Chapter 73
Chapter 73: Surviving in the Jungle (14)
When Baek Seungchan was confirmed to appear on “Surviving in the Jungle,” the production team made one request of him.
They asked if he could perform the gayageum once.
The fact that Baek Seungchan was a disciple of an intangible cultural heritage master of the gayageum had been a major factor in casting him.
Baek Seungchan readily agreed.
In the first place, his participation in “Surviving in the Jungle” was meant to promote his drama, and since the OST included gayageum performance, it was a natural way to draw attention to it as well.
From that moment, Baek Seungchan began.
What song should he prepare?
Although he hadn’t anticipated meeting the Lauri tribe, he had somewhat expected a situation like this.
So he chose “Arirang.”
A song that embodies the joys and sorrows that have endured through the twists of history.
It best expressed the trajectory and emotions of Korean life, and he thought it would be meaningful for such a representative Korean song to echo through a remote jungle.
And now, Arirang was being played by his hands.
Tiiing—!
The beautiful melody of the gayageum captivated not only the Lauri tribe but also the “Surviving in the Jungle” team.
“Hearing it in person really is different…”
Everyone present, including the cast and staff, had seen Baek Seungchan’s Memorial Day performance.
It had been such a hot topic.
And when they first heard it, they had been impressed.
Just listening to it stirred a sense of patriotism they hadn’t even realized they had.
But hearing it live was clearly different from watching it on video.
“No wonder he’s a disciple of an intangible cultural heritage master…”
“Is this what it means for music to move your heart?”
The phrase “moving the heart” truly fit.
Though they heard it with their ears, the sound of the gayageum resonated in their hearts.
“….”
Baek Seungchan’s Arirang left a strong impression on the Lauri tribe as well.
“Arirang, Arirang…”
And when he began to sing, the emotion of the music deepened and spread to everyone.
“….”
The “Surviving in the Jungle” team felt his emotions clearly through the lyrics, and their eyes reddened.
Some even shed tears.
The same was true for the Lauri tribe, even though they couldn’t understand the words.
As if proving that music is a universal language, they felt the emotion conveyed through the melody and his voice.
Though they couldn’t fully grasp the Korean sentiment, they sensed it faintly and were moved to tears.
“….”
When the performance ended, silence fell over the area.
Only the sound of wind and insects could be heard.
Everyone was still immersed in the moment.
“Waaaah!”
Soon, applause and cheers erupted.
“I want to hear one more song…”
“Yeah, one isn’t enough…”
Although the prepared stage had ended, everyone felt it wasn’t enough.
The Lauri tribe felt the same.
Though they didn’t say it, they clearly wanted to hear more.
“Hm, it feels like a shame to end it here. Should I play one more?”
“Sounds good!”
“Whoa!”
At his words, everyone cheered.
“I’ll begin right away.”
Without explanation, he started playing.
Tiiing—.
Unlike Arirang, this piece carried a different kind of sorrow and longing.
People became absorbed, feeling the emotions conveyed through the melody.
Unlike Arirang, there were no lyrics, but that only made them focus more deeply.
“Wow, it’s so good!”
“It’s so sad…”
When the performance ended, people were in tears, moved by the sorrow, longing, and love in the music.
Thus, Baek Seungchan’s gayageum performance that closed the banquet came to an end.
After the banquet, the cast approached him.
“What was that song?”
“I personally liked it more than Arirang.”
“It was really sad… it felt like a whole drama passed through my mind.”
They were curious about the piece.
“Ah, the title is undecided.”
“Undecided? That’s a unique title.”
“Yeah, is it the name of someone you miss?”
Baek Seungchan smiled at their reactions.
“It’s not called ‘Undecided.’ It literally means it doesn’t have a title yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not finished yet, so I haven’t named it.”
“Huh?”
At his words, they fell silent.
Then carefully asked,
“Don’t tell me you composed it yourself?”
“Yes, it’s a piece I composed for the drama OST.”
“….”
They could only blink in shock.
The two weeks of filming, long yet short, came to an end.
The Lauri tribe, who had grown close to the team, felt sad about the farewell.
But as all meetings lead to partings, they said goodbye with smiles and left the island.
“Ah, it’s finally over…”
As they headed to the Solomon Islands where the airport was, they smiled in relief.
“I really want kimchi stew…”
“I want soybean paste stew with pork belly.”
“Wow, I want tripe hot pot!”
They happily talked about the food they craved.
Soon, they arrived at the port of the capital, where staff and managers greeted them.
“You worked hard.”
“You’ve gotten so thin…”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
The managers looked worried.
For the past two weeks, they had barely eaten proper meals.
Most had lost several kilograms.
But not everyone.
“Seungchan, don’t you look even better than before?”
Team leader Kim Sungho stared at him in disbelief.
“Your skin looks even better. Is there a skincare clinic there or something?”
Even after rubbing his eyes, Baek Seungchan’s skin looked far better than before.
It almost seemed like he was glowing.
And he wasn’t the only one in better condition.
“Anki, didn’t you gain weight?”
“Gahee, I’m not seeing things, right? That’s not swelling, is it?”
Kim Gahee and Kim Anki became the first participants to return heavier than when they started.
“….”
At Kim Gahee’s distressed expression, everyone burst into laughter.
At that moment, a man and woman approached Baek Seungchan.
“Seungchan, hello.”
“Hello.”
It was the junior PD and junior writer.
“It’s been a while. Is your leg okay? It was badly sprained.”
“Yes, thanks to you, it’s much better.”
Writer Jung Hyunju showed her bandaged leg.
“More importantly, thank you for saving me. I’ll never forget it.”
She bowed sincerely.
Without him, she might have died.
“There’s no need for that. Just date well and treat me to noodles someday. That’s enough.”
Their atmosphere was clearly different from before.
He could tell they were now dating.
“….”
At his words, they blushed.
“How did you know?”
“You’re wearing the same perfume.”
“Ah…”
They lowered their heads, faces even redder.
“Anyway, if you get married, I’ll sing at your wedding. So be happy together.”
“Thank you.”
The junior PD expressed sincere gratitude.
Thanks to him, he had been able to confess and find love.
Thus, the filming of “Surviving in the Jungle” came to an end.
After returning to Korea, Baek Seungchan became busy finishing the OST.
He spent most of his time in Dream Entertainment’s studio, barely resting.
“I can’t come up with lyrics I like.”
Unlike the music, the lyrics weren’t coming easily.
He had written several versions, but none felt right.
It wasn’t that they were bad.
Others like Baek Seunghee and Nam Siwoo said they were good.
But he wasn’t satisfied.
He wanted to create something he was truly happy with.
“Hm, I just need one keyword…”
The sorrow of lovers forced to part, but with hope of meeting again.
He needed a keyword to capture that feeling.
“I’ll just ask.”
If he couldn’t solve it alone, collective intelligence was the answer.
He messaged his sister Baek Seunghee.
“She must be asleep.”
No reply came.
He tried contacting others, but everyone was busy.
Then he paused.
“…I don’t have any friends.”
Though he had maintained good relationships, he had no one he could casually reach out to.
“There’s only her.”
The only recent contact was Cha Minhee.
-Yah! What’s the secret?
That had been their last exchange before the jungle.
He messaged her.
-Are you busy?
-No, why?
Her reply came instantly.
-Are you finally telling me the secret? Did you return safely?
She sent multiple questions right away.
Unlike in person, she was very talkative over messages.
-The secret is a secret. I just have something to ask.
-What is it?
-When you think of lovers forced to part but destined to meet again, what keyword comes to mind?
-It sounds like a red string.
The reply came immediately.
And at that moment, inspiration struck.
The red string of fate connecting lovers.
It was exactly what he needed.
-Thanks.
He sent his reply and immediately began writing.
-What? Why thanks?
-….
-Hey, why are you thanking me?
-….
-Yah! Baek Seungchan, are you ignoring me again?
-….
Her messages kept coming, but his phone was on silent.
“It’s done!”
With the blockage cleared, he quickly completed the lyrics.
After finishing, he smiled in satisfaction.
He immediately began recording and, once the music was complete, sent the finished OST to music director Yang Bokseon.