The Witch Who Sings the Witch OST

Time flew by. The first episode of Bicheon-guk had been uploaded to NewTube. [Bicheon-guk (飛天國) EP 1. Martial World Debut (武林初出)]

My level had also reached 90. Just 5 more levels until I could head to the next continent, Arkteera.

"Should I check the level rankings for old times' sake?"

Everyone else was probably struggling in Bicheon-guk, starting from the level 75 bracket. I had the title [Savior of Stories], which adjusted NPC favorability, so I was fine. But others likely faced rejection right from the start, leaving them stuck.

"...She's pretty persistent."

Erisen, the player who'd consistently held 2nd place behind me in Season 1. She was famous as the top Elemental Sorcerer back then.

"Guess that's it for today."

I'd scheduled a visit to OVEN headquarters tomorrow, so I logged out of the capsule.

"Speaking of OST..."

OST—Original Sound Track. It referred to songs composed and written directly by the game company.

"Season 1 only had background music..."

From the email, it seemed they were releasing a full song with lyrics this time.

"...No idea what it'll feel like, but I'll find out when I hear it."

I knew the official witch storyline well. Women rejected by mages, feared by the masses. The great witch Priscilla's feats in war had earned them recognition as a group. That was all the official info.

"Maybe a song with a melancholic vibe?"

Lost in such thoughts, I closed my eyes.

The next day, I headed to OVEN headquarters, the developer of Lost World.

"...Come to think of it, it's been ages since I was last here."

It was my first time since the beta test, before my body changed.

"...That jerk Kim Won-gang... If he's around today, I gotta see him."

I walked slowly into OVEN headquarters.

"Ah, please take the elevator up there."

Following the receptionist's directions, I rode the elevator up. We arrived at a studio兼recording room with soundproof booths.

I opened the soundproof booth door and stepped right in.

"Hello..."

"Ah, you've arrived. Nice to meet you."

I shook hands with a man who looked to be in his late 30s.

"Haha, you look even more beautiful in person."

"Ahaha, thank you..."

"Sorry for the late intro. I'm Lee Woosung, team lead for Lost World's music production team."

"Yes, I'm Kim Juwon."

We sat in chairs inside the soundproof booth and started talking.

"The track itself is already in the final stages. I just wanted you to listen and give your thoughts on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠whether it's good."

"I'm not professionally trained in music..."

"No worries. Just as a listener—does the music feel good? Parts like this could go that way. That's the kind of feedback I'm after."

"If it's like that, sure..."

"The guide vocalist is here too. Let's give it a listen."

Inside the booth was another room, visible through a transparent glass window. A woman stood at the mic with headphones on.

Soon, a heavy piano-based interlude began to flow.

As I'd expected, it had an overall melancholic feel. It built toward lyrics showing resolve to overcome, and the quality wasn't bad at all.

When the song ended, Woosung looked at me.

"What did you think?"

"...Hmm..."

Honestly, the song itself was good. The heavy piano set the mood, and the clear female voice contrasted nicely.

But a good song needed to be singable and have intense moments—especially one with a storyline.

I opened my mouth cautiously.

"...This is just my personal opinion..."

"Yes, speak freely."

"To better fit the witch's story, shouldn't we emphasize 'overcoming' more in the mood?"

To me, it felt like it only covered the witches' gloomy past.

"The lyrics are fine, but make verse 2 different—show triumph over trials—"

"Push the chorus higher to build tension—"

The more I spoke, the more improvements came to mind. I wasn't a music expert, but as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a listener, I knew what sounded good and what got you hyped.

Woosung seemed a bit flustered.

"...Did I overstep?"

"No, no. Quite the opposite—thank you. Could you wait a bit? If you give us time, we can have a revised version ready today."

"Uh... sure. Oh, is the director in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠today?"

"No, he's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out right now."

"I see..."

Looks like meeting Kim Won-gang today was off the table.

"Then I'll hang out outside. Call me when the revision's ready."

We exchanged contacts, and I wandered the office before heading out.

"...Hearing that song made me wanna sing too."

With nothing else to do, I hit up a nearby karaoke spot.

After two hours, a text came from that contact.

I'd milked the service time for all it was worth, so I got ready to leave.

"...I only paid for an hour, though..."

I wondered if karaoke places were always this generous, but I ignored the extra time and headed out.

"Ahem, ahh—"

If asked what part of my changed body was the biggest cheat, I'd say my voice without hesitation. Not just naturally good, but after two hours straight, it sounded even better than before.

I'd always loved singing, and belting out tunes with this voice was pure bliss.

Anyway, I returned to OVEN headquarters. Opening the soundproof booth door, I saw the guide vocalist passionately recording the revision.

"Ah, you're here. One sec."

Woosung greeted me with a brighter expression.

"Wanna hear it right away? Personally, I think this one's a winner."

"Sure, let's hear it."

It started the same—piano only. Early lyrics unchanged. But before the chorus, it began building subtly—a huge difference.

"Oh..."

And the awaited chorus.

The song was truly excellent. The soaring high notes evoked images of enduring hardship and pushing forward.

When it ended, Woosung asked again.

"What do you think?"

"...It's really good. Feels ready to release as is."

Woosung pondered briefly before speaking.

"Juwon, have you thought about singing this yourself?"

"...Me?"

"Yeah. Your voice matches it perfectly."

I felt it too. My slightly low-toned female voice suited the song's dark mood.

Listening had made me want to try it.

"...Wait, you mean just try it?"

"No? I mean, as the singer for this track."

Stunned by the unexpected offer, I stared at Woosung.

"Of course, we'd pay you. We can draw up a contract..."

"...Is it okay for me to sing it? What if there's someone already lined up and I stole it...?"

"Nah, nothing like that. Your voice just fits so purely."

"...Okay, I'll give it a shot."

"Great. Guide vocalist's here, so take your time."

I wasn't one to jump into the spotlight, but this was Lost World Season 2's first OST. If I could be part of it, it'd be amazing—proof of how serious I was about the game.

I entered the recording booth, donned the headphones.

"You'll hear what I sang through the headset. Listen and match the feel."

With lyrics in front, I followed the guide vocal slowly.

"Whoa..."

"It suits you even better than I thought."

They said that outside, but I couldn't hear. I flubbed parts here and there, of course.

"Put more sorrow there."

"High notes are fine, just flow naturally..."

With the guide's help, I fixed quickly. If something bugged me, I'd rerecord first. Each try got better, and it was kinda fun.

Recording took 4 hours, and finally, I nailed the whole track.

"Ahem, ahh—"

No throat issues. Even after those highs, it felt fine.

"Wanna hear your recording? It's mix-ready as is."

"Yeah, please."

I took the headphones from Woosung.

The interlude started, then my voice.

The early parts were subdued, steeped in the witches' resentment and sorrow from rejection. But as the chorus built, hope flickered in, exploding into flame.

The high notes carried fury and hope, piercing straight to the ear.

"...Wow."

"A little mixing will polish it perfectly. Good?"

"...Yeah. It's great."

In the end, I signed the contract. They'd pay me handsomely to use my recording.

Part of it was not wanting to keep this gem to myself... but mostly, the money was too good to refuse.

Ugh, money really is king. As expected from a big corp like OVEN.

"Oh, right—should we credit it as Noel?"

"No, hmm..."

Releasing under Noel would've been a headache.

But using my real name felt off too.

"Hmm... any good ideas?"

"If you really don't want, a pseudonym works."

"I'm bad at naming..."

Noel had taken hours to settle on. This'd take another hour.

"...Loen. Loen it is."

"Any reason?"

"Ahaha... Just Noel with letters swapped. No big reason."

"...Hmm. Might get figured out?"

"...Can't be helped if it does."

Exactly a week later, the witch OST sung by Noel's alt(?), Loen, hit Lost World's official NewTube channel.

A witch sung by a witch, indeed.

After the OST upload, Woosung called someone.

"Ah, hyungnim. Long time."

The someone was Jeong Sanghyeon, Woosung's composition mentor and a famous composer. Woosung owed his spot on OVEN's music team mostly to him.

"Isn't it great? Even you can admit—"

[...Eh, the track's decent enough. But who's this Loen who sang it?]

"No one special, top witch ranker in the game..."

[I don't follow that stuff. A pro singer?]

"...No, just a regular person."

[Huh, a regular?]

Silence hung over the line.

'Whoa... first time he's asked like this.'

Even pros couldn't easily snag Sanghyeon's songs—he picked the singer himself.

Woosung thought it over before replying.

"Can I ask her first? She doesn't like attention..."

Click—

"...Noel-nim's probably busy gaming..."

Lost in thought, Woosung began texting Juwon.