Chapter 5 First Encounter
There was nothing wrong with 'Shaking Glutinous Rice' as a debut song, but the current Red Velvet isn't suited for such a run-of-the-mill song. They need a hit song to instantly reach the top.
IVE needed a strong medicine because DM Entertainment was on the verge of life and death.
Red Velvet, on the other hand, had internal problems and also needed strong medicine.
The reasons were different, but the desired outcome was the same.
Min Xizhen listened to the complete version of the song, sung by Jiang Shu. Having recorded songs frequently, Jiang Shu's vocal skills had improved by leaps and bounds. Mainly, if he couldn't sing some songs well, he had to practice, and then record after practicing.
It was a forced improvement, in a way.
However, some songs he just couldn't sing, after all, a female's high key was still too high for a male's voice.
But none of that mattered; it was enough to understand what kind of song it was from Jiang Shu's singing.
Listening to the bizarre bubbling sounds, the low murmurs, and the melody of the verses and chorus, Min Xizhen's expression gradually became excited.
This was the melody!
This was the style!
Wake up, Di! Uh, wrong set.
Min Xizhen excitedly looked at the audio and corresponding lyrics. This was the concept group style she wanted!
This bizarre style, this eerie yet popular tune!
The song quickly ended. Min Xizhen took off her headphones and looked at Jiang Shu with excitement.
"You're truly a genius!"
Jiang Shu smiled slightly.
He didn't produce music; he was just a porter of classic songs.
"How is it?"
Min Xizhen didn't speak, just kept giving a thumbs up.
...
DM Entertainment's only practice room.
Choi Ji-yeon left after bringing the four to the practice room. How they chatted was their own business; Choi Ji-yeon wouldn't interfere.
After Choi Ji-yeon left, the four stared at each other, no one speaking rashly.
Kim Ye-rim, the youngest, looked at Bae Joo-hyun, then at Kang Seul-gi. After a moment of silence, she finally broke it.
"Are you biological sisters?"
Bae Joo-hyun, who was trying to figure out how to break the silence, heard Kim Ye-rim's ice-breaking remark and instinctively looked at Kang Seul-gi.
Coincidentally, Kang Seul-gi also looked up at her.
Their eyes met, then they looked away.
"We're not biological sisters," Bae Joo-hyun said.
"But you two look a bit alike." Kim Ye-rim, seeing someone respond to her, immediately became energized. "Should I call you Joo-hyun Ouni or Irene Ouni? Ouni can just call me by my name, Ye-rim, or Yeri, the one Chairman Jiang gave me, both are fine."
"Uh..." Bae Joo-hyun was a bit overwhelmed by such a familiar child. Social anxiety meeting a social terrorist was daunting regardless of age.
"Just call her Ouni," Park Soo-young suggested from the side. "Ouni can call me whatever you like, my name or Joy, as Chairman Jiang said, both are fine."
For Park Soo-young and Kim Ye-rim, although their trainee level was high at S.M, their chances of debuting were slim due to the existence of Rainbow Girls.
However, the new girl group co-produced by DM Entertainment and S.M gave them hope of debuting. Naturally, both had a great impression of Jiang Shu and Min Xizhen, the main orchestrators of the collaboration.
Loving the house and its crow, their attitude towards Bae Joo-hyun and Kang Seul-gi also improved significantly.
However...
"Is Ouni still a trainee at such an old age?" Kim Ye-rim asked Bae Joo-hyun curiously.
Park Soo-young: "..."
She wanted to cover her face.
Kim Ye-rim was at it again!
Kang Seul-gi blinked, looking at Kim Ye-rim with some shock.
Could such a question be asked directly?
Bae Joo-hyun was stunned for a moment, also not expecting this child to be so blunt.
"Yes, I'm still a trainee," Bae Joo-hyun said with a bitter smile.
"Ouni's position should be the visual, right? Although Ouni is a bit old, being so beautiful, you can totally be the visual."
"Before I came, I always thought she was the visual," Kim Ye-rim said, patting Park Soo-young next to her.
Park Soo-young looked at Bae Joo-hyun. As a girl who had been confident in her beauty since childhood, she felt a little unwilling, but looking at that face... well, if there's no visual position, then so be it.
Bae Joo-hyun gave an awkward smile. She wasn't too sure about the position Jiang Shu had given her, only that Jiang Shu had promised her she could debut. These people in front of her should be her future teammates.
"Are there only four of us in the group?" Kang Seul-gi finally spoke.
"Maybe?" Kim Ye-rim said uncertainly.
"Five people, one more is missing," Bae Joo-hyun said.
"Missing what?" Kim Ye-rim asked curiously.
"Not sure. My vocal skills are very poor, but my dancing is decent," Bae Joo-hyun said with a wry smile.
Her previous level was okay, but now that she was older and hadn't practiced vocals for a long time, her level was very average.
"It's okay, Ouni is the visual. As for me, I'm decent at both singing and dancing, but I can't be the main dancer or main vocalist," Kim Ye-rim said, shaking her head.
"As for me, I can barely be a main vocalist, but if it's like Lily senior, I can't do it," Park Soo-young also said, shaking her head.
DM Entertainment and S.M's current girl groups only had two in total. Compared to Rainbow Girls, IVE, which had top-floor popularity from debut, was more valuable for reference.
"I can't either. I have vocal cord nodules. Although it doesn't affect normal singing, I can't be the main vocalist. I'm very confident in my dancing," Kang Seul-gi also stated.
The four discussed it and then discovered a problem.
No main vocalist!
"So, the missing member is our main vocalist, then?" Park Soo-young blinked and said.
"The main vocalist is the soul of a group's songs, so it's fine to carefully select one," Kim Ye-rim agreed.
Bae Joo-hyun subconsciously looked at Kang Seul-gi, only to find her staring blankly at the floor. Then she looked at Park Soo-young and Kim Ye-rim, who were earnestly discussing the main vocalist candidate.
Among DM Entertainment's trainees... was there a main vocalist?
Lee Ji-eun's figure appeared in Bae Joo-hyun's mind, but that person's dancing skills...
She should just be a singer.
DM Entertainment also had some trainees, but in her impression, there really wasn't anyone who could sing well.
Should they choose from S.M?
But S.M was famous for valuing main vocalists. If they had such good main vocalist prospects, they wouldn't give them to them, would they?
Bae Joo-hyun couldn't figure it out, but she also didn't plan to dwell on it. These weren't her concerns. She just needed to practice diligently and wait for news from above.
"How about we practice together and get familiar with each other's levels?" Park Soo-young suggested when the atmosphere became a bit silent.
"Okay!" Kim Ye-rim immediately echoed her friend. Kang Seul-gi, who had just come back to her senses, looked at Park Soo-young blankly.
Bae Joo-hyun nodded slightly, but she was a little nervous.
As an older contestant, she wondered if she could gain the approval of these future teammates.
Phew!
She exhaled a breath of stale air, revealing an expression of resigned acceptance. Bring it on!