Chapter 28

Dun-dun-dun!

Amid the grand sound of the orchestra filling the studio, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the music.

Dvořák’s ‘From the New World’

It’s a piece that always leaves me in awe, no matter how many times I hear it.

How did people in the old days create such magnificent classical pieces without any machines?

Even if people criticize it as too old-fashioned and outdated, listening to this makes it clear why so many orchestras are still obsessed with past classical pieces.

‘Because they still influence so many different pieces today.’

It’s rare to find an orchestral piece in modern music that isn’t influenced by original classical pieces.

In my previous life, I didn’t know this and thought classical music was just something people listened to to look sophisticated.

In fact, back then, I would often fall asleep when listening to classical music.

Just like,

“Zzzz.”

Yuna, for example.

“...Good night.”

Yuna was sleeping with her head tilted back, leaning arrogantly in her chair.

I waved my hand in front of her, but she showed no signs of waking up.

“It’s not easy to fall asleep while listening to this.”

‘From the New World’ is far from a lullaby.

It’s so loud that it could easily wake you up, but Yuna was sleeping soundly.

Well, if I were still in my old body, I might have fallen into a deep sleep just like Yuna by now.

“But not now.”

By continuously absorbing Professor Lee Jang-won’s aura, I came to appreciate the true essence of classical music and have recently become deeply engrossed in it.

“Yun-seong~ Yuna!”

Bam!

At that moment, the PDs entered, and Yuna, who was about to fall backward, suddenly woke up.

“Whoa. What a shock.”

“...”

Yuna looked at the PDs, who were stepping back in surprise, with a dazed expression.

Then, as if her spirit had just returned, she let out a short exclamation.

“Hello.”

“...What? You’re still polite even in this situation.”

Yuna stretched and said,

“What’s so surprising about that?”

“Hey. When you suddenly wake up with that face and come close, how can I not be surprised?”

“Haha. That’s true. Yuna, you’re so pretty.”

It’s not easy to look pretty right after waking up, but Yuna seems to be an exception.

“By the way, you haven’t been sleeping well lately, have you?”

“Yeah. You must be very tired, Yuna?”

“Ugh. I’m at the age where I need to study a lot, so I can’t get enough sleep.”

Ha!

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Yuna glared at me fiercely.

“What? Why are you laughing, brother?”

“Ahem. No, anyone would think you sleep less than five hours a day.”

Yuna actually gets 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night.

“I need at least 9 to 10 hours of sleep. Only then am I not tired.”

Yuna is a very heavy sleeper.

There are people like that, right?

Once they fall asleep, you could carry them away and they wouldn’t even notice.

Yuna is exactly that type.

That’s why my mother has to wage a war every morning to wake Yuna up.

“Alright. I understand, so eat this first.”

I took out vitamin pills and a vitamin drink from my bag, opened the cap, and handed them to Yuna.

Yuna naturally took them and swallowed them in one go.

“Phew. I feel a bit better.”

The PDs watched this with great interest.

“Yun-seong really seems like Yuna’s mother sometimes, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah. He takes care of even the smallest things, just like a real mother. Haha.”

Yuna shrugged and said proudly,

“My brother is so meticulous. He not only takes care of me but also takes care of my parents very well.”

“Really? Yun-seong?”

“Yes. He starts by making sure my parents take their vitamins, checks if my father has forgotten anything when he goes to work, and even calls to make sure they’ve eaten and taken their medicine.”

That’s probably due to my long-standing habit.

Working as a manager for so long, I developed a kind of occupational disease.

And... I just wanted to be a really good son to my parents.

“So, brothers, why don’t you try calling your sisters today and take care of them? They’ll be really grateful, you know?”

“...”

The PDs frowned at this.

“Ugh. I imagined it. Me and my sister getting along like Yuna and Yun-seong.”

“Yikes. Damn.”

They showed a strong rejection.

“I’ll just give up.”

“Yeah. I can’t be like Yun-seong. GG.”

They were quick to give up.

“By the way, brother. I had a dream where I was eating something delicious...”

“Yeah... You were drooling in your sleep.”

“Ew. I don’t need to hear that kind of TMI.”

One of the PDs laughed and shook a bag.

“Looks like Yuna had a prophetic dream. I brought sandwiches for you all.”

“Wow! Brother, you’re the best!”

“Phew. You even gave me a high-five. Go ahead and eat.”

Yuna’s eyes sparkled as she tore open the bag to check the sandwiches inside.

“This one is the tuna sandwich that Brother Yun-seong likes, and I...”

She naturally grabbed the chicken sandwich.

“I’m going to have the teriyaki chicken sandwich~”

Yuna tore open the packaging and started munching on the sandwich.

The PDs’ faces broke into fatherly smiles, finding her cute.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy the sandwich.”

“Yeah, Yun-seong. Enjoy your meal.”

Then, PD Kim asked me,

“Oh, by the way, Yun-seong. You haven’t decided what to upload for your next NewTube video, right?”

“No, I have decided.”

“Oh? Really? What are you going to upload?”

The PDs had the same excited look as when Yuna first saw the teriyaki chicken sandwich.

“I haven’t recorded it yet.”

“Huh? Not yet?”

“Yes. I’m thinking of creating an original song this time.”

The PDs’ reactions to the word ‘original song’ were mixed.

“Hmm. An original song.”

“Well, it’s not a bad attempt.”

“But you haven’t really learned how to compose, right?”

It seemed they were half-expecting, half-worried.

“Our Yun-seong has much better musical sense than us. You weren’t there when Su-jin was working on her music. It was all thanks to Yun-seong’s advice that Su-jin could go with the sexy concept.”

“Oh, really?”

“Su-jin’s sexy concept was thanks to Yun-seong? Wow. I was shocked when I first saw it. It suited her so well.”

As they spoke, curiosity filled the PDs’ eyes.

“So, what are you planning for this song?”

“Aren’t you learning composition from Professor Lee Jang-won? It’s only been about a week, right? You probably haven’t even learned the basics yet.”

That’s true.

But Professor Lee Jang-won recognized that I learn very quickly and has been progressing the lessons at a very fast pace.

“Well, I actually have a few melodies in mind.”

“Really?”

“I’m curious. What kind of melodies?”

“Show us first. We’ll listen and check if there are any plagiarism issues.”

Plagiarism is a very sensitive issue for me, so I have to be careful.

Currently, in the music market, if more than four bars are the same, it’s considered plagiarism.

However, up to three bars are fine, so you often hear melodies that sound familiar when listening to songs.

But I plan to remove any part that even slightly overlaps, because I don’t want any controversy for the music I create for Yuna and me.

“That would be great.”

“Then, let’s hear it.”

“We won’t be too harsh in our evaluation.”

“Yeah. We know it’s your first time composing, so we’ll give you specific feedback.”

It’s your first time composing...

I smiled slightly.

To them, it might be my first time composing, but with the aura I’ve acquired, I’m probably more experienced than they are.

I took out my guitar and sat down.

Then, I slowly strummed the guitar strings, playing the melodies of our first original song.

###

“Wow, your posture is different.”

“Haha. Just by the posture, you look like a pro.”

The PDs laughed as they watched Jung Yun-seong tuning his guitar while sitting cross-legged.

To them, Jung Yun-seong looked cute.

He’s only 16 years old.

He plays the guitar very well, has top-notch singing skills, and is rich in musical talent.

But composing is different.

The world of composition is subtle, deep, and requires a spark of creativity.

It’s not something you can do just because you sing well and play the guitar well.

“Take it easy, Yun-seong.”

You need a lot of experience and practice to compose.

It’s not for nothing that college students in the composition department are peeled like onions by their professors and stay up all night composing.

You need the determination to turn an axe into a needle to become an excellent composer.

So, to the PDs, Jung Yun-seong looked like a newbie just starting a game.

Just like how everything a newbie does looks cute, this was no different.

‘We need to be careful not to hurt his feelings.’

After exchanging glances, the PDs perked up their ears as Jung Yun-seong started strumming the guitar.

However,

“...?”

“Huh...?”

A lively guitar sound and a catchy melody captured their ears.

He wasn’t just playing chords but was performing each note meticulously, blending strumming and fingerstyle.

It was as if he was telling them what kind of melody and style the song would have.

When the first section of the melody ended,

“Wow... Did you really compose this yourself?”

The PDs couldn’t help but clap.

“Crazy. What is this? It’s amazing?”

“The melody is really good?”

It was so good that it was hard to imagine it came from a middle schooler who had just started composing.

“Was it okay? Did it overlap with any other song...?”

“I don’t think so. We’ll need to check the official sheet music, but I’ve never heard a melody like this.”

“Me too. This is 100% your song. It doesn’t seem to mix with anything else.”

“But how long did it take you to create this?”

It was the most curious question.

Jung Yun-seong thought for a moment.

“About 10 minutes? I think it didn’t take that long. I just played the melody that came to me at that moment.”

“...”

The PDs were once again shocked and could only blink.

To create such a melody in just 10 minutes?

No matter how much composition is about inspiration...

‘This is too much.’

It was a moment that reminded me that creation is truly a realm of talent.

But it was too early to be amazed.

“And I have a few more melodies prepared.”

In fact, this was just a taste.

“More? How many more did you create?”

“Wait, let’s just listen.”

They focused their eyes and ears on Jung Yun-seong’s hands.

Soon, a completely different melody began to fill the studio.

Chapter 29