🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter – 07
Even though I knew they would be disappointed.
Even though I knew resentment would remain deep in their hearts.
“…I’m sorry. I don’t think I can do that.”
Once I was hated and it ended there, I could finally focus on my own work. It was an unavoidable choice.
Soon, the atmosphere in the waiting room grew solemn.
“It’s not that I dislike it. I’m just not skilled enough yet. And I’ve only just started preparing an entertainment company for Sori, so I don’t really have the capacity to take on anything else.”
I had to be honest.
That was the only way to ease my guilt, even a little.
But then—
“Wow, so you’re planning to create an entertainment company just for your daughter!”
“That’s amazing…!”
“I’m so jealous of Sori!”
They were actually raising their voices even more, cheering so I wouldn’t feel awkward.
“If you ever have room later, please take us in too.”
“Ria unnie didn’t mean any pressure!”
“She just meant it as admiration…”
“Should we head back to the waiting room now?”
They chatted among themselves for a moment.
“One, two, three! We are Madriane!”
They bowed deeply once again and left the room with bright smiles.
“Mm… I was having fun with the sisters…”
Sori looked a little disappointed that the older girls had left so quickly.
└ What is the song title?
Before uploading the video to YouTube, I hadn’t properly thought about the title.
Originally, this hit song had a title.
But that belonged to the past.
Now the song belonged to Sori.
Since it had been released into the world through Sori’s voice, I wanted to give it a new title that suited her image.
“…The title is.”
After thinking for a while,
a word came to mind.
‘Umbrella Tree’
It might feel a bit distant from current trends,
but that was exactly why it could feel more romantic.
More than anything,
the new lyrics contained the story of a child protected by parents growing up and spreading her wings—so the word “umbrella” fit quite well.
“It’s time to officially release the song into the world.”
So I went with Sori to a place.
It was the personal studio of producer Hyun Seong-ho, who had given me a piano after I resigned.
“Hey, look who it is. Isn’t that manager Jeong Hwi-eon?”
He was a producer who had worked at Maku Entertainment for three years.
He was also the benefactor who taught me composition in my spare time.
“Oh? You came with your daughter?”
“We needed a place to record the track.”
“…A track?”
Seong-ho hyung widened his eyes in surprise.
He still hadn’t realized that the girl who got 10 million views was Sori.
“So you’re saying your daughter’s song is finally going out into the world?”
But…
Maybe because he was sensitive to trends,
he quickly caught on.
“That piano in the video felt familiar… so it was you playing, wasn’t it?”
“Haha, yes. The singing child was Sori. That’s how it turned out…”
“Well, of course it is.”
He lightly tapped my shoulder.
We had always been close enough to joke like this.
“Wow, if I knew this would happen, I shouldn’t have given you that piano. The moment I gave it to you, you made a hit song!”
“It’s thanks to you, hyung.”
“Thanks my foot.”
He laughed casually, then greeted Sori.
“So you’re the star of the viral video? Jeong Sori, right?”
“Yes! My dad made Ssongi Broadcast!”
When he heard the channel name, he laughed loudly.
“That channel name is so simple and childish, isn’t it?”
“I like it!”
“Yeah, you really are Jeong Hwi-eon’s daughter. You two are exactly alike.”
Sori resembled me in both appearance and personality.
Seong-ho hyung seemed to like her, patting her head roughly.
“So I’ll finally get to hear it live instead of just the video, huh? By the way, Hwi-eon, you don’t know how to operate the equipment yet, right?”
“Not yet…”
“Perfect. Then hire me.”
“…Excuse me?”
As expected of Hyun Seong-ho,
he always joked like it was serious just to tease me.
“Oh right, you probably don’t have money yet, huh?”
“Unfortunately, no, hyung.”
“But you’re going to make a lot soon. You still won’t take me with you?”
“I’ll think about it when I make money…”
“Hey hey! I’m joking, I’m joking.”
But was it really a joke?
He looked like he half meant it.
Between songwriting, composing, managing, and running a company, I was already stretched thin.
I did plan to hire staff someday, but not yet.
“Your schedule is all centered around Sori, right?”
“Yes, so I don’t have much free time yet.”
“Hmm, I see…”
He nodded.
“Alright. Then I’ll lend you my hands and feet. Just don’t forget this favor.”
“Of course. How could I?”
“Good. Let’s start recording.”
He spoke confidently.
“You should listen to the song first.”
“I’ve replayed that video over a hundred times already. The melody’s already burned into my head.”
Seong-ho hyung was excellent at handling equipment.
That was why I came to him in the first place.
“Alright then, shall we begin?”
The recording ended in almost a single take.
Seong-ho hyung was speechless, amazed by Sori’s steady voice.
Maybe because Sori didn’t tremble at all,
there was no need for pitch correction.
It was an excellent recording.
He immediately processed the track file:
final mastered WAV file, lyrics text, and songwriting credits.
A few days later,
I was sitting in a digital music distribution company office.
The staff typed Sori’s name and the song title into the computer while explaining.
“When would you like the release date? It would be best to align it with the week of the broadcast.”
“…The broadcast is next Saturday, right…”
I thought for a moment.
During or right after the broadcast—
that was when impact would be the strongest.
Around that time,
my ex-wife would probably find out about Sori’s debut too.
And so would CEO Choi Maku.
“Then could you set it for 6 AM the day before?”
At that moment,
the screen displayed the listing:
‘Jeong Sori – Umbrella Tree’ (Scheduled for release)
‘…It’s really starting.’
A strange feeling filled my chest.
From now on, Sori’s song would no longer exist only as a YouTube video.
Millions of people would hear it on their phones.
That day came.
The day I finally returned home after a busy schedule.
“You did what?”
Sori’s grandmother, who had been taking care of her, suddenly snapped at me.
“…What are you talking about?”
When I asked, confused, her expression became even more serious.
“Sori. She’s going to be on TV?”
“…Ah.”
Sori must have bragged to her grandmother.
I had intended to keep it secret until the broadcast.
If I said I was starting an entertainment business, she would be the most strongly opposed, so I had decided to just go ahead first.
“It’s true…”
“What do you mean ‘it’s true’? You worked in broadcasting for so long—you know how hard that industry is!”
My mother seemed even more shocked than I expected.
Of course she would be.
On the surface, we had seemed like a normal, happy family.
More than anything,
we had Sori.
Even when things were rough, my mother believed parents should never easily separate because of a child.
“Grandma, I’m the one who wanted to do it!”
At that moment,
Sori ran over and stood on my side.
“I love singing Dad’s songs! I’m happiest when I sing them!”
“…Oh dear, but it’s still such a hard life…”
Then I decided it was time to be honest.
Since Sori was firmly on my side.
“Don’t worry. I’m not sending Sori to just any company.”
“…Then what?”
“I’m going to start my own.”
“What?! You’re starting a business?”
At that moment,
something flew through the air.
A remote control.
“Hey! That almost hit me!”
“What money do you have to start a business?”
“I have my reasons, Mom…”
My mother had always believed in practicality and stability.
After my father failed at business and passed away, she had raised me alone.
So of course she hated the word “business.”
“Sori is only 11. What are you talking about, making her a celebrity?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll manage her myself and make sure she doesn’t neglect school.”
“That’s easy to say.”
Her worried expression still didn’t trust me.
“Mom, you haven’t even heard Sori’s song yet, right?”
I decided to use my trump card.
Once she heard Umbrella Tree, she would change her mind.
“Look at this.”
I played the video of Sori and me on my phone.
At first, she watched without much expectation…
But when it ended,
she was silent, looking back and forth between us.
“Grandma, how was my singing?”
“…S-Sori… was that really you singing?”
“Yes! The background is the same, see!”
She pointed at the piano.
My mother looked again, realizing it matched the video exactly—and went silent again.
“Mom, why are you suddenly quiet?”
“…Sigh.”
She looked like she had given up.
“It reminded me of your late father.”
My father, who had passed away from illness, suddenly came to her mind.
“Back then… your father used to sing very well too.”
“Really?”
He had died when I was quite young.
In my memory, he was only a kind but strict father—I had never seen him sing.
“He wanted to become a singer so badly.”
“…I had no idea.”
“He never showed it in front of you.”
After sighing for a while, she nodded.
“So Sori must have inherited your father’s talent.”
“Was he that good?”
“You can’t even describe it in words.”
So that was it.
Neither I,
nor my mother,
nor my ex-wife had any talent for singing.
Not even among relatives.
Then Sori must have inherited it from my father.
A father whose face had already faded with time.
“My father’s lingering wish might be fulfilled through my granddaughter…”
“So you’re allowing it?”
“Allowing? You already went ahead and did everything anyway.”
“Ha… well…”
After wiping her tears for a while, my mother stood up.
“If you need anything, just tell me.”
“You’re already helping enough.”
“Honestly…”
She turned to Sori.
“If your dad makes things hard for you, tell Grandma immediately, okay?”
“Okay!”
That day was finally the broadcast of Sing Your Talent.
The episode Sori appeared in.
“Sori, you know what day it is, right?”
“Yeah! I’m so nervous!”
“You weren’t even nervous on stage.”
We still hadn’t discussed whether Sori would appear in Part 2.
For now…
we planned to watch the reactions after today’s broadcast.
The song had also been released at dawn.
After seeing public reaction, we could better decide Sori’s future.
Soon…
the MC appeared on TV, explaining the order of performances.
“What number is Sori?”
“Third from the end. We’ll have to wait a bit.”
“Why am I tearing up already?”
My mother looked like she was a guest audience member, waiting eagerly.
At that moment, everyone shared the same feeling.
Holding their breath for Sori’s stage.
“Ah… I think she’s about to come out.”
My mother held her breath.
“…Our Sori is so beautiful.”
In her beautiful dress under dazzling lights,
she couldn’t take her eyes off Sori singing more maturely than anyone else.
