Assistant Manager Kim Hates Idols
SS Chapter 76: A War of Nerves (2)
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TL: FoodieMonster007
"So you pushed for it because you thought it was a song Kiyeon could handle just fine, but it seems he didn't feel that way."
"It's not about 'just fine.' He can definitely do it, and…" Lee Cheonghyeon pouted.
"…That song suits Kang-geon the best. It's not spArk's color."
His assessment was firm. I had to admit I felt the same way.
The song strayed far from the form of a standard idol title track. For someone whose main specialty was dance like Kang Kiyeon, the beat was not particularly fast, nor was the progression dynamic. How should I put it? It felt like a sonic representation of a lukewarm water's surface. It was distinctly different from spArk's songs, which were like water skiing on a rushing river.
However, not being able to showcase one's strengths and lacking confidence are two different things. Having heard the demo, I knew.
There was no point where Kang Kiyeon would be sadistically wrung dry. Meaning, it did not require a high note that could pierce through the studio ceiling.
If it were a gentle, emotional ballad that required him to display deep, resonant appeal even in a low register, that would be another story, but it was unlikely for the vocals to be so heavily emphasized in a dance track.
He was not arguing that the song was too loose to appeal to the public, but that he was shunning it because he 'couldn't pull it off'? It was an unconvincing reason.
What intention did Kang Kiyeon read into Plan A?
As I pondered, a thought snagged my attention. Why had no one resolved this difference of opinion?
If Kang Kiyeon had misinterpreted the context, Lee Cheonghyeon could have just clarified it was a misunderstanding and ended it. After all, he was aware of Kang Kiyeon's discomfort.
But he had not. This must mean Kang Kiyeon had accurately grasped the composer's intention. That was why Lee Cheonghyeon was not denying it.
"Looks like our Kiyeon got poked in a very sore spot."
"I might have poked a little too hard, but I swear I didn't have any bad intentions."
"Then why?"
"It's just that Kang-geon wants to hide the very point I thought was cool."
"So it wasn't a concept like a heartbroken man after a breakup?"
"Isn't that obvious? A solo album is about an individual's story."
As expected, Lee Cheonghyeon was brilliant. He clearly understood the difference between an idol album, which has to sell a group to the market, and a solo album, which has to appeal to the artist's narrative and musical world.
The picture was finally coming into focus. A part of himself that Kang Kiyeon considered a weakness, Lee Cheonghyeon had singled out as a sales point… no. That word makes Lee Cheonghyeon sound too materialistic. It would be better to say he saw it as a 'charming point.'
A person's inner world is incredibly complex, and people tend to overreact when they receive feedback on a part of themselves they want to hide. Is it not often the case that a compliment does not sound like a compliment, and simple feedback feels like a huge criticism or condemnation? An inferiority complex often stems from things like that.
Lee Cheonghyeon was not so immature as to not know such a basic fact. Contrary to the public image of a genius, the kid was delicate and skilled at understanding human psychology. Unfortunately, the timing was off, but if there had been time and opportunity, Lee Cheonghyeon would have explained his intentions to Kang Kiyeon in a kind and considerate manner.
"It's all twisted. It's my fault for being fooled by 'Deserted Rest Island' and momentarily forgetting that my friend is actually a perceptive person."
"Wouldn't Kiyeon find what you just said even more insulting?"
"You think so?"
Lee Cheonghyeon grinned. It could not have left a clean aftertaste, but it was a smile that had not lost its playfulness.
"What was the concept you were thinking of? Let's hear it."
"Can you promise not to criticize me?"
"Why would I criticize you?"
"You might be on the verge of saying my planning skills are crap, or that I should be careful about touching someone's abyss without their consent."
"Have I ever shot down anyone's ideas besides Yoo Hansoo's?"
I, Kim Iwol, prided myself on being open to all opinions, with the exception of the damn 'one team' worldview and the godforsaken 'fairy of the lawn.'
I had never been impolite when explaining why an idea was not chosen. I might say it lacked public appeal or did not fit the team's color, but I never said things like 'it's tacky' or 'it won't sell' in front of the person who submitted the plan. In an organization that is supposed to be brainstorming, acting like that is the fastest way to make everyone shut up.
Lee Cheonghyeon shook his head, acknowledging I was right. Geez, I do not know why the kid worries for nothing when he is just going to agree anyway.
"Touching an abyss without consent, that's something you should be careful about, but you and Kiyeon have your own rapport, and as an outsider, I can't possibly see into it more deeply than the two of you. What right would I have to point that out? It'd be different if you were a reckless person, Cheonghyeon, but you're not."
"……"
"As Kiyeon's friend and the one making the song, you must have agonized over it the most. I don't think it's my place to interfere. To anyone else, I might have said, 'People get defensive when you hit a nerve,' but you're already aware of that, Cheonghyeon, so there's no need to say more."
Lee Cheonghyeon let out a pained groan at my words. Since he was moaning and groaning, I told him to lie down and cool his head. The kid flopped right onto the bed.
"So? Are you going to keep what concept you were going for a secret?"
"It's not much of a concept. It's just a keyword."
"What was it?"
"Submersion."
"Submersion?"
The first thing that came to mind was the ocean. Next, the image of a person entering the sea, so deep it looked black rather than blue, and then maybe some bubbles. Lee Cheonghyeon sharply cut off that branching train of thought.
"Not the depth."
"Huh?"
"It's not about a figure sinking. The state of being submerged in water is what's important."
That was closer to the word's original meaning, though 'submersion' usually brought to mind the image of someone descending.
"Have you ever seen a video taken in the middle of the deep sea?" Lee Cheonghyeon asked. It did not seem like a question that needed an answer, so I waited for him to continue. He stretched both arms toward the ceiling.
"Not the sparkling, glittering sea, and not the emerald sea of a resort filled with coral reefs. I'm talking about being in the water, so far from the surface that everything is murky, the bottom is too far below to be seen, and not even a school of fish passes by."
Lee Cheonghyeon's arms slowly spread wide to his sides.
"They say 70% of the Earth's surface is ocean, so how vast must the world within it be? Think of the vastness conveyed by the term 'a boundless ocean.' A person would look so small in there."
I tried to imagine the sea Lee Cheonghyeon must have seen in some documentary. A low-saturation, blue-green sea where sunlight could not penetrate. A place where the only thing visible was intangible water, and the middle of that translucent underwater world was as silent as if the speaker was turned off. It felt more suffocating than liberating.
An image that could be the album cover naturally formed in my head. A deep sea that looked like it was cut out in a cube, so still you would not even know it was the ocean, and in the middle, a small human standing still.
An undynamic progression. A lukewarm surface. A different feeling from spArk's brilliantly shining songs.
The atmosphere matched the impression the song gave off perfectly. It was so vivid that it would not be strange for Kang Kiyeon himself to have noticed it the moment he heard it.
"Kang-geon knows that suffocating feeling," Lee Cheonghyeon said.
"He's felt what it's like to be so submerged that even drying yourself off is meaningless."
So much was contained in that short sentence. While some people's anxiety feels like a huge crisis about to crash down on them at any moment, Kang Kiyeon's anxiety slowly tightened its grip on his throat. Very slowly, until he reached his limit without even realizing it.
"Was there a reason you wanted to deal with that subject?"
I could not imagine that this kid, who grieved for others' troubles as if they were his own, would use it for a song simply because 'it made for good material.' Lee Cheonghyeon's arms slowly lowered.
"Because the person Kang Kiyeon is was forged during that time of being submerged."
"That's philosophical, and also a topic that others can't easily touch."
"But I think that's cool."
"Cool? Isn't that word completely out of place with the context so far?"
Were we not just talking about a lonely soul, short of breath, floating directionless in the sea? We were dressing it up in sensory language because it was a conversation about an album concept, but still.
"Of course it is!"
Despite my blunt skepticism, Lee Cheonghyeon was confident. It was a confidence so brazen it left me speechless.
"He saw that ocean."
Lee Cheonghyeon's eyes were full of sincerity.
"He saw the boundless sea and still didn't sink. He came back up to the surface. It's a different case from Seongbin-hyung. Among us, Kang-geon is the only one who can tell that kind of story. It's just a shame that the kid who faced his trainee life head-on when it was so suffocating is hesitating now."
Like everyone, each member of spArk had their own worries, and they had resolved their inner issues well as they grew up. Lee Cheonghyeon was no exception. However, in his eyes, his friend's achievement seemed to loom larger than his own growth.
"You're right. This wasn't a problem for me to get involved in."
"Still, I feel so much better thanks to you, hyung! It's a real chore to keep mulling over a problem with no progress. How do you manage to plan an album every single time?"
"I'm the one who's amazed at how you can write a new song every time."
I should have saved his contact as something like 'God of Creation' instead of spArk's eternal soul. The nickname the SYSTEM gave him was too small a vessel to contain Lee Cheonghyeon.
"But will you have time to sit down and talk with Kiyeon? You're leaving the country soon."
"There's a saying, 'turn a crisis into an opportunity.' I'm generously! giving the evasive Kiyeon time to ignore reality!"
"That's a very effective method. Kiyeon will be able to make really good use of the time you're gone."
Lee Cheonghyeon cackled at my words.
"A problem arises, and I leave the country to let things cool down. Don't I seem pretty mature?"
"Yeah, like a chaebol male lead in a drama."
"Ugh… I don't like chaebol male leads, they're too ill-mannered."
"Don't worry, Cheonghyeon. The only thing you lack compared to a chaebol male lead is being a jerk. I'll support Kiyeon from here in Korea so he can make a decision before the deadline, no matter what."
In the empty room, the two of us forged a pact for a smooth comeback. What choice will Kang Kiyeon ultimately make? Leaving that uncertainty behind, Lee Cheonghyeon departed on his long journey, suitcase in tow.