Chapter 228. Yuri-chan (4)

-… Didn’t I tell you to prevent them from using whatever means possible?

Richard’s voice over the phone became extremely serious.
As someone who was receiving investment, Haruki Subaru became very obedient.

[Yamese TV is a TV station mostly featuring gravure models and rookies at best. Moreover, this looks like a pilot program. It’s not a program that has high views, and I believe that it’s alr…]
-I get it, so let’s talk after the broadcast.

Before he even finished his words, Richard one-sidedly hung up.

[Dammit, does being an investor make you that great?]

Haruki Subaru was fuming on the inside, but he couldn’t do anything but vent his frustration by himself.
What came first was to watch what the program was like.

‘Why do I need to watch a B-rated program like this?’

Money was the source of all troubles.
Haruki Subaru shook his head.
Time flowed, and it became midnight.
When his wife, who slept separately, went to her bedroom and started sleeping, he turned on the TV in the living room.

‘If there’s nothing much to see, I’ll just…’

If that happened, he could get back at Richard.
An ad spot finished, and the main program started airing.
A large studio for singing and a small space for a talk show overlapped with each other before the host appeared.
He introduced himself briefly before setting up the mood to introduce the singer.

– The singer I’m about to introduce to you today is Yuri, and she is from Korea. Since she’s a singer, I guess we should listen to her song first, right? Then please welcome, Yuri
“Oooh!!”

Along with applause from the audience, the camera moved towards the stage.
Haruki Subaru rested his chins on his arms and narrowed his eyes.

‘Let’s see how well you do.’

A lady wearing a kimono and a band session entered the stage.
She was pretty, but she wasn’t beautiful to the point that she caught his eye.
He only heard about the name, so he didn’t know who this In MoonHee was.
Although he was interfering with her path, it was all because of Richard, and he had no personal grudge with her.
A crisp, rhythmic acoustic guitar intro started flowing out, and the lady in the kimono grabbed the mic.

– ためらうくちびるを–そっと 重ねて —
(I gently kiss your trembling lips)

After listening to the first verse, Haruki Subaru felt shivers down his spine.

‘What the hell is up with her voice?’

A crisp and clear voice resounded out. Moreover, the twist in her voice was incredible as well.
It was like she was born to sing enka.
Although he had a lot of experience as an enka singer, he had never heard of a voice like that before.

‘Hah, what the hell? She’s that good? So that’s why Richard, that guy decided to… where did a freak like that pop out from?’

In the middle of the night, he glared at the TV while suppressing his unease in his heart.

***

Unlike his time in China, KangYoon was away from Korea for a long time in Japan.
However, as Lee HyunJi filled in his gap well, World Entertainment was going well.

“The first and the second quarter are definitely in the red. Well… we did make a lot of investments.”

They signed a contract with Min JinSeo, invested into FinesTok’s music streaming service, and In MoonHee’s debut in Japan.
These things all required a hefty sum of money.

“Miss MoonHee’s album has to do well then… Fuu. Since this is her first album, let’s predict that she’s barely able to cover for her costs…”

KangYoon was a capable man, but she didn’t think optimistically.
Didn’t he say that he had a hard time getting In MoonHee to debut because of an association named the JAN?

“I hope she covers some of her losses. Since it’s Mr. KangYoon working on it…”

Since the investment was high, she did not believe that she would recover those funds through In MoonHee alone. She just wished that In MoonHee’s album would lessen the burden a little.
Although the company still had some budget left, it was always limited.

“Jennie from Eddios has a schedule…”

Looking at the schedule and the plans that the schedule manager created, she started working again.
However, there was a lot of work, and there was only one of her.

“…We should hire more people for the office.”

Sighing, she stood up and turned around to look out the window.
No matter how she thought about it, four people in the office were too small to take care of everything in this growing company.
Their management funds were several times when they started, and the number of artists increased as well, increasing work.

“I should consult with Mr. KangYoon once he’s back. But still, I’m seeing an end to this… But then, as for the songs… there’s no progress since he isn’t here.”

KangYoon’s absence was very noticeable.
Managing artists didn’t necessarily require his presence.
However, the problem came down to talking about music with the artists. No one was as clear-cut about music as KangYoon was.

“…I got the song, but it’s hard to decide.”

There was a USB on KangYoon’s desk.
This was from Kim JiMin.

“Everyone’s so enthusiastic. Eddios too. Mr. JaeHoon is composing another song after rearranging one for Miss MoonHee… the other artists usually go traveling on their days off, but why do our artists like to work so much?”

She blamed the artists and smiled awkwardly.
Actually, she was well aware of the reason.
The joy an artist feels on the stage was attractive beyond anything else.
KangYoon’s existence was like a fire to the fuel.

“Well then, Shall I start working again?”

After resting for a while, she started working on the papers on her desk.
Her night deepened while doing that.

***

The late-night music live show at Yamese TV, ‘Today will be an ALL NIGHTER’, was an ambitious trial run by Yamese TV.
As they mostly did TV shows with the R-18 rating, this was a revolutionary run for them.
A music show that started at midnight.
Moreover, there was a live audience as well. Though, most of them were hired as part-time jobs.
KangYoon watched In MoonHee’s first stage with sharp eyes behind the camera.

‘I was worried since it was late at night, but fortunately, her voice is in good condition.’

It was worth managing her voice all this time.
KangYoon sighed in relief after hearing her crisp voice.
A live music show with an audience at midnight?
Producer Yokozeki brought out some unusual items for this show.

– どうもならんのよ
(I just couldn’t help it)

In MoonHee’s voice slowly rose, attracting everyone around.

‘This rookie is good even though this is a pilot program.’
‘She’s a great item. How did the producer find someone like that?’

The camera directors said as they filmed her stage.

– ずっと夢見てたけど違ったの
(I’ve always dreamed but it was different)

In MoonHee put more strength into her voice, and her voice started vibrating.
The musical note that came from her created a beautiful silver after combining with the other notes.

‘Silver, huh…’

He wanted something better, so KangYoon created a bitter smile.
He had HeeYoon, the composer tag along all this time, and he went far lengths to get her Japanese pronunciation correct, but this happened.
However, as soon as he became disappointed, something else started appearing within the silver.

‘Gold?’

As he knew what it signified, KangYoon’s eyes widened.
It was as though he was rewarded for all of his efforts.

‘…..’

Even producer Yokozeki, who had seen many stages until now, looked at it absent-mindedly.

‘Isn’t she supposed to be Korean? She’s this good at enka?’
‘…I don’t know. Her pronunciation is alright. Can we really listen to this kind of music while we get paid for it?’
‘I’m her fan starting today.’
‘Me too.’

The audience was clapping out of duty at first, but everyone became shocked by her stage.

– あなたが他の子と– 話しをして-るだけで–
(You talking to another girl makes me)

The purple light slowly dimmed, and her voice reached its climax as well.
The yellow lights shone down on her face and exposed her skin that she had meticulously managed until now.

‘…So pretty.’
‘I’m gonna get an autograph later.’

Like her deep voice, everyone fell into the abyss that was her voice.
Her voice continued, and the yellow from her musical note became thicker.
When the light absorbed the thicker note, the gold light took more and more space.

Like that, the song reached its climax in its 2nd verse.

– あたしの心はズタズタになるのよ
(My heart is ripped apart)

– 今日悲しい歌が響く—
(Today a sad song resounds out)

– ずっと夢見てた—
(I always dreamed)

Her voice and the chorus harmonized with each other, and the silver all disappeared.
It was pure gold without a hint of silver.

‘Gold…!’

Did his body react to the pure gold light?
KangYoon felt something warm envelop his body.

‘Silver was more of a cool and refreshing sensation, but gold is… this warm.’

It was like being embraced by the warm winds of spring.
Even producer Tsukasa, who was next to KangYoon, wiped his tears and spoke.

[I didn’t imagine I would get to watch something so good today. This will definitely work!]

Although producer Tsukasa participated in recording the album, she didn’t realize that the live version would be so much better.
However, she was assured of something after seeing this stage that had absorbed all of the audience.

[…It looks like I should change my mind.]
[About what?]

Hearing KangYoon’s question, product Tsukasa laughed awkwardly.

[I didn’t tell you this yet, but I actually didn’t believe that entering the top 50 of the Oricon charts would be a success. After all, there was the stage problem and some trouble with JAN. However, after listening to the song, I think entering the top 10, no, even the top 5 is possible now.]

KangYoon laughed at those words.
Considering the effectiveness of silver, no words needed to be said about gold.
The song finished eventually, and the host walked into the studio.

[…I’ve lost all words after looking at that stage. Miss Yuri, no, can I call you Yuri-chan?]

The host’s expression was very soft, thanks to the song.
Adding ‘-chan’ to a name meant familiarity with the girl, but In MoonHee nodded her head.

[Yes, of course.]
[I like your straightforwardness. At first, I thought you were just a singer with a good body figure.]
[Oh? I guess my body figure… is quite good?]

Although this was a style rare in Korea, In MoonHee put her hand on her hips and made a sexy pose.
She had prepared well for the late-night show in Japan.
A woman with a fantastic singing voice had a very good sense of humor as well, so the host’s face was filled with excitement.

[Oooh, great. Can you see that over there?]
[See what?]
[I can hear your male fans lining up.]
[Oh, really? Hmm. Hello, fans, please buy my albums!]
[Whoa there! You can’t promote your products here.]
[Is that so? Teehee!.]

When In MoonHee smacked her head, the atmosphere became even lighter.
KangYoon, behind the camera, raised his thumb towards her.

‘Well done.’

In MoonHee also noticed KangYoon’s signal and winked towards him.

***

Yamese TV’s ‘Today will be an ALL NIGHTER’, took social media by storm.
At the center of the storm were the part-time job people from the audience.

– Yuri-chan! Here comes the nee-chan that will take the enka industry with a storm!
– I won’t say anything anymore. Here’s the link (HTTP ://www.tune.co.jp/ILoveReaders/Yuri-chan…)
– Those that didn’t see the live program should look it up. It’s Yuri-chan. Yuri-chan~!
– I love you, Yuri-chan. What are you doing, journalists? Go and write.

Even though there were only around 30 people in the audience, a storm started brewing in social media, and by morning, ‘Yuri-chan’ became the top search term on a popular web portal.
The next day, In MoonHee came to A-Trust at 11 in the morning but was confused by Producer Tsukasa’s excited face.

[Miss Tsukasa, what is…]
[Yuri-chan, you cute little thing.]

Even though Producer Tsukasa didn’t express her emotions that much usually, she hugged In MoonHee and wasn’t willing to let her go.
Due to the sudden hug, In MoonHee was surprised, and Producer Tsukasa replied to her.

[It looks like you’ve made it big! Not to mention web portals, everywhere on the internet, they’re talking about you! This looks good.]
[Really?]

In MoonHee tilted her head, still not understanding.

When she came back from the late-night show yesterday, it was 3 a.m.
She fell asleep without even thinking about the results, but now that she came to the company, it seemed that things did go well.
At that moment, the door opened, and President Kojima and KangYoon entered.
President Kojima grabbed In MoonHee’s hands.

[You were the best. Miss MoonHee.]
[What? What is happening…]
[It looks like you haven’t looked at the internet yet.]

He took out his phone and showed her the hot reactions online.
In MoonHee saw that stories about her filled the internet and looked at KangYoon with a confused expression.

“President. Wh… what is happening?”

Due to the suddenness of the situation, she ended up speaking Korean.
KangYoon patted her shoulders and spoke.

“Well done. Well, after all that’s said, you’re about to get busy.”
“Busy?”

KangYoon replied to her in Korean and turned around to president Kojima.

[What’s MoonHee’s schedule like from now on?]

President Kojima laughed and browsed through some papers in his hand.

[Asai TV and NDE gave us a call. Coincidentally, they’re both music talk shows. Also…]

He recited all the schedules that they got in the few hours since they came to work.
In MoonHee was somewhat absent-minded, hearing that many people were looking for her, while KangYoon laughed because she acted like that.

[Looks like Yuri-chan isn’t used to this yet.]
[P, president, even you’re calling me Yuri-chan?]
[Hahaha.]

Seeing In MoonHee embarrassed by the words ‘Yuri-chan’, everyone in the office started laughing.

[Huh?]

After laughing for a while, president Kojima had a look at his phone and spoke with a smile.

[I got a message from someone I know, and he told me that the JAN isn’t looking good internally.]
[Isn’t looking good? Is something happening?]

What kind of interference were they going to put on her now?
Seeing KangYoon devoid of any smile, President Kojima waved his hand, saying that it was nothing much.

[Hahaha. It’s nothing serious so that you can be at ease. You know that Yuri-chan didn’t apply for the JAN, right?]
[To be exact, they rejected our entry. For some reason, they keep interfering with us…]
[That’s why they internal spoke about accepting Yuri-chan as a member.]

The JAN shamelessly changed their minds seeing that Yuri-chan seemed to be doing well.
KangYoon shook his head.

[What do they think they’ve been doing for her until now? Now that she stood up with her own two feet, they’re trying to leech off her now. Such an organization will not stand up for her when she runs into trouble. I feel like we should manage her from the company with more care.]
[Understood. Well, I guess there’s no need to pay that useless fee of theirs. I wonder what they think about the reactions the people have towards Yuri-chan.]
[We will just walk on our own path. How’s the album going?]
[It’s going extremely well. At this rate, I think we should have a grand celebration first before doing anything else.]

Inside the office, KangYoon patted MoonHee’s shoulders and thought.

‘Why did the JAN decide to obstruct MoonHee? Just the fact that she’s Korean doesn’t make any sense.’

However, he couldn’t come to an answer.
After that, the office was filled with the joyful screams of people hard at work, while In MoonHee left the company with president Kojima for an interview with someone that president Kojima knew.