Chapter 93:
Chapter 93
We’ll help you.
After finishing their European tour in Moscow, Awi headed to the United States.
They performed in major cities, and at the last show of their world tour in New York, Ian’s parents and friends came to the backstage.
“*Long time no see.”
“*You were awesome, like a media star.”
“*Don’t joke around.”
Ian took pictures with his old friends and went back to his members.
“Look how many friends Ian has.”
“He’s a social butterfly.”
As he introduced his friends to the murmuring members, they all smiled awkwardly and greeted them. Ian held back his laughter from behind.
“You guys were all great.”
“Thank you!”
Then, the members bowed in front of Ian’s parents.
“Thank you for coming.”
Ian’s father, Choi Seong-mun, shook hands with Lee Ju-hyuk and stared at his face.
He then scanned the faces of the other members.
“If you have any legal issues, let Ian know.”
“Why do you say that right away? The agency will handle it. Are you guys doing well?”
Ian’s mother, Na Hyun-ju, slapped Choi Seong-mun’s shoulder.
Ian’s parents across the ocean also watched their son’s group’s popularity and public opinion with interest whenever they had time.
They couldn’t help but know about Lee Ju-hyuk’s situation, which was noisy with debt.
Choi Seong-mun spoke firmly to the members, even though he was joking around.
“Don’t just rely on the agency, you have to take care of these problems yourself. Got it?”
Na Hyun-ju sighed.
“That’s true, but…”
“We have a lot of alumni working in Korea. If you need any help, just contact us.”
“Yeah, contact us.”
The members felt good at the lawyer couple’s strong words. They felt like they had a solid backup just by their words.
“Thank you for your words. We’ll contact you if we really need it.”
Na Hyun-ju smiled warmly at Lee Ju-hyuk’s polite answer.
Through talking with Ian, she had indirectly felt how fun and nice the members were. She patted the members’ shoulders.
“Ian is lucky to have such friends.”
After a short time at the backstage, Awi members prepared to go back to their hotel.
After a day of short vacation, they had to go back to Korea and finish their preparations for the awards ceremony.
“The world tour is over now.”
“Yeah…”
“It was fun…”
The members spoke with a hollow tone. They felt a loss of energy as if a string had snapped somewhere.
“Am I the only one who feels empty?”
“Me too.”
“Is this what Black Rush hyungs meant by concert withdrawal?”
Everyone closed their mouths at Park Jin-hyuk’s words.
Concert withdrawal was not something that only fans felt. Singers felt it too.
Ian, who had complex feelings in his chest, said.
“We have to do more concerts so we don’t feel withdrawal. Are you guys really going to rest at the hotel?”
“We have to.”
“You can come to my house too.”
“You don’t have to see your family unless you take a vacation.”
“Yeah, you need some time with your family.”
As Ian hesitated, Jo Tae-woong pushed his shoulder.
“Just rest well.”
“…Okay.”
Ian got up first. As he walked out of the concert hall corridor, he looked back. The last of the world tour was both relieving and disappointing.
‘Will the fans look for us again?’
If this popularity suddenly drops one day, will there be anyone who comes looking for us?
He was desperate for popularity when he was struggling, but now that he had it, he was just as anxious as before.
‘But it was fun.’
He always enjoyed seeing the various events of the fans.
The tour schedule was not too tight, so he had some time to look around the tourist attractions with his members.
Ian hoped that he would have many opportunities to do such performances again.
***
On his way home alone in the car, Ian asked his parents.
“How was the show?”
“It was fun. I didn’t know our son had such talent.”
She had been to his debut showcase, but it was his first real concert.
She felt strange seeing her son running around on stage and doing fan service.
“My son was the best, right?”
“I’m pretty good, yeah.”
“Of course, of course, my son is the best.”
While Ian chatted with Choi Sung-Moon, Na Hyun-Joo set a picture of her and the members backstage as her profile picture.
“I was so worried when you suddenly said you wanted to be an idol…”
“Really?”
I thought she wouldn’t worry since she let me go without stopping me. She never showed any signs of worry when we talked on the phone either. I thought she was fine. Was I too careless…? Ian scratched the back of his head.
“You don’t have to worry. The kids are all nice and not like the ones these days.”
“Tae-Woong is getting closer to you, so you can do it, my son.”
“Oh, mom, that’s a bit…”
Na Hyun-Joo giggled.
“The agency’s CEO is also a really nice person. I talked to him yesterday.”
“You talk to the CEO too?”
Ian was surprised and grabbed the backrest of the passenger seat.
“He calls me every quarter. He said he considers the time difference and calls me. He said he knows you must be worried since your son is abroad, but he’s doing well and he’s popular, so don’t worry.”
“Our CEO has such a considerate side.”
“When I first saw him, I thought he was a gangster because he was so big.”
Well, there were some former gangsters who became entertainment agency CEOs, so it was understandable.
But still, Lee Byung-Heon, the CEO, contacted them regularly.
And he probably didn’t just call Ian’s parents.
He must have called all the members’ parents. Ian thought he was very lucky to join this agency.
“Let’s go see grandpa while we’re here.”
“Okay.”
Ian’s grandfather was an immigrant who settled in America with the American dream.
He hit the jackpot with his food business and expanded it into a franchise, which was a rare success story.
“We’re here.”
Ian got out of the car and looked at the house.
He was used to this body now, and seeing an American house made him feel strangely relieved.
***
After a short break, Awi came back to Korea and headed straight to the company.
“Ugh, I’m tired.”
The members lay down in the middle of the practice room. Ian rolled over to Lee Joo-Hyuk’s side.
“Hyung, can you arrange this song for me?”
“What song?”
“I’m going to do a trainer stage for U-Sang Uni.”
Lee Joo-Hyuk listened to the music that Ian played. He thought it was a pop song, but it was a Chinese song.
“This is a Chinese hit song. But it sounds a bit boring.”
“You want to do this? It’ll be hard to memorize the lyrics.”
“But it’s better to do a local song if I want to create some buzz.”
He couldn’t refuse when they offered him a trainer stage.
Kim Hyun and Kim Joo-Young, who were listening to the conversation, joined in.
“Let’s add some light choreography. We’ll help you.”
“Don’t you have to prepare for the awards show stage?”
“It’s okay.”
The members quickly gathered around Ian and listened to his song.
“The song is good, but it sounds old-fashioned.”
“It’s a 20-year-old song. It’s a national anthem in China.”
“Do you have to do this stage there?”
“No, I have to come back to Korea to record it.”
“Really? Then you’ll have to shoot a few cues.”
“And I don’t have to sing the whole thing. It’s only 1 minute and 30 seconds long.”
“Then it’ll be fine.”
Lee Joo-Hyuk worked on the arrangement while Kim Joo-Young and Kim Hyun warmed up their bodies and moved as they thought fit. Ian smiled as he watched them.
***
The preparation for the awards show was almost over, and Ian went to a studio in Ilsan for U-Sang Uni’s trainer stage recording.
“Isn’t this where we filmed our music video?”
“I think so.”
Lee Joo-Hyuk, Kim Hyun, and Kim Joo-Young came along to watch. They checked Ian’s song and choreography until the last minute.
“Thanks for helping me.”
“What are you talking about? If you bring fans over there, we’ll be happy.”
Kim Hyun answered nonchalantly.
He must have calculated that too. But he knew they all helped him out of loyalty. Ian laughed.
Then U-Sang Uni’s staff entered the studio, and Ian reached out his hand for a handshake.
“*Did you finish your world tour well?”
“*Yes, did you have any trouble coming here?”
“How far is it? Are you ready?”
“Of course. You’ll be surprised.”
The staff smiled politely.
They were not expecting much when they heard that he would sing a song by a Chinese national singer.
They knew that he didn’t have much time to prepare his own performance, because his schedule for Idol Uni clashed with his world tour and award ceremonies.
“Shall we do a quick take?”
“Yes.”
Ian plugged the receiver into his back pocket and casually spun the hand mic as he stood in the center of the stage.
As the music started, a gentle brass sound opened the song.
The staff looked at Ian in astonishment.
“He arranged it himself…?”
The song Ian was singing was a Chinese national hit, but it was old and sounded a bit outdated.
“It’s good…”
But Lee Ju-hyuk had rearranged it to suit the modern taste, and it felt like a new and sophisticated song.
“What a waste…”
Ian’s dance moves matched the rhythm of the song, and he looked effortless on the stage. It was a pity that the stage was only one minute and thirty seconds long.
“It was perfect. Let’s do it one more time.”
The staff adjusted the camera angles.
“What did he say?”
“He said it was perfect and he wants to do it one more time.”
“We thought it looked fine… Why does he want to do it again? Is he just being nice?”
They actually wanted to hear the song more, but the Awi members were a bit nervous when the recording continued. They wondered if the Chinese staff were just being polite.
“Well… I don’t think he’s lying.”
Ian checked their reactions and headed back to the center.
After that, Ian recorded the stage twice more, and the staff gave him thumbs up for his performance. The staff who was in charge of translation said with an excited face.
“It was amazing.”
“Really?”
“I can’t wait to release it.”
Lee Ju-hyuk approached Ian as he saw the staff talking fast.
“Ian, can you ask him something?”
Ian listened to Lee Ju-hyuk’s whisper and relayed it.
“Our leader arranged the song. Was it okay? The original singer should like it too. We changed a lot of the song. Do you think he would be offended?”
“It was flawless. I’m sure the original singer would love it too. You should release it as a separate track…”
The staff kept saying perfect, and Lee Ju-hyuk’s face brightened.
“And the choreography was perfect too.”
“He said the choreography was awesome.”
“Really?”
Kim Hyun and Kim Joo-young also smiled.
The staff who came without much expectation were deeply moved by the sight of a foreign singer respecting their culture and preparing such a sincere stage.
“His vocals were perfect too… I was curious how he would sing a ballad song. It didn’t look like he was alone on stage. It was full of energy.”
“Thank you.”
The staff were confident that the video would be a huge hit when it was released.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦