Chapter 18

It seemed like a factory was operating in my head.

A monotonous sound enters the factory.

As the musical notes on the conveyor belt pass through various machines, they are processed and appear.

In that way, arrangements to support the main theme began to come to mind.

My eyebrows twitched.

Because this had never happened before.

My brain, stimulated by the familiar yet unique melody, was automatically giving color to the colorless notes.

The notes fluttering and dancing.

Just as I was captivated by the beautiful dance of light.

"...Uncle, hey. Uncle."

"Hmm?"

When did I close my eyes?

When I opened them, Lee Hyuk was tapping me.

What is it?

Why is everyone looking at me?

Why are they doing that?

Jang So-won blinked and then burst into laughter.

"Did you fall asleep?"

"Excuse me?"

As I tilted my head and added, 'Me?' Lee Hyuk continued.

"You were like that for almost five minutes."

"Me?"

"If you don't believe me, ask the others."

"No, I didn't."

I mumbled.

"It was only about ten seconds."

"Well, if you're tired, you can sleep."

If it were someone else, they might have frowned or been annoyed, but Jang So-won laughed cheerfully.

Feeling a bit wronged, I said,

"Senior, that's not it."

I waved my hands and began to explain what had just happened, editing it as much as possible.

I said, "I was just thinking about arranging the melody because I liked it."

It's true, but why does it sound like an excuse?

"Hmm. Really?"

Jang So-won narrowed her eyes.

"The arrangement just came to you when you heard the melody?"

"No, it's that... the melody fits a fresh and clumsy feeling."

"Oh, you felt it too?"

Jang So-won's eyes widened, and something seemed to dawn on her.

She had taken my earlier words as a joke, but now she realized they were true.

In contrast, the others looked confused.

Jung Hyun asked,

"What do you mean, Senior?"

"Leader, explain it."

Feeling everyone's gaze on me, I explained.

"Senior's melody fits a fresh and innocent atmosphere more than a sophisticated one."

"Is that difficult?"

"It is. Because when professional producers and engineers touch the song, it's hard to keep that clumsy feeling. The moment they touch it, the song becomes very sophisticated."

In other words, it's difficult to maintain a slightly clumsy and fresh atmosphere because professionals tend to make it too polished.

My explanation made the others nod in understanding.

After hearing various comments, Jang So-won said,

"You're right, Leader."

She smiled.

"At first, I gave it to some known producers and engineers, but it didn't come out the way I wanted. That's why I called you guys."

She explained that she loved the melody she created so much that she couldn't give up on it and started looking for a solution.

She inquired around, listened to performances by indie bands in Hongdae, and searched the internet, but she couldn't find anyone who fit the melody.

Until the representative told her, "You look like you have nothing to do, so you should go as a judge," and she went to the year-end evaluation.

"When I heard your arrangement, I felt a chill. I liked each of your voice colors and your ability to interpret the song."

"Senior."

Lee Hyuk asked,

"How did you know this person arranged it?"

"I can tell by listening."

"Really?"

"An amateur's touch is different from a professional's. Amateurs have a certain feel. They can do things that professionals, who are paid, might not try."

We understood what she meant.

Despite hearing various comments, the gist was that she found us when she was struggling with the new song's melody.

It was the moment the mystery of why she gave us her business card that day was solved.

"Anyway, let's wrap up the introduction here."

Jang So-won clapped her hands and asked,

"How was the melody?"

"It was good."

"No, I mean, what thoughts or feelings did you have when you heard it? Just say anything that comes to mind."

We looked at each other, and eventually, Biju spoke first.

"I thought of two lines."

"Lines?"

"Yes, two lines that are parallel and never meet. It's a feeling of almost meeting but not quite."

"I can understand that."

Jang So-won nodded and began taking notes on her phone.

While her long nails tapped the screen, Jung Hyun spoke.

"It seemed like a difficult beat to rap to."

"Rap?"

"I'm a rapper."

"Are you saying you want rap in it?"

"Um... no?"

Jung Hyun thought for a moment and then changed his answer.

"Yes, I think it would be good to have rap in it."

It was a somewhat presumptuous answer, but Jang So-won laughed at his naive tone.

"Alright, let's consider adding rap. How was the song?"

"Senior said you wrote it while watching the snow, but I felt something different. It seems to fit the atmosphere of cherry blossoms falling in spring."

"Cherry blossoms?"

"Yes. Sometimes, when you're sitting at a bus stop, cherry blossom petals flutter by."

Jung Hyun, surprisingly, had a poetic side.

When I looked at him in surprise, he smiled sheepishly.

No.

Why are you so proud after saying that yourself?

"And next, our handsome Lee Young?"

"Lee Hyuk."

"Right, Lee Hyuk."

Lee Hyuk's ears turned red, and we chuckled.

Jang So-won, blinking, asked,

"By the way, what's your name again?"

"Lee Hyuk, Senior. Seo Lee Hyuk."

"Sorry, sorry. I got confused. You were the one who sang the best at the year-end evaluation, right?"

Despite his usual expressionless face, his lips quickly curved into a smile, showing how quickly his mood could change.

Lee Hyuk took out a notebook.

He had written something densely while listening, and now he was reading it out.

There were a few points, but the conclusion was simple.

"Overall, I felt the same as Jung Hyun. It seems to fit March or early April."

"You all had similar feelings."

Jang So-won sounded surprised.

She wrote, "You all had slightly different stories, but when combined, they seem to point to the same theme."

"What is it?"

To the curious person, I said,

"Recently, there's a lot of talk online about someone having a crush. Being in a crush."

"Go on."

"Combining what everyone said, it seems to fit a spring setting, at a bus stop, wanting to play it for someone you like, but that person is close yet not close enough to you..."

That was my conclusion.

"I think the theme of the melody is about that kind of crush."

"Oh, that's it!"

Wow. Senior, your eyes are about to pop out.

Jang So-won clapped her hands, delighted, as if she had found the answer she had been looking for a long time.

The others said, "Oh..." in amazement.

"I've been trying to figure out the theme of the melody, and now I know."

"Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? It's not just that; it's perfect."

Jang So-won, excited, said,

"I think we can use this for the title. What about it? 'Being in a Crush'? 'Our Relationship'? 'Between'? Hmm..."

Senior, can you slow down a bit?

It felt like she had been waiting at a red light for a billion years and then, when the light finally changed, she hit the accelerator at the speed of light.

After a while of brainstorming, Lee Hyuk raised his hand.

"Senior."

"Yes, Lee Hyuk."

"Lee Hyuk."

"Ah, Lee Hyuk. Sorry."

"Since 'crush' is originally in English, how about 'Something'?"

When Lee Hyuk suggested this, everyone seemed to agree implicitly.

Perfect.

That's how the title of the song we would sing together became 'Something,' meaning 'crush.'

Once the title was decided, the production meeting picked up speed.

Jang So-won, the original creator, was very active, and we also began to actively share our opinions.

We are trainees, but our main job is being singers.

With Lee Hyuk and Jung Hyun, who can arrange, we came up with various ideas related to lyrics and composition.

There was a sense of mutual understanding.

It's the exciting feeling when people who love music share their emotions.

After a while of such discussion,

Rumble-

Turning my head at the loud stomach growl, I saw Jung Hyun scratching the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

Everyone looked at the clock.

We were so engrossed in the song production that it was already 2 PM, the end of lunchtime.

"Look at me. You must be very hungry."

"No, it's okay."

"I'm hungry. Do you have any plans for lunch?"

I answered,

"Just in case, I got a card from the manager. We can buy something simple at a convenience store with that."

"Can a convenience store meal really be a proper meal?"

Jang So-won chuckled and stood up.

Where is she going?

Her wine-colored coat, which she had taken off, was now back on her slender frame. She looked at us elegantly, like a model.

"What are you doing?"

At her next words, we cheered.

"Let's go. I'll buy you pork belly."