In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

Chapter 18:

Chapter 18

It felt like a factory was working in my head.

A monotonous sound entered the factory.

The notes on the conveyor belt were processed as they passed through various machines.

Thats how the arrangement that would support the main theme started to come to mind.

I trembled my eyebrows.

This had never happened to me before.

My brain was automatically coloring the colorless notes, stimulated by the familiar yet unique melody.

The notes that danced gracefully.

I was mesmerized by the dance of the beautiful lights.

Hey, hyung. Hey, hyung.

Hmm?

When did I close my eyes?

When I opened them, Ri-hyuk was tapping me.

What?

Why is everyone looking at me?

Whats going on?

Jang So-won blinked and then burst into laughter.

Did you fall asleep?

Huh?

I tilted my head and added, Me?

You were like that for almost five minutes.

Me?

If you dont believe me, ask the others.

No way.

I muttered.

It was only 10 seconds.

Well, its possible to sleep if youre tired.

It might have been a situation that would have made someone else frown or feel bad, but Jang So-won laughed cheerfully.

I felt a bit wronged and said.

Senior, thats not it.

I waved my hand and explained what had happened.

Well, I edited it as much as possible.

I said, The melody was so good that I was briefly arranging it in my head.

It was true, but why did it sound like an excuse?

Hmm. Really?

Jang So-won narrowed her eyes.

So you get an arrangement when you hear it?

No, its just that.

She chuckled and joked.

Our leader, a musical genius? I didnt know I had such a genius all this time. Did you guys know?

Yes, senior.

We call him the master of music among ourselves.

The members had no intention of letting me go.

Yeah.

You guys got me good.

The melody you just heard is the reason why I called you guys.

Jang So-won wrapped up the laughter and got to the point.

You know Im releasing a new single album, right?

Yes.

I decided to record three songs. Two of them, the title and another one, are almost done with mixing. But the problem is this guy.

Jang So-won tapped the laptop.

I managed to make the main theme, but I cant make any more progress from here.

She continued to explain.

The melody itself was when did I make it? Was it mid-November last year? Around the time of the college entrance exam, it snowed, right?

I know.

Thats why I came here.

Jang So-won smiled as if reminiscing that time.

I saw the snow from the apartment balcony, and it was really pretty. It was daytime, but the sky was dark and the white things were piled up softly. I was humming a song without thinking while watching that, and at some point I realized it was perfect. You know that feeling, right? The feeling of electric shock and goosebumps.

I nodded and sympathized.

That was the feeling I got when I heard the melody.

I felt something in common.

So I didnt look back and wrote the main theme right away but its not easy.

Youre stuck, arent you?

Yeah. Why do you think Im stuck?

I answered his question.

Because this melody suits a fresh and clumsy vibe.

Oh, you felt it too?

Jang So-wons eyes sparkled and she seemed to get excited.

She had taken my words as a joke earlier, but now she looked like she realized they were true.

The others, on the other hand, looked confused.

Jung-hyun asked.

What do you mean by that, senior?

Leader, explain it to them.

I felt their eyes on me and explained.

The melody that senior sang is more fitting for a youthful and refreshing atmosphere than a sophisticated one.

Is that hard to do?

It is. Because professional producers and engineers work on it, and its not easy to preserve the clumsy vibe. The moment they touch the song, it becomes very refined.

In other words, it meant that it was hard to keep the slightly awkward and fresh vibe when a pro got involved.

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When my siblings nodded in understanding, Jang So-won said.

Leader is right.

She smiled.

At first, I entrusted it to some producers and engineers I knew, but it didnt come out the way I wanted. Thats why I called you guys.

She said this.

Jang So-won, who couldnt give up on the melody she made because she liked it so much, started looking for a solution.

She asked around the singers she knew, wandered around Hongdae and watched indie band performances, and searched the internet, but she couldnt find anyone who suited the melody.

Until she went to the year-end evaluation as a judge, following the CEOs order of you dont seem to have anything to do, so you go.

When I heard your arrangement, I got a good feeling. I liked each of your voice colors and your ability to interpret the song.

Um, senior.

Ri-Hyuk asked.

How did you know who did the arrangement?

I can tell by listening.

Really?

Producers work and kids work are different.

She added.

Dont misunderstand, Im not saying its bad, Im saying theres a difference between pro and amateur vibes. Amateurs have that, you know. Pros who get paid cant do things that amateurs can do boldly. You know what I mean?

We kind of understood what she was saying.

We heard all kinds of things, but in the end, it was a story of how she found us when the new song melody wasnt progressing.

It was the moment when the mystery of why she gave us her business card that day was solved.

Well, lets end the introduction here.

Jang So-won clapped her hands and asked.

How was the melody?

It was good.

Not that. I mean, did you have any thoughts or feelings that came to mind when you listened to it? Just say anything, one by one.

We looked at each other, and then Bi-ju spoke first.

I thought of two lines.

Lines?

Yes, there are two lines, but they are parallel lines that cant meet. You know, like they seem to meet but they cant.

I think I know what you mean.

Jang So-won nodded and started to write a memo on her phone.

While her long nails tapped on the screen, Jung-hyun opened his lips.

It sounded like a hard beat to rap on.

Rap?

Im a rapper.

Do you want rap in it?

Uh no?

Jung-hyun thought for a moment and changed his answer.

Yes, I think rap would be good.

It was an answer that could sound arrogant, but Jang So-won laughed at his naive tone.

Okay, lets consider rap too. How about the song?

Senior said you wrote it while watching the snow, but I felt a different vibe. Maybe it suits the spring day when cherry blossoms fall.

Cherry blossoms?

Yes. You know how it is sometimes. When youre sitting at the bus stop and the cherry blossom petals are fluttering.

Jung-hyun had a surprisingly poetic side to him.

As I looked at him with curiosity, our eyes met and he gave me a smug expression.

No.

Why are you so proud of yourself after saying that?

And next, what about our Ri-hyun?

Ri-hyuk.

Right, Rihyun.

Ri-hyuks ears turned red and we chuckled.

Jang So-won, who was blinking her eyes, asked.

By the way, what was your name again?

Im Ri-hyuk, senior. Seo Ri-hyuk.

Sorry, sorry. I got confused. You were the one who sang the best at the end-of-year evaluation, right?

He looked expressionless, but I could see his lips curling up slightly. 

He seemed to cheer up quickly.

Ri-hyuk took out his notebook.

He had written something densely when he listened earlier. 

He read it out loud.

There were a few points, but the conclusion was simple.

Overall, I felt the same as Jung-hyun hyung. It sounds like a song that suits March or early April.

You all felt the same way.

Jang So-won said in amazement.

He wrote the song while looking at the snow in winter, but three members had already said This sounds like a spring song. It was surprising.

He tapped his phone screen and fell into thought. Then he called the youngest.

How was it, our handsome baby?

Im not a baby

The middle schooler who was going to high school this year muttered, and we all looked at him with affection.

Ji-ho thought for a moment and said.

If it were me.

Yeah.

I would want to play it for someone I like.

Someone you like?

I wondered if there was something I didnt know and looked at him. 

Jiho quickly added.

If I had one.

I see. A spring song that you want to play for someone you like if you had one.

Jang So-won, who was murmuring and taking notes, finally looked at me.

I didnt have anything different to say either.

The members and I felt the same about the song.

But I wanted to find the common ground.

We all told different stories, but everything we said was somehow connected.

Lets say theres a tree.

Were each talking about the branch were touching, but we cant say what the tree is.

I wanted to find out the name of that tree.

My mouth was itching.

If I thought a little more, I felt like I could catch something.

It would be really easy to work if I knew the name of the tree I was looking at.

Ah!

At some point, an image suddenly popped up in my head.

One word that encompassed everyones impressions.

-A feeling of being on a parallel line, where you seem to meet but cant.

-I thought of the bus stop where the cherry blossoms fell.

-It sounds like a song that suits late March or early April.

-I want to play it for someone I like.

I felt like I had found the name of the tree that my thoughts had followed down from the branches.

I agree with the other friends.

Yeah?

Jang So-won looked disappointed.

But I think I know what the members are talking about.

Huh?

Theyre all telling slightly different stories, but if you put them together, it seems like the same topic comes out.

What is it?

I told him, curious.

You know how they say that on the internet. Someone and someone have a crush. Theyre flirting.

Go on.

If you combine what I said earlier, its springtime, at the bus stop, I want to play it for someone I like, but that person is close to me but not close enough

This was the conclusion I came up with.

I think thats the theme of Melody.

Oh, right!

Wow. Senior, your eyes are about to pop out.

She looked like someone who had found the answer she had been waiting for a long time. Jang So-won clapped her hands and cheered.

The younger ones had expressions of awe and curiosity.

Ive been looking for the theme of Melody, and now I know.

Are you satisfied?

Satisfied? Its not just satisfying, its perfect.

Jang So-won said with excitement.

Lets decide on the title too. What should we call it? Something? Between Us? BeTween? Hmm

Senior, can you slow down a bit?

It felt like she had been waiting for a billion years at a red light and finally stepped on the accelerator when the signal changed.

She kept spitting out ideas for a while, when Ri-hyuk raised his hand.

Excuse me, senior.

Yes, Ri-hyun.

Its Ri-hyuk.

Oh, Ri-hyuk. Sorry.

Since something is originally English, how about Something as the title?

As soon as Ri-hyuk said that, everyone seemed to agree silently.

Thats it.

Thats how the title of the song we would sing together became Something, meaning something.

As soon as the title was decided, the work meeting went smoothly.

The original writer, Jang So-won, was active, but we also started to actively contribute our opinions.

We were trainees, but our main job was singers.

We also had Ri-hyuk and Jung-hyun, who could do arrangements, so we had various opinions on lyrics, composition, and related matters.

There was some kind of rapport between us.

Maybe it was the feeling of excitement when the emotions of people who love music resonated.

We were discussing like that for a while.

Gurgle-

We turned our heads at the loud sound of stomach rumbling, and saw Jung-hyun scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

We all looked at the clock.

We were so engrossed in the song work that it was already 2 oclock, almost the end of lunch time.

Look at me. You guys must be really hungry.

No, were fine.

Im hungry. Do you guys have any plans for lunch?

I answered.

I got a card from the manager just in case. I think we can just buy something simple from the convenience store with that.

Is that enough for a meal?

Jang So-won chuckled and got up from her seat.

Where is he going?

She put on her wine-colored coat that she had taken off her slender body. 

She looked like a model as she stood up gracefully and looked at us.

What are you doing?

We cheered at her next words.

Lets go. Ill buy you pork belly.