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“Is that really what happened?”

“Yep. It was quite chaotic back then.”

Composer’s Workshop.

During a gathering for a drama OST, when Moon Chang-sik started sharing the recent happenings from the broadcast, he wore a curious expression.

“It seems like everyone really likes Soo-hyun.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s a bit excessive, but it’s a fan’s heart.”

Thinking about it, Moon Chang-sik is a seasoned actor who’s had fans since his child acting days.

He can understand the fans’ feelings to some extent.

“Compared to other Celestial Realm folks, I guess Soo-hyun’s viewers are a bit more lively.”

During our conversation, the composer chimed in, as he had some knowledge about the Celestial Realm.

“Oh, is the broadcasting chat for the other groups a bit different?”

“That side is the norm; I believe Soo-hyun’s is the unique one.”

…Unique, huh.

I suppose I may have loosened things up too much, but the broadcast atmosphere is already set, so there’s no helping it.

“Hmm, is that so? I’m curious, so I should check it out at home.”

“Uh, uh-oh, don’t do that.”

I was taken aback and quickly stopped Moon Chang-sik from saying he’d check out my broadcast when he got home.

“Is it not allowed to watch?”

“There’s nothing to see.”

It’s not that I’m embarrassed about the broadcast, but it’s a bit awkward for a great actor like him to watch it.

I’ve already spilled quite a few embarrassing quotes without thinking.

Honestly, to regular folks, the culture of VTubers is just a big “What is this?”

Hyeon-su, who subscribes and keeps up with everything, is the weird one.

“Instead, let’s talk about songs.”

If we continued this conversation any longer, I felt like I’d expose my own vulnerabilities, so I changed the subject.

“You do realize Soo-hyun brought up the broadcast topic, right?”

The composer threw a jab at me, but I let it slide.

I only mentioned it as a light icebreaker.

“Ahem, by the way, is the song going to have a historical drama vibe?”

Remembering what Hyeon-su had said earlier, I brought it up, and the composer showed a surprised expression.

“How did you know? I was preparing to try that once I got the lyrics.”

So it really was going for a historical drama style! Hyeon-su must be like Zhuge Liang, seeing through everything right from the start.

“Oh… I figured it might be like that.”

“Oh, if it’s that friend, then sure.”

The composer nodded as if he understood and turned to boot up his work PC.

“By the way, I received the content you sent, but it felt a bit different from our last conversation?”

On the monitor screen, there appeared to be the jumbled lyrics I had sent him yesterday, now neatly transferred into a notepad.

…Seeing it like this, I felt a bit embarrassed.

When I fleshed out the idea, it seemed like the sentiments of Lady Soo-yeon were more about forgiveness and empathy rather than grudges against Moon Chang-won, reflecting her broad-mindedness towards even a sinner.

“Oh, that initial idea was too difficult to write, so I figured I’d let our Chang-won off the hook this time.”

At the time, I thought Lady Soo-yeon wouldn’t be able to forgive Moon Chang-won.

But thinking back, it’s a drama, so it’s understandable.

“Well… I guess this angle might yield better lyrics.”

“Right?”

“Was this also that friend’s idea?”

“…Hyeon-su did offer a bit of direction.”

It’s not an exaggeration to say he only suggested a tiny bit; I did most of the work.

Huh? Those lyrics were sentences I desperately recalled from my experience with novels or comics.

“The Slim Gold vocalist sure is impressive.”

At that moment, Moon Chang-sik, who had been listening in on our conversation, casually chimed in.

“You know Hyeon-su?”

“He’s famous. Plus, he’s close with Soo-hyun.”

Come to think of it, Moon Chang-sik’s friend, an actor, had also shown up at Hyeon-su’s party.

It makes sense that Moon Chang-sik would know him pretty well.

“He’s quite the mentor.”

I can’t believe Moon Chang-sik is praising someone as famous as Hyeon-su.

No matter how much of a super rookie Hyeon-su is, he’s still far from the level of recognition that Moon Chang-sik has achieved.

After all, he’s a national actor that even my mom knows.

“Are you still calling him mentor?”

“Once a mentor, always a mentor. Should I greet him with a bow?”

I pretended to bow playfully while seated, causing Moon Chang-sik to laugh as if incredulous.

“Alright, you two catch up later; let’s check Chang-sik’s lyrics next.”

As the composer said that, I shifted my gaze to the monitor, which showed the content Moon Chang-sik had sent after mine.

However, the content seemed more like lines from a movie or drama script rather than lyrics.

Well, it’s understandable; it reflects Moon Chang-won’s feelings pretty well.

“Looks like he sent it without much thought, just like himself.”

“Indeed. Lady Soo-yeon’s side is better off.”

“Hahaha…”

Still, it was a bit challenging for us to tease him, given the formal structure.

For someone who confidently said he could write lyrics, the result was quite unfortunate.

“Thanks to you two bringing something, I have a general sense of direction.”

The composer said that and changed the screen.

To our surprise, there were several dozen lines of lyrics displayed.

“I tried writing it with what I received yesterday, so take a look.”

“You wrote this yesterday? This?”

For him to whip up a whole song’s worth of lyrics from the little bits we handed in!

Today, my respect for the composer soared immensely.

“I usually pen them in one go when I get the inspiration.”

“Wow… that’s a true master.”

“…Stop the nonsense and read it.”

“Yessir…”

Following the composer’s instruction, I began reading the lyrics.

It started with my part for Lady Soo-yeon.

After all, since Moon Chang-sik is just featuring, most of it would be my part anyway.

But still…

“Wow, you really wrote it like Lady Soo-yeon, didn’t you?”

It’s hard to believe that the middle-aged, scruffy composer penned such charming lyrics from his long hair and stubbly face.

Not that he couldn’t write Moon Chang-sik’s part, either; he managed to capture Moon Chang-won’s essence perfectly, displaying his talent.

“This is better than I expected.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, it’s not like I write this well all the time.”

Hmm… is that true?

Oh, right. He has had a few instances where he assigned lyrics to Lee Seo-yeon.

“By the way, these lyrics are really great! Can we use this as is?”

“I like it too.”

As Moon Chang-sik and I marveled at the lyrics, the composer wore a proud expression before changing the screen again.

“Now, we have to come up with the melody.”

“Oh right. Do you have anything in mind?”

“To be honest, this is my first time dealing with a historical drama style, so the melody-making process might take a while.”

Indeed, crafting a melody isn’t an easy task.

Especially for a genre I’m not familiar with, it’ll likely take even more time.

“That’s why I called you two today; I wanted to hear your opinions before starting.”

“Opinions?”

The composer flipped through the pages again until a screen that looked like a music composition program appeared.

“These are samples; please listen and pick three that you like.”

“Three each?”

“That much is just right.”

It was a bit puzzling, but since the composer said so, I nodded.

“Now, I’ll play them one by one.”

With that, the composer started playing the melodies.

Both Moon Chang-sik and I took care to listen closely, as this was crucial for the song to come, and we picked three melodies that suited the track and we liked best.

“Two of them overlap, though?”

However, with two of our selections being the same, we only had four melodies to choose from in total.

“Overlap is actually good. It provides a better reference for composition.”

But the composer nodded as if it was alright and began setting aside the melodies we had voted on.

“So, is that it?”

“Yes, today’s agenda is wrap-up.”

“Uh… already?”

The meeting was over in just two hours since we arrived.

It was a quick meeting compared to the considerable time since our first one.

“Let’s grab a meal before we leave; finishing early is great.”

“Well… that’s true.”

Unable to refute the composer’s logic, I nodded, and afterward, we enjoyed a delicious meal.

“Alright, you can leave now.”

After eating and finishing dessert, the composer declared it was time to go.

“Already? I could stay a bit longer.”

“Honestly, I’ve been wanting to start working since we picked the melodies.”

“Ah, I see.”

So the real message was to get us out quickly.

In fact, after the lyrics came and we finalized the melody candidates, neither Moon Chang-sik nor I were helpful anymore.

We would just have to come back when everything’s complete for the recording.

“I think I’ll need the next few days to work on this.”

As we left the workshop, I glanced back at the composer, who looked pretty cheerful for someone who had to work for days.

“…I’m glad the meeting wrapped up well.”

“That’s true.”

As we exited the workshop and left the building, I chatted with Moon Chang-sik.

“So, will you be heading home now? Need a ride?”

“No, it’s fine; it’s still afternoon, and it’s not too crowded.”

If it had been rush hour, I would’ve had him drive me without hesitation, but it was quite empty at the moment, so I was okay.

“Well, in that case, I’ll park over there and get going.”

“Okay, see you next time.”

Just as we were about to part ways for our respective homes.

“Oh, wait.”

Moon Chang-sik casually called out to stop me.

“What’s on your mind?”

“Actually, can I also follow you on Instagram?”

He asked while lightly shaking his phone, prompting me to smile softly.

Why is he even asking that?

Of course….

“No way.”

No, absolutely not.

What? Do you want to see me when I can’t stream today?

Not until the drama airs!

 

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