Re: Life - Business & Technology

Chapter 92 - Music Studio

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The smaller recording studios were being used by voice actors recording dialogue for Everlife's expansion planned to release at the same time as GTA 5 in September. But Kyle, Rick, Sarah, and Hailee decided to hang out with Pdogg and BTS in the main recording booth instead of touring further.

After a few takes, the group of young Korean artists finished recording their new single and exited the soundproof booth to pay respects to essentially their bosses.

The seven young Korean men bowed slightly towards the Future Studios executives before sitting on the large sofa.

"Good work with the vocals today. We'll continue our session tomorrow morning." Pdogg stated before introducing BTS to their valued guest.

Each of them was enchanted, meeting a unique beauty like Hailee that Jungkook couldn't help himself from flirting.

"It's our pleasure to meet such a fine lady like yourself," Jungkook commented with an almost perfect American accent.

"You flatter me. Thank you for the kind words. I didn't understand the lyrics of your song earlier, but the beat, singing, and rapping were pretty good." Hailee replied respectfully,

"We're glad you enjoyed it, Hailee. I can run you through the recording process if you're interested, but you'll have to put up with my accent through the in-ear monitors, unfortunately." Pdogg stated honestly.

"Your accent isn't that bad, and I would appreciate the mentoring, Pdogg," Hailee replied sincerely.

Rick, Kyle, Sarah, and the other members of BTS cheered her on as she entered the soundproof booth to experience working as a musical artist.

Hailee positioned herself in front of the microphone behind the soundproof glass while listening to Pdogg's instructions.

"I wrote music the past month. I'll sing it acapella first if you don't mind." Hailee said through the mic.

"Go for it! We can work on the chord progression and melody once I know what I'm working with." Pdogg replied.

While Hailee was singing her song 'Starving' acapella, Jessica entered the recording studio after Sarah texted her about Hailee's visit.

After a few minutes, the entire group listening started clapping for Hailee's incredible non-instrumental vocal performance.

"Okay, I'll follow your BPM and build out an E Major chord progression, then you'll try singing again. Don't worry too much because music production is a trial and error process." Pdogg explained expertly.

Pdogg started with basic guitar loops and percussion sounds for Hailee to follow.

Thanks to Pdogg's professional mentoring and direction, Hailee's song was slowly evolving.

"Wow! I didn't expect our impromptu recording session to be this productive. I think the pop-electronic genre would suit your style. Give me a second." Pdogg stated while he performed his magic on the Infinity studio console.

After five minutes, Pdogg played Hailee's recorded vocal on top of the new beat, and everyone got excited suddenly.

"That's fire, dude!" Rick commented while the BTS crew agreed in unison.

"The track is practically done. It just needs a bit of refining, but it's a hit single, for sure. Tell me the truth. Are you a professional singer, Hailee?" Pdogg said over his microphone.

"Of course not. You've been phenomenal for showing me the ropes in music recording. I've absolutely enjoyed our short session. Thanks to all of you." Hailee replied genuinely.

[Much more fun than homeschool, that's for sure.] So she pondered while relistening to the new track.

The key and progression were similar to Vince's previous life, but this new 'Starving' track featured the iconic K-Pop flair and texture.

Jessica, Rick, Kyle, and Sarah crowded Hailee when she returned to the control room.

"I never knew you were a fantastic singer, Hailee! We should try karaoke sometime!" Jessica Mirae, the Korean-American, stated excitedly.

"It's good to see you again, Jessica. I thought you were too busy to hang out today." Hailee replied.

"I decided to finish up all my work first before coming down to Future Studios and hang out. Rick, Sarah, and Kyle have it much better than me these days." Jessica explained.

"Hey! It's not our fault you enjoy working on so many projects at the same time." Kyle rebutted in banter.

"Anyway. Now, all four of us are free the rest of the day to show you around Austin." Jessica stated while ignoring Kyle's rebuke.

"Aww. That's so sweet of you guys!" Hailee replied.

"Come on; we spent a week together out at sea. We're friends, simple as that." Sarah commented.

"The boys and I will be staying in Austin for a month to produce the new studio album, so don't be shy; stop by, and we can record more tracks. Also, Big Hit Entertainment is searching for foreign music artists if you're interested. Any friend of our Future Studios executives is a friend to us." Pdogg said honestly.

"You guys haven't watched True Grit, have you? Our friend here is an Oscar-nominated actor. But, unfortunately, she's probably too busy acting in movies." Rick interjected.

The BTS crew, including Pdogg, finally realized why Hailee was so professional in taking direction and instructions.

"Oooohhh! I see I see. Forgive our ignorance. None of us have watched the movie you mentioned. South Korea doesn't screen all American movies, sadly." Pdogg stated.

"No offense taken. I'll take you up on the offer. I need something to do while Vince is busy with work this week, anyway." Hailee replied.

"Oh, you mean Vince Dalton, our CEO?" Pdogg inquired curiously.

"Yeah, he's my boyfriend. I'll tell him all about this fun experience." Hailee replied.

"Please send our regards. Though we haven't met Mr. Dalton, we appreciate the support here at HQ and the States." Pdogg said respectfully on behalf of his agency and young artists.

While the dozen young artists in various forms of media socialized at the luxurious studio control room, Vince made his way towards the music studio as he used the Hypervisor to locate Aiya.

"Oh, speak of the devil. It's the big boss gracing us with his presence." Kyle joked.

"Shut up, dude. I'm spending my meeting break to see you guys, so don't mess around too much." Vince replied in banter.

"So, how has Future Studio been treating you, Hailee?" Vince asked.

She replied about how fantastic the experience was working with the K-Pop group and his friends as an audience.

[I knew she'd enjoy the music department. She's a true artist, after all.] Vince thought.

Each BTS member and the producer took the rare opportunity to introduce themselves to one of the most influential personalities for the past two years.

"We're glad to meet you, Mr. Dalton. Your facilities here are at HQ are the best we've used so far." Pdogg stated sincerely.

"Call me Vince, please. Instead, you should thank Rick and Sarah's team because they're in charge of audio and video production." Vince replied humbly.

"Shower us with more praises!" the twins commented in unison.

"That was enough praise for one day. It's nice meeting you all. You mentioned 'Bangtan Boys' as the group stage name, right?" Vince asked inquisitively.

[Why does it sound so familiar?] Vince pondered, attempting to remember his original memories.

"Correct, but they go by BTS for short," Pdogg replied, confirming Vince's suspicions.

[BTS?! I can see why Richard works at Wall Street. He's lucky as fuck to purchase BTS' agency before they gained any fame yet.] Vince thought excitedly.

Pdogg diligently found headphones for Vince and asked him to listen to Hailee's new track.

After a few minutes, Hailee eagerly asked Vince's opinion on her new song.

"When did you write this?" Vince inquired.

"Around a week after you left LA. It's one of the more positive songs I wrote. You did me dirty for ghosting, don't forget." Hailee replied with a mischievous smile.

"I love the track, Haiz. Have you thought about a concept for the music video?" Vince stated after giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Oh yeah, I haven't given it much thought yet," Hailee replied.

"Don't worry. Our directors here in Austin and South Korea are trained and well-equipped for that sort of thing." Sarah interjected.

"Excellent. Our Haiz here deserves a poppin' first music video, am I right?" Vince stated confidently.

"Hell yeah!" "Definitely!" everyone commented in agreement.

"The boys and I will gladly help as much as we can. These guys are great background dancers too." Pdogg suggested.

"Any assistance would be welcome. While I'm here, let me listen to some of the Bangtan Boy's recorded tracks." Vince instructed.

Pdogg played around five songs for Vince, but most were heavy rap music instead of the electronic dance-rap genre BTS was known for in 2021.

"I'm no expert in music, but I do have a few suggestions for the boys' style and genre." Vince offered.

"You're THE Vince Dalton. No one here would dare question your insight. I don't think anybody in the entirety of Future Tech would." Kyle interjected, reminding Vince of his godlike status as a man of business.

(Stats same as in chapter 91)