Chapter 444: What Should We Do From Now On (8)

I wondered if they would simply tell me to stop, since pretending to dance poorly might just seem like bad acting. I was usually terrible at acting, so I understand if they reacted this way.

I arrived at the practice room with my mind a whirlpool of doubts. As soon as I showcased the routine I had been planning in front of everyone, Reina nodded in approval and burst out laughing, the sound seemingly echoing in the room.

“Hey, look at you! Your acting has actually somewhat improved, huh?"

I flushed a bit and managed a sheepish grin at Reina’s straight-shooting feedback. It appeared that my choice wasn’t too shabby after all.

My grand scheme was to pretend to be a singer who had two left feet. I decided Eden’s concept as a ballad singer who couldn’t dance, and focused on vocal prowess.

As I focused on bringing out Eden's unique delicacy, I naturally found myself unable to pay much attention to dancing. It would be great if I could manage both, but perfecting both was proving to be a bit of a challenge with my current skills.

‘Maybe I should practice more leisurely?'

I thought, but then shook my head dismissively.

The image of Eden that had been portrayed on TV so far was even clumsier than mine. He was known as a clumsy singer. If Eden were truly a separate person from me, he probably wouldn't have been able to dance well.

Reina was very satisfied. She clapped, came over to me, and said, “Actually, when you dance lightly and focus on your singing, I can’t see Suh Hyun-Woo at all. You really seem like Eden, who struggles with dancing."

“Really?"

“Yes, and you've also enhanced Eden's vocals well. Let's stick with this concept. Since the dance track is just an event song, we can keep it light and fun."

The practice continued, and after somehow getting through the most troubling dance part, there were no major difficulties afterward. When the first practice ended, there was a brief break.

Reina, who had been talking with Tae-Seong, called me over. “Hyun-Woo, can you come here?” She handed me a handwritten note. “I have something to discuss with you about our opening guest. Here are the candidates I have in mind."

The note listed the artists' names, starting from Reina (confirmed), Kun-Ho, Chronos, Sequence, Suh Hyun-Woo, Oh Yoo-Wol, and a few other singers well-known to be close to Reina. I knew Reina and Eden were inseparable, but I didn't expect her to consider Chronos, Sequence, and myself.

Reina went on to explain each guest and the reasons for her recommendation. “As you know, Chronos is your group, so I thought of including them. But..." She rolled her eyes and smiled apologetically. “We are avoiding having all Chronos members show up. Since it's your concert—Eden's concert—maybe just having one member visit would be better."

It seemed Reina was worried about the backstage talk of using the concert to gain attention for Chronos. “Then, if it's possible, it would be good to sing a featuring song together and set aside some time for talk."

And if we were going to invite someone, I thought Goh Yoo-Joon would be the best option. He had helped a lot during the recording of Eden's first album.

“That's right, and I included Kun-Ho because he once made headlines with stories about his vocal lessons with Eden."

I had received a lot of help from Kun-Ho. Ever since the shooting of

Graduating,

he had intermittently helped to enhance Eden's vocal uniqueness. If he was invited as a guest, I would have to express my gratitude to him several times.

“Ah, I’m sorry, but Oh Yoo-Wol..." I reluctantly said.

“What? Should we not invite him? Do you find him uncomfortable? You've shot content together."

“Yes, that's true."

Oh Yoo-Wol wasn't a bad guy, but there was something off-putting about him. Maybe it was because he always probed me about my identity, or perhaps it was just that his personality didn't mesh with mine. Still, he was definitely considered Eden's biggest rival, so this would probably lead to awkwardness in our discussions.

I scanned the list of candidates and pointed to where my name was written down.

“Why is my name here?"

“Ah, that." Reina stopped and hesitated. She chuckled. “That was just a joke suggestion by Kun-Ho and our staff. How about incorporating you as an opening guest, not exactly in a serious way, but sort of in a skit style?"

“...A skit?"

Reina nodded and laughed again. “Your name was written down just for fun, but it ended up in the memo here. It naturally made it to the guest list."

It appeared that my inclusion in the guest list had been by accident. But I could roughly imagine what Reina meant.

I could already picture myself, awkwardly pretending to be Suh Hyun-Woo, a separate character invited to Eden's concert. The audience would likely cringe at my clumsy act but still find it amusing.

“That sounds good."

“Right?" When I showed my enthusiasm, Reina seemed excited. “It started off as a casual idea, but now we are fleshing it out into something more substantial."

According to the concept, the plan was for me to converse with Eden as if I was a close friend who had decided to appear on the show. Though my acting was poor, I would stick to the script, but some improvisation would be needed, depending on the audience's reaction. It would end with a song or two by Chronos.

“Your solo ‘Once Again’ is good, and an acoustic version of a Chronos song is nice too. I think this is a good plan."

Ah, it was not merely an idea anymore. She was determined to carry the plan into action.

Reina grinned. “I also considered inviting Jin-Wook, considering you two are close."

“What? Oh, yes..."

Close? What an inaccurate description. Kim Jin-Wook and I weren’t particularly close. Come to think of it, it had been a while since we last contacted each other. I didn’t even know what he had been up to.

“Jin-Wook is on a world tour, so it seems he won't have time for this."

“...Oh, really?"

“Did you not know that?”

This explained why I had not heard from him. It was frustrating to know he was touring abroad before us. A mixed feeling grew in my mind. Kim Jin-Wook, who used to perform as Chilltwo, had recognition both domestically and internationally. However, I didn't think he had gone on a world tour in the previous timeline since he lacked financial support and popularity back then.

Although he had been like that in the previous timeline, he was now soaring toward a peak with YU serving as his wings. This made me realize just how many things had changed in this timeline. I wondered if we too would ever go on an overseas tour in the future.

“Anyway, that's why I didn’t include him as a candidate, considering it would be difficult to book him. Any other artists you’d recommend?"

I pondered Reina's question for a moment before responding. “Would it be okay to consider an artist we don’t know personally?"

“Of course! I’m not sure if we can invite them, but go ahead. Tell me."

“Then, I would appreciate it if you could invite Senior Park Sang and Bearview."

“...Oh, wow!" Reina seemed surprised by my suggestion. “That’s a great idea!"

Park Sang was the original singer of “In a Bronze-Colored Teahouse,” a song I had covered during my appearance on

Introduce My Singer.

I became an admirer of his voice and ability to express emotions while preparing for the competition.

Bearview was the original singer of “Sentiments,” another song I had covered on the same TV show. Although the song was well known, Bearview’s face wasn’t. Therefore, I wanted to introduce him to the public. I hoped to have him as a guest so that I could share not only his most famous songs, but also his other songs that I liked.

Reina was delighted. “Hyun-Woo, you must be grateful for having the perfect producer."

“Of course, I know that. But why do you say that?"

“It looks like I will have to check on Bearview, but booking Park Sang should be possible." Reina said confidently.

Could she pull that off? I knew Reina’s connections were vast, broader than the Pacific, but even Park Sang? He was a singer who had dominated the 70s, so he was a senior even to Reina.

She said enthusiastically, “Senior Park Sang saw your cover. He mentioned that it would be nice to sing together sometime, so I will ask him soon."

A smile immediately spread across my face. “Yes, yes. Thank you so much."

“He was very thankful that you sang an old song so well. Since this is your first solo concert, he might gladly come."

How far did Reina’s connections reach? It was not confirmed yet, but the possibility of actually meeting Park Sang had me excited.

“You really like Senior Park Sang, huh? You’re all smiles~" Reina teased me playfully and gestured to Tae-Seong to look at my face. She clapped her hands together. “Let me handle the bookings, and shall we start practicing again? We have less time than you think~"

With that, the languid atmosphere vanished. The band members returned to their spots and stood in front of their instruments, and I too grabbed the microphone. Even though there were only a couple of months left, it felt like no time at all in the face of a big event.

“Let's start." At my cue, the practice began and continued into the night. The concert preparation was going perfectly.

A few days later, I heard that the casting of Park Sang and Bearview for the concert were successful, and not long after, tickets sold out quickly. Lots of good news kept coming for Eden.

Now, it was really just up to me to perform well. I threw myself into practicing day and night with determination. And finally, the day of the concert arrived.