86 – Two Geniuses with Strong Pride (3) "Then shall we try again today?"
At Lee Jiyeon's words, Yoon Suyeon nodded once and closed her eyes. Watching her, Lee Jiyeon played the music she had prepared in advance.
At the melody, Yoon Suyeon let out a soft sigh.
It was familiar. The melody of "Runaway," the first song she worked on with her brother.
She had practiced it hundreds—thousands—of times. Of course she knew exactly when to come in and how to sing it.
But she couldn't start easily.
No—more accurately, she couldn't.
Normally, before she began singing, Yoon Suyeon always pictured someone.
How would that person sing this song? She would run it through her head, interpret it in her own way, and then sing.
But now she couldn't do that.
She couldn't move forward with that method anymore.
So she changed the way she thought.
How can I sing this song perfectly?
Not, How would that person—Han Goyo—sing this song?
But, How can I make this song my brother made even more perfect?
She tried thinking like that.
She repeated the lyrics to herself.
She repeated the melody to herself.
When my brother made this song, what was he feeling?
The lyrics of "Runaway" were extremely free.
Escape the complicated everyday life, leave the city, fly freely.
It sang that with a groovy melody.
Was my brother feeling suffocated?
If he was, by what?
By making songs?
No. That wouldn't be it.
Yoon Hajun didn't realize it himself, but whenever he made music, he was always smiling. He wore a faint smile, like something about it was fun. Sometimes he frowned as if he were suffering when a part wouldn't come together, but the moment the blockage broke, he smiled again.
If you saw that, making songs wasn't suffering for him.
Then what was it that her brother wanted to escape from?
As Yoon Suyeon kept thinking, something came to her.
This song wasn't only her and Yoon Hajun's first work together. It was also Yoon Hajun's first song as a producer.
Before making it, Yoon Hajun had been more focused on singing than composing. And back then, he didn't smile much.
He always wore a serious expression, thinking about something, hurting.
But once he started making music, his expression changed.
He became relaxed. Softer.
His sharp eyes turned languid.
He smiled at her more.
He spoke to her again like he used to.
And—
He stopped singing.
When did it start? When the singing that used to drift so naturally from Yoon Hajun's room cut off. When her brother, who was always busy with academies, quit them and stayed home.
Yoon Hajun never told her.
So Yoon Suyeon didn't ask.
More precisely, she didn't want to think about it.
Even though she already knew.
Even though she had caught on long ago.
That her brother had quit singing.
She just didn't want to admit it.
—Let's go on a trip.
Throw everything away,
and run far away.
Slowly, Yoon Suyeon began to sing.
This time, she chewed over every lyric she had once sung without thinking. She sang with her fists clenched.
Now she felt like she understood what her brother had wanted to escape from.
Her brother—Yoon Hajun—had wanted to escape from singing.
And after he quit, her brother changed.
He took interest in her, even though he never used to.
He cheered for her, saying she could become a singer.
He made songs for her.
Yoon Suyeon bit her lip.
Her brother gave up his dream of becoming a singer.
She didn't know the reason.
Why Yoon Hajun gave up on being a singer, why he started making songs—she didn't know.
But her brother had her.
He had a little sister who could sing the songs he made.
Yoon Suyeon slowly opened her eyes and kept singing.
Then I'll sing his share, too.
More perfectly.
To let my brother's songs be known to the world.
The brother who gave up his dream of being a singer made the songs.
And the little sister who gained the dream of becoming a singer because of him sang them.
Watching her, Lee Jiyeon's mouth fell open.
I knew she was a genius, but…
Of course, changing your mindset didn't suddenly raise your singing level by leaps and bounds. Only a very slight change happened.
And that was enough.
That slight change would become Yoon Suyeon's originality and complete Yoon Suyeon's own singing.
Lee Jiyeon stared blankly at Yoon Suyeon as she sang.
§ § §
"I'm back."
Yoon Suyeon said it as she headed into the living room after coming home.
As expected, Yoon Hajun was there, completely absorbed in making music.
Seeing her brother with earphones in, working without even noticing she'd arrived, Yoon Suyeon hesitated. Then she tapped him on the shoulder.
"Ah, you're back?"
Yoon Hajun pulled out an earphone and spoke. Suyeon nodded.
To be honest, she wanted to ask.
Why did you quit singing?
But she shouldn't ask until her brother told her himself.
For some reason, it felt like that.
So Yoon Suyeon forced a smile like nothing was wrong.
"Are you making a song?"
"Yeah."
"You said you're working with someone named Kim Hanol, right?"
"I am, but… I don't know."
Yoon Hajun frowned.
He had taken the job to make a song they'd use at the event, but honestly, he didn't know if this would end properly.
If it falls through, I can just give it to Taeyoung.
Still, the song he was making based on what Kim Hanol said wasn't bad.
Love.
A subject Yoon Hajun hadn't handled easily until now.
There were multiple reasons.
First, it was too common—a theme squeezed dry until there was nothing left.
Second, Yoon Hajun didn't care much about love in the first place. Across both his past life and this one, he'd dated exactly once.
And it ended in a single day.
In his past life, he didn't care much about other people. What mattered most was succeeding as a singer.
Even that relationship only happened because the other person confessed first.
And the one who said they were breaking up was also the other person.
You don't look at me.
They had said it in a strangely sad voice, then left.
As Yoon Hajun recalled the moment, his fingers paused over the composing program.
For some reason, he couldn't remember that person's face.
No—not just their face. He couldn't remember their name, either.
After trying to recall them for a moment, Yoon Hajun shook his head.
Well, it was his past life anyway.
Someone he could never meet again.
So he stopped thinking about it.
§ § §
"Isn't this painting really captivating?"
After finishing the song sketch, I came to the studio and called Kim Hanol over. When he arrived, that was the first thing he blurted out.
I turned and looked at the painting he was staring at.
One of the pieces displayed around the company. I'd heard the CEO's niece drew them.
It really did have a strange pull.
Like you could get sucked into it if you kept looking.
"Yeah."
"I like the paintings in this company."
Does Kim Hanol have a sensitive side too?
As I wondered that, surprised, Kim Hanol continued with a grin.
"Looking at them makes all sorts of things come to mind. Inspiration and stuff."
I nodded.
Kim Hanol was the type who made songs in bursts of inspiration rather than steadily grinding away like I did. More precisely, he only made songs when inspiration struck.
Which meant that until he got that inspiration, all he did was loaf around.
"Even drinking, even meeting people—it's all for inspiration."
Honestly, it sounded like an excuse.
But if that's what he claimed, fine.
And it probably wasn't a complete lie. After all, his reason for doing drugs later was also "to make music."
"Anyway, can I listen to the finished sketch?"
"Of course."
Kim Hanol's expression shifted. The sentimental look vanished, replaced by a faint smile that seemed to say, Let's hear how amazing the song you made is.
At that look, I played the sketched track.
The song flowed from the speakers.
Kim Hanol listened with a serious face.
When it ended, he said with a fairly satisfied expression, "Hmm. It's good."
"Do you like it?"
"Yes."
"Then we'll proceed like this."
Now that the sketch passed, it was time to flesh the song out and finish it. Then send the arrangement, record, and hand it off for mixing and mastering.
Ah—right. I should tell Won Seongmin to introduce me to the engineers soon.
"Then I'll get going. I have a date today."
"Okay. Go ahead."
"Good work."
Kim Hanol said it and left the studio.
And just as I was about to start working, Seo Chaerim came in.
"The smell of alcohol. Did you drink?"
At her complaint the moment she walked in, I gave a bitter smile and shook my head.
"Do you think I'd drink? Kim Hanol was here until just now."
"Ah, right. You said you had a meeting today."
Seo Chaerim clicked her tongue.
"He came after drinking, even though he was meeting a minor?"
"Yes. And he says he's going on a date now."
"Don't tell me he's going to drunk drive."
"No idea."
I didn't know for sure whether Kim Hanol had a history of drunk driving. His record was flashy enough as it was.
"Anyway, why are you here, sunbae?"
"Ah. Because of Singer Star."
"Isn't that still months away?"
Singer Star's audition recruitment was in August, and filming started in September.
At my words, Seo Chaerim nodded.
"Yeah. About three months. But programs like this have a lot to prepare even before filming starts."
"So there's something I need you to know."
"Right."
Seo Chaerim smirked and sat down.
"First, komm decided to sponsor Singer Star. In return, komm got the official Singer Star digital-track promotion rights. Because of that, mm Entertainment can exert a fair bit of influence."
"You told me that already."
"I know. The important part starts now, so calm down and listen."
Tsk.
I smacked my lips and nodded.
"The problem is, we can exert influence—but we don't have anyone to use it on. You know this, but Kim Hanol isn't someone who should go on, and he can't go on anyway. That leaves you, but Singer Star is an audition program to pick singers, so it doesn't help for a producer like you to go on."
"Right."
I already knew that too.
"So that's why I wanted to sign your little sister quickly. If you and your sister are both in our company, it's easier to push you."
"So that's why you kept hovering around Suyeon."
"Could you not make me sound like a stalker?"
If it was that level, wasn't it basically a stalker? That was what I thought, but I didn't say it.
"But there's a problem now."
"What problem?"
"A new singer might be joining our company soon."
Seo Chaerim let out a deep sigh and looked at me.
Her expression looked both pleased and conflicted.
"And that person wants to go on Singer Star."
"Then can't you push that person and push Suyeon too?"
"In theory, yes. But I think the CEO feels differently. From his perspective, he'd rather push the singer he's definitely going to sign than your sister, whose contract is still uncertain. And that singer's talent is unbelievably outstanding."
So Suyeon might not get mm Entertainment's push.
Honestly, even if she didn't, I didn't care. But with Seo Chaerim talking like this, I couldn't help wondering who this soon-to-be-signed singer was.
"Who is it?"
"It's someone you know very well."
Seo Chaerim took a sip of water, then looked straight into my eyes and slowly opened her mouth.
"Han Goyo."
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