The Second Melody - Season 1, Episode 4
[SCENE START]
INT. MUSIC ACADEMY - DAY
A modern, sleek music academy building in Seoul. The lobby is bustling with teenagers, all impeccably dressed in trendy street fashion. They carry expensive guitar cases and brand-name bags.
HYUN-WOO (18, present) stands out. He wears a simple school uniform and carries a beat-up, worn acoustic guitar case. He looks out of place, a ghost from a different time. He grips the strap of his case, a mix of anxiety and quiet determination on his face.
A loud, charismatic voice cuts through the chatter.
JUNG MIN-JUN (18) and two friends stand in the center of the lobby, laughing. Min-jun is the perfect image of a future idol: tall, confident, and with a captivating, cocky smile.
MIN-JUN (To his friends) They said some old man is scouting today. I heard he found some top stars back in the day. Let's show him what the new generation is all about.
His friends laugh and nod. Min-jun's eyes sweep the lobby and land on Hyun-woo. He smirks, a look of condescension on his face.
MIN-JUN (To his friends, loud enough for Hyun-woo to hear) Look at that. Someone came straight from school. With a guitar that old, he's probably been practicing since the Joseon dynasty.
Hyun-woo feels his face flush with anger, but he says nothing. He knows Min-jun's type all too well from his past life.
A staff member calls out a list of names.
STAFF MEMBER Jung Min-jun, Lee Min-ho, Kim Ha-neul. You're up.
Min-jun and his friends swagger into the audition room.
INT. AUDITION ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The room is minimal, with only a few chairs and a small stage. A single scout, an older man with sharp eyes, sits at a table. He looks tired and unimpressed.
Min-jun and his friends step onto the stage. They perform a high-energy, perfectly synchronized dance-pop song. The vocals are flawless, the choreography sharp. It's a polished, manufactured performance.
The scout takes a note. He looks bored.
SCOUT (Flatly) Okay, next.
Min-jun is shocked. He thought he had impressed him. As he and his friends walk off, he glares at the scout.
The staff member calls out another name.
STAFF MEMBER Kim Hyun-woo.
Hyun-woo walks onto the stage. Min-jun and his friends stand by the door, watching. Min-jun smirks, ready to watch him fail.
Hyun-woo takes his beat-up acoustic guitar from its case. The sound of a single, soft note fills the room. He closes his eyes and begins to play.
The scout's bored expression shifts. He leans forward, his attention caught.
Hyun-woo begins to sing, his voice a pure, unpolished melody.
[SONG BEGINS: "FADED ECHO"]
(VERSE 1) The crowd's applause still rings inside my head, A ghost I can't escape, a word I never said. The lights went out, the stage turned cold and gray, I'm standing here now, a thousand miles away.
(PRE-CHORUS) Every step I take, it feels like I'm a stranger, Walking through a life I know is full of danger. I see the boy I was, before the fall, the fear, But all I hear is silence where the cheering used to be...
(CHORUS) I'm just a faded echo, of a song that's gone to dust, A broken melody, a silent, lonely trust. The face in the mirror isn't mine at all, It's a forgotten picture, waiting for the final call.
(VERSE 2) They say I'm young and full of life, with years to go, But they don't see the past, the secrets that I know. I lost my voice inside the noise, the endless, hateful roar, And now I'm back here, right outside the same old door.
(PRE-CHORUS) Every step I take, it feels like I'm a stranger, Walking through a life I know is full of danger. I see the boy I was, before the fall, the fear, But all I hear is silence where the cheering used to be...
(CHORUS) I'm just a faded echo, of a song that's gone to dust, A broken melody, a silent, lonely trust. The face in the mirror isn't mine at all, It's a forgotten picture, waiting for the final call.
(BRIDGE) Maybe I can find my voice again, a new way to sing, A different path to walk, a brand-new song to bring. Maybe the past can stay a memory, a gentle, healing scar, And the lonely boy will finally find out who they truly are.
(OUTRO) A faded echo, singing from the past... Just a faded echo... a second chance at last...
[SONG ENDS]
Hyun-woo's eyes are open now, filled with tears. He doesn't look at the scout, only at the empty space on the stage where his memory of the boy group once stood.
The scout is frozen, his pencil hovering over his notes. His face is no longer bored; it's a mix of shock and wonder.
Min-jun and his friends are also silent. They exchange glances, their arrogant smirks completely gone. Min-jun's jaw is clenched, a flicker of genuine fear in his eyes.
The scout clears his throat.
SCOUT (Voice shaking slightly) Where did you learn to play like that? And... where did that song come from?
Hyun-woo simply looks at him, unable to speak. The scout knows he has found something extraordinary.
[SCENE END]