Chapter 9
Chapter 9
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: This Life is Space Star 9
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Dawn at 3 a.m.
The practice room was so quiet that I could hear the ticking of the clock's second hand.
I was sketching out sheet music.
My ears listened to the song while my hands jotted down the notes.
What should I add here? Guitar? Keyboard?
It wasn't bravado when I said I knew how to arrange music.
Sure, I'd studied, but it was also because, back at TJ Entertainment, I'd gotten a solid foundation from various producers.
I took a sip of my chocolate drink.
This should give it a decent framework.
Dozens of scattered A4 sheets around me.
They looked messy, but they were arranged with a certain pattern.
Like a kind of mind map.
I stared intently at the laid-out sheets, imprinting them in my mind, then took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
First, build the stage.
The stage we'd perform on was a high school auditorium.
An open field.
In the vast expanse of my mind's eye, a miniature of the auditorium I'd searched online rose up.
A stage still shrouded in darkness.
I set up the instruments.
Guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, saxophone, cello, and so on.
Now, let's put the people on.
Lights came up on the stage in the open field.
Number 1: Kim Bi-ju.
Number 2: Kim Jung-hyun.
Number 3: Seo Ri-hyuk.
Number 4: Wang Ji-ho.
Number 5: Seon Wooju.
The trainees entered one by one, took their places on stage, and started singing.
The opening performance would be a cappella, just the lyrics flowing without backing.
What is this?
When I combined the five voices in my head, I jolted in surprise.
It was because of the harmony they created.
Similar yet different vocal ranges blending into beautiful harmony.
So that's why Executive Director Jo picked me.
One of the mysteries I'd been pondering unraveled.
Executive Director Jo Kyu-hwan must have heard my voice in a TV interview and imagined this harmony.
Perfect harmony.
But my admiration didn't last long.
Now it was time for the next step.
I began moving the instruments in my mind one by one.
No.
It was more like they moved naturally on their own.
I improvised tweaks here and there, repeating the process.
Each time I made progress, I'd open my eyes and check the time.
3:30 a.m.
Eyes closed again, back to work.
4 a.m.
I kept repeating until it was perfect.
5 a.m.
Finally, with the arrangement complete, I began transcribing it onto a single sheet like I was possessed.
Creating the final product had taken forever, but transcribing it was quick.
“It's done.”
What lay before me was just the paper version.
To make the real finished product as I'd promised the kids, I'd need to head to the studio and boot up the computer.
But the company was empty right now, and I wasn't in any shape to do that kind of work anyway.
I'm exhausted.
Sleepiness poured over me like a waterfall.
I succumbed naturally to the siren call of slumber.
* * *
5:30 a.m.
Lemon Entertainment's Executive Director Jo Kyu-hwan stepped out of his car, chugging an Americano.
A homemade caffeine bomb.
One gulp, and his mind sharpened.
“Ah, I'm starving.”
His total sleep over the past week: ten hours.
A murderous schedule.
He'd finally crashed at home for a bit, but every nerve in his body was still begging for rest.
‘Once Chan-hyeok's album is done, I'll sleep like the dead.’
Heading out of the underground parking lot toward the stairs, Jo Kyu-hwan paused.
‘What the?’
Light was leaking from the hallway with the practice rooms.
‘Someone pulling an all-nighter?’
Curiosity piqued, he headed that way.
With Scarlett debuting, only five trainees left.
Of them, maybe two who'd stay up all night.
‘Bi-ju? Or Ri-hyuk?’
The immature maknae and the perpetually chill Jung-hyun were out of the question from the start.
Expecting one of those two, Jo Kyu-hwan instead spotted an unexpected face through the practice room window.
‘Seon Wooju?’
The new face he'd personally scouted.
‘Why's he pulling an all-nighter instead of going home?’
Tilting his head, he soon noticed something unusual.
Sheets of scrap paper scattered everywhere.
Stepping cautiously into the practice room, Jo Kyu-hwan spotted paper dotted with what looked like musical notes.
He knew instantly.
‘Must be for the year-end evaluation assignment.’
He frowned briefly, then examined the contents.
It didn't take long for Jo Kyu-hwan to figure out the pattern in how the papers were arranged.
‘Hold on.’
Sleep vanished in an instant.
‘The final version—where's the final version?’
He found it right away.
Seon Wooju clutching it in his hand like a baby with its pacifier.
Worried he might wake him, but curiosity as a musician won out, so Jo Kyu-hwan gently pried the paper free.
‘Let's see.’
Amid the soft breathing, the rustle of turning pages echoed.
Jo Kyu-hwan stood frozen like built-in furniture, flipping through the sheets until the ice in his Americano fully melted.
Then he smiled.
‘Well, well.’
His eyes sparkled with delight as he gazed at the sleeping young man.
* * *
I had a dream.
We were on a tour bus headed to Pyongyang for a pig and samgyeopsal party when the driver suddenly let go of the wheel.
In the dream, I pointed in shock.
“H-hey, driver! The wheel—!”
“We'll get you safely to your destination from here on out.”
Then EDM started blasting.
Wobble wobble.
The driver and pigs cheered and danced, shaking the bus.
In a situation that felt like it could tip over any second, I screamed.
“Arghhh……!”
I woke up drenched in cold sweat—in the practice room.
“Huff…….”
What a ridiculous dream.
The stress from yesterday must have been heavier than I thought.
Still reeling from the dream, I noticed my hand felt empty.
Huh?
Where'd it go?
As I sat up to look for the sheet music I'd made, something slid off me.
A cashmere coat.
It looked like it cost a few hundred bucks at least.
‘What the hell?’
No wonder I'd slept so warm.
Confused by the mystery coat and missing paper, a message pinged in perfectly timed.
Sender: Executive Director Jo Kyu-hwan.
-Come to the 2nd floor recording studio when you wake up.
-P.S. Bring my coat too.
“So the director took it.”
I muttered sleepily, running a hand through my messy hair.
Then I carefully picked up the expensive-looking coat.
I could imagine how burdensome it must've felt for Heungsu Lee when King Sejong draped his gonryongpo over him.
Wonder why he's calling me?
* * *
Lemon Entertainment's second floor was packed with recording studios and complex equipment.
This seemed to be the workspace.
It didn't take long to find the recording studio the director mentioned.
[On Air]
The very first practice room I saw had its "On Air" light blazing.
Knock knock—
A response came to my knock.
“Come in.”
Opening the door revealed a familiar sight.
A recording studio I'd seen plenty of at TJ Entertainment.
At the table, Executive Director Jo Kyu-hwan clicked a pen while eyeing some papers. Inside the booth, a man was belting it out.
Hey, that's...
Yoon Chan-hyeok.
The singer who'd won a K-Net audition show.
A top-tier vocalist dominating the digital charts right now.
Seeing in person someone I'd only known from music shows felt surreal.
Jo Kyu-hwan glanced at me and hit the talkback button.
“Chan-hyeok, let's take ten.”
-Why?
“Just take a break. You punk.”
At the director's playful scolding, Yoon Chan-hyeok emerged from the booth looking disappointed.
Whoa, he looks exactly like on TV.
The singer, who reminded me of a friendly neighborhood bro, eyed me curiously.
“Hyung, who's this kid?”
“The new trainee. Introduce yourself.”
I bowed politely.
“Hello, sunbae-nim. I'm the newest trainee, Seon Wooju.”
“Ugh, too formal. Just call me hyung. Sunbae? Pfft.”
Grinning, Yoon Chan-hyeok turned to Jo Kyu-hwan.
“Anyway, why'd you call him?”
“Just some personal business. Sorry, mind giving us the room?”
“How long?”
“Grab a coffee.”
“Ten minutes?”
“A bit more.”
“No can do, hyung.”
Yoon Chan-hyeok shook his head.
“I gotta record when the vibe hits. You know that. I'll be back in ten.”
“Hey.”
“Hmm-hmm-hmm.”
“Hey, Yoon Chan-hyeok!”
“I’m singing in the rain~ I’m singing in the rain~”
Yoon Chan-hyeok waved cheekily, humming away.
Jo Kyu-hwan clicked his tongue.
They seemed more like close bros than producer and artist.
“You two seem really tight.”
“Tight, my ass.”
Jo Kyu-hwan shook his head like he was fed up.
“I went through hell making something of that guy.”
It reminded me of a grandma saying, ‘I slaved raising you,’ so I chuckled quietly.
“Sleep well?”
“Yes, thanks to the coat. Slept great.”
“Good, glad to hear it.”
As I sat on the sofa, the director rummaged in a desk drawer.
It was my sheet music.
“This yours, right?”
“Yes.”
“Mind if I ask a few things?”
“Sure.”
What?
“Have you ever studied music formally?”
“What do you mean...?”
“Like, proper music training. Harmony, music theory, that sort of thing.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Racking my brain, I answered.
“I learned a bit at my old company.”
“TJ Entertainment?”
“Yeah. Some producers there taught me. MIDI stuff, beats, etc.”
“No wonder the basics are solid.”
Jo Kyu-hwan stroked his chin.
“From the arrangement, seems you handle instruments too.”
“Yep.”
“Piano?”
“Yeah. Practiced a ton in elementary for competitions.”
“Anything else?”
“Guitar, a little.”
The producer stroked his chin.
“Did this in one day, huh? Arrangement at this level.”
“Yeah, but as you see, it's rough.”
“No, no. It's damn good. If I were a prof, you'd get an A.”
That good?
“You must've heard a lot that you have composing talent, right?”
“Heard it a bit at my old company.”
“A bit? With this, it'd be a lot. Humble too.”
Flattered by the praise from a famous composer, I was blindsided by what came next.
“Wooju.”
“Yes.”
“Wanna learn composing from me?”
“Pardon?”
I blinked in a daze.
What did he just say?
“A bit shocking, huh?”
“......”
“It's just—your arrangement shows potential. Raw gemstone still, but with some polish, it'd be a beauty.”
He asked in a subtle tone.
“What do you say? Learn well from me, and later you could debut as a ‘composer idol’ or something.”
“I'll do it.”
“Huh?”
“I'll learn composing.”
Jackpot.
A industry legend offering to pass on top-tier skills.
Who'd turn that down?
Better lock it in before he changes his mind.
Maybe expecting hesitation, Jo Kyu-hwan paused briefly.
“......Great. Then.”
He handed me a USB.
“Take this first.”
“This is...”
“Your arrangement, digitized. Tweaked it a bit in spots.”
“Wow, thank you.”
I bowed 90 degrees without thinking.
Alone, it'd have taken till dinner, but it was done in a flash.
“Alright, let's see. To teach composing, my schedule's...”
We checked his packed calendar like scripture, hashing out lesson times. Exactly ten minutes later, our chat was interrupted by a ballad singer full of fighting spirit.
“What? Still going?”
His eyes burned like ‘Record! Record more!’ We both burst out laughing.
* * *
Will loving you become my scar?
Yoon Chan-hyeok immersed in song from the booth.
Jo Kyu-hwan nodded, giving directions now and then.
“Chan-hyeok, stylish song, so sing it more delicately.”
-Got it.
He adjusted his singing on the spot.
Pro indeed.
But Jo Kyu-hwan's real focus wasn't Yoon Chan-hyeok.
He recalled his morning talk with Manager Yoon Seok-hwan.
‘Wooju?’
In the company break room, Yoon Seok-hwan, scrolling his phone, asked.
‘Why bring up Wooju all of a sudden...’
‘Saw this at dawn.’
‘Sheet music?’
‘Looks like he arranged the year-end song himself, pretty well.’
Jo Kyu-hwan tapped the staff paper.
‘I've seen idol compositions, but arrangements? First time. You know arrangements are way harder. Can't do it without music knowledge.’
‘Ah, come to think of it.’
Yoon Seok-hwan said.
‘Kid's always had a knack for it. TJ spotted it, gave him special treatment. Top producers too.’
‘Promising talent, huh.’
‘How else would a non-dancer last there?’
‘Dancer? He moves well.’
‘You're judging from recent. Back then? Horrific. Like a log pounding mortar.’
A bizarre image popped up.
‘Anyway, when Wooju left, company regretted it. Even thought of pulling him into A&R. Handles instruments well, tons of talent.’
‘And?’
‘Nah. He wants idol or nothing.’
‘Unique kid.’
Quietly smiling, Jo Kyu-hwan caught something.
‘Wait. He handles instruments?’
‘All genes.’
‘Genes?’
‘Ah, you don't know. Who Wooju's dad is.’
To the curious Jo Kyu-hwan, Yoon Seok-hwan dropped a three-letter name.
Jo Kyu-hwan's eyes widened.
It was a name he knew.