Chapter 75

075. What kind of song?

"Wow, what do I do? I'm so nervous!"

When Kang Joon-seo saw me, he started to fuss.

"Just do it like you usually do."

"It's not the same. This is your first album!"

I thought he was fine even during the recording of 'Soprano,' but it turned out to be for this reason.

I'm grateful that he considers my first album so important, but...

Then, Shin Su-a, who had been silently scanning her sheet music, said in a cold tone,

"You know you make more mistakes when you're nervous, right?"

"Ugh. Saying that makes me even more nervous!"

"Hey, listen. Next time, we might consider not including him."

Shin Su-a looked at me with a sincere expression.

Kang Joon-seo's shocked expression beside me looked like a character from a cartoon, and I chuckled.

"Still, your style of playing is absolutely necessary."

"Really?"

"Of course. Besides, you're my teacher."

"Hehe, that's true. I can't say it anywhere else, though."

"Why not?"

"You just did a good job."

I shook my head at Kang Joon-seo, who was trying to look proud.

"I don't think so. Thanks to your style of playing, I was able to find the direction I wanted, whether it's tone or technique."

This time, I looked proud. I meant it. If Kang Joon-seo had been a player with a strong personal style and taught me in that way...

I wouldn't have been able to continue learning from him.

Or, I might have refused when my father suggested it.

Kang Joon-seo's style, which can blend into any tone.

That's why he could overlay Paganini's tone for solo performances and a smooth tone for ensemble performances.

"Wow, Seoho. To hear such high praise from a runner-up in an international competition. I'm dead~."

Of course, it's a bit hard to see him act like that.

When I turned my gaze, I expected Shin Su-a to be giving Kang Joon-seo a disdainful look as usual, but she was looking at me.

"..."

Swept—. Then, when our eyes met, she subtly lowered her gaze and looked down at her sheet music as if nothing had happened.

At that moment,

"Seoho, can you come out for a moment?"

My father's voice echoed in the booth.

Looking back, I saw my father pressing the talkback button and the engineers with headsets around their necks focusing on the mixer. A blonde foreign woman, who wasn't there before, was looking at us with curiosity.

"She's from Royal Classic, who will distribute our album."

When I stepped out of the booth, my father introduced her to me.

My gaze naturally turned to her.

Then, the woman with prominent freckles extended her hand and introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Olivia, the communication officer."

#

"Can I know the recording order?"

Olivia's attitude, as the only person here unrelated to the recording, was neither excessive nor lacking.

She showed interest in the recording but didn't meddle excessively, asking only what was necessary.

"We plan to record the largest-scale pieces first."

"So, the first piece to be recorded will be the title track?"

"Although we don't have a specific title track, it's fine to consider it that way."

And upon hearing a satisfactory answer, she nodded and sat down, lost in thought.

Her initially gentle gaze became sharp.

Inside the recording booth of the film studio, which is said to be one of the largest in the country, many musicians were preparing, as could be seen at a glance.

'...The scale is even larger than I thought. There are so many types of wind instruments? Isn't it too big?'

I'm not trying to underestimate it, but I'm honestly worried about what kind of piece it is.

The 'Streets of Moscow' piece, which received high praise for its solid theme and well-expressed melody at the White Night Festival, was, after all, a piano solo.

I reviewed the film music references, but most were quartets.

However, the current scale looks to be around 20 to 30 people. The composition difficulty must have been on a different level...

I looked deeper into the booth.

Her gaze stopped on Han Seoho, who was preparing at the Steinway piano inside.

He was flipping through a thick score. The thickness suggested it wasn't just one piece but seemed to be all the scores for the album bundled together.

After pondering something, Olivia stood up again.

"Excuse me, can I take a look at the score if it's okay?"

"Of course. Here you go."

The representative of this studio and Han Seoho's father handed her a stack of extra scores from the side.

Olivia, who took it eagerly, returned to the sofa and started scanning the score. Soon, her head tilted.

"..."

The thick score, heavy in both hands.

I thought it would be multiple pieces, but it wasn't.

'Is this all the score for one piece?'

Even with many types of instruments, this amount of pages seemed thicker than the full score of a decent symphony orchestra.

'Why are the explanations so long?'

Annotations for explaining a phrase were densely written in small letters, more than five lines.

Having seen countless scores as a critic, this was the first time she saw such a detailed score. This level of thickness made sense.

But...

Is there a reason to go to such lengths?

Excessive specification without a clear reason would only confuse the performers.

'Let's start by breaking down the structure.'

Her academic enthusiasm, which she hadn't felt in a long time, was rekindled.

She scanned the score to first confirm the overall structure.

The result was unexpected.

Usually, the most challenging part for composers unfamiliar with orchestration is the use and placement of instruments, but this piece was using instruments to an almost excessive degree. Each melodic instrument was drawing its own line.

However, it wasn't all good.

One could say the structure is solid, but on the other hand, the density of the piece could make it feel suffocating.

...This, I'll have to hear the piece to know.

In the end, Olivia stopped analyzing the score and waited for the recording to start.

The musicians were preparing for the recording with ease, and the engineers were busy.

Finally, with the agreement of both sides, the performance began in earnest.

#

Currently, the two most prominent projects at Royal Classic are undoubtedly Professor Celine's and Han Seoho's albums.

Both teams, led by Heather and Emma, sat at their desks with half-closed eyes early in the morning.

The team members appeared on the laptop screen.

"Where's Olivia?"

One of the team members who had arrived earlier said,

-She's on her way to the hotel. She should arrive in 10 to 15 minutes.

"The recording ended late... Did she say anything about how it went?"

-She was trying to organize what to say in the taxi, so she didn't say much.

-But it couldn't have been bad, right?

Another team member offered a hopeful comment.

Of course, there were those who thought otherwise.

-Who knows? The situation might be serious.

"..."

Emma listened to their conversation in silence, waiting for Olivia.

Before joining Royal Classic, Olivia was a well-known critic in the industry. Emma sent her to Korea for this very reason, thinking she could provide a more accurate analysis.

Still, she was secretly worried as the situation unfolded.

The ambition to create a masterpiece was enough with Professor Celine, but she wanted to do well with both albums.

Just then, the entry sound rang, and Olivia appeared on the screen.

-Sorry for being late.

"The recording ended late, so it couldn't be helped. Good job. Shall we start the meeting? Let's start with today's recording."

-Yes. I'll start with a briefing on Han Seoho's album.

...And Olivia's story began.

She provided a comprehensive review of the pieces she heard today through the recording, Han Seoho's performance, and the overall balance.

However, Emma felt a strange sense of dissonance throughout her story. The explanation was clearly objective and cool, but...

It lacked the feel of her previous critic days.

Back then, reading her articles made it feel like you had heard the piece, but now it felt like she was just reciting data.

After a moment of confusion, Emma could guess the reason.

Probably, the burden was the cause. As a critic, she could freely evaluate music without repercussions, but now her evaluations determined the budget and involved risks.

Noticing this, Emma called out to her.

"Olivia."

-Yes?

"Trying to be neutral is good, but you've taken out all the emotion. Ultimately, expressing what you feel when listening to music is about emotion. Don't be burdened and try to do it like you did as a critic, okay?"

There was a moment of silence.

Olivia slowly spoke.

-If I were back then... I would have written such an introduction after hearing today's pieces.

Then, she slowly continued, as if writing a sentence.

-I would have believed without doubt if someone told me that a master from the Classical era composed these pieces.

"..."

The team members were stunned by the unexpected comment.

Emma nodded at Olivia, who was looking at her slightly, signaling her to continue.

-They were truly excellent pieces. Honestly, I still can't believe it. That they came from the mind of an 18-year-old...

-The annotations were absurdly numerous, but after hearing the pieces, it became clear. There was a definite reason for going to such lengths.

-Especially for the largest-scale piece, 'Family,' the arrangement of instruments was so intricate, but it never felt suffocating.

Olivia's critique continued unabated.

Free from the burden, she dissected the pieces as she did when she was a critic, conveying her feelings without a hint of caution.

...And the more she did,

The team members, including Emma, were increasingly shocked.

#

"Huh."

Olivia ended the video call with a sense of relief.

Having said what she felt, the choice was now up to the team members.

Still, she wondered if the team members would fully believe her.

"After all, it sounds too unbelievable."

Even when she reflected on what she said, it felt absurd. How would others react?

...It was truly a remarkable event.

An 18-year-old boy playing two instruments alternately, performing pieces he composed, and those pieces surpassing expectations.

The next recording schedule is... the day after tomorrow.

She swallowed dryly after checking the calendar.

"I'm looking forward to it."

What kind of impressions will the remaining pieces give? What form will the performances take? Olivia's anticipation grew with the unpredictable steps of the boy.

As she smiled faintly and was about to go to the shower to soothe her tired body, her phone rang.

"..."

Surprised by the unexpected name on the screen, Olivia hesitated before answering.

"Yes, Professor."

Like Han Seoho, Professor Celine was about to start her album recording soon.

She apologized for the late call and asked,

-Are you in Korea now?

She recalled mentioning she was going to Korea a few days ago.

"Yes, I am."

-Then, have you met Han Seoho?

"What? Oh, yes, I met him. It was for the recording today. Why do you ask?"

At her question, Professor Celine paused for a moment.

Then, she cautiously asked, as if confirming something.

-...How were his pieces?