Chapter 182: Overwhelmed by Pressure
"Next is Teacher Sun," Jiang Shu said, looking at Sun Shengwan. "You need to hold back when you sing. Your skill level is too different from theirs. While it will highlight your vocals, it will also reduce the overall listening experience of the song."
"You are a team, not a solo act. You need to consider the other members."
"Yes," Sun Shengwan nodded honestly. She tended to get carried away when singing, which was a common issue for lead vocalists.
"Park Soo-young, you did well, but your voice could be a bit sweeter. Your vocal line combined with Kim Ye-rim's will have a greater auditory impact. Practice your pronunciation more in private, and if you don't understand something, ask a vocal teacher."
"Yes," Park Soo-young breathed a sigh of relief. Compared to Kim Ye-rim and Sun Shengwan, her issues were completely minor.
"Seulgi, you performed the best. Keep it up," Jiang Shu said with a smile to Kang Seul-gi.
"Yes!" Kang Seul-gi had been prepared to be scolded, so who would have thought it would be praise?
Finally, Jiang Shu looked at Bae Joo-hyun, his brows furrowed.
The divine beauty bond had been activated, but similarly, negative effects followed.
Bae Joo-hyun originally had no bonds to increase her strength, and coupled with her long period of neglect, even after nearly a year of systematic practice, her skill level was still not very high, almost the lowest point of this Red Velvet.
There were too many problems, and they couldn't be changed in a short amount of time.
"I will work hard!" Seeing Jiang Shu frown and remain silent, Bae Joo-hyun proactively spoke.
"I see your effort," Jiang Shu's brows relaxed. Bae Joo-hyun could be said to be one of the most diligent people in all of DM Entertainment. Even after debuting, she would still spend any free time she had in the practice room, practicing dance and vocals over and over again.
Jiang Shu naturally saw this effort, but some things don't yield results just from effort; they also require a cheat.
"Keep working hard. Quantitative change leads to qualitative change. Diligent practice will one day bring a season of harvest," Jiang Shu encouraged.
He didn't know if she would reap a harvest, but after the Qilin bond was activated, she definitely wouldn't be a weakness anymore.
However, bringing out Qilin directly now wasn't ideal. The main reason was that launching Qilin without much buzz, just to improve Bae Joo-hyun's skill, would be a bit of a loss.
Jiang Shu's eyes flickered slightly, and a plan vaguely formed in his mind, but he wasn't in a hurry to implement it now. He would wait a bit longer.
"Yes," Bae Joo-hyun didn't know what Jiang Shu was thinking. Seeing that Jiang Shu didn't want to say more, she just went along with it.
"Alright, let's continue."
"Yes." x5.
Jiang Shu was practicing songs with Red Velvet in the practice room, and Lee Ji-eun in the next room was also practicing.
Lee Ji-eun knelt on the floor, the background music of her mini-album's title track echoing in the practice room.
She looked down at the floor, lost in thought, sweat dripping onto the floor, and strands of hair clinging to her small face, giving her a unique, disheveled beauty.
Although she had said, "What if I win?" the immense pressure was almost crushing her as the September 1st comeback date drew nearer.
Those were two major female solo artists...
As a newcomer who had just debuted less than a year ago, challenging them head-on, Lee Ji-eun couldn't see where her chances of winning were.
As time drew closer, the pressure in her heart grew, so much so that even when she was practicing songs, she couldn't help but think about the comeback clash on the first of next month.
Worry, fear, dread, and other negative emotions almost crushed her small body.
No one collapses suddenly, and pressure doesn't come in a single day.
Tears silently slipped from her eyes. Lee Ji-eun didn't want to cry, but the tears flowed as if uncontrollably.
When her manager pushed open the door and saw Lee Ji-eun kneeling on the ground, he was startled and quickly rushed over.
"Ji-eun, what's wrong?"
"Oppa, I'm fine," Lee Ji-eun said, rubbing her eyes while crying as she heard her manager's voice.
The manager looked at Lee Ji-eun with some heartache. He had seen how much pressure she had been under recently. He also felt that the chairman's insistence on letting Lee Ji-eun go and sacrifice herself would cause too much harm to her. However, although their chairman seemed easy to talk to, no one else could change his decisions.
Furthermore, it was said that President Li Duohui did not agree with this matter, but the chairman still pushed it through despite all opposition.
Although he felt sorry for Lee Ji-eun, he would never dare to question Jiang Shu's decision to his face.
"How about... you take a break?"
"No," Lee Ji-eun raised her hand and wiped away her tears. "The comeback is almost here. I can't slack off."
"The chairman is next door, how about...?" the manager hesitated.
Lee Ji-eun froze.
Next door?
Her next door was Red Velvet's practice room. The chairman was next door?
DM Entertainment's practice room soundproofing was among the best in the industry. Even if there was no music playing here, and music was playing next door, it would be difficult to notice activity on the other side, not to mention that both practice rooms were currently playing music.
"No need, right?" Lee Ji-eun was actually a little afraid to see Jiang Shu. The last time she saw him was when she learned she was going to clash with Kim Hyun-a, and she went in a fit of impulsive courage.
Now, if she were to face Jiang Shu alone, she would always think of the trouble she had caused. Although Jiang Shu hadn't scolded her much at the time, his expression wasn't exactly good.
For this, the related earnings from "cherry blossom ending" that she had given up seemed less important.
"Then you adjust yourself carefully, okay?" The manager could only comfort her like this upon hearing her words.
Lee Ji-eun nodded silently, knowing that this was the only way.
Seeing this, the manager stood up.
"I'll go buy you a coffee."
"Yes, thank you, oppa."
"No problem," the manager said, then turned and walked out of the practice room.
As he passed the adjacent Red Velvet practice room, he subconsciously glanced inside. At that very moment, Jiang Shu, who was inside the practice room, also looked up.
Their eyes met.
The manager instantly froze.
He could have pretended to be just passing by, but since he had made eye contact with the chairman, he couldn't just leave.
He stood in place and bowed to Jiang Shu in the practice room, but then he saw Jiang Shu beckon to him.
The manager swallowed, then stepped inside.
The manager's arrival did not attract the attention of the five Red Velvet members, who continued to softly sing their new song.
The manager cautiously approached Jiang Shu's side.
"Ch-Chairman."
Jiang Shu put his finger to his lips, and the manager immediately fell silent, then stood beside Jiang Shu, acting like a bodyguard.
It wasn't until Red Velvet finished this round of a cappella that Jiang Shu finally spoke.
"This take is much better than before," Jiang Shu said, then looked up at the manager.
"Where's Lee Ji-eun?"
"She's practicing next door," the manager quickly replied when Jiang Shu mentioned Lee Ji-eun.
Jiang Shu nodded upon hearing this and looked at the Red Velvet members.
"You all digest what I've said and practice a few more times. I'll be back later."
"Yes."