Chapter 20

Translator: Penny

Chapter 20

After staying up all night watching compilations of popular solo OA Live performances, I rubbed my gritty eyes and pulled out the sheet music.

I'd only meant to watch for an hour before working and going to bed, but somehow I ended up staying up all night.

Thanks to this, I now had a clear idea of how to structure a solo OA Live performance.

The next task was to assign parts for the upcoming recording of "Come to My Universe."

This didn't take long. The parts had been clearly defined from the start, as the song was written with the members in mind, imagining us performing it together.

The unexpected variable was Ryu Jaehee's terrible English pronunciation.

As a result, I had to give the chorus containing "right" and "night" to Gyeon Hajun, and in exchange, give Ryu Jaehee the killing part and intro that had originally been Hajun's.

"Ugh, this would be perfect if we kept it the way it was originally."

But conveying the lyrics clearly was crucial, so I had to reluctantly make the revisions.

Still, it wasn't too much trouble, since we only needed to adjust the parts for Ryu Jaehee and Gyeon Hajeun.

Trouble enough to make Ryu Jaehee feel indebted to me instead of annoyed?

I was sure his English pronunciation had been decent before the regression. So why is he butchering "Night Light" into "Nite Lite" now?

After finalizing the part assignments and revisions, I informed the members of their respective parts.

Even though the distribution considered vocal range and lyrical clarity, there was still one guy who refused to accept it and challenged my decision.

"Why can't I, Reve's main vocalist, sing the chorus? I've been practicing my pronunciation ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so hard!"

"Stop whining, you brat. It's giving me a headache. That's why I gave you the intro and the killing part."

I waved my hand dismissively, signaling him to stop whining and get off me, but Ryu Jaehee refused to give up, clinging to my arm like a stubborn monkey.

"Ah, Hyung! Just one more time! Let me sing it just one more time! I swear I can nail the pronunciation this time!"

"Why are you so obsessed with the chorus? Hey, even though Gyeon Hajun lost the main vocal spot to you, he's still really good. He's not someone you should be looking down on, you know?"

Having stayed up all night, even the slightest noise made my head throb. I rubbed my furrowed brow, and Ryu Jaehee, misinterpreting my expression, quickly released my arm and scrambled away.

"Ah, don't misunderstand, Hyung. I'm not doing this because I'm looking down on Hajun Hyung. I respect his skills too, you know."

Ryu Jaehee pouted, defending himself.

Don't act cute. When your growth spurt hits and you suddenly transform, you'll still have that habit, and it'll be even more cringeworthy.

Do you know how repulsive it is to see a burly man puffing out his cheeks and pouting like that?

Of course, for some reason, the fans absolutely adored Ryu Jaehee's regression-era persona as a giant hamster. I was the only one suffering.

"This part fits my vocal range perfectly! From the first time I sang it during the guide recording, I just knew it was meant for me. I felt it instantly!"

What a sharp kid, I thought, clicking my tongue as I watched Ryu Jaehee cleverly deduce that the part had been written with him in mind.

"Sing it."

"Huh?"

"Sing one line from the chorus. The part where 'right' and 'night' come together. I want to hear how much your lyrical delivery has improved."

As soon as he got the green light, Ryu Jaehee cleared his throat and immediately belted out the high-pitched chorus.

"I'm not letting anyone go home today. What about you?

So, answer me now: All right or night?"

While his pronunciation wasn't yet as natural as a native speaker's, it had noticeably improved over the past few days.

I'd assumed he was listening to music, since he'd been wearing earphones all day, but it turned out he was practicing his English pronunciation.

"First, ask Gyeon Hajun for permission to switch parts and get his approval."

Ryu Jaehee's face lit up at my words, which were practically an approval to switch parts. He called out to Gyeon Hajun and rushed over to him.

"Is it okay for me to have this many lines...?"

Seo Yehyeon scratched his head, looking awkward with his increased part. I double-checked the distribution to make sure I hadn't accidentally given Gyeon Hajun's lines to him.

A short vocal phrase and a rap part that didn't require any particular skill—the parts I had assigned to Seo Yehyeon were exactly right.

"Is this too much...?"

"It's way more than before."

Come to think of it, Seo Yehyeon's parts in "Come to My Universe" and "One Chance" had only been two lines each.

Since his skills hadn't improved but the recording date for our debut album was fast approaching, instead of pushing Seo Yehyeon to his limits, we had simply reduced his parts.

It wasn't like I had only produced a couple of tracks before my regression. Now, I was confident not only in pushing him to his limits but also in packaging his limited skills to make them seem quite impressive.

"You need at least this much. You're the face of our group, Hyung."

If his skills ever improved, I might even consider giving him the opening part someday.

I patted Seo Yehyeon on the shoulder, and he nodded with a subtle expression.

I glanced sideways at Kim Dobin, expecting him to come running over, whining about his short part. But surprisingly, he remained still.

When our eyes met, Kim Dobin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠panicked and quickly looked away.

That little punk.

After that serious consultation, Kim Dobin had inexplicably started avoiding me.

I'd let it slide the first couple of times out of pity, but as it continued, my sympathy gradually faded, replaced by rising irritation.

If he kept this up, I might drag Kim Dobin to the agency and cause a scene.

Haa... Life was so much simpler before the regression, when we could just ignore each other.

It was the day of recording the title track.

The recording studio arranged by the agency turned out to be surprisingly decent.

It was larger than Yongcheol Hyung's studio, equipped with modern equipment, and even had a separate recording booth.

Gyeon Hajun, who was responsible for the intro, was the first to enter the booth.

The remaining members, waiting for their turn, were engrossed in memorizing the lyrics on the sofa.

As the producer, I sat in a chair in front of the booth, lightly tapping on the keyboard.

Once Gyeon Hajun put on his headphones and stood before the microphone, I played the MR track. As soon as the intro ended, I stopped the track and rewound it.

"Again."

This take was definitely better than the first, but it still lacked that final 2%.

"Again."

Everything was good, but there was no impactful hook to grab the listener's attention. Feeling it was bland, like food without seasoning, I changed my approach.

"Jun-a, put some real force into it at the beginning. Don't sing it half-heartedly."

The intro was just as crucial as the killing part and chorus, as it needed to immediately grab the listener's attention. This made the recording process naturally more meticulous.

After about five takes, we finally got the result we wanted. Even so, it was only because it was Gyeon Hajun that we finished in just five takes.

"Wow, that was intense. Hajun Hyung, didn't you usually nail it in one take?"

"Is a guide recording the same as the real thing?"

I replied coolly to Kim Dobin, who was whispering with Ryu Jaehee. Dobin startled, his body twitching slightly.

I put my headphones back on and resumed recording.

For the other parts, we only needed a couple of takes each. But for the killing part, I had to shout "Again!" five times before Gyeon Hajun's recording was finally completed without incident.

Staggering out of the recording booth, Gyeon Hajun collapsed onto the sofa and gestured to the next person.

"Yehyeon Hyung, come in."

Despite having only seen the mild version of the recording, Seo Yehyeon looked as if he were being dragged to hell as he shuffled into the booth.

"Again."

"Not a high note. Relax your throat. Again."

"Stay on beat. Again."

"You keep rushing. Again."

"Ta-da ta-da-dan ta-da-da... Match this rhythm. Got it? Let's try again."

"Don't drag out the ending. Move straight to the next line. That's why you're ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rushing. Again."

"No, Hyung. I told you, no fancy techniques! That part is supposed to be just fast rapping. Stop trying to be a wannabe rapper. Again."

[Detected: Remarks that may incite discord among members.]

[Original Intent Score -1]

Despite the deduction to my Original Intent Score, I stubbornly shouted, "Again!"

This was about completing the music; I couldn't let something as trivial as the Original Intent Score stop me.

Finally, when the "OK" sign flashed, Seo Yehyeon's grim expression brightened slightly.

I chuckled and spoke into the microphone, "Alright, let's move on to the next verse."

You think you're the only one struggling? I'm struggling too. We've only finished two verses—when are we ever going to finish this?

"Hey, can I get just a ten-minute break...?"

"Jaehee and Dobin will record first, so you can rest while they do."

I hadn't expected this to take so long.

Next time, I'll definitely schedule a separate session just for Seo Yehyeon's parts.

Finally getting a break, Seo Yehyeon stumbled out of the recording booth and collapsed onto the sofa.

Groaning in pain, he accepted the bottled water Gyeon Hajun offered and gulped it down.

"Ugh, I'm going to die... I don't remember it being this hard when we recorded 'Come to My Universe'."

"Back then, the producer barely paid attention, right? As long as the pitch was roughly right and we didn't miss the beat, it was good enough."

"...Yeah, that's true."

Seo Yehyeon nodded awkwardly, recalling those days.

He shuddered at the memory of how much he'd cringed when he later heard his recorded parts.

This recording session was physically and mentally exhausting, but he was confident the final product wouldn't be as disastrous as before.

"Still, it's a relief... I was so nervous about Hyung and Eden Hyung fighting again," Kim Dobin muttered, exhaling in relief as he perched precariously on the sofa armrest, Seo Yehyeon having leaned back against the cushions.

Seo Yehyeon scratched the back of his head, watching Yoon Eden's retreating figure. Even Ryu Jaehee, whose skills were so otherworldly they seemed almost divine, wasn't spared Eden's relentless demands for "one more take."

"I know he wasn't trying to be a jerk this time. It was just that 'don't embarrass yourself with fake hip-hop' line that pissed me off."

"I get it, Hyung. He's from the underground scene, right? They really look down on idol rappers there. At least he didn't trash idol music altogether and come at us with some 'real hip-hop' track, acting like we're not making 'real music.'"

Kim Dobin chuckled, speaking words that were closer to the truth from before the regression.

Gyeon Hajun, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up.

"To be fair, Eden doesn't intentionally try to bully or pick fights. The problem is his personality—he doesn't think before speaking and lacks consideration, making him prone to misunderstandings."

"Are you defending him or criticizing him?"

Seo Yehyeon let out a hollow laugh at the sharp remark. Gyeon Hajun smiled quietly and said in a voice too low for Yoon Eden to hear, "Don't hate him too much, Hyung. He's still a good guy deep down."

"What are you, his guardian or something?"

Seo Yehyeon snorted, lowered his legs, and leaned back against the sofa, recalling Yoon Eden's efforts to soften his words despite his grumbling.

He didn't hate him yet. Just found him incredibly annoying.

📝 Translator’s Note:

You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠form and in English translation.

This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.

To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.

but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny