Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Translator: Penny
Chapter 53
Seo Yehyeon emerged from the recording booth and approached me. He tapped the sheet music marked with his part and began, "Hyung, your problem right now is that you keep rushing the beat. I've told you to stay on the beat, but you keep ending on the offbeat."
A surprisingly calm voice escaped my lips.
Even after I sang the part myself, he still seemed unable to grasp it.
Finally, I tapped the desk with my fingers, reproducing the rhythm of the section where Seo Yehyeon was struggling.
"Match this rhythm. Got it?"
Seo Yehyeon's fingers tapped the desk in the rhythm I had demonstrated.
"The vocals were fine, so let's just redo the rap part. Focus on the rhythm. If you're getting confused by the beat, try tapping your palm with your fingers to keep time."
Seo Yehyeon, wearing a subtle expression, reentered the recording booth.
We restarted the backing track and resumed recording.
As instructed, Seo Yehyeon tapped his palm to maintain the rhythm while rapping. I blinked my dry eyes, watching him.
Wait a minute... This is way more efficient than when I was just yelling at him before.
When I was just venting my frustration, the Original Intent Score plummeted, my mental fatigue drained, and his morale crumbled—everything was deteriorating, and the work time only dragged on.
Now, with just one constructive criticism, he's improved significantly.
So, the carrot really was the answer after all.
Moreover, perhaps because I was less irritated and expending less energy, I felt more relaxed both mentally and physically than before.
My fingers, which had been tapping the desk in time with Seo Yehyeon's rap, slightly fell out of sync with his voice during the final verse.
Noticing the improvement himself, Seo Yehyeon shot me a proud look. I chuckled and said, "Again. Focus on the rhythm until the end. You're dragging at the very end."
Still, we needed to reach at least 80 on the benchmark.
Despite making me say "Again" countless times and repeating the same verse over and over, Seo Yehyeon's recording session finally concluded smoothly.
Next up was Kim Dobin's turn.
Kim Dobin confidently stepped into the recording booth, but I stopped the backing track immediately after he spat out the first line.
"Dobin-ah," I called out, my voice strained with suppressed anger. Kim Dobin lowered his gaze and replied, "Yes."
"Are you messing with me right now? Is this song R&B? Do you honestly think that 'cow-herding' vocal style of yours suits this part? Is that why you sang it like that?"
As I pressed my throbbing temples, Kim Dobin mumbled in a barely audible voice, "No. I'm sorry..."
"Let's do it properly. We're starting over from the beginning."
Ryu Jaehee, who had been watching from the chair to my right, shook his head.
"Dobin Hyung completely failed to lighten the mood. Knowing how sensitive Eden Hyung is about music, he still decided to mess around during the recording. Tsk, tsk."
Then, glancing at the camera filming nearby, he casually added, "Still, he's a good hyung, even if he's a bit clueless."
It wasn't until Seo Yehyeon had shouted "Again!" roughly two-thirds of the way through that Kim Dobin's recording finally went smoothly.
"The standards are way too strict, hyung. I identify more as the main dancer than part of the vocal line..."
"Since when can you see someone's dance skills when you listen to music? When did music become a synesthetic realm encompassing both hearing and sight?"
He scoffed and entered the recording booth. I was up last.
In the control room, the two youngest members of the Maknae Line sat side-by-side with their arms crossed, wearing headphones and watching me through the booth's glass wall.
Their attempts to maintain stern expressions were so comical that I couldn't help but chuckle.
My parts were in two places:
One in the middle of the first verse, and the other right before the hook in the second verse.
As soon as I finished rapping my part in the middle of the first verse, Ryu Jaehee cut the backing track and tilted his chin up.
"Again."
"Are you messing with me?"
"Wow, I'm a huge fan of Eden Hyung! You're so cool, I want to hear it one more time!"
"Ugh, fine. Play the track again."
After repeating my parts a couple of times to humor the youngest members, the directing for my recording was finally perfect.
While the members were resting, I finished the mixing, converted the file to MP3, and transferred it to a USB drive.
After informing Manager Hyung that the recording session was complete, the reality show staff entered to retrieve their cameras.
"We'll be conducting individual interviews, one at a time," they announced.
As the leader, I was the first to be interviewed.
The other members left the recording studio, leaving me alone. I sat down in the chair, facing the camera, and the questions began.
"Did you encounter any difficulties or challenges during the recording process?"
After a moment's hesitation, I slowly replied to the predictable question.
"It's a bit frustrating when the final product doesn't quite capture the exact feeling I had envisioned. Sometimes, the members don't quite meet my expectations, my ideals, you know?"
Even knowing I had to compromise with reality, I couldn't shake the lingering regret and disappointment over the final product's lack of perfection.
If only I'd had more time, I could have pushed it to at least 90 percent, even if 100 percent was unattainable.
"If you could use this interview to say something to the members, what would it be?"
"First, Hajun and Jaehee, thank you for always exceeding my expectations. Dobin, if you're going to joke around, make sure you can nail it in one take. This Hyung is tired. Finally, Yehyeon Hyung, I know my high standards must have been tough, but thank you for keeping up so well. And to everyone, please keep up the good work in the future."
Ahem. I cleared my throat awkwardly, feeling embarrassed even after saying it.
As I finished the interview and stepped out, Seo Yehyeon, the next interviewee, entered the recording studio.
As the door closed, a sudden wave of anxiety washed over me.
"That guy... he wouldn't badmouth me in the interview, would he? Like I'd been hunting him down like a rat..."
"Surely not. Yehyeon Hyung wouldn't want our group to be plagued by rumors of discord, would he? Besides, he was being so gentle and reasonable with Yehyeon Hyung today. What are you worried about?"
"Since I'm anxious, Jun-a, please drop the 'probably.'"
It wasn't until Ryu Jaehee, the youngest member, finished his interview that we could finally leave work.
In the car on the way back to the dorm, Seo Yehyeon slumped wearily and grumbled, "From our next comeback onwards, let's film the recording process and release it as behind-the-scenes content or upload it to our own YouTube channel. How can someone change their entire personality just because there's a camera around?"
"180 degrees, right? 360 degrees would just be a full circle, back to where you started."
After correcting his brainless remark, I added, "And if Hyung keeps improving, we can keep treating you like this until we retire."
"Oh, has my skill improved since before?"
"I get why you're confused, but it's not that your skill improved. I just lowered my expectations for this project. Your skill is still hopeless."
Conflict-inducing remarks detected.
Original Intent Score -1
Seeing that notification again after so long felt strangely nostalgic.
Of course, the pain of losing Original Intent Score was anything but welcome.
Aish, this is so frustrating. Because of someone's weak mental state, I can't even call hopeless skill hopeless.
Now that the song was complete, it was time to shoot the music video.
We huddled together in the cramped living room of our semi-basement dorm, the camera capturing our every move. I read the instructions on the cue sheet:
"Decide on a Christmas gift you want to give to the member whose name is written on the slip you draw. The gifts will be revealed during the music video shoot."
A box containing five slips of paper appeared before us.
As Ryu Jaehee shook the small box, I continued reading the cue sheet:
"Each slip contains the name of a Reve member. Draw one slip, decide on a gift for the member you drew, and prepare it before the music video shoot. The budget is 50,000 won, but personal expenses are allowed if you exceed the budget. Yes, that's all."
It's kind of like a Secret Santa, right? Since the gifts will be revealed during the music video shoot, cheap or thoughtless presents are definitely out of the question.
Before the members unfolded their notes, Ryu Jaehee, his face serious as he rolled the still-folded paper in his hand, suddenly asked, "What happens if you draw your own name?"
"Then you just buy yourself something you need and give yourself a self-gift. What else can you do?" I replied nonchalantly.
Ryu Jaehee recoiled in disgust and buried his face in the cushion he was hugging. "Ugh, I really hope I didn't draw my own name."
Seo Yehyeon, who had turned to look at Ryu Jaehee with surprise, scratched his cheek and said, "It's not so bad, is it? It's way better to get something you actually need than some random gift you don't even want."
"No, Hyung. The real fun is imagining what I might get and eagerly anticipating the day! The excitement, the anticipation—that's the best part! But if you just pick me, there's no fun in that."
"Not really... I'd rather just get cash."
Seo Yehyeon, sounding like a worldly-wise adult, spoke beside Ryu Jaehee, who wore a genuinely bewildered expression.
"Huh? Isn't money too impersonal?"
"I can buy what I need with it."
"But it lacks sincerity! If I got money, I'd feel like they didn't care about me at all. Wouldn't that make you feel bad? Or is it just me? What do you guys think?"
Ryu Jaehee turned to us, asking. Gyeon Hajun nodded in agreement, raising his hand in support of Ryu Jaehee's opinion.
"It's the thought that counts with gifts," Kim Dobin said, shaking his head.
"What are you talking about? Money talks! Whoever votes for me, please make it a thick envelope of cash."
Ryu Jaehee turned to look at Kim Dobin, who was confidently demanding a cash envelope with a flick of his fingers, and shook his head.
"You and Yehyeon Hyung have no romance."
"Huh? Does romance put food on the table?" Kim Dobin retorted, wearing a smug expression.
Ruffling Dobin's hair lightly, I chimed in, "Well, Yehyeon Hyung and Dobin have a point—getting cash would be efficient. But I still believe gifts should reflect the giver's feelings. So, I'm voting for the youngest member too."
"As expected, Eden Hyung has romance!"
Ryu Jaehee let out a "Kuh!" and clapped enthusiastically beside me.
When I met Seo Yehyeon's blank stare, I asked nonchalantly, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
"No, I just thought it was unexpected. I figured you'd be all about the money too."
There are plenty of unexpected things. What kind of image of me does this guy have in his head, anyway? Why is everything I do "unexpected"?
"Well, I'm a creator in my own right..."
How can you write songs with such a dry sensibility?
At the signal to end the conversation, we put some distance between us to prevent peeking at each other's notes. I unfolded my slip and checked the name written on it.
...Is this for real?
I swallowed the sigh that threatened to burst out as I stared at the neatly written three-character name on the slip.
Seo Yehyeon
Can I exchange this?
📝 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