—I was leaving
Kay was listening to the song.
Tap.
He moved his finger and replayed the same section of the song again.
—This road…
Tap.
—I was leaving…
Tap.
He could no longer remember how many times he had listened to it.
Ever since he had gone to the Youth My Way studio after being asked to record, Kay listened to the same song again and again.
The title of the song he had repeated countless times appeared before him.
[Revival (feat. Han Seongtae)]
It was a song he had composed and written himself.
Normally, he probably would not have cared much about who featured on it.
He had been confident that a good song would be made regardless.
Tap.
Kay replayed the song once more and furrowed his brow.
“He’s not even that good a singer.”
Listening to Han Seongtae’s voice, he muttered quietly.
As far as Kay was concerned, Han Seongtae was not an exceptionally good singer.
He was simply better than an ordinary person.
And yet, for some reason, Kay was becoming immersed in Han Seongtae’s singing.
The more he listened, the more the strange tickling sensation in his heart tormented him.
Was it jealousy?
He thought that might be possible.
Because Han Seongtae possessed something he did not.
It was a fact he did not want to admit.
If he admitted it, it felt as though he would be admitting that he sang worse than Han Seongtae.
He’s an actor. It makes no sense for me to lose to an actor.
That was why he wanted to hear Han Seongtae sing in person.
He felt that he needed to hear his singing if he was going to understand the difference between himself and Han Seongtae.
“I’m Han Seongtae. I look forward to working with you.”
Kay met Han Seongtae and silently watched him enter the recording booth.
“We’ll begin recording right away.”
Kay watched Han Seongtae inside the booth, and under his gaze, Han Seongtae put on the headset.
Watching Han Seongtae move with the rhythm, Kay listened closely to the sound coming from the recording booth.
The instrumental ended, and his voice came through.
While Kay was satisfied with his own singing ability, he waited for the part Han Seongtae would sing.
Time passed.
Then Han Seongtae’s part arrived.
The instant the actor opened his mouth, Kay could only press his lips tightly together.
“……!”
It was a harmony of emotion.
The emotions he had poured into the lyrics were flowing out through Han Seongtae’s mouth.
Without realizing it, Kay clenched his fist.
The moment he heard Han Seongtae sing, he knew.
If he could understand what the difference was between that man and himself, then he could grow beyond where he was now, and the result of this project could change dramatically as well.
That strong premonition immediately drove him to act.
Press.
Kay pushed the button.
“Kay?”
Kim Minseok and the sound director beside him looked at him in surprise.
But Kay, filled with a desire to grow, did not hear them.
“Please do it again.”
He asked Han Seongtae.
He asked him to sing it again.
To sing it over and over until Kay could finally understand.
Listening only once or twice would never satisfy him.
And so one request became two.
Two requests became more than ten.
“Please do it again.”
“Again.”
“Please, just a little more.”
Requests he had made so many times that he no longer knew how many there had been.
His mouth had gone bone-dry from saying them so often.
But Kay paid it no mind and opened his mouth again.
If he could grow, something like this was nothing.
That was when they were about to begin the twentieth recording.
He saw Han Seongtae, who had been singing again without a single complaint, take off his headset.
—That’s enough.
At Han Seongtae’s voice coming through the speaker, Kay’s face went blank, as though the world had stopped for a moment.
“Just one more time.”
Hearing Kay speak, Han Seongtae took a sip of water.
After singing more than ten times, his mouth was completely dry and his throat stung.
His mouth and throat were insisting that he stop singing and rest, but Han Seongtae opened his mouth again and sang.
It was not as though he was refusing to rest because he did not want to.
How am I supposed to rest when he’s looking at me with eyes like that?
Han Seongtae looked into Kay’s eyes.
That fiery gaze was the very same gaze Han Seongtae had once possessed in his previous life.
The desire to act well, to be praised, and to create a good result had all been plainly visible in his eyes.
Because Han Seongtae had once been the same way, he could understand how Kay felt.
“Whew….”
A sip of water and a single breath were enough for him to sing again.
Kay wanted to create a good result, but so did Han Seongtae.
[‘The One Who Made Laughter from Tragedy’ furrows his brow, saying that this situation is not normal.]
[‘The One with a Thousand Faces’ sighs, saying there is nothing more exhausting than indulging the stubbornness of an immature child.]
[‘The Actor of Eternal Youth’ says that blindly singing it again and again is not going to make him understand.]
Han Seongtae looked over the gods’ messages.
Because he agreed with them, Han Seongtae did not sing again.
— Again. Please do it again.
Kay asked him to sing more, but Han Seongtae did not grant his request.
His method is wrong.
He understood the desire to do well.
But Han Seongtae knew that Kay’s approach was wrong.
Nothing would change just because he sang it again.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
Taking off his headset, Han Seongtae spoke quietly.
The moment he spoke, the speaker that had been saying “again” went silent.
Han Seongtae met Kay’s eyes through the glass.
He could see Kay biting hard on his lip.
Looking at him, Han Seongtae continued.
“If this is how it’s going to be, I think it would be better to stop here.”
Han Seongtae deliberately spoke firmly.
He wanted Kay to realize that his approach was wrong.
Kay still said nothing.
From Kay’s expression, Han Seongtae could immediately tell that Kay was dissatisfied with his actions because he did not understand what he had done wrong.
I understand. I was the same way.
He let out a deep sigh.
In his previous life, Han Seongtae had been someone who looked only at the results of his acting.
He wanted to act, and he had been obsessed with the belief that to continue acting, he needed to act well in order to create good works.
He had realized far too late that a good work was not created simply because one person acted well.
Did he say he’s twenty-four now?
In Han Seongtae’s eyes, Kay was a genius.
He was only in his early-to-mid twenties, yet he already had better singing ability than most singers.
And in the future Han Seongtae knew, did he not become the nation’s singer?
The people around him probably praised him as a genius as well.
That was likely why his field of vision had narrowed.
The more praise he received, the more trapped he became by the obsession that he had to create something good, unable even to look around himself.
Because Han Seongtae understood that fact so well, and because he knew Kay was trying hard,
he could not simply stand there and keep granting his requests, so he added,
“If you keep doing it like this, even something that should work won’t work.”
Han Seongtae saw a strange expression appear on Kay’s face at his words.
The way Kay clenched his teeth made it clear that he could not accept what Han Seongtae was saying.
Han Seongtae paid no attention to it and left the recording booth.
He could feel Kay’s gaze on him, but Han Seongtae lightly ignored it and sat down on the sofa.
How long this project would take depended on how quickly Kay realized the problem.
Han Seongtae could wait for that moment.
[‘The Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ shakes his head, saying that you are far too kind.]
[‘The Pioneer of Method Acting’ clicks his tongue, saying that in his day, he could never have shown that sort of attitude.]
Looking at what the gods were saying, Han Seongtae let a faint smile appear, small enough that no one else could notice.
“Good work today.”
Han Seongtae thanked the people who had worked hard recording all day.
As he went around saying goodbye, Han Seongtae spotted Kay hesitantly approaching him.
“…Good work today.”
“Yes. Good work.”
The stiff greetings came and went.
Han Seongtae silently watched Kay’s back as he left the studio looking deep in thought.
Tap.
Just then, he felt someone touch his arm.
Turning his head, Han Seongtae found Kim Minseok looking at him with a peculiar expression.
“What?”
“Want to go have a drink? Let’s have chicken and beer.”
“Sounds good. Let’s go.”
“By the way, wasn’t Dusik hyung here until a little while ago? He disappeared at some point.”
“He said he had something to do, so he left while you were in the bathroom.”
“Oh, really? Too bad I couldn’t say goodbye.”
Together with Kim Minseok, who smacked his lips regretfully, Han Seongtae headed to a nearby chicken restaurant.
While they waited for their food after ordering,
Han Seongtae and Kim Minseok talked about what they had been up to lately.
Perhaps because he was spending time with a friend, even the most trivial subjects were enjoyable.
“Enjoy your meal!”
The employee said energetically as he set down the chicken and beer.
“But…”
When the employee looked at him and tilted his head, Han Seongtae pulled his hat lower.
“Nah, no way. Why would Han Seongtae come here?”
Watching the employee mutter to himself as he walked away, Han Seongtae gave a hollow laugh.
“Let’s drink.”
“Yeah.”
Clink.
Han Seongtae clinked glasses with Kim Minseok.
One drink, then two.
How much time had passed after the alcohol began settling into them?
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“Why were you like that earlier?”
“Earlier?”
At Kim Minseok’s question, Han Seongtae tilted his head.
Looking at him, Kim Minseok continued.
“You know, what you said to Kay earlier.”
“Ah.”
“I was frustrated too, so I understand. But weren’t you being a little too sensitive?”
Seeing his friend speak with a face full of concern, Han Seongtae let out a small laugh.
Kim Minseok was worried that Han Seongtae’s behavior might have gone too far.
To other people, his actions could have looked as though he was angry.
Han Seongtae had done it despite knowing that.
“He seemed young.”
“…Hey, you do know Kay is the same age as us, right?”
“I know.”
Kay and Han Seongtae were the same age.
Kim Minseok did not know.
He did not know that the person sitting in front of him was an older man who carried the memories of his previous life.
Smiling, Han Seongtae raised his beer glass.
Watching him drink, Kim Minseok spoke again.
“Think it’ll work out?”
“It’ll work out.”
Han Seongtae knew what Kim Minseok was worried about.
He and Kay had been clashing since the first day, so he was probably worried whether they would be able to finish the project without trouble.
But regardless of Kim Minseok’s concern, Han Seongtae was certain.
“It’ll definitely work out. Don’t worry.”
The recording would be completed without incident.
Kay was talented, and he would soon understand what the problem was.
For Han Seongtae, who knew Kay’s future, confidence was not difficult.
All he was doing now was helping Kay see the future waiting for him just a little sooner.
Gulp.
“Delicious.”
After taking a sip of beer, Han Seongtae smiled as he spoke.
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