Chapter 66

066. Brinner (1)

"It's bustling."

Although Kang Joon-seo has recorded for Sound Film for quite a while, today felt like his first day at work, with an unfamiliar atmosphere.

Especially, the main recording studio was packed with people, filling the large space. This indicated the scale of today's recording was significant.

Cellist Kim Young-tae, who followed him in, also looked around the booth in amazement.

"Look at the instrument lineup. It seems they really went all out."

To them, it was a scene that left them speechless.

Usually, only string instruments and, if necessary, a few wind instruments would come in, and even then, they were often replaced by VSTI (virtual instruments).

Today, however, there were over eight types of instruments being recorded.

In terms of personnel, it was on par with a chamber orchestra.

While Kang Joon-seo was greeting familiar faces in the booth, violist Lee So-hyun took out her sheet music.

"Hmm......"

She blinked and let out a sigh.

At that moment, a bewildered voice from a nearby performer caught her attention.

"Is this sheet music or a thesis? I thought it was printed on lined paper at first."

"I was also surprised. But, isn't it a bit excessive? It's not a solo, it's a concerto, and to capture such detail..."

"The details we can't even feel as performers. With dozens of instruments playing together, how can we tell?"

Kim Young-tae, who had been listening to the commotion, finally took out his sheet music.

"Still, after working with Seo Ho a few times, this kind of sheet music feels familiar."

"That's true. But, the people here do have a point... it is too detailed."

For Han Seo-ho, this might be a sign of consideration for the performers, but from the performers' perspective, it made things more difficult.

Lee So-hyun, who was complaining about the lack of practice time, was quietly looking at her sheet music when Shin Su-a chimed in.

"So, it's a bit... surprising."

"Huh?"

"These details that don't even inspire us... Han Seo-ho. It's all in his head, you know."

Lee So-hyun and Kim Young-tae nodded slowly in agreement.

Kang Joon-seo, who had just returned after chatting with some people, joined in.

"From what we know of Seo Ho, he wouldn't have made this sheet music without a purpose."

Then, he glanced around and added,

"But, everyone seems a bit skeptical. I would be too. It's surprising that a high school composer could gather people of this caliber."

He was right.

The topics of conversation among the gathered performers were mostly about the piece, the sheet music, and Han Seo-ho.

Although they could only see their own parts, some felt the composer's exceptional skills.

Others, however, doubted if it was all his own work.

Admiration and skepticism.

Regardless, the fact that Han Seo-ho was the subject of all these conversations made Kim Young-tae smile and feel a bit out of place.

"It feels like Seo Ho has become a really big deal since I last saw him."

"It's not just a feeling. He really has."

Lee So-hyun replied, and Kang Joon-seo nodded with a proud expression.

Shin Su-a looked at the three of them.

"But, why are you all talking at my seat?"

"There's no one I know at the cello section."

"I don't know many people in the viola section either..."

"I've already gone around!"

"......"

Shin Su-a shook her head.

Just then, Han Ki-jun, the CEO, and several engineers entered.

Today, there were multiple engineers.

Like students in a classroom, the performers found their seats and settled down, lowering their voices to check their instruments or review their sheet music.

Of course, it wasn't completely silent.

"Will Mr. Han be directing?"

"Seems so? After all, directing is all about experience. No matter how good a composer is, it's still a bit early."

"True. Especially for orchestral directing."

The performers whispered among themselves as they watched Han Ki-jun and the engineers discussing seriously upon entering.

Then, Han Ki-jun pressed the talkback.

-Hello, everyone.

The performers responded in unison.

Han Ki-jun, with a faint smile, continued smoothly.

-It's great to see all these familiar faces here. This is the first time we've all gathered like this at the company. Thanks to all of you, the company has grown to this point.

While they had recorded on a similar scale before, it was usually in a concert hall due to space constraints. This was the first time recording at the company.

Thus, even for Han Ki-jun, it was a new and moving experience.

He took a deep breath, looking around the spacious booth.

Then, the recording studio door opened, and today's director and composer of all the pieces entered.

-Did the school assembly end late?

-Yes. The homeroom teacher had a lot of concerns, like not smoking and not getting into trouble while traveling...

-The talkback is on.

-...Ah?

He looked visibly excited and was still in his school uniform.

Han Seo-ho turned his head to look around the booth.

The performers inside also turned their attention to him.

Some were amazed.

Others were doubtful.

-Haha... Hello?

#

My father and the engineers sat in front of the mixer.

I sat at a table behind them.

On the table was a paper with the layout of the booth, with numbers assigned to each position for easy reference.

Soon, the recording began at my father's signal.

I looked up at the monitor hanging above.

This time, it wasn't a rough edit but a completed scene from the soprano's part. Simultaneously, the performance began.

...After the young protagonist's poignant song, the passage of time showed her growth.

She learned to sing from amateur singers, nurturing her dream. Despite her late start, her talent surpassed the circumstances.

The amateur singers, whose talent was far less than hers, firmly supported her as she eventually went abroad to study.

The scene depicted her leaving with smiles and encouragement.

Over this, the music colored the scene.

'Good... ...'

The final result matched what I had imagined in my head.

A satisfying first recording.

Of course, it wasn't perfect in every detail, so I looked down to check the performer numbers.

"First, performer number 15."

I looked up, and the horn player turned to me.

"At measure 42, there's a note I wrote, 'like pulling a thread.' It shouldn't be like stretching cheese. It should be a consistent thickness, pulled out smoothly."

The horn is like a wide blanket covering the entire orchestra.

If it's thin in some places and thick in others, it will eventually have gaps.

-Is this how it should be?

The performer, understanding my words, lifted the heavy horn and exhaled a long breath.

I smiled.

"Yes, that's right. It's accurate."

The performer slowly nodded and lowered the horn.

I looked down again to check the numbers.

"And performer number 27. At measure 67, when the harmony changes, play with more force. Emphasize the accent. Ah, not the bassoon. The way you played just now, laying it down, was good and had weight. And also... ..."

As I continued, not only the relevant performers but also others showed complex emotions in their eyes.

I carefully continued, making sure I wasn't being rude.

After all, no one enjoys being corrected by a young child.

Fortunately, no one seemed annoyed.

Occasionally, I could see a look of surprise, but as I focused on the quality of the piece, such feelings faded.

The recording continued, and the piece gradually took shape, reaching the quality I wanted.

As more pieces were recorded, the thick stack of sheet music in front of me gradually thinned.

...And finally, only the choral piece's sheet music remained.

I picked up the sheet music and stood up.

I was joining the performance. This was the only piece today that included a piano.

I walked into the booth.

The attention followed me.

Even after sitting at the piano, I could feel the gaze on the back of my head.

I opened the sheet music and placed my hands on the keys, waiting for the signal.

Soon, the bassoon and tuba provided a low foundation.

Followed by the trumpets and horns building the harmony.

Baaaaam──!

The robust sound of the brass instruments enveloped the recording studio like the sound of a ship's horn.

Then, the string instruments played in unison.

A symphony of harmonies woven together.

This was the signal.

───!

A thin piano melody drew the tune.

Foreshadowing the 'voice' that would burst out at the climax.

#

A few days later, in the M&ACT conference room.

When the playback of the recording files finally stopped, Director Park Dong-jin had been looking down at the storyboard.

The roughly drawn final choral scene in his mind was already a completed edit, floating around.

"......"

After a while, he looked up and around.

The screenwriter, Song Eun-hye, sitting next to him, had a slight smile.

The music director, who had opened his notebook in case there were any changes to note, hadn't written a single word.

Across from them, Han Seo-ho had bright eyes.

Like a chef asking if the food he prepared was good.

A savory taste lingered in his ears.

He wanted to say something, but feared that all the aftertaste would disappear if he opened his mouth.

He moistened his dry lips and turned his gaze.

At the end of it was Lee Ji-yoon, the opera singer who had been called the singing teacher throughout the filming.

She was looking back and forth between the sheet music and Han Seo-ho, with a peculiar expression.

"Ms. Lee, what do you think of the choral piece?"

Director Park Dong-jin, curious about the expert's opinion.

Lee Ji-yoon slightly raised her lips and began.

"Although the most important element, the voices, are still missing, it's too early to judge... ..."

As she said, the choral piece was incomplete.

The orchestra recording was complete, but the voices were to be recorded on set, so a violin melody was used as a placeholder.

But even that was already good enough to make her shiver a few times. It was excellent enough to be considered a standalone piece.

If the actors' voices were added... ...

If it played along with the end credits of the movie... ...

Lee Ji-yoon, layering assumption upon assumption, felt goosebumps on her neck again and smiled.

"The audience won't be able to get up from their seats when the movie ends."

"Because they're scared?"

One of the production team members joked, and the assistant director facepalmed.

"Damn, do you think the opera singer meant it that way? It's because the choral piece is so moving that they can't get up to wipe their tears. Right?"

"Th... That... Yes. Right. Right?"

Lee Ji-yoon, who had been smiling awkwardly, corrected her expression and continued.

"Anyway, I really look forward to seeing the final picture. Honestly, I even want to sing along... ..."

Her gaze naturally turned to Han Seo-ho, the composer of the piece.

While everyone knew he was an excellent performer,

"Composing to this level... ..."

His smile was too bright.

That made it even more impressive.

#

...And thus, my work on the movie 'Soprano' was complete.

Although I was in Russia for a while, it still took a considerable amount of time.

I'm curious to see how it turns out.

'Well, with Director Park Dong-jin, there's no need to worry.'

With that in mind, I left M&ACT.

As I got into the elevator, I took out my phone.

I'm glad I kept it on silent.

For the past few days, messages have been pouring in through Sound Cloud.

From simple encouragement about enjoying the music to inquiries about my background and business proposals.

And the view count has been rising sharply.

"Maybe... ..."

Checking the source with a bit of hope, I smiled.

'Really took off.'

The most recent track I uploaded.

I gathered and organized the inspirations that hit me as I played each key, and studied on my own.

Thanks to this, I gained a bit of understanding of Mr. Ludwig and completed the choral piece.

The view count of 'Reflections on 88 Keys' had surpassed 10,000 during the meeting.

'Just last week, only a few hundred people had listened... ...'

The tenfold increase in views was both surprising and delightful.

But it didn't stop there.

I was overwhelmed.

It took less than three days to reach another tenfold increase.