Chapter 192: You Didn't Have to Do That.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 192: You Didn't Have to Do That.
“Alright! Let's go with this! Decision made. Ugh... when can I finally go home?”
The streetlights had been on for a while now.
Gathered in the conference room, we'd been listening to the samples on repeat, so much that it felt like our ears were bleeding.
The deadline was tight compared to the other tracks we'd worked on.
They said it was because of a delay in YM's internal decision-making, but the Director told us he'd readily accepted the job out of his own love for the group.
And as a member of the team, I naturally agreed with his decision.
“Taemin. You focus on revising the melody line as quickly as possible based on today's feedback. Hyunseong and I will get the lyrics ready.”
“Yep. Got it.”
“Okay. That's all for today. Good work, everyone.”
A job where you can come in whenever you want also means it's a job where you can leave whenever you want.
I closed the tablet where I'd been taking notes and slumped over the desk.
“Taemin, how are you getting home?”
“The subway should still be running.”
“That's a relief. We're heading out first, then?”
“Yep. Get home safe.”
After gathering my laptop and belongings, I returned to my studio and calmly organized the tasks I needed to finish by tomorrow.
“Sigh...”
If I don't do this tonight, I'll probably have to camp out here all day tomorrow.
Thinking I might as well pull an all-nighter, I decided to call Doah.
[Hello?]
[Oppa...]
Her voice was clearly pouting.
[Yeah. Hey, Doah.]
[Are you done now...?]
[Surprisingly, yes.]
[So you're coming home now?]
Hearing her voice, I could feel my resolve weakening.
[Ah... I still have a few things left to do... I was thinking of just staying here until dawn and then heading home...]
I hadn't thought much about marriage, but I had a feeling this dynamic would continue even after we were married.
[...So I have to sleep alone?]
[Probably... I think so...]
[But the bed is so big...]
I let out a short sigh at Doah's whining voice.
[But even if I go home, I might have to stay glued to the computer.]
[Then come home and do it. I won't bother you. I'll just sit quietly behind you.]
Are you a puppy, Kim Doah?
The thought of Doah just sitting there quietly watching me work was so cute I thought I'd lose my mind.
There was only one possible answer.
[Ah! Okay, I'll head home right now! Packing up!]
[Okay! Hurry home!]
I grabbed my bag, turned off the lights, and hurried toward the subway station.
As expected for a time so close to the last train, it wasn't very crowded.
There were probably fewer than ten people in the entire car.
I found a seat in the corner, took out my phone, and started watching this week's CLOSER highlight compilation.
I usually watch all of Luka's streams live, so her clips were mostly a rewatch, but there was a lot of new content from the other members.
Five members, each with their own unique charm.
The one I found funniest today was Fumurin's Catch Mind episode.
She's a natural at streaming.
It felt like her entire personality was just naturally hilarious.
Meanwhile, a clip of Leah singing a mysterious a cappella song had been uploaded. It seemed she'd set the instrumental track to play only in her ears and, lost in the music, had sung a cappella for about a minute.
When she belatedly realized no one else could hear the music, she started panicking, which the fans must have absolutely loved.
Getting off the subway, I started on the walk home, a route that still felt a little unfamiliar.
Sometimes, if I wasn't paying attention, I'd end up leaving through the exit for my old place. Thankfully, I got it right today.
I also really liked that the route had been upgraded from a hill to flat ground.
Before, I'd have to pant my way up if I was in a hurry, but now it was just pure comfort.
I guess expensive places are expensive for a reason.
When I arrived home and opened the door, I heard the pitter-patter of feet running from the bedroom.
“Oppa!”
Doah threw her arms around me.
“Hey.”
“What took you so loooong...”
“Just think of it as me working hard to support Luka.”
She sniffed my t-shirt and then nodded.
“Doesn't seem like you were out with another woman.”
“Just a middle-aged guy with a gut, I'm afraid.”
“Go wash your hands and come here.”
Doah pushed me toward the bathroom and then disappeared somewhere.
“Ta-da!”
On the dining table, she'd laid out chicken from my favorite brand.
“What's this? When did you order it?”
“I calculated the exact time you'd be leaving and ordered it.”
Doah puffed out her chest, as if demanding praise.
“You're not too busy to even have time to eat this, are you...?”
As I just stared blankly at the box, Doah cautiously sidled up next to me.
“Of course not. I have time for this. Thank you.”
I gave her a loud peck on the cheek, and she wiggled her butt happily.
“Ah. I'm such a good girlfriend. Admit it, right?”
“Yep. I admit it.”
Sitting across from me, Doah nibbled happily on a piece of chicken.
“You don't have anything busy tomorrow?”
“I don't think I have anything major until we start recording the third album. They said I have to review my avatar, but honestly, they did such a good job I'll probably just clap and say it's pretty, and that'll be it.”
Whether it was illustrations or avatars, quality was directly proportional to the amount of capital invested.
In that sense, YM was investing generously in the rapidly rising group.
Their quality was breathtaking even in the beginning, but now, it was safe to say no team in the country surpassed them.
“It's not the last avatar, is it?”
“They said there will be about two more. One for the third album. And... one for the end...”
Doah smacked her lips in disappointment at the word "end."
“There'll be more after that, right? You said you'd continue as a streamer under them.”
“Right. Oppa, if you're done eating, it's okay to get back to work. Don't waste any more time because of me.”
Doah said she'd clean up the leftover chicken and told me to go on ahead.
If I had the time, I would've insisted on cleaning up together, but since I was really in a crunch, I didn't refuse and quickly went into the studio.
I found myself in a staring contest with my headset.
Phew... If I put this on now, what time will I even get to sleep?
After glaring at the headset with my arms crossed for about thirty seconds, I let out a deep sigh and pressed the power button on my computer.
Damn it... right... this is all for Doah...
I'd never even worked this hard for my final exams, but for Doah, I could do this all day.
I turned on my tablet and started going through the revisions one by one.
There was feedback that the bridge was too plain, and I was struggling with what instrument to add.
Should I add a more dynamic drum part? Or maybe another guitar line? Then again, using a different synth effect might also work.
If I got greedy and tried to add too much, the music would just end up sounding cluttered.
In the end, the only way was to try out every solution that came to mind.
There are certainly tasks where running simulations in your head is meaningful, but I didn't think music was one of them.
Until I heard it with my own ears, there was no way of knowing what the result would be.
How long had I been sitting there?
Feeling my back stiffen, I stretched my arms out wide.
The headset cable got in my way, so I yanked it off and tossed it onto the desk.
“Aghhh~”
-Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch-
...What is that sound?
“Ah! You scared me!”
When I turned around, I was genuinely startled.
Doah was sitting on the computer chair behind me.
My dear girlfriend was eating Pepero, curled up with her knees drawn to her chest.
“Want one?”
Ignoring my shocked reaction, she held out one of the sticks to me.
“Ah... yeah. But how long have you been sitting here?”
“Since after I cleaned up the chicken.”
“But why didn't you say anything?”
“Because you were working, Oppa.”
“When did you even come in?”
I don't think I even saw you enter.
“You were wearing your headset and fighting with your monitor with a really angry look on your face, so I just slipped in.”
“You should have gone to bed. Why didn't you?”
I glanced at the monitor to check the time.
3:40 AM.
Does that mean she's been sitting here quietly for three hours straight?
“I don't want to. I'm waiting here because I want to sleep with you.”
“You're not sleepy?”
“Sometimes my streams go way past 3 AM. It's nothing.”
She came over and wrapped her arms around my neck from behind.
“I'll just recharge a little instead.”
I hugged her tightly without a word.
“What were you doing here all this time?”
“Just watching you work, scrolling on my phone, that kind of thing.”
At this rate, Doah might really end up staying up with me until morning.
“I'm almost done. I think I can finish by four.”
“Really? Yay~”
She rubbed her cheek against mine.
I gave her a gentle pat on the butt, asked her to wait just a moment, and saved the files I'd been working on.
“Alright, let's go to bed now.”
“Okay!”
Doah took my hand and led me to the bedroom, where she fell asleep the moment she lay down on the bed, as if she'd passed out.
The cost of putting her to sleep: three kisses and about ten minutes of gentle pats.
“You didn't have to do that.”
I whispered so quietly she couldn't hear, then carefully got up so as not to wake her.
In the end, I couldn't return to her side until the sun came up.