Lira suddenly checked her brightly lit phone screen.
It was the upload alert for Debonaire’s Self-Content.
‘I wasn’t planning on watching it.’
And indeed, she had no intention of watching it at all.
The trailer was full-on playful.
—No, seriously, this album has that kind of vibe, I swear!
But Do-hee, staring intensely as if she wouldn’t bend her opinion, showed such a determined will.
—Ha~ Seriously, it’s not a lie! The inspiration I got is exactly in there!
There was no choice but to believe her.
—Ugh, my Self-Content was originally supposed to be the highlight and air last, but it’s too fun to wait until the end?
Above all, she had no intention of betting on the truth or not.
Lira herself wasn’t petty.
No, she shouldn’t be petty.
‘Let’s see.’
With a mind full of skepticism, she just pressed the play button.
That’s how it started.
And thus the curtain rose on this content.
[Do-hee listening intently to the sound of a babbling brook]
Sitting on a rock in a green forest, Do-hee stared at the valley, lost in thought.
[How does this girl with absolute pitch enjoy the sounds of nature?]
“…Is this really true?”
As the subtitle suggested, Do-hee in nature, particularly because she was called a genius, felt somewhat mystical.
Resting her fist on her chin, Do-hee mumbled softly.
[Do-hee: Inspiration…]
A monotonous voice.
She clearly looked like an artist struggling to clear the fog in her mind, trying to gain inspiration—
[Do-hee: Why call…]
[Do-hee: I saw a pair of chicks playing in the backyard…]
The camera zoomed in, almost incredulous, with a question mark appearing on screen.
[Do-hee: I saw them…]
Lira couldn’t help but respond similarly.
“Ha-ah… I can’t believe I almost believed that.”
Ignoring her thoughts, Do-hee turned her head, gazing mournfully at the camera.
[Do-hee: Lately, I’ve been thinking about that. Inspiration, why call? Why did this saying come about…?]
Why did that laughter feel so nostalgic?
The screen followed Do-hee’s gaze up to the sky.
[Do-hee's Inspiration Camp]
The voice of Do-hee echoed like a narration.
[We should slowly get up from our seats. The guests are coming.]
I didn’t want to admit it, but honestly, Lira was a bit impressive just from the intro.
“Self-Content… the quality…”
You can just feel that Debonaire’s self-content is doing well for a reason.
Anyway, the screen switched quickly.
A large and magnificent building.
[Seo-yoon: What is this? Is it (beep) a hotel?]
[Na-eun: Really? Is this a hotel stay?]
[Chiyo: Uh…?]
The members were standing at the hotel entrance.
[Woo-ah: Do-hee?]
[Seo-yoon: Is she this commendable?]
With the production staff’s positive signal, the members felt a bit unsure, but still, a superficial excitement was showing through.
[Chiyo: Oh-oh!]
As they stepped inside, the excitement became undeniable.
As if she had been waiting for them, a neatly dressed female hotelier approached.
[I’ll guide you to your room.]
[Na-eun: It really seems like a hotel stay!]
[Chiyo: So are we going to a suite or something?]
This time, there’s a sense of anticipation that they might actually get to relax.
The members’ footsteps were light.
[Seo-yoon: What is this?]
[Woo-ah: Are we eating together here?]
However, the staff led the members to a large door of some hall.
[The host is already here waiting, so you may enter.]
As the staff finished speaking, they brightly swung open the doors with another hotelier.
A medium-sized event room, convention hall, banquet hall.
A large auditorium of just the right size unfolded on the screen.
And the members’ eyes turned toward the end of the auditorium, the podium.
[Chiyo: Oh, Do-hee?]
[Seo-yoon: What is she doing over there again?]
Sitting in front of a grand piano was casual-clad Do-hee and a formally dressed man.
[Woo-ah: Who is that person?]
[Na-eun: I don’t know…]
Before the members’ murmurs calmed down, a soft and pitiful piano sound began to play.
[Seo-yoon: Ah, this…]
And the man suddenly started singing as well.
[Leise flehen meine Lieder
Durch die Nacht zu dir
(My song quietly pleads through the night to you)]
[Seo-yoon: This is something Do-hee used to listen to sometimes when she slept.]
“This is something Do-hee used to listen to while sleeping sometimes.”
“Ah, really?”
“Like, a couple of years ago, quite often.”
As if Seo-yoon quickly caught on, Lira also recognized this famous song before the subtitles appeared.
[Schubert - Ständchen]
‘Schubert’s Serenade.’
But why on earth is Do-hee performing this out of the blue?
And who is this vocalist singing?
That remained a mystery.
The members on screen looked just as baffled by the performance.
“But, what’s going on all of a sudden?” Chiyo asked.
“Do-hee does like stuff like this, though,” Woo-ah replied.
“Well, it’s like that in the dorm, but…” Seo-yoon continued.
It was so sudden.
“In the still forest down here,
Darling, come to me!”
Yet, the members, too, whispered if they should not be a bother to this impromptu performance, but soon found themselves deeply engrossed in the music. This was another shared trait with Lira.
“…(focused)” Na-eun thought.
“……”
Lira had her eyes completely closed.
She wasn’t well-versed in classical music, really more of a novice, so she couldn’t offer a precise analysis or interpretation.
‘It sounds… nice.’
Still, as someone who loved music, she could definitely tell that this performance expressed the melody in a wonderfully soft and graceful way.
Do-hee’s delicate and nuanced touch formed a lyrical and gentle sentiment.
The tenor’s powerful voice expressed both the hope and the sorrow of love.
The accompaniment maintained the right tempo and dynamic control, beautifully enhancing the lyricism and romance of the serenade.
It also adeptly depicted the unease of love with its minor tones interspersed with hope.
Leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, Lira calmly listened to the piece. She had been tired lately with plenty on her plate, and she felt a bit on edge.
And it felt like that fatigue was quietly melting away.
“Come, make me happy!”
“Come, make me happy!”
“Make me happy!”
As the tenor stopped singing about love, it was until Do-hee finished the outro of the piece.
“……”
Lira closed her eyes.
Then she opened them to the sound of applause.
But the calm enjoyment of the lingering moment continued.
On the screen, Do-hee was smiling as she bowed to the tenor descending the stage from the piano.
[Thank you to tenor Cho Hyuk-in for graciously performing!]
With only Do-hee left on the stage, she picked up a book from the piano and grabbed the microphone.
The atmosphere here was filled with a serene and calm smile.
All eyes were focused on Do-hee.
‘…It wasn’t a lie.’
This was a place full of inspiration.
[Do-hee: Mozart said.]
Lira looked at Do-hee, who recited gracefully, with a slight, honest smile.
[Do-hee: Ah, Do-hee Lee is a genius.]
“…?”
[What?]
[Do-hee: Chopin said this too.]
She turned the page.
[Do-hee: Ah, I want to hear Do-hee’s song.]
In an instant, as the random words were spouted, the audience didn’t have time to react.
[Do-hee: Everyone, you might have heard this phrase.]
A piece of paper appeared from the book Do-hee had flipped through.
The paper, which was stuck, was a cue card.
On the back, it read [Do-hee Lee's Inspiration Camp].
[Do-hee: Inspiration, why do you call?]
Do-hee took the cue card and stood up, walking confidently to the center, her voice surprisingly calm.
[Do-hee: So, do you know why this phrase exists?]
Holding the cue card in one hand, Do-hee spoke with confidence.
[Do-hee: Yes, that’s right. Inspiration doesn’t just come while sitting still. You have to call for it.]
With Do-hee’s cheer, her voice dramatically increased in volume, like she had a megaphone.
[Do-hee: Welcome to Do-hee Lee’s Inspiration Camp!!!]
Small fireworks exploded from all around.
—Bang bang bang! (Like Lira’s speed she believed in for a brief moment)
“Ha-ah…”
[Seo-yoon (The Know-It-All 1): Yeah, I didn’t even expect it~]
[Woo-ah (The Know-It-All 2): Me neither.]
[What a great friendship!]
[Chiyo (The Conscience-less): H-Hey, was I the only one expecting?]
[Na-eun (The Only Victim): ……]
Lira wasn’t sure if she should keep watching the debonair’s self-contentment until the end.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
