Chapter 234

“Where is this?”

Woo-ah Unni, who had left Chiyo Unni outside, didn’t go straight into the recording studio but sat down next to me, placing her lyric book in front of her and tapping her pen.

“It might be a bit hard to get the timing right there, but don’t feel pressured. Just do it as you go along, so it’s all good.”

Before recording, she seemed to want to check everything with the producer and me one last time to ensure a perfect recording.

Our lovely Woo-ah Unni.

She was just a 13-year-old kid when I first saw her.

How she has grown so nicely…

“What are you thinking about?”

“Huh? I just suddenly remembered the past. Anyway, the important part is… the ─ Yeah and ─ Huh ad-libs at the beginning. I honestly think that’s the most charming part.”

“Really?”

She played a brief sample for me.

“Wow… isn’t it great? Your low voice layered over this bass is just perfect. Some people get so into it that they listen with headphones and totally shiver!”

As I imagined that scene with my eyes closed, Woo-ah Unni asked cautiously,

“…But Do-hee, isn’t this part usually the part you’d want to sing?”

“…Well… I guess? How did you know?”

“You’ve loved this kind of tone since you were little. Especially when listening to band songs. That’s why I thought you were adding it in for yourself.”

“…Did I really?”

“Yeah, your usual clothing preference is kinda similar. You like feminine but slightly cool and somewhat androgynous styles. Monochrome, especially black clothing.”

“That is true.”

To be fair, aside from the fact that Woo-ah Unni is really into fashion, it made sense I would naturally know her style, having grown up with her since she was 11.

Just like how I know Woo-ah Unni’s tastes and preferences.

“But you like this part too, right?”

“Yeah, I do~ But somehow, since childhood, you’ve always been the one saying you like this type of part. It’s like you brainwashed me asking, ‘Isn’t it nice?'”

“What are you saying? Honestly, everyone would love a part like this, right? And I can do well in any part anyway. It’s just underrated because I’m the one writing the songs. I rap well too. Acknowledge it?”

“Oh please, is that so?”

“Ah, this Unni has been acting so nonchalantly since last year, seriously?”

“Hehe.”

Anyway, the parts I gave her enhance Woo-ah Unni’s vibe and appearance.

She has a fair face, big monolid eyes, a round nose with a nice bridge, a pretty profile, and full lips.

Innocence and sophistication coexist.

She has a canvas-like face that can embody various characters depending on her makeup.

“Not a classic beauty like Na-eun Unni, but maybe a bit like a Cannes Film Festival award winner.”

The ability to present various images and vibes from one person is a significant advantage in showcasing many facets to the public.

Just like her appearance, the lines and voice she delivers can show off diverse charms.

“Anyway, knowing my preferences, you’re definitely better than our mom. Mom always buys me chick dresses that I like, pink stuff, and songs about princesses…”

“Isn’t that an old story?”

“Similar these days too. Recently, for my birthday, she bought me clothes and just asked me to give them to Do-ah.”
“I just told her to give me Do-ah.”

Unni laughed with a chuckle.

“Well, that’s because your daughter is pretty and cute; if I were her, I’d say the same. Do-hee, you wouldn’t be like that if you had a daughter, right?”

“A daughter?”

Well, if it’s a daughter that looks like me… she would surely be super cute.

Of course, I don’t think I’ll have kids…

But if I think about Do-ah…

“That’s why I told her to wear Do-ah. Anyway, let’s hurry up; if we get delayed, Chiyo and I will finish work late.”

She started looking over the lyrics again.

But while skimming through the lyrics, Woo-ah Unni kept giggling.

“Do-hee, you know I have a pretty good sense of aesthetics, right?”

“Well… I have to admit. Unni has good fashion sense.”

Even when she dressed casually, she wore nice clothes and did her makeup well on her own.

“But if I were a mother, I would dress Do-hee like a princess. Whether as a baby or now.”

“Why?”

“When you look at Na-eun Unni, she has some of that ‘handsome beauty’, right?”

“True? Those actors and actresses are like that. There’s just a fine line between being pretty and being handsome. But you’re kind of like that too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I like that ‘handsome beauty’ kind of vibe.”

“…Hmm, but unfortunately, Do-hee has none of that handsome beauty on her face.”

“……”

I ignored Woo-ah Unni, who kept chatting nonsense without recording and stared at the lyrics.

“Here’s another part in the chorus…”

“But you know that’s a compliment, right?”

“…Really?”

“Of course. Saying you’re the prettiest among girls means you’re my most beautiful sister in the world.”

“Is that so…?”

“Of course~”

“Well, I guess… I’m a bit… ahem.”

*

Woo-ah Unni’s recording went smoothly, with most parts getting an OK sign after just two or three tries.

She was just as fast as Na-eun Unni, who had finished early.

“Producer! I’m here…”

Thanks to that, Chiyo Unni arrived with renewed energy after waiting around.

“You’re right to stay…”

I quickly shoved her into the recording room and delivered a one-way message through the talkback.

“I’m reading the lyrics.”

Naturally, I turned off the mic.

Just in case she was talking nonsense inside.

After waiting a bit and regaining my composure, I pressed the talkback button.

“Unni.”

─Locked in a room… kidnapped… Producer, what are you trying to do to me…? Ah, please…!

Sigh… this won’t do.

I need to be a bit strict with her.

“Unni, are you kidding? The recording studio isn’t a place for jokes. Can you stop with the laughter?”

Seeing my serious expression, Chiyo Unni looked flustered.

“Even if I’m the youngest, as you said, I’m the producer today.”

─Producer… are you angry…?

“Yeah. It’s because of you that we’re behind schedule. Your joke…”

One corner of Chiyo Unni’s mouth lifted slightly.

─…It was just an act of pretending to be mad. I know there’s only you left to record, Do-hee. Hehe.

You’re quite the clever and witty little kimchi…

Looks like I’ll have to persuade her somehow.
A situation where persuasion is needed.

Make your expression and tone a bit softer…

“Unni, you’re not going to let the recording studio behind-the-scenes out anyway. I’ve been too harsh on the older sisters in front of me. So today, let’s just take it easy, okay?”

—Hmm…

“It’s fun to laugh and joke around, but I’ve been in the recording studio for 13 hours including yesterday. Don’t you feel sorry for me…? I’m exhausted…”

—Definitely pitiful…

“Yeah, if I nitpick every little breath you take, it would annoy you, right? It’s petty. Okay?”

—Hmm… Should I do that…?

“So let’s focus only on the important stuff without nitpicking—”

—Okay, got it. Let’s start by loosening up.

Chiyo Unni starts skimming through the lyrics with a bright smile erased.

Her tone isn’t the usual either; it’s in the casual speech style of Koreans, which somehow feels fitting.

‘Come to think of it… It’s been a really long time since this unni spoke properly.’

Honestly, the members all knew.

Chiyo’s usual speech style was a habit.

For sure, during her trainee days, whenever she got scolded by the teachers, she pretended not to understand Korean, which turned into her defense mechanism as a Japanese cosplayer.

‘Of course, she is Japanese…’

Anyway, since she often used cosplay in daily life.

Now, fans, company staff, and even the director were all fooled by it.

‘Does it even make sense that the main rapper only has good pronunciation and tone while rapping?’

—Do-hee, let’s hurry. You said it was hard~

“I said I’d do it, just wait a bit. I’m messing with the machine. Trying to set your part.”

—I got it~ Chiyo, just wait quietly~ Hehe.

“Ah, seriously, I can’t adapt.”

For now… Chiyo Unni’s first part comes after Woo-ah Unni’s low voice and the first intro ad-lib, leading into the song’s first lyrics.

The first verse.

“Unni, do you know why I gave you this precious first verse?”

—Of course, it’s because Chiyo is super good at it?

Chiyo Unni’s face was about to break into a playful smile again.

‘Just hold it in. Hold…’

—Huh? Did the producer get annoying…? Is Chiyo’s tone switching…?

“Nope. Do-hee, I’m not annoyed~? I’m totally happy right now~?”

—Eh, doesn’t seem like it…

“See, I’m smiling~?”

—Fake… Inside, you’re about to get mad…

“…Ah, seriously─”

—But still, if Do-hee gets mad, it’s scary, so I should work hard, right? Fighting!

“Haah…”

闭上眼睛反复深呼吸，终于放出了引导。

*

‘Is it the devilish tone I can have because my mind is weird?’

“I’ll do it once more.”

When you hear Chiyo Unni’s singing voice, there’s a strange charm to it.

To be honest, Chiyo Unni’s vocal skills are certainly lagging behind the other members.

But that comparison was only when looked at with traditional singer standards.

Unlike the past where technical criteria were valued.

These days, what the public loves in a singer is someone with a unique voice.

‘If they can sing well too, that’s the best.’

And Chiyo Unni had one of the tonal characteristics I truly liked.
A voice often described as sharp and clear.

It was rough or husky.

The vibrations from the vocal cords didn’t resonate smoothly, producing a tone that varied based on partial tension in the vocal cords.

Among them, Chiyo Unni stood out.

Her natural tone, when speaking Japanese, was as clear as she claimed to be a lady from a prestigious family.

Yet, when she spoke Korean or English,

somehow, a subtle tension mixed into her vocal cords emerged.

“There are cases where voices change with different languages.”

So, Chiyo Unni’s tone wasn’t just rugged and husky.

It was a unique shade of sound that combined a hint of roughness with an otherwise clear voice.

That might have been why the Director had picked Chiyo Unni as a rapper when she was a trainee…

─What are you talking about? I was seen as a rapper from the audition, you know?

Ah.

More than that, being complimented somehow shifted her tone back again.

It’s pretty strange that someone who uses such a tone raps well.

“Or maybe it’s that this kind of tone makes it easier to rap well…”

“Anyway, I genuinely think Unni has one of the most unique voices among Japanese idols outside of the members.”

─Hehe

That’s nice.

“So I think the unique tone really shines in the introduction or first line of the chorus.”

─As expected… I am a born superstar.

Ugh, honestly, it’s frustrating; should I just stop?

*

─Again.

─Again?

─Are you singing while being aware of your oral structure?

─Again. Try saying ah-e-e-o-u to loosen your mouth.

Chiyo Unni’s recording took a long time and wasn’t smooth, but somehow, it was done.

Throughout the recording, Chiyo Unni wore a sullen face and showed a pitiful expression. But I really didn’t mean to tease her.

It was just a personal effort to enhance her unique voice.

“Should I go out and comfort her…? I feel like I was too harsh…”

At that moment, the recording room flung open, and Woo-ah Unni charged in with wide eyes.

“Hey…! Chiyo is crying. What did you say…?”

“…Really?”

I bolted out of the recording room.

I still had my recording left, but that wasn’t important right now.

“Sigh, getting emotional for no reason…”

However, when I stepped out, Chiyo Unni was nowhere to be found.

─Going up.

“Excuse me. Hmph… that little brat Do-hee is jealous of my tone.”

All I could see were the escaping Chiyo Unni, who stuck her tongue out while riding the elevator, and Woo-ah Unni rushing ahead to join her.

“Do-hee, we’re going to the cafe to get something sweet, okay? After the recording, we’ll feast~”

The elevator doors closed.

I watched in a daze before taking out my phone to make a call.

It wasn’t to the members.

“Yes, Director. I wanted to ask if it’s okay if there’s a bit of a difference in lines between the members.”

─

“Is this much okay? I have about 35 seconds, while Chiyo Unni and Woo-ah Unni have 10 seconds. That’s roughly a 25-second difference.”

─

“What? No, I’m not sick.”

─

“…Uh, you don’t need to come down.”

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