The K-Pop Scandal - Chapter Five

Taeyang slept like a log when they took off. Gong-Gi took one look at him and petted him. How lucky he was to rest. Gong-Gi knew that once he got used to the lifestyle of a K-pop idol, the pleasant dreams would not last for long. His head pressed on Gong-Gi's shoulder. Flo Glitz had her own compartment and left the two of them alone in the two seats to allow them to get to know each other. Gong-Gi would have played the act willingly if he had been ten or fifteen years younger. Everybody made mistakes, but as the plane flew over China, he couldn't help but feel he was making the biggest mistake of his life.

His wife and children would wake up to find him gone. Even though they were on the verge of splitting up, the pain did not disappear. Nobody needed to bother making him feel bad. Gong-Gi could not feel any worse. How was he supposed to explain this when he came back? There would be countless dance routines, practice and vocals to remember, but all he could picture in his head was the sound of his two daughters crying.

If he came back that is. As all his thoughts whirled around in his head, he couldn't help but imagine Flo Glitz as a monster. She made that Game of Mass Destruction hostess, Sia Bucks, look like Florence Nightingale. And that was saying something. As much as he hated the show, he would risk being eaten by a robot if it meant he could get away from the label.

He shook his head. "Okay," he muttered to himself. "I'm overthinking." Flo Glitz may mistreat people, but at least she wasn't a dictator. The thought of her getting political powers made Gong-Gi shiver more than any horror medium can do. It's hard to believe that Sia Bucks used to be a pop star, and Flo Glitz was a good friend to her former bandmate, Fanny Bru.

Now all Gong-Gi could picture was Flo Glitz nominating him for that show. If only he had been stronger, he thought to himself. Looking around the plane, he saw banners of himself and Taeyang photoshopped together to make it look as romantic as possible. The one in the middle made it seem like Gong-Gi was rubbing Taeyang’s bare stomach.

Not that it would have made a difference. One way or another, Flo Glitz always got what she wanted. She was a monster in an angel's dress.

In the compartment on their seats was a cassette player with tapes on. Extraordinary! He hadn't seen one of those in years. He thought they had gone extinct. The tapes were plain with Taegong demos scribbled on them. Gong-Gi wondered if they had Taeyang's vocals on them or not.

Without hesitation, Gong-Gi played the tapes. Flo had clearly left them there on purpose. As the tape began to play the fuzzy sounds faded as an orchestra of keyboards and dubstep boomed through the stereo. Goosebumps travelled around his head to his toes. He remembered these songs when he recorded them with VALENTINE COOKIE. All the unused demos... Flo had kept Gong-Gi's old vocals. The backing vocals from his former bandmates had been replaced with babyish vocals. He knew it was Taeyang's voice. So this was what Taeyang had recorded whilst they waited for their flight.

I'm a boy who loves being with boys

I am not a toy don't give me toys

I'm a boy who loves being with boys

I am not a toy don't give me toys

Taeyang's vocals were something, to say the least. The way he delivers the notes on key and the sudden voice break with the whistling... Many artists struggle to pull thar off, even Gong-Gi and vocal coaches. Gong-Gi used to be able to screech ad-libs like that all the time. If he tried to do it now, he would sound like a hoover. His voice had matured with age. There was not much he could do about that.

The lyrics were perhaps the worst he had ever known, and Gong-Gi knew bad songs. He even had to perform them. He was marketed as a rapper, but he despised hip-hop. Nothing screamed rainbow capitalism more than that overproduced turd of a track.

I'm a boy who loves being with boys

I am not a toy don't give me toys

I'm a boy who loves being with boys

I am not a toy don't give me toys

The repetitive nature was the main reason why the song was not included on the album. The chorus was the same two lines being repeated about ten times. Repetitiveness was okay and helped make a song catchy, but this was way overboard. To this day, Gong-Gi found it hilarious that the song had a dozen songwriters. Even dodgy artificial intelligence could write something better.

Gong-Gi lowered the volume when he recently nosed the raspy rapping. Gong-Gi hated rapping and could not understand the concept of hip-hop.

Don't need a cape, I'm your superhero

I got my heart, lips and wand we can make

Magi magi magi magi magic

Clap your hands

Tap your feet

Follow me and the rhythm

This is blessed

Gong-Gi sighed. Here comes the dreaded chorus again.

I'm a boy who loves being with boys

I am not a toy don't give me toys

I'm a boy who loves being with boys

I am not a toy don't give me toys

I'm a boy who loves being with boys

I am not a toy don't give me toys

I'm a boy who loves being with boys

I am not a toy don't give me toys

He hoped the song would get better. As he got into the second chorus, his fingers hovered over the stop button.

You're my sunshine

You're my joy

You're all the colours of my heart

Come take a ride with me on this kart

Where we will find our own paradise.

I'm a boy who loves being with boys

I am not a toy don't give me toys

I'm a boy who loves being with boys

I am not a toy don't give me toys

The song repeated itself until it faded into some other songs, mainly some rough demos that were in dire need of some production. His mind went somewhere dark with the toys and boys rhyme. He wanted to throw the tape out the window every time fire was coupled with desire. Gong-Gi remembered these songs when they were first recorded. The songs from the album were meant to be VALENTINE COOKIE’s international breakthrough album, but Gong-Gi was forced to do military service and the rest of the band decided to disband for solo projects. Some of the members went on to become successful actors whilst others faded to obscurity. He couldn’t even remember their names, the fans knew more about his former bandmates than Gong-Gi knew himself.

The old songs brought back memories of the hard work, scraps in the alleyways and boozy karaoke sessions at the club. Gong-Gi believed that if he had treated his bandmates with more respect, instead of just thinking about himself, VALENTINE COOKIE could have reunited. It was too late as far as Gong-Gi was concerned, and it was something he had no interest in.

Glancing over at Taeyang, he could see the passion he was putting into the music. He was a great singer, one of the best he ever knew. A part of him envied Taeyang’s talent. His career was on the line, so Gong-Gi knew he had to be just as passionate as Taeyang.

Flo Glitz must have believed in these tracks. She would only have taken them out of the vault if she felt it was lacklustre. Even though Taeyang was a kid when the music was first written, it was as if the songs had been written for him. Taeyang’s vocals added that extra harmony and touch that was missing in the original demos. They didn’t even need to modify his voice at all. Gong-Gi’s voice in the recorded versions was drowning in autotune. He knew his voice was not as great as it once was, but he never realised that he sucked that bad to the point that autotune had to be abused. What was the point? He may as well have slurred his way through his lyrics.

Then there was that old song where every line ended with on the road. It was a tribute to songs a hundred years ago. The message was great, but it was lost in the synthetic guitars and electronic beats on the loop.

Write new stories on the road

Chase the stars on the road

Collect moments on the road

Keep calm on the road

Keep travelling on the road

Stay above the clouds on the road

Happy days on the road

Chasing sunsets on the road

Rise and shine on the road

Make memories on the road

Live your adventure on the road

Let’s do it on the road

How lazy did the label have to be? Why couldn’t they just create some new songs instead of resurrecting trash?

The next song that caught Gong-Gi’s attention was Lace and Leather. It was intended to be a mid-tempo club track. A track you would play late at night and hope the kids wouldn’t get the references. The orchestral suite and synthetic guitars had given the song a whole lease of life, only amplifying the BDSM themes. Remembering that teenage girls made up 75% of the target audience, Gong-Gi’s stomach churned. Grandparents would faint from the lyrics. it would be the main reason why the song was never released the first time around.

Get your whips ready (x3)

We got them shiny boots of leather

Our wrists are veiled in lace

It’s time to get down and dirty

So let’s strip off and party!

Bite that sausage on a skewer!

Lick the handles from the front and back doors

Rolling around in lace and leather!

It wouldn’t be long until they fly out to their following location. It all sounded glamorous on paper, but it was a lot of hard work and little to less sleep.