Chapter 24: The OST Sung by the Flowers (4)
Sensing my annoyance, Oh Seok-jae approached me with an apologetic look.
“Ah, man. What are we going to do, dragging you here like this? Aren’t you busy working on an album?”
“True, but it’s mostly in the final stages now…”
“Right! The song Ah-ra-ssi’s going to sing—could you give us a little preview?”
Oh Seok-jae’s teasing question made me smile.
“Hmm… If I play it now, you might feel discouraged. You sure you want to risk that?”
“Oh, our composer’s full of confidence! I’m getting nervous!”
“But our youngest isn’t one to back down either, right, Hyung?”
Kim Pan-ho, draping an arm over Oh Seok-jae’s shoulder, joined in the playful boasting. When they mentioned ‘youngest’, they were obviously referring to the guy hitting on Yoo Ah-ra.
His face looked familiar. I think his name was Chan-hyeok.
I glanced in his direction.
“I’m free this weekend. How about you, Noona?”
He was still sitting next to Yoo Ah-ra, talking nonstop.
“I’m busy.”
Yoo Ah-ra replied curtly, hugging a cushion and responding with as little interest as possible.
“There he goes again,” Kim Pan-ho remarked with a laugh. “Hey, youngest! Come over here.”
“…Huh? Ah, yes. Just a moment, Noona, I’ll be right back.”
“No, don’t bother. I need to practice, so stay put.”
“Hehe, just kidding!”
Chan-hyeok shot her a flirty smile before heading over to us.
“Tell us what we just went over.”
Kim Pan-ho said, pretending to be all serious. Chan-hyeok’s face lit up with a cheerful smile as he complied.
“I didn’t do much. All I need to do is make it fun for the locals, so just a bit of choreography. Pan-ho Hyung is handling most of it. You can look forward to the skit—it’s going to be hilarious.”
“Ahem, that’s our youngest for you.”
“Ah, sunbaes-nim, Come over here for a second~ just for a moment.”
At that moment, Hye-yeon came over, pulling Kim Pan-ho and Oh Seok-jae away to somewhere else. Whatever it was about, it conveniently left me alone with Chan-hyeok.
Even the camera seemed to think there was nothing more to see and slowly followed the others.
“So, why are you here?”
Chan-hyeok asked, his tone noticeably colder than before.
“Yoo Ah-ra dragged me here.”
At my answer, his eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Ah, Heli, wasn’t it? You’re the Lilac producer?”
“Yes.”
“Funny, I’ve never heard the name before. Heli, huh… So that’s your stage name? Hmm… It’s not like Lilac would leave an album in anyone else’s hands. Why would Letter use an unknown producer?”
Pretending it didn’t bother him, he still pressed me, needling subtly.
Was he jealous? Smiling, I watched his voice for any hint of intent.
Chan-hyeok’s voice was shallow and dark, but in a thin, almost sly way. Perhaps it was just the moment, but it struck me as both weak and a bit unpleasant.
“Ah, goodness. I offered to introduce her to a producer, so why is this happening….”
Yoo Ah-ra quickly approached, cutting off his words.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking, what are you doing here?”
“No, I was just worried you’d sing something weird, Noona. We can’t have another album flopping. I mean, I could introduce you to a producer I know. You’ve heard of Jelly, right? He and I are super close…”
“Do you have a death wish?”
“What? No. I was just saying you might want to keep it in mind. Anyway, do you have a schedule tomorrow, Noona?”
Yoo Ah-ra glared at him in silence, then turned her gaze toward Hye-yeon, who was chatting with Oh Seok-jae and Kim Pan-ho, and shouted loudly at them.
“Hey, Oppas! Hurry up and get out of here! Why are you sneaking around? You’re just snooping because you think you’re going to lose, aren’t you!”
Startled by her booming voice, Oh Seok-jae and Kim Pan-ho jolted upright.
“Whoa, what’s with her? What did we even do….”
“I said get out! Out! Out! You too!”
“Wait, Noona, hold on—I just need to know if you have a schedule tomorrow or not….”
Under her relentless pressure, the entire neighboring team got shooed out of the room.
With peace restored in the quiet country house, Yoo Ah-ra muttered quietly beside me.
“…Sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Because of me.”
“Seriously? Enough of that. Stop talking nonsense and get back to practicing.”
I chuckled, and she looked at me for a moment, nodded, and walked to the room next door.
Wait—was she just… sticking up for me? Watching the firmly closed door, I couldn’t help but feel oddly pleased. Just then, someone approached me from the side.
“Um…”
“Hm?”
It was Cindy, who I’d almost forgotten about. She leaned forward with a slightly alluring posture and gently tapped my shoulder.
“Yes?”
“Well… you said you’d play the song for me, remember?”
“…Oh, right.”
I had completely forgotten. I plugged my earphones into my phone and handed it to her.
Though still not perfect, it was a version recorded by Yoo Ah-ra, so it was definitely much better than the guide version.
“Here you go.”
“Oh, thank you!”
Cindy received it politely and put the earphones in.
Her reaction afterwards was more than enough to make me feel proud.
It was still raining in the late afternoon, around 4 PM, and the performance was about to begin.
People started gathering under the tents surrounding the village hall. As expected, there were mostly elderly folks, but since it wasn’t too far from the town center, I also noticed a fair number of young people and students.
So, there were more people than I anticipated. There were around 100 people, mostly in family groups, and the stage was quite large.
That made Yoo Ah-ra nervous.
“Don’t worry. What’s there to be nervous about?”
Yoo Ah-ra suddenly turned her head. Her face was stiff with tension.
“What if I make a mistake? There are so many elderly people here.”
“Why are you getting scared when you’ve even done competitions on TV? If it goes well, it’s because of you. If it doesn’t, blame it on me.”
“…It’s easier said than done.”
-Wow, so many people showed up!
At that moment, with Oh Seok-jae’s smooth hosting, the performance began.
The order of the stage was that Oh Seok-jae’s team would perform first.
As mentioned earlier, their performance included skits and dancing.
The skit was carried by Kim Pan-ho, who was a comedian. The laughter on the elderly folks’ faces didn’t disappear.
After the skit, the next stage was the dance performance by four of the team members, choreographed by Chan-hyeok. His movements were definitely impressive. The elderly were both surprised and delighted by the performance.
With a face like his, people would probably like whatever he did.
Anyway, that’s how Oh Seok-jae’s team’s 30-minute performance came to an end.
-Next up is the… ‘bad team’s’ turn…
-What do you mean, the ‘bad team’?
-Haha, just kidding, just kidding. It’s Yoo Ah-ra’s team!
It was now Yoo Ah-ra’s team’s turn.
First, Hye-yeon, Cindy, and Yoo Ah-ra performed a lively dance to an upbeat song.
All three—Cindy, Hye-yeon, and Yoo Ah-ra—looked beautiful. Their outfits were country-style pants, adding a humorous touch to the performance.
However, Yoo Ah-ra’s face was slightly tense, likely because she was thinking about the next stage.
-They’re certainly beautiful. But let’s remember, this isn’t a beauty contest! Let’s keep the voting fair…
-What are you talking about? Shouldn’t Seok-jae oppa put down the mic already?
And then finally, it was time for Yoo Ah-ra and me. The previously energetic stage now only had two chairs.
Seeing it like that suddenly made me feel a bit nervous too.
Yoo Ah-ra went on stage first, politely bowing as she prepared the audience for the song.
-Um… the next song hasn’t been released yet. It’s the OST for an upcoming drama, and I think it matches the atmosphere here well. But since it’s a newly written piece, and I haven’t had much time to practice, please forgive me if it’s a bit rough.
Yoo Ah-ra gave a bow and sat down in the chair. I followed her onto the stage and took the seat next to her. Noticing her nerves, I spoke to her quietly.
“Did you memorize all the lyrics?”
She nodded without a word.
“Keep it simple, for the older folks here.”
“…Didn’t you tell me to sing it as it is?”
“Both mean the same thing. It’s not a music show or a concert, so just relax.”
Simple yet pure. And slow. It might not suit a stage that requires a vibrant energy, but the music I envisioned has a nostalgic quality, a resonance of the past.
If these old sounds are softly hummed with a beautiful voice, it can be a healing experience for someone—a type of healing music. Yoo Ah-ra is a perfect fit for that.
-Let’s start!
Yoo Ah-ra called out confidently and looked at me.
I met her gaze, offering a relaxed smile.
The melody needed to be carried by her voice. Perhaps she understood that. Yoo Ah-ra swallowed, took a steadying breath, and slowly began to sing.
I played the guitar in harmony with her voice, making sure her lovely tone didn’t tremble alone.
-Morning sunlight breezes in with the wind
-A whiff of rice steaming beyond the mountain brings a smile to my face
-Closing my eyes to the busy chirps of early birds…
From the very first line, the song painted a gentle, warm scene.
I barely held back an exclamation of awe.
A pure, unadorned white—this was the tone I’d been yearning for. Maybe the mountain village’s setting and the presence of the audience brought out the simple, innocent essence within Yoo Ah-ra.
But the audience remained quiet. Curious, I opened my eyes and took in the real scene instead of the mental image I’d had.
A content smile crept over my face.
As the song progressed, the atmosphere grew warmer and cozier.
There was an elderly couple holding hands, a child leaning affectionately against their mother’s shoulder.
A young man cradling a Jindo dog with a gentle smile, and a middle-aged man beaming like a father watching something adorable.
Old men, barely touching their cups of rice wine, simply enjoying the music, and grandmothers with their eyes closed, perhaps reminiscing about distant memories…
Yoo Ah-ra’s song merged naturally with the scene around us.
-As the sun sets, your face comes to mind.
-The empty sky, mountains, and fields look back, telling me stories.
-I live with this memory that remains in the scenery…
With the final line, the slow, four-minute song came to an end.
As the lingering notes of the guitar and her voice faded, the audience burst into applause. They offered simple words of praise, all smiling.
Those smiles were filled with warmth and happiness.
Yoo Ah-ra opened her eyes and looked at them, as if trying to capture every single one of those earnest smiles. She didn’t close her eyes for a while.
A sudden curiosity struck me.
What was Yoo Ah-ra feeling right now?
I wondered if, listening to her voice echo in her in-ear monitors, she felt that this was truly her ‘own voice’.
I could only hope she did.
