01x01 - Episode 1

[bunniefuu]

The Big Bang.

Planets.

Cells.

Mankind.

These were some of the greatest

creations of the universe.

And in this universe is a man.

A challenge.

A story.

And it begins now.

A-LIST TO PLAYLIS

I'm Cho Jung-seok,

and I was born on December 26th, 1980.

When I was little,

I used to dance for my parents a lot.

Mostly Michael Jackson.

We had this old guitar at our place.

I was always playing it.

One thing led to another,

and I became an actor.

Starting in 2004,

I participated in

a lot of stage productions,

and then I moved on

to TV shows and movies.

That was my life.

But then you people

I shouldn't say "you people."

Anyway, we met up

for the first time in a while.

LAST SUMMER

I thought about what I'd do

if I were a YouTuber,

and I've always found joy

in working with music.

I have this urge to express myself.

I'm serious about it.

I've always felt that way.

SERIOUS ABOUT MUSIC

I honestly don't know anything

about writing songs or making an album.

But you know how it is.

When you're a novice, you think,

"How hard can it be?"

EXCESSIVE CONFIDENCE

If I do release an album

through this project,

it'll be 99% thanks to my connections

and 1% thanks to my own efforts.

Even we can't do the dance.

-You like champagne.

-Are we drinking it now?

I brought some whiskey.

99% CONNECTIONS

We ran some calculations,

and we have about 100 days.

WE HAVE 100 DAYS

-100 days?

-Yes.

Give or take.

And here we are.

I've never thought about

releasing my own music.

Never.

HE ONLY HAS 100 DAYS

After I finish working on my show,

Captivating the King,

I have around 100 days before my musical,

Hedwig and the Angry Inch opens.

I thought I might be able to manage,

but maybe I was too confident.

I thought I could make it happen

within that time frame.

But you are enjoying this, right?

Of course.

I just wish I had more time.

That's what frustrates me.

If only we'd begun sooner.

I need more time.

Hello.

Today's the day.

I know. I can't believe it.

This is the lease agreement.

"This is an agreement

to rent the studio for 100 days."

"The tenant must finish

a full-length album."

That's so much pressure.

Okay, I'm signing it.

LEASE SIGNED

We don't know

what kind of songs you'll write,

but I think the word "full-length"

is of the essence.

Does an EP count?

-Well, not exactly.

-What?

EPs aren't full-length.

Then what is "full-length"?

A full-length album

usually has at least seven to eight songs.

But in our earlier meetings,

we talked about making three songs.

I better brace myself.

Within 100 days?

I was already nervous,

but that number's putting me

even more on edge.

DEADLINE: 100 DAYS

GOAL: FULL-LENGTH ALBUM

100 days.

100 days.

CHEONGGYESAN, SEOUL

CHEONGRYONG VILLAGE

Is this it?

Wow, I mean

HIS STUDIO

(FOR 100 DAYS)

It's so big.

This is exciting.

LIVING ROOM

Awesome.

BEDROOM

I want to live here.

This place is amazing.

STUDY

KITCHEN

Wow.

I love it.

This is awesome.

ALL EXPENSES BESIDES THE STUDIO

ARE SELF-PAID

I'm so pumped up right now.

I love this place.

I mean it.

This here

is the master keyboard.

This is so exciting.

-I did a lot of research.

-On the web?

Yeah, on the web.

I saw on YouTube

that a lot of professionals use this.

I can put it here.

Isn't this so cute?

When it comes to MIDI,

it's all about the gear.

All set.

Yes, sir.

The frequency is Hey, it's Sang-hoon.

-Where are you?

-What's up?

-With me?

-Yes.

I'm working on music.

Why are you working on music?

I told you about it.

Where are you? Come over.

-Really? Can I?

-Yes, let's hang out.

But I don't want to bother you

while you're working.

Is this the right place?

Hey, are you here?

-Put these on.

-Damn.

What the heck?

He's one of my closest friends.

He's also the most

talkative person I know.

What is this place?

This is insane.

Do you really need all this space?

I think you may have overdone it.

Hello.

I'm Jung Sang-hoon,

a close friend of Jung-seok's.

Nice to meet you.

-100 days, huh?

-My first full-length album

has to come out 100 days from now.

Can you really do it within 100 days?

-Well

-Don't singers usually take years?

You're not writing

your own songs, are you?

You have a songwriter, right?

I am writing them.

-You are?

-Yeah.

But others might write some too.

Of course.

You're not writing most of them, right?

You're not getting it.

I might end up writing most of them.

I thought you were here to support me.

-You're unbelievable.

-Never mind. Congratulations.

THE ROOKIE SINGER'S AGEN

Pretty bad, huh?

It's not bad.

But you're not releasing it, are you?

Please give me some ideas.

Ideas?

Let's say

you finish a song.

When will that be?

You must have a timeline.

-For instance

-I don't know.

What?

But your album

But don't you think

you should have a plan?

You should know what needs to be done

and when it needs to be done.

You'll need someone

to take care of that stuff for you.

At least I think you will.

-Do you want to do it?

-What?

-Will you do it?

-I don't know.

Okay, I'll ask someone else.

-If you insist

-It's fine.

I'll ask around.

If you insist,

-I can't say no to you.

-I probably do need someone.

I'll have my hands full

just from learning music.

When your songs are done,

we'll have to release the album

with a properly designed album cover.

Maybe even a music video.

-A music video?

-Sure.

At least one for the title track.

All right.

Let's do it.

Now we're bound by contract.

What?

He needs a planner.

I think I should help him out

so he can make history

in the short span of 100 days.

It won't be easy,

but we might pull off a miracle.

Everyone knows

how "Gangnam Style" became famous.

We'll make it go viral.

We'll get 100 million views.

Are you drunk?

JUNG SANG-HOON JOINS THE PROJEC

I'll be your agent in a sense,

so call me Mr. Jung from now on.

Mr. Jung?

Mr. Jung.

AGEN

MR. JUNG

There's actually one more person

that I'd like to work with.

-One more person?

-Yeah.

Who?

Another Sang-hoon.

Another? Who?

Moon Sang-hoon.

Moon Sang-hoon?

-Yes, the guy from D.P.

-Yes, I know.

He has 1.5 million subscribers on YouTube.

-Yes.

-He's really creative.

Think of him as the head of marketing.

I'll be more like the control tower,

and you're the artist. You get it.

His pitch about a music video

and the need for an overall plan

convinced me

that we need someone with brilliant ideas.

It'd be a great idea

to work with Moon Sang-hoon.

I like it.

And with three people,

we'll be like a triangle,

the most stable shape there is.

We'll be infallible.

MOON SANG-HOON

Hello?

Hello, this is Moon Sang-hoon.

Of course, Sang-hoon.

It's nice to meet you.

-Come in.

-It's a pleasure.

-You made it.

-My goodness.

Hi, Sang-hoon.

Hello.

Nice to meet you.

-It's good to see you.

-Likewise.

Your performance really shocked me.

-On D.P., right?

-Yes.

-You're such an amazing actor.

-You were unbelievable.

Did I deserve this?

Did I deserve this?

He was amazing.

That's how acting should be done.

-It felt so real.

-It was inspiring.

It was so good.

I'm actually very nervous

to be sitting next to you two.

ACTORS OF 27 AND 21 YEARS

I look up to both of you so much.

But in terms of YouTube,

we're the ones who should look up to you.

-I know.

-1.36 million subscribers.

-All his comedy works

-How many does your channel have?

I don't have one anymore.

My bad.

He's actually my agent now.

Right.

I'm like the head

of this company, so to speak.

I just remembered an idea

that I was saving for later.

A company named Jungsang Productions.

As in "normal" in Korean.

And they go on tours doing performances

that are absolutely not normal.

It's a good name for a company

with Jung Sang-hoon as the CEO.

I like that.

I was wondering what to name our company.

But we're not using my whole name.

Plus, "Jungsang" can also mean "top."

It can mean we strive to be the best.

It'd be "Jung" from Jung-seok

and "Sang" from Sang-hoon.

That also works.

-It's both of our names.

-That's true.

ON EGGSHELLS

-We can keep our options open.

-JS for short.

-We'll think about it.

-For sure.

We don't have to decide now.

THE ROOKIE SINGER'S AGENCY

JUNGSANG PRODUCTIONS

We're working on

a music project right now.

Do you think Jung-seok

would make a good musician?

I'm here to make sure that he does.

-Really?

-Yes.

We're aiming for seven songs,

but he might not be able to

finish all seven

or even just one.

And he might write really terrible songs.

-Right.

-What then?

-What if his songs are terrible?

-Right.

I haven't heard his music,

-so I can't really say.

-Let's suppose.

Okay, let's suppose it is terrible.

But if we sprinkle some

delicious behind-the-scenes videos

of our beloved actor

Cho Jung-seok's journey on top

Just like how sesame seeds or parsley

can make any food look good.

-"Sesame seeds or parsley"?

-Exactly.

-So presentation is everything.

-Exactly. That's all you need.

ON EGGSHELLS AGAIN

Such videos can get people engaged

and make them think about

Jung-seok's experience

and the thoughts

he must have put into writing his songs.

So basically, it doesn't matter

if the album lacks substance?

-Well

-We can fix it

with your figurative sesame seeds, right?

-Mr. Jung.

-Yes?

You keep saying things

like "lacks substance"

-and "terrible."

-Hold on.

-You keep badmouthing my music.

-All right.

We can't just think about the good stuff.

No, we have to prepare for the worst.

We have to think of

the worst-case scenario.

What's the worst-case scenario

you can think of?

You two getting into a fistfight.

This is the third time you've argued

since I've been here.

THE ROOKIE SINGER'S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

A YouTube channel

is an absolute necessity.

If you can do it

-It's a must.

-Yes.

Covers are dominating

the YouTube algorithm nowadays.

-Covers?

-There are singers who only do covers.

I noticed that too.

I'll play you one.

Guess who's singing this.

ORIGINAL SONG:

"TILL THE END OF TIME" BY THE BLACK SKIRTS

Who is this?

-Do we know this person?

-Absolutely.

Is it Gummy?

It sounds a lot like her.

-Is it AI?

-AI.

It is, right?

This is on the rise

in the algorithm right now.

So here's what I thought might work.

We'll have the camera

angled below the neck

and have you sing

without showing your face.

So it's you singing the actual song,

but we'll tweak it to sound like an AI.

-We change it.

-Exactly.

AI is meant to imitate humans,

but we'll do the opposite.

Nice.

Imagine if people liked the cover,

and it turned out to be Cho Jung-seok.

That kind of twist can be exciting.

That's a great idea.

I think such a revelation

might make people

appreciate my songs more.

If people get hooked,

they'll start watching

other videos you made.

This could work if you're up for it.

You're really smart, Sang-hoon.

-Really?

-I love your ideas.

If we do create a channel,

what should we call it?

Hit me with some names.

Coming up with names is my favorite part.

-It should be straightforward.

-Okay.

I like Cheonggyesan,

so it should have "Cheonggyesan" in it.

What about "Daengi's Dad"?

-Daengi?

-Daengi.

It was my daughter's nickname

while my wife was still carrying her.

I like "Records."

"Cheonggyesan Daengi Records."

YOUTUBE CHANNEL CREATED!

-You've been appointed.

-I'll do my best.

-As the head of PR and marketing.

-Yes, sir.

MR. MOON, HEAD OF PR & MARKETING

-Let's do great work together.

-Yes, thank you.

-I look forward to it.

-Thank you.

-Thanks.

-Thank you.

JUNGSANG PRODUCTIONS

CEO: JUNG SANG-HOON

ARTIST: CHO JUNG-SEOK

HEAD OF PR & MARKETING: MOON SANG-HOON

It's crazy how we have the same name.

I know.

I feel like we think the same way too.

-It's done.

-Are you having a meeting?

Yes.

I have to go somewhere for a minute.

Thanks again, Sang-hoon.

You can continue without me.

I set the email address

for our account as "cgsd100,"

short for "Cheonggyesan D-100."

D-100?

This deadline thing is k*lling me.

At least we have 100 days.

DISCUSSING THE ROOKIE SINGER (WITHOUT HIM)

Since he's not here,

I must say I'm a little worried.

Have you heard his songs?

Not yet.

He doesn't have any.

Between you and me,

things are looking pretty bad.

Does he have demos?

No, he doesn't even know how to make one.

He doesn't have anything right now,

and we're running out of time.

JUNGSANG PRODUCTIONS'

STRATEGY MEETING CONTINUES

And at this point

I haven't run this by Jung-seok yet,

but how about we bring some experts in

to listen to his songs?

Like K-pop idols

with their monthly evaluations.

He does need to be evaluated.

Earlier, he said things like,

"Don't say my music will be terrible."

-But we have to be honest with him.

-Sure.

He wouldn't dare talk back to experts

if they said it was terrible.

That's true.

It's better than

having the listeners say that.

Exactly.

Better now than later.

You know those scenes in movies

where a singer goes to a producer,

only to get thrown out

and then his bag thrown out after him?

Let's give him that experience.

We could bring him to HYBE headquarters

and have him thrown out by their security.

LOVES I

I think he should go in blind.

Wow.

I love that idea.

Let's bring in experts.

I think it's best if Jung-seok gets advice

-from songwriters and lyricists.

-Agreed.

-And they'll give him feedback.

-Okay.

Our opinions are meaningless

because we work with him.

All we can tell him is,

"That was amazing!"

-We can only say if we like it or not.

-Exactly.

He needs some stone-cold criticism.

-Like, "Jung-seok."

-"Jung-seok."

-"That's"

-"It's so boring."

-Nice. What else?

-"This sounds too familiar."

-Or?

-"This isn't what you set out to do."

And then?

"Just stick to acting."

A FEW DAYS LATER

-The weather's gotten warmer.

-It's nice.

I can practically hear the snow melting.

-I know, it's so nice.

-Right.

It makes me want to go out.

It makes me crave boiled duck.

-Exactly.

-I bet there are some good places around.

Of course.

THE MEETING BEGINS

In our last meeting,

we said the first thing we need to do

-was for us to listen to your songs.

-Right.

We need to hear

whatever you have right now.

We have to know what we're working with.

But I have nothing.

-Nothing at all?

-No.

-Not even a little?

-No.

I only have a few bits and pieces,

like a verse or something.

Let's just hear the verse then.

I can play that for you.

I'll play it on the guitar.

-The verse?

-Yes.

Actually, I have a demo

on my portable drive,

but I forgot to bring it today.

But I do have some material here

that I worked on yesterday.

I have to tell you something.

Please use our cloud drive

for your songs from now on.

Forgetting your portable drive

-is not an excuse.

-Okay, I will.

But if it's a lack of inspiration,

we totally understand.

No pressure on that front.

Okay.

We were wondering

what professional musicians would think

-about your songs.

-Okay.

We think we should have

some songwriters listen to your songs.

I totally agree.

So you're open to the idea?

Of course. I'd love to do that.

-Really?

-Yes.

But I'd like to finish a verse.

-With the melody and everything.

-Of course.

They need something to work with.

-While we're on the subject

-Okay.

-What is it?

-Mr. Moon and I

had an idea.

Considering our schedule

this has to happen next week.

Next week?

We're going to rent out a small venue.

A tiny one.

It's not a concert hall.

-Just a place with some speakers.

-It could even be here.

Are you serious?

HICCUP

Is this for real?

Seriously?

So I have to go out there

and sing with my guitar?

That could work,

but there are other options.

No, but think about it.

I'm okay with letting people

listen to the songs I wrote,

but I don't know about singing live

in front of people.

I'm not prepared for that.

It won't be easy,

but it'll motivate you to complete a song.

Who will be the audience?

We might not have one at all.

(BUT WE MIGHT)

-So it'll just be us and our crew?

-Yes.

In that case

Don't get too stressed out.

So when exactly next week?

-Next week, it's

-Which day?

It's six days from now.

THE MONTHLY EVALUATION IS IN 6 DAYS

-Six days from now?

-Yes.

Probably.

This is crazy.

Thinking about singing live

is making me nervous.

The pressure is on.

THE SONGWRITING BEGINS

Okay, I'm going to write something.

I think this is good.

HE ALSO WRITES THE LYRICS

Gosh.

This is really hard.

It's hard to finish a song.

Even a demo is hard.

BECOMING A SINGER-SONGWRITER

IS NOT AN EASY TASK

Why did I agree to do this?

IT EVEN CONTINUES AT HOME

Today is Saturday, right?

I have two days left.

2 DAYS UNTIL THE EVALUATION

I wish I had more time.

I'm terrified right now.

MEANWHILE,

JUNGSANG PRODUCTIONS' GRAND SCHEME

I've never done this before.

I've never deceived Jung-seok

to this extent.

We lied and told him

that we got a very small venue

-so he wouldn't stress out.

-Yes.

We can't have him sing on the street.

A GRAND STAGE

We've invited four people

whose names anyone would recognize.

They've collectively written enough songs

to fill up an entire karaoke songbook.

Well, maybe not that many.

A GRAND PANEL OF MENTORS

Jung-seok will be very surprised.

Who will be the audience?

-So it'll just be us and our crew?

-Yes.

AND A TINY LITTLE LIE

But it'll be extremely helpful

for his music.

Absolutely.

And that's why we're doing this.

The end justifies the means.

Let's do this.

THE DAY OF THE EVALUATION

PREPARED BY JUNGSANG PRODUCTIONS

Man, it's cold.

Get a shot of my shoes too.

I wanted to do well today,

so I'm wearing the shoes G-Dragon gave me.

-Really?

-Yes.

I was never going to wear them.

I've been saving them.

But I really want to do well.

So today,

it's basically just our crew, right?

I'm going to leave if I see a crowd.

-How many is a crowd?

-What? I don't know.

Ten people?

EVALUATION VENUE

Okay, thank you.

-Hello.

-Goodness.

-Our artist is here.

-Welcome.

I didn't get any sleep.

-You didn't get any sleep?

-No.

You must be exhausted.

I have to practice the guitar.

-But you just got here.

-I have to.

You must be really nervous.

Obviously.

I mean

What is all this? It's not a concert.

-No.

-Of course not.

CAUGHT OFF GUARD

This is nuts.

-He'll do well.

-Of course.

He's like the straight-A student

who always says he didn't study.

Oh, boy.

It'll be fine.

Why do you guys seem more nervous than me?

Of course we're nervous.

-Are there a lot of people today?

-No.

All things considered,

it's your first time

performing in front of people.

Plus, we don't know

how the crew will react.

KEEPS ON RAMBLING

HIS PALMS GET SWEATY

They could be harsh critics.

We were very nervous.

We didn't tell Jung-seok

about the mentors,

so I thought he might get mad at me.

I was a bit scared.

I honestly didn't know how to act.

-You should keep practicing here.

-Okay.

We'll be out there.

We'll go there first.

And clean up the room.

WHILE THE ROOKIE SINGER IS BUSY PRACTICING

-We're ready.

-Great.

THE TWO SANG-HOONS ARE BUSY SETTING UP

I'll leave our artist's profile here too.

-He's about my height, so this will do.

-Okay.

Do you think Jung-seok might come in,

see the mentors, and suddenly yell,

"I'm not doing this!

How could you do this to me?"

I hope not.

We should make sure

-that everything goes smoothly.

-Right.

-We have to help Jung-seok.

-Absolutely.

Hey.

Hello.

-Hello.

-Nice to meet you.

LOCO & GRAY

KIM EA-NA

AND YOON JONG-SHIN

-Good to see you.

-Hello.

-Hello.

-Happy New Year.

MENTORS FOR THE MONTHLY EVALUATION

-We're judges again.

-I know.

-You're amazing.

-I feel like this is all we do now.

My latest hit was

"I AM," which I wrote for IVE.

There are also IU's

"Good Day" and "You & I,"

and many more.

KIM EA-NA, LYRICIST:

KOREA'S MOST BELOVED LYRICIS

WITH OVER 300 HITS

GRAY, PRODUCER:

TRENDSETTER OF THE MUSIC SCENE

LOCO, RAPPER:

1ST WINNER OF SHOW ME THE MONEY

YOON JONG-SHIN, MUSICIAN:

SINGER-SONGWRITER OF 35 YEARS

AUDITION SHOW JUDGE OF 16 YEARS

It's nice to meet you.

We're honored to have you, Jong-shin.

A PANEL OF MENTORS JUST FOR JUNG-SEOK

This is where we did the auditions

for Superstar K.

Really?

Right here?

This all seems a bit over the top.

-We apologize.

-Goodness.

We wanted to go all out.

I can't wait to hear his songs.

What did you think, Sang-hoon?

As his fan, I like them a lot,

but you might see it differently

since you're the old hands

in the industry.

"Old hands"?

Are you calling our valued guests old?

-I like that term.

-I like it too.

-We're old hands.

-For sure.

In that case, as the old hands,

please be as critical as possible.

Jung-seok doesn't know you're here.

-Does he have no idea?

-None.

TOTALLY CLUELESS

Which floor am I going to?

I feel like things have

gotten out of hand.

-Do you think so?

-Yes, honestly.

I'm leaving if I see more than 20 people.

I even forgot my guitar pick.

-Don't you need it?

-I'll just play with my fingers.

It's fine.

BACKSTAGE

I want to go home.

Oh my god.

How many people are out there?

Just tell me.

I'm losing it here.

We will now begin the monthly evaluation.

We present the first artist

of Jungsang Productions.

Let us invite Cho Jung-seok to the stage.

A round of applause, please.

-Please come out.

-Is that my cue?

It's only natural for him to be nervous.

He has to have good songs

to have invited all of us here.

I was a bit concerned.

Is that my cue?

I'm so screwed.

I'm done for.

Come out, Jung-seok.

Please come out.

No, you can't be serious.

HE FINALLY MEETS THE FOUR MENTORS

No, you can't be serious.

-It's okay, Jung-seok. Please come out.

-Jung-seok.

We're so sorry.

They're just lookalikes.

We hired impersonators.

I thought it'd just be our crew.

I had no idea

that they prepared something like this.

I don't know. I'm just confused.

I just wanted to go home.

-Wow.

-Wow.

-Awesome.

-Hello.

Please give Jung-seok

another round of applause.

I got chills.

-This is cool.

-He really had no clue.

You must be shaken, Jung-seok. I'm sorry.

Yes. This is bad.

I'm barely keeping it together.

This is something

right out of those audition shows.

-No pressure.

-Okay.

Thank you so much for your time.

As you know, I'm not a singer,

but I've been working on some songs.

I don't know how I ended up here.

Before we begin,

I'd like to explain

how this process works.

If they like what they hear,

they'll turn the light on

in front of them.

Let me try it.

You can turn it back off if you'd like.

I'll hand out the lyrics

for the first song.

Okay.

Jung-seok will now explain

what kind of thoughts went into

writing the song and the lyrics.

I thought I was just performing my songs.

When they handed out the lyrics,

I wanted to crawl into a hole.

It's called "I Just Wanna Loving."

The grammar is so off.

THE TITLE?

"Loving" Which part?

After "I Just Wanna"

-It should be "Love."

-Not "Loving."

-He took an artistic liberty.

-It's cute.

-Are we letting it slide?

-Yes.

GRAY and Loco, are we allowing this?

I actually can't stand

these kinds of things.

I didn't think there'd be criticism

before he even started.

They're coming at you hard

about the title alone.

We should be objective.

-I like it.

-I can't allow it.

I love it.

Please excuse my poor English.

Please explain the song.

It's a song about love.

It's about still wanting to be loved

even while having a lovers' quarrel

and the contrast between two emotions.

-Should I start?

-Yes.

"I JUST WANNA LOVING"

THE FIRST SONG WRITTEN BY THE ROOKIE

A SONG ABOUT THE EMOTION OF LOVE

I was trying to play the first chord,

but my fingers wouldn't move

as if they were frozen.

"I JUST WANNA LOVING (WORKING TITLE)"

LYRICS AND MUSIC BY CHO JUNG-SEOK

I see you smiling in the faded picture

It fades further away as time goes by

Along with tan on my face

Memories with you

They all go away too fast

Please don't go crazy just for one night

Please don't go crazy just for one night

Please don't go crazy just for one night

Waiting for you, waiting for you

Waiting for you

Baby

All right.

I've never been so nervous in my life.

I'm surprised that three of our judges

turned their lights on.

Allow me to explain why I turned it on.

-This is just a demo, right?

-Yes.

That means

-it still needs a lot of work.

-Okay.

But I can see where it's going.

I turned my light on

because I recognized his potential.

He knows how to write a song.

Not everyone could write a song

even if they wanted to.

It wasn't so amazing

that it had to be on his album.

I actually liked the beginning

with the Korean lyrics.

But the part after that

was a bit less catchy,

which was a bit disappointing.

It was the vibe in the beginning

that kept me enjoying

the rest of the song.

-It's good to hear some positive feedback.

-Yes.

Three of the judges

turned their lights on,

but one didn't.

Let's hear from Ms. Kim.

If I were a producer,

I would say your voice

was being wasted on this song.

You have a great voice

that can really make a song shine,

but this song is rather laid-back.

It's a bit bland.

-I see.

-That's how I saw it.

I didn't have much time,

but I worked really hard for this day.

Sadly, my performance wasn't satisfactory.

I felt like I tried to sing

like I was someone else,

which was disappointing.

When writing lyrics,

stick to the words that you actually use.

You don't use the word

"faded" a lot, do you?

No, I don't.

And yet, you used it in your lyrics.

That could make them sound cliché.

I'm a firm believer

in using everyday words

in your lyrics.

If you swear a lot, use swear words.

You've gotta be bold.

-You can use any word you want.

-I see.

Plus, writing lyrics is an area

where you can really make use

of your amazing talent.

Let's say you just got your script.

It might just say your character is

"a handsome playboy,"

but I'm sure you don't leave it at that.

You would think about the words

a playboy might use.

Actors usually study their characters

beyond what's in the scripts.

The same kind of detail

can come through in your singing.

Acting and singing are

very similar in that sense,

which is why great singers

are often great actors

and great actors are often great singers.

-That makes perfect sense.

-It really does.

Thank you.

All we could say about this song

was "we love it"

and "let us hear it again."

It's definitely a lot more helpful

to hear the old hands' feedback.

We've already said so much

about the first song alone.

-I know.

-And we appreciate that.

THE SECOND SONG

This second song

-is called "Jung-seok in Medium."

-I like the title.

It's a strong title.

It's really impactful.

It's a song I wrote

about a girl from church

I really liked as a teenager.

The girl from church.

I worked on this song with Young-min,

a.k.a. Berry from Rocoberry,

who played the piano accompaniment.

I came up with the melody

and wrote the lyrics.

A FEW DAYS AGO

I wanted to see how you wrote songs.

-You're the best there is.

-Stop it.

PRODUCER BERRY (AN YOUNG-MIN)

I became friends with Young-min

through my wife.

I took this opportunity to ask him

whatever questions I had

about songwriting.

He helped me with the intro,

and then I added the melody and lyrics.

Let's try that again.

How's this?

-Are you playing it on your guitar?

-There's an instrumental.

Okay, let's hear it.

I'll play the guitar on top of it.

"JUNG-SEOK IN MEDIUM (WORKING TITLE)"

LYRICS BY CHO JUNG-SEOK

MUSIC BY CHO JUNG-SEOK AND BERRY

Among the countless stars up above

I'll be the light that shines on you

The love I wished for

Like your beautiful eyes

My love for you will last forever

'Cause you hold me warmly

Like the sun in the sky

I will always be your light

You and I, loving for you tonight

I've been longing for

The day to be with you

I'll always adore you, my love

I'll always be there

For you

It goes something like that.

Ms. Kim turned her light on

after just four measures.

That's amazing.

-He did it.

-Absolutely.

-It was exhilarating.

-I was over the moon.

I was punching Sang-hoon out of joy.

All right.

Why did you call it "Jung-seok in Medium"?

It's in a medium tempo.

It's a working title.

-He should keep this title.

-Don't you like it?

He was being literal.

I know it's a working title,

but it is an interesting approach

to titling your songs.

Something like "I Think It's a Ballad,"

or "Kind of a Dance Song."

Having titles like that

could actually help your first album

really grab people's attention.

It could even be the name of the album.

"Jung-seok in Medium"?

And make everything medium.

Even his clothes.

Have him wear medium-sized clothes.

-Have his steaks cooked to medium.

-Exactly.

Isn't his voice perfect for this song?

I loved it.

-His voice is very strong.

-In this song,

you started out

in the most pleasing vocal range.

The song starts right off

with the voice

that everyone wants to hear.

I'd like to make a personal offer here.

If you wouldn't mind,

I'd like to help with the lyrics.

This song has a lot of potential.

The melody could turn out great

with the right lyrics.

She's the best lyricist in the country.

I'd

I'd love that.

This old hand is trying to get involved.

You really caught her eye.

Thank you so much.

However

in my personal opinion,

this song was pretty conventional.

And these kinds of songs need

a rather drastic bridge.

-It needs a twist.

-I just think

it'd be much better

if you incorporated a line

or a rhythm

that listeners wouldn't expect.

But that can be done

in the arrangement stage.

I didn't turn on my light

because I also used to worry

about my songs sounding too cliché

or too similar to each other all the time.

Whenever that would happen,

I would force myself to use rhythms

I wasn't used to.

I produced a lot of tracks

using that method.

You might be able to expand your horizons

by taking that approach.

Thank you so much.

I'm taking mental notes of everything.

I'm very grateful.

Those were the two songs

we've officially prepared for today.

Just those two?

But there's another song he was practicing

while warming up earlier.

I personally think

that song was as good as the others.

We wouldn't have mentioned it

if you hadn't turned the lights on.

What do you think?

-He looks angry.

-It was his idea.

I don't even have lyrics for this one.

It's just some noodling

that I have recorded on my phone.

It was from back in 2017.

Gummy actually sang the demo.

-We can't be fooled.

-The one and only.

-Don't be fooled by the demo.

-The great Gummy.

Let me put my guitar down.

DEMO WITH GUMMY (2017)

MUSIC AND INSTRUMENTALS BY CHO JUNG-SEOK

SUNG BY GUMMY

This one's my favorite.

-Really?

-Yes.

It's really cool.

It was quite ordinary, yet refreshing.

It sounded like a skit track.

SKIT TRACK: A RECORDING

OF WHATEVER THE ARTIST WANTS

It might be nice to just release it as is.

Right out of an iPhone.

I want to hear more.

I want to hear them giggling

while they sing

and maybe some rustling of a blanket.

I got chills just thinking about it.

-That'd be hip.

-Definitely.

-I loved the part they sang together.

-Right?

It could be a special track.

It'd be special because

not all home recordings sound like

home recordings these days.

It could even transition

into an actual song

with a full band sound.

That'd be pretty cool.

I think it'd make a good song.

I'm so glad we played it for them.

Who came up with the melody?

We did it together.

We liked the way it sounded,

so we just started recording.

I think it's really important

that you share these songs with others

instead of keeping them to yourself

for too long.

Would you turn your lights on

for this one?

-Yes.

-Absolutely.

All four lights.

-All lights are on.

-Four lights.

We got such an overwhelmingly

positive response.

All four lights are on.

I'd like to thank you once again.

And this is how passionate

I am about music.

Take a look at my shoes.

These were a gift from G-Dragon.

-Oh yeah.

-Those are nice shoes.

I just kept them at home all this time,

but I wore them for the first time today.

Because I wanted to do well.

The shoes are the reason

that I never got zero lights.

Thanks, G-Dragon.

"Great actors are also great singers,

and great singers are also great actors."

Our artist is the best of both worlds.

His songs are coming into shape,

like a baby taking its first steps.

He just grew two little baby teeth.

AFTER A VERY LONG DAY

Let's drink.

-Great job today.

-Well done.

To be completely honest,

today was such a long day.

Well done, Jung-seok.

-You did great.

-That was crazy.

I was like, "Why are those people here?"

"Why am I getting feedback

from judges I saw on TV?"

"Where am I? Who am I?"

"Why are they here?"

These questions just came flooding in.

-That's when reality hit you.

-That's exactly it.

But it was all so overwhelming.

It really was.

I felt all kinds of emotions.

Of course.

Whether it be good or bad,

I just want to write songs

that people will enjoy listening to.

That's my goal.

I don't know what to do.

Should I collaborate

with the best?

I should ask first, right?

-How have you been?

-Hey.