Episode 76: Holiday (1)
The Hylliy dorm is quiet only in two cases: when all members are out for schedules or asleep.
For these vibrant girls, close in age with perfect chemistry, a lively atmosphere is the norm.
“Sip…”
“Ha…”
But today, an unusual tension hangs in the air.
“Why isn’t she back?”
“It’s definitely past when she should’ve returned…”
Rapper Joohee checks the time, muttering, while main dancer Luri bites her lip nervously, adding to the worry.
“Let’s think positive, Joohee unnie, Luri. If it were ‘that’ again, she’d be back by now,” says leader Levi.
“Right. As Levi unnie says, Sena must’ve worked hard, so it’s taking longer,” adds main vocal Eunwoo.
“Really…?”
The four exchange glances, and soon, synchronized sighs escape.
They’ve all endured that “hellish time”—recording with Han Yujin.
“This was my first full post-debut recording session…”
Maknae Luri’s murmur, part of the second pair, sparks their reflections.
“It was terrifying. Even for us on the last day, but Eunwoo, how did you survive…?” Levi recalls.
“Don’t ask, unnie. I sang my hardest, thinking I had to pass no matter what,” Eunwoo replies.
“Sena heard that and still messed around, getting kicked out… ‘You’re not ready, Sena-ssi, go back.’ I was left alone, thought I’d lose it. Felt like a freezer, not a booth,” Joohee shudders, recalling her roommate’s antics and the manager’s suspension fallout.
Silence falls briefly.
Beep beep beep beep. Ding-dong~!
The cheerful door chime jolts them up.
““She’s here…!””
Click! Thud.
“Arghhh!”
A crash and a groan follow the door closing.
Rushing out, they see lead vocal Sena sprawled at the entrance and Sora, stuck behind, laughing awkwardly.
“What happened?”
“Did it go well?”
Levi and Joohee ask simultaneously as Eunwoo and Luri swallow hard.
Sena, half-lidded, raises a shaky thumb.
“Haa…”
“We’re done…”
Relief washes over Levi and Eunwoo, Joohee leans on the wall, and Luri collapses.
Sena, once ejected pre-recording, passing means the ordeal is over.
“Up we go.”
Unaffected, smiling Sora hops over Sena inside.
Joohee cautiously asks her oddball peer, “It’s late to ask, but… Sora, you passed—why go for extra recording?”
“Hmm. Thought I could do better…”
“Weren’t you scared, Sora unnie?”
“Why be scared?”
Her calm retort leaves Luri, sprawled Sena, and the others questioning their own reactions.
Eunwoo ventures, “But… unnie, you saw that day…?”
“Hmm… That was Manager unnie’s mistake, right?”
Pondering, Sora continues casually, “I know she meant well… but she was wrong. You can’t do that. Work has… uh… oh, process. There’s a process.”
Her stuttering, typical self, seals it.
“J…!”
“Spot-on J…!”
“Certain J…!”
Unfazed by the “J” chants, Sora presses, “Producer’s not bad. If he were, he wouldn’t have given me that envelope. Missing Manager unnie sucks, but I’ll see her soon. And…”
Scanning them, she adds, “You all know, right? We sing better now.”
True.
Yujin’s role in their leap was undeniable.
Their effort? Past recordings were just as intense.
They feared, not hated, him for pushing them—realizing post-hell that they’d reached new heights.
“Manager unnie cared for us, and Producer took us seriously—pushing us beyond our limits. Why fear him? We should be grateful.”
Tilting her head with a ‘right?’ the others fall silent.
The quiet breaks as Sena sits up.
“No hard feelings, though. He praised us a lot, saying we’d practiced hard. Recording ended earlier than expected—about an hour and a half. I did push myself to not mess up.”
“Then why the delay?”
“Oh, that?”
Sena’s gaze shifts to Sora.
For once, Sora’s smile fades.
“The producer said it was fine as is, but Sora unnie kept pushing for more. They got into it, then settled on the first take.”
Under the others’ stares, Sora dodges, heading to her room.
“次も一緒にやったらいいな (Next time, let’s do it together again).”
Her light steps carry her native tongue, leaving them speechless.
Even with their limited Japanese for fanservice, they understood—and wanted to deny it.
‘Next time, how much further…?’
The new realm Yujin dragged them to, flooding them with unfamiliar dopamine, silenced their objections.
“I hope the choreography comes soon…”
Maknae Luri’s wish met no dissent—likely his influence.
***
After lead vocal Sena and Kitano Sora’s final recording,
“Good work, Yujin-ssi.”
Ailee’s face blooms like spring.
“This single might be Hylliy’s career best.”
“Thanks to the Hylliy seniors keeping up.”
Choi Eunwoo, with a small gap between potential and now, shone despite her nerves.
Kitano Sora quickly adapted and even requested extra recording.
‘Honestly, it turned into vocal training by the end.’
Her deepening emotion was fun to watch, but her vocal color shifting risked unbalancing Hylliy—though solo, she’d shine brightest.
Levi and Luri, as main dancers, handled their parts easily, and sub-vocal Joohee adapted well to her new role.
‘The real challenge was Sena.’
Sena had the widest gap between potential and current skill, requiring a different approach.
‘Her playfulness hid some fire.’
Facing her, I saw competitiveness—nudging that sparked a strong response.
‘It wasn’t chase-out level, though.’
Truthfully, Sena’s was discipline. Park Jiseon might’ve grabbed my collar if she’d seen it.
‘Not that I’d let her.’
Her voluntary exit was a lucky break.
“I was worried about Sena at first… I was a sparrow, blind to the phoenix’s intent,” Ailee admits.
It was risky, but I kept it in check.
“Still, too early for praise. Session recording’s left.”
Vocal work shifted plans.
Timing differences—new singers, a two-year-early track, and original Mysty’s instruments feeling off—complicated things.
“Plan changes might stretch session recording.”
“Take your time planning,” Ailee says casually.
Her calm stuns me.
“Don’t we need choreography?”
Mysty’s dance worries me. My dance talent’s known, but creating from scratch is tough.
Lira’s original might not suit Hylliy, and I only adapt others’ work.
For future original tracks, outsourcing to experts now makes sense.
Still, choreography needs the song finalized—vocals and arrangement affect it.
“Yes, so plan slowly.”
Why so relaxed?
But it’s not just Ailee. Engineers eye me oddly.
“Yujin-ssi, we love working with you, but we don’t want weekends too.”
“Right. Weekends are for rest. I’ll rest too. But two days might not cut it…”
Their eyes gleam.
“We thought you knew, rushing vocals. Seems you missed next week’s event.”
“I felt it too. Why else push so hard? Though you did this last time.”
Confused, I tilt my head. Ailee explains.
“Next week’s Seollal—a nine-day holiday with Monday and Friday off.”
“Oh?”
“MyWay rests—except for trainees and some artists’ care. Hylliy’s off. The kids need home time, especially Sora and Levi with overseas families.”
“Ohh?”
“Engineers and choreography teams rest too. You will, right?”
“Ohhh?”
“It’s common knowledge—why only you, Yujin-ssi? Rest up, finish plans later. A nice date with Zia sounds good.”
I alone missed the looming national holiday!
“Ugh, look at you. Annoying. Maybe I’ll start dating too.”
Despite the shock, a smile creeps in.