Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Our Kid's Music is Different
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Hayeon, who had received the song from Yeonwoo, diligently worked on the lyrics.
Once she actually got into it, it proved too much for her alone, so she borrowed the help of Soyeon, who had a real talent for writing, and completed the lyrics.
"Finally...!"
"But this is really a song made by Yeonwoo? For real?"
By this point, Soyeon knew Yeonwoo's true identity.
It was partly because she was longtime friends with Hayeon, but Jiyeong, who had noticed Soyeon editing videos on YouTube, had talked about hiring her as an editor if she made an official SSHIN YouTube channel. That led to signing an NDA and revealing Yeonwoo's identity.
"Yeah, it is."
"Wow... so geniuses really do exist. How does a six-year-old...?"
"The song's really good, right?"
"Totally. Now that it's done, sing it for me once."
"Should I?"
Hayeon, who was about to sing right then and there, paused.
"...Let's go to the studio and sing it there. You come too and listen."
"To the studio?"
"Yeah. Either way, we should let the song's owner hear it first."
Soyeon brightened at those words.
"Yeah, let's do that. It's been a while since I've seen our cute Yeonwoo's face."
The daycare where Hayeon and Soyeon worked, and where Yeonwoo attended, had a two-week break starting from Christmas week through the new year.
Of course, kids from dual-income families or those with other circumstances still attended during the break, but Yeonwoo didn't come to daycare on break.
Instead of daycare during break, Yeonwoo practically lived in the studio.
"Don't call Yeonwoo cute. Yeonwoo gets mad."
"I know. But honestly, his looks are unreal."
Hayeon looked at Soyeon with pity.
"I knew you were an airhead, but even to a kid?"
"Hey, Yeonwoo's on another level. When he grows up, it's gonna be chaos. Girls will stick to him just walking by."
"Sigh."
Hayeon let out a sigh and got up from her seat.
"Where are you going?"
"To the studio. Gotta play it for Yeonwoo quick."
"Ooh, yeah, let's go! Let's go!"
Chae Hayeon and Jo Soyeon hurried to the studio.
Just a few steps from daycare after work, the studio had Yeonwoo—who had come to the studio instead of daycare—making a Christmas tree with his aunt and grandmother.
"Oh my, are you preparing for Christmas?"
Jo Soyeon approached warmly and cleverly placed one decoration on the tree.
"Yeah, Yeonwoo said he wanted Christmas trees in both the house and the studio."
At Jiyeong's words, Soyeon chuckled and looked at Yeonwoo.
"Teacher, I'll do that one."
Yeonwoo took the Snow Queen figurine from Soyeon and carefully hung it on the tree.
"Yeonwoo, you like the Snow Queen?"
"She sings well."
Likes her because she sings well—Yeonwoo must be the climax-before-plot type when it comes to music.
Anyway, with Chae Hayeon and Jo Soyeon joining in, the tree was completed in no time.
"Okay, now on three, we turn on the lights?"
All that was left was the lighting ceremony.
Chae Hayeon spoke to Yeonwoo like she would to the daycare kids, drawing his full attention.
As everyone smiled at the sight of Yeonwoo staring at the tree with sparkling eyes, the little lights on the tree finally lit up.
"Wow...!"
Yeonwoo let out a gasp of admiration while gazing at the tree glowing in all colors.
"It's pretty."
Heo Ok beamed happily behind him.
Jiyeong, watching Heo Ok, put on a mischievous face and said,
"You used to say our house was Buddhist, so no tree and Santa Grandpa doesn't bring gifts. Remember?"
"...Me?"
Heo Ok looked at Jiyeong with a rare flustered expression.
Yeonwoo, who had overheard, stared at his aunt with a shocked face.
"Santa Grandpa... doesn't come to our house?!"
"Huh?"
Everyone's gazes turned to Yeonwoo.
They could see Yeonwoo's pupils trembling with anxiety.
In that instant, the adults' gazes unconsciously turned to Jiyeong.
Jiyeong flinched at the somehow murderous stares and hurriedly continued.
"No, our house isn't Buddhist anymore. So Santa Grandpa will come!"
"Really?"
"Y-yeah. Right, Mom?"
Heo Ok was still a Buddhist.
"Yeah, Santa Grandpa will definitely come."
But if it meant disappointing her grandson, Heo Ok was willing to turn her back on Buddha.
Having abruptly abandoned her faith, Heo Ok glared at Jiyeong, but Jiyeong averted her eyes and said to Yeonwoo.
"What does our Yeonwoo want from Santa Grandpa?"
Everyone's gazes turned to Yeonwoo.
Christmas Eve was just two days away, and Yeonwoo's gift was already bought by Jihoon, but they asked in case he wanted something else.
Yeonwoo answered immediately.
"Emperor Saur King!"
"What's that?"
"...King, what?"
Heo Ok and Jiyeong looked puzzled, and Chae Hayeon explained from the side.
"It's a combining robot toy that's super popular with kids right now."
"Yeah! Everyone has it but me! Hyungjun, Junyoung, Youngmin—they all have it."
...They hadn't even imagined.
The gift that Jihoon, Heo Ok, and Jiyeong had decided on after discussion was none other than a new master keyboard.
The old one was a 49-key that Jiyeong used, but this time it was an 88-key keyboard plus two MIDI controller keyboards with more detailed controls.
It was all for Yeonwoo, who was immersed in composing, but what he actually wanted was a gift befitting a 6-year-old.
"S-Santa Grandpa must've heard. He'll give it to you as a gift, right?"
Jiyeong said, trying to stay calm.
Hayeon and Soyeon freaked out and made X signs with their hands upon hearing that, but it was already too late.
"But Teacher, didn't you say the lyrics were done? You came to play that, right?"
Amid it all, Yeonwoo asked Hayeon.
"Y-yeah, that's right. Wanna hear it?"
"Yes. Ah, wait a sec. I have something I'm doing—I'll finish it inside and come back."
Yeonwoo dashed into the studio.
Seeing Yeonwoo go in, Jiyeong immediately asked Hayeon and Soyeon.
"What was that X sign? What's up?"
"Emperor Saur King is insanely popular right now, sunbae. It's selling out as a Christmas gift, total shortage chaos."
"P-Shortage chaos?!"
"Yeah, they're not even selling them anymore. Reservations are impossible, and even on Gazi Market, you can't buy them at several times the price."
"No way... what kind of kids' toy... I thought they were selling online."
While Jiyeong despaired, Heo Ok asked with a serious face.
"Is there really no way to get it?"
"Probably not..."
Jo Soyeon nodded in agreement.
"Unless you go to Japan to buy it—otherwise, no."
Heo Ok and Jiyeong's ears perked up at the same time.
"Japan?"
"Yeah, it's originally from Japan."
"I see."
Jiyeong and Heo Ok exchanged glances.
Heo Ok nodded firmly and made a call.
"Himari?"
-[Teacher!! Calling me yourself—what's up?]
"That King? [Ah, hold on.] Emperor? What was it again?"
"In Japan, it's Ryusentai Kinggsaurer."
"Thanks. [Yuzentai King Saurer? Can you get that toy for me?]"
-[Huh? [Squadron robots out of nowhere... Ah, Christmas! Gift for Yeonwoo's birthday?]
"[Yeah, impossible to find in Korea.]"
-[Don't worry about that. I'll buy the main mecha and all the mecha that appear there!]
"[Really? Thanks. Good thing. Have it sent here... no, shipping would take time. Send Jiyeong at least.]"
-[No need! Perfect timing. I wanted to see Yeonwoo—I'll bring it tomorrow!]
Heo Ok was a bit flustered by Himari's impromptu offer but agreed and hung up.
"What'd she say, Mom?"
"Himari's getting it and bringing it herself. Lucky, huh."
"Phew, what a relief. But in person?"
"She said she misses Yeonwoo."
Hayeon was speechless at the mother-daughter exchange.
Calling upon Uesugi Himari—one of the era's greatest musicians, who climbed Melboard with jazz and is called the world's Himari—to fetch a robot shuttle.
She was newly amazed at what kind of family this was.
As Yeonwoo's Christmas gift scale (not the item, but the delivery person) grew beyond expectations, Yeonwoo came out of the studio.
The adults pretended to be nonchalant and took Yeonwoo into the recording booth.
Chae Hayeon, smiling as she entered the recording room, snapped back to reality at the sight of the booth.
'Ah... I wrote the lyrics...'
It was the first time since her practical music class assignment that she had to sing her own lyrics in the booth.
The judges were the Shin family three generations: Heo Ok, Shin Jiyeong, and Shin Yeonwoo.
But these three generations were on another scale.
Her heart pounded like she was on one of those audition shows from her childhood.
Amid it, the song's owner, Yeonwoo, sat in a chair.
In that moment, Yeonwoo's eyes sharpened, and he became not the 6-year-old Yeonwoo, but Yuin.
Jo Soyeon, witnessing it up close for the first time, unconsciously covered her mouth with both hands.
"Shall we start, Teacher?"
-Yes? Yes!
In the recording room, the roles reversed.
Yeonwoo was the master and producer, Chae Hayeon the student and singer.
Chae Hayeon, distinguishing work with polite speech, steeled herself.
If she messed up the song here, Yeonwoo would hound her with that scary face until satisfied.
If someone asked if she was scared of a mere 6-year-old, they'd be clueless.
'Besides...'
Looking beyond the booth, Hayeon shivered seeing the three generations staring at her with the same eyes.
Not just Yeonwoo, but Jiyeong—usually scatterbrained—was nowhere to be seen, and beside her, Heo Ok exuded a pressure that even Yeonwoo and Jiyeong combined couldn't surpass.
It just meant they were dead serious about music.
'Same for me.'
Chae Hayeon steeled herself.
-Ready, Yuin-nim!
"Then we'll start!"
The intro of the song Yeonwoo made for Chae Hayeon flowed out.
Chae Hayeon closed her eyes gently, attuned her ears to the intro, caught the beat, and began singing the lyrics she'd already memorized.
-The sunset shattering over the river, I'm passing above it...
The song flowed just like the melody's vibe.
A salaryman's commute home after a weary day.
Chae Hayeon and Jo Soyeon had poetically penned the lyrics for that path, perfectly melting into the track.
After immersing herself for over three minutes, Chae Hayeon heard the accompaniment ending, snapped out of it, took a short deep breath, and looked beyond the booth.
-H-how was it?
Jo Soyeon smiled silently and gave a thumbs-up.
Chae Hayeon then looked at the three generations.
"I think it's good? What about you, Mom?"
"It fits the song our Yeonwoo wrote so well. The singing was impressive too. If you were my student, I'd give you an A+."
The two passed.
But one remained.
Perhaps the most important one.
Yeonwoo seemed to gather his thoughts for a moment, then said,
"The lyrics are really good. They match the song perfectly. But, Teacher, in the third verse, instead of dragging the end long, cut it short. And in the climax, your pitch was a bit low compared to the accompaniment—you need to raise it more. And the second verse's second line was slightly off-beat. Was that intentional? I think straight on-beat would be better. And..."
Lyrics: pass.
But Yeonwoo's rating for Chae Hayeon's singing apparently wasn't 100.
At Yeonwoo's precise critique, Chae Hayeon's face went pale.
'Hah, even my college prof wouldn't go this hard!'
Yeonwoo was far too much for Chae Hayeon to handle.