NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44
The year 2013 had passed, and the New Year of 2014 began.
In contrast to the eventful previous year-end, this year’s close was relatively quiet.
Last year was busy with the Girls’ Memorial year-end offline collaboration special video shooting and all that, but this year, it was just spent on development work…
Among the few memorable events of this year-end, it was, of course, the Girls’ Memorial Christmas special video shooting.
I was supposed to participate in the filming this year too, but word came that Myunghoon was going to join.
With the timing right to let the Girls’ Memorial fandom know that the director was changing, I readily gave my consent…
On the day of the shoot, however, Myunghoon, who was visibly nervous, was handed a pill to calm his nerves.
Even though it was a bit pitiful to see him leaving the country without having calmed down, still…
It was a path he had chosen for himself.
Apart from these small issues, the year ended without any major happenings.
By the time the old year had faded and the new year had begun, what was I doing? I was called by Chae-young and visited the recording studio.
“What’s up?”
“It’s done. The new trailer song.”
“Already? Didn’t it enter the trailer storyboard last month?”
In response to my question, Chae-young nodded.
Looking around, I saw some empty beer cans and scattered music sheets.
‘So this is how she managed to finish a song in a month…’
“Can I listen to it once?”
“Just a moment.”
Chae-young, who was about to play the music on her computer connected to the large speakers, paused and looked at me.
“Are both doors of the recording studio closed?”
“Huh? Give me a sec.”
Realizing I couldn’t recall if I had closed them both, when I went to check, one of the doors was slightly open.
‘It was still open.’
Upon closing the doors, Chae-young, who had been gazing at me with a ‘Of course you’d do that’ look, caught my eye.
“You’re still as forgetful as ever, I see.”
Though I felt a bit wronged by her reaction, I couldn’t really argue back.
Because it was true that I had forgotten.
“Alright, let’s start?”
As the music began, the large speakers on either side of the computer filled up the recording studio with sound.
It started with a deliberately quiet, subdued dubstep.
As the quiet dubstep gradually intensified and reached its peak, a scratching bass sound emerged like the start of a narrative, leading the song with drums.
The bass and drums then led the song to a highlight marked by a consistent BPM, when the electric guitar joined.
When the bass, drums, and electric guitar came together, their explosive power was overwhelming.
It felt as if this song was visualizing the riots depicted in the trailer it would accompany.
After the intense highlight phase, the music calmed down a bit, the electric guitar that led the highlight faded, and the bass and drums took the lead again.
Underneath, the avant-garde accompaniment gradually increased the BPM, leading the song to its final highlight phase.
And within this last highlight phase, the electric guitar rejoined.
In the finale, the piano harmonized with everything, producing the final explosion of sound before ending the song.
“…What do you think?”
After hearing the entire song, there was one thing that came to mind.
This was the perfect song representing the concept of this trailer.
It was truly avant-garde.
“It’s good.”
“Don’t just dismiss it like that. Is there anywhere you’d like to tweak?”
After briefly contemplating Chae-young’s question, I replied.
“There’s the dubstep part in the intro, right?”
“Yeah, it’s there.”
“What if we increase the drop in that dubstep a little more, and slightly lower the volume?”
“Hmm… just a moment.”
Chae-young, hearing my request, started adjusting the synthesizer in front of the monitor.
“I’ll play it again, so tell me immediately if there’s anything off.”
As soon as Chae-young finished speaking, the intro began again.
It certainly felt better with the higher drop, adding more tension.
“Perfect.”
“Any other parts?”
“Hmm…”
Through intermittent feedback on the parts that stood out, the OST was confirmed and ultimately finalized in just three tries.
“…Surprisingly, it’s finished quickly.”
“True. I thought just confirming would take a whole day.”
“That’s just because you’ve done a great job with the track. Any reason for the inspiration?”
To be honest, I never imagined you could produce a track of this quality in a limited time of a month.
I already knew Chae-young was talented since she was the youngest to take on the role of music director at a terrestrial broadcasting station, but…
Seeing her like this, rather than the usual Chae-young buried in work and alcohol, was quite moving.
“After seeing the trailer storyboard and the script, the melody just popped into my head.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. If I could consistently produce things at this level, I wouldn’t have any wishes left.”
With a look of regret, Chae-young shook her head and walked towards the refrigerator, asking:
“It’s a celebration; would you like a drink?”
If I agree, she’ll definitely hand me a beer, not a beverage.
I was surprised that she was offering beer at high noon.
“Are you drinking during work hours?”
“I’m drinking, aren’t I?”
Despite my bemused expression, Chae-young proceeded to drink her beer while saving the audio file.
“So when is the trailer video expected to be completed?”
“Since the basic storyboard has been sent to the Art Team, if they start working, it should be done by summer, right?”
While we continued our conversation, the audio file was slowly being saved.
Considering it was only a 3-minute audio file, it was taking quite some time.
As the conversation paused, Chae-young hummed the new song.
Hearing Chae-young hum the new song, it felt like something was tickling the back of my mind.
It felt like I was missing something, but…
Just as I was blankly staring at Chae-young, caught by this on-and-off feeling,
I remembered.
What I had neglected.
“Chae-young.”
“Uh, what? Why?”
Turning to the side, I saw Chae-young looking up with a startled expression.
“You know the song we made?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you think about adding lyrics to the OST?”
“Lyrics?”
“Yeah, although the drums and bass fill the sound, it’s still a bit plain up until right before the highlight.”
“Is that so?”
“Completing that part with a singer’s voice would make it perfect. What do you think?”
“Hmm… just a moment.”
Caught off guard by my sudden suggestion, Chae-young seemed to ponder for a bit, then soon nodded and looked at me.
“It might work… but how do you plan to write the lyrics?”
“I’ll try.”
“Will you?”
“I got an idea from listening to the OST this time.”
“You don’t have experience writing lyrics, right?”
“I actually wrote some when I was in university, so I think I can manage. If the result is bad, you could help revise it then, right? What do you think?”
After thinking for a moment, Chae-young nodded.
“Alright.”
*
Balancing company work and lyric writing was no easy feat, but I managed to finish the lyrics in 10 days.
Had it not been for the experience I gained from writing lyrics for the club activities with a senior club member, I might not have been able to attempt it.
Passing the lyrics I handed over to Chae-young, her expression was more serious than ever, but the frequent sips of beer were breaking the mood.
“How’s it going?”
“Better than I expected. There are a few phrases and sections that need tweaking, but those are minor issues that only professional lyricists would notice.”
“Good? Then…”
“I’ll fix them. It won’t take long anyway. By the way, have you lined up a singer?”
“That’s what I want to ask… Can I ask you a favor?”
“Favor? What is it?”
“There’s a singer I want, and I was hoping you could vouch for me.”
“Vouch? Who are you thinking of?”
“Kei Ishida.”
“Huh?”
The name of the singer that came out of my mouth was unexpected, as Chae-young looked at me with an astonished expression.
Kei Ishida is currently evaluated as the most skillful male vocalist among the talented vocalists in Japan.
Ordinarily, he’s far beyond our league to invite for our game’s OST, but…
Since I remembered from before my regression that Chae-young had worked with him privately several times a few years ago, it was within my means to make the request.
In fact, the volume and singing ability of Kei Ishida were somewhat unnecessary for this song, but he was undoubtedly the top choice.
Not to mention, adding his name to the promotion efforts would boost its effectiveness.
“…Are you asking me to vouch for you with Kei Ishida? Are you crazy?”
“Chae-young, you can do it, right?”
“Kei Ishida isn’t even a Korean singer, and your request doesn’t make sense.”
Predictably, Chae-young was feigning ignorance.
So…
“Evening Garden, Tears of Two Liters.”
“What?”
“Her from Eden, Galileo… shall I continue?”
As I revealed the titles of the dramas and movies Ishida and Chae-young had privately worked on, Chae-young began to noticeably waver.
“Wha- how on earth do you know all this…!”
“With a bit of determination, it’s not impossible to find. You didn’t hide it well enough.”
“…”
“To avoid any unnecessary press coverage that could increase your workload, I’ll take care of it. Okay?”
With my confident voice, Chae-young, who had been running her fingers through her ash-blonde hair, responded.
“Yes, I do know Kei Ishida, but it’s still a no. Not to mention, we’re not at a point where I can demand work from him…”
Despite her stubborn refusal, I knew from years of being her junior that it was not anger but embarrassment showing.
Chae-young is the type to remain calm when truly upset.
“Then let’s do this. I’m not expecting an immediate yes.”
“…What do you want?”
“You just check whether working together is possible. If it’s possible, we do it; if not, I’ll let it go.”
“…Why should I do that?”
“In exchange, I’ll fulfill an old wish of yours.”
“A wish?”
With a confident voice, I responded to Chae-young’s question.
“The 30-year-old rare marriage Valle Benes on my shelf that you’ve been eyeing every time you visit my house. I’ll give it to you. How’s that?”
“That’s what I’d said I would never take as it was a present.”
“It means how serious I am.”
As she glared at me with a dissatisfied expression,
Though it seemed like she had a lot on her mind, I wasn’t really worried.
Because it was such an irresistible bait that even a person who strictly refused wouldn’t turn it down.
There was no way Chae-young, who loved alcohol, would reject this offer.
As if confirming my prediction, after giving me a sidelong glance, Chae-young let out a sigh and opened her mouth.
“…If I get rejected, I’m still not responsible. Got it?”
“That’s enough for me.”
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