14: Chapter 14 Park So-yeon's Worries

Park Ji-yeon's muffled yet exceptionally firm response seemed to put a temporary stop to all the gloom and family pressure brought about by her injury.

After returning to the Villa, she obediently handed over all the painkillers hidden in her room, followed the rehabilitation therapist's guidance for restorative training, and cradled the thermos of ginseng chicken soup her mother had given her, taking small sips. Her eyes lost that reckless impatience and gained a sense of settled resilience.

She even began to use her recovery time, with Song Tianhao's tacit approval, to practice vocals extra with the vocal coach, making up for the temporary shortfall in her dance training.

After a series of setbacks—Lee Qri's surgery, Park Ji-yeon's injury, and Park Hyomin's mindset adjustment—the team's atmosphere instead gained a sense of solid cohesion forged through tempering.

Everyone knew that their debut was imminent and time was tight, but that desperate, "I must not fall, I must not hold the team back" mentality was gradually replaced by a more grounded belief of supporting each other as they moved forward.

They still trained until they were exhausted every day, but there were fewer complaints, and more instances of them reminding each other of movements, helping correct pronunciations, and even quietly leaving late-night snacks for members who returned late due to extra practice.

As the leader, Park So-yeon's pressure was undoubtedly the greatest.

She had to coordinate the members' training, care for everyone's state—especially the hospitalized Lee Qri and the recovering Park Ji-yeon—and digest the constantly adjusted details from the choreography and vocal teachers, all while ensuring her own practice as the main vocalist never fell behind.

She stretched herself like a string ready to snap at any moment, arriving at the practice room first every day and leaving last, striving for perfection in everything.

In training, she was the director and the anchor; she pointed out problems crisply and urged the younger members on without hesitation. Her vocals were stable, her dancing was working hard to keep up with Ham Eunjung's rhythm, and her facial expression management was becoming increasingly on point.

But Song Tianhao noticed that whenever the song reached those key passages requiring her to demonstrate explosive power and piercing quality in her high notes, Park So-yeon's body would exhibit an extremely subtle stiffness.

Her breath would subconsciously tighten, and her gaze would flicker for a split second, as if she were afraid of something, or... resisting something.

That stiffness was fleeting, quickly masked by her strong self-control, and didn't affect the overall completion, but it couldn't escape Song Tianhao's eyes. It wasn't a technical issue; it was more like a deep-seated psychological barrier.

Furthermore, her exhaustion was evident; the dark circles under her eyes couldn't be hidden even with concealer. Occasionally, when she leaned against the mirror to close her eyes briefly during training breaks, her brows were always furrowed.

That night, training ended near midnight. The girls helped each other upstairs, while Park So-yeon stayed behind as usual to check the practice room equipment, turn off the lights, and lock the door.

She was the last to leave the Villa. She didn't go upstairs immediately but sat on a bench in the courtyard, looking up at the sparse winter starry sky, and let out a long, silent sigh.

The moonlight and the courtyard lights intertwined, illuminating her thin profile, revealing an inescapable fatigue and... a hint of bewilderment.

"Not sleeping yet?"

Park So-yeon was startled and turned her head abruptly to see Song Tianhao standing not far away, car keys in hand, as if he were about to leave.

He was wearing a long black cashmere coat today, which made his figure appear even taller and more upright, like a silent silhouette in the night.

"P-President," Park So-yeon quickly stood up, feeling a bit flustered. "I... I'm going to sleep right now."

Song Tianhao walked up to her, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment. "Come with me."

After saying this, he turned and walked toward the car parked by the roadside.

Park So-yeon was stunned for a moment, not daring to ask more, and trotted to follow him. She got into the passenger seat, fastened her seatbelt, and the car drove smoothly out of the Villa area, merging into the traffic that was still shimmering in the deep night of Seoul.

She didn't know where the President was taking her, and she felt a bit uneasy. Was something wrong with her training during the day? Or had she been negligent in her duties as leader?

The car finally stopped in front of a KTV in Gangnam District that looked quite upscale from the outside but had a low-key entrance. At this time of night, nightlife was just beginning, but this establishment seemed to operate on a high-end membership basis, and the entrance was very quiet.

Song Tianhao parked the car and said to the bewildered Park So-yeon, "Get out."

Entering the KTV, the waiter in a well-fitted uniform clearly recognized Song Tianhao and respectfully led them to a large, luxuriously decorated private room with excellent soundproofing.

The neon disco ball rotated slowly, casting hazy spots of light on the dark walls and leather sofas. There was a huge screen, top-tier audio equipment, and a faint scent of fragrance permeated the air.

"P-President, why are we here...?" Park So-yeon stood in the center of the room, feeling at a loss. She thought the President had found her to discuss serious matters, like criticism or new instructions; why were they here to sing?

Song Tianhao had already sat down at the karaoke console, operating it skillfully without looking back. "Sit. Order whatever you want to drink."

Park So-yeon had no choice but to sit in the corner of the sofa furthest from the console, her hands on her knees, back straight, like an elementary school student waiting for a teacher's lecture. She watched Song Tianhao's broad back, her heart beating inexplicably fast.

Song Tianhao quickly selected a song and handed her a microphone. "Sing."

Park So-yeon took the heavy microphone and looked at the song title on the screen. It was the section from "Bo Peep Bo Peep" that belonged to her, the one with the difficult high note, isolated and turned into an accompaniment track.

She instantly understood the President's intention. Did he think she hadn't sung well during the day and wanted to test her individually?

Park So-yeon took a deep breath, walked to the screen, and gripped the microphone tightly.

The music began, and she started singing. Her technique was impeccable, her pitch was perfect, and she tried to put emotion into it. But the moment the high note was about to arrive, that familiar, subtle stiffness and tightening of breath appeared again.

The high note was hit, and it was stable, but it lacked the exhilarating explosive power and aggression the song required; it was more like a technical demonstration of a "safe completion."

Once the song was finished, the room fell silent, with only the neon disco ball rotating soundlessly.

Park So-yeon put down the microphone and lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the cold metal mesh of the microphone. She waited, waiting for the President's evaluation—perhaps "your breath wasn't enough here," or "let go more with the emotion," or something even harsher...

"Have you ever," Song Tianhao's voice came from behind, calm and waveless, "participated in an audition for S.M. Entertainment?"

Park So-yeon shuddered, lifted her head abruptly, and turned to look at Song Tianhao, her face turning pale under the shifting lights. How did he know? She had never mentioned this to anyone at MBK, let alone after arriving at Sky Entertainment. It was a scar in her heart she was unwilling to touch.

"...Yes." She squeezed out the word with difficulty, her voice dry.

"And the result?" Song Tianhao pressed, his tone still flat.

Park So-yeon's lips trembled slightly as those fragmented memories she had deliberately forgotten, filled with stinging pain, surged up. The narrow practice room, the cold gazes of the judges, and that comment that had pierced her heart like a knife and still echoed in some deep nights...

"I... I didn't get selected." She lowered her head, avoiding Song Tianhao's gaze, her voice so low it was almost inaudible. "The judge said... my voice... sounds like a duck quacking, has no character, and isn't suited to be a singer."

The moment she said those words, she felt as if she had returned to that cold afternoon, standing in front of those who decided her fate, with all her efforts and dreams crushed to pieces by a casual, "sounds like a duck quacking."

From that moment on, she developed an instinctive fear of high notes, always feeling that if she exerted effort, she would make an ugly, duck-like sound. Coming to MBK was the last chance she gave herself, but the knot in her heart had never truly been untied.

After she finished speaking, the room fell into a deathly silence. Only the light spots from the neon disco ball slid silently across her lowered face, reflecting the flickering, tightly restrained tears in her eyes.

She thought she would hear a sigh of disappointment, or a realization of "so that's why," or perhaps even the reproach of "no wonder your high notes are always lacking."

However, what she heard was a clear and short laugh.

"Ha."

Park So-yeon looked up in astonishment.

Song Tianhao was leaning against a bar stool by the karaoke console, his elbows resting on his knees, and there was actually a lingering, almost absurd trace of a smile on his face.

He looked at Park So-yeon's shocked and wounded expression, shook his head, and said with undisguised mockery in his tone:

"Those people at S.M. Entertainment..." He paused, then said clearly, word by word, "Are they deaf?"

Park So-yeon was completely stunned, her mind going blank. The President... was scolding the S.M. Entertainment judges? And... laughing?

Song Tianhao ignored her shock, stood up, walked to the karaoke console, and operated it quickly a few times.

This time, he didn't play a backing track. Instead, he selected a song, an excerpt from Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake," specifically the most classic melody that tested a singer's breath control and tone modulation the most.

He didn't hand the microphone to Park So-yeon, but instead signaled her: "Sing a cappella. Follow the feeling of this melody, use your voice, hum whatever you want, or sing any lyrics you like."

Park So-yeon was completely bewildered, not knowing what Song Tianhao was trying to do. However, she habitually obeyed the instruction, gripped the microphone, closed her eyes, and tried her best to block out distracting thoughts, focusing only on listening to the flowing, beautiful classical melody.

She had excellent musical aptitude and quickly captured the direction and emotion of the melody. She opened her mouth, and without any lyrics, simply hummed along to the melody using an "ah" sound.

At first, she was still a bit hesitant and reserved, but soon, she became immersed in the music.

Her voice was clear and bright, carrying a natural sense of narrative and penetration. When flowing through the high notes, far from having any so-called "duck-like" quality, it instead possessed the elegance and strength of a swan stretching its neck, while the mid-to-low range was mellow and warm.

She sang with great dedication, temporarily forgetting her inner knots and forgetting that this was an evaluation, simply responding to the music with her voice.

Song Tianhao listened quietly the whole time, his gaze focused. After she finished a section, he took out his phone and said to her: "Sing that part again."

Park So-yeon didn't understand why, but she followed instructions and sang it again. Song Tianhao recorded it.

He pressed the play button. Park So-yeon's clear and infectious singing voice flowed out from the phone speaker, echoing in the two-person private room, sounding like a completely different person compared to her reserved performance earlier.

Song Tianhao listened quietly to the end, then looked at Park So-yeon and turned the phone screen toward her. Inside was her profile from when she was singing just now; under the dim light, her eyelashes were lowered, and her expression was focused.

"Listen," he said. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strange sense of certainty.

Park So-yeon stared blankly at herself singing on the phone, listening to her own voice.

"Is this a duck?" Song Tianhao asked, then immediately shook his head, providing the answer himself. His gaze moved from the phone screen to Park So-yeon's face, his eyes deep, as if he wanted to see into the depths of her soul.

"This is a swan."

He paused and added, each word clear and powerful: "A black swan, at that."

Park So-yeon's breath suddenly caught. A black swan... elegant, mysterious, powerful, and even possessing a beauty with a trace of danger and fragility. Is this... the President's definition of her?

Her tears instantly blurred her vision. For the first time in so many years, someone had described her voice with such decisiveness and such a powerful, beautiful term, affirming her value.

It wasn't comfort, nor was it perfunctory; it was an evaluation based on the voice she had just truly sung and he had recorded.

"President..." she choked out, her voice breaking, "Why do you... believe in me so much?"

This question perhaps wasn't just about this evaluation, but also about everything from the words "you are worth it" by the hospital bed, to the meticulous observation and guidance of each member later, and finally to this unreserved recognition of her as an "S.M. Entertainment cast-off" at this moment.

Song Tianhao put away his phone and walked in front of her. The light in the private room was dim, with only the light from the screen and neon signs flickering on his face. He didn't answer immediately, but instead asked back: "Your voice belongs to you. Does it matter what others say?"

Park So-yeon looked at him with teary eyes.

"S.M. Entertainment not wanting you is their loss." Song Tianhao's tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable dominance. "Now, you are one of my people. If I say you are a swan, you are. If you don't even believe it yourself," he pointed to his own ear, "then you will only ever hear duck calls."

Just then, the door to the private room was lightly knocked, then pushed open. It was the KTV manager, bringing in a fruit platter and drinks, with a professional smile plastered on his face.

When he saw Park So-yeon holding the microphone with tear stains still on her face, he was clearly stunned for a moment, a flash of imperceptible scrutiny and... a certain realization crossing his eyes.

He put down the fruit platter, and as he turned, he seemed to mutter unintentionally in a low voice, not loud, but enough for Song Tianhao and Park So-yeon, who were nearby, to hear clearly: "...Tsk, isn't this... the one who participated in the auditions at S.M. Entertainment before and got cut? Seems like she was the one they said had a bad voice..."

Park So-yeon's body instantly stiffened, all color draining from her face. The warmth and emotion that had just welled up instantly froze, and a massive sense of shame and self-doubt swept over her again. See, even a KTV manager remembered, even he could recognize that she was "the one eliminated by S.M. Entertainment"...

The calmness on Song Tianhao's face instantly vanished, his eyes turning cold. He didn't even look at the manager, speaking directly to the waiter waiting nearby: "Call your boss over."

The manager was stunned, his expression changing: "President Song, what are you doing..."

Soon, the KTV owner hurried over, a man in his forties who looked very shrewd. As soon as he entered, he was all smiles: "President Song! What wind blew you here! Whatever instructions you have, just say the word!"

Song Tianhao ignored the owner's obsequiousness, his gaze landing on the pale-faced manager, his tone devoid of fluctuation yet carrying an invisible pressure: "From today on, Sky Entertainment and all businesses under my name will terminate all cooperation with this establishment."

"What?!" the manager cried out involuntarily.

Song Tianhao stopped looking at him and turned to the owner, his voice clearly echoing in the private room: "Additionally, I'm booking this private room for the night."

He paused, looked at the deathly pale and wavering Park So-yeon, then looked back at the owner, saying word by word, "Clear the place. Put all expenses on President Lee Soo-man of S.M. Entertainment's personal tab."

His gaze swept over the ashen-faced manager as he slowly spat out the second half of the sentence: "When settling the bill, remember to make it clear: it was Song Tianhao of Sky Entertainment who treated President Lee of S.M. Entertainment to a song by a true 'swan'."

Both the owner and the manager were dumbfounded.

After speaking, he ignored the two dumbstruck people, walked to Park So-yeon, looked at her pale face and the tears re-accumulating in her eyes, and lowered his voice: "Do you still want to sing?"

Park So-yeon shook her head vigorously; she only wanted to leave this place now.

"Let's go." Song Tianhao picked up the overcoat draped on the sofa and walked out first. Park So-yeon hurriedly followed, her steps somewhat unsteady.

When passing by the manager, she heard Song Tianhao say to the manager in a volume only the three of them could hear: "From now on, she is the lead vocalist of Sky Entertainment. The leader of T-ara, Park So-yeon."

"Remember that clearly."

On the way back to the Villa, the car was silent. Park So-yeon clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her palms, trying to use the pain to dispel the raging waves in her heart and the lingering embarrassment.

The manager's words were like a thorn, piercing back into her defenses that had just begun to loosen.

So, in the eyes of others, she would always be that "duck eliminated by S.M. Entertainment"...

Park So-yeon looked at the rapidly receding night view of Seoul outside the window, the brilliant lights connecting into a hazy river of light. After a long silence, she whispered: "Park So-yeon... this name seems to have become a bit unfamiliar to people."

"Then let's get reacquainted." Song Tianhao looked at her, his gaze calm and focused under the reflection of the neon lights flowing outside the car.

The car slowly stopped at a red light. Song Tianhao turned to the side, took a simple black business card from the inside pocket of his overcoat, and handed it to her.

There were only two lines of text on the card: Song Tianhao, Sky Entertainment Representative Director. Below was a phone number.

"Hello, I am Song Tianhao."

Park So-yeon stared blankly at the business card, then looked up at Song Tianhao. There was no special expression on his face; he was just looking at her like that, as if making a completely ordinary self-introduction.

Park So-yeon's tears gushed out again without warning, rolling down in large drops, landing on the cold car window glass, and also on the back of Song Tianhao's hand as he held out the business card.

With trembling hands, she took the business card, the crisp texture of the paper felt by her fingertips.

Park So-yeon gripped the card tightly, as if clutching some sort of proof, some sort of rebirth.

She looked at Song Tianhao, her vision blurred by tears, but her voice was exceptionally clear, carrying a sob, yet also carrying a strength breaking through the soil: "Hello, I am Park So-yeon."

She paused, as if needing to use all her strength to utter that identity, with immense care and confirmation: "Your... lead vocalist."