Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity
Chapter 291
[Title: Lee Yeon-jae just posted something, what's it about?]
My friend sent me a screenshot, but it was too long to read, lol.
Can someone summarize it for me?
Please keep it short because of my assignments.
―Lee Yeon-jae is planning to release two songs, and he wrote the lyrics himself. Both songs are pop songs. The composer is Tom Washington.
└(ㄱㅆ) What?
└(ㄱㅆ) No way;; Explain it in detail from the beginning.
[Title: Wow, this is insane]
I saw an article saying Tom Washington came to Korea to see Lee Yeon-jae.
I thought it was ridiculous, and that people were overhyping it.
But it turned out to be real….
I wish I could be reborn as Lee Yeon-jae.
He’s releasing his first album with Tom Washington’s songs. I’m so jealous.
―Who is Tom Washington?
└(ㄱㅆ) Do you like any recent pop songs?
└Yeah, why?
└(ㄱㅆ) There’s a high chance that Tom composed those songs.
└? That’s an exaggerated explanation.
└Wow, why is this true?
└I’m not lying, I got chills all over my body. How did you guess?
└(ㄱㅆ) Tom has worked on almost all the top Billboard songs.
[Title: Am I the only one surprised that Lee Yeon-jae is releasing songs?]
Has there ever been an actor as successful as him who released songs?
Not counting commercials or OSTs from their own dramas.
I’ve never seen it.
So, I feel a bit uneasy, but everyone seems to like it, which is surprising.
―Right;; They criticize idols for acting but then switch gears when it comes to Lee Yeon-jae releasing songs.
└I knew there would be people like you in the comments, lol. Does Lee Yeon-jae threaten singers by releasing songs? Did he take their jobs? Has he caused any harm? Why are you so upset?
└You seem to be the one getting upset; and why are you being informal?
―I’m staying neutral until the songs are released.
└Judging from his live stream where he sang without music, he might do well.
└Is there a video of Lee Yeon-jae singing?
└Yeah, search for it. There’s one with over five million views.
[Title: I’m a pop fan and I’m just super excited about this]
Tom has been working hard lately, and I love it.
It’s even the first time he’s collaborating with a Korean artist.
When are the songs coming out?
I’m getting anxious, please release them soon.
―Lee Yeon-jae isn’t a Korean artist…. He’s an actor….
└? If he releases songs, doesn’t that make him a singer?
└Oh, seriously, calm down. Where are all these people coming from??? Every post about Lee Yeon-jae has these comments.
―Why is everyone reacting like this? I think it’s great he’s exploring different fields.
└Exactly. Is there a reason to view it negatively? He’s not even in high school yet and he’s doing all this. It’s impressive.
└Young, talented, and successful ← This is what triggers them.
―But isn’t Wu Yeon Entertainment very conservative? They’re known for not letting their artists appear on variety shows. Yet they’re letting him do other things besides acting.
└I thought the same, lol.
└But it’s Tom Washington, after all, lol. Frankly, with Tom, he might even make it to the Billboard charts. If I were the agency, I’d allow it too.
[Title: Didn’t anyone read Lee Yeon-jae’s post until the end???]
Whether the actor is releasing songs or working with Tom Washington, that’s not what’s important here.
Look at the title.
Look at the song titles!!!!
He’s releasing two singles,and the song titles are…
, .
Isn’t this insane?
If I were a Lee Yeon-jae fan, today would be my death anniversary.
―What’s Biyeon?
└(ㄱㅆ) It’s Lee Yeon-jae’s fandom name. Biyeon.
└This is crazy.
└(ㄱㅆ) And Lee Yeon-jae wrote the lyrics himself….
└This is insane222222
yeonjae_day @yeonjae_day
Hey, is everyone still alive? Because I’m not, lol.
└I also died earlier.
└I died the moment Bambi posted.
└As always, today’s madness is overwhelming…. Proud of you, my friends^^
veryverycrazygirl @veryverycrazygirl
The whole timeline is crying right now, lol.
Is there any way to make fans cry like this?ㅠㅠㅠ
I was shocked when he wrote a drama script, and now he’s writing lyrics….
Since becoming a fan of Bambi, every day has been filled with happiness.
bambicrush @bambicrush
Singer: Lee Yeon-jae
Song Titles: “Bambi” and “Biyeon”
The rhyme is insane, right? It’s over.
Lee Yeon-jae is going to dominate the hip-hop scene this year. Bye.
daehagwonsaeng @daehagwonsaeng
I’m reading Lee Yeon-jae’s long post, and there are so many funny points, lol.
He wrote in the post that the reason he wrote the lyrics in English is because “Tom doesn’t speak Korean.”
It’s hilarious, considering Tom is a top-tier producer. Do you realize that, Lee Yeon-jae…?
* * *
“(Hey, did you see people’s reactions?!)”
Tom shouted as he entered the recording studio.
“(This is no joke right now. My phone is about to catch fire!)”
His face was flushed with excitement.
He seemed very thrilled.
“(I keep getting messages from people asking what treasure I found to go all the way to Korea. Hah, what if this becomes a huge hit?)”
“(Well, that would be great.)”
“(This is my first time bringing a new singer to Billboard. I’m sure we’ll get invitations from various talk shows. Hah, just thinking about it is exhausting.)”
For someone claiming to be annoyed, he seemed way too pleased.
I was doubtful but didn’t want to ruin the mood, so I responded indifferently.
“(That would be quite troublesome for you.)”
If it actually happened, that is.
‘Is Billboard someone’s dog’s name or something?’
His casual tone made me slightly uneasy.
What if he got disappointed after being so hopeful?
I thought about grounding him in reality, but I was too lazy and let it slide.
‘If he gets disappointed, he gets disappointed.’
I didn’t particularly care.
My mind was entirely occupied with thoughts about the recording.
‘Somehow, I ended up singing two songs.’
It was Tom’s suggestion that led to me releasing two songs.
‘(How about this? Let’s release two songs.)’
‘(Two songs?)’
‘(Yeah. One song with the lyrics you gave me, and another song dedicated to the fans.)’
The lyrics of the originally intended song, “Bambi,” were quite dark overall.
I was worried it might upset the fans.
To soothe that concern, we decided to add a song filled only with warm words—a genuine fan song.
The song titled “Biyeon” took less than an hour to create.
I just had to organize my thoughts about Biyeon into words.
‘I’m really going to release songs.’
I felt strange.
Even though I had thoroughly considered it before deciding, it still felt unreal.
Of course, there were no regrets.
Tom’s songs were too good to have any regrets.
‘He’s not famous for no reason.’
Both melodies he brought were excellent.
Especially “Bambi,” which we were recording today, was a unique and rhythmic song with intense drum beats and trumpet sounds.
Despite the self-deprecating lyrics, the melody itself was very cheerful.
The more I listened, the more peculiar and somewhat empty I felt.
I rearranged the lyrics to match the melody.
Finally, the day everything was ready came.
I sang the song for the first time.
I still couldn’t forget how I felt then.
The only thought that filled my mind as soon as the song ended was:
‘……I want to sing it again.’
Singing with all my emotions, not someone else’s.
It was beyond fun; it was quite exhilarating.
It felt like my whole body was being cleared, and a tingling sensation surged from my toes.
‘Singing is such an enjoyable thing.’
I was stepping into a realm unknown to me.
Just one step.
That one step broadened my perspective.
Only after seeing the refreshing scenery before me did I understand why Noh Bi-hyuk loved singing so much.
It was a moment when emotions I had only guessed for years turned into my own complete feelings.
It was a thrill different from what I felt when acting.
“(Shall we start recording?)”
Finally composed, Tom clapped his hands toward the staff.
“(Everyone, move! We can’t stay idle after announcing we’re releasing a song. Have you warmed up your voice?)”
“(Yes.)”
“(Just sing like you did last time. Don’t worry too much. We’re going to be a hit!)”
Tom reassured me not to be burdened.
Which made me feel very burdened.
‘How can I not worry?’
I grumbled inwardly as I walked into the recording booth.
As I put on the headphones, I heard Tom’s voice.
“(Let’s do a one-take run first, okay?)”
“(Yes. That will help me get the feel of it.)”
“(Okay. After the run-through, we’ll record it part by part.)”
I nodded.
Soon, the song started playing.
As the short piano sound ended, the drums and trumpets made their presence known.
Dudu―du―dung!
The powerful instruments automatically made me nod my head.
Even after listening to it dozens of times, the intro was still addictively engaging.
‘Let’s keep the mood up.’
I put all my strength into my diaphragm to raise my tone.
And then, I sang the first lyric.
“(I wanna be the bambi.)”
I wanna be the bambi.
It was amazing.
Even though I was thinking about the parts I practiced countless times and things I needed to pay more attention to.
The moment I opened my mouth, all those thoughts vanished.
“(The bambi that everyone likes. How long can I hide behind it? I’m just scared that someone might discover me.)”
Only the music in my ears and the voice coming out of my mouth remained.
I closed my eyes and focused on my breath, tone, and pronunciation.
“(All the books say this. You need to love yourself.)”
But what do I do when it’s hard to love myself?
“(What if I only have moments where I feel inadequate?)”
Days where I constantly hate every part of myself.
That's why I keep playing the role of Bambi.
The Bambi that everyone loves, the one they can't help but love.
Don't you love it? Don't you love it?
“(Isn’t this enough to stay hidden? Isn’t this enough?)”
No, it’s not enough.
“(I want to feel more secure. I want to be Bambi.)”
After each line, the energetic sound of the trumpet resonated.
The lively instrument's bright tone.
I led the song with as cheerful a tone as possible to match it.
“(Will the day come when this play ends? If I truly become Bambi, wouldn’t I be able to avoid the end?)”
If so, I would act without hesitation.
Surrounding my greedy self completely.
To avoid the end with Biyeon.
“(Isn’t this satisfying enough? Isn’t this enough to feel secure?)”
No, I want to be greedier.
I wish for my true self, not the facade of Bambi, to be Bambi.
“(I want all of me to be enough to be loved.)”
I want to become someone deserving of your love.
As the song reached its climax, all the instruments burst forth like fireworks in a dazzling display.
The clear piano sound, the trumpet that made me want to move, the drumbeats that made my heart pound.
All these sounds gradually faded, and in the quiet moment,
I whispered the final lyric.
I wanna be just Bambi.
I just want to be Bambi.