A-List to Playlist (2024) s01e07 Episode Script
Episode 7
1
THIS IS A STORY
OF ONE MAN'S SCHEME
TO REALIZE HIS VISION
OPERATION: SHOWCASE
I'm Jung Sang-hoon,
CEO of Jungsang Productions.
I've been vocal about the need
for a concert or a showcase
since the beginning of this project.
SHOWCASE
THE ROOKIE SINGER'S DEBUT STAGE
Singers usually do showcases
when they release songs.
Like a press junket for movies.
What if we held a concert in the US?
Hold on.
We can at least think about it.
I can't do that.
That's impossible.
CAN YOU MAKE THE SHOWCASE HAPPEN?
That's the goal.
Nothing's set in stone.
But Jung-seok needs a clear goal
to motivate him
and give him something to aim for.
That's why we need this.
Even the Dynamicduo guys said
that I almost sound like a con man
because I'm so smooth-tongued.
But I think that's how everything begins.
Words sow the seeds of dreams.
THE OPERATION BEGINS
It'd be cool if he did a concert
and you guys showed up.
He'd be singing and playing his guitar
with the spotlight on him,
and you guys could jump onto the stage.
That would be wild.
We just had a brilliant idea
for a concert.
Jung-seok would be under the spotlight
I had been looking for a chance
to say we had to do a concert,
and they were talking about it.
I thought, "This is it."
"This is the moment."
So I brought it up.
A concert would be great.
-Right?
-Why don't we do it?
-It'd be great to hear the songs on stage.
-Why make music if you won't perform it?
-Actually
-Is it already set up?
Well, kind of.
I already booked a venue.
Blue Square.
Blue Square?
THE RITE OF PASSAGE FOR K-POP ARTISTS
BLUE SQUARE
We have it booked.
That's great.
That's insane.
It's a great venue.
-We did a show there last year.
-Yeah, that was Blue Square.
MR. MOON HAS SOMETHING TO SAY
-He's given up at this point.
-It is what it is.
-It's on March 27th.
-What?
-March 27th?
-That's not far from now.
I didn't know either.
March 27th?
That was our only option.
It was already booked
for dates before and after that.
-The days around it were fully booked.
-Why haven't you told the singer?
-It was our only option.
-Really?
TODAY
JANUARY 31S
THE SHOWCASE
MARCH 27TH
I had no idea.
That's a really tight schedule.
You have to finish your songs,
memorize them,
and make other preparations.
-Right.
-I know, it's ridiculous.
But you don't even have
a single song finished.
That's true.
I'm at a loss right now.
It's hard enough to finish my songs.
Can I finish them
and pull off the showcase too?
I mean
As I'm sure you already know,
guest artists are important in a concert.
-Who do you have in mind?
-Dynamicduo.
-Dynamicduo.
-Yes.
You're all we need.
Can you please make time on March 27th?
March 27th?
Are you hiring us on the spot?
No pressure.
I just
I'm feeling good today.
Everything went exactly as I expected.
Blue Square?
-It's on March 27th.
-What?
A showcase
At any rate,
I'll have to do my best.
I'm so worried.
THE ROOKIE SINGER'S SONGWRITING
I kept working on my songs
after the retreat.
I wrote songs
and contemplated several things at once,
like the chord progressions,
melodies, and lyrics,
all at the same time.
SHOWCASE MEETING
It's been a while.
I called a meeting
with Mr. Jung and Mr. Moon
to talk about
the incredibly scary showcase
we've got planned for March 27th.
-So here's the thing.
-How many songs?
That's something
-that we have to decide on.
-Okay.
We also need a title for the show.
We have a lot to discuss.
I thought we could get some advice
from an expert.
You can ask them any questions you have
during the phone call.
This is a person
who's produced several concerts.
CALLING THE CONCERT EXPER
-Hello?
-Yes, hello.
Hey, Sang-hoon.
Hey.
-Is that you?
-Yes.
We're on a first-name basis.
Thank you so much for doing this.
I just called to ask a few questions.
I have a rookie singer here with me.
-A complete newbie.
-A rookie singer? Goodness.
Hello, ma'am.
Wow, your voice.
I love it.
GUMMY (PARK JI-YEON)
I like his voice.
I've been told
that I sound like Jung-seok.
I'm afraid this performance
might not be perfect.
But we aim for perfection.
Ji-yeon is someone
who can perform three-hour concerts
-all by herself.
-True.
We could learn a lot from her.
We're actually supposed to
put on a showcase soon,
but we weren't sure how to go about it,
so we wanted to get some advice.
-From me?
-Yes.
First of all,
it's a showcase, right?
-Not a concert.
-Right.
It's a place to give people a sneak peek,
so you should get them intrigued.
Rather than performing a lot of songs,
you should do three songs at most.
Do you guys not talk about
this kind of stuff at home?
He's never mentioned the showcase.
Really?
There's only one thing
our rookie singer here says to me at home.
-Which is?
-"Could you listen to my song?"
"Can you spare me a minute?"
But you're so busy.
I know. He's always like,
"Hey, are you busy?
Can I borrow your ears for a bit?"
"Can I borrow your ears?"
-That's a good title for a song.
-Right?
-"Can I Borrow Your Ears?"
-"Can I Borrow Your Ears?"
-Write that down.
-That should be the title of the showcase.
Wait, that's genius.
-We have our title.
-"Can I Borrow Your Ears?"
Thank you, Ji-yeon!
-I like it.
-It's great.
The advice we got from Gummy
was amazingly helpful.
We got a title. Tell them what it is.
All right. "Can You Lend an Ear?"
"Can You Lend"
-"Can I Borrow You?"
-"Can You Have a Listen?"
"Can I Borrow Your Ears?"
SHOWCASE TITLE CONFIRMED:
"CAN I BORROW YOUR EARS?"
I've never discussed the showcase
with Gummy before.
So this was unexpected,
but we got some really great insight,
and it was incredibly helpful.
What I have to do now
is pick the songs to perform
and record them.
I've actually finished
-"Jung-seok in Medium."
-What?
I haven't finished recording it.
-Just the arrangement.
-But the arrangement is done.
And the lyrics too.
-I just have to record it now.
-Okay.
"Jung-seok in Medium"
is almost complete.
"JUNG-SEOK IN MEDIUM"
99% COMPLETE
As for "Champagne,"
I'm contemplating
the exact instrumentation
and what kind of melodies I'll add.
It's in progress.
"CHAMPAGNE"
90% COMPLETE
As for "Friend,"
the arrangement is almost there,
but I'm debating
whether I should keep the original style
or change it up a bit.
"FRIEND"
80% COMPLETE
What I'm worried about
is the song with Dynamicduo.
I'd say that one is a bit
all over the place.
It's the one song
I'm having the most trouble with.
COLLAB SONG WITH DYNAMICDUO
??% COMPLETE
There's so much to do.
AND FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS
The rap song?
I'm still working on the lyrics.
WRITING RAP IS THE HARDES
It's not going well.
I'm very worried about this song.
But I wrote something that resembles rap.
I wrote down some thoughts
I had since I was young,
but the Dynamicduo guys might not like it.
I am a bit nervous.
The weather is something else today.
Is this the entrance?
It's like he's hiding out in this place.
-Goodness.
-Hey.
-Welcome.
-What's good?
Is this your studio?
Yes, it is. You can put these on.
-It doesn't look like a studio, does it?
-It's so nice.
It's like you rented out a studio.
That's exactly what it is.
I love it.
You haven't eaten, have you?
I'm going to order some pork feet.
What do you think?
That sounds amazing.
Remember the beat I sent you
with the guitar chords?
I'm curious to hear
how it developed from there.
THE "DYNAMIC TRIO"
WAS FORMED DURING THE RETREA
An actor who wants to live like music
and musicians
who want to live movie-like lives.
AND "LIKE MOVIES, LIKE MUSIC" CAME TO BE
THEY SOON MADE A GROUP CHA
CHO JUNG-SEOK INVITED CHOIZA AND GAEKO
He sent us a lot of recordings
of him playing guitar.
He did several variations.
He asked us which version we liked,
so we listened to each one
and decided which one would work best.
You only sent us
some guitar loops the other time.
Right, so I'm going to play
what I have so far for you guys.
I think this will sound good
with some drums and other instruments.
Maybe if some of our producers
-Hey, there it is.
-Yes.
We've never heard this version.
-This is the first time.
-Is it?
-Really?
-Yes.
-We've never heard a version with a beat.
-Right.
I think this is enough
for us to get to work on our end.
But we have to know
what you're going to sing
-before the rap comes in.
-Right.
Whether you'll do
a singing rap or whatever.
Do you have anything for us to check out?
Do I?
Well, I wrote some lyrics.
I knew he'd have something.
No, I don't have anything prepared.
I'll just show you some lyrics.
FIRST LOOK AT JUNG-SEOK'S LYRICS
I was worried
they'd burst into laughter and say,
"That's not how you write rap."
"This is how you do it."
I was a little scared
about how they'd react.
Imagine how nervous I must have been.
The last part is unfinished.
Are you going to
start spitting bars like crazy?
- "Yeah!"
-Let us know if you are.
Give us time to brace ourselves.
-No, don't worry.
-Are you starting with a "Uh"?
No. Where is it?
Would you rather read it
or listen to me read it?
-Read it to us.
-What would you prefer?
Try and read it with a little emotion.
All right, so imagine I'm rapping.
"Even before I learned to speak,
music laid down a path for me."
"Danced like a pro
in my sixth-grade talent show."
"My bookshelf was full of music,
not textbooks."
"Wandering down memory lane."
"Music pierces my soul
like a bullet train."
"At the corner of my teenage days,
trying to figure out my ways."
"Holding my guitar pick,
I'm Jimi Hendrix."
"When the rhythm takes over,
it makes me shake my butt."
-You can't use "shake my butt."
-I knew it.
It was going so well.
-No, but
-It was going so well
until "shake my butt."
Even if we had 100 albums,
you wouldn't ever hear
that phrase in our music.
It's a tricky phrase
to weave into a rap song.
We were even more taken aback
because it was going so well
until he came in with "shake my butt."
That was really shocking.
I had to stop you right there.
It was something
that had to be said right now.
-It was great until then.
-Really?
I was impressed
with how good your rhymes were.
Were you listening to the music
when you wrote it?
I wrote it without the music.
We have to work on the song form now.
This is the beginning then.
-Yes.
-You have good material here.
The story you want to tell
is pretty clear.
Like the textbook part.
"Music, not textbooks."
Exactly. I really liked the contrast
that you used in your lyrics.
When it comes to rap,
when a line like that is executed
with a perfect rhyme,
it brings satisfaction to the listeners.
Same with good punchlines.
Rhythm and rhyme are like devices
that help deliver the lyrics.
I wish I could rap right now.
Let's hear it.
Give it a go.
SHOULD I TRY RAPPING?
I never thought I would end up rapping.
I could never pull that off.
Things have taken an unexpected turn,
but what's done is done,
so I'll just try my best.
RAP PRACTICE OFFICIALLY BEGINS
My hands full of music, not textbooks
No schoolwork
BECOMING A RAPPER ISN'T SO EASY
Fill the void in my heart
Fitting perfectly like it's Tetris
How do rappers do this?
Okay, let's do this.
From when
My hands full of music, no textbook
No schoolwork
Tapes and CDs got my heart hooked
Sitting by the bookshelf is my guitar
When I strum, I'm flying sky high
AND SOON
DYNAMICDUO SENDS HIM THE CHORUS
GAEKO: HERE'S A DEMO OF THE CHORUS!
I JUST WANNA LOVE YOU LIKE IN THAT MOVIE
YOU AND I, TWO LOVERS IN I
WE LIVE ON
THOUGH THERE'S NO SCREENPLAY
MY LIFE IS LIKE A MOVIE
JUNG-SEOK: THAT'S AMAZING GUYS
I'LL TRY MY BEST! DYNAMICDUO ROCKS!!!
A WEEK LATER, DYNAMICDUO'S STUDIO
I'm not sure if we can
get the recording done today.
-It'd be a miracle to get the rap done.
-Let's just try a few things.
I have no idea how it's going.
I haven't heard him rap yet.
He hasn't expressed any concerns either.
He might pull it off with some practice.
-He has a knack for music.
-He does.
If he does pull it off,
it'll sound awesome.
Don't you think so?
Anyone there?
THE HIP-HOP WARRIOR ENTERS
WITH BERRY THE PRODUCER
-Yo, man.
-How have you been?
-How have you been?
-Good to see you.
We have very high expectations.
-Come on.
-I'm excited to see you in action.
Me?
The song sounds so different now.
-Did you sing the chorus, Gaeko?
-I did.
It was out of this world.
-I don't know about that.
-He's a good singer.
When he sang "Like the music,"
he reminded me of Naul.
How's the rap part going?
We were kind of worried.
Half-worried, half-excited.
We'll see once I try it.
Are you ready to spit some bars?
I'm not trying to pressure you,
but we have high hopes
that you'll pull it off easily
since you're talented.
If the lyrics don't work for you,
adjust them to your style as you go.
You can always do that.
Do I even have a style?
ASKING THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION
-You're underselling yourself.
-No, I'm serious.
Isn't this your first time
rapping professionally?
It's the first time ever.
Not just professionally.
Do you know what I did?
I was practicing alone and went,
"Hold on."
"I have to do this at the showcase.
That means"
And I practiced my moves
in front of the mirror.
You get it.
When we first started off,
we were new to all these moves too.
It all felt really awkward
at a certain point.
We pulled out so many drawers.
We didn't know what to do.
That's the most basic move.
The drawer pull.
It always gets awkward
when you're set on doing a certain move.
I can imagine.
Should we get started?
-Sounds good.
-Let's do it.
Isn't it always nerve-racking
to step into the booth?
He's probably freaking out.
Let's start from the singing part.
-I'll give you two bars.
-Got it.
RECORDING BEGINS
FOR THE SINGING PAR
Like the music flows through the air
Like the lyrics engraved in my soul
I want to be a track
on your memory playlist
My life is like music
-That was amazing.
-He's good.
That sounded great.
-Thank goodness.
-Let's keep it like this.
It's good as it is right now,
so let's just get a lot of takes in.
Okay.
I have a lot of experience
singing on stage,
so I'm a bit more comfortable with it.
I guess I'm just more used to that.
No need to worry about his singing.
Like the music flows through the air
Like the lyrics engraved in my soul
The first line sounded great.
Can you mark that take?
GETS IT DOWN IN 2 TAKES
Like the lyrics engraved in my soul
Can you mark this one too?
"Like the lyrics engraved in my soul."
I have nothing bad to say
about his singing.
TIME TO SPIT SOME BARS
This is absolutely terrifying.
HUMBLED POSTURE
LIPS GETTING DRY
I've never done this in my life.
His first time ever.
But he has a strong foundation.
He has a knack for it.
-I'll play it back for you.
-Okay.
Music's been my playground
As long as I remember
I sang and danced to all music in my ears
Can't forget my sixth-grade talent show
My first dance
Friends giving me thumbs-up
My hands full of music, not textbooks
No schoolwork
Tapes and CDs got my heart hooked
Sitting by the bookshelf is my guitar
Strum it and I'm flying sky high
To be completely honest,
my initial thought was,
"We're screwed."
That's all I was thinking.
It was so obvious
that he had never rapped in his life.
It was a bit shocking.
I never thought it'd sound that awkward.
I started having doubts
about whether he could pull it off.
You keep using this raspy voice.
It'll sound much better without it.
It makes you sound like an old man.
-Try not to do that. Just be yourself.
-Okay.
Just use your usual voice
that you use when you talk
-or when you're acting.
-Okay.
Let's get some different takes.
Music's been my playground
Yeah
Music's been my playground
As long as I remember
I sang and danced to all music in my ears
Can't forget my sixth-grade talent show
My first dance, ready to go
My friends giving thumbs-up
My hands full of music, not textbooks
He sounds more confident,
but he still sounds like an old man.
He sounds like
JUNG-SEOK STILL SOUNDS AWKWARD
I was trying to sound a certain way
without realizing it.
I'm an amateur.
And it showed.
He must have had this idea
of what he should sound like.
He kept making this sound.
We had to get rid of that
as soon as possible.
How could we make you comfortable?
Which works better for you?
-For me?
-Yes.
Honestly,
I'm just uncomfortable in general.
He just needs
some more emotions on top of this.
He's getting hot.
-Can I step out for a bit?
-Sure.
-He looks beat.
-He's worn out.
It couldn't have been easy
to keep that hat on the whole time.
THE LONG RECORDING SESSION IS OVER
You definitely need more practice.
And then, if there are parts
that you're uncomfortable with,
we'll have to change some parts.
-Or just rewrite it.
-Exactly.
THUS ENDED THE FIRST RECORDING SESSION
We have to decide
if we should power through
and make a rapper out of him.
You can't fix someone's tone overnight.
I don't know if we have
enough time for that.
We could try something else.
Let's take these lyrics,
get rid of the unnecessary parts,
and make them closer to singing.
Let's keep our options open.
Let's do that.
CHOIZA: HOW'S THE RAPPING GOING?
JUNG-SEOK: I DON'T KNOW.
IT HASN'T IMPROVED MUCH.
GAEKO: HERE'S A SINGING RAP VERSION!
JUNG-SEOK:
I THINK I'M MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THIS ONE
I'LL PRACTICE WITH THIS ONE
ONE WEEK LATER
Yo, man.
Yo. Yeah.
Look at that drip.
THE ROOKIE SEEMS EXCITED
Come on, I'm a rapper.
The Dynamicduo guys
heard me rap in their studio,
and it must have been
unsatisfactory.
We kept thinking,
"Is this the best we'll get out of him?"
We kept having doubts.
It was the first real struggle he faced.
I was worried that this song
might bring this whole project to a halt.
Guys, I love the new version.
-It's easier, right?
-Much easier.
I practiced yesterday
HE PRACTICED THE SINGING RAP VERSION
and I sounded much better.
Let's take a listen
and see how well you did.
I haven't made that much progress.
You're good.
"LIKE MOVIES, LIKE MUSIC"
BY CHO JUNG-SEOK
MUSIC BY CHO JUNG-SEOK AND GAEKO
LYRICS BY GAEKO, CHOIZA, AND CHO JUNG-SEOK
Music's been my playground
As long as I remember
I sang and danced to all music in my ears
Song books instead of textbooks
Cassettes and CDs fill the bookshelf
IT'S A WHOLE NEW VERSE!
Music's been my playground
As long as I remember
Music's been my playground
As long as I remember
My hands full of music, not textbooks
Song books instead of textbooks
Nice.
Cassettes and CDs fill the bookshelf
Perfect.
-We're good now.
-I got chills.
-I feel like we got it.
-Really?
SINGING RAP TO THE RESCUE
I felt much more at ease.
We could tell that he was in his element.
He sounded good.
We got one problem out of the way.
It's presentable enough
for a showcase now.
I've joined Dynamicduo
to become "Dynamic Trio."
I'm one of them now.
I think it'll be fun.
As long as I do my part.
THE SONGS ARE FINISHED
THE ONLY THING LEFT NOW
IS THE FINAL STEP OF HIS DEBU
ONLY 2 WEEKS REMAIN
UNTIL D-DAY
THE SHOWCASE REHEARSALS BEGIN
-Hello.
-Let me take that.
ARTIST CHO ARRIVES
-Hello.
-Mr. Jung.
-Hello.
-This is the bandmaster.
BANDMASTER/GUITARIST: PARK SHIN-WON
-Shin-won is Shin-hye's brother.
-Right.
-Park Shin-hye, the actress.
-Really?
We don't look alike.
No, I totally see the resemblance.
1ST KEYBOARD: CHON YONG-JUN
2ND KEYBOARD: KIM CHANG-HYUN
BASS: KIM EUN-SE
DRUMS: KIM JIN-HUN
Who's Shin-hye's brother?
That's him. The bandmaster.
I'm good friends with Shin-hye.
THEY WORKED ON THE FILM
MY ANNOYING BROTHER
Yes, she told me to do extra well today.
-How's your voice?
-I'm not exactly in tip-top shape,
but I'll try my best.
-I have to get used to singing on stage.
-Of course.
I keep losing sleep.
I've been dealing with insomnia.
THE INSOMNIA PERSISTS
-You must be stressed out.
-Yes.
Who would have thought?
He used to fall asleep so quickly.
Whenever I think about the showcase,
I keep forgetting the lyrics to my songs.
-It happens. You're stressed out.
-Yes, so I can't even rest my voice.
Imagine losing sleep on top of that.
It feels a bit weird
ALTHOUGH HE'S UNDER THE WEATHER
to be rehearsing my own songs.
This is so weird.
HE IS SOMEWHAT EXCITED
-I feel that way too.
-I mean, look at this.
All these people are here
to play your songs.
-Sang-hoon.
-Yeah.
-You came a long way.
-I know.
Okay.
-Let's do this.
-Let's do it.
I can feel my heart beating.
I know. Mine's about to burst.
SINGING HIS OWN SONGS
WITH A LIVE BAND FOR THE FIRST TIME
You and I, loving for you tonight
Flying high
AFTER REHEARSING THE FIRST SONG
I think I should come in on "tonight."
THE ROOKIE'S FEEDBACK ENSUES
So you want the playback to overlap?
Tonight
And I'll stay on beat.
Yeah, that'll work.
We'll do the key change right there.
Time may pass us by
And our paths may reach a crossroad
SPEAKS WITH HIS EYES
-Is this good?
-Yes, like this.
They pass by us
So fast
JUNG-SEOK DOES HIS BES
EVEN THOUGH HE'S FEELING UNWELL
Singing my own songs with a band
was really fun,
but at the same time,
I kept thinking about ways
to improve my performance
for the showcase to be successful.
The first day of rehearsal
was a rollercoaster of emotions.
REHEARSAL #2
D-13
REHEARSAL #3
D-11
REHEARSAL #4
D-7
THE 100-DAY JOURNEY IS ALMOST OVER
Do you think I can pull it off?
In just 100 days?
FROM THE VERY FIRST DAY IN THE STUDIO
I haven't written a song.
HE WORKED FIERCELY FOR 100 DAYS
This last bit just doesn't work.
This is so frustrating.
I'm so worried.
FROM THE BRUTAL MONTHLY EVALUATION
TO THE FRIENDS WHO HELPED OU
IN EVERY WAY THEY COULD
AND NOW
My 100-day journey
has come to an end.
That really sank in.
D-2 UNTIL THE SHOWCASE
FINAL REHEARSAL
Shall we begin?
Okay.
I got drawn into it like The Matrix
Grab my guitar and I'm Jimi Hendrix
It filled the void in my heart
Like it's Tetris
Dreamin' on a mattress
And please
Let's take it
Slow
The showcase is right around the corner.
It's in two days.
I want to do well.
I want this show to be
as perfect as it can be.
I just want to perform my songs well
in front of everyone.
That's about it.
My passion for music has led me
to make an album of my own.
Please join me in the journey
of realizing my dream
of becoming a singer-songwriter.
Subtitle translation by: Yenny Kang
THIS IS A STORY
OF ONE MAN'S SCHEME
TO REALIZE HIS VISION
OPERATION: SHOWCASE
I'm Jung Sang-hoon,
CEO of Jungsang Productions.
I've been vocal about the need
for a concert or a showcase
since the beginning of this project.
SHOWCASE
THE ROOKIE SINGER'S DEBUT STAGE
Singers usually do showcases
when they release songs.
Like a press junket for movies.
What if we held a concert in the US?
Hold on.
We can at least think about it.
I can't do that.
That's impossible.
CAN YOU MAKE THE SHOWCASE HAPPEN?
That's the goal.
Nothing's set in stone.
But Jung-seok needs a clear goal
to motivate him
and give him something to aim for.
That's why we need this.
Even the Dynamicduo guys said
that I almost sound like a con man
because I'm so smooth-tongued.
But I think that's how everything begins.
Words sow the seeds of dreams.
THE OPERATION BEGINS
It'd be cool if he did a concert
and you guys showed up.
He'd be singing and playing his guitar
with the spotlight on him,
and you guys could jump onto the stage.
That would be wild.
We just had a brilliant idea
for a concert.
Jung-seok would be under the spotlight
I had been looking for a chance
to say we had to do a concert,
and they were talking about it.
I thought, "This is it."
"This is the moment."
So I brought it up.
A concert would be great.
-Right?
-Why don't we do it?
-It'd be great to hear the songs on stage.
-Why make music if you won't perform it?
-Actually
-Is it already set up?
Well, kind of.
I already booked a venue.
Blue Square.
Blue Square?
THE RITE OF PASSAGE FOR K-POP ARTISTS
BLUE SQUARE
We have it booked.
That's great.
That's insane.
It's a great venue.
-We did a show there last year.
-Yeah, that was Blue Square.
MR. MOON HAS SOMETHING TO SAY
-He's given up at this point.
-It is what it is.
-It's on March 27th.
-What?
-March 27th?
-That's not far from now.
I didn't know either.
March 27th?
That was our only option.
It was already booked
for dates before and after that.
-The days around it were fully booked.
-Why haven't you told the singer?
-It was our only option.
-Really?
TODAY
JANUARY 31S
THE SHOWCASE
MARCH 27TH
I had no idea.
That's a really tight schedule.
You have to finish your songs,
memorize them,
and make other preparations.
-Right.
-I know, it's ridiculous.
But you don't even have
a single song finished.
That's true.
I'm at a loss right now.
It's hard enough to finish my songs.
Can I finish them
and pull off the showcase too?
I mean
As I'm sure you already know,
guest artists are important in a concert.
-Who do you have in mind?
-Dynamicduo.
-Dynamicduo.
-Yes.
You're all we need.
Can you please make time on March 27th?
March 27th?
Are you hiring us on the spot?
No pressure.
I just
I'm feeling good today.
Everything went exactly as I expected.
Blue Square?
-It's on March 27th.
-What?
A showcase
At any rate,
I'll have to do my best.
I'm so worried.
THE ROOKIE SINGER'S SONGWRITING
I kept working on my songs
after the retreat.
I wrote songs
and contemplated several things at once,
like the chord progressions,
melodies, and lyrics,
all at the same time.
SHOWCASE MEETING
It's been a while.
I called a meeting
with Mr. Jung and Mr. Moon
to talk about
the incredibly scary showcase
we've got planned for March 27th.
-So here's the thing.
-How many songs?
That's something
-that we have to decide on.
-Okay.
We also need a title for the show.
We have a lot to discuss.
I thought we could get some advice
from an expert.
You can ask them any questions you have
during the phone call.
This is a person
who's produced several concerts.
CALLING THE CONCERT EXPER
-Hello?
-Yes, hello.
Hey, Sang-hoon.
Hey.
-Is that you?
-Yes.
We're on a first-name basis.
Thank you so much for doing this.
I just called to ask a few questions.
I have a rookie singer here with me.
-A complete newbie.
-A rookie singer? Goodness.
Hello, ma'am.
Wow, your voice.
I love it.
GUMMY (PARK JI-YEON)
I like his voice.
I've been told
that I sound like Jung-seok.
I'm afraid this performance
might not be perfect.
But we aim for perfection.
Ji-yeon is someone
who can perform three-hour concerts
-all by herself.
-True.
We could learn a lot from her.
We're actually supposed to
put on a showcase soon,
but we weren't sure how to go about it,
so we wanted to get some advice.
-From me?
-Yes.
First of all,
it's a showcase, right?
-Not a concert.
-Right.
It's a place to give people a sneak peek,
so you should get them intrigued.
Rather than performing a lot of songs,
you should do three songs at most.
Do you guys not talk about
this kind of stuff at home?
He's never mentioned the showcase.
Really?
There's only one thing
our rookie singer here says to me at home.
-Which is?
-"Could you listen to my song?"
"Can you spare me a minute?"
But you're so busy.
I know. He's always like,
"Hey, are you busy?
Can I borrow your ears for a bit?"
"Can I borrow your ears?"
-That's a good title for a song.
-Right?
-"Can I Borrow Your Ears?"
-"Can I Borrow Your Ears?"
-Write that down.
-That should be the title of the showcase.
Wait, that's genius.
-We have our title.
-"Can I Borrow Your Ears?"
Thank you, Ji-yeon!
-I like it.
-It's great.
The advice we got from Gummy
was amazingly helpful.
We got a title. Tell them what it is.
All right. "Can You Lend an Ear?"
"Can You Lend"
-"Can I Borrow You?"
-"Can You Have a Listen?"
"Can I Borrow Your Ears?"
SHOWCASE TITLE CONFIRMED:
"CAN I BORROW YOUR EARS?"
I've never discussed the showcase
with Gummy before.
So this was unexpected,
but we got some really great insight,
and it was incredibly helpful.
What I have to do now
is pick the songs to perform
and record them.
I've actually finished
-"Jung-seok in Medium."
-What?
I haven't finished recording it.
-Just the arrangement.
-But the arrangement is done.
And the lyrics too.
-I just have to record it now.
-Okay.
"Jung-seok in Medium"
is almost complete.
"JUNG-SEOK IN MEDIUM"
99% COMPLETE
As for "Champagne,"
I'm contemplating
the exact instrumentation
and what kind of melodies I'll add.
It's in progress.
"CHAMPAGNE"
90% COMPLETE
As for "Friend,"
the arrangement is almost there,
but I'm debating
whether I should keep the original style
or change it up a bit.
"FRIEND"
80% COMPLETE
What I'm worried about
is the song with Dynamicduo.
I'd say that one is a bit
all over the place.
It's the one song
I'm having the most trouble with.
COLLAB SONG WITH DYNAMICDUO
??% COMPLETE
There's so much to do.
AND FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS
The rap song?
I'm still working on the lyrics.
WRITING RAP IS THE HARDES
It's not going well.
I'm very worried about this song.
But I wrote something that resembles rap.
I wrote down some thoughts
I had since I was young,
but the Dynamicduo guys might not like it.
I am a bit nervous.
The weather is something else today.
Is this the entrance?
It's like he's hiding out in this place.
-Goodness.
-Hey.
-Welcome.
-What's good?
Is this your studio?
Yes, it is. You can put these on.
-It doesn't look like a studio, does it?
-It's so nice.
It's like you rented out a studio.
That's exactly what it is.
I love it.
You haven't eaten, have you?
I'm going to order some pork feet.
What do you think?
That sounds amazing.
Remember the beat I sent you
with the guitar chords?
I'm curious to hear
how it developed from there.
THE "DYNAMIC TRIO"
WAS FORMED DURING THE RETREA
An actor who wants to live like music
and musicians
who want to live movie-like lives.
AND "LIKE MOVIES, LIKE MUSIC" CAME TO BE
THEY SOON MADE A GROUP CHA
CHO JUNG-SEOK INVITED CHOIZA AND GAEKO
He sent us a lot of recordings
of him playing guitar.
He did several variations.
He asked us which version we liked,
so we listened to each one
and decided which one would work best.
You only sent us
some guitar loops the other time.
Right, so I'm going to play
what I have so far for you guys.
I think this will sound good
with some drums and other instruments.
Maybe if some of our producers
-Hey, there it is.
-Yes.
We've never heard this version.
-This is the first time.
-Is it?
-Really?
-Yes.
-We've never heard a version with a beat.
-Right.
I think this is enough
for us to get to work on our end.
But we have to know
what you're going to sing
-before the rap comes in.
-Right.
Whether you'll do
a singing rap or whatever.
Do you have anything for us to check out?
Do I?
Well, I wrote some lyrics.
I knew he'd have something.
No, I don't have anything prepared.
I'll just show you some lyrics.
FIRST LOOK AT JUNG-SEOK'S LYRICS
I was worried
they'd burst into laughter and say,
"That's not how you write rap."
"This is how you do it."
I was a little scared
about how they'd react.
Imagine how nervous I must have been.
The last part is unfinished.
Are you going to
start spitting bars like crazy?
- "Yeah!"
-Let us know if you are.
Give us time to brace ourselves.
-No, don't worry.
-Are you starting with a "Uh"?
No. Where is it?
Would you rather read it
or listen to me read it?
-Read it to us.
-What would you prefer?
Try and read it with a little emotion.
All right, so imagine I'm rapping.
"Even before I learned to speak,
music laid down a path for me."
"Danced like a pro
in my sixth-grade talent show."
"My bookshelf was full of music,
not textbooks."
"Wandering down memory lane."
"Music pierces my soul
like a bullet train."
"At the corner of my teenage days,
trying to figure out my ways."
"Holding my guitar pick,
I'm Jimi Hendrix."
"When the rhythm takes over,
it makes me shake my butt."
-You can't use "shake my butt."
-I knew it.
It was going so well.
-No, but
-It was going so well
until "shake my butt."
Even if we had 100 albums,
you wouldn't ever hear
that phrase in our music.
It's a tricky phrase
to weave into a rap song.
We were even more taken aback
because it was going so well
until he came in with "shake my butt."
That was really shocking.
I had to stop you right there.
It was something
that had to be said right now.
-It was great until then.
-Really?
I was impressed
with how good your rhymes were.
Were you listening to the music
when you wrote it?
I wrote it without the music.
We have to work on the song form now.
This is the beginning then.
-Yes.
-You have good material here.
The story you want to tell
is pretty clear.
Like the textbook part.
"Music, not textbooks."
Exactly. I really liked the contrast
that you used in your lyrics.
When it comes to rap,
when a line like that is executed
with a perfect rhyme,
it brings satisfaction to the listeners.
Same with good punchlines.
Rhythm and rhyme are like devices
that help deliver the lyrics.
I wish I could rap right now.
Let's hear it.
Give it a go.
SHOULD I TRY RAPPING?
I never thought I would end up rapping.
I could never pull that off.
Things have taken an unexpected turn,
but what's done is done,
so I'll just try my best.
RAP PRACTICE OFFICIALLY BEGINS
My hands full of music, not textbooks
No schoolwork
BECOMING A RAPPER ISN'T SO EASY
Fill the void in my heart
Fitting perfectly like it's Tetris
How do rappers do this?
Okay, let's do this.
From when
My hands full of music, no textbook
No schoolwork
Tapes and CDs got my heart hooked
Sitting by the bookshelf is my guitar
When I strum, I'm flying sky high
AND SOON
DYNAMICDUO SENDS HIM THE CHORUS
GAEKO: HERE'S A DEMO OF THE CHORUS!
I JUST WANNA LOVE YOU LIKE IN THAT MOVIE
YOU AND I, TWO LOVERS IN I
WE LIVE ON
THOUGH THERE'S NO SCREENPLAY
MY LIFE IS LIKE A MOVIE
JUNG-SEOK: THAT'S AMAZING GUYS
I'LL TRY MY BEST! DYNAMICDUO ROCKS!!!
A WEEK LATER, DYNAMICDUO'S STUDIO
I'm not sure if we can
get the recording done today.
-It'd be a miracle to get the rap done.
-Let's just try a few things.
I have no idea how it's going.
I haven't heard him rap yet.
He hasn't expressed any concerns either.
He might pull it off with some practice.
-He has a knack for music.
-He does.
If he does pull it off,
it'll sound awesome.
Don't you think so?
Anyone there?
THE HIP-HOP WARRIOR ENTERS
WITH BERRY THE PRODUCER
-Yo, man.
-How have you been?
-How have you been?
-Good to see you.
We have very high expectations.
-Come on.
-I'm excited to see you in action.
Me?
The song sounds so different now.
-Did you sing the chorus, Gaeko?
-I did.
It was out of this world.
-I don't know about that.
-He's a good singer.
When he sang "Like the music,"
he reminded me of Naul.
How's the rap part going?
We were kind of worried.
Half-worried, half-excited.
We'll see once I try it.
Are you ready to spit some bars?
I'm not trying to pressure you,
but we have high hopes
that you'll pull it off easily
since you're talented.
If the lyrics don't work for you,
adjust them to your style as you go.
You can always do that.
Do I even have a style?
ASKING THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION
-You're underselling yourself.
-No, I'm serious.
Isn't this your first time
rapping professionally?
It's the first time ever.
Not just professionally.
Do you know what I did?
I was practicing alone and went,
"Hold on."
"I have to do this at the showcase.
That means"
And I practiced my moves
in front of the mirror.
You get it.
When we first started off,
we were new to all these moves too.
It all felt really awkward
at a certain point.
We pulled out so many drawers.
We didn't know what to do.
That's the most basic move.
The drawer pull.
It always gets awkward
when you're set on doing a certain move.
I can imagine.
Should we get started?
-Sounds good.
-Let's do it.
Isn't it always nerve-racking
to step into the booth?
He's probably freaking out.
Let's start from the singing part.
-I'll give you two bars.
-Got it.
RECORDING BEGINS
FOR THE SINGING PAR
Like the music flows through the air
Like the lyrics engraved in my soul
I want to be a track
on your memory playlist
My life is like music
-That was amazing.
-He's good.
That sounded great.
-Thank goodness.
-Let's keep it like this.
It's good as it is right now,
so let's just get a lot of takes in.
Okay.
I have a lot of experience
singing on stage,
so I'm a bit more comfortable with it.
I guess I'm just more used to that.
No need to worry about his singing.
Like the music flows through the air
Like the lyrics engraved in my soul
The first line sounded great.
Can you mark that take?
GETS IT DOWN IN 2 TAKES
Like the lyrics engraved in my soul
Can you mark this one too?
"Like the lyrics engraved in my soul."
I have nothing bad to say
about his singing.
TIME TO SPIT SOME BARS
This is absolutely terrifying.
HUMBLED POSTURE
LIPS GETTING DRY
I've never done this in my life.
His first time ever.
But he has a strong foundation.
He has a knack for it.
-I'll play it back for you.
-Okay.
Music's been my playground
As long as I remember
I sang and danced to all music in my ears
Can't forget my sixth-grade talent show
My first dance
Friends giving me thumbs-up
My hands full of music, not textbooks
No schoolwork
Tapes and CDs got my heart hooked
Sitting by the bookshelf is my guitar
Strum it and I'm flying sky high
To be completely honest,
my initial thought was,
"We're screwed."
That's all I was thinking.
It was so obvious
that he had never rapped in his life.
It was a bit shocking.
I never thought it'd sound that awkward.
I started having doubts
about whether he could pull it off.
You keep using this raspy voice.
It'll sound much better without it.
It makes you sound like an old man.
-Try not to do that. Just be yourself.
-Okay.
Just use your usual voice
that you use when you talk
-or when you're acting.
-Okay.
Let's get some different takes.
Music's been my playground
Yeah
Music's been my playground
As long as I remember
I sang and danced to all music in my ears
Can't forget my sixth-grade talent show
My first dance, ready to go
My friends giving thumbs-up
My hands full of music, not textbooks
He sounds more confident,
but he still sounds like an old man.
He sounds like
JUNG-SEOK STILL SOUNDS AWKWARD
I was trying to sound a certain way
without realizing it.
I'm an amateur.
And it showed.
He must have had this idea
of what he should sound like.
He kept making this sound.
We had to get rid of that
as soon as possible.
How could we make you comfortable?
Which works better for you?
-For me?
-Yes.
Honestly,
I'm just uncomfortable in general.
He just needs
some more emotions on top of this.
He's getting hot.
-Can I step out for a bit?
-Sure.
-He looks beat.
-He's worn out.
It couldn't have been easy
to keep that hat on the whole time.
THE LONG RECORDING SESSION IS OVER
You definitely need more practice.
And then, if there are parts
that you're uncomfortable with,
we'll have to change some parts.
-Or just rewrite it.
-Exactly.
THUS ENDED THE FIRST RECORDING SESSION
We have to decide
if we should power through
and make a rapper out of him.
You can't fix someone's tone overnight.
I don't know if we have
enough time for that.
We could try something else.
Let's take these lyrics,
get rid of the unnecessary parts,
and make them closer to singing.
Let's keep our options open.
Let's do that.
CHOIZA: HOW'S THE RAPPING GOING?
JUNG-SEOK: I DON'T KNOW.
IT HASN'T IMPROVED MUCH.
GAEKO: HERE'S A SINGING RAP VERSION!
JUNG-SEOK:
I THINK I'M MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THIS ONE
I'LL PRACTICE WITH THIS ONE
ONE WEEK LATER
Yo, man.
Yo. Yeah.
Look at that drip.
THE ROOKIE SEEMS EXCITED
Come on, I'm a rapper.
The Dynamicduo guys
heard me rap in their studio,
and it must have been
unsatisfactory.
We kept thinking,
"Is this the best we'll get out of him?"
We kept having doubts.
It was the first real struggle he faced.
I was worried that this song
might bring this whole project to a halt.
Guys, I love the new version.
-It's easier, right?
-Much easier.
I practiced yesterday
HE PRACTICED THE SINGING RAP VERSION
and I sounded much better.
Let's take a listen
and see how well you did.
I haven't made that much progress.
You're good.
"LIKE MOVIES, LIKE MUSIC"
BY CHO JUNG-SEOK
MUSIC BY CHO JUNG-SEOK AND GAEKO
LYRICS BY GAEKO, CHOIZA, AND CHO JUNG-SEOK
Music's been my playground
As long as I remember
I sang and danced to all music in my ears
Song books instead of textbooks
Cassettes and CDs fill the bookshelf
IT'S A WHOLE NEW VERSE!
Music's been my playground
As long as I remember
Music's been my playground
As long as I remember
My hands full of music, not textbooks
Song books instead of textbooks
Nice.
Cassettes and CDs fill the bookshelf
Perfect.
-We're good now.
-I got chills.
-I feel like we got it.
-Really?
SINGING RAP TO THE RESCUE
I felt much more at ease.
We could tell that he was in his element.
He sounded good.
We got one problem out of the way.
It's presentable enough
for a showcase now.
I've joined Dynamicduo
to become "Dynamic Trio."
I'm one of them now.
I think it'll be fun.
As long as I do my part.
THE SONGS ARE FINISHED
THE ONLY THING LEFT NOW
IS THE FINAL STEP OF HIS DEBU
ONLY 2 WEEKS REMAIN
UNTIL D-DAY
THE SHOWCASE REHEARSALS BEGIN
-Hello.
-Let me take that.
ARTIST CHO ARRIVES
-Hello.
-Mr. Jung.
-Hello.
-This is the bandmaster.
BANDMASTER/GUITARIST: PARK SHIN-WON
-Shin-won is Shin-hye's brother.
-Right.
-Park Shin-hye, the actress.
-Really?
We don't look alike.
No, I totally see the resemblance.
1ST KEYBOARD: CHON YONG-JUN
2ND KEYBOARD: KIM CHANG-HYUN
BASS: KIM EUN-SE
DRUMS: KIM JIN-HUN
Who's Shin-hye's brother?
That's him. The bandmaster.
I'm good friends with Shin-hye.
THEY WORKED ON THE FILM
MY ANNOYING BROTHER
Yes, she told me to do extra well today.
-How's your voice?
-I'm not exactly in tip-top shape,
but I'll try my best.
-I have to get used to singing on stage.
-Of course.
I keep losing sleep.
I've been dealing with insomnia.
THE INSOMNIA PERSISTS
-You must be stressed out.
-Yes.
Who would have thought?
He used to fall asleep so quickly.
Whenever I think about the showcase,
I keep forgetting the lyrics to my songs.
-It happens. You're stressed out.
-Yes, so I can't even rest my voice.
Imagine losing sleep on top of that.
It feels a bit weird
ALTHOUGH HE'S UNDER THE WEATHER
to be rehearsing my own songs.
This is so weird.
HE IS SOMEWHAT EXCITED
-I feel that way too.
-I mean, look at this.
All these people are here
to play your songs.
-Sang-hoon.
-Yeah.
-You came a long way.
-I know.
Okay.
-Let's do this.
-Let's do it.
I can feel my heart beating.
I know. Mine's about to burst.
SINGING HIS OWN SONGS
WITH A LIVE BAND FOR THE FIRST TIME
You and I, loving for you tonight
Flying high
AFTER REHEARSING THE FIRST SONG
I think I should come in on "tonight."
THE ROOKIE'S FEEDBACK ENSUES
So you want the playback to overlap?
Tonight
And I'll stay on beat.
Yeah, that'll work.
We'll do the key change right there.
Time may pass us by
And our paths may reach a crossroad
SPEAKS WITH HIS EYES
-Is this good?
-Yes, like this.
They pass by us
So fast
JUNG-SEOK DOES HIS BES
EVEN THOUGH HE'S FEELING UNWELL
Singing my own songs with a band
was really fun,
but at the same time,
I kept thinking about ways
to improve my performance
for the showcase to be successful.
The first day of rehearsal
was a rollercoaster of emotions.
REHEARSAL #2
D-13
REHEARSAL #3
D-11
REHEARSAL #4
D-7
THE 100-DAY JOURNEY IS ALMOST OVER
Do you think I can pull it off?
In just 100 days?
FROM THE VERY FIRST DAY IN THE STUDIO
I haven't written a song.
HE WORKED FIERCELY FOR 100 DAYS
This last bit just doesn't work.
This is so frustrating.
I'm so worried.
FROM THE BRUTAL MONTHLY EVALUATION
TO THE FRIENDS WHO HELPED OU
IN EVERY WAY THEY COULD
AND NOW
My 100-day journey
has come to an end.
That really sank in.
D-2 UNTIL THE SHOWCASE
FINAL REHEARSAL
Shall we begin?
Okay.
I got drawn into it like The Matrix
Grab my guitar and I'm Jimi Hendrix
It filled the void in my heart
Like it's Tetris
Dreamin' on a mattress
And please
Let's take it
Slow
The showcase is right around the corner.
It's in two days.
I want to do well.
I want this show to be
as perfect as it can be.
I just want to perform my songs well
in front of everyone.
That's about it.
My passion for music has led me
to make an album of my own.
Please join me in the journey
of realizing my dream
of becoming a singer-songwriter.
Subtitle translation by: Yenny Kang