Our activities for the second mini-album had ended, but we had no time to rest and had to keep running.
We still had to record and shoot the music video for the Christmas commemorative fan song to be released on Christmas, as well as practice for the special stage at the year-end awards and music festivals.
“Alright, listen to the guide now. These are your individual parts.”
After distributing the sheet music to the members, I played the demo song recorded by Gyeon Ha-jun.
It was an upbeat dance rock song with electronic sounds sampling a Christmas carol melody.
When the song ended, everyone nodded and complimented the song, saying it was good.
Amidst the warm relay of praise, Ryu Jae-hee, who had remained silent, inhaled deeply and voiced his honest opinion.
“Can this song really survive among all the competitive Christmas carols?”
“Why? Does it feel off?”
“The song is good, but there’s no part that really grabs you.”
“I knew that, but hearing it confirmed isn’t great.”
“Hey, hyung, I didn’t mean to disparage your efforts, so don’t get me wrong.”
I threw a casual remark at Ryu Jae-hee, who hastily added a defensive comment.
“Who said anything to you?”
“Aren’t you saying it feels off?”
“I was just being honest about my thoughts. It’s not like I’m thrilled about releasing this song.”
Considering we worked on this song hastily due to our busy and chaotic schedules, it was no wonder I wasn’t satisfied.
Especially since I coughed up blood from overworking and ended up in the hospital during the process.
Similarly, though time and resources were tight, we managed a satisfactory result with the reworking of KICKS’ song, which only had a first verse. The motivation was there, too.
But this Christmas commemorative fan song lacked any real motivation during the creation process, which was the problem.
Doing something because you’re told to versus doing it because you want to makes a big difference.
However, hearing such feedback made me too proud to release it as is.
It had been an hour since I put the song on repeat, tapping my fingers on the floor while listening intently.
Seo Ye-hyun, who had the smallest part, broke the silence.
“I think I’ve got my part down. Can I go to my room?”
“No, throw away that sheet music.”
I replied as I got up. I threw on the coat that had been haphazardly left on the sofa and headed to the entrance.
“I’m going to work on revisions.”
I left the semi-basement dorm after delivering a report, a habit picked up from Kim Do-bin.
“Why don’t you just move in there? Are you my brother or my enemy…?”
“Ah, hyung, just until today. I finally found a studio.”
I naturally pushed Yong-cheol hyung, who was working on beats in the studio chair, aside and opened the file I had listened to countless times.
I tweaked a few chords in the backing track and fixed the melody, catching awkward transitions I’d noticed over the past hour.
If I had known, I would have reviewed the whole song before creating the demo. I rushed ahead without making revisions.
‘Well, I was fed up at the time.’
Back then, I didn’t want to listen to it again, but now that I had some leisure, the music was starting to make sense.
Ryu Jae-hee’s honest feedback also served as some motivation.
After fixing a few parts, the song sounded much better than before, so I put it on repeat to check for any remaining awkwardness.
‘It’s late, so it’s probably too much to call Gyeon Ha-jun for a guide recording…’
I might as well do it myself.
As I skimmed through the sheet music and hummed the lyrics to the melody, I stopped when I hit a part I couldn’t sing.
I composed this as if I wasn’t the one who had to sing it.
“Hyung, can you hit three octaves in high notes?”
“Not only are you extorting my studio, now you want me to be your demo mule? If I could hit those notes, I’d be a ballad singer, not a rapper.”
“Hyung, remember your ex? Anyway, you hit those high notes perfectly when you sang ‘She’s Gone’ at karaoke after breaking up.”
“Get out, punk.”
Yong-cheol hyung pretended to kick his chair at the mention of his embarrassing past.
Since the studio lacked a recording booth, I turned on the mic and started recording the guide right away.
I managed the high notes with falsetto. Ryu Jae-hee would replace them with full voice later.
After finishing the guide work and turning off the mic, Yong-cheol hyung, who had been stifling his laughter, burst out laughing.
“The sudden falsetto in the high notes is hilarious.”
“What can I do if I can’t hit the high notes?”
“Stick to rap and sing-rap for the rest of your life. Dream in white↗ Haha.”
“I realized that painfully while recording, so stop mimicking me like that.”
“Mimicking? I’m just recreating it.”
I grumbled at Yong-cheol hyung, who was imitating my falsetto, as I transferred the work file to my phone, gathered the printed revised sheet music, and got up from the studio chair.
After thanking him, I returned to the dorm and played the demo song I had recorded. Déjà vu hit me.
The members had impressed looks until the high notes hit, then they desperately tried to stifle their laughter. I closed my eyes.
Yeah, I can’t hit high notes, you punks.
When the 3 minute 15-second song ended, I looked around at the members and asked.
“What do you think?”
“The high notes are impres-”
“Don’t even think about talking about the high notes.”
At my added comment, Kim Do-bin, who had been about to mention the high notes, quickly shut his mouth.
Even Ryu Jae-hee, who had previously pointed out problems with the song, nodded in satisfaction this time.
“It’s much better than before. The melody is definitely more memorable.”
“Eden, my part, ‘Snow is falling, my first confession to you,’ here. Instead of ‘falling→to you↗,’ ‘falling↘to you↗’ might be better. It’ll strain my throat less.”
“Oh, it’s too much now? I didn’t realize while recording the guide with falsetto. I’ll mark it on the sheet, and you can sing it that way when recording. Maknae, pass me a pen.”
I corrected the notes on the sheet music per Gyeon Ha-jun’s request and handed it back to him.
Kim Do-bin and Seo Ye-hyun, who were practicing their parts, also seemed to be in good spirits. Now, if we could just finish the recording without any issues…
Recalling the recording session, a sense of impending doom loomed over me.
Would I remember that we were filming and manage to finish the recording smoothly?
What if I ended up being labeled as a temperamental and unlikeable member from the behind-the-scenes footage?
* * *
On the day of the recording and filming.
After stopping by the shop for perfect makeup and hair setting, we arrived at the recording studio.
The studio provided by the reality show team was impressive.
The equipment quality matched the excellent sound. Though perhaps my standards were too high after seeing G1’s studio.
Cameras were set up inside and outside the recording booth to capture the process.
Sitting in the control room chair, I bowed my head in a prayer-like manner and muttered.
“Don’t forget there’s a camera. We’re filming right now. Camera, camera… We need to finish the work today, so even if it’s not perfect, let’s just get through it…”
While I was psyching myself up, Gyeon Ha-jun was warming up his voice, Seo Ye-hyun was staring intently at the sheet music, and the younger members were whispering among themselves.
“I wish they filmed us every time we recorded.”
“Why?”
“Look, Eden hyung is already doing mind control. With the cameras around, maybe he’ll be a bit gentler.”
“Sigh, you really don’t get it. Eden hyung would never compromise when it comes to music, cameras or not. For him, music comes first before the filming.”
Kim Do-bin’s hopeful comment was met with a headshake from Ryu Jae-hee.
We’d see who was right once the recording started.
The camera lights blinked, and the recording began along with the filming.
Ryu Jae-hee went first. I nodded my head to his crisp and clear vocals.
“Maknae, let’s do the first line of the hook again.”
Trying to sound as gentle as possible, I saw Ryu Jae-hee glance at me through the glass wall with a momentary look of fear before quickly composing himself when I glared at him.
I wondered if Kim Do-bin knew his thumbs-up reflected in the recording booth window.
After a couple of tries, Ryu Jae-hee finished his recording, and next was Gyeon Ha-jun.
Listening to his voice, which suited my taste, made me smile contentedly.
Since we needed to finish today, I lowered my standards from 100 to 80, allowing Ha-jun to finish his part smoothly after a few “one more time”s.
“Hyung, why have you become so fake? The hyung I know wasn’t like this…!”
During a break, Ryu Jae-hee handed me warm water, pretending to cry playfully.
I downed the water in one go and donned a benevolent smile.
“What are you talking about, maknae? I’ve always been like this.”
“Hyung, the cameras are off now.”
“Maknae, keep your expression in check.”
Ryu Jae-hee, relieved, collected the empty cup from me.
The short break ended, and next was…
‘Here it comes.’
Seeing Seo Ye-hyun entering the booth with a relaxed face, probably because the previous two had finished much easier than before, I prepared myself mentally.
The easiest yet most challenging part began.
I genuinely intended to pass Seo Ye-hyun if he met a 70-point threshold.
This song wasn’t for chart-topping; it was a surprise gift.
But I couldn’t compromise. I needed at least an 80 for a satisfying result.
“Wait, let’s try again. Up to ‘wading through the snow’ was fine, but your pitch wavered after that.”
“Hyung, try relaxing your throat when you sing ‘wading through.’ Your pitch wavers afterward.”
“Did I ask for vibrato there? I only said to relax. Why is the pitch shaking? Again.”
“It’s not syncopation, it’s on the beat. Keep the beat. Again.”
“I definitely said on the beat earlier. Again.”
“Keep the beat. Again.”
“Sigh, again.”
“Again.”
As my sentences grew shorter and my face lost expression, the atmosphere in the recording studio became heavier.
After saying “again” for the tenth time, I let out a deep sigh and stopped the backing track.
As soon as our eyes met, Seo Ye-hyun’s anxiety was evident. I gestured for him to come out of the booth.
“Ye-hyun hyung, come out for a moment.”
***
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