Translator: Synopsis

  A holiday.

  KangYoon had met up with Professor Choi ChanYang to learn harmonics.

  It was thanks to Professor Choi saying that he would teach him even during the holidays.

  “You’ve come quite far. Major, minor, and diminished…. It looks like there’s no problem with your scales anymore.”


  “Thank you.”


  The lecture in the café was very fun. Professor Choi ChanYang smoothly led KangYoon on the right track. Thanks to that, KangYoon could learn music theory to his heart’s content as though a sponge absorbing water.

  “Should we rest for a little?”


  When KangYoon raised his head, the sun was already setting. When he focused, time flew quickly. Using this rest time, Professor Choi ChanYang started talking about the recent news.

  “You’re like normal, Mr. KangYoon. Busy, and then busy again….”


  “It’s just that type of work. Don’t you know that this industry requires a lot of hands?”


  “I guess that’s true. Especially if you’re someone high like Mr. KangYoon.”


  KangYoon nodded his head.

  The two had become quite close to each other and talked about many things. Professor Choi ChanYang said that he watched anime as a hobby. KangYoon felt as though he saw a new world to find out that Professor Choi liked something entirely different from what he looked like on the surface, a gentleman.

  When they were about to start studying again, Professor Choi’s phone started ringing. He left the café to get the call.

  When KangYoon was going through his textbook, Professor Choi came back.

  “HyunAh wants to come here. What should we do?”


  “I’m okay with it.”


  He felt like he saw HyunAh quite frequently recently, but he was fine with it. Professor Choi told her through the phone and ended the call.

  Not long after the two started studying again, Lee HyunAh came. On her back was a large guitar. After a simple exchange of greetings, Lee HyunAh took out a score.

  “It’s the score for the song last time.”


  “Oh, that one. That song was great.”


  KangYoon was honest. In his ears, the song wasn’t bad at all. Professor Choi ChanYang also agreed to that.

  “Didn’t you say that you were going to record it?”


  “Yes. It’ll be this Wednesday. At seven in the evening.”


  “Okay.”


  Professor Choi ChanYang took out a memo and wrote the time on it. KangYoon also remembered the promise and wrote the time on his phone.

  “Please come.”


  After getting an agreement from the two, Lee HyunAh took out her guitar. She tapped on the guitars saying she’ll let them listen to a song she composed. Along with the clean guitar sounds, her voice started flowing out into the café.

  “Whooo— I can’t help but fall in love—all day – I — “


  The musical note from the guitar and from Lee HyunAh herself combined to create white light. The light was very bright. KangYoon clapped lightly and reacted to her. She seemed to be encouraged by the claps as she put more power into playing the guitar.

  “My heart is on that ticking clock— “


  The few customers in the café also looked at KangYoon’s trio. Everyone was showing interest at the sudden live-show. Professor Choi ChanYang was tapping his foot lightly to enjoy and KangYoon became a loyal audience by clapping. Their table was like a small stage.

  The song ended, and Lee HyunAh shyly lowered her head.

  “How was it?”


  “It was good.”


  That was his honest opinion: It was a good song. He thought that the song fits her voice well.

  “It’s thanks to you that I could make this song, oppa.”


  “I don’t remember doing much.”


  “You made the melody here at this part, though.”


  Lee HyunAh pointed at the score. When she pointed at the melody line and the bass line in the third and fourth bars, KangYoon smiled awkwardly.

  “It’s only because you helped out. I know nothing….”


  “Creating melodies are extremely difficult you know? It’s only thanks to you that I could compose a good song, oppa. I’m planning to put your name as the co-composer. Will that be alright with you?”


  This was an official request. When KangYoon pondered seriously, Professor Choi ChanYang spoke to him.

  “Mr. KangYoon. Is it because of your company?”


  “No, it’s not that. The company won’t interfere with personal lives after all.”


  “Isn’t it fine then?” Creating your own song isn’t just doable by anyone.”


  KangYoon fell into thought after hearing that. His ‘own song’ provoked him a little.

  “…Okay, put it in there then.”


  “Okay. I’ll make it into a good song so that it won’t tarnish your name.”


  She was full of resolve for some reason. KangYoon shook his hands saying that it was too pressuring for him, but she didn’t change her attitude.

  ***

  Having successfully finished his work with DRO Mart, KangYoon wrapped up his work and gave it to the business team. He made the important decisions, but things like analysis were now handled by a specialized team. With the success of this job, a new department was created in the company, and that leads to new profits.

  KangYoon headed to the chairman’s office to report about the DRO mart.

  “I knew I could count on you for the new job. It must have been quite unfamiliar, were you okay with it?”


  “I did it with the mindset that I will learn new things. It’s fortunate that things went well.”


  Chairman Won JinMoon slowly sipped on the coffee. He felt his body relaxing as the warm coffee went down his throat. He asked KangYoon with a smile that was as comfortable as his body.

  “Okay. What about your next work?”


  “I have heard that it’s still under progress.”


  “Hm…. President Lee still has some ways to go.”


  “I heard that it’s hard to find suitable work even though there are many offers. After all, we need to do something that’s profitable.”


  KangYoon stood up for President Lee HyunJi. Then, Chairman Won JinMoon agreed and switched topics.

  “Hm… well, I’ll find out in the next report. So, you’ll be resting for a while?”


  “The coordinator work keeps coming in so I’ll be doing those.”


  “Okay then.”


  After the conversation with Chairman Won JinMoon, KangYoon left the chairman’s office.

  ‘I wonder what the next one would be?’


  KangYoon was curious about it as well. President Lee HyunJi was currently working away from the office to get a good work offer, so it would be bad to call her now.

  Before he returned to his own office, KangYoon headed to the resting room to cool off a little. However, there was someone already there. It was Jung MinAh.

  “MinAh.”


  “Huh? Ahjussi.”


  “You really….”


  “…Team leader.”


  When KangYoon was about to get angry, Jung MinAh lowered her tail. However, she immediately became full of vitality and approached KangYoon. She was the type that was hard to hate.

  KangYoon bought her some snacks and sat down together.

  “How is it nowadays?”


  “Oh, it’s hard. There’s a lot of work, but no rest…. I wish there was a Jung MinAh-robot.”


  “Consider yourselves lucky. Celebrities without any schedules sometimes get suicidal thoughts.”


  “Sheesh, can’t you even console me….”


  Grumbled Jung MinAh. When KangYoon raised his fist, she immediately moved away.

  “What are you doing nowadays, Team leader? Don’t you feel great now that you don’t have to take care of us anymore?”


  “Yep.”


  “Hey, really?!”


  KangYoon’s joke made Jung MinAh’s expression change immediately. When KangYoon said that it was a joke, she still got mad at him. Jung MinAh was the kind of girl that needed quite a bit of care, but precisely because of that, she was the closest to him out of all the girls of Eddios.

  “Some people called DiaTeen debuted at Yoonseul. And I think they’re always on guard against us.”


  “They’re from a rival company after all. Perhaps they’re feeling a sense of rivalry?”


  “Who cares about rivalry nowadays? We’re all singers. Anyway, I don’t like them. They don’t come around for a greeting and hand out albums, and… oh yeah, they do seem to have quite a few fans. At first, I thought they were some unknown twats….”


  “What’s a twat?”


  (T/N: Okay, that’s the closest I can get to in English, in the original text, it’s an acronym of ‘Random trash that’s unheard and unseen of’. Rttuauo doesn’t sound like it’s a word…)

  KangYoon didn’t know the slang word and tilted his head. Jung MinAh explained to him that it was a derogatory term. He warned her to never use the word in public and Jung MinAh told him that there’s no way she would. They were actually on good terms with each other.

  “…Anyway, they’re nagging my mind nowadays. They’re always there when we try to appear on TV.”


  “It’s just in the TV station, right?”


  “Yes. Hey, they would be stalkers if they followed us to events….”


  Jung MinAh shivered saying that it was frightening to just think about it.

  While they were talking, Jung MinAh stood up saying that it was time to go.

  “Then I’ll be going to another event then.”


  “Be careful on your way.”


  After sending her off, KangYoon headed to his office as well. Although he had much more time than before, he still had some work to do.

  ***

  The day of Lee HyunAh’s recording came.

  KangYoon finished off his work and headed to a recording studio nearby Hongdae where Lee HyunAh would be recording today. Since he only had the address, it took him some time to find it.

  “Hello.”


  When KangYoon entered a shabby basement, Lee HyunAh and the other members all greeted him. At a glance, they exuded the aura of ‘musicians’. KangYoon also took out some meals after greeting them. Among everyone’s cheers, KangYoon left an impression on them as the ‘snack uncle’.

  After a simple meal, the recording began. Professor Choi ChanYang adjusted the instrumental sounds, as well as Lee HyunAh’s microphone. Although this took a considerable amount of time, he did this properly.

  “Studio renting is expensive though….”


  “It’s fine. This is all an investment.”


  “That’s true, but still….”


  Kim JinDae, the drums, spoke worriedly, but Lee HyunAh was actually cool with it. She told everyone that investment was a must for a good song, and got an agreement from all of them.

  “Okay, let’s begin.”


  Along with Professor Choi ChanYan’gs words, everyone including Lee HyunAh gave him the OK signal. With four beats from the drumsticks, the recording began.

  “Perhaps I might be busy today – and tomorrow’s no good either –.”


  When the song began, musical notes started appearing in front of KangYoon as well.

  ‘Not bad.’


  The musical notes from the electric guitar and the synthesizer were added to the drums and the bass. When Lee HyunAh’s voice was added to it, a white light was released. It wasn’t a bad light. KangYoon could imagine Lee HyunAh’s playing of the acoustic guitar at the café overlapping her.

  ‘It feels similar to that time.’


  The song was definitely good, but he felt like it lacked impact. The song progressed from the introduction to the middle part, but not the climax. It had to reach the peak, but KangYoon felt that it fell down before it could go up and shook his head.

  “How is it?”


  When Professor Choi ChanYang asked that, KangYoon shook his head instead of answering. Professor Choi also seemed to think the same and didn’t say much about it. He gave a glance to KangYoon though. KangYoon immediately voiced out his opinion.

  “I think you don’t have any impact. The instrumental-kind of feeling is good, but there’s no ups and downs in the song.”


  – Oh, really? Should we raise the volume in the ‘weekend’ part?

  “Why don’t we go with another tone for the guitar? Right now, it’s the clean tone. Let’s go with another sound.”


  When Lee HyunAh asked as the representative, KangYoon talked about the necessary things. Jung ChanKyu, the electric guitar player, controlled the effector to change the tone.

  “Would you like to sit here?”


  Professor Choi ChanYang yielded the center seat of the mixer to KangYoon. KangYoon shook his hand saying that he couldn’t do this, but Professor Choi ChanYang still urged him on anyway.

  “I’ll teach you. Just try it once. I heard you can do the basics.”


  “I don’t have any experience doing it for a real recording though.”


  “You have a knack for it so you’ll do well.”


  KangYoon eventually sat in front of the mixer instead of Professor Choi ChanYang. There was nothing easy since there were 48 channels on the mixer and the program on the computer was in English. However, Professor Choi ChanYang explained each one of them and encouraged KangYoon.

  When everyone inside the booth gave the ok signal, KangYoon gave them the signal to start.

  – Perhaps I might be busy today – and tomorrow’s no good either –


  Seeing musical notes coming out of everyone, he started adjusting the machine. The first thing he adjusted was the drums. When he isolated the drums with the headset, it was quite sharp. KangYoon started decreasing the high tone from the microphone that was placed in front of the cymbals.

  “Mr. KangYoon, you decreased it too much.”


  “Ah….”


  However, Professor Choi ChanYang spoke to him the next moment. The machine was sensitive so it changed drastically even from a little tweaking. KangYoon minutely adjusted the sounds.

  “You see the effector here, right?”


  “Yes. It’s the echo and the delay. What is this?”


  KangYoon tweaked on the mixer while listening to the sounds and the advice from Professor Choi ChanYang.

  Like that, the second recording ended.

  – How was it this time?

  When Lee HyunAh asked for his opinion, KangYoon shook his head, saying that it wasn’t time yet.

  “I’m sorry, it’s my first time on the mixer.”


  – If it’s you, well… we’ll do it again.

  Lee HyunAh didn’t say anything anymore as she trusted in KangYoon. The other members also didn’t say anything since she didn’t. This time, KangYoon recorded verse by verse.

  – Perhaps I might be busy today –


  KangYoon was busy. He had to look at the musical notes and tweak the machine as well. However, he also found it more comfortable since he could do everything now without telling someone else to do it. When he saw that Lee HyunAh’s musical note dimmed the light a little instead, KangYoon stopped the song.

  “Let’s do that again, the sound was too weak.”


  – Yes.

  In the retry, a strong white light came out. He tried it one more time just in case, and the results were the same. KangYoon went on to the next verse in satisfaction.

  “I want to give this part a slight echoing effect here, what do I need to do?”


  “To do that, you….”


  Professor Choi ChanYang put his best effort to advise KangYoon.

  Like that, Lee HyunAh and KangYoon’s song was being completed bit by bit.

  ***

  The recording ended and when they left the studio, it was way past midnight. Everyone had to get a taxi because there was no public transport.

  “Thank you for your work.”


  The members each took a taxi. Today’s recording went well so everyone was in great spirits.

  “Bye.”


  “See you at practice.”


  Lee HyunAh sent the members away first. She told them that the leader had to go last and made everyone laugh as well.

  When the members and Professor Choi ChanYang left, only KangYoon and Lee HyunAh were left.

  “We should go too.”


  “Yes.”


  KangYoon came to the roadside to hail a taxi, but strangely, none came. Lee HyunAh approached him.

  “I can’t see any taxi.”


  “It will come soon.”


  Unlike his words, no taxis stopped by. It was strange. While KangYoon was looking out for a taxi, Lee HyunAh approached KangYoon.

  “Oppa.”


  “What is it?”


  “Uh… can I ask you something?”


  KangYoon nodded his head without any word. Lee HyunAh, unlike her usual self, asked him very cautiously and shyly.

  “Uhm…. Do you perhaps… have a girlfriend?”


  KangYoon was stunned by the sudden question from HyunAh.

  ***

  Translator’s notes

  CLIFFFFFFFFFFHANNNNNGERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!