A Recipe for a Hit
Seoha had once said that when it came to drama OSTs, being catchy was far more important than things like "emotion" or "experience." Suyun thought she had a point. This was especially true when listening to recent drama OSTs.
She didn't mean to disparage the composers, but at least in Suyun's opinion... rather than the depth or imagery of a song, it's more important for it to sound familiar and stick in your head.
This was even more apparent looking at drama OST composers. Instead of the singers writing and bringing their own songs, the music director wrote the tracks, and the artists merely sang them. As a result, the artists' unique colors faded, leaving only the vibe that fit the drama.
I guess getting special treatment is the same now as it was back then. Thinking about it that way, the music director back then had taken quite a gamble. No, on second thought, since the song had been inserted while the drama was already airing... maybe it didn't have that big of an impact on the show itself. Or perhaps they just needed an auxiliary promotional tool like a "making-of film."
Recalling the time she had worked on a drama OST in her past life, Suyun twirled a strand of her hair. If sounding familiar and sticking in the listener's head was what mattered...
A rock ballad would be perfect.
It was the ideal genre to preserve the unique "band" identity of Group Sound while seamlessly blending into the drama. The music director had also said, "I won't tell you what genre to write, but a ballad would be nice."
Suyun crossed her arms as she pondered. The structure of the song would be similar to the live version of Meteor they performed at MMA 2025. However, she had to make sure absolutely no one would call them identical. It needed to have vibrant colors, and above all, be easy to sing along to.
Come to think of it, most people who love music also go to karaoke a lot.
It was something she had heard somewhere in the past. That Japan was the only other nation that loved going to karaoke as much as Koreans did. And even then, the Japanese didn't sing with the same fiery passion as Koreans. Korea was truly a nation of singers. It was from some cheesy YouTube video with a tacky thumbnail, red text, and a waving Korean flag, so she wasn't sure if it was entirely accurate, but Suyun thought it made sense.
Being easy to sing along to meant people actually would sing along. And if they sang along, it meant the song would stick in their heads.
She began inputting chords into her composing software. Naturally, she used the money chords. A melody you couldn't help but hum the moment you heard it. She kept the intro and outro low-key. That way, even if it popped up in an auto-recommended playlist, people wouldn't immediately notice and skip it...
...allowing them to listen long enough to think, Oh, this is actually good. And then, the highlight.
"Indecisive, but ultimately choosing someone, huh..." Suyun muttered to herself as she abruptly cut off the first verse's highlight and inserted a bridge. Drawing from her past experiences, hadn't there been times like that? Not knowing one's own feelings. Wanting to control them because of that. Wanting to hide those emotions from others. She painted that very sensation into the music.
At the same time, she made sure the listener would feel a slight sense of longing, thinking, Ah, I want more. Then, in the second verse, she expressed it clearly: I have made my choice.
A brief silence after the build-up. Then, a voice breaking the quiet. A moment of emptiness where only the vocals remained, expressing the resolve of making a choice. Right after that, she threw in all the instruments. Elevating the emotion of the highlight to its peak, she had the vocals belt out a textbook high note.
She even left a section for ad-libs. So that anyone swept up in the emotion could belt out a "Whoaaa~!" of their own and feel like they had absolutely nailed the song. To wrap it up, she added a chorus. It provided a clean finish while allowing the listener to remain drunk on the emotions the song evoked.
She wanted people to hear the song and think, Ah, that drama! And when they watched the drama, Ah, that song! Ultimately, after watching the drama and hearing the song, she wanted them to wonder, Who on earth is Group Sound? and look them up.
Is this right?
A few days after signing the contract. Although there was still plenty of time left before the deadline, Music Director Park Hyun-tae stood by a telephone pole, smoking a cigarette with that very thought in mind.
Should I work with someone else even now? I think there's still time...
Ever since he had given a rough explanation of the song, there had been zero contact from the other party. No "What genre should we go with?" or "I made something like this..." Not a single question or progress update. His messenger app remained dead silent.
Park Hyun-tae threw away the burnt filter and lit another cigarette. The Neighbor Next Door was an incredibly important project for him as well. It was an opportunity that could revive his slightly slumping career.
That was why he had gone so far as to use his personal connections to ask Cream. How did things end up like this... I should have never done someone a favor. Shivering with anxiety and impatience, Hyun-tae smoked and lamented.
Would it be better to terminate the contract now, even if it meant paying a penalty? Just as he grabbed his phone with trembling hands, an unfamiliar name popped up on the screen. Ha Suyun.
Talk about perfect timing. Marveling at the coincidence, Hyun-tae quickly ran up to his office. He checked his email. The file name was incredibly lazy: 1.wav. Feeling a sense of foreboding, he played the audio. Then, Hyun-tae fell silent.
An intro that melted in without any distinct features. They say love approaches without any warning or sign. Just like that, the song was suddenly playing by his side before he even realized it.
Was her name Yuri...? He slightly adjusted his glasses. Whether it was during high school or middle school, she was the girl who had always lingered in his gaze—a gaze that otherwise held nothing but playing guitar and making music.
In the late '90s, when everyone was fussing over dressing up and expressing their individuality, she was the one who stubbornly wore neat, simple clothes. His first love. And a love that had withered away in vain.
He remembered the day he confessed. He hadn't expected her to accept. But she did. The slightly warm temperature of her body as he hugged her while shouting for joy. Wandering around downtown Seoul, squeezing in every second they had. The day they played, throwing the first snow of the year at each other. Memories of youth that had eventually ended, first by chance, and then by inevitability.
Even as he recalled those days, he paradoxically thought of Yuri's feelings. What was she like? Why did she accept me? What was on her mind? With what kind of heart did she look at me, a boy with nothing special about him, who just hovered around her? Perhaps she felt like this.
"This song... is too good." Hyun-tae sniffled slightly as his nose tingled. Other people listening to this song might not feel it to this extent. But since Hyun-tae was the one who had explained that the overarching emotion of the song should be exactly like this...
I have no idea how she wrote this. She's barely in her twenties, so she probably hasn't had much dating experience... Or is that exactly why she has this kind of sensibility? Because she's at an age for fiery romances?
For the record, this was a 10,000% pure misunderstanding.
"Hello!" While they were fine-tuning the song before the final recording, someone Suyun had never seen before knocked and entered the music director's studio.
"Ah! Right. You were scheduled to come today, weren't you, Reporter?"
"Yes. By any chance, is that..."
"Uh... I'm sorry. Could you please take a seat outside for a moment?"
After having the reporter wait outside for a moment, Hyun-tae quickly walked into the control room and spoke.
"I'm so sorry. I completely forgot I had an interview scheduled for today."
"An interview?"
"About our work on this project. They said they were coming for an interview regarding the music, but I was so absorbed in the work that... Oh dear."
Seeing Hyun-tae so flustered, Suyun said, "I'm fine, so go ahead with the interview." In any case, Suyun felt there were still quite a few parts she needed to personally touch up before they went into recording.
Thinking, What a good-natured young lady, Hyun-tae hurriedly went out to the reception area.
"How have you been lately?"
"As for me, I've been working hard on my projects."
"Is the work going well?"
"It's going very well."
After exchanging such pleasantries and discussing what the job of a music director entailed, the two of them dove into the main topic.
"The Neighbor Next Door is highly anticipated right now. I've interviewed various people, including the production company, the director, and the actors, and they all expressed great confidence. How about you, Music Director Park Hyun-tae?"
"Ah, of course, I feel the same way they do. I'm confident. This drama is bound to succeed! It's just so much fun. That kind of feeling?"
"I'd love to hear the source of that confidence."
"Well, first of all, the original webtoon is incredibly well-written. And our respected executive producer Kim Hong-soo, along with actors Kim Je-woo, Lee Woo-young, Jung Kyung-soo... there are too many great actors to name individually, and they're all delivering peak performances. Since the ingredients are so excellent, you see."
Chatting away with a smooth tongue, Hyun-tae finally expressed his ultimate confidence. Normally, he would never be this bold when working on a drama OST... but Suyun's music was just so incredibly to his liking.
"And then there's the main OST. It's still a rough draft, but the moment the staff heard it, they all absolutely loved it. They even begged me to let them hear the finished version first."
"Is it really that good?"
"It really is. I can guarantee it."
"Oh... then by any chance, could I listen to it just once...?"
"Hmm..." After pondering for a moment, Music Director Park Hyun-tae stepped into the studio and asked Suyun. Suyun nodded. Following his gesture, the reporter entered the control room.
"Hello."
"Hello! You're the guitarist Ha Suyun, right? From Group Sound!"
"Yes, that's correct."
"I was so surprised to hear that Group Sound was working on the main OST. The name value... Wow. It really made me realize that The Neighbor Next Door is indeed a highly anticipated project."
"It's not just name value; her name value actually falls short of her talent! Hahaha!"
"Ah, is that so?"
After exchanging a few words, Hyun-tae played the music on his computer. Following a quiet intro, Suyun's low humming drifted out. A silence of about three and a half minutes ensued.
"Wow... this is incredibly good."
"I told you you could look forward to it, didn't I?"
"Did you compose this, Guitarist Suyun?"
"Yes, that's right."
"To my ears, it definitely fits the original webtoon perfectly... It feels like the first and second verses represent Part 1 and Part 2 of the story."
"You really get it! Man, as expected of a professional music reporter, you're on another level." Park Hyun-tae skillfully flattered the reporter. Watching him, Suyun thought, So that's what a working professional looks like. His face had looked so grim just a moment ago.
While she was lost in thought, the reporter directed a question at Suyun.
"A love story like this is actually quite hard to write without personal experience. Is this based on your own experience, by any chance?"
"Uh..."
For a moment, Suyun was at a loss for words. What should she say? To say it was "just my imagination" felt a bit... off, especially when the reporter was praising how perfectly it fit the theme. What could she say that would fit the situation perfectly while also generating some good publicity?
"Oh, is it perhaps... a sensitive topic?" As Suyun remained silent, the reporter's voice trailed off. Suyun blurted out, "Ah, no, it's not that." After pondering for a brief moment longer, she decided to just say whatever came to mind first.
"Uh... Suh Myung-jun. Suh Myung-jun... my teacher once told me about an experience he had like that. I just tried to make it sound realistic."
"Your... teacher? The one who passed away?"
"Mmh... yes." Ha Suyun's trademark move, which she pulled out whenever she needed to generate buzz: invoking her "teacher."