Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity
Chapter 288
Write lyrics? Me?
I frowned slightly at Tom’s words.
“(How am I supposed to do that?)”
I barely managed to sing.
“(No, I can’t do it.)”
I knew my tone was inappropriate, but I had no choice.
There’s a reason professional lyricists exist.
But then, someone completely unexpected chimed in.
“(Why can’t you do it, actor? You wrote a drama script yourself.)”
It was Jin-bae hyung.
“(What?)”
“(The Korean Sign Language drama ‘February 3rd.’ You wrote it yourself, didn’t you?)”
No, that’s not what I meant.
I was so flustered that I spoke in Korean.
“I didn’t write the whole thing. I just laid the foundation, and the writers fixed everything in the end.”
“There wasn’t much to fix. And you were part of the editing process, weren’t you?”
“No….”
Why was he suddenly acting like this?
I had no choice but to take the blow from someone I thought was on my side.
“(You wrote a drama script?)”
Taking advantage of my dazed state, Tom quickly interjected.
“(Wow, you’re really amazing. That’s impressive.)”
“(The actor is indeed quite remarkable.)”
“(…Why are you answering for me, hyung?)”
And with such a proud expression.
Seeing my bewilderment, Jin-bae hyung shrugged as if to ask if he said anything wrong.
A chuckle escaped me.
Now he was being brazen.
“(What’s it called? February 3rd? Can I watch it?)”
“(Yes. It’s available in full version on YouTube. It was a collaborative project with a national institution.)”
“(With a national institution? Wow, that’s incredible. Thanks for letting me know, manager. I’ll watch it right away.)”
Amidst all this, Jin-bae hyung was promoting the drama to Tom.
‘This hyung, seriously.’
My insides were boiling.
While Tom was busy looking at the drama poster and trailer, I pulled Jin-bae hyung to a corner.
Then, I spoke as calmly as possible.
“Hyung, are you kidding me right now?!”
… I tried to speak calmly.
But my voice came out more agitated than I intended.
“Why did you bring up the drama all of a sudden? You’ve made things awkward!”
“Are you angry, actor?”
“I’m not angry…. Sigh, what if I mess everything up? I’ve never written lyrics before.”
The future seemed bleak.
It wasn’t a situation where I could just insist that I didn’t want to do it.
‘I’m inevitably going to have to write lyrics.’
I let out a deep sigh.
“What’s there to mess up?”
“Huh?”
“There’s nothing you’ve started yet, so what’s there to ruin?”
As I looked up at the calm voice, I met his composed eyes.
Jin-bae hyung held my shoulders.
“Actor, why do you think you have to be good at everything?”
“…….”
“I want you to let go of the obsession with having to do well. In singing, in writing lyrics, and even in acting.”
“Acting… I have to do well. It’s my main job.”
“That’s true. But liking something comes before doing it well.”
Wanting to do it, being ambitious, and liking it.
That’s why everyone tries to do well, hyung said.
The large hand on my shoulder felt even warmer today.
“Actor, can I ask you one more thing?”
“Yes.”
“Do you not want to write lyrics?”
“…….”
I hesitated.
Hyung smiled and patted my shoulder.
As if he already knew what I was going to say.
“Let go of the burden of having to do well, and give it a try.”
“What if it turns out to be a complete mess?”
“Then we’ll have messy lyrics. It’s not like it’s a big deal. Even if you don’t write the lyrics well….”
Hyung stopped there and lowered his voice.
“No one will get hurt.”
“…….”
“This has nothing to do with your misfortune factor.”
I looked at him in silence.
Jin-bae hyung smiled.
“I feel frustrated that there’s nothing more I can do to help you.”
“Why… are you frustrated? Just believing in what I say gives me comfort.”
“That’s not enough. I want to appear in your dreams too.”
Hyung whined subtly.
He even said this.
“Is there any way I can remove the misfortune factor for you? I’m actually quite strong, you know.”
Good grief.
“What are you talking about?”
Despite scolding him, I couldn’t help but smile.
‘Having this kind of conversation with Jin-bae hyung.’
Though I couldn’t quite believe it, I felt oddly peculiar.
Seeing my faint smile, Jin-bae hyung added more words.
“Unfortunately, I can’t appear in your dreams or remove the misfortune factor for you… so I’ll take care of you in my own way.”
“…….”
“I’ll help you find out what you want to do and what you like.”
Hyung suggested we take this opportunity as a starting point.
The person in front of me smiled gently.
I looked at him quietly and slowly raised my hand.
Flick.
“Ouch.”
Jin-bae hyung belatedly covered his face.
It was no use, though.
I had already lightly flicked his chin with my finger.
“Do you think I’ll be fooled by your kind words?”
You talked about the drama without even asking my opinion first.
‘He’s becoming more and more cunning.’
As I narrowed my eyes at him, Jin-bae hyung laughed.
“You caught me. That was my mistake.”
“Don’t bring things up out of the blue next time.”
“Okay. I won’t. Anyway, you’re going to give it a try, right?”
“…If it turns out to be a mess, you’re taking responsibility.”
“Haha, got it.”
Hyung laughed and patted my back.
Despite his childlike laughter, the touch on my back was mature.
* * *
After deciding to write the lyrics myself, Tom asked if I had any specific tastes in music or songs I often listened to.
‘Music tastes, huh.’
It was hard to say definitively, so I showed him my playlist.
Tom stared intently at my phone, and after a long while, he asked,
“(Who’s Nade? You have all their songs. Do you like this artist?)”
“(My friend is in that group. They’re a K-pop idol.)”
“(Ah, K-pop.)”
Tom stroked his chin.
“(So, can I assume Nade’s music is your taste?)”
“(I guess. I listened to it because my friend sang it.)”
“(…? But you added all the songs, even the non-title tracks?)”
Tom’s puzzled voice made me respond even more puzzled.
“(Yes. I learned that’s how you’re supposed to do it.)”
“(What?)”
They said that in fan culture, it’s standard to memorize all songs, not just the title tracks.
There were even fan chants, so I memorized those too, just in case.
Tom made a strange face but let it go, seemingly too tired to ask more.
“(So, do you have any songs by Nade that you particularly enjoy?)”
“(Hmm, this one and this one.)”
After listening to the songs I mentioned, Tom nodded.
“(Okay. You like band music.)”
“(Do I?)”
“(Yeah. All these songs emphasize rhythm. With your voice, hmm, it might be fun to mix in a bit of jazz. Alright, I have a rough idea.)”
What was he mumbling about?
Tom muttered to himself incomprehensibly, then suddenly stood up.
“(Let’s call it a day. I need to start working on the song too. Just write the lyrics and send them over. They don’t have to be perfect; just provide a basic guide.)”
Tom reassured me not to feel pressured, saying he’d make it a hit.
That made me feel even more pressured, but I didn’t show it out of politeness.
“(I’ll see you in a week, then.)”
“(Sure. Don’t worry if you don’t get any inspiration by then; take your time.)”
“(You can’t stay in Korea forever. We need to finish quickly.)”
“(No, don’t worry about it.)”
Tom waved his hand.
“(I finished other work before coming here. If something urgent comes up, I’ll borrow Lilly’s private jet.)”
“(Lilly has a private jet?)”
“(Yeah. Cool, right? Do you want to ride it?)”
“(No.)”
I firmly declined.
Taking a private jet even once has a serious impact on carbon emissions.
‘I’ll have to mention this to Tom when we’re closer.’
Right now, we weren’t close enough for me to nag.
After agreeing to meet again in a week, I left the recording studio.
* * *
“―Yeon-jae.”
“…….”
“Yeon-jae!”
Oh.
I snapped out of it at the other person’s shout.
“Sorry. I spaced out for a moment….”
I unknowingly zoned out.
When I hurriedly looked up, the other person was staring at me with concern.
“You look exhausted.”
“I have something I’m preparing these days.”
“Tsk. You should’ve said you wanted to meet later. You can draw anytime.”
Space Se-hyun hyung clicked his tongue.
Se-hyun hyung’s drawing was already in its final stages.
Meanwhile, the paper in front of me was as crisp as new.
‘……It’s like my mind.’
The blank canvas eerily matched my current situation.
Three days had already passed since I parted with Tom, but I hadn’t written a single line of lyrics.
‘Not a single line.’
I had no idea what theme to choose in the first place.
“Sigh.”
I let out a deep sigh without realizing it.
Then Se-hyun hyung asked,
“Is it something hard to talk about? Should I call your manager hyung?”
“No. Jin-bae hyung already knows. It’s not something hard to talk about with you.”
“Then tell me.”
Se-hyun hyung turned his body completely towards me.
‘Did I bother him?’
I was about to tell him to just keep drawing when I noticed he had already put down his brush.
Se-hyun hyung looked at me with clear eyes.
“What is it?”
“Well….”
As I tried to speak, I felt embarrassed for no reason.
I touched my ear and spoke as casually as possible.
“I’ve been writing lyrics lately.”
“Writing lyrics?? Writing lyrics, you?!!”
“Why are you so surprised?”
“You, writing lyrics? No, you?”
Se-hyun hyung blinked rapidly.
His reaction made me feel even more awkward.
“I know it doesn’t suit me either.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…. It’s just surprising to see you doing something other than acting.”
“Aren’t we drawing together right now?”
“Oh, right.”
Se-hyun hyung finally looked embarrassed.
When I chuckled, he turned his head back towards me.
“But why did you suddenly decide to write lyrics? Was there a particular reason?”
“Well, uh, it’s not certain yet. I’ll tell you when it’s decided.”
“What theme are you writing about? Do you have anything in mind?”
“No. It’s just….”
His reaction was much more enthusiastic than I expected.
As I answered hesitantly, I suddenly realized.
‘That’s right.’
He was a singer.
‘And he even writes his own lyrics.’
The song ‘Weather,’ which I sang during my first live broadcast, was famous for being written by Se-hyun hyung himself.
‘How could I forget that?’
It was ridiculous.
I had such a reliable ally nearby, yet I was just drawing.
As soon as I gathered my thoughts, I quickly straightened my posture.
“Hyung, can I ask you something?”
“Oh? Sure.”
“Where do you get your inspiration? Is there a book you refer to? How do you structure your sentences? Do you get your drafts corrected for any awkward phrases?”
“…You said you’d ask just one thing.”
Just gloss over such things. Good grief.