Chapter 131
“Team Leader Seon composed a song?”
As vocal trainer Brother Taeyang gazed at Seon Taeyang, who was preparing audio with his headset on, Seo Soo-yeon replied.
“Yes, he prepared a song for this album.”
“Wow… He’s the busiest person at TwoBear right now. When did he have the time for this?”
“Brother Taeyang didn’t go home even at dawn, making it while living at the company.”
“…Wow, I always think this, but he’s really impressive.”
Brother Taeyang, scratching his head in confusion, suddenly asked Seo Soo-yeon.
“By the way, does Team Leader Seon have any previous experience in composing? I know he arranged something during the last Dress Up, but I can’t recall hearing anything about him composing.”
“I believe he has played and arranged before, but this is his first time composing.”
Upon hearing her answer, Brother Taeyang scratched his head even further.
“…Is that okay? Honestly, I wouldn’t have the confidence to give an objective evaluation if the quality is weird. Especially if it’s Team Leader Seon.”
“…”
“Honestly, don’t you think everyone feels the same? Everyone here at TwoBear has had some experience being helped by Team Leader Seon, right? Can anyone view something created during those sleepless hours objectively? …I think I’d applaud even if a chopstick march comes on.”
Lee Hyerin agreed with him.
“Exactly. Honestly, I wouldn’t have the confidence to look at Team Leader Seon’s work objectively either.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Team Leader Seon is always perfect.”
“Right… Right. Teacher Taeyang will obviously do well! Don’t doubt it.”
Facing the blind optimism of Jin Yeoreum and Han Gyeoul, Oh Yoori lamented, ‘…These ladies’ brains must have already broken.’
“I don’t doubt it either…”
“No, you should doubt it. The fact that Team Leader Seon is such a nice person makes it even more important to be objective.”
Interrupting Lee Hyerin’s words, Seo Soo-yeon added.
“What do you mean by that, Soo-yeon?”
“What do you think the reason is that Team Leader Seon kept working late into the night?”
“Well? Isn’t it because he wants to try something new?”
“Right now, he’s chugging fatigue recoveries to hold on, though?”
“…Well, maybe when he’s free, but not now. Then, why is he doing this?”
It was Yoo Gaeul who answered that.
“He wants to make us shine even more. And he thinks he can do anything for that.”
“And because of that, you think you can do anything.”
Yoo Gaeul had watched Team Leader Seon more closely than anyone else at TwoBear during the process of making music.
She even pretended to enter the accommodation, sneaking back out to the company just to eavesdrop on his compositions from behind a door.
Because of that, she knew. She understood the feelings he wanted to convey while creating his songs and the reasons behind them.
“So we have to firmly say that if Team Leader Seon’s song doesn’t have the quality it deserves, we can’t just ignore his feelings and pretend it’s good enough. That’s truly an insult to the real Team Leader Seon.”
“…I see. I think I’ve been too complacent. I’ll definitely take a proper look this time. I’ll be a bit stricter than necessary.”
Hearing Lee Hyerin’s determination, Yoo Gaeul smiled and replied.
“But there’s one thing you need to keep in mind.”
“…What’s that?”
She, who participated as the guide vocal for Seon Taeyang’s song, spoke with confidence.
“Just because we look at it objectively and critically doesn’t mean it will become a good song.”
And just as she finished her statement, Seon Taeyang, ready with his preparations, said,
“Then I will play it.”
*
She vowed to succeed.
She promised to keep her own things safe, so she wouldn’t face betrayal again.
That was why, honestly, she had no intention of getting close to the kids she had to manage this round.
She thought of them strictly as artists to manage, mere tools for success, and she only intended to view them that way.
She believed that kind of distance was just right for treating them as means to an end.
[The pond, the river, the sea. And I'm watching you.]
In such a mindset, she met a child living through the frozen winter.
She met a child enduring the bitter autumn.
She met a child burning with the heat of summer.
And she met a child living through the hazy spring.
[You, who woke up breaking a white egg and drying your feathers.]
[You, who walks on a small sandy shore.]
[You, whose wings are so big you can barely walk straight.]
[You, who can only look at the sky hidden behind clouds.]
They were children too burdened by the weight of their dreams.
They were children for whom the world came not as hope but as despair.
They were children who would have simply passed by if fate hadn’t intervened.
Yet, in this nonsensical miracle, we found each other.
It was a story she had never considered during the first round or right after reliving her life.
[You may walk to fly, but the wind might not blow at all.]
[In the cold air of dawn, rain clouds might loom.]
There might be clouds hanging low in the sky.
Perhaps if my past self saw me like this right after my regression, they would be disappointed. They might have laughed at how I was willing to resort to anything for success, pondering why I was meddling in things that didn’t concern me.
But now, my thinking has changed, and here I am.
I actually found it quite pleasing. I was in a good mood. And I was grateful.
Thanks to these kids, my dream didn’t end as just my own success.
“Still, please don’t stop flapping your wings.”
“Don’t give up facing the wind.”
In my childhood, I dreamed of becoming a good person.
That dream, which once filled my heart, has now faded, leaving behind only tarnished scars.
Every time those scars throb, I feel fear. It’s not just about being blinded by a desire for revenge, but about looking again at the story of my dreams.
Still, I want to dream once more.
“The child who will fly the farthest, I will remember you.”
“Until the wind blows that will lift you up someday.”
Gyeoul, Gaeul, Yeoreum, and Yuri.
I want to make you shine.
I might be lacking. So the actions I think are best might turn out to be mere overconfidence, leading me to make the worst choices. Because of my incompetence, I might end up losing all of you.
I’m afraid. Afraid that those looks filled with kindness will turn into disdain. Afraid of a future where excitement is subdued by disappointment.
Failure is far too familiar. Yet this time, I feel like I won’t be able to accept it like before. The sweet moment right now feels too precious, and the fall from it will hurt even more than last time.
I often feel the desire to just watch this light without doing anything, because I don’t know what mistakes my immature self might make to bring it all crashing down.
But I’ll try to keep my spirits up. Even if the end of the road is a cliff, I won’t stop walking.
If I have any strength left, I will use it all on you.
I’ll dream once again.
“The child who will fly the farthest, I am watching you.”
“Seeing you cut through the sky beyond the clouds.”
Until you reach the peak.
*
The song ended. But no one opened their mouth.
Seon Taeyang, watching their reactions, carefully took off his headset and asked.
“How was it?”
“…”
Despite his question, no one answered.
It wasn’t that they were ignoring him. The lingering feelings in everyone’s hearts dug so deeply that they were blocked from turning into words.
Interpreting their reactions negatively, Seon Taeyang sighed softly, “Oh dear, this is a disaster,” just loud enough for James Oh sitting next to him to hear.
James Oh, unable to contain his chuckles at their antics, turned to Seon Taeyang and asked, “Can you explain your composition?”
“Explain?”
Scratching the back of his head, he opened his mouth.
“Well… it’s a heartfelt country pop song centered around a lyrical guitar riff. Gaeul provided the guide vocals. It’s supposed to be emotional but I tried to make sure it doesn’t come off as old-fashioned.”
People began to wake up from the reverie of his calm words.
“…That was made by Team Leader Seon?”
“Yes, as far as I know, Team Leader Seon handled all the lyrics and composition without buying any melody lines or doing any sampling.”
“Wow…”
“Soo-yeon, this is the first time Team Leader Seon composed, right?”
“That’s right… If he had that kind of experience, we would’ve already tried to recruit him as a producer.”
“…True. I wouldn’t just let that talent go to waste.”
While the staff of TwoBear whispered among themselves sharing their impressions, James Oh asked again, “What’s the intention behind the song?”
“The intention…? It’s not that grand. But if I must say, it’s about how to showcase the kids’ charm…”
At first hesitant, as he spoke more, Seon Taeyang gradually seemed to enjoy himself, a gentle vibe flowing from him. A smile began to bloom naturally on his face.
At that moment, it was the same smile Taeyang had when Gaeul gave her first busking performance.
“Dangerous, you say. Something like that.”
In fact, before meeting Taeyang, Yoo Gaeul was so caught up with part-time jobs that she was forgetting how to love music. Her life had repeatedly convinced her that music was a luxury, hinting to herself that she didn’t really like it.
So, when the sudden busking was decided on by Taeyang, she felt negative about it. She thought she should do it just enough so that she didn’t seem lacking to him. It felt like a natural thought. Her feelings of love for music had faded to a blur.
Then while playing “The Memories of the Sea and Leaves,” she realized again what it meant to truly love something.
Her heart, which had grown cold, suddenly felt ignited once more.
“…Really, Taeyang, you should know just how dangerous that smile of yours is.”
From that moment, Yoo Gaeul had already begun to like Seon Taeyang.
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