The Genius Composer Starts Again - Chapter 32

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Even after the song ended, they remained immersed in its lingering impression for a while. The first to break the silence was Choi Dong-hyeok.

 

“Good song. Well made.”

 

Lee Hyun-ji and Yu Da-yeon belatedly chimed in agreement.

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Wow. I was completely absorbed for a moment. It matches perfectly with Lee Ha-in’s vocals.”

 

“Right! That part where it builds up slightly before the chorus and then explodes! That part was so good.”

 

“For me, it’s that part. You know, the ‘Even if the night crumbles~’ part.”

 

The three of them poured out their impressions of the song they’d just heard, but only Han So-yeon remained quiet.

 

She sat there blankly with her fists clenched tight.

 

“Should we see who made it? Let’s see. Lee Ha-in wrote the lyrics herself. And the producer is… Min Chan-hyeok.”

 

“Ah! That person, right? The producer of BeforeLife’s 【If We Could Meet Again】.”

 

“That’s right. That song was good too.”

 

“The style has changed quite a bit though. Originally he seemed to release a lot of ballad-toned songs.”

 

Since producers generally determine the direction of songs, their influence tends to be heavily incorporated.

 

Min Chan-hyeok had several publicly known masterpieces, so he had his own established style, but this newly released 【Shatter】 was somewhat difficult to call typical Min Chan-hyeok style.

 

“Who’s the composer?”

 

“The composer is… YULE.”

 

“Yule?”

 

“Yeah. That ‘yul’ like in Job’s tears tea.”

 

Lee Hyun-ji tilted her head.

 

“It’s a name I’m hearing for the first time.”

 

Yu Da-yeon immediately opened a search window.

 

“Composer YULE… There’s no publicly available SNS either. This seems to be their first work activity.”

 

Choi Dong-hyeok let out an admiring whistle.

 

“Must be a rookie composer. Is this their debut song?”

 

“Wow. A rookie made such a good song?”

 

“No matter how skilled someone is, if the timing doesn’t match, their debut can be delayed indefinitely.”

 

Even so, the song did exude a veteran-like sophistication uncharacteristic of a rookie.

 

Then Han So-yeon bluntly threw out a comment.

 

“What’s so good about it. It’s ordinary.”

 

Despite the gruff content, her voice was trembling finely. Anyone could see she hadn’t yet escaped from the song’s lingering impression, so Yu Da-yeon chuckled.

 

“Leave her be. She’s always like that. When a song really appeals to her, she nitpicks saying this is mediocre, that’s mediocre. Then secretly listens to it hundreds and thousands of times behind our backs.”

 

“Hey! When did I ever!”

 

“From the looks of it, she’ll be playing this song on repeat for a while too. Won’t Lamia lose first place?”

 

At those words, Han So-yeon immediately widened her eyes.

 

“That won’t happen, okay? Do you know how precious a full album means to fans and singers?! I’ll make sure they stay first place for at least a month!”

 

“Yes yes~. Do as you please.”

 

Yu Da-yeon shrugged her shoulders.

 

“Alright. Let’s all stop here. Look how late it’s gotten already. If we want to sleep even an hour, we need to hurry and do our assignments first.”

 

After Choi Dong-hyeok mediated, Han So-yeon huffily turned her gaze to her laptop.

 

Yu Da-yeon also answered with a light “Yes~” and put on her headset.

 

‘Hmph. Even so, it’s not as good as Lamia’s song, right? I heard Lamia’s agency received samples from composers all over the world to make this one. The composer is a famous overseas composer, and they even got the best domestic lyricist.’

 

There’s no way that masterpiece they poured their heart and soul into would lose to a song by a rookie composer who just debuted.

 

‘Right. What sounded good earlier… that could just be the mixing! It must be that. There are probably some crude parts that I missed.’

 

Before she knew it, Han So-yeon had added 【Shatter】 to her playlist.

 

She stealthily pressed the play button while telling herself:

 

‘I’m only listening again to confirm that. Absolutely! It’s not because I like the song and I’m playing it on repeat!’

 

Han So-yeon began listening to the song with even more concentration than before. The headset’s sound quality felt inadequate.

 

“…”

 

Click.

 

“…”

 

Click.

 

Han So-yeon ended up replaying the song several times.

 

Yu Da-yeon watched this from the side and silently shook her head.

 

***

 

“Excuse me, passing through~!”

 

“Don’t step on the cables!”

 

“Is this brightness okay? Should I turn it up more?”

 

In the filming set where everyone was moving busily, I stood there like a duck out of water.

 

Tap.

 

Min Chan-hyeok patted my shoulder.

 

“Nervous?”

 

“…No. Where did you go?”

 

“I went to meet someone I know and chat for a bit~. What should I do about leaving our assistant alone? You didn’t cry while I was gone, did you?”

 

There was no need to respond to such nonsense. When I turned around, I could hear Min Chan-hyeok chuckling behind me.

 

“How is it. Still, it was good that you came, right? Breathe in the atmosphere of the set. This is all experience too.”

 

“I’m not sure. I still can’t really…”

 

I muttered while pulling up my mask.

 

Min Chan-hyeok had pestered and coaxed me, who didn’t want to do external activities, to drag me all the way here.

 

“You’ve never properly seen Ha-in, have you. She’s the one who wrote lyrics directly to your song. Aren’t you curious about what her mindset was when she first heard this song, what intention she had when writing the lyrics? Experiencing it through media and hearing it directly feel different. It’ll definitely help you too.”

 

“…I know.”

 

I had been completely swayed by this talk and came all the way here. But actually seeing the complexly operating set made fear suddenly surge up.

 

Should I call it the anxiety of having taken the wrong path.

 

“I brought you today saying you’re my assistant! Stick right next to me. Don’t take off your mask!”

 

“Don’t worry.”

 

As filming gradually approached, the set began to be organized one by one.

 

Lights hung from the ceiling like a honeycomb, and cameras set up here and there were all looking in one direction. Staff members walked around doing microphone tests.

 

“Alright, let’s get ready~!”

 

Not long after one of the staff shouted that, Lee Ha-in came out of the dressing room.

 

I stared blankly at Lee Ha-in as she passed by next to me.

 

Though her face wasn’t as unrealistic as an idol’s, her spotless clean skin and neatly arranged features gave off the feeling of a ‘celebrity’ to anyone who saw her.

 

“Please sit here.”

 

“Are the lights not too bright for you?”

 

“I’ll have you open your mouth. Just need to touch up the lips once more.”

 

“Please fix the stray hairs~.”

 

After going through several people’s hands, the interview preparations were finally complete.

 

The manager handed over a pre-printed cue sheet.

 

“If sensitive questions come up, I’ll tell you to switch topics right away, so don’t worry. Just answer the prepared questions well. You see that monitor over there?”

 

Behind the set, in the direction Lee Ha-in was looking, two monitors were placed side by side.

 

The answers prepared in consultation with the company would appear on those monitors, and Lee Ha-in just needed to answer questions without deviating from that script.

 

“Are you ready?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Roll!”

 

Clap!

 

The scriptwriter hit the slate.

 

The MC smoothly led the opening.

 

Simple recent updates, how she spent her hiatus period, the pressure she felt while preparing for her comeback, etc.

 

The conversation flowed smoothly. Even I, who was initially indifferent, found myself absorbed and watching intently.

 

Then the questions moved on to the song.

 

“Let’s talk about the title track. The fans’ reaction to this song has been really hot. Especially since you wrote the lyrics yourself this time?”

 

Lee Ha-in nodded.

 

“Yes. That’s right. I wrote them. I’ve tried writing lyrics once or twice before, but it was just a line or two. This is the first time I’ve written all the lyrics myself, so I was really nervous and anxious.”

 

“Wow. So it was your first attempt at writing lyrics. The lyrics were so good that it’s hard to believe that.”

 

“It was because the song was good. The moment I first heard this song, I thought to myself: Ah, I have to write the lyrics for this. I want to convey exactly what I felt to everyone.”

 

“What kind of emotion was it? When you first heard that song.”

 

Lee Ha-in lowered her eyes for a moment, then looked straight ahead. She had an expression of choosing her words carefully about what story to tell.

 

As the silence grew longer, a model answer flowed from the monitor.

 

[ When I first heard this song, I felt comforted during a difficult time. I wanted to give that same comfort to the fans. ]

 

It was a safe and standard answer.

 

It expressed love for the fans while also emphasizing her sensitive, artistic side.

 

The MC also smiled gently as if guiding her toward that answer.

 

But Lee Ha-in shook her head slightly.

 

And the answer that came out was,

 

“When I first heard it, I felt like it was digging into my wounds. Like it was sprinkling salt on painful places and roughly tearing them open.”

 

It contained completely opposite content.

 

Was this okay?

 

I glanced at Min Chan-hyeok. His expression had hardened stiffly.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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