Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Masterpiece (2)
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When I mentioned adding vocals to the Chapter 13 BGM, Director Shin Chihwan showed a hint of surprise. I continued in a calm voice.
“Yes, I think a musical-style track, combined with a scene where Van Gogh's final painting consumes him, would perfectly capture the feeling I'm envisioning.”
After hearing my explanation, Shin Chihwan tapped his fingers on the table for a moment before giving a small nod of understanding.
“Well, it wouldn't be too hard if we outsourced it. Finding a few candidates wouldn't be a problem... Does this mean we need to allocate more budget?”
Creating an OST with vocals is actually quite common in the game industry.
However, it's usually for promotional purposes and rarely used in-game.
The director was probably thinking along those lines.
“We can just use our team's remaining budget. We're aiming to create it in-house, collaborating closely with the sound team anyway.”
“You think that's possible?”
“Yes. I plan to write the lyrics myself. Doing it this way increases the chances of getting the exact music I want.”
“Haa. I'm a little worried.”
Shin Chihwan's reaction was understandable.
POD's development was in its final stages. From his perspective, it made more sense to spend time on polishing the game rather than creating a single OST track that wouldn't affect the overall outcome.
But my thinking was a little—no, a lot—different.
“Trust me, Director. This music will be the cherry on top.”
“Tsk. I'll let you fool me one more time.”
And so, after sharing our current status, we agreed to focus on our respective tasks.
*I'll need to come up with the most convincing plan possible to get the sound team on board.*
Back at my desk, I started writing a detailed design document, outlining which scene the music would accompany, how it would fit, and what kind of lyrics it would have.
If I couldn't convince them of the context for this music, the work would never proceed smoothly.
Of course, this plan wasn't so simple either.
*Writing lyrics is no easy task.*
The other parts were a breeze since I had plenty of experience, but writing lyrics that perfectly matched the story of Chapter 13 was proving difficult.
It wasn't just about retelling the story; I had to consider the melody line and the measures of the music, as well as the inherent rhythm of the words themselves. There were many points to deliberate.
<<Activating Best Aide! The grade of this document is D+.>>
As if to highlight my shortcomings, the grade that appeared when I checked the first version of the document with Best Aide was abysmal.
*This is nowhere near good enough.*
There was no way I could be satisfied with this.
Whenever I had free time, I scoured the internet, studying songwriting techniques, and read and analyzed the lyrics of other musicals until my eyes ached, revising the document as I went.
<<The grade of this document is C-!>>
Slowly, the document's grade began to rise.
After nearly ten days of grueling, repeated revisions.
<<The grade of this document is B+!>>
Finally, I managed to reach the upper end of a B-grade.
The problem was that no matter how many more days I poured into it, breaking past this wall seemed incredibly difficult.
The BGM for Chapter 13 was quite good, but I just couldn't get the lyrics to stick to it perfectly.
*It's a shame, but I'll have to settle for this for now.*
It was an unsatisfying result, especially since I always aimed for an S-grade.
But delaying any longer would likely disrupt the entire game development schedule, so I decided to compromise and stop here for the time being.
Afterward, I sent the document to the BGM specialist on the sound team and requested a separate meeting.
We met in a conference room, where I displayed the document on the screen and briefed the BGM specialist, Ms. Seo Eunhye.
“That's everything I wanted to cover.”
After I finished, I swallowed hard and waited anxiously for her to speak.
I might be a PD and she a Manager, but regardless of our titles, the music for POD was entirely in her hands. I couldn't help but feel nervous.
Seo Eunhye, a woman of small stature, adjusted her glasses, gesturing as if deep in thought.
“So, you want to add vocals to the Chapter 13 BGM, is that right? And you plan on using lyrics you wrote yourself. Ahaha.”
“Yes. If there's anything that concerns you, please feel free to give me any feedback.”
At my words, Seo Eunhye nodded and began to scan the lyrics with a serious expression.
My lips felt dry.
Having my work evaluated by an expert in a field that wasn't my own, I felt a tension I hadn't experienced in a while.
Manager Seo Eunhye, who had been mulling over my lyrics with an awkward smile, seemed to finish her thoughts. She adjusted her glasses again and spoke.
“Haha. Well, I understand what you're trying to do, PD-nim. And the lyrics are well-written overall, with a good sense of rhythm.”
“Oh, really?”
“However, these lyrics won't fit with the Chapter 13 BGM I gave you.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
“Yes, the music I composed wasn't created with the intention of having lyrics laid over it.”
“Ah. Is there such a difference? I was struggling with the fact that no matter how I tried to fit the lyrics, they never seemed to click perfectly.”
That feeling I had throughout the process, the sense that the lyrics just wouldn't settle onto the music.
Manager Seo Eunhye had just given me a clear answer as to why.
“Hmm. How should I put this? I originally composed orchestral music, but now I'm making assets for a game company. So I created the BGM in a way that wouldn't interfere with your game, PD-nim. Haha.”
Creating it in a way that wouldn't interfere.
It was just a passing comment, but I felt a strange sense of dissonance in her words.
“Manager Seo Eunhye, forgive me if this is rude, but would it be possible for me to listen to a few of the other pieces you composed before joining the company?”
“Oh, huh? I don't mind, but may I ask why?”
“I'll tell you after I've had a listen.”
Manager Seo Eunhye pulled a few of her tracks from the cloud onto her desktop and played them for me.
The moment I heard them, I understood exactly where that sense of dissonance had come from.
*So this is what she meant by 'not interfering.'*
Music of a completely different quality from what I had heard before blasted from the speakers.
It was the kind of music that painted images in your mind, music with a magical power that could mesmerize a person.
With sweet lyrics and vocals added on top, each piece was a magnificent work of art in its own right.
But for that very reason, it was also the kind of music that could easily overshadow the game, making the music stand out on its own.
Ultimately, music is just one component of a game, so it shouldn't interfere with the other elements. That must be why Manager Seo Eunhye hadn't been able to showcase 100% of her skills.
Having experienced similar things myself while writing stories for the company, I could roughly guess how she felt.
*She's been crushed by the corporate system, completely unable to display her true abilities. It must be so frustrating.*
The moment I had that thought.
<<Your understanding of Manager Seo Eunhye has increased!>>
<<Understanding window has been unlocked.>>
As if in response, God Game Maker unlocked my understanding of her.
After confirming Manager Seo Eunhye's abilities, I came to a decision about the current situation without a moment's hesitation.
“Manager Seo Eunhye. This may be a rude request, but if you're okay with it, would you be willing to remake the music for Chapter 13?”
“Huh? Remake it? Was there something you didn't like about it after all?”
“No, the current music is great. It's fantastic, but you were composing it within the lines of not interfering with the game, weren't you, Manager Seo?”
Hearing that, Manager Seo Eunhye's brow twitched as if I'd hit a nerve, and she gave a small nod.
“For this new track, I want you to create it using every ounce of your ability. It doesn't matter if you compose it with the intent of completely burying Chapter 13 of my game.”
“What?”
At that moment, Manager Seo Eunhye tilted her head in confusion.
In her more than six years at the company, she had never received an order like that before.
“Hehe. Would that really be okay? The music might turn out completely different from what you imagined, PD-nim.”
“No, after listening to those tracks just now, I'm certain. This is something you can definitely do better than me, Manager Eunhye, the true expert here.”
The moment she heard those words, Manager Seo Eunhye felt as if a bucket of oil had been poured over the dying embers of her passion, which had been buried under a pile of ash.
-Company work is company work. If you want to properly showcase your personal abilities, quit and do your own music.-
She had created countless game BGMs at the company, but she was rarely able to make music the way she wanted.
The purpose of BGM was to fit the game and make it stand out, which meant she usually had to cater to the PD's requests as much as possible, making it difficult to infuse her own intentions or ideas into the music.
Because of this, a lingering resentment grew in Seo Eunhye's heart with every project.
*'That BGM would have been so much better if I had just done it this way.'*
*'Sigh, I wish I'd get an order that let me use 100% of my abilities.'*
She worked hard to create them, but because the final product couldn't reflect 100% of her skill, she could never be truly satisfied.
But having started a family at an early age, she never revealed her desires to others for the sake of a stable job, receiving a steady income as her reward.
However, the creator within her, hidden in a corner of her heart, was slowly dying.
And now, standing before her, the famous indie game developer, PD Jo Hyunsoo, was telling her to create the music however she pleased.
The music for the game's climax, arguably one of its most crucial pieces.
“Haha. It sounds like it could be fun, but is it really alright? If things go wrong, the music could end up overshadowing the direction or other elements.”
But she was afraid to accept it so readily, so she replied cautiously.
She was afraid that if she made a mistake, it would affect her life at the company.
But.
“I'll take full responsibility, so you don't have to worry. You're someone who can create the kind of incredible music I just heard. I think it would be foolish to end the project like this.”
“There are two conditions. First, it needs vocals, like a musical. Second, the theme should be Van Gogh's death and his final painting in Chapter 13. As long as you stick to those, the rest is up to you, Manager Seo Eunhye. Ah, and if you're too busy or if there's a scheduling issue, please let me know. I'll do whatever I can to cover for you.”
I'll take responsibility.
The moment those words—words that none of the people Seo Eunhye had ever worked with had dared to utter so easily—came from PD Jo Hyunsoo's mouth.
Her expression hardened, and she spoke as if possessed.
“Then... I'll give it a try.”
A hint of venom flickered in her eyes, and she leaned forward slightly in her chair, as if wanting to start working that very instant.
Seo Eunhye's face, once full of the listless, silly smiles born from corporate survival tactics, had transformed into that of a wolf craving its prey.
“I'll show you exactly what I'm capable of, PD-nim. You can look forward to it.”
“Yes. I will. If there's anything you need to discuss, feel free to talk to me directly.”
And with that, the meeting concluded.
I returned to the office with a heart full of half excitement, half fear.
*I feel like I've awakened something inside Manager Seo Eunhye.*
I recalled the moment my own corporate life had changed because of God Game Maker, and the corners of my mouth lifted into a smile.
The life of a corporate drone, preoccupied with just doing as told, suppressing oneself, and catering to the words of others. I felt a surge of anticipation that Manager Seo Eunhye might be able to break free from the resulting mannerism, and at the same time, a burning curiosity about what kind of music she would create.
“Phew. Now, time to sort things out.”
By the time the meeting ended and I was back at my desk, it was already 6 PM.
I headed down to the company cafeteria for dinner, tapping on my smartphone's messenger app.