117 - Upki Girl

< What on Earth Did You Do > After the surprise Christmas party. The families of Eunbit and Hong, who came up from the countryside, stayed an additional day at the Oskal Hotel to explore Seoul. Eunbit's grandmother mentioned that her last visit to Seoul was over 20 years ago, during the civilian government of President Kim Young-sam. For Eunbit’s younger brother, Hanbyeol, a rising high school student, it was his first trip to the capital, and Hong's siblings were visiting Seoul for the first time as well. After touring the Hum Hum office where the kids practiced, shopping at Dongdaemun, visiting the aquarium in Jamsil, and concluding with a buffet dinner at Aliya's hotel, the family trip was complete. Eunbit's grandmother and Hong's mother held my hand so tight, as if they were worried it might wear out, repeatedly expressing their gratitude. Aliya conveyed my thanks on my behalf: "We're more grateful for letting us have such beautiful and talented older sisters.” Why you... For the kids, it was their first proper break since debuting. After Christmas, the kids returned to their routines, focusing on preparing for their album and practising for the “Replay Girl” performance. They were determined to record a Christmas season song next year and participate in the end-of-year music awards. *** At the Hum Hum Sound Dance Studio. During a post-lunch web browsing session, I came across a post about our kids on a girl group-focused blog I frequently visit. Impressed by a previous post of theirs, I had sent a gift through our PR team, and what I encountered was feedback on that. ――――――――――― < “Healthy Fangirling of Girl Groups” Blog > Hello, I'm Confident Girl Group Fan, Danggeol-deok ^^ My main loves are Lovemelody and Upkeygirl, with Reezgirls and others on the side. This blog is just a hobby, so please refrain from harsh comments~ ― Most viewed posts on this blog * VNF Fansign Event in Bundang * Upkeygirl's 2nd Fan Meeting Review * Lovemelody Season Greetings Pre-order * Yeonhong Isn't a Girl Group Rapper * Upkeygirl Season Greetings Class I've officially become a fan after Upkeygirl's second fan meeting, haha. They don't have an official fan club yet, but when they do, it might be called 'Aboova' (official insider info). With the girl crush aura of members Yeonhong and Yona on the rise, their next album is expected to explode in popularity. Even just observing the growing fandom in online communities is evidence enough. To the point. At the end of the year, idol groups release a package of goods called “Season Greetings.” Usually consisting of a schedule book, calendar, poster, DVD, photocards, etc., prices range from 30,000 to 50,000 won. [Photo] ― 2017 Lovemelody Season Greetings After finishing work yesterday, I came home to find a package in the security office. I hadn’t ordered anything, so what was it? When I checked the sender’s name, it read "From Your Upkeygirl." A few days ago, a message had come through the blog from Upkeygirl's agency. They expressed gratitude for the fan meeting post and mentioned they’d be sending a gift. [Photo] ― Hello, we are the PR team from Upkeygirl's agency, Hum Hum Sound. Thank you so much for posting about Upkeygirl's showcases and fan meetings. We greatly enjoyed it^^ If it isn’t too much trouble, please email us your contact or house address, and we’ll send you a small gift. [email protected] While I’ve received requests to buy photos or videos through the blog, it was the first time a company directly contacted me. It felt incredible, knowing industry insiders were reading my posts. After confirming it wasn't spam, I sent my address, and they sent me this surprise. As known as the “generous idol” among fans, the contents were indeed impressive. But upon opening the schedule book, I noticed it had already been used. [Photo] ―?????? About to feel upset over receiving a defective item, I spotted my blog nickname. It turned out that it was a handwritten letter from my ultimate bias, Seowon! ― Hello Danggeol-deok oppa (right?). This is Seowon, the main vocalist of Upkeygirl. Our members have read your blog posts. You mentioned Lovemelody and Reezgirls as your mains, but Upkeygirl will work hard to become your main love. Also, despite saying I'm your ultimate bias, you keep spreading your affection by complimenting all five of us. It’d be nice if you focused solely on me^^ Let's make sure to greet each other at the next fansign! No lie, my heart pounded like it was going to burst; I almost fainted. It was astounding that not only the agency but also the artist themselves were reading my posts... And why does the "I wish you'd only look at me" line make my heart flutter so much? I finally understand the meaning of the phrase “properly immersed in Up-joy,” as Upkeygirl fans put it. Bartender! More Up-joy for me, please! From today, my main loves are Lovemelody and Upkeygirl. And my ultimate bias is only Seowon, hahaha. ―Comments 5― Omari: You've hit the jackpot. So jealousㅠ Deeo: Seowon's quite charming, lol. Najaran: Congratulations~ I always enjoy your posts~ tongnam4: Is Seowon terrorizing with her obsession again? PlayScript: Danggeol-deok, time to get certified. Click my username for resources to earn 100 different certifications. ――――――――――― True to her reputation, Seowon is already famous among fans for her possessiveness. At fansigns, she always asks, "Who are you a fan of?" and if they say they like her, she beams instantly! On the contrary, if they say they’re a fan of another member, she’ll glare and mumble “I’ll steal you,” or trash-talk the rival member. "Oh, really? Hong snores like crazy," and "Oh, I see. Yona, didn't you go to sleep last night without removing your makeup because you were too tired?" Sewon genuinely means what she says, but thankfully, the fans take it as a joke. After finishing their morning practice, the kids were enjoying a sweet 30-minute break after lunch. (Hong went to Dante's studio to prepare for the Girl Crush finals.) Our resident "obsession villain" was lying on the floor, engrossed in a mobile game. It seemed difficult because she was intensely focused, and then suddenly, she slid her phone across the floor in frustration. "Ugh, so annoying. I'm done." "Why, unnie?" "The macro is down again! If you're just going to use a macro, why play the game at all? It's like only good people get fooled!" "Sewon, they call you the obsession villain." When I mentioned a comment I saw on the blog with a chuckle, she tilted her head, puzzled. "What's a villain?" "In superhero movies, the bad guys like Joker are called villains." "That's annoying. I should sue for defamation. Why am I a villain? I'm suing!" Eunbit explained it fittingly. "It's not that bad; it's more like a cute nickname, like 'fairy' something. You're a villain, but a cute villain." "Still, I don't like it. And who even says I’m obsessed?" "The blogger you sent the Season Greetings and letter to—they posted about it, and someone commented like that." "Good grief. They call it obsession over such trivial things. They haven't experienced it firsthand with me." True enough. Even I am quietly putting up with it, especially after last night's sudden bombardment of text messages. 2號機 [Do you prefer Eunbit or me] 2號機 [Do you prefer Yona or me] 2號機 [Do you prefer Riya or me] 2號機 [Do you prefer Hong or me] 2號機 [Answer me] 2號機 [Hurry] 2號機 [Quickly] 2號機 [Where do I rank] 2號機 [Why aren't you checking] 2號機 [I’ll barge into your room] Me [Brushing my teeth] 2號機 [What's more important, brushing your teeth or me] Me [Hahahahahahaha] 2號機 [Don't try to laugh it off and answer quickly] Me [You're all singers, and I'm the manager. I don't have favorites, you're all my kids] 2號機 [There you go again, dodging the question] 2號機 [Setting Eunbit aside, shouldn’t I be at least second place, right?] Me [Going to sleep] 2號機 [Lame] Me [Yup. Love ya] 2號機 [Me too...] My love and your love differ in meaning. Hmm... Watching Sewon being obsessively attached even to fans made a good set of lyrics pop into my head. The company was currently collecting songs for Upkeygirl’s mini-album. The producers at Hum Hum were working on tracks for inclusion, and among them, Hyundong was aiming to make a fan song as a reference. I sent a message to the struggling Hyundong, who claimed to be struggling with the lyrics. Me [Hey, how about the song title "Look at Me"?] Me [Using Sewon as a muse, it’s an artist obsessively telling their fan not to look at other singers, just at them, like haha] Hyundong [Sounds good, haha] Me [If it gets picked, buy me a drink, haha] Hyundong [I don't have time to write lyrics anyway. You give it a shot] Me [Me? Better to ask Sewon, I think] Hyundong [Oh right, is Sewon in the practice room now?] Me [Shall I ask her?] Hyundong [There’s a rough sketch in the company email. Let her listen to it to get the idea. Melodies aren't added yet] "Sewon, do you want to try writing lyrics?" "What kind of lyrics?" "Hyundong is working on a fan song for your album but is stuck on lyrics." When I shared my idea, the kids seemed interested and thought it might be a good fit. However, Sewon herself shook her head, claiming she had no talent for literature, suggesting Eunbit instead. "Yo Eunbit, you try." "Me? Really?" "You’ve wanted to try writing lyrics, right? You're just putting my feelings into words." "For real? Can I?" Eunbit's eyes sparkled with determination. "Director, is it okay if Eunbit tries?" "Sure, why not." With a nod to Eunbit, I accessed the company mail on the PC and played Hyundong's rough MR track. Immediate collaboration ensued. Sewon and Yona began to hum a melody that fit over the blank chords, while Riya started choreographing gently to the rhythm. Taking out a notebook and pen, Eunbit jotted down key words as she listened to Sewon and Yona’s tune. “After the first verse, Hong-hong unnie can come in with a rap...” Sewon offered her opinion in response to Eunbit's mumbling. "I don't think this song suits a rap. Hong can sing it as a vocal part." Yona agreed. "Yes, I think that's a better approach. Or we could create a melodic rap and add harmonies." "That's right. That could work too." "Muno, could you record a video for us?" "Sure, hang on." "Isn't Aliya stunning? Seeing myself in the mirror while dancing, it’s like I'm so beautiful." "Oh, you're elegant." "Your response lacks soul." "Oh dear, you truly are graceful and cool when you dance, like a princess. I mean it." "Thank you. Muno, you look quite cool too when you check the side mirror for cars while driving." "Uh... thanks..." "Isn't his Adam’s apple sexy as he gulps down water?" When Eunbit added her remark, Yona immediately chimed in. "Oh, I was going to mention that too." Sewon, who was lightly humming a melody, also contributed a comment. "Actually, the sexiest time is when you're asleep with your mouth slightly open. It’s really fun to slide a finger in and out without touching your lips. Though, touching is the tricky part." Huh? "Wait a second. Did you really do that while I was asleep?" "That was a long time ago." "And I didn’t wake up?" "Once you're asleep, you barely ever wake up..." Sewon said this with a mischievous grin aimed at Eunbit. Eunbit joined in with a cheeky chuckle, "Brouhaha." "What exactly did you guys do while I was sleeping..." "All sorts of things?" "Giggle, giggle." "You two better be careful. If I catch you, I’m going to talk to Lawyer Woo and sue you for harassment. You think just because you’re girls, you won’t get caught?" "You'd have to sue all five of us..." "What?" "The other day, Yona..." "Sis! How about this melody for the chorus? La-la-la, shoo-shoo, la-de-do..." Oh, look at her dodging the topic. “Yona, stop the stalling. Didn't you learn that if you're caught changing the topic, you might lose a hand? What did you do to me?” "Huh? What? I didn’t do anything." Yona, shaking her head with an innocent, child-like expression, received a barrage of playful accusations. "See, see, Yona always acts this way." "Yonna, that’s so bad. You played along with us." "I saw it too. Calm Yona was the first to climb on the armrest." "Yo Eunbit, come on, tell me. What did Yona do to me?" "Uh, um..." Eunbit shrugged, signaling that loyalty prevented her from speaking up. "On the day of the Vogue Girl boutique photo shoot, you were asleep in the car..." "Sewon! Please, please!" Yona quickly embraced Sewon, pulling her to the ground. Her face flushed red, she glanced down at Sewon with desperate eyes and shook her head. Was it three days ago, on the magazine shoot day? What exactly happened? The shoot took longer than expected, so I took turns with Jangwoo catching some sleep in the car... "Don't tell me?" With a devilish smile, Sewon teased, and Yona nodded vigorously, desperately. "What will you do for me?" "What do you want?" "Hmm... I’ll think about it." "Are you seriously negotiating around the victim? Riya, what do you say?" "I can't tell. I'm on Yona's side." "Eunbit." "Uh, um... Yonna will definitely get mad at me..." "Fine, whatever." Coolly ending the topic there, I moved on. These kids, they’re so cute. While there’s no black box in the Carnival, the van we used that day has an internal dash cam for anti-theft. It can store footage for 3-5 days based on parking and driving settings. Today, I drove the Carnival, so I’ll check this out when I get off work. After causing a ruckus, the kids went back to listening to Hyundong's song and continued working. "Guys, it's not even a confirmed song yet, so don't overdo it." "But, Teacher Hyundong's song is good!" "Yeah, me too. Can't we just finish it ourselves?" "There's a production mission in Replay Girl too, so practicing like this isn't a bad idea." Creating chords (the accompaniment) is composing, and adding a melody with lyrics on top of it is also part of composing. These days, composers often work in teams, with roles like beat making and melody making well-defined. The former involves learning harmonics, instruments, MIDI, and overall music, while the latter just requires a knack for tunes. Naturally, those who create beats receive more recognition. It once sparked controversy when it was revealed that 'T-Phoenix', leader of Boom Up, a top-tier group under World Class, only added melodies to existing beats and received co-composer credits. Still, industry consensus is that melody making is an integral part of composing. Sewon and Yona had never formally studied composition, but they had good melodic intuition, likely from singing and playing keys extensively. If Sewon and Yona create melodies on Hyundong's arrangement, their names could appear as composers. True to what was said in the Replay Girl mission, tackling songwriting and composing beforehand isn't a bad practice. Crafting melodies and then having Hyundong or Yeom refine them will be excellent learning experience. It’s said that creations made on a spontaneous inspiration can be better than ones with meticulous effort. That was indeed the case with Hyundong's song. It took less than two hours for Yona and Sewon to come up with a melody and for Eunbit to add lyrics. Though I wasn't sure what melody Hyundong initially envisioned, Yeom and Hoonmin hyung thought the kids' composition wasn't half-bad. The lyrics turned out great too. The 'obsession' concept I suggested was reimagined with Eunbit’s unique whimsical flair, resulting in a fresh and appealing expression. Sewon recorded a rough guide version, and we sent the outcome to Hyundong. Hyundong [What's this? It's oddly good? Haha] Me [Is it okay?] Hyundong [These kids have some serious sense, darn it, haha] Yeom [Please rearrange it for us] Hyundong [Got it] *** That evening. After arriving at the dorm, I went to the parking lot to check the van’s internal dash cam. Thankfully, the footage from the day of the photo shoot was still there. I was lying down in the far-back seat, with my knees up, fast asleep. The seat obscured my face and lower body, only showing my torso. ―Click! The back door opened, and Yona entered. It seemed she came in for a moment during the other members' shoot. She sat in front and checked her reflection on her phone in selfie mode. Peering out the window, Yona checked to see if anyone was around. She glanced back several times, ensuring she could spot my position. And just as she was about to stealthily edge closer to where I was— ―Click! Someone opened the driver’s door. Not in the footage, but in reality. "Huh...? Why are you out here...?" It was Yona, wearing a panicked expression. It seemed she rushed out after realizing I had left, still dressed in her indoor clothes without a jumper, her breath steaming in the cold. Her sharp gaze pierced like a spear at the black box I held. "Goodness!" Yona let out a high-pitched shriek. Giggling like she had lost her mind, she dove onto the black box on my lap with her entire body. "Hahaha, no! No, no, no, no, no! Don't look! Pleeeease, pleeease, please, please, please! Manager, please!" It was my first time seeing Yona so flustered, and it made me burst into laughter too. "Hah-hah-hah! You're making me even more curious with this! And since you returned from Girl Crush, your speaking speed has shot up!" "Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay!" "Hahaha, what exactly do you understand? Ow, ow! You're squashing my thigh on the corner!" "Pffhahaha, I'll do whatever you say, yes? Yes? Pleease, pleeease..." < What on Earth Did You Do > End.