Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Sound Insertion (2)
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A private studio, fully equipped with all sorts of recording gear.
It was the workspace of Heo Chan-yong, Ayun's music tutor.
Now fifty, he was a composer from a previous generation who had once made a name for himself producing commercial albums and composing OSTs for various dramas. He had since retired from the industry to focus on nurturing the next generation.
Lately, there was one thing he found particularly enjoyable.
"Alright, did you finish your homework?"
"Ye-yes...!"
Teaching this young girl.
Chan-yong checked the notebook Ayun handed him.
"Let's see... Hmm, you've done well."
He was looking over the musical critiques Ayun had written for her homework.
The reason for assigning critiques instead of composition was clear as day.
The foundation of all art is input.
The basic principle was to fill her mind with diverse references; serious creation could only come after that. He was focusing on expanding Ayun's worldview.
Chan-yong felt a sense of satisfaction.
"This is an interesting critique. Comparing the contrabass to sticky ice cream is particularly unique."
"I-Is that not okay...?"
"Not okay? It's a compliment. I told you it's important to interpret the sounds of the world in your own way to complete your worldview."
Chan-yong gave an awkward smile.
At the same time, he felt a twinge of bitterness.
*'She's such a talented kid.'*
Her perspective on music was different from others.
In other words, unique and creative.
That was a talent countless composers wished for.
To have a unique worldview as a foundation, to have that originality from the very beginning, meant that all the music she would build upon it would be reinterpreted through her own colors.
A realm permitted to only a select few, despite every composer desperately yearning for it.
How could someone born with it be so lacking in confidence?
*'Was she bullied?'*
Chan-yong suddenly felt the urge to find the kids who tormented Ayun and give them a good switching.
It would be a terrible shame if this talent failed to blossom, if a giant of the music world were to fade away before ever emerging.
Meanwhile, Ayun shrank back, her cheeks flushing.
Her bashful smile suggested she was quite pleased with the compliment.
But at the same time, a shadow was falling over her face.
Chan-yong smiled gently and asked.
"What's wrong? Is something troubling you?"
Ayun flinched.
She hesitated, her lips parting and closing for a moment, before finally letting out a sigh and answering.
"We-well..."
"Go on."
"...I... I have to start composing soon."
"Oh! Finally!"
Chan-yong's expression brightened instantly.
He remembered something.
That Yeon-ho, the one who introduced Ayun and was paying for her lessons, was the president of a game development company.
That he was supporting Ayun to groom her into a sound director.
He'd heard they were submitting a project to some big festival in November, so this must be a request for the music it required.
Chan-yong's eyes sparkled as he asked.
"So, have you played the game?"
"Ye-yes..."
"Have any musical ideas come to you? Do you have a feel for what you need to do?"
Chan-yong didn't know much about games.
But he didn't imagine it would be all that different from dramas or pop music.
Composition was about dressing a scene or a singer's personality and purpose in the right clothes.
With a talent like hers, she must have come up with something...
"...I don't know."
?
"It was a game with no sound. But even without it, it's so amazing... I don't know what I could possibly add... I feel like if I compose badly, it'll be a disaster... umm..."
Ayun seemed to shrink smaller and smaller.
Ah! The lack of confidence!
A wave of regret washed over him.
Chan-yong finally realized his own mistake.
*'She's seeing composition as too difficult. No, to be precise, she sees composing for the professional scene as a wall.'*
It was a common thing for young creators.
Those who have entered the professional scene and achieved success know that the essence of composition doesn't change much from their amateur days, but young amateurs don't realize that.
Professionals are amazing.
That vague perception eats away at their confidence.
Considering Ayun's background, that notion must have taken even deeper root.
*'This...'*
Action was needed.
Chan-yong softened his voice and said.
"Ayun."
"Ye-es..."
"What did I say composition was?"
"Bu-building things up..."
"That's right. Composition is the art of building. The art of layering every sound you know—beyond instruments and scales, every sound you've gathered from life—onto a musical score. That's why you were able to do it on your own, and that fact won't change."
That's why composition is labor.
One common misconception about composers is that they are lost in their artistic soul, composing by playing instruments directly. That's wrong.
Of course, such people might exist, but the modern commercial composer is generally closer to a technician who combines and layers the codes—the sounds—they know to capture the public's ear.
Ayun needed to understand that too.
"It's not that difficult. You've heard so many sounds since you started lessons, right? You just need to pick what you need from them and build."
He said it to comfort her, but Ayun's expression didn't brighten.
Chan-yong furrowed his brow and thought of another way.
*'...It's no use if I'm the one saying it.'*
Words of encouragement or support are more powerful the deeper the trust between two people.
Chan-yong humbly admitted that as her tutor, he hadn't yet built a strong connection with Ayun.
Someone Ayun trusted more.
And someone who would support her unconditionally.
*'Her mother is one, but...'*
It would be better coming from the person who led her down this path.
Right after the lesson ended that day, Chan-yong contacted Yeon-ho.
***
Two days later, Ayun received a text from Yeon-ho.
[Skip your lesson today and come to the office. I've already spoken to your teacher.]
Ayun's heart dropped.
*'Did I do something wrong...?'*
Or was he going to pressure her?
A sudden wave of anxiety washed over her as she replied with trembling hands.
[Oaky!]
Oops, a typo!
[Okay!]
She headed straight for the office.
"E-Excuse me...!"
When she opened the door, she was greeted by the sight of Yeon-ho alone in the office.
"Ah, you're here? Have a seat. It's just us today. I gave the art team a short break."
"Oh...!"
Nodding, Ayun walked in stiffly.
Yeon-ho stood up from his seat.
"Want some coffee? Or a cola?"
"Co-cola..."
"Alright. Sit at the conference table."
But why on earth had he called her here?
The question resurfaced, and Ayun hunched her shoulders. Just then.
"How's the work coming along?"
Yeon-ho said, placing a cola on the table with a soft thud.
Ayun's lips pressed together tightly.
Her eyes trembled.
*'I knew it, I'm going to get scolded!'*
He must have heard from my tutor!
For a moment, she resented her teacher.
"It's pretty tough, isn't it?"
Ayun's head snapped up.
Her expression went blank.
"...Huh?"
"Thinking about it, I feel like I pushed you too hard. You've only been seriously studying for two or three months."
Yeon-ho sat down next to Ayun.
Not across from her, but beside her.
"You're probably still struggling to digest what you've learned, so I started to worry that I made you start work too soon. I feel bad about it, too. That's why I called you in today."
Her eyes met Yeon-ho's.
His expression was blank as usual, but she could feel the warmth in his voice.
In that moment, Ayun felt a strange pang in her chest.
Was this what it felt like to be comforted? At the same time, a feeling of guilt welled up inside her.
The relief that she wasn't being scolded, the self-reproach for having painted Yeon-ho as a scary person in her mind, and the touching feeling of being comforted.
As these various emotions mixed together, her voice became thick with tears.
"N-no! It's because I'm not good enough..."
"No."
Yeon-ho cut her off.
"No one thinks you're not good enough."
"That's... because I'm young..."
It was obvious.
Ayun was aware that she was well-liked at the office.
Everyone was considerate of her.
Wasn't it a given that the reason was because she wasn't an adult yet?
But Yeon-ho's reply denied that.
"If I thought of you as a child, I wouldn't have put you in this position."
It was a statement that sounded strangely odd.
"Huh?"
"Listen. When I hire someone, I do it with conviction. The conviction that this person can accomplish things I can't, in ways I could never imagine. That goes for Seo-rim, and it goes for you. Well, the two on the art team are a bit of an exception... but in the end, they turned out to be more skilled than I thought, so it was a win."
It was a deeply confusing moment.
"What I'm trying to say is this: your age doesn't matter. I believe you're someone who can create wonderful music right now. And even if not right away, that you'll become that person someday."
"Uh..."
"Let go of the pressure. You can create better music than any of us. You're an irreplaceable resource, and that fact won't change."
Yeon-ho raised his coffee cup.
As if proposing a toast.
"Even if you're not satisfied with this game's sound, that's fine. If it becomes experience for you, then this game's sound will have served its purpose."
Yeon-ho finished speaking.
Ayun suddenly wanted to ask.
*'How can you be so sure?'*
I dropped out of school and I'm not good at studying.
I just get scammed in games and I haven't even learned that much yet.
I don't have friends and I stutter.
I can't even see where I'm going when I walk.
I'm scared of making eye contact with people.
Various complaints like these came to mind, then faded away.
It wasn't for any other reason.
It was because she felt she knew the answer, even without saying a word.
*'He believes in me.'*
No matter what she said, Yeon-ho would surely counter it.
He would give her his complete trust, and he would believe in the self that even Ayun couldn't believe in.
Unconditional support.
Its power was greater than she imagined.
*'...I want to repay him.'*
Someone's complete trust can sometimes transform into passion.
A desire to ensure that trust doesn't fade, or to return that trust in kind.
It was a wish that grew more intense the more a person yearned for the pure goodwill of others.
Ayun was like that.
She needed someone's approval, and here was someone giving it to her.
When she talked with him, she started to think that maybe she wasn't useless after all.
That must be why.
The words formed on their own.
"...I'll do it."
"Hm?"
"I-I'll try...!"
Thump! Ayun shot up from her seat.
"I-I'll work hard!"
A determined light entered Ayun's eyes.
"Can I play the game before I go...?"
Yeon-ho blinked slowly, then nodded.
Ayun decided to take this feeling and pour it into the game...!
*'...But how do I do it?'*
She learned that reality doesn't always cooperate with passion!
***
A cold sweat ran down Ayun's back.
The thought that came to mind was this:
*'D-Does this even need music?'*
It was already fun enough as it is.
Even without sound, the game was so beautiful.
The boss battles were the highlight.
The boss, designed by Seo-rim and brought to life by Yeon-ho, felt intimidating just standing there, and its patterns boasted a breathtaking grandeur.
But how was she supposed to tarnish this!
*'I-I don't know...!'*
Her brain was overloading.
What sound should go with this pattern? What about the background music? And the sound effects?
Wouldn't adding them make it less impactful?
No, wouldn't it diminish the boss's feel?
She fumbled through the game, and before she knew it, it was her tenth playthrough.
Beside her, Yeon-ho was scribbling something in a notebook.
"Oh, this? I'm checking for bugs. There are a few that only show up when someone else is playing. Don't mind me, just keep going."
He didn't seem to be of any help.
No, thinking about it, he had already pointed out key things like the 'intro sound' and the 'Divine Punishment pattern,' so he couldn't help any further!
Soon enough, Yeon-ho finished his checks and went to do something else.
And so, she faced the boss for the eleventh time.
*'I-I've memorized all the patterns...!'*
After playing so frantically, the boss now seemed bland.
The grandeur from the first time was gone, and it just looked like a chunk of data swinging its fists around, which wouldn't even hit!
Ayun zoned out as she navigated the patterns.
*'Uh...'*
Just as the ground began to shake.
*'Ah, the disc. Gotta dodge.'*
Oh man, the eleventh run is going to be fruitless too.
Ayun pouted as she dodged the disc.
Just as the fist hit the ground.
*Crash—!*
Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass reached her.
"Huh...?"
In that instant, Ayun felt a shiver run down her spine.
She turned her head.
There was Yeon-ho, looking down with an embarrassed expression at a glass that had fallen and shattered on the floor.
Yeon-ho said.
"...Ah, sorry. My hand slipped."
She didn't hear him.
The only thing that captured Ayun's attention was the shards of broken glass.
*'Glass?'*
Something came to mind.
No, things she already knew began to sprout in her mind, fertilized by this chance moment.
It was a strange pull, a conviction for which she couldn't explain the reason.
*'...The fist of a god, the sound of shattering glass.'*
From those two keywords, her thoughts expanded like crazy.
*'Stained glass?'*
The precariousness of something that seems like it would shatter at the slightest touch.
And yet, a grandeur that inspires awe.
Expressing those things brought to mind a church, a pipe organ, hymns.
Added to that, an orchestral bass, a momentary explosion.
Amidst these expanding thoughts.
-Composition is the art of building.
Those words suddenly came to mind.
Ayun's eyes flew wide open.
"Ah...!"
It was inspiration.
I get it!
That's how I should do it!
The boredom that grew with each repeated playthrough—this was the blind spot of a game without sound.
*'It needs variation!'*
A variation that would be newly terrifying, and yet beautiful, in every moment!
"Wait!"
Ayun stopped Yeon-ho, who was about to clean up the glass.
Yeon-ho paused.
"Hm?"
"J-Just a second..."
What should I say?
Should I ask him to break more glass?
No, that's not it.
There's something clearer, more piercing than the sound of a glass.
I've heard it once before...
*-Tinggg—!*
-Oh dear! The lightbulb broke.
...That's right, the sound of a lightbulb shattering at home.
Ayun swallowed hard and said.
"P-President."
She was feeling urgent.
"Could you break a lightbulb for me?"
Yeon-ho tilted his head.
Sound Insertion (2)