Chapter 391
I looked at Heo Yu-bin's newly awakened trait.
Heo Yu-bin's personal trait, which greatly increases musical talent and creativity, blossomed from 'Corner Genius Producer' to 'With My Heart'.
I was a little confused about what kind of ability it grants just by looking at the trait name.
['With My Heart' (Blossom): When music and soul come together, a new world opens up. The user's concentration and ability related to music greatly increase, and the abnormal status 'Hikikomori' is deactivated.]
The effect of dramatically increasing musical talent was still there like Heo Yu-bin's existing trait, but the most important thing was the deactivation of the abnormal status 'Hikikomori'.
Despite Heo Yu-bin's outstanding talent, he always lacked confidence, was reluctant to speak in front of others, and acted timidly, all because of the influence of this 'Hikikomori'.
I don't know exactly what happened to Heo Yu-bin, but it seems like something happened in the past that caused this abnormality.
However, as his individual characteristics blossomed, the timidity that had blocked Heo Yu-bin's path was suppressed, and in its place was a new confidence.
When Heo Yu-bin's words that he would take full responsibility echoed softly in the dormitory, everyone looked at him with similar faces.
It seemed as if they were doubting whether this was really what Heo Yu-bin had said.
In particular, Yoo Min-ha slightly extended his hand toward Heo Yu-bin and spoke in a slightly trembling voice.
"Yu, Yu-bin. Taking full responsibility-."
"That's exactly what it says."
Heo Yu-bin stared at Yoo Min-ha's shaking pupils with a gentle smile.
There was no hesitation or fear in his words.
"If the concept I brought in today's meeting doesn't pass, I plan to take full responsibility. I can't be greedy and cause harm to everyone anymore, so I'll acknowledge my limitations and leave the studio."
"Hey......…."
"But you don't have to worry."
Heo Yu-bin's voice had a firmness that I had never heard before.
He had a firm confidence that came from believing in himself completely, unlike his previous self.
"I believe that we will pass no matter what. So it's okay."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Just trust me."
"...I can't get used to it because you're like this."
It was natural for Yoo Min-ha to react like that.
When I think about Heo Yu-bin normally, he never spoke calmly in situations like this.
However, Heo Yu-bin's changed attitude was evidence of how much he had poured his heart and soul into his work during the three days he was locked in his studio.
Chae Eun-gyu, who knew that well, just smiled faintly and lightly patted Heo Yu-bin on the shoulder a few times.
"I'll be looking forward to the meeting."
"Yes! Just leave it to me!"
With Chae Eun-gyu's encouragement and Heo Yu-bin, who was dressed up with a new determination, we headed to the Sigma Entertainment building for the concept meeting scheduled for 1 p.m.
On the short way to the building, I thought about the many things that had happened in my head over the past few weeks.
'.... It was really crazy.'
I wondered if I had ever spent my time in such a hectic and chaotic atmosphere while preparing for a new album.
Heo Yu-bin's impulsive actions had caused the members a lot of concern. I have no intention of defending this.
However, if he had resolved the crisis by shutting himself in his room in his own way.
If he had really gathered all his concentration during that period and come up with a concept that would satisfy the company staff and us, wouldn't it be completely possible to forgive him?
"Still, he did it somehow. Yu-bin is amazing."
"I thought he could do it no matter what."
"I'm saying this now, but I was really worried."
Kang Si-yoon, who came next to me and walked side by side, spoke quietly so that only I could hear.
Even Kang Si-yoon, who is always optimistic, had a tight schedule that made his heart race.
"If the concept is perfect as Yu-bin says here... do you think it's possible?"
"There's no need to doubt it."
I glanced at Kang Si-yoon with my laughter completely removed.
"If Yu-bin says that, it means that he's prepared something that will surprise everyone, so we just have to believe it."
"Well, I was surprised when I heard Yubin say that he's ready to take responsibility for everything. How much did he sharpen his knife to prepare for that he's so confident?"
"...I'm sure Yu-bin felt a lot in the past three days."
I could tell instinctively.
Heo Yu-bin's attitude that had changed visibly, and his characteristics that had completely blossomed.
Considering the various circumstances, it's clear that Heo Yu-bin realized something during the three days he didn't leave the studio.
And that realization must have helped create a good result.
Kang Si-yoon raised both arms above his head and exhaled.
"Yeah, since it's come to this, I can't help but trust Yu-bin. If everything goes according to plan, the pre-preparation process should be finished by the end of this week, right?"
"That's right. If the schedule is delayed, there's a chance that the comeback date will be ambiguous."
"In order to properly stick with Connex, we have to get the OK sign for everything at this meeting."
As Kang Si-yoon had organized, a lot of pressure was placed on Heo Yu-bin's shoulders.
If they can't get confirmation here, not only will the overall schedule be delayed, but the promises the members had made to each other will become meaningless.
We decided to confirm the values we've built up so far by hitting each other with our whole bodies.
In order to have a head-on confrontation with Connex as planned, everything has to be finished at today's meeting.
The moment he got on the elevator and arrived in front of the conference room, Heo Yu-bin stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.
After slightly preparing himself, he opened the door with all his might and went inside.
There were more people than usual waiting for us in the conference room.
Not only the planning team that was always with us, but also the A&R team and the composers who helped Heo Yubin were there.
I was a little worried that Heo Yubin wouldn't be able to explain everything he had prepared in front of this many people, but this feeling soon disappeared like smoke.
"I'm really sorry for the past three days. I feel like I've caused trouble for everyone."
"You don't have to apologize like that again, you already did everything in the morning."
"But it still bothers me.........."
"I told you before, didn't I, Yubin ssi?"
The composer who had worked with Heo Yubin on our album before smiled and waved at Heo Yubin.
"No matter what the process was, as long as the results turned out well, don't worry. Instead, I'll think of you as someone who prepared meticulously."
"Yes!"
Without delay, Heo Yu-bin began explaining the concept of our comeback album that he had been preparing.
"The first thing I considered was to prepare a concept that would not overlap with our previous albums as much as possible. If we went with a genre similar to the title songs that we've released so far, it wouldn't meet the expectations of fans who want something new. So, while thinking about where to start, I came across a genre that inspired me."
Without hesitating even once, Heo Yu-bin slowly explained where he started.
"Old songs, especially Y2K, are becoming a bit popular, right? Actually, other idol groups have also released songs based on Y2K. So I thought that if we kept the flavor of Y2K and mixed it with a sophisticated pop sensibility, we could come up with a concept that Seleste has never tried before."
Our title songs generally gave off a strong feeling.
Except for
So, Heo Yu-bin explained that the concept of this title song and album was to appropriately mix 'brightness' and 'refreshingness.'
"I have three demos prepared today. One is Europop, one is Miami bass, and the last is New Jack Swing. All of them are sophisticated songs with a Y2K feel as I mentioned earlier. I'll let you listen to them once the concept introduction is over."
"Wait a minute. Yubin ssi, you just did three demos.........?"
"Yes."
The A&R team members looked dumbfounded.
In particular, the manager who often met with us seemed slightly shocked.
"How long?"
"All three songs are 1 minute and 30 to 40 seconds long."
"You even did the chorus and doubling?"
"Yes."
"Since our last meeting, you've been making these......…. So you're saying you finished the three demos with the chorus and doubling all by yourself in three days. Yubin ssi, shouldn't you just come over here?"
"I'm speechless."
"I can't even remember the last time someone did something like that."
Everyone seemed to find it hard to believe that Heo Yu-bin had prepared this much in such a short time.
Heo Yu-bin smiled awkwardly and moved on to the next explanation.
"I thought for a long time about what kind of concept would suit this bright atmosphere. If I pursued ordinary refreshingness, it would overlap with
"It's hard to find a middle ground in anything."
The A&R team manager nodded in agreement.
Then the composer who often helped Heo Yu-bin raised his hand and asked a question.
"You haven't decided yet, have you?"
"If I had, I wouldn't be standing here so proudly."
At that question, Heo Yu-bin smiled without any intimidation.
Upon seeing him, the composer immediately put his hand down and leaned his chair back.
I looked at the composer's expression and realized the true meaning of the question.
'He already knew that the concept was complete. He just wanted to raise Heo Yu-bin's confidence through that question.'
Usually, Heo Yu-bin wouldn't have been able to hold out for long in this place where the pressure was intense.
But now, it was different.
"I thought that the word 'youth' was something that could create a bright atmosphere while also providing various changes."
"When it comes to youth, isn't it usually used when coming out with a refreshing concept? It seems a bit different from the differentiation that Yu-bin ssi mentioned earlier."
"If you think about youth in general, that's true. But this time, I wanted to explore the word youth from a different perspective."
Heo Yu-bin cleared his throat.
"Youth is beautiful. There is hope that a bright future where everyone can smile will come. However, not everything is like this from the beginning. As we move towards youth, we have no choice but to face many things. Sometimes we have to fight with ourselves, sometimes we have to agonize over the path we have chosen, and sometimes we have to feel frustrated and anxious."
We fell into silence as we listened to Heo Yu-bin's words.
Through the 'mental communication' skill, I became mentally in sync with the seven members and vaguely recognized what everyone was thinking.
When we were young, we all dreamed of becoming idols.
There were days when we vaguely thought things would go well, but in reality, there were more days when things didn't go that way.
We were frustrated by the wall.
We cried because we thought that this was our limit.
There were times when we just wanted to give up.
That's right. Youth is a place where there are infinite possibilities.
However, on the way to reach those possibilities, there are also countless trials and errors.
"Youth is bound to be incomplete. It is also a time of anxiety and fear as we stand on the borderline of adulthood. On the path to that splendid and beautiful youth that everyone knows, there are fears that we must endure and overcome. So, we must completely overcome that imperfect period to reach true youth. I started working on the album with this thought."
Heo Yu-bin, who never hesitated and spoke freely about what he wanted to say.
There was no hesitation or fear at the end of his words.
His vague confidence that what he had thought of would work straightened his shoulders.
"Youth is a beautiful, yet imperfect and fearful time..."
The planning manager nodded slowly as he chewed on Heo Yu-bin's words.
"Up to this point, it seems like a very unique interpretation. But how did you connect this to the album concept?"
"The instability, fear, and beauty that coexist in youth. I was wondering what I could add to bring out that cool feeling, and the best way came to mind. I thought it could be expressed in various ways, and no one had mixed youth with this."
Heo Yu-bin put the finishing touches on his idea with a faint smile.
"It's adding an element of fear."
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