Chapter 59: The Techniques of an Idol Who Never Fails

Because Jeong Hae-won asked An Ju-won to rewrite the lyrics, even after all the members returned to their dormitory, An Ju-won stayed in the studio, working through the night.

Although he had seen Jeong Hae-won many times, this was the first time he saw him in such a state of extreme tension. It was an unavoidable situation. The dry rehearsal was scheduled for 3 PM on Sunday, and it was now 3 AM on Friday morning.

While waiting for the arrangement, An Ju-won dozed off for a moment. When he woke up, Jeong Hae-won was still working in the same tense state. He was using two composition programs, with Pro Tools and Logic screens displayed on two computers.

Watching Jeong Hae-won compose, An Ju-won thought that being a composer who is skilled with instruments is definitely advantageous. It saved time. Whenever Jeong Hae-won chose an instrument source, he could go straight into recording without much practice.

While working, Jeong Hae-won checked the remaining coffee and, realizing there was none, finally got up and noticed that An Ju-won was awake.

"Hey, you woke up just when I needed you."

"Can I listen?"

"Yeah."

Jeong Hae-won yawned and asked while making coffee with a capsule machine.

"Want some coffee?"

"I'll make mine, you keep working."

"Yeah."

Jeong Hae-won nodded and made the coffee. After a brief conversation, he made another one, which seemed to indicate that he hadn't really understood and just nodded. Since his mind was completely focused on the arrangement, An Ju-won didn't point it out and just took the coffee.

"Thanks."

"Listen."

Jeong Hae-won sat down and played the music. The clear chime bell sound, like the fluttering of a butterfly's wings, was followed by a familiar intro. An Ju-won said,

"It's almost like the original."

"Yeah."

"It's a masterpiece."

"It is. I really like it too."

After the first meeting, the arrangement of "Butterfly's Dance" emphasized powerful dance moves. This time, the arrangement was so close to the original that it was hard to notice any significant differences.

The arrangement started to change gradually from the second verse.

"Oh, ah, I get it."

"You got it?"

"Totally."

Jeong Hae-won nodded and said,

"Let me know when you finish the lyrics."

"Okay."

Then he continued working. A phone call came, and he reluctantly picked it up.

"Who is it?"

At 3 AM?

An Ju-won asked, and Jeong Hae-won answered,

"The kid who composes for New Days."

Then he paused his work and answered the call.

"Hey... don't cry. Yeah... what, you're doing well."

Although New Days had the youngest average age among the teams participating in The Rising, the age difference was only about one year. Still, he seemed to care about them like younger siblings.

After answering the questions over the phone, he resumed working. Despite not being particularly patient, he had a lot of affection. Combined with his compulsion to avoid making enemies, his own condition was consistently pushed to the back burner.

An Ju-won thought that the best way to help was to finish the lyrics quickly, so he focused on them.

* * *

On the day of the second mission.

The members finished the dry rehearsal in a zombie-like state.

I kept dozing off, and woke up when I heard Hwang Saebi talking to his father on the phone next to me.

"No... I'm really busy. Ah, come on."

It's the same old story today.

Hwang Saebi's uncle runs an orchard, and when it's busy, the whole family pitches in. So, Hwang Saebi was asked to come and help.

Of course, they don't really expect Hwang Saebi to do the work. Since he's a celebrity, they just want him to come, greet everyone, and sign autographs. Given his busy schedule, this was an impossible mission for Hwang Saebi, who hadn't been home all year.

"Fruit? I like fruit. I ate all the fruit your uncle sent. Pears? Did he send pears?"

Hwang Saebi couldn't remember, so I used my fingers and mouth to remind him about the pears we ate three weeks ago, but he still had a confused look. It's understandable, as a box of eight pears disappeared in about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Even if we drank them, we couldn't have finished them that fast.

Hwang Saebi, getting annoyed with the call, said,

"Uh, Dad, I have to go now. No, why are you lying... Ah, I'm going crazy."

The father and son have completely opposite personalities, so their phone calls always go this way. Hwang Saebi's father is the youngest among the parents of First Light members and is very affectionate, but his son is reserved, so he always feels hurt... actually, a bit annoyed. Hehe.

Since the parents take turns sending food and taking care of the members, they often communicate. The parents are a bit introverted, like the members, but my parents, while not overly affectionate, are quite outgoing and seem to be getting along well in the group chat, even if they join late.

Hwang Saebi mouthed "please, please, please" to me, and I gestured for him to give me the phone.

"Hey, Dad, Hae-won wants to talk to you."

Then he handed over the phone. Recently, when members get tired of nagging, they pass the phone to me. I summarize the current situation in the dorm and the members' conditions for them.

As soon as I answered the phone, Hwang Saebi's father said,

- Hey, Hae-won. How are you doing?

"Of course, I'm doing well. The pears were really delicious. The kids almost drank them."

- Really? The pears were good this time. But this son of mine... I don't know if he's dead or alive... And his sister isn't affectionate either...

He started talking about Hwang Saebi and his sister. I chuckled while listening, and Hwang Saebi, regardless of the conversation, was exhausted and drinking coffee.

We were the second to perform, according to the order we drew in the practice room.

Unfortunately, among the six teams, two were girl group covers, and they were the first and second acts. We were watching MII perform on stage first.

* * *

The Rising's MC, Lee Hee-se, was preparing for the recording with a critical expression even before the broadcast.

One of the six performances today, First Light, was preparing "Butterfly's Dance" by Lunaris, the group Lee Hee-se is a part of.

"Butterfly's Dance" was not only important to Lee Hee-se but also one of the most cherished songs by Lunaris and their fans. It was a frequent addition to their concert setlists.

Junior groups had covered this song a few times before. Each time, to be honest, he didn't really like it. His affection for the original was too strong.

He wrote the lyrics of this song thinking of his closest friend. The poet and ballerina in the story were fictional, but his friend always told him, without a hint of doubt, that he was the best at dancing, singing, and everything, and that he would definitely succeed.

This made him even more particular about the song. However, as a professional, he had never voiced his feelings.

While waiting, MII started their first performance.

As the song title "Little Pretty" suggested, they brought a cute concept to the stage. The performance was good, but there was nothing special about the composition. It was within expectations. The main vocalist, Woo Ha-jeong, sang well, but it was predictable that she could hit the high notes without lowering the key.

Then, First Light's performance began.

As Lee Hee-se had predicted, "We have a ballet major, so they'll start with ballet," Han Hyo-seok, the ballet major, was the first to step on stage.

"Don't mess up our song."

Lee Hee-se knew the camera was capturing his expression, so despite his thoughts, he looked very expectant.

As the performance started, Lee Hee-se hesitated.

"Huh? The original?"

Given the positive reception of the intense and cinematic arrangement last week, he expected something similar this time.

However, the music on stage was closer to the original.

[We are different, and that's why we like it]

The music, which was almost identical to the original, changed in atmosphere from the second verse.

"Wow."

Lee Hee-se, who had been maintaining the same expression for all the teams, couldn't help but exclaim.

"Oh! It's a concert arrangement?"

It was a concert arrangement.

Specifically, it had the atmosphere of an ending song. Confetti flew across the stage, and all the fans felt joy and nostalgia.

The music, rising above the original, added instrument sounds that could be fully utilized in a large concert venue. The lyrics were also different. Instead of listing their differences and marveling at their friendship, they sang about walking together and flying like butterflies.

[We walk together, our figures flying]

[Like your dance, like the dance of a butterfly]

[The wind passing over my bookshelf]

[We walk on stage, like the dance of a butterfly]

In the music video, the friends, with the concert arrangement, held hands and ran towards the same