Chapter 36
Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Waves and Sea Squirts
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I opened my email and downloaded the source file I had prepared earlier.
“…How big is this file? Why is it taking so long?”
I’m starting to think Director Lee should get some basic training from me.
Since Director Lee Sun doesn't know much about song production, CEO Park Jae-yong probably handles most of it himself.
“Um… Director, you know what a WAV file is, right?”
“Roughly? It’s a high-quality file format often used for music, right?”
It reminded me of the Director during my audition.
She’d acted like quite the expert then, asking me, ‘You know that composing these days is more than just putting notes on a staff, right?’
Of course, she needed to sound like she knew what she was talking about as a judge, but…
“…What? Why are you laughing? Was I wrong?”
I must have let out a little laugh without realizing it. The Director looked hurt.
“No, that’s not it. It just reminded me of when I was first learning. You’re right, Director.”
Only then did her expression soften. I searched the screen and opened the music production software, Cubase.
“The most common ones are Logic for Mac, and Cubase or Studio One for Windows, like this one. It varies from person to person, but for detailed work, I personally think Cubase is better because it's easier to find plugins and virtual instruments.”
I was feeding her bits of trivia she could use to sound knowledgeable to others.
“You'll see why the file is so large once I open it. I exported each track as a separate WAV file to avoid any potential version conflicts.”
Version conflicts are so rare they're practically nonexistent.
But as the old saying goes, ‘once bitten, twice shy.’ After losing a file just once in my entire production career, I've become excessively cautious.
One by one, the source files, displayed as waveforms, populated the screen, eventually filling up more than a dozen tracks.
“…I get it. So it's not that all the sounds are recorded in one file; it's because you exported each track individually?”
“Yes.”
“And you export them separately so you can edit each track individually?”
“Exactly! From volume to fades, the effects you apply to each instrument can completely change the feel of the song.”
As expected, the Director was sharp. I was genuinely pleased that she'd figured out what I was about to explain on her own.
“But does this really take up that much system resources?”
“Yes. Especially when you start adding a lot of virtual instruments, your computer will explode.”
“Really?”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Did she think I meant it would physically explode?
They say that when people are tense while learning something new, their brains can just freeze up. It’s why even the smartest people can seem completely clueless when they're rookies at a new job.
“Yes. In the worst-case scenario, the computer could freeze, forcing a reboot, and you could lose all your work in an instant.”
“…I see.”
“That's why a lot of the older, less stable recording programs were phased out, I heard.”
The Director nodded deeply.
“Would it take long to learn how to produce music?”
Though she asked with feigned coolness, her desire to learn was obvious.
As a basic courtesy, I decided to look at the Director's stats for the first time, something I had avoided until now.
[Name: Lee Sun (Age 32)]
Composition 35/58
Lyrics 71/90
Composition is impossible for her.
I’d better let her down easy.
“Learning composition… well, with plugins and virtual instruments constantly being updated, it would be difficult for someone as busy as you, Director. You have to adapt every time a new virtual instrument comes out, and that's extremely time-consuming.”
“I see…”
She looked very disappointed.
“That's for MIDI sequencing, but when it comes to recording and editing—applying effects to the tracks—someone with your ear for music could definitely handle it, Director.”
“Really?”
Her face brightened considerably.
Why does the list of people I have to teach keep growing?
But I was more interested in her talent as a lyricist, which surpassed most professionals, than in her potential hobby.
***
“You see all sorts of things in life.”
Yi-na said, sprawled out in Seol-ah's room with Seul-bi.
“You haven't lived that long, kiddo.”
“There's not that much of an age gap between us, Unni.”
“Ooh! Kiddo's got flow, got rhyme! Damn! That was siiiick.”
Seul-bi gave Yi-na a thumbs-up. Yi-na tried to suppress a smile.
“But when that footage of us airs today, people are going to say it was staged, don't you think?”
“Right? I was thinking the same thing.”
The members had been helping Seol-ah's mother at her food stall in Hwagae Market. By chance, a broadcast crew filming at the market had caught them on camera, recording a fair amount of footage.
“What could we say to make people believe it?”
“…I don't care if they call it staged. I just hope we get a lot of attention from it.”
“That's true. But other groups have one video blow up and they're shooting back up the charts, getting booked for events left and right. What about us?”
“To be honest, I was getting my hopes up a little, too.”
Yi-na bent her leg and started massaging her calf.
“Working at the stall is harder than performing, don't you think?”
“For real. Just standing still makes my feet and back hurt way more. Phew.”
“Our legs are killing us. Wanna give each other a massage?”
“How?”
In response to Yi-na's question, Seul-bi spun around.
They ended up with their feet in each other's faces.
“Aish! Your feet stink!”
Yi-na shot up, annoyed, and Seul-bi giggled.
“Then you go first. I'll massage yours after.”
“Wow, the audacity. You're the one who suggested it, so shouldn't you go first, Unni?”
“Aah, fine, if you don't want to.”
“Haaah… Unni, you're just… completely ridiculous.”
Yi-na lay back down on the floor. The two fell silent for a moment, staring up at the low, old ceiling.
“But did Seol-ah Unni and her family really live here?”
“I know, right? Honestly, I've only ever seen houses like this in videos about the countryside.”
“You idiot. This *is* the countryside.”
“Ah… right.”
Seol-ah's home wasn't an apartment but an old country house across from the rice paddies.
“It's because they were scammed.”
Seul-bi and Yi-na, who had been whispering, flinched in surprise.
“My family used to be rich. But my father trusted a friend, lost everything, and then passed away.”
“Ah…”
“Yeah…”
“But at least we're not in debt. Mom says dinner is ready.”
“Okay.”
Seul-bi and Yi-na followed Seol-ah to the adjacent room. The sudden, refreshing and spicy aroma of seafood made them swallow hard.
“I don't know how to thank you. I feel like I've put you through so much. We've never been that busy before. I'll make sure to repay you all properly later.”
Seol-ah's mother looked at the members as if they were her own proud daughters.
“Not at all, ma'am! We think working at the stall was a really great experience. And we even got on TV because of it.”
“On TV? Did that happen? Oh, that's right! Today was the day they were filming at our market!”
Seol-ah's mother said, as if just remembering.
“Don't say pointless things.”
Seol-ah looked flustered.
“Why not? That's great news!”
“…Mom. Don't get your hopes up. Footage like that usually gets completely edited out, or just becomes a thumbnail…”
“Huh?”
Seol-ah searched for the right words to explain “thumbnail” to her mother, who didn't know the term.
“I mean… most of the time, you just end up as a passing shot in the background and that's it.”
“Aww, what are you talking about? With three pretty young ladies like you, of course you'll be on TV.”
Seol-ah's mother gazed at her daughter and the members with sparkling eyes. But Seol-ah sighed, recalling the painful memory of being edited out before.
‘Mom, getting cut from the final broadcast is more common than you think.’
Unlike the worried Seol-ah, Seul-bi's nose was pointed straight at the food.
“Oh my, you must be hungry. I made some braised seafood and kalguksu, but I'm not sure if it'll suit your tastes.”
“We love it, ma'am!”
“Me too!”
A large platter was piled high with octopus, squid, peeled shrimp, sea squirts, and mussels in a red, spicy sauce, all mixed with bean sprouts.
The chewy octopus and squid, along with the large, ready-to-eat peeled prawns, blended with the spicy sauce to bring a taste of happiness to everyone's lips.
After eating her fill of various seafood, Seul-bi popped an omandung-i she had set aside to cool into her mouth.
Crunch! Chomp! Crackle!
Munch, munch, gulp.
Yi-na was horrified at the sight of Seul-bi loudly chewing and swallowing the omandung-i whole.
“Ugh. Did you just eat the sea squirt shell and all?”
“First, this isn't a mideodeok, it's an omandung-i. Second, whether it's a mideodeok or an omandung-i, you don't just suck out the juice, you eat the whole thing, shell included.”
“That's disgusting! Who eats the shell?”
Yi-na shuddered, looking at Seul-bi with disgust.
“Alright, let's have some kalguksu to cleanse our palates. It should be ready.”
Seul-bi found it impressive how she swirled the ladle through the thick broth as she served it.
“I made it Jeju-style, so I hope you like it.”
This time, the kalguksu tasting began. The thick broth, which seemed to be made from blended seafood, was deep and refreshing, creating an exceptional texture.
It was Yi-na who particularly loved the Jeju-style kalguksu.
Pop, pop.
The chewy, hand-kneaded noodles and the popping texture of the seafood scooped up with the broth sent Yi-na into a state of blissful ecstasy.
“Yi-na. Is it good?”
“Yeees! Ma'am! It's so delicious I feel like I'm going to cry. I love the chewy, popping seafood!”
“I was worried you wouldn't like it… I'm so relieved.”
“This is the best noodle soup I've ever had in my life! I'm absolutely, one hundred percent serious.”
Seeing Yi-na, Seul-bi snorted as if finding her pathetic. Yi-na saw this and mouthed the word, “What?”
“Is it really that good?”
“Yup!”
Yi-na answered Seul-bi's question confidently, and Seol-ah and her mother smiled in amusement.
“Ma'am, you made this by grinding up mideodeok—no, omandung-i, right?”
Seol-ah's mother's face lit up with admiration as she spoke.
“Oh my! That's right. How did you know, Seul-bi? Even people from Jeju often eat it without realizing what it is.”
“…This… was sea squirt? The popping things?”
Yi-na's expression was one of utter disbelief.
“What? So eating a sea squirt shell and all makes you a barbarian? Then what does that make you, who just scarfed it down so happily?”
Seul-bi said, rapping the words out while playfully wiggling her fingers.
“…When did I say barbarian? I just said it was disgusting…”
Seul-bi leaned in close to Yi-na's face with a teasing expression.
“Oh, really? So how was it? The taste of that chewy, popping shell.”
“…”
Yi-na pretended not to hear and kept eating her noodles, so Seul-bi pushed her face even closer.
“Was it good, or not?”
“…I was wrong, okay? Can you stop now?”
Everyone smiled happily at the sight.
“Oh my, it's time for Ye-jun to come home from his academy. Keep eating. I'll just be a minute.”
As her mother and Seol-ah stood up, Yi-na got up as well.
“I wanna go see the cutie too!”
A short while later, a yellow bus pulled up in front of the apartment complex, and four-year-old Ye-jun, wearing an orange backpack, came hopping over.
“Mommy! Sissy! Mommy! Sissy!”
“Kyaaa! Is that my little Ye-jun?”
Seeing Seol-ah, so different from her usual cool demeanor, run toward her little brother cooing with affection, Seul-bi and Yi-na looked at each other with wide eyes.
“Whoa.”
“Majorly whoa.”
Having unintentionally said the same thing, the two burst out laughing.
“Upsy-daisy! Give your sissy a kiss, Ye-jun.”
“Mwah!”
Receiving an adorable kiss from her four-year-old brother, Seol-ah quietly wondered how long it had been since she'd felt such peace and warmth in her heart.