Rookie Talent Agent Knows It All

Chapter 399: Hwaranjeon Crank In (1)

The clear and pure voice like that of a boy choir member echoed from the studio speakers.

Although I knew Seo Yeon-Woo had a wide vocal range, it was my first time hearing such a refined tone. Seo Yeon-Woo's clear voice devoid of metallic harshness sent shivers down my spine.

When Seo Yeon-Woo sang the climax earnestly, I felt as if I had become Kim Beop-Min for a moment. I was so overcome with emotions that I instinctively clutched my chest.

He wasn't at this level just two weeks ago, but his skills had improved drastically since then.

Seo Yeon-Woo's singing was so beautiful and moving that everyone in the studio was left speechless, staring at him in a daze.

As the first verse ended, there was a brief instrumental interlude.

Immersed in the performance, Lee Dong-Min kept expressing his amazement. "When did he... get this good?"

Bang Seon-Woo replied to Lee Dong-Min's trembling voice with a soft smile. "He was always talented."

Lee Dong-Min tilted his head in disbelief. "I've heard him during guide recordings, but I don't think he was this good."

"He said he naturally tensed up whenever he held a mic. Everyone initially doubted Yeon-Woo could become a singer, remember?"

Seo Yeon-Woo had been singing at live clubs for a long time. However, instead of singing his own songs in his own voice, he mimicked famous singers' voices because the club guests expected to hear familiar songs.

Over time, this led to him completely losing his unique voice.

When Seo Yeon-Woo first came to the company, everyone who heard him sing had a unanimous opinion. They said his voice lacked individuality and he couldn't succeed as a solo artist. They thought he would fit better in variety shows as an impressionist singer.

Bang Seon-Woo continued, "That's what people used to say... But ever since he came back from China, he has started finding his own voice. I don't know what happened there."

'Since coming back from China? Could it be because I promised to help him become a singer?' I wondered.

I had promised Seo Yeon-Woo at Incheon Airport to make him a singer after seeing Ju Yung-In in the spotlight.

Since then, Seo Yeon-Woo must have worked tirelessly to truly become one. I figured he must have placed all his trust in my uncertain promise.

'This kid. To think he'd go this far...'

Overwhelmed with gratitude and pride, I felt my chest tighten.

"From then on, Yeon-Woo found his own style in the process of training Cherry Blossom and Ha-Na noona. I composed the songs while watching Yeon-Woo's voice evolve," Bang Seon-Woo said with a proud smile.

Fortunately, Seo Yeon-Woo had the full support of Bang Seon-Woo, a genius composer who tailored songs to match the singer's voice.

I began to think Seo Yeon-Woo might become the standout of this album.

At that moment, Bang Seon-Woo turned toward the recording booth. "Oh, the second verse is starting. Listen to it—it's extraordinary."

This time, Seo Yeon-Woo's voice transformed once more. It was as though he had become a one-man orchestra as he seamlessly delivered the second verse like a popera singer.

While still as pure as in the first verse, his voice now carried a majestic quality. As a result, the beautiful high notes resonated with a power that seemed to shake the recording studio.

Marveling at Seo Yeon-Woo's relentless effort, I slowly closed my eyes and immersed myself in his song.

***

Click.

As the instrumentals for 'Hwayeonga' concluded, the recording button on the control panel automatically popped up.

Having finished the recording, Seo Yeon-Woo emerged from the booth with sweat glistening on his forehead. "Hey, Bang Seon-Woo. Why'd you make the song so difficult? Any singer would drop dead trying to sing this!"

The grumbling Seo Yeon-Woo approached and drank a glass of water from the table. However, when no one responded, he tilted his head in confusion. "Why do you all look like that?"

Seo Yeon-Woo failed to grasp what was going on when he saw Lee Dong-Min in a daze and me overwhelmed with emotion.

After all, he believed that he had only performed a guide vocal. His lack of self-belief remained the same despite the many changes he went through.

Bang Seon-Woo smiled and looked at Seo Yeon-Woo. "Don't you know why I made the song so challenging?"

"I have no idea."

Bang Seon-Woo glanced at me. "Hyung. He's such a fool, isn't he?"

At that moment, I clapped my hands to express my overflowing emotions toward Seo Yeon-Woo.

Clap, clap, clap.

"You're amazing, Yeon-Woo!"

Seo Yeon-Woo gave me a puzzled look. "What?"

Then, Lee Dong-Min suddenly stood up and gave Seo Yeon-Woo a tight hug. "Yeon-Woo, you little rascal! Why've you been hiding that you can sing this well?"

"W-why are you acting like this, Mr. Lee?"

Lee Dong-Min turned to me. "Yoon-Ho, I think he really is a fool."

Seo Yeon-Woo looked at me, still not understanding what was going on. "Hyung, what's all this about?"

"What do you think this is about? You just sang your debut song."

Only then did Seo Yeon-Woo realize that the song had been made specifically for him. "This is my song...?"

Bang Seon-Woo smiled. "Yeon-Woo, who else do you think could handle this song? I made it for your vocal range from the start."

Seo Yeon-Woo looked at me with a face full of emotion. "Hyung...can I really sing this song?"

"Of course. Didn't I promise I'd make you a singer?"

Seo Yeon-Woo was overwhelmed with emotion and lowered his head. "Thank you... Yoon-Ho hyung."

I patted Seo Yeon-Woo on the back as he bowed. "There's no need to thank me. Actually, I'm the one who's grateful. You trusted me and worked so hard all this time."

Seo Yeon-Woo's lightly trembling body gradually stilled. With that, I chose the first singer for the Hwaranjeon original soundtrack.

Moments later, Seo Yeon-Woo raised his head and prepared to sing 'Hwayeonga' again which was now fully his own.

Just then, Bang Seon-Woo intervened. "Sing it again after the arrangement is finalized. And while we're at it, try 'Moonlit Woman' too."

"Why that one?" Seo Yeon-Woo asked.

"I wrote that one with you in mind as well. You've got such solid midrange vocals."

"I'm not sure if I can pull it off, but... okay."

Seo Yeon-Woo reluctantly returned to the recording booth to sing another song: 'Moonlit Woman'.

The song was about King Eumgalmun visiting the still-incomplete nine-story pagoda of Hwangnyongsa, reminiscing about Queen Seondeok as they once walked the site under the moonlight.

It was a mournful love song that carried the anguish of losing his beloved first wife without knowing why, and it required a heart-wrenching sorrow to be conveyed.

Unlike the earlier piece, this one demanded deep midrange and low notes, and Seo Yeon-Woo executed it effortlessly.

'He's a one-man orchestra,' I marveled.

There were no better words to describe Seo Yeon-Woo.

Unlike in the past when he lacked his own voice due to mimicking others, he could now infuse every register with profound emotion and his unique tone.

***

During the team lead meeting the next day, discussions revolved around the arrest of Han Hyun-Ho the previous day and its aftermath.

Then, Kang Gam-Chan inquired about the Hwaranjeon original soundtrack recording from the day before. "Yeon-Woo received two songs?"

"Yes, I believe Seo Yeon-Woo can take on 'Hwayeonga' and 'Moonlit Woman.'"

At that moment, the room broke out in murmurs. There was skepticism because the team leads had all heard Seo Yeon-Woo sing after he joined.

Park Hyun-Sik, the team lead of Singer Division 1, frowned and questioned, "Team Lead Jung, how can Seo Yeon-Woo replace Han Hyun-Ho? Even if you brought him in... isn't this too much? At the very least, you should've found someone on Han Hyun-Ho's level."

At forty-five years old, Park Hyun-Sik was fairly close to Han Hyun-Ho. Perhaps because of this reason, he wore a dissatisfied look on his face.

Anticipating this reaction, I handed over the recording file I had brought. "Why don't we listen to the recording first and then decide? The original soundtrack isn't fully produced yet and it's just the base melody, but it should give you a clear sense of Yeon-Woo's voice."

Sung Min-Suk played the file through the speakers in the meeting room.

For the next five minutes, everyone in the room was half-dazed and captivated by Seo Yeon-Woo's voice.

***

As Seo Yeon-Woo's song ended, the meeting room was steeped in silence as the attendees were still stunned by the impact of his performance.

At that moment, Kang Gam-Chan cleared his throat and broke the silence. "Ahem. He's... very good."

Looking around with a confident smile, he added. "I think it would be worth nurturing him properly. Does anyone object?"

Even Park Hyun-Sik, who had been grumbling moments before, was captivated by Seo Yeon-Woo's voice and kept silent.

Kang Gam-Chan turned to me. "Team Lead Jung, prepare Yeon-Woo for his debut as well."

"Yes, sir!"

Just like that, Seo Yeon-Woo filled the void left by Han Hyun-Ho perfectly.

Nonetheless, I didn't plan to stop here. I intended to use this opportunity to recruit more singers and expand Singer Division 2.

Recently, Bang Sang-Yung, Actor Division 1, Singer Division 1, and Actor Division 3 without Kim Dong-Soo had all been aggressively recruiting to increase their size.

Additionally, Choi Man-Sik was soon expected to announce plans related to employee stock ownership, citing shareholder opinions. To counter this, we also needed to scale up as quickly as possible.

Fortunately, preparations for that were well underway.

***

The day of Hwaranjeon's crank-in arrived.

I drove early in the morning to the Gyeongju set. After parking, I helped Yoo-Jin and Miso, who were slumped in their seats, out of the car.

As Yoo-Jin and Miso stretched, they gasped in amazement at the massive palace set before them.

"Wow, oppa. This place is incredible!"

"Uncle Yoon-Ho! The palace is huge!"

Five years ago, MBS had constructed this enormous set for the historical drama The Era of the Three Kingdoms. With support from Gyeongju City and MBS's long-term planning, they recreated Silla's Moon Palace and made the set three times larger than typical historical drama sets.

Despite MBS's ambitious vision, The Era of the Three Kingdoms ended with dismal viewership ratings, and the set was criticized as a waste of money. However, this allowed us to start filming Hwaranjeon without delay.

Though part of the set was still under renovation and resembled a construction site, it was a significant advantage.

One reason I chose to produce Hwaranjeon with MBS was this set. By avoiding extra costs for a Silla-era set, we could hire more supporting actors and provide stable pay for the staff.

For example, we could even employ a large number of extras for battle scenes.

"This place is really something else."

Jung Sang-Bong, Lee Mi-Ri, and Yang So-Ri, who had accompanied me, were also awestruck as they glanced around in amazement at the massive site.

"Alright, let's stop being impressed and get going. We need to go greet Mrs. Oh and prepare for the press interviews."

With rumors of KBC holding auditions for Queen Jeong-Hee, MBS's top executives were already on edge. That was the reason press interviews had been scheduled on the very first day of filming.

First, we needed to report to Oh Bok-Hee upon arrival. Hence, I led the group toward the production team's tent where monitoring equipment was being set up. Inside, team members were connecting monitors and devices with cables while Oh Bok-Hee was deeply engrossed in the continuity files.

"Mrs. Oh, we're here."

"Ah, right on time."

Oh Bok-Hee greeted us with a bright smile and introduced the assistant director nearby. "Let's see... Everyone, meet our AD, Geum Eun-Dong. He'll manage the set in my absence and oversee Team B, so make sure to get acquainted."

A tall and lanky man of about 190cm extended his hand for a handshake.

Geum Eun-Dong would become a PD next year and successfully direct five consecutive dramas at MBS before founding his own production company.

In other words, he was someone worth building rapport with, like Kim Sung-Woon and Oh Bok-Hee.

"Hello, Mr. Geum."

Geum Eun-Dong offered a faint smile. "Hi, I look forward to working with you."

Because he was not much of a talker, Yoo-Jin and Miso wrapped up their introductions quickly.

At that moment, Oh Bok-Hee pulled me aside. "Mr. Jung, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. Can you step outside for a moment?" n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Of course."

Following Oh Bok-Hee out of the tent, I noticed her sigh as she pointed toward one corner of the set. "Mr. Jung, do you see that?"

Under a tent designated for the actors' waiting area, two groups were sitting apart. One side led by Lee Tae-Yeon and Han Sang-Hee consisted of people from TK Entertainment, while the other group was from Ace Entertainment.

In that instant, I understood what Oh Bok-Hee wanted to say.

I asked, "The power struggle has already started?"

In dramas, tensions often escalated along hierarchical and factional lines.

The most contentious issue was usually the shooting order. Some actors arrived at convenient times, finished filming quickly, and left, while others waited overnight and only wrapped up their scenes by dawn.

With such a high-caliber cast, disputes over shooting schedules had already begun.

"It's calmer now, but earlier? It was chaos—thankfully, no one cursed. Miss Yoo-Jin should avoid getting entangled and not take sides. Stick to the schedule as closely as possible."

For leads, filming always took precedence. If Yoo-Jin deviated from her schedule, it could reignite power struggles among the other actresses.

"Of course, I'll make sure of it. Don't worry."

Oh Bok-Hee said with a deep sigh of relief, "I'm so relieved that Miss Yoo-Jin is the lead."

Just then, Min Gyu-Ri arrived on set. After greeting her seniors, she chose the best-looking chair and casually plopped down.

All the surrounding actresses turned their gaze toward Min Gyu-Ri, a rookie who had just taken the lead actress' designated chair—the one meant for Yoo-Jin.

A palpable tension like the calm before a storm began to fill the air.