Episode 10. Object of Admiration (4)
Before starting the recording.
Producer Na Jun-tae briefly briefed Kang Yera and Ha Rin, who were seated in the recording studio, once again on the part distribution and points to emphasize.
Ha Rin was used to such things and had worked with Producer Na Jun-tae many times, so she could understand easily. However, Kang Yera was young and this was her first recording, so Na Jun-tae explained slowly to ensure she fully understood.
“Do you understand what I’m saying, Yera?”
“Yes!”
“Really? If anything is difficult, you can ask anytime.”
“It’s okay. I understand everything.”
A small laugh escaped Na Jun-tae’s lips.
Na Jun-tae had met and worked with many children while taking on outsourced theme songs for children’s animations, but Kang Yera was the first child he encountered with such quick comprehension.
It wasn’t just her comprehension.
Ah-ah.
Kang Yera, after a brief vocal warm-up, sang a short rendition of Part B, which Na Jun-tae had pointed out as an example.
Gathering dreams, hope, and courage,
Let’s defeat the villains, Fight!
“Like this, right?”
All the adults present swallowed their surprise at Kang Yera’s ability to perfectly internalize and sing the part where Producer Na Jun-tae had emphasized singing ‘Fight’ powerfully.
Only Kang Dae-oh, who knew Kang Yera’s true identity, maintained his composure as if he had expected this.
One of the audio staff participating in the recording whispered in a low voice to another staff member sitting next to him, with a dumbfounded expression.
“Yera, she sings incredibly well, doesn’t she?”
“Her voice tone is also good… it seems like she knows how to sing beautifully.”
It exuded the feeling of a professional, not an amateur.
Ha Rin also showed surprise at Kang Yera’s skill.
“Yera seems to sing better than this unnie?”
Kang Yera showed a shy reaction.
While singing, she was very mature, but when receiving praise from someone she admired in this way, she would revert to her original childlike self.
‘Yera must really like Ha Rin-ssi.’
Kang Dae-oh doesn’t know exactly what kind of lives his daughters lived before their regression.
He only knows what they told him directly.
After the brief briefing ended, Na Jun-tae quietly approached Kang Dae-oh.
“As Yera’s father said, it seems today’s recording will go smoothly.”
He had that feeling.
They decided to start the recording with Ha Rin first.
The song largely consists of Ha Rin’s solo part, Kang Yera’s solo part, and their duet part (chorus).
Ha Rin, after a light vocal warm-up, gave a short nod to indicate she was ready.
As the music began to play, Ha Rin opened her mouth and raised her voice.
If we chant the magic spell,
Our dreams will come true.
Dreaming, Dreaming!
Naturally, this was Kang Dae-oh’s first time attending a recording session of an active singer.
Hearing the song live at the scene was much more powerful than listening to it on broadcast or as a sound source.
‘This must be why people go to live concerts.’
The memory of meeting Min Seung-yeon for the first time at Choi Seon-ah’s concert came to his mind after a long time.
Even in the high-pitched parts, which boasted a wide range, Ha Rin raised her voice clearly and effortlessly.
In contrast to when Kang Yera revealed her skill, this time only Kang Dae-oh was surprised, while others showed indifferent reactions.
They had known Ha Rin’s skill for a long time, so there was nothing to be surprised about.
Kang Yera was also the same.
At some point, she was no longer in the position of singing together, but watching Ha Rin’s live performance from a fan’s perspective.
Even though only one part had just finished, Kang Dae-oh continuously swallowed his admiration.
‘Amazing.’
At the same time, he worried about his daughter.
Can our daughter do as well as that singer, Ha Rin?
Kang Dae-oh shook his head, casting away his doubts.
‘It’s natural for a parent to trust their child.’
Kang Dae-oh decided to trust his daughter and wait.
After Ha Rin’s turn ended.
Next, it was Kang Yera’s turn, which Kang Dae-oh had been eagerly waiting for.
Because Kang Yera was short, she had to stand on a footstool to proceed with the recording.
Even so, it was still far from enough, so a staff member came into the booth and adjusted the microphone, lowering it as much as possible.
“Is this enough?”
“Yes. Thank you!”
Even Kang Yera’s preparation process seemed cute to the adults.
Because she had sung very well during practice.
Producer Na Jun-tae and the staff, with a certain level of expectation, restarted the recording that had been paused.
However.
“…Hmm?”
Producer Na Jun-tae, who was quietly listening to Kang Yera’s song, tilted his head slightly.
Was the expectation built up during the vocal warm-up too high?
“Yera. My apologies. Shall we try again?”
“Yes, yes!”
Kang Yera replied with a slight stammer.
Following that, the second try began.
But this time too, Producer Na Jun-tae’s head shaking motion was from side to side, not up and down.
“That’s strange…”
“Yera, didn’t she sing much better than this earlier?”
“Indeed. She should be able to produce a better voice than what was just recorded.”
“Could it be because she’s nervous? You know, practice and actual performance are very different.”
“That could be it.”
Concerned conversations went back and forth among the staff.
Producer Na Jun-tae, after a short nod, began to give feedback to Kang Yera.
“You can sing with more confidence, Yera. No one here will get angry if you don’t sing well. We have plenty of time, so don’t feel pressured and try singing slowly. Understood?”
“…I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about. Or shall we take a short break?”
The staff agreed that it would be a good idea.
Using the break time, Ha Rin approached Kang Yera.
“Yera. Don’t be too down. No one is good from the very beginning.”
“…”
Kang Yera just nodded her head several times without saying a word.
In fact, those words weren’t much comfort to Kang Yera.
Because.
‘This isn’t Yera’s first time.’
Strictly speaking, she could be considered more experienced than Ha Rin, who was recording with her now.
Nevertheless, there was only one reason why Kang Yera was performing below expectations during the recording session.
Was it because she wasn’t used to a child’s body?
Or because she was nervous?
None of the above.
‘Stage fright… is it?’
Kang Dae-oh had roughly heard from Kang Yebin about her unnie’s hidden struggles.
That she had developed stage fright after a long time as an unknown idol.
The situation of being forced to stand on a stage where no one watched her, forcing a smile while dancing and singing, had given Kang Yera stage fright.
Kang Yera intended to challenge herself as an idol once again, to overcome her past self and somehow achieve the dream she had once given up.
Even for that reason.
‘She has to overcome this moment somehow.’
Kang Dae-oh, having firmed his resolve, entered the recording studio.
“Dad…?”
Looking at his flustered eldest daughter, Kang Dae-oh approached her silently.
And then.
He quietly hugged her.
“You’re doing great, my daughter.”
“…”
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”
How difficult and lonely it must have been for her alone on that vast stage.
He felt sorry that he couldn’t be there with her on that stage.
He was foolish to think that Kang Yera would do well on her own just because she came from the future.
No matter how old they get, children are always precious and eternal children to their parents.
So Kang Dae-oh wanted to give Kang Yera even a little bit of encouragement.
He wanted to hug her warmly.
He wanted to let her know through his fatherly warmth that she no longer needed to tremble alone on stage.
Pat-pat.
His father’s rough, large hand caressed Kang Yera’s small back.
My baby.
It’s okay.
Because Dad, Mom, and your dongsaengs are here.
So it’s okay.
Even without words, Kang Yera could fully feel her father’s sincerity.
She buried her face in her father’s embrace.
“…Thank you, Dad.”
Kang Dae-oh stroked Kang Yera’s head.
“I’m even more grateful, actually.”
For being born again as Dad and Mom’s daughter, like this.
Perhaps thanks to Kang Dae-oh’s comfort.
Kang Yera displayed a completely different level of skill than before the break.
Producer Na Jun-tae assessed that:
“Yera sang better than Ha Rin, didn’t she?”
Kang Yera hastily shook her head, implying that wasn’t true.
Ha Rin, on the contrary, agreed with Producer Na Jun-tae’s words.
“Just for today, I’ll agree with you, Producer-nim.”
“What’s gotten into you? The one who always grumbled, ‘Producer-nim, that’s not right!’”
“Oh, come on. When did I ever? Have you ever seen a singer as obedient as me?”
“Many, many times.”
“Oh my? Yera’s father is watching, how can you embarrass your assigned singer like this!”
Watching the two bickering, Kang Dae-oh suddenly recalled the relationship between Kang Yera and Kang Yebin.
Kang Yera also seemed to have recalled herself bickering with her dongsaeng, as she gave a wry smile.
Producer Na Jun-tae cleared his throat loudly once, then expressed his gratitude to Kang Dae-oh.
“Anyway, thank you very much for cooperating with Yera. When the PV video is released on YouTube later, I’ll contact you separately again.”
“Understood. Producer-nim, and Ha Rin-yang. You’ve both worked hard. Then, we’ll be heading off now.”
“Ah, before that…”
Producer Na Jun-tae handed Kang Dae-oh a business card.
Kang Dae-oh tilted his head once at his action.
“Didn’t you give me a business card last time?”
He wondered if there was a need to give the same business card again.
“You’ll know if you look at the back.”
Kang Dae-oh checked the back of the business card as per Producer Na Jun-tae’s words.
Then, a phone number that Producer Na had written separately with a ballpoint pen was written there.
“The number engraved on the business card is my work phone number, and the one written on the back is my personal phone number. I’m just saying this in case…”
Producer Na Jun-tae’s gaze fixed on Kang Yera.
“If you ever consider debuting Yera as a singer, please do contact me. I will help a lot. No, I want to help.”
Producer Na had already seen through Kang Yera’s potential for growth.
Kang Dae-oh exchanged glances with Kang Yera before answering.
Nod.
Only after acknowledging Kang Yera’s short nod was Kang Dae-oh able to give his reply.
“Yes, I understand. I will definitely contact you.”
A deep smile spread across Producer Na Jun-tae’s face.
It was the brightest expression he had shown all day.
On the way home.
Kang Dae-oh looked at Kang Yera, who was sitting next to him, and asked.
“My daughter. How was it recording with the singer you admire? Was it good?”
“Yes. But Dad. It’s true that I admire Ha Rin sunbaenim, but my number one object of admiration is someone else.”
“Really? Who is that person? Is it perhaps Choi Seon-ah-ssi?”
Because she had liked Choi Seon-ah very much since she was little.
So Kang Dae-oh thought the number one person his eldest daughter mentioned was Choi Seon-ah.
But the answer that came back was ‘No’.
“Not Choi Seon-ah sunbaenim.”
“Then?”
“It’s the person closest to me.”
“You know another singer nearby?”
“Oh, really.”
“…?”
Only after seeing his daughter let out a short sigh did Kang Dae-oh vaguely catch on.
“…No way. Is that me…?”
“I’m tired, so I’m going to sleep. Please wake me up when we arrive home later.”
Was it because she was embarrassed?
Kang Yera pulled the lap blanket she was using as a blanket up to the top of her head, covering her face.
At his cute daughter’s reaction, Kang Dae-oh smiled faintly.
‘As expected, my daughters are the cutest in the world.’
His hands gripping the steering wheel were filled with strength.
