Pen and Paper Translations

T/N: Hyuh-ah -> Hyuna

Hyuna went downtown with her friends. With graduation just around the corner, they wanted to make some final memories together.

“It’s gonna be hard for all of us to meet up once we graduate.”

“Hey, we can still meet on weekends or during breaks!”

“True! But it’s still early for dinner, so how about hitting a café first?”

“Yeah, let’s do it. There’s a café that’s apparently really trending right now.”

“I’m practically an adult now, so I’m getting an Americano.”

“Huh? Yoonjung, I bet you’ll regret that and waste your money.”

Excited chatter filled the group of soon-to-be graduates like whirling snowflakes.

“Oh?”

They were just stepping into a busy, large café in the city center when someone in the group noted,

“Isn’t this that song playing?”

“Yeah, I know this… what was it called?”

“It’s ‘Dear my Beethoven,’ right?”

“Dear my Beethoven” was the title track from the personal album of composer “HS,” who also happened to be Hyuna’s older brother. The others, oblivious to that fact, started commenting on the song before even deciding what to order.

“No matter how many times I listen, it never gets old.”

“Agreed. Of all Moon Beomjae’s songs, this is my favorite.”

“But wasn’t Moon Beomjae just featured on this? Right, it’s only a feature.”

“Huh? Then whose song is it, originally?”

“It’s the title track from a composer’s personal album! You don’t know ‘HS’?”

Standing a step behind them, Hyuna froze for a moment. She recognized the name that came up at the end of their conversation:

HS.

That was her brother’s pen name. He’d picked it simply, taking the initials from his own name, Hyunseung. Back when they were younger, Hyunseung had been a pretty caring, affectionate older brother.

But as both grew older, they drifted apart, eventually stopping most of their conversations. With his prickly, taciturn personality, he rarely went out, and Hyuna used to wonder how long he’d laze around the house like a shut-in. Perhaps she even felt a bit scornful.

People supposedly don’t change easily, right?

Yet her brother turned his life around without any major incident or drama. She worried when he suddenly decided to be a composer—would he actually earn any money? But now, he was the breadwinner, making sure the family was taken care of.

Apparently, everyone has their own special knack. The guy who never studied suddenly began composing, producing hits for Seo Jini, Jung Arin, Gong Hyoju, and now his own personal album. In just one year, he was recognized as a hitmaker by mainstream listeners.

They’d moved to a bigger, better apartment; finally took a family trip abroad; never had to worry about money for textbooks; and Hyuna could attend college without taking out a student loan.

All this—

Achieved by her brother Hyunseung in just one year.

“Hey guys, don’t you think HS must be super handsome?”

“Huh? Handsome? Show me a picture if you have one! I wanna see!”

“He hasn’t shown his face publicly yet. There’s only a small photo of his eyes.”

Her friends continued gushing about “HS” while sipping the coffee they’d ordered. Hyuna, however, felt her face grow hot. She’d known for a while about her brother’s fan café and the rumored “montage” images floating around.

But from a sister’s point of view…

He was just her brother, so she never thought of him as particularly handsome. Hearing her friends talk about it made her feel strangely embarrassed.

“I really want to see his face just once, you know?”

“Right?! If he’d just reveal it properly one time, that would be so awesome.”

Hyuna found it awkward. Her brother really disliked exposure, so she couldn’t even brag about him—he’d become someone so famous now that any bragging would be pointless.

Yes, even though he was her real brother, it felt odd, distant, and strange.

So maybe—

With him so busy, it was hard to see him at home, and sometimes she felt a bit upset about that.

While Hyuna sat quietly with her lemonade, trying to calm her heart, one of her friends called out:

“Hyuna!”

Startled, she blinked.

“Huh? What?”

“You’re so quiet. Don’t you know about HS either?”

There was no way she didn’t know—he lived under the same roof.

“I guess? But I’m not too interested, so I don’t really know much…”

She pretended ignorance out of fear that she’d blurt something revealing if she chimed in.

“Makes sense if you’re not interested!”

“Hey, you moved near here recently, right?”

“Yeah, yeah! Didn’t you say you moved? How about we do a housewarming party?”

So many voices talking over one another—her friends promptly shifted the subject from HS to Hyuna’s place.

“We could do a pajama party before graduation. It’d be fun.”

“Sorry, that might be tough. My brother doesn’t really like having people over.”

“Huh? You have a brother? I had no idea. You never said—thought you were an only child.”

Hyuna forced a weak smile. She hoped the conversation wouldn’t veer back toward her brother. She stared into space until—

Bzzzzt—!

Speak of the devil…

–Can you bring some of my clothes to the company?

A text from her brother.

–Don’t you even have time to drop by the house?

–I’m super busy.

— But I’m out with friends right now.

–I’ll give you 500k won.

What? 500,000 won? Did he think everything could be solved with money?

Finally:

–What exactly do you need me to bring, dear brother?

 “Wow…”

Hyuna looked up at the towering LS Entertainment building, impressed.

“Crazy…”

It was enough to overwhelm anyone, seeing how big it was. She felt a rush of awe knowing her brother worked here as a composer.

Not bad.

She hoisted the shopping bag full of clothes and headed for the entrance when she overheard a group of high school girls chatting:

“He probably won’t come out today. I should’ve been here that time…” “Still, you never know. Let’s wait a bit longer.” “If he does come out, should we just ask him to take off his helmet right away?”

Glancing over, she saw they had placards emblazoned with “HS” and arms full of gifts. They were clearly waiting, just in case they got a glimpse—like true fans.

Her friends’ compliments had made her self-conscious, but now she felt oddly proud. Sure, her brother was objectively good-looking.

“Brother, I’m here. Where do I go?”

He replied:

“There’s a café terrace in the lobby. I’ll come down soon.”

“Could I check out your studio?”

“Sure, why not. I’ll notify security. Just say you’re here to see HS. Take the B-section elevator to the 2nd floor.”

Click—

He hung up abruptly, but she understood that was just how he was.

Given LS Entertainment’s tight security, even approved visitors had to verify their ID at the gate before they could pass.

B-section, 2nd floor…

She stepped into the elevator and pressed “2.” Just as the doors were closing—

“Wait! Let me in!”

A woman in sunglasses darted in, panting, and thanked Hyuna. Hyuna recognized her instantly:

It was Jung Arin.

Even with large sunglasses, that delicate, lovely face was unmistakable.

“Huh?”

Jung A-rin pressed a button, then raised her sunglasses slightly, narrowing her eyes at Hyuna.

“Um… HS? No, never mind.”

She shook her head, put the glasses back in place, and faced forward.

Ding—!

They reached the 2nd floor, and there stood…

“Brother?”

“Composer?”

It was Hyunseung.

“Hey, Jung Arin. Hi.”

“H-hi…”

Jung Arin, still baffled, pointed between Hyunseung and Hyuna:

“Is this… your sister?”

“Yeah, my sister.”

“Oh my gosh! I wondered, because you do look alike!”

“We are siblings.”

She clapped her hands brightly.

“Hyuna, right? He talks about you all the time. He’s always praising you.”

At that, both Hyuna and Hyunseung almost shouted:

“He does?”

“When did I ever?”

Jung A-rin let out a squeal of laughter:

“He’s always saying he’s worried you might try to be an idol. He says you hardly went to any extracurricular academies but you’re super smart, got into a good college on your first try, and he’s proud of you. Stuff like that!”

“Well, that’s all true…” Hyunseung muttered, scratching the back of his head.

“Wow, even a ‘robotic’ composer gets shy sometimes!”

“Quit spouting nonsense. Aren’t you busy?”

“Right, I need to get to my next album concept meeting!”

Smiling, Jung Arin hopped back into the elevator.

“Take care…!”

Hyuna felt dazed. She’d never been so close to a celebrity, let alone heard one call her brother “composer” so casually—and found out he’d been praising her behind her back. It was all surreal.

But her awe didn’t last long:

“Hyuna, you look like someone who’s never seen a celebrity before.”

“I haven’t, at least not up-close!”

“I told you to read that story ‘City Mouse and Country Mouse’ sometime.”

“Knock it off, Hyunseung. So annoying.”

Despite his teasing, Hyunseung gently nudged her shoulder and led her to his studio.

Creak—.

The heavy soundproof door opened onto a tidy, comfortable interior.

“Whoa—!”

It already looked impressive, but knowing it was her brother’s personal workspace made it even more awe-inspiring.

“Country mouse.”

“Hey!”

“Squeak squeak.”

Hyuna glared at him, then resumed scanning the studio. All around were expensive-looking electronic devices, and countless instrument cases—where every single track her brother made came to life.

Surely, success didn’t just come from gear.

She knew from a fan’s perspective that each HS song was genuinely good. So the gear might be nice, but it was her brother’s raw talent that brought him success.

“Guess you’ve made it big, huh, bro!”

She plopped on the sofa, chattering away happily:

“Look at this place you get to work in! Earlier today my friends were gushing about you, and I even saw fans waiting outside! You’re basically a celebrity—!”

“If I wanted, I could just become an idol.”

“Yeah, right. But it’s crazy how your music is everywhere these days—how do you come up with it all so fast? You must really be gifted!”

She glanced over at him—close up, she noticed he looked run-down. His skin was dull, dark circles heavy under his eyes. Empty coffee cups stacked on the console, the trash can crammed with high-caffeine energy drinks, and the pile of clothes she’d brought lay off to the side.

I should’ve asked what he really needed first…

She regretted not checking on him, not asking if he needed anything, feeling annoyed when he texted her to bring clothes—then only agreeing because he mentioned money. She’d been so selfish.

Yes, no matter how cool it looked, it was still a workplace.

She could imagine him staying up all night, relying on caffeine, with no real comfort or rest. So she’d been wrong to be upset when they rarely saw each other—he was busy waging daily battles in here.

She’d momentarily forgotten.

His songs didn’t appear out of thin air. Having talent alone isn’t enough; even if it brought sudden success, it’d be short-lived without the ceaseless work, time, and dedication to maintain it. He must keep fighting if he wants to hold onto that success…

She shouldn’t have been sulking about not seeing him more often.

In another family, her brother might just be “someone’s son,” but in their situation, he had stepped up, supporting their father and her with every ounce of effort. That had to be tough, heavy, and stressful.

Hyuna, immersed in her thoughts, lowered her head until Hyunseung tapped her shoulder.

“Don’t you have to get back to your friends?”

“Oh, right. I should head out.”

“Thanks for bringing the clothes.”

He pulled out an envelope of money.

“Here, your allowance. Early congrats on your graduation.”

She tried to refuse:

“I’m good—I still have money left from Christmas. You work hard enough to earn this. I’ll be okay.”

Hyunseung just muttered, “Quit overthinking everything,” and forced it into her hand.

“I enjoy making music, so it’s easy money for me. Don’t get ideas—just focus on studying at college.”

Seeing him up close, she realized he overlapped with their dad—someone heavy with responsibility, putting up with burdens for the family’s sake.

“Got it. I’ll really do my best.”

“Sure.”

Hyuna decided it was a good thing she’d come here.

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