Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: The Music Prince's Arrival
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After the situation with Chae Hayeon had calmed down, Yeonwoo immediately set to work on the most urgent task: preparing a song for Yoo Jaehyuk's new album—specifically, the one that needed to be ready before the rock festival.
Yeonwoo already had a huge backlog of songs, but this time he had to tackle an unexpected theme, so he started from scratch.
To that end, he listened to Eastern and Western dirges over and over.
Western dirges didn't feature human voices. They were mostly solemn instrumental pieces.
But the East—Asia—was different.
Dirges, or more precisely bier songs, involved carrying the bier to the gravesite while repeatedly striking gongs or bells and singing mournful tunes.
Yeonwoo focused intently on the bier songs.
"Shall I incorporate this?"
Yeonwoo pulled up gong and bell sounds from his virtual instruments, then layered in a bier song sample as the base.
On top of that, he added a violin. A sorrowful sound flowed as if plucking at the strings, then he brought in drums, followed by bass, guitar, and keyboard building the melody.
The key here was to commemorate the departed without emphasizing sorrow.
Otherwise, the one who left would feel sad.
At least, that's how Yeonwoo saw it.
Who knew? Maybe when this song played on that stage, Uncle Park Kangjun would come down from heaven and join them onstage.
Did he believe in heaven or ghosts?
Fairies flew around in Yeonwoo's eyes. If fairies fluttered about making music together, what reason was there not to believe in ghosts?
In any case, with that mindset, Yeonwoo poured his all into crafting the song.
This might just be the track with the deepest emotions he'd ever infused among those released to the public so far.
The subject was different, but Yeonwoo too wanted to pay tribute to someone.
And so, the song for Invincible came together faster than expected.
Yeonwoo sent it straight to Yoo Jaehyuk. He skipped providing a guide track on purpose. He hoped the Invincible members, wanting to commemorate Park Kangjun with this song, would create it themselves.
With one task checked off, Yeonwoo opened his notes on his tablet.
[Yeonwoo's To-Do List
1. New album for Invincible uncles
- One song before the festival
2. Racing Force music director
- Handle on Japan trip
3. Yuri noona & Annosuke hyung single
- Handle on Japan trip
4. Song for Uncle Kim Beomsin
- Give it to him when we meet]
Yeonwoo struck through the completed items and added a new one below.
"Teacher's Japan debut prep... done."
Looking at it now, they were all Japan-related.
Yeonwoo called for O Jaehoon.
"Hyung! I think I need to go to Japan."
"Japan? What's up?"
Yeonwoo showed him the tablet. Jaehoon nodded after scanning the list.
"Got it. I'll make the arrangements. By the way, want to do some English study today?"
"Yeah, sure."
Yeonwoo nodded.
He was studying English through Jaehoon.
Jaehoon was continually amazed while teaching him.
Yeonwoo's reading was quick for his age, but not quite genius level.
Listening and speaking, however, were on another level.
Yeonwoo didn't memorize words—he remembered the sound of Jaehoon saying them.
And when speaking, he pulled that exact memory and reproduced it.
What was astounding was how he did it.
Yeonwoo memorized Jaehoon's accent perfectly and mimicked it flawlessly.
To test if it was real, Jaehoon had once tried teaching him Chinese instead of English.
Yeonwoo not only nailed the tones but reproduced the dozens of initial and final sounds perfectly.
Amazed, Jaehoon had asked if he could really distinguish and pronounce them all, and Yeonwoo had looked at him like it was weirder not to.
Yeonwoo had even said Korean was monotonous, but Chinese pronunciation was complex and fun.
Maybe Yeonwoo wasn't a music genius but a sound genius.
In any case, his English was improving rapidly thanks to that.
Writing and reading weren't as quick, but so what?
Half the people in Korea could write and read but not converse, so Yeonwoo—who could already converse—would end up far better.
Teaching him was different from others.
Jaehoon read words and sentences aloud, translated them, or held conversations in English.
At this rate, Yeonwoo would soon chat at the level of a peer native English speaker. (He already could to some extent.)
"You're amazing, Yeonwoo. Keep this up, and you'll speak more languages than me."
"But do I really need to?"
"Didn't you say you were interested in classical music?"
"Yeah."
"You might need European languages for that. No harm in learning now."
"Oh, I see."
Yeonwoo nodded vigorously.
"Alright, that's enough for today?"
"Yeah!"
As Yeonwoo nodded, Jaehoon stood up.
"Time to eat. What do you want?"
"I want the fried rice you made before!"
"Sure thing."
Jaehoon, who even had cooking certifications, delighted Yeonwoo's taste buds every day.
* * *
Yeonwoo headed back to Japan.
As always, Heo Ok came along. This time, his dedicated manager Jaehoon joined too.
The three departed from Gimpo Airport and arrived at Haneda.
Waiting for them was...
"Yuin!!"
"Yuin-kun!!"
"Yuin-kun!"
A massive crowd.
Somehow Yeonwoo's arrival had leaked—reporters and fans swarming to catch a glimpse had set up camp.
But it was fine.
Nanase had deployed security in advance for any contingency.
They formed a circular shield around Yeonwoo, Heo Ok, Jaehoon, and Nanase, advancing steadily.
Yeonwoo looked around in wonder. Reporters flashed spotlights nonstop, desperate to snap his photo.
Yeonwoo blinked his eyes open and looked away.
A woman around his aunt's age locked eyes with him and screamed.
Bewildered, Yeonwoo turned to Nanase.
"Auntie Nanase, what's going on?"
"I'm sorry, Yeonwoo-kun. It seems someone leaked your arrival. We'll investigate if it's an internal leak and discipline accordingly."
"Uh, but why are so many people here for me?"
Nanase gazed at Yeonwoo.
He still didn't fully grasp his own popularity.
In Japan, he was hailed as a genius boy, the young father of Yuri and Annosuke, and even dubbed the Music Prince.
In a nation where obsession ran deep once hooked, countless women had fallen hard for Yeonwoo.
Japan was the kind of place where even a small fanbase would follow to the ends of the earth once truly enamored.
But would explaining that help Yeonwoo understand?
Nanase explained in the simplest terms possible.
"You see Japanese people a lot when you upload YouTube videos or do live streams, right?"
"Yeah, that's true."
"Think of some of them liking you so much they came here."
"Oh, I get it."
"I see," he said, turning his gaze again. Every time his eyes met theirs, people beamed back. Yeonwoo stopped in place.
As everyone around him turned to see what was wrong, Yeonwoo politely clasped his hands and bowed deeply from the waist.
"Hello, this is Yuin. Thank you so much for welcoming me to Japan."
Silence blanketed the airport for a moment—then "Kawaii!" erupted from all directions.
Yeonwoo addressed them again.
"I'm a little busy and need to hop in the car quickly. Could you please make way?"
At his polite request, a path miraculously cleared to the exit. Yeonwoo bowed once more and hurried along with quick steps.
It was like the procession of a music prince and the masses come to behold him.
In fact, one reporter filming it ran a headline right there: "The Prince's Procession, Adoring Crowds Gather."
Before boarding the car, Yeonwoo paused to wave at the fans trailing him.
Giving them time for photos.
Enthralled, the fans snapped away frantically.
Yeonwoo grinned brightly at the sight.
Another reporter dubbed it "the prince's smile that enchants all who behold it."
Having thus repaid his welcoming fans in his own way, Yeonwoo got in the car and headed not to headquarters but to the lodging he'd stayed at before.
"You must be tired from the trip. Rest up today, and we'll get into details starting tomorrow. Sound good, Yeonwoo-kun?"
"Yeah, perfect."
Yeonwoo and his group entered the lodging.
"Yeonwoo!"
"Whoa, Yeonwoo!"
People waiting for him appeared.
"Yuri noona, Annosuke hyung!"
Yuri and Annosuke had changed a lot in the short time apart.
They looked even more handsome and beautiful.
In Korea, folks would say they'd gotten some good camera massage.
With steady management and styling, the fresh debutante vibe was gone—they now screamed celebrities.
But that was just surface level.
Seeing Yeonwoo after so long, they acted like they might burst from joy.
"Teacher, long time no see! You look healthy—great!"
They didn't forget to greet Heo Ok.
"Oh, this is my manager. O Jaehoon hyung."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yeonwoo’s manager, O Jaehoon."
They exchanged names with the newcomers and settled in the living room for chat. Yuri and Annosuke prepared tea.
This house was kept vacant and maintained for Yeonwoo's stays from Korea. JOP had restocked food and essentials upon hearing he was coming—right back in their original spots.
Creepily obsessive detail, but that was how extravagantly they treated Yeonwoo.
"Since we're all together for once, shouldn't we go grab something delicious?"
Heo Ok smiled as she took her tea, prompting Annosuke and Yuri to grin—then flinch and glance back at Nanase.
Nanase looked at them, then nodded.
"Reconnect since you're together again. I'll leave this card. Jaehoon-ssi, hold onto it."
With that, Nanase left. Her way of being considerate.
Once she was gone, Yuri and Annosuke whooped excitedly.
"Whoa, freedom! What should we eat? What sounds good?"
"Teacher, Yeonwoo—how about meat? Nah, monjayaki? Wait, no—on the way, grab croquettes from that butcher first? As an appetizer."
Yeonwoo watched them excitedly debating food options with growing concern.
"You two."
"Yeah, what's up, Yeonwoo?"
"Is the company still starving you?"
Annosuke laughed darkly, self-deprecating.
"Nah, not starving. They give us salad, eggs, and chicken breast every day. Every. Single. Day."
"Yeah... I was starting to think I'd turn into a chicken."
Watching them, Yeonwoo vowed silently: no chicken for a while.