Hyunseung dragged his tired body home for the first time in a while.
Of course, before another day passed, he would have to pack again and head back out.
Starting with Lee Young-ah, then Moon Beom-jae, and finally Kim Gwang-jin, he had recorded them one after another and finished the post work, and a whole week had already gone by.
Sure enough, because all three were seasoned instruments, every step flowed smoothly. Lee Young-ah finished in less than a day, Moon Beom-jae needed only two takes, and Kim Gwang-jin…
…a single take.
Yes, the recording wrapped in one go.
“I really did choose the perfect instruments,” he told himself.
Kim Gwang-jin had read the message of “Blue Spring” exactly and melted it into the song. Each raw breath sang of that day’s youth.
While listening to his voice, Hyunseung decided that song would be placed last on the album.
Another song would open the record.
“Right, that song…”
The nameless track that still existed only as a sketch, needing the homeless session and his own playing before it could be finished.
Lines were slowly being drawn over the framework, turning it into a picture, yet he had received no word from its soloist.
The piece revolved around that violin, so the silence felt awkward.
“I will wait a bit longer,” he muttered, scratching his head and stepping into the living room for water. On impulse, he quietly opened Hyuna’s door.
Today, his sister had not said a single word to him and was holed up in her room, which made him curious.
“Hey, Min Hyuna.”
“What.”
“Kang Hajun is recording tomorrow.”
“Oh, really.”
He purposely offered news that might interest her, yet her reaction was lukewarm.
Tap, tap.
Watching her thumb the phone nonstop, he asked casually,
“Who are you texting?”
“Someone.”
“Are you dating?”
“Yeah.”
“What, you are dating?”
“Why, is it a problem?”
“No, not that.” He gulped a mouthful of water.
Before he knew it, seeing his now-adult sister in a relationship annoyed him for some reason.
“So, what does your boyfriend do?”
“He is just a classmate.”
“So he is also a med student.”
“Yeah, why?”
He added another question instead of answering.
“How is his family?”
“Only his mother. She runs a big salon in Cheongdam.”
“Cheongdam… Lastelle, Bon Salon, A Boutique, Charom?”
“Oh, right, he said Charom.”
“Well, that is not bad for in-laws.”
“Having a shop in Cheongdam means they are rich, right?”
Turning to leave, he replied offhand,
“How much can a salon make? They probably live comfortably, nothing more.”
Hyuna stared blankly at her brother’s back.
Sometimes she forgot.
Yes, her brother was the composer with the most songs on today’s digital chart.
Next day.
Seated in the studio, Hyunseung checked the track for today’s session.
Buzz.
A Kakao message arrived from Kang Hajun.
[ Composer-nim, I just got to Café Terrace! ]
[ Should I bring coffee? ^^ ]
[ I heard you like venti ^^ ]
He answered simply replied
[ ok ]
and set the phone face-down.
“Looks like he is almost here.”
The kid, who was working in Japan, had cleared his schedule to fly over.
If only Hyuna had dated someone like Kang Hajun, he might feel easier. That boy’s family was decent, he was considerate, kind, diligent…
“Enough.” He shook off the thought when—
Knock knock.
A bright knock sounded.
“Composer-nim.”
Carrying two coffees, Hajun entered.
“It hasn’t been long since you sent a message. Did you sprint here?”
“I was buying them when I messaged.”
“So there were no options.”
“If you refused, I would have drunk both.”
Cracking a joke, Hajun turned to a wall and began scales.
“Warm up reasonably and come in.”
“Yes, sir.”
The song did not demand extreme range or flashy technique; it was a calm lullaby wishing the only sister in the world a night free of loneliness.
However, Hajun had another idea.
“So Choi Jihyun is his girlfriend.”
Composers usually pour their present feelings into music. Thus, a song this sweet, cozy, and warm could only come from someone in love.
He had already decided.
“Composer-nim.”
A useless curiosity bubbled up. Would he sing it privately for his girlfriend? If so…
I want to hear it too, he thought.
He spoke carefully.
“To capture the exact feeling, could you sing it for me once?”
“What?” Hyunseung narrowed his eyes, making him flinch, but he held his ground.
“Just once, please.”
“No.”
“Not even once?”
“No.”
“I really want to understand.”
“I will explain with words.”
The firm tone silenced him. He looked disappointed.
“Maybe he cannot sing?”
He had assumed the composer sang well, given his good voice and musical talent.
Yet such a flat refusal suggested otherwise. Not everyone excels at everything.
“The sky should be fair,” he comforted himself, grinning.
“Are you not going in?” snapped the composer.
“Yes.” He dashed into the booth.
“Sigh.” Watching him, Hyunseung shook his head. The boy seemed lacking somewhere too. Perhaps dating the med student was better.
“Let us star—” He straightened to begin.
Buzz.
His phone vibrated; he gestured to wait.
“Hm?”
A message from Kim Gwang-jin, who had finished yesterday.
[ Could we talk for a bit? ]
Early that morning, Kim Gwang-jin came to the studio.
Step, step.
He reached the door and knocked lightly.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door opened at once. “You came all this way again, please come in,” greeted Hyunseung.
Entering the now familiar room, Kim sat on the sofa.
“Water again?”
“Please.”
“I prepared it.”
He smiled and drank deeply.
“Thirsty?”
“Seems so.”
“More?”
He shook his head and began calmly.
“When I listen to ‘Blue Spring,’ memories flood in.”
“Memories?”
“My twenties, when I feared nothing and had no worries about food or rent.”
He showed his phone wallpaper.
“In a tiny room we took turns playing and singing until morning. Our hands cracked and our stomachs growled, yet we laughed.”
The screen showed young Kim and friends, guitars slung, bright smiles.
Though black-and-white and blurry, one thing was clear.
They all look happy, thought Hyunseung.
He asked, “Do you still meet them?”
Kim gave a wistful smile.
“Life is busy, they left music, so it has been over twenty years. One became a star in the sky; I only learned that recently.”
He added, “At this age, death is not distant. This might be my last session. Yet I am happy that this song could be it.”
His words felt precarious.
A life forged in music had reached its dusk.
Until now, Hyunseung had always left music-video work to the department, but staring at this faded photo, images flashed through his mind.
“It is a hassle, but…”
Since the idea had come, he should make it real.
“A good photo sparked good inspiration.”
“Glad it helped.”
They laughed and clinked glasses.
Inside the MV planning office the junior staff suddenly shouted,
“What?”
She covered her mouth, pointing at the monitor.
“Composer HS sent an email.”
Coworkers crowded around.
“Whoa, really?”
“He never cared about MVs before.”
HS had never offered input or requests. Why now?
Another staff opened the attachment.
“Wow, the proposal is neat.”
Holding a cup, someone nodded.
“He can do more than music. Did he work in an office before?”
The team leader hurried over.
“Let me see.”
He scrolled through the proposal.
Slide, slide,
He unzipped every photo then exclaimed softly,
“Wow, this guy is insane.”
“Why?”
“Even if the song were trash, the video would explode.”
“But the song is great too.”
“That is why he is insane.”
He scanned again, muttering,
“Total overkill.”
He hit print and called out,
“Summon a planning meeting right now.”
T/N: Hyuna has a boyfriend?! Whaaaa—
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