is very hybrid.”
It was a mishmash of everything, making it hard to even imagine what kind of animation it was.
Still, the song wasn’t bad.
Even Kang Yebin slightly swayed her shoulders.
Kang Dae-oh smiled faintly at his second daughter’s reaction.
‘The song’s effect is definitely strong.’
Perhaps it was due to his talent in composition.
Even if you removed the title of “children’s animation theme song,” it didn’t sound childish at all.
“By the way, Father. Yera isn’t singing this entire song.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. There’s a singer currently active, and Yera will be recording it as a duet with her.”
“Is it a singer I might know?”
“You probably wouldn’t know her. She’s not well-known… To be blunt, she’s as unknown as I am.”
She was in the same position as the current Na Jun-tae.
Still, she might be someone Kang Dae-oh would know.
“Could you tell me who it is?”
Na Jun-tae nodded briefly and then revealed the singer’s identity.
“It’s a friend named Ha-rin. She’s an idol active in a group called Servi that debuted earlier this year. She’s the main vocalist there… She has talent. She just hasn’t made it big yet.”
As Na Jun-tae expected, Kang Dae-oh had never heard the name before.
However, only Kang Dae-oh felt unfamiliar.
‘Yebin might be different.’
Whether the Ha-rin mentioned by producer Na would remain unknown or grow into an idol like Choi Seon-ah in the future.
Kang Dae-oh wouldn’t know, but Kang Yebin would.
He subtly turned his head to the side, observing his second daughter’s reaction.
At the same time, Na Jun-tae spoke with a hint of regret.
“They’re kids with explosive potential. It’s a shame. Servi is also the first group I’ve produced, so I have a special attachment… I apologize. I was complaining without realizing it.”
His heart was so heavy that he found himself sharing such thoughts with someone he had just met today.
Kang Dae-oh, who had already observed his second daughter’s significant reaction,
Shook his head and said in a reassuring tone,
“It will work out. No, that group you’re in charge of, Producer, will definitely become famous, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
“Thank you just for saying that.”
Na Jun-tae didn’t realize it at that moment.
The words Kang Dae-oh spoke were not simply said to comfort him, but were akin to revealing a divine secret.
Having confirmed through Kang Yebin that Na Jun-tae was not a con artist trying to defraud them under the guise of an entertainment debut, Kang Dae-oh held a family meeting that evening.
From yesterday to this afternoon. What had happened, and what conversations had taken place.
Now, he shared everything in detail, from beginning to end, without hiding anything.
Because Min Seung-yeon was present, he had no choice but to omit the part about how he had distinguished whether Na Jun-tae was trustworthy or not through Kang Yebin’s future knowledge.
Perhaps that’s why,
As a mother, Min Seung-yeon naturally felt worried.
“There are so many people trying to scam lately, so whether that person is truly trustworthy or not…”
“It’s okay. We’ve gone through a thorough verification process on that point.”
Kang Dae-oh could be confident because he had received assurance from ‘our daughter,’ who was more reliable than most national certified institutions.
Meanwhile, Kang Yera was greatly surprised by the fact that Kang Dae-oh had contacted the future famous Na Jun-tae without her knowing.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She whispered to her father, as if complaining, without her mother knowing.
Kang Dae-oh replied that it was all for his daughter and asked her whether she would accept this offer.
“Do you want to try it?”
There was no doubt that this was a good opportunity to build connections with a star producer who would achieve great success in the future.
However, he wanted to leave it entirely up to his daughter whether or not to seize this opportunity.
Because the ones who needed to succeed in the entertainment industry were not Kang Dae-oh, but
His two daughters.
Kang Yera nodded as if to say it went without saying.
“Yes, I want to do it.”
As expected. It was just as Kang Dae-oh had predicted.
True to Kang Yera, who had expressed her ambition to put her unknown past behind her and finally become a successful idol this time, she already revealed her burning ambition.
Na Jun-tae was one thing, but
Kang Yera was more concerned about Ha-rin’s existence.
“Ha-rin sunbaenim is someone I’ve admired since way back. To be able to do a duet with her… I definitely have to do it!”
Kang Dae-oh had never seen Kang Yera burn with such passion before.
Watching the young Kang Yera glow with excitement, even Kang Dae-oh felt a surge of motivation.
“Alright. Let’s work hard, Yera!”
“Yes, appa!”
Min Seung-yeon, who had been quietly watching the father and daughter unite in spirit, made a dumbfounded expression.
“What are those two doing?”
She was only filled with doubt, wondering if this was truly something worth burning with such passion for.
Not knowing the full story, Min Seung-yeon simply found the two of them strange.
Until the recording date, Kang Yera listened to the song she had received in advance and practiced, and practiced again.
Perhaps it was because she had experience as an idol before.
Na Jun-tae, who had been observing Kang Yera’s vocal practice process, was once again amazed by her skill today.
“She already knows how to use her head voice. Father, you said you never gave Yera separate vocal lessons, right?”
“Yes.”
“But how is she already… This can only be called talent.”
Talent?
No. This was a privilege given only to those who had regressed.
Only Kang Dae-oh knew the secret Kang Yera held, so he had to struggle quite a bit to keep his mouth shut.
As Kang Yera lightly warmed up her voice before the full-fledged recording, they waited for a moment.
“Hello!”
A clear and refreshing female voice was heard from the recording studio entrance.
Everyone’s gaze turned towards her.
A beautiful woman in her early twenties greeted everyone with a bright smile, bowing repeatedly.
“I’m Ha-rin from Servi. I look forward to working with you on today’s recording!”
Perhaps it was because she was a member of a rookie girl group.
Not just her words, but every little gesture was filled with tension and determination.
Producer Na Jun-tae beckoned her over.
“This is Yera, who will be recording with you today. And this is Yera’s father.”
“Hello! Oh my, how pretty! I’ve seen many videos of Yera singing children’s songs at the hospital on YouTube! My goodness. She sings so well, doesn’t she? I think she’s even better than me.”
Faced with her outpouring of compliments, Kang Yera showed a reaction of not knowing what to do with herself.
Kang Yera, being a former idol herself, also loves idols so much that she could be called an idol otaku.
Before her eyes stood a legendary idol who would later dominate the popular music scene with producer Na Jun-tae.
Naturally, she couldn’t help but be happy.
Looking at Yera at that moment, Kang Dae-oh immediately thought of this phrase:
‘Is this what they call a successful otaku?’
A smile did not leave Kang Yera’s lips.
Seeing his daughter happy, Kang Dae-oh’s mood naturally brightened as well.
Na Jun-tae pointed inside the recording studio to Kang Yera and Ha-rin and said,
“Time is very tight, so shall we start recording right away?”
“Yes!”
“And Yera, don’t be too nervous. Uncle will give you plenty of time and opportunities, so sing as comfortably as you can. Okay?”
Kang Yera nodded vigorously, saying she understood.
There was a reason why producer Na Jun-tae said this specifically to Kang Yera.
As soon as the two entered the recording studio, producer Na Jun-tae approached Kang Dae-oh and mentioned this reason.
“She’s still a baby, after all. If she tries to sing in front of adults making strict, solemn, and serious faces and staring intently, it will be very burdensome for her. It will also take a long time.”
Working with young children is usually like that.
Although it was their own way of being considerate,
Kang Dae-oh shook his head, showing an attitude of ‘Does Yera really need that?’
“You don’t need to worry too much about that part.”
“Yes? What do you mean by that…?”
Ah.
Watching his beloved eldest daughter lightly warm up her voice,
Kang Dae-oh replied with a voice full of conviction.
“This is Yera’s calling.”
His eldest daughter, who was born—no, regressed—to become a successful idol.
Kang Dae-oh’s conviction was not an exaggeration, but as good as something already decided.
