Chapter 120
Chapter 120
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Viral Vlog and Sokcho Chicken
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Yeonwoo hadn’t just sent Wakana the tracks. He’d faithfully filmed the vlog footage as she’d asked and sent that over too.
Wakana downloaded the videos Yeonwoo had backed up on the web drive and got to editing. After listening to his tracks, she called him right away.
“Yeonwoo.”
-Yeah, sis, what’s up?
“Mind if I use the songs you gave me as background music for the related scenes?”
“Like in a drama?”
“Exactly. What do you think?”
-Yeah, I love it. Wakana sis, your ideas are pure genius.
“Hehe, you really think so?”
-Yeah, thanks sis.
“I’m the one who should be thanking you.”
Our Yeonwoo sure knows how to say the sweetest things.
Wakana grinned happily, hung up, and worked her ideas into the edit.
When Yeonwoo was eating dakgalbi, his dakgalbi track played. The same went for seopguk.
For the vlog’s highlight—the sunrise—she slotted in the track inspired by it: Sun.
How many channels out there used original music of this quality for a simple vlog?
Even if others did, Wakana was confident none had audio as good as the official SSHIN channel.
“Time to upload.”
She wondered how many views it’d rack up.
Heart pounding with excitement, Wakana scheduled the vlog for release.
The next morning, at the exact moment it went live, 300,000 people were already tuned in.
[Yuin’s Nationwide Trip 1: Chuncheon to Sokcho]
-Lowkey hilarious how into that mukbang he is lololol
-Yuin’s dead serious when he eats lmao
-Yuin, eat up and get those cheeks even puffier ㅠ
-Omg I just wanna poke those cheeks once ㅠ dream come true ㅠ
-Dakgalbi BGM what is this? lol
-Yeonwoo composed it, title’s Dakgalbi lololololol
-He’s so serious about food he even makes tribute songs... lmao
-Aww too adorable ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-Title’s so on-the-nose I get the vibe right away ㅠ but there’s one flaw
-What?
-I’m starving...
-lololol oh no my diet ㅠ
Around the dakgalbi part, the comments were flooded with “cute.”
Then came the moment everyone awaited: the sunrise.
As the sun rose, Yeonwoo’s powerfully crafted track, Sun, began to play.
-Wow...
-So epic somehow
-But with the sun rising it hits different, all emotional ㅠ am I the only one?
-Everyone feels it ㅠ
-Everyone’s saying epic but I felt hope listening to this. Like it’s cheering me on, saying I can do it
-Even though it’s not New Year’s, upvoting everyone who made a wish watching this lololol
-22222222
-3333333333
-Can’t you release this as audio and make a separate YouTube video?
-Would be awesome
Sun moved a lot of people.
Some saw hope in the song itself, others felt their hearts swell.
Wakana had been waiting for this reaction. She quickly edited the sunrise scene with the Sun track and uploaded it separately. She reported back to Yeonwoo and registered Sun on music platforms.
It wasn’t Yeonwoo’s intention, but by chance, it became the first track registered under the Yuin name front and center.
Ironically, it was also the only one of Yuin’s compositions to miss the top 50 in its first week.
The YouTube video easily topped a million views, but Sun’s classical style didn’t vibe with Korean tastes.
Reactions came from elsewhere, though.
“Our Yeonwoo… Yeonwoo wrote a symphony……!”
Park Jeonghun.
His face alight with emotion, he fired up his top-tier speakers and listened to Yeonwoo’s Sun track—once, no, dozens, hundreds of times.
It wasn’t strictly in symphonic form, but still.
It was important.
Sun. Yes, the sun itself.
The sun that rises to brighten a world that’s fought through darkness—is this really from an 8-year-old?
A genius on par with Mozart or Chopin.
Just one tiny, very tiny regret.
“This masterpiece…… made with fake computer instruments.”
That bugged him deep down.
True music comes from living performers.
With great resolve, Park Jeonghun donned his reading glasses and texted Yeonwoo.
He’d seen on the news that kids these days don’t like calls.
[Yeonwoo,,,,,Park Jeong,,,hun here,,,,,,Sun,,,track,,,so,,,gooood,,,,but,,,why,,,,computer,,,,made?,,,if performers,,,played it,,,live,,,would be,,,even,,,better,,]
After painstakingly sending it, Yeonwoo replied soon after.
[Hello, Grandpa. Thanks for listening. It ended up with a lot of orchestral instruments by accident. Nothing beats an orchestra for that full, majestic sound. I made it on the trip, so I had to use the computer. But Grandpa, would they play my song?]
Park Jeonghun couldn’t reply to that.
Was Yeonwoo disappointed by the Korean Symphony Orchestra and avoiding them?
Probably not.
He was likely thinking of those dismissive, condescending looks.
“But this piece…….”
It needed humans, not a computer—infused with emotion, soul.
Deep in thought, Park Jeonghun picked up his smartphone again.
It held contacts for all the classical heavyweights.
He scrolled through for ages, then dialed someone.
-No way, who’s this? Big bro calling?
“Yeah, violinist, how’ve you been?”
-Ayy, c’mon bro, how old am I and you still call me that?
“What you up to these days?”
-Retired, living the good life. No more flak for botched performances.
“No hand tremors? Could you still play if I asked? Too old now?”
-What kinda talk is that!!!
Park Jeonghun chuckled at the outburst.
The man on the line was a founding member of the Korean Symphony Orchestra alongside Park Jeonghun—a violin elder in Korea.
“Let’s do one last piece of music before we kick the bucket.”
-What? You want me to get chewed out at this age?
“No excuses. Prep your violin. Let’s burn bright one last time.”
-C’mon, out of nowhere……
“Gonna hang up. Call you later.”
He cut the call and dialed another.
“Yeah, cello!! Doing well?”
“Trumpet!”
“Hey, bassoon!!”
He rallied everyone he could.
Mostly retirees, but he’d call in actives if needed.
The issue was……
-Professor, I’ve left the orchestra and I’m department chair now……
“Your university president’s joining—think a mere chair can slack off?”
-……I’ll do it.
They were all big shots now.
He’d assembled a crew that’d shock young musicians.
One goal.
To perform Sun.
First, though……
[Yeonwoo,,,,,Sun,,,track so,,,short,,,can you,,,extend it,,,for arrangement?,,]
[Of course. What’s going on?]
“Heh.”
Park Jeonghun didn’t reply right away, just smiled. He’d gather everyone properly first, then talk.
* * *
“Wow……!”
Right after texting Park Jeonghun, Yeonwoo let out an exclamation.
He’d stumbled on a hidden gem in the unlikeliest spot.
Jihoon, who’d done his military service here, had suddenly remembered a forgotten favorite and detoured.
Ganseong-eup.
Smaller than up north in Geojin-eup, but with the Goseong County Office, military apartments, singles dorms, and a bus terminal for Seoul and beyond, it was the locals’ heartbeat—tourists be damned.
Hence, tons of hidden eateries.
Jihoon had hung out here a lot after coastal outpost duty, during his final days at the regiment, on leave or overnight passes.
Several spots stuck in his memory, and he’d zeroed in on a knife-cut noodle joint.
Listed as a snack bar, but it specialized in all sorts of kalguksu.
Ignoring warnings it might be spicy, Yeonwoo boldly ordered the jang kalguksu.
“……No need to hit Gangneung now.”
He gave a thumbs-up after tasting the spicy-yet-savory broth.
A bit hot—sweat beading, lips red—but he couldn’t stop shoveling it in.
“See? Life’d be boring if it always went to plan. Who knew we’d find something this good off-script?”
Jiyeong teased as she watched. Yeonwoo nodded.
“Yeah, super tasty. But it’s not unrelated to the plan.”
“Huh?”
“Plans are just ‘this is what I intend’—not set in stone. I don’t stick rigidly to them, Aunt.”
“Ugh, the way you talk…….”
Jiyeong, aiming to rib him, got shut down by his comeback.
Just a year ago, she could tease him sometimes.
Now, with Yeonwoo growing by the day, he was playing rings around her.
“Taking after her bro.”
“I take after Mom too. You’ve never seen her?”
He even hit her with a classic tu quoque, leaving her speechless.
Jihoon watched them, chuckling silently.
“Bro likes seeing his lil sis get owned?”
“You started it. Not thrilled, but schadenfreude for sure.”
“Seriously, you and your nephew are like sworn enemies.”
Jiyeong grumbled but polished off her portion.
It really was that good.
Bellies full from the hearty lunch, the family headed to Sokcho.
“Wow, crowds everywhere.”
“Even in my day there were tourists, but not like this.”
Sokcho was booming daily. The Ferris wheel spun right by the sea, and swanky hotels had multiplied since Jihoon’s service days.
First stop for the family upon arrival……
“So many people just to buy dakgangjeong?”
Sokcho’s famous sweet-spicy chicken.
“Shoulda come on a weekday.”
“They say it’s a must-buy in Sokcho. Tasty hot off the bat, but even better cooled down later. We’ll grab some and eat at night.”
“Won’t you get hungry?”
“Gonna get squid sundae.”
“Yeonwoo’s got it all planned.”
Yeonwoo nodded matter-of-factly.
“It’s cold—wait in the car. I’ll grab it.”
“Wanna try waiting in line too.”
“Gotta try everything, huh? Fine, your mom and I’ll head in and hold a spot!”
“Got it.”
As Jiyeong led Heo Ok inside, Yeonwoo and Jihoon joined hands in line. There was a waiting area, but it was packed solid.
That’s when it happened.
“Um… are you… Yuin? No?”
“Huh? Do I know you?”
“Of course!! I’m a fan! Yuin, here of all places!”
Someone recognized Yeonwoo.
His face was well-known from YouTube, but out and about holding hands with Dad or family, folks just saw a kid and didn’t look closely.
Standing in line made him noticeable, though.
The moment “Yuin” dropped, eyes from other chicken-waiters turned to the father-son duo.
“Oh my god, it’s Yuin?”
“Yuin!!”
Jihoon realized anew: our Yeonwoo really is a celeb.
“Yuin! Can I get an autograph?”
“Sure!”
Signatures and photo requests poured in.
How long till they got the chicken? Jihoon was stumped.