Moon and My Story
Suhyeon spoke with a hint of urgency, and a calm woman's voice responded through the phone.
[Hello. This is Haiyu.]
"Ah, Senior Haiyu. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"
[It's nothing major... You know that song you arranged and shared with me a while back? The lyrics just got finalized. I was wondering if we could discuss it together when you have time, so I gave you a call.]
"Pardon? The lyrics are done already? I thought you said it would take about ten days..."
[Yeah. It wrapped up much faster than I expected. How about now? Does that work for you?]
"I just finished drama filming and I'm at the company, so yeah, I'm free. Where should we meet?"
[In that case... how about Studio 1, like last time? It's quiet and no one's around.]
"Got it. I'll head over there."
Suhyeon hung up the call from Haiyu and muttered to himself.
"Whew. The call I've been waiting for doesn't come, but this unexpected one hits first. Guess I should just handle things in order."
A short while later, Suhyeon was in Studio 1, fiddling with the recording equipment while waiting for Haiyu to arrive. The door to the studio opened softly, and in stepped Haiyu—light on her feet, wearing a sleeveless blue dress, her long hair tied back in a ponytail, and white strap sandals.
Whoa, she looks surprisingly pure and innocent today. She could film a refreshing beverage CF right now.
"Hello, Senior Haiyu."
"Hi, Suhyeon. How have you been?"
"Great, thanks to you."
After a brief exchange of greetings, the two sat down and got to the point.
"Shall we take a look at the lyrics you wrote, Senior?"
"Sure. Here you go."
Haiyu carefully handed over two sheets of A4 paper. Suhyeon examined the printed contents.
"Huh? There are two titles and two sets of lyrics?"
"Yeah. That's how it turned out while I was writing."
"Hmm. Mind giving me a bit of explanation?"
"Of course. When I first heard the melody you made ten days ago, or the newly arranged version a week ago, my feelings were pretty much the same. The overall vibe of the song felt... solitary, I guess? Or maybe serene and quiet... Anyway, that's how it came across to me."
"I see."
"And within that mood, I pondered how to interpret and express the line you mentioned: 'The moonlight filling the night sky shines within my heart.' My first thought was..."
Haiyu rested her right hand on her cheek, as if organizing her thoughts for a moment.
"I imagined myself walking alone through a field deep in the night. Like an empty winter plain, with no one around—just me, all by my lonesome. Then I looked up at the night sky. And there it was... the moon high above, shining brightly down on me. So as I wandered this way and that, it felt like the moon was following me, always lighting up just around me."
"Whoa, that's a brilliant interpretation. Not bad at all."
Buoyed by Suhyeon's reaction, Haiyu spoke with a slightly excited tone.
"It's just me and the moon in the deep night. And we start having this tentative conversation. Sharing each other's hardships, comforting one another. That's why I ended up with two titles and lyrics: The Moon's Story It Tells Me, where the moon speaks to me, and The Story I Want to Tell the Moon, where I speak to it. I wasn't sure which was better, so I brought both. As the composer and producer, your opinion matters most."
"Alright, give me a sec. I'll take a close look at what you wrote."
Suhyeon bowed his head and carefully read through both sets of lyrics. After scrutinizing every verse, he looked up. Right in front of him, Haiyu had leaned in close, her big eyes sparkling with a mix of anticipation and excitement, staring straight at him.
Why does she keep looking at me with those eyes...?
"Ahem. Let me ask you a few things, Senior Haiyu."
"Go ahead. I'm dying to know how my lyrics look through the eyes of a genius composer."
"Let's skip the genius part... First question: Did you lose your mother at a young age, by any chance?"
"Pardon? No, she's alive and well..."
"Got it. Next question..."
At that moment, Haiyu interrupted with a puzzled look.
"You could just search it up in a second. There are tons of photos and news articles of me and my mom out there. Why ask now?"
"Hmm. For producing, I've listened to every song you've released or sung, but I've never once searched anything about you personally, Senior. So I don't know much—that's why I'm asking."
Haiyu's eyes widened in surprise.
"Why? Why haven't you ever looked me up? Does that mean you're not interested in me at all?"
"It's not that. I just think... when people meet, the biggest thing to avoid is preconceptions. So I wanted to know the real you, as I see and feel her myself—not from searches."
Haiyu's eyes sparkled again at his answer.
"I see... Geniuses really are different, huh."
Suhyeon found himself puzzled inwardly at her words.
Why does she keep calling me a genius? Once is enough for lip service like that...
Ignoring her comment, Suhyeon moved on to another question.
"Do you not have many close friends you can really open up to?"
Haiyu hesitated for a moment before answering.
"...I don't have a ton of friends. Debuting at 16 and being a singer all this time... I have fewer peers than most."
"I see."
"Why do you ask?"
"Reading the lyrics, that's the vibe I get. To you, the moon feels like your closest friend—or almost like a mother. Someone you can bare your soul to without hiding anything. That's why I asked. Maybe you lost your mom young, or don't have close friends—or both..."
Haiyu clasped her hands together, her voice thrilled.
"Oh my gosh. Genius after all!"
"No, Senior—why do you keep emphasizing 'genius'?"
"Oops, my bad... I've been so focused on music since I was little that I never studied anything else. I could've gone to college on my celebrity status, but I didn't. I know I'm hopeless at academics. So... seeing smart, clever people just makes me so happy. I can't help it."
"Ah, gotcha... But I haven't even gotten near college myself."
"But everyone sees you as a genius, Suhyeon. All my people around me say so."
"Sigh. Anyway, moving on. I have a request for you, Senior."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Both sets of lyrics are great. But I don't think we need to split them like this. No need to pick just one, either."
"Really? Then what should we do?"
"It'll be tough, but cut each set in half. Then we can use The Moon's Story It Tells Me for verse 1 and The Story I Want to Tell the Moon for verse 2. I'll re-arrange it with a narration bridge between them. That way, you can weave in any unfinished thoughts from the verses into the narration—much easier for lyrics."
"Oh! That's... a genius—no, a brilliant idea."
"And I thought of a title."
"What is it?"
"Something like Moon and My Story or Moon and My Tale."
Haiyu shot her hand up like a student.
"I love Moon and My Story! It sounds like a fairy tale title."
"If that's what you prefer, let's go with it. Title: Moon and My Story. Shortened to 'MoonMy' or something. Sounds like a Tibetan monk's name, but whatever."
Haiyu raised her hand again.
"I like 'MoonMy' too!"
"Alright, alright. How much time do you need? Two or three days?"
"Yeah, that should be plenty..."
"Perfect. Once you're done revising, give me a call. We'll set a convenient time and start recording."
"Got it. I'll reach out."
Satisfied with the conversation, Haiyu flashed a bright, sweet smile, said goodbye, and left the studio.
Once she was gone, Suhyeon muttered softly.
"Way more straightforward and nice than I thought. Hmm. From how she talked today, smart guys might be her type. To date her, you'd probably need at least an S University degree..."
Alone in the studio now, Suhyeon worked on the narration bridge for Moon and My Story. Once it was mostly done, he leaned back in his chair, enjoying the track while taking a break.
As he rested, his mind drifted to the incident five days ago.
Five days earlier, that morning, Suhyeon had completed the Meridian Washing stage during his early Qi Circulation Breathing. The Microcosmic Orbit he'd longed for was finally within reach. In high spirits, he headed to the YK Building.
At lunchtime, he gathered all the BBG members at the company and took them to their usual nearby restaurant—his treat, thanks to his good mood from the morning breakthrough.
On the way, Suhyeon sensed a mysterious gaze watching them from afar.
Well, well? Monitoring from that distance—I probably wouldn't have noticed before. But thanks to finishing Meridian Washing this morning, my senses are sharpened enough to barely pick it up.
As they walked, Suhyeon sidled up to Marvin, threw an arm around his shoulders, and glanced back casually.
Yup, Marvin's the target. But it's weird... not the hostile, murderous glare from before. More friendly, almost.
His recollection cut off there as his phone buzzed. Reading the incoming text, Suhyeon sprang from his chair.
They want to meet right now. Better hurry.