Genius Composer Who’s a Dedicated Fan

Before Baek Yerin sang the last prepared song.

“This will probably be the last song, and I think everyone is expecting ‘Rewind’ as befitting the last song. But unfortunately, I won’t be able to play ‘Rewind’ for you.”

Sighs full of disappointment burst out from all over the concert hall.

The audience here would have expected her to sing that song, recalling ‘Rewind’ from Music Save.

But it couldn’t be helped.

‘Rewind’ is also one of Ryu Won’s songs that consumes a lot of emotion.

If she sang this song, there’s a high possibility she wouldn’t be able to sing the last song properly.

Instead…

“I plan to play a new song I made together with composer Ha-on.”

At the word ‘new song’, the hall instantly becomes unsettled.

A song that hasn’t even been registered on music sites yet, in a way, being revealed for the first time at the concert venue.

That was more meaningful in a different sense than .

“Ah, and before I play the new song, there’s someone I’d like to introduce first.”

With those words from Baek Yerin, the spotlight focused on her started to move somewhere, and a man holding a guitar appeared from the back of the stage.

As he appeared, people immediately realized who he was.

The current CEO of RT Entertainment and a familiar celebrity who once worked as a singer-songwriter.

“Yes! As you all know well, it’s Kang Beom-joon. I’ve come to decorate the last song together with our agency’s singer, Yerin, as a special guest. It’s been really long since I stood on stage… What? You’re saying Kang Beom-joon should leave? Haha. If I leave, you won’t be able to hear Yerin’s new song. Is that okay?”

As Kang Beom-joon takes the stage, the atmosphere in the concert hall instantly starts to brighten.

And in such an atmosphere, Kang Beom-joon continued:

“But this time I really just came to play the guitar. Because the protagonist of this stage is not me, but Yerin.”

People couldn’t help but become more curious at Kang Beom-joon’s statement.

I don’t know whose idea it was, but to bring in Kang Beom-joon as a guest and only use him for guitar accompaniment?

The audience seats were still unsettled due to the various situations suddenly pouring in.

But it didn’t matter.

Baek Yerin thought this as she slowly closed her eyes.

That once the last song starts, the unsettlement in the audience seats will disappear in an instant.

Gradually, a pure white light begins to shine only on Baek Yerin in the darkness.

Under that light, she slowly caught her breath. It was to control her emotions one last time before singing.

Baek Yerin recalled.

The face of her precious mother. And the words she wanted to convey but couldn’t, despite having them.

Why…

Why haven’t I conveyed those words to mom until now?

Because I was embarrassed? Or because I didn’t want to worry her?

I’m not sure.

But one thing was clear.

─ I want you to definitely play this song for your mom. At least so there are no regrets left in you.

Yes. As he said.

He gave me an opportunity.

So.

‘Let’s pour everything out.’

Like that, only Baek Yerin’s figure existed on the stage in the darkened space.

Even Kang Beom-joon, who was sitting in a chair near her, disappeared into the darkness with his guitar.

But that’s all for the stage direction.

There was no more special direction than that.

Only, some video is flowing from the large screen placed behind Baek Yerin.

As a film sound like reminiscing about past memories begins to spread throughout the concert hall, people naturally focus their gaze on the screen.

There was a photo of a young couple and a girl.

People gradually realize.

That was Baek Yerin’s family photo. Moments containing her happy memories.

But from some point on, only the young woman and the girl were captured in the photos.

At the point where one can’t help but question this, the sound of an instrument followed.

It was the sound of Kang Beom-joon’s guitar.

Just calm and plain.

No other sound was needed except that sound.

In Ryu Won’s opinion, at least for the first verse, that was enough.

From the start, what was important here wasn’t something like instrument sounds.

– One day I saw.

A photo of mom who was with me.

Baek Yerin sings along with the melody.

There was a sense of sobbing somewhere in her voice, and she was clenching her fist tightly to somehow suppress her emotions.

Actually, Ryu Won didn’t take that long to make this song.

The progression of obvious melody chords, obvious lyrics.

Obvious but… a story that can be empathized with.

And the protagonist of that obvious story was Baek Yerin.

The song titled ‘Your Photo’ that Baek Yerin is singing now is a song containing her own story.

Lyrics about seeing mom in a family photo attached to the wall by chance, and the photo containing mom’s young days smiling brightly. Knowing that mom spent the same beautiful time as me, dreamed, and sacrificed all of that to raise me.

Songs related to family are always obvious.

The effort and gratitude towards them. That would be the main content.

But because it’s obvious content, I think it rather touches the heart more.

As we live, we sometimes get asked this question.

Who is the person you love the most?

Most people will probably reflexively answer like this to this question.

Mother or father.

Parents are originally such beings.

We watch their figure right beside us, so we know their efforts better than anyone. Also, we know well how much they love us.

Sometimes we fight and get hurt, but it means we can’t help but love the existence of parents deep in our hearts.

Baek Yerin will surely be the same.

She loves the existence of her mother more than anyone.

She knows better than anyone the efforts and sacrifices her mother made to raise her.

So I want her to convey that in some way.

So that there are no regrets left like in our previous life…

The sound of piano is added to the guitar accompaniment. Furthermore, as the sound of drums is added, the sound becomes richer.

In that melody, Baek Yerin continued to sing.

The camera captured her figure, and that image was being broadcast live on TV.

But Baek Yerin had no room at all to be conscious of the camera.

She was just putting all her effort into suppressing her emotions.

For Baek Yerin, the existence of mom was always one she felt sorry towards.

After her husband passed away, Baek Yerin couldn’t well imagine the burden of having to raise a daughter alone.

But mom never showed me a struggling appearance even once.

As if it was natural, she sacrificed her youth and life for me.

And at some point, mom’s body became ill.

Now, even that life doesn’t have much left.

Then how on earth should I repay your youth and sacrifice?

How should I repay that endlessly warm love?

If it weren’t for his help…

I wouldn’t have been able to convey it even in this way.

Knowing that well, Baek Yerin sang desperately.

But there’s no way this song can repay all the love mom gave. Because it wasn’t that small.

Nevertheless, there were words she wanted to say, had to convey.

…Thank you.

Thank you for raising me. I was so happy to be your daughter. So I want to say all those emotions proudly in front of people.

Baek Yerin’s eyes gradually redden. The audience too began to sympathize with her emotions and appearance conveyed through the song.

At some point, the unsettled atmosphere completely disappeared, leaving only deep emotion.

Someone was crying remembering parents who had already passed away, or someone seemed to be recalling parents they had neglected, deceived by familiarity.

The audience who had been excited with the atmosphere of Baek Yerin’s first concert was now gone.

There were only children who, like Baek Yerin, had precious parents.

And now, there wasn’t much time left to feel such emotions.

As time passes, as the emotion seeping out of Baek Yerin’s voice deepens, people realize.

That the song is running towards its end.

That was regrettable.

They wanted to hold on to this lingering feeling they were experiencing through Baek Yerin and Ha-on’s song a little longer.

But because a song is only completed because it has an end…

Baek Yerin caught her breath one last time.

She tried to control her emotions as much as possible, but at some point, tears gathered in her eyes were rolling down one cheek.

However, Baek Yerin didn’t wipe them.

She just looked at somewhere in the audience seats, at a precious person.

…Did it get across?

My apologies, and gratitude. And the secret I couldn’t tell that day.

Soon after, Baek Yerin smiled faintly as if she had realized something.

As if reassured, she slowly raised the microphone and opened her mouth.

Because, like the smile in the photo of a woman currently displayed on the screen.

– May your smile in the photo.

Bloom again.

Baek Yerin’s mother, Lee Yeon-hee, was smiling while looking at her daughter on stage.

As if that feeling had been conveyed… no, as if she had known everything from the start.

As always, full of love towards her daughter.

Such a warm smile.