Chapter 289 |
Chapter 289
Se-hyun hyung, though flustered, answered my questions one by one. He even shared tips on organizing sentences and important points to consider while writing lyrics.
"The most important thing is what you want to write about."
"That's the problem. I don't know what I want to write about."
"Ah, there are times like that."
Then try this.
Se-hyun hyung spoke clearly.
"Who do you want to listen to your song?"
"......"
The person who would listen to my song.
At that moment, countless people flashed through my mind.
Mist, Jin-bae hyung, Bi-hyuk, Han Ha-ram, Jung-hyun hyung....
And the last person that came to mind was both one and not one person.
'Biyeon.'
I remembered the faces of the fans who enjoyed my song during the live broadcast.
After thinking for a moment, I opened my mouth.
"Who do you usually think of when you write?"
"It varies each time. Sometimes I write for the world, and sometimes for the members."
"Have you ever written a fan song?"
"Of course, ah."
Se-hyun hyung's eyes widened.
"You should write a fan song. It's perfect. Yeah, it's just Lee Yeon-jae."
"You think so too, hyung?"
"Yes. If it's a fan song, you wouldn't even need to write new lyrics."
"Huh?"
What does he mean?
Se-hyun hyung continued nonchalantly.
"I saw what you post on the fan cafe. It's like reading the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty. Just transferring those would easily make a hundred songs."
"......"
Should I take this as a compliment?
I adjusted my expression with a peculiar feeling.
'A fan song, huh.'
If that's the case, I had a lot to say.
It was a matter of expressing the various emotions I had towards the fans poetically.
'The emotions I have for the fans.'
Gratitude, coziness, unreality, bewilderment, and greed.
Various phrases came to mind instantly.
"Yeon-jae."
"Yes?"
"I'm saying this out of concern..."
Se-hyun hyung hesitated for a moment before slowly speaking again.
"Can't you focus on yourself instead of others?"
"What?"
"It seems like you always worry about others."
I froze for a moment.
What?
I've heard this somewhere before.
"......Hyung, do you know Seo Ji-oh?"
"Seo Ji-oh? Who's that? I've never heard the name before."
"Never mind. Just ignore it."
So they didn't know each other.
'Someone else thinks like Seo Ji-oh.'
It was especially awkward since I had heard it recently.
As I scratched the back of my neck, the other person continued.
"Do you remember when you told me you wanted to try drawing as a hobby?"
"Yes. Thank you for letting me use the studio."
"It's nothing. Then you must remember the first drawing you did."
What an obvious question.
I nodded and quickly opened my mouth.
"Yes. The first drawing was a portrait of my manager hyung, the second was of Jung-hyun hyung...."
Ah.
As I spoke, I realized the other's intention.
Se-hyun hyung had an expression that said 'I told you so.'
"Right. That's what I'm saying. You always look at others."
"It's not always like that."
"It was the same when we were filming the drama together."
"Drama? Are you talking about 'Goodbye, My Summer'?"
"Yes."
The drama I filmed with Se-hyun hyung, 'Goodbye, My Summer.'
Back then, I played 'Kim Ho-yoon,' who had a one-sided love for his childhood friend.
"I had a school bullying scandal at that time. You helped me even though we weren't close and you didn't know me well."
"That was because...."
"I know it was because of the drama. You said so at the time too."
Se-hyun hyung shrugged.
"At first, I thought you helped because you were in the drama. But now I realize, you helped because you were thinking of the staff, worried about how they would be affected if the drama got canceled."
"I knew everyone was working hard."
"I know that too. But you... you don't consider yourself important."
Se-hyun hyung looked at me.
His eyes seemed to hold various emotions.
"The MP3 player you gave me then, and you were always a fascinating person to me. You still are, but... sometimes I feel sorry for you."
"......"
I didn't know what expression to make.
As I stared silently, the other person, sensing the slightly awkward atmosphere, turned his head.
"That doesn't mean I pity you. I don't mean it that way—."
"I know what you mean. Don't worry."
"That's a relief."
Se-hyun hyung fiddled with the easel and then cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem, anyway, I like drawing as much as singing. It helps me completely let go of the responsibilities and pressures of being a Space leader."
"For you, drawing and singing are separate things."
"That's right. You should think about how you want to approach this too. Do you want to write a song for the fans you've met as an actor, or start fresh with a new feeling?"
I nodded with difficulty.
It was quite a tough piece of advice.
Ugh.
"I feel like my head's even more complicated now…."
"Haha!"
Se-hyun hyung laughed loudly.
'That laugh is always so unique.'
Even with a hat and mask covering him completely, that laugh would give away his identity.
'Still, that laugh made it easier to imitate him.'
I recalled the time we filmed Space’s own content.
Come to think of it, I had planned to shoot something with Bi-hyuk too.
'I've got a mountain of things to do.'
I sighed deeply.
Se-hyun hyung, still smiling, spoke.
"That's how creation works. It's a continuous process of worrying. Try to enjoy it as much as possible. It's not like you have a deadline, right?"
"......"
"You do have a deadline, don't you?"
Se-hyun hyung's smile quickly disappeared.
He patted my shoulder with a calm expression.
"When the time comes, you'll get it done. Don't worry too much."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I did."
"......"
"Hang in there."
I received the enthusiastic encouragement based on his experience.
Now, I had only four days left.
During that time, I skipped meals—.
"Actor, if you don't have dinner, I'll tear up everything you're writing."
"......I'll eat."
Thanks to someone, I didn't skip meals.
Anyway, I dedicated all my remaining time, except for acting practice, to writing lyrics.
Thus, the second meeting with Tom arrived.
* * *
—(How could you take away my Bambi! Are you even human?!)
"(Haha, why would you trust someone like that? You should have come to Korea yourself.)"
—(I didn't know you'd be interested in such talent! Ugh, it's so annoying.)
Listening to Lily Sweetie's sighs, Tom chuckled.
Even through the phone, he could tell how upset she was.
'It's not my fault, really.'
Of course, featuring a famous star on his first song wasn't a bad choice.
Lee Yeon-jae deserved better treatment than that.
The producer's intuition, honed over ten years in the industry, told him so.
—(Can't you at least send me a video of Bambi singing my song? I'm really curious.)
"(No. If you hear it, you'll probably fly to Korea just to tear my hair out. You'd insist on releasing a remix.)"
—(Is it that good? Hearing Tom say this is something else.)
Lily's curiosity only grew, and she lamented.
Tom, still chuckling, asked curiously.
"(Why do you call him Bambi? I looked him up and even his fans call him Bambi.)"
—(You can't understand even after seeing him in person? Look at his eyelashes. Anyone would call him Bambi. I'm curious about who gave him that nickname first.)
"(Really? I like the name Lee Yeon-jae better. It's not even that hard to pronounce. Westerners are just too arrogant.)"
—(It's not because it's hard to pronounce! We just like calling him Bambi! And stop with the white people jokes, will you?)
"(Then you should counter me for being black.)"
—(Why would I risk that? If you record it and release it, people will gossip. 'Racist Lily Sweetie!' I can already see the headlines.)
Their banter was unfiltered.
It showed how long they had known each other.
Tom laughed heartily and ended the call with Lily.
'Ah, I can't wait for tomorrow.'
Tomorrow was the day of his second meeting with Lee Yeon-jae.
Finally!
'How should I entice him?'
In truth, Tom couldn't empathize with Lee Yeon-jae's values at all.
What’s the big deal about singing?
'As long as it sounds good, it's a song.'
A song that delights the ears of many.
Isn't that enough?
'Refusing to sing because it's not the top priority, seriously.'
If you take things seriously, they become serious; if you take them lightly, they become light.
Tom, who had heard Lee Yeon-jae's song in person, thought so.
He had to make sure the world heard that voice.
'And it has to be with my song!'
That was the most important point.
It didn't matter if he was an actor, if singing wasn't his top priority, or anything else.
Even if Lee Yeon-jae came empty-handed tomorrow, it wouldn't be a problem.
He had plenty of strategies to entice him: playing the melody first, suggesting working with a professional lyricist, and so on.
He was filled with various persuasive tactics to lure Lee Yeon-jae in.
Therefore, he had no idea he would experience such emotions the next day.
* * *
"(...Is this all you wrote in a week?)"
Tom stared blankly at the papers Lee Yeon-jae had placed on the table.
With an embarrassed expression, Lee Yeon-jae replied, "(Yes, it's not much, right? I tried to cover various topics, but I couldn't organize my thoughts well.)"
Not much?
'What is he talking about?'
Tom wondered if this was a joke, but unfortunately, Lee Yeon-jae's face was utterly serious.
Tom, feeling incredulous, rubbed his face with his hands.
In front of him was a mountain of A4 papers densely filled with handwritten text.
'Why do I always feel like this when I meet him?'
It felt like he was talking to an alien, not a human.
Feeling dizzy, he barely managed to pick up one sheet of paper.
'There's no blank space.'
The paper was so densely packed with writing it seemed as if it had been black from the beginning.
Isn't this just a thesis?
"(Your taste is very... classic. Working with paper.)"
"(I originally wrote on the computer, but it took even longer. I mixed Korean and English, so if there's anything you don't understand, please let me know.)"
Tom nodded, feeling like he had become a university teaching assistant, as Lee Yeon-jae detailed his explanations.
With mixed emotions, Tom began reading the first sentence.
The first thing that caught his eye was an English word.
"(...Bambi?)"
At the question mark hanging from Tom's words, Lee Yeon-jae smiled sheepishly.
"(I thought about various topics, but no matter what, that word always came up.)"
Bambi.
That was the title of the song Lee Yeon-jae had come up with.