Chapter 344
Chapter 344
Seon A-hyun’s attitude had changed.
It started during the camp schedule meeting.
“Then we don’t need to collect any more image references, right? Shall we proceed like this?”
“I’m good with that!”
“Right. Then, if anyone else has a different opinion…”
This was a line usually spoken under the assumption that there were none.
“I-I do...!”
“…!”
But the guy who had never once cut someone else off to intervene raised his hand before the sentence was even finished.
Ryu Cheong-woo seemed slightly taken aback, but he asked kindly.
“Sure, A-hyun, what are you thinking?”
“I-I’d like us to widen the scope and try collecting them just one more time. We still have time, so…”
“Hmm…”
And Seon A-hyun was even going as far as to voice a direct counter-opinion.
‘Is something up with him?’
‘Are we going to have a moral crisis if we finish this now?’
The members were practically screaming these questions with their eyes, but Seon A-hyun wasn’t done yet.
“Just t-two more days...! Could we? The deadline the project team staff mentioned before is the day after tomorrow in the afternoon... so even if we give it to them e-early, the schedule won’t move any faster...!”
He even started attaching justifications for his persuasion with an intensity that made it seem like he was about to break into a sweat.
And those justifications happened to be plausible facts.
“Ah, now that you mention it, that’s true.”
“Whoa~ A-hyun, you remembered that? It was three months ago...”
“Y-yeah, because I r-recorded it...”
He didn’t come up with extraordinary ideas. However, he made good judgments within the given situation and pushed his arguments with persistence.
That was consistent with the side of Seon A-hyun he usually showed.
“S-so...! Let’s think about it for t-two more days...!”
“I-I’m obviously for it! Right?”
“Mmm, I guess so.”
However, since his momentum was about ten times stronger than usual, the impact was extraordinary. Everyone’s getting swept up in it because they’re surprised.
‘What is going on?’
I wondered if I should be happy about it, but I felt somewhat uneasy. What kind of sudden change of heart caused this guy to act like this?
“Moon-dae, what do y-you think!?”
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“…I agree with you.”
“Yeah!”
Now he was even collecting agreement from me. It was a level of assertiveness I’d never seen before.
‘What is it?’
And this momentum remained the same during the evening composition meeting.
“I-I... I’d like more string accompaniment in the song!”
“Ooh.”
“Which string instrument?”
“Something that can make sharp, light, and d-dramatic sounds... f-for example, a violin fiddle! I think it would feel m-more appropriate for the concept...!”
“A fiddle?”
Then Seon A-hyun began to explain more passionately what a fiddle was.
How it was a separate name for the least classical violin playing technique, how the notes pop in a country style, and so on and so forth…
“Ooh.”
It was like he was giving a presentation. Cha Yu-jin, who was listening with interest, looked like he was about to clap.
“That’s a great idea! Hyung, you were cool!”
“Yeah!”
And Seon A-hyun didn’t even decline the compliment, even though his face looked like it was about to explode.
What gives?
I really couldn’t tell what the situation was.
‘Well, even so, it’s only at the level of when the other guys speak up strongly... but still.’
Sure, if he wanted to participate actively because of a change of heart, that was a good thing.
In fact, it was just that Seon A-hyun hadn’t been able to cut into conversations well before; if you averaged out how much the members asserted themselves, he wasn’t being particularly extreme.
“Then, as A-hyun Hyung said, I’ll try adding a violin as a string instrument that has both sharpness and softness while blending with the string arrangement—”
“N-no! Not just a violin, a fiddle! A fiddle! I’d like it to be that!”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“…….”
Wait, is it a bit much?
‘The kid is lunging at this like it’s a matter of life and death.’
“I’ll do my best!”
“T-thank you...!”
With even Bae Se-jin walking on eggshells, the meeting continued under Seon A-hyun’s lead before coming to an end.
That night.
Keun Se-jin, who was sitting in the kitchen gulping down sparkling water, asked seriously.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae, there isn’t some sad story where someone goes bankrupt if we can’t release this album, right?”
“…….”
“Gasp, or maybe Moon-dae bullied A-hyun to pull his weight... Ow!”
As if.
I watched the guy who got hit on the back exaggerate his pain and held back a sigh.
“…There must be another reason. It’s not that.”
“Really? Hmm... well. I guess so.”
Judging that it wasn’t a bad situation, Keun Se-jin shrugged and let it go just the same.
“It’s not like friends have to know every single detail of each other’s business, right?”
“…….”
It was somewhat irritating to hear that from the guy who had pried into everyone else’s business.
In the meantime, Seon A-hyun had dashed to his room as soon as the camp’s night session ended and hadn’t come out.
‘What is he doing?’
I suppressed a groan and spoke up.
“…I’m wondering if Seon A-hyun feels a bit left out.”
“Huh?”
“Lately, whenever anything happens, it’s just you and me talking while leaving him out.”
In reality, we were all in the same relationship regardless of age, experience, or rank.
I was wondering if he was letting out his stress in a positive way by going wild in meetings because he was pissed off by this unfair treatment.
Keun Se-jin nodded as if reflecting on it.
“Hmm, that might have been the case. Hey, but A-hyun isn’t really the type to be like that... Ah.”
He let out a groan.
“A-hyun’s friend situation back in school was pretty bad, wasn’t it?”
“…Yeah.”
“That, well... he might have felt a bit bad.”
Sejin glanced back at me and asked quite seriously.
“What are you going to do?”
“…….”
How should I know?
Of course, he wasn’t really asking for a solution, but rather how I was going to handle sharing the secret.
If, in the end, the cause of Seon A-hyun’s abnormal behavior was because only the two of us knew about this supernatural phenomenon.
“Hmm... of course, I can’t tell you what to do, but I don’t think A-hyun’s attitude would change just because he heard your story, though?”
“……”
That... I thought so too.
‘He’s such a brainlessly kind guy.’
I let out a short sigh.
“Hey, and it’s not like we’re ostracizing you just because your mental age is that of an old man... Ah! Hey, that really hurt!”
Yeah. That’s the arm strength of a 20-year-old, you punk.
…No, actually, it was more embarrassing that my hand went out first because I felt guilty.
I sighed as I looked at the snickering Keun Se-jin.
Only after he stopped laughing did he change the subject.
“Aieee, and speaking of which... how should we tell Hee-seung? Should I just explain that I was invited to this meeting too and give him a little talking to?”
He grinned.
“Or should I just say I came from the future too? Wow, that would be hilarious.”
“Stop it.”
Don’t even think about bringing up that ill-timed hypothesis-destroyer case.
“That kind of joke won’t work. It seems like this is passed on like a baton touch.”
“Oh~ Moon-dae, you’ve analyzed a lot of things. As expected of Moon-dae, Moon-dae. So you took care of Hee-seung like that just to find that out?”
Quick-witted bastard.
I interlaced my fingers.
“Yeah, Gold 2 has his uses.”
“…….”
But Keun Se-jin didn’t answer for a moment.
‘What?’
Then, with a serious face as if he found something questionable, he spoke again.
“But Moon-dae, Moon-dae.”
What.
“I wanted to ask earlier... that Gold 2. Are you talking about Hee-seung?”
“…!!”
How did he know—
“…….”
Wait, did I... have I been saying that out loud this whole time?
“I knew it! You’ve been calling Hee-seung ‘Gold 2’? Why?”
“……That,”
“Wait, wait. Let me guess. Is it because... he was Gold Grade in Aju-sa?? Did you seriously number them based on that?”
“…….”
“Is this right too?? Oh, this is legendary! Wow~ Look at how cold-hearted Park Moon-dae is! How long has it been since Aju-sa ended, and he’s still ‘Gold’!”
Shit.
I gnashed my teeth as I looked at the guy who was bursting with laughter.
“It’s my business. Why?”
“You’re really embarra— No, no, sorry. I laughed too much, didn’t I? Hey, I’m really sorry~”
This guy is trying to gloss it over with words he doesn’t mean.
But Keun Se-jin actually straightened his face, his eyes sparkling.
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae, I’m asking because I’m really curious.... Did you call Se-jin that too? Uh, did you classify all the kids like that during Aju-sa? Am I Gold 1?”
Keep dreaming.
“…You were just Keun Se-jin.”
“Oh~ what’s this? It’s still a nickname. I like it, I like it.”
I held back a sigh as I watched Keun Se-jin nod to himself. This is driving me crazy.
“Then until when did you call them that?”
“…….”
“Moon-dae, Moon-dae?”
I’m still calling them that now, you punk.
I left the whining guy behind and went back to my room to sleep.
The album production camp continued the next day.
And Seon A-hyun’s momentum continued as well.
“If we keep failing to make progress like this, we’ll have to work until night. Everyone will hate working late. So...”
“Hey, let’s...! Let’s work late!”
“……Uh.”
Is it... something to go that far for?
At this point, it was a character collapse. I kept my mouth shut as I watched Seon A-hyun burning with passion as if he were Cha Yu-jin encountering some special device.
“Hyung, I hate working late!”
“S-still, we have to do it, if it’s necessary...!”
Look at him, now he’s even saying things Cha Yu-jin doesn’t want to hear.
Of course, it wasn’t a bad thing. In fact, it was good for efficiency, but it seemed like he was... overdoing it.
I decided after seeing Seon A-hyun secretly wipe the cold sweat from the back of his neck.
‘This won’t do.’
I should at least test the waters.
“Good work, everyone~”
“Alright, let’s wrap up.”
As soon as the meeting tentatively ended after dinner, I followed Seon A-hyun, who had left for his room, and visited him.
Knock, knock.
“…!”
“It’s me.”
Thud.
When I opened the door and went in, I saw Seon A-hyun hunched over his desk as if trying to hide something.
What are you doing?
“Is, is there something you’re l-looking for...?”
“I just wanted to talk...”
As I stepped closer, I realized what he was hiding.
Articles, reviews, ratings.
It was a kind of scrapbook, a collection of all the printed and organized content related to our previous albums.
[The most important part?]
[Problem with expressiveness]
And comments in elegant handwriting, presumably written by him, were neatly organized here and there.
Not only that, but something was also displayed on the e-reader he had reflexively covered.
[Edgar Allan Poe Complete Works 5]
…Don’t tell me.
‘Was he making this separately?’
To anyone’s eyes, everything was preparation material for TeSTAR’s new album.
Still, let’s ask once.
“What is all that?”
“…! Ah, y-yeah, this is…….”
Seon A-hyun seemed to hesitate a few times, but soon answered with a fairly confident voice.
“Among the works of ‘Edgar Allan Poe’ that S-sejin Hyung told us about... I think I f-found a subject that suits us better.”
“…!”
“T-the Black Cat was great too, but... it felt a bit, well, like it overlapped with Call... and I wanted to try incorporating what TeSTAR does b-best.”
Seon A-hyun seemed nervous, but he was faintly smiling.
And what he was saying already sounded plausible.
“…….”
“H-here.”
I took the notebook he handed me with a slightly trembling hand, which had been tucked under the e-reader.
Inside, the titles of works and the existing TeSTAR concept groups he wanted to graft them onto were written down.
I quickly read a few words highlighted in the notebook.
[Outburst of energy]
[Immersion, sense of speed]
Then I read through the notebook.
“…….”
“I, I haven’t come up with a n-neatly organized post yet... so I couldn’t say anything. Because... I shouldn’t speak without a b-basis.”
Seon A-hyun lowered his head as if somewhat embarrassed.
“Since I’m... not g-good at speaking.... I thought it would be good to at least c-compose the content thoroughly....”
Good grief.
“Seeing what you did today, I don’t think you needed to worry about that.”
Seon A-hyun’s face turned red.
“T-thank you. Still, if I add the finishing touches……”
“Ah, so you were working on that separately!”
Whoa, you scared me.
When I turned my head, Kim Rae-bin, who had been working at the other desk with headphones on, had already taken them off and turned around.
‘Since when were you there?’
I didn’t see him because he was just working without reacting, quiet as a mouse.
“I didn’t know that the thing A-hyun Hyungnim was reading every time while staying at the dorm these past few days was album reviews.”
“Yeah...”
Seon A-hyun affirmed with a bright red face, and Kim Rae-bin nodded as if he understood.
And his eyes sparkled.
“I thought it was a new hobby you picked up during the tour, but to think you were conducting such a large-scale analysis with so much time and effort. As expected, you possess both diligence and talent.”
“……. Y-y-yeah.”
Even though his face said he desperately wanted to decline the compliment, he affirmed it anyway.
I chuckled.
“He’s right. It’s excellent.”
“…!”
“The content is good too. You could have suggested it right away. This is enough as it is.”
“R-really?!”
Why would I lie to you here?
“Yeah.”
To put it simply, this was content that anyone would have been hooked on even if only a draft had been thrown out.
‘The conclusion-drawing process is so clean.’
Of course, there are cases like Kim Rae-bin, where inspiration gushes out and he whips up something that captivates people in one go.
But sometimes, there are those who fit numerous pieces together like a puzzle and find the one and only possibility, the correct answer, by filtering through a fine sieve.
And that was what this guy’s judgment was like now.
The conclusion he reached after looking through and analyzing a massive amount of existing TeSTAR album materials—which was evident at a glance—was... extremely attractive.
‘He must have worked really hard.’
I recalled how he had been depressed about not being able to participate properly in the camp and was inwardly impressed.
This was beyond expectations.
“I want to try this right away too.”
“…!”
Seon A-hyun’s eyes sparkled more brightly than ever. He looked almost moved.
“M-Moon-dae. Thank you... so much.”
“I’m the one who’s thankful for the good opinion.”
However, Seon A-hyun wasn’t finished.
“T-then... you know.”
Hmm?
“C-could I... also, well, what’s g-going on...”
At that moment, I realized what the ‘what’s going on’ he was referring to meant.
‘Is he... asking me to spill the secret?’
It seemed I had misunderstood something.
This guy’s assertiveness didn’t come from being pissed off.
His attitude of walking on eggshells... was like he was taking a qualification test for some secret society.
“A-ah, no! It’s nothing.... I, I’ll just be organizing this a bit m-more....”
For someone saying it was nothing, Seon A-hyun slunk toward his desk with a face full of anticipation.
“May I take a look as well?”
“Yeah!”
“…….”
…It seemed Seon A-hyun had moved by merging two emotions in a much more productive direction than I had predicted.
The desire to contribute to the album camp and the desire to be recognized by his same-age friends.
‘If I don’t tell him even after things have reached this point... I think I’ll be screwed.’
“…….”
Ah, hell. I don’t know anymore.
‘I’ll have to make an opportunity.’
At this rate, I’m going to end up telling everyone who can keep their mouths shut. I wiped my face with my hands.
Anyway, that night, Seon A-hyun, who eventually called a meeting, gave his presentation.
And as expected of guys with good eyes, their reactions were similar to mine.
It meant it was highly praised.
“…I like this better too.”
“Then we can just set the direction this way and go for it. A-hyun, good job!”
“Yeah, t-thank you.... Thank, you!”
Seeing everyone from the one who came up with the idea to the realists all liking it, Seon A-hyun bowed his head repeatedly.
The atmosphere was bright, as if they were applauding Seon A-hyun in a very friendly manner.
Until the next words came out, that is.
“Well, then we’ll have to re-check the schedule.”
“…?”
Ryu Cheong-woo smiled broadly.
“That means... we have to revise all the configurations that have come out as final until now.”
“…….”
“…….”
Seon A-hyun lowered his eyes.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“What are you talking about? It’s a good thing the album concept is getting better.”
It was an answer that carried the sorrow of an office worker.
‘K-pop Hellfire Overtime Camp... reopened.’
The only saving grace was that this overtime camp was exceptionally effective.
“Let’s just add this one thing.”
“Hmm.”
And since things had turned out this way, I also added something I wanted to include but had excluded for the sake of balance.
‘This is the final.’
By the time the weather had turned completely warm, we had finished preparations for the new album release.