Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: OST's Law (2)
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Dyed brown perm hair that's lost its color, round sunglasses, and a haughty facial expression.
"Jena sunbae?"
Sitting in the conference room was my Sunbae from not long ago, the one who'd slipped me some pocket money in front of the company—Red Bee's main vocalist, Jena.
Jena took off her sunglasses with a wide smile.
"Long time no see, Jae. I watched the broadcast. Wow, when did you get so good at singing?"
"Thank you for the kind words."
"What's your secret? Share some with me."
Jena patted my back with her palm.
As always, whether then or now, she's a Sunbae with a great personality.
"I'm nowhere near your level yet, sunbae."
"Oh, come on. So humble. Sigh... I've been struggling lately because my skills just aren't improving. Like... a plateau or something."
Jena crossed her arms with a deeply dissatisfied look and plopped down into her seat.
I sat across from her and we chatted casually. About whether she was having a tough time lately, how the members were doing, and so on. Her conversational skills were so good that the talk never lulled.
By the way, why was Jena here? In the middle of our lively chat, the sudden question popped into my head, so I asked casually.
"But why are you here, sunbae?"
"Me? The CEO called me in. Speaking of which, why are you here, Jae?"
"The CEO called me too."
Why would the CEO summon both me and Jena sunbae at the same time?
Just then, the conference room door opened. It was CEO Oh.
"Oh, you're both already here?"
"Hello, CEO."
"You're here, CEO? But..."
But the one who entered wasn't just CEO Oh.
I stared intently at the unfamiliar man following behind CEO Oh.
He had a somehow honest-looking face and greeted me and Jena with a bright smile and a bow.
"Hello, I'm Hwang Yeon-su, the music director for tvM drama [Han-cheol's Winter]. Nice to meet you."
Drama music director? Hearing his title come out of his mouth, I stiffened up without realizing it.
Meanwhile, Jena approached him as if she already knew him and offered a handshake.
"Long time no see, Director Hwang. I heard you were starting a new project. It's tvM this time."
"Yes, Jena-ssi. I got really lucky with a great opportunity."
"Anyway, I'm thrilled to see you again."
"Oh right, Director Hwang has worked with Jena a few times before, hasn't he?"
What was this situation? Unable to figure it out, I looked back and forth between the three of them. Then Jena burst out laughing and pointed at me.
"CEO Oh, Jae's totally frozen solid."
"Yeah, I should've given him a heads-up... Jae, say hi. This is Director Hwang, who commissioned the song you'll be doing with Jena."
"Huh? A song with me and Jena sunbae?"
What was this now? As I stared at CEO Oh with wide eyes, he said let's all sit down and talk, and everyone took their seats.
A little later, after sipping the tea a staff member brought in, Director Hwang spoke up.
"First off, it seems like you have no idea about any of this, Jae-ssi, so let me explain briefly. As I mentioned earlier, I'm in charge of the music for the upcoming tvM drama [Han-cheol's Winter]. Right now, we're working on the OST that will be inserted into the drama."
I listened closely to Director Hwang's words.
Drama [Han-cheol's Winter].
A romance drama about the first love between male lead 'Han-cheol' and female lead 'Lee Gyeo-ul'.
A 16-episode miniseries prepared by comprehensive entertainment channel tvM, with casting and filming schedules already finalized, just waiting to start cranking soon.
"So, we need a male-female duet that fits the drama's vibe, but I was struggling to find a suitable male vocalist. It's hard to find vocals that feel fresh yet emotional. Then our director told me about EverPlanet's Legendary Hits stage... Wow. You have exactly the vocal tone I've been looking for, Jae-ssi. And you're really good."
"Ah, thank you."
"So I contacted UJ right away. I'd already had Jena-ssi in mind for the female vocal. She's excellent, after all."
"I'm grateful for the praise, Director Hwang."
Jena's lips curved up, clearly not minding the compliment.
"Anyway, to cut to the chase, I'd like you two, Jae-ssi and Jena-ssi, to sing a male-female duet together. It'll mainly go in the finale parts. Something wistful, like the feel of first snow in winter, but also building anticipation for the next episode."
A male-female duet. I pondered seriously for a moment.
I've never done one before. How should I approach it? Can I pull it off?
Then, CEO Oh spoke to me with a relaxed expression, as if telling me not to worry.
"Jae's great at it. He barely gets nervous on stage anymore. And his skills have improved a ton since debuting."
"I... I've never done a duet before, so I'm wondering if I can do it well."
"It's fine. Just sing it like you did at Legendary Hits. A duet isn't that different."
"Yeah. And I've got your back. Just follow your sunbae. I'll carry us."
Jena poked my side with her elbow and laughed cheerfully. With all three of them saying that, I started feeling a bit more confident.
In the end, swept up in the mood, my participation in the OST was confirmed.
"Our CEO Oh has such a great ear for songs anyway. No need to worry. Looking forward to working with you."
"Haha, I'll pick out a good one. Don't worry—just trust me, Jena, and Jae."
It seemed CEO Oh would select the song, as he and Director Hwang exchanged warm smiles and well-wishes.
That's when a new quest notification appeared before my eyes.
[SUB QUEST OCCURRED!
▶OST inserted into the drama to heighten the mood. A successful drama absolutely requires a high-quality OST. Here are the laws to follow to create an excellent OST.
Reveal the drama's identity well.
Fit the drama's atmosphere perfectly.
Be music that's enjoyable for the public.
Follow these laws of OSTs and create an excellent one.
Grade: D+
Quest Completion Conditions:
1) 'System's own evaluation score' of 90+ for the participated OST song
2) Participated OST song reaches 30th place or higher on Rhyme Chart
Rewards on Completion: EXP, SPECIAL ITEM
Penalty on Failure: Increased infamy for 'Ha Jae' and EverPlanet]
[Accept Quest? Y/N]
I quickly hit the accept button.
Might as well get it over with since I have to do it anyway. Felt better that way.
And so, my new challenge began.
* * *
A few days after the meeting with the music director.
I headed to CEO Oh's studio at his summons.
"But why'd you call me?"
"Who knows."
He'd even brought Kim Kwang-myeong along like a keychain dangling. CEO Oh had specifically said to bring him too.
As we opened the studio door together, three people inside welcomed us.
"Jae and Kwang-myeong are here?"
"You made it."
"Oh my, Kwang-myeong! Long time no see!"
It was CEO Oh, Hwang Ji-pyeong, and Jena.
Kim Kwang-myeong's eyes widened at the sight of Jena.
"Jena sunbae? Wait, why is Jena sunbae here?"
"Oh? Am I not allowed?"
"No, that's not it. Wow. It's been forever. Feels like months."
"Yeah. How've you been?"
I watched the two catch up, then turned my gaze to CEO Oh and Hwang Ji-pyeong sitting at the computer. They were already fiddling with the composing software.
Seeing that, I roughly understood the situation.
'Looks like they've been composing the OST that Jena sunbae and I will sing.'
That explained calling Kim Kwang-myeong too. The guy might not be great at everything else, but his producing skills were top-notch.
Just then, Kim Kwang-myeong, finishing his chat with Jena, asked CEO Oh.
"But why'd you call me, CEO? Feels like we need to write a song or something."
"That's the thing."
CEO Oh explained the whole story. Upon hearing it was for a drama OST male-female duet, he looked back and forth between me and Jena.
"Oh, so you two are doing the duet?"
"What do you think? Their tones should blend well, right?"
"Yeah. If the song's good, it'll work. But I've never written an OST before..."
"That's why I called all of you."
Hwang Ji-pyeong grinned like a mischievous kid. What did that mean? Before I could wonder, CEO Oh added the explanation.
"We were gonna do it just the two of us, but since it's like this, thought it'd be good for you all to join in. Kwang-myeong hasn't done OSTs yet, and Jena and Jae are just starting to learn producing, right?"
"Oh, Jena sunbae is learning producing too?"
"Of course. Fans love it when we drop original songs. Been studying on the side during this hiatus. You too, huh, Jae? Such a diligent kid."
Jena patted my back like she was proud of her pet dog learning a new trick.
My view of Jena shifted anew. For a veteran several years into their career to keep pushing to learn something new isn't easy at all. Impressive.
Then Jena asked CEO Oh in a slightly worried tone.
"But CEO, Jae and Kwang-myeong aside, I'm just a learner— is it okay for me to join a big project like this?"
"That's exactly why you need this experience. Working with pros like us? Not an opportunity that comes around often."
I nodded at CEO Oh's response. He was right—this was a valuable chance not everyone gets, participating in a project with him, Hwang Ji-pyeong, and Kim Kwang-myeong.
"Then I'm all in! Looking forward to it."
"Me too. Please take care of me."
"Great. Shall we get started?"
And so, my first OST production began.