Chapter 167
Chapter 167
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: Meeting the Composer for the First Time!
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Today, I left the house with my heart pounding.
Just as I'd requested from the President the day before yesterday, today was the day I was finally meeting the VN Composer for the first time to chat.
Originally, we'd planned to meet yesterday.
But she's such a famous composer that she had a prior commitment.
So we pushed it back a day to today.
The address she'd sent me in advance looked like it led to her studio.
And the President had mentioned that land prices around here were ridiculously high.
Building a studio in a place like this... I couldn't help but feel anew just how classy a famous composer really was.
"Welcome! Can I help you with your order?"
"Um, one Americano and one caramel frappuccino, please."
Since it was my first time meeting the composer, I figured I'd pick up some coffee as a little courtesy.
I hadn't had many personal chats with her yet, so I didn't know her tastes well.
I went with a safe choice: an Americano.
...But what if she can't handle Americano like me?
Maybe I should've gotten something sweet instead.
A belated wave of regret hit me, but sweet things might not be her thing either.
Rationalizing it like that, I grabbed the coffee carrier and headed to the studio.
"Nngh...!"
After climbing a slight incline, a quiet residential neighborhood appeared.
Just moments ago, the streets had been bustling with people.
Maybe this was where the real rich folks lived.
Lost in idle thoughts, I arrived at the address she'd given me and looked around.
There it was: a small iron gate covered in tree branches.
Wait, is that it?
It looked just like the back door of some average restaurant you'd pass on the street.
A bit thrown off by the unexpectedly rustic exterior, I cautiously approached and pressed what looked like an intercom beside the gate.
Beep. A sharp sound rang out, and soon...
Clang-
The gate swung open with a heavy thud.
And from the other side emerged a woman who looked incredibly lively.
...A woman?
"Luru! Come on in!"
"Huh? Oh, hello. Um, are you... the VN Composer...?"
"That's me! Ah, surprised I'm a woman? Everyone says that."
"Y-Yeah... a little."
Truth be told, I hadn't even heard properly about her age or gender.
Our chats on Talk were all I had to go on for guessing.
My impression? Kind of like an energetic elementary school boy.
What can I say... super casual and bright?
Her speech was so straightforward.
So I'd pictured a young guy...
This was totally unexpected.
"Anyway, come in, come in! I can't believe the day has finally come when I get to see Luru in person. Success! Total success!"
"Oh, no, the honor is all mine."
Anyway, the composer was even more upbeat in person than she'd seemed on Talk.
Her voice and tone were super high-energy, full of vigor.
She treated me like an old friend right from the start, even though we were meeting for the first time. It was like capital-E Energy on steroids.
I've never met anyone with this level of social charisma before.
Not even Yuna or Big Sister Chae-yoon hit this tier.
The composer could probably befriend everyone on Earth.
Maybe even make friends across species.
"Sorry the studio's a bit messy. My tastes get pretty quirky with age."
"I-Is it? I think it's super cool..."
As soon as we stepped inside, she said that.
But to me, it was a really stylish place.
It wasn't the sleek, modern vibe I'd imagined.
More like serene and cozy?
Kind of like those vintage interiors you see online sometimes.
Anyway, it had this incredibly warm feel—the atmosphere was great.
Yeah, Big Sister Ji-ah would love this style.
She was always posting pics from cafes like this whenever she got the chance.
After glancing around the outer area of the studio for a bit, we headed further in.
There were the usual recording booths and all sorts of dazzling equipment set up outside them.
Way more machines than at our company's studio, and they all looked top-of-the-line expensive.
Wow...
A famous composer's studio really is something else.
"Um, Composer... here's your coffee..."
In the middle of gawking around with my mouth half-open,
I realized I was still holding the coffee carrier in both hands.
I handed her the Americano cup and spoke up.
"Whoa? How'd you know I was craving an Americano right now? Da-jeong, you're a total sensei!"
"Ehehe... Phew, what a relief."
I let out a sigh of relief seeing her light up with delight.
Thank goodness Americano won over pie.
"Oh, right—since this is our first face-to-face, how about a quick intro? I'm Kim Na-yeon, the composer going by VN."
"I-I'm Jeong Da-jeong, performing as Luru."
It took a fair bit of time after meeting before
we finally exchanged proper introductions.
We'd already done it over Talk, but saying it face-to-face felt refreshingly new.
"By the way, the reason for VN? It's one letter from my husband's name and one from mine. Not that you asked, but here's some random TMI!"
She even shared the backstory behind her stage name unprompted,
punctuating it with a crisp snap of her fingers and a wink. So bubbly!
Yeah, I bet the composer would crush it as a Virtual YouTuber too.
"Anyway, I was shocked when I got your message yesterday. Luru... or actually, Da-jeong feels more comfy?"
"C-Call me however's easiest!"
"Cool, Da-jeong it is then. Wouldn't want to slip and call you Luru if we run into each other out in public."
Yeah, that would definitely be awkward.
I prefer my real name offline anyway.
For some reason, most folks at the company use stage names though.
"Anyway, I was up late tinkering with some work when suddenly I get a Talk from your President? At such a late hour, I wondered what was up."
"S-Sorry... That was probably my fault."
I'd been so frazzled at the time
that all I could think was to quickly ask the composer to adjust her schedule.
So I'd asked the President without thinking, and it happened to be nearly 11 PM.
"No worries, happens all the time. What really surprised me was hearing you'd suddenly want to change the lyrics concept?"
"Y-Yes... That's right."
"What sparked that idea? Word tweaks are common, but overhauling the frame and concept? That's rare, so I really wanted to ask."
Ah, got it.
No wonder she'd grilled me so much yesterday.
Asking if something happened or if I'd had some epiphany.
Changing the overall lyrics concept is uncommon, so that must've been why.
I'd prepared myself mentally,
but actually sharing my honest feelings still made me a little shy.
Still, this process was necessary for a proper song to come out.
I took a hearty sip from the frappuccino in front of me.
Feeling steadier, I finally opened up.
"Actually, something happened during my broadcast yesterday..."
"Oho, what was it?"
Seeing the composer lean in with sparkling eyes, full of interest,
I felt oddly reassured for some reason.
I spilled the whole story, even throwing in some unnecessary details here and there.
By the time our drinks were more than half gone,
my tale wrapped up, and the composer finally spoke.
Her face lit up like she'd just shouted, "This is it!"
"Whoa, that's awesome! When I first heard your lyrics, Da-jeong, I thought they were good but... like 2% off somehow."
"Huh? R-Really?"
"Yeah, they fit the idol concept fine, so I was gonna roll with it... but it didn't quite feel like your story, you know?"
Ah, yeah, I get that.
When I first sat down to write lyrics,
I'd focused more on what an idol song "should" have rather than my own story.
"But hearing your story now? I can tell it'll make for killer lyrics. Not just anyone's story—yours, Da-jeong's, for sure."
"R-Really?"
"Yep. Ah, of course, you'll need to put in some real effort, our Da-jeong?"
"Y-Yes...! I'll do my best."
Since my change was delaying things,
I nodded firmly, vowing to pour my true story and heart into it this time.
The words I wanted to share with everyone—through lyrics.
Maybe my resolve impressed her,
because the composer nodded with a pleased smile.
"Anyway, the key is the core message that holds the whole lyrics together."
"The message... you mean?"
"Exactly. Simply put, if you had to sum up these lyrics in one line to deliver to your fans, what would it be?"
Summing it up in one line? That's tough.
The realization I'd had that day wasn't small.
It seemed simple at a glance but was pretty complex when you thought about it.
"Hmm... Ah!"
After a moment of pondering,
a phrase popped into my head that captured it all perfectly.
It might sound a bit silly, but it was the biggest message I could send to the Cherries right now.
"Ooh, got it?"
"Yes! What I want to convey is... 'I'm not perfect, but will you love me anyway?'"
I met her gaze with a bright smile, boldly voicing that message.
A deep smile spread across the composer's face, mirroring mine.
"So Luru. Perfect."
"Hehe..."
And just like that, the story for my first original song was truly set.