Episode 138: Nice to Meet You! / Please Take Care of Me!
“Can I come in?”
The voice reached me right in the middle of furiously jotting down sheet music.
“Ah, sunbae. Has it already gotten this late?”
Leaning against the doorframe and asking that was Sally.
Her being here meant today’s lessons were finally over.
I set down the pen I’d been using to fill in notes and turned around, but seeing Sally still casually propped against the door,
“You can just come in, you know.”
At my small exclamation, Sally finally broke into a soft smile and stepped inside the tiny workroom.
“Even if you’re a hoobae, I can’t just barge in while someone’s deep in the middle of working.”
“I’m not the type to get that annoyed or super sensitive about it, though.”
“Yeah. That’s what everyone says.”
When I let out a slightly pouty grumble, Sally immediately shot back.
Tch, I can’t exactly deny that.
Not every composer is like that, but at least in most of the cases I’ve seen, it wasn’t far off from what Sally just said.
At my silence, Sally let out a small huff of laughter through her nose and approached the desk. She casually scanned the sheet music and asked,
“Do you usually write it out on paper like this? Not using a program?”
“Ah, no, it’s not that.”
Of course not.
No matter how frustrating the programs of this era might be, they’re obviously way more convenient than handwriting scores.
“I just… had something on my mind.”
It’s nothing grand—just a little personal habit of mine. When I hit a wall while inputting notes in the DAW, in one sense or another, I pull out sheet music and start drawing in the notes by hand to organize my thoughts.
It’s not some lofty reason or anything.
“Ah, don’t tell me. I’m terrible at giving advice or counseling on worries like that. I hate it. Don’t even start.”
Seeing Sally freak out like that actually sparked my mischievous side instead.
“It’s just that, sunbae—”
“Aaaahhhh. I can’t hear you, don’t say it. Aaaaaah.”
Just from me starting the sentence, she was already frantically tapping her ears, loudly declaring she refused to listen.
The person who acts so childishly offstage turns into an alpha female so wild that even “wild” feels like an understatement the moment she steps on stage.
It’s not just me who knows she’s like this—anyone with even a passing interest in Sally knows it—but the gap is so extreme that I’m still freshly surprised every single time I see it.
‘I was just worrying about what instruments to use, that’s all.’
Well, since she’s rejecting the topic with her whole body like that, I have no intention of forcing the discussion on her anyway.
Even if she did try to help think it through, this is the kind of problem no one else can ever truly solve for you. If I just slowly mull over the different directions, it’ll probably resolve itself before long.
“You went with ‘this’ one, huh?”
Completely oblivious to my inner thoughts, Sally quickly changed the subject.
The topic was the song Team Y would be performing.
The title slipped out from her lips.
“Shooting Star… It’s a good song.”
In the end, my decision was Shooting Star.
Blue Poem, Glaze, and Tomorrow’s Weather—while my name is tied to them in various ways, they’re undeniably Ji-woo’s songs.
Messing with those felt a little off to me.
‘First Step was a bit of a consideration, though.’
Maybe it lacked enough of Shooting Star’s unique edge—the fact that it was the very first original I made after coming back to the past.
Mysty… I eliminated that one first.
“Personally, I would’ve loved to see Mysty. The Hylliy rapper was Levi, right? If Su-jin took Levi’s part, I think it would’ve suited her so well.”
As expected, Sally isn’t your average singer.
She managed to pinpoint exactly why I had ruled Mysty out from my options.
‘Sure… if we’re purely talking about who it would suit best, nothing beats Mysty…’
Chaekyung, Soyoung, and Kim Soo-jin.
Mysty was a song made for those three, plus the other two members of Laira—who, in the present, I have no idea where they are or what they’re doing.
If I used Mysty this time, considering I was planning to reference Trickle—which was also made for Laira—there really wouldn’t be a better song.
But that’s exactly why I excluded it.
‘In this life, Mysty isn’t their song anymore.’
At the very least, in the future ahead, there will never be a group called Laira.
Even if some other girl group debuts with the exact same name, the Laira that I knew can never exist again.
The members who made up that team.
Chapter 138. Nice to Meet You! / Please Take Care of Me! (Part 2)
The song that kept that name lingering in people’s ears for so long.
All of that has already been scattered by my own hands.
Of course, I don’t regret giving Mysty to Hylliy.
Setting aside the fact that I never imagined I’d end up meeting Chaekyung and Soyoung like this and working together with them,
The current Mysty has been completed in Hylliy’s hands in a form completely different from the one that belonged to Laira.
I can’t regret that.
But the thought of taking the song that was originally supposed to be theirs alone and having them perform it just once as some kind of event felt like something my conscience simply couldn’t allow.
“But what about the choreography for this? Can you get it ready in time?”
Oblivious to the fact that that particular worry had already been resolved, Sally brought up yet another topic.
“Ah, that.”
If you look at Shooting Star’s genre, it’s acoustic band sound.
However, the tempo isn’t as slow as one might think, so rearranging it to fit Project Trinity’s stage isn’t particularly difficult—but the choreography is another story.
I’ve already asked the choreographers from MyWay to handle it, but since the arrangement isn’t finished yet, they haven’t even been able to start.
“There’s still a bit of leeway until the first stage. We’ll figure something out somehow.”
The silver lining is that, perhaps because of team chemistry issues among the members, the preparation period leading up to the first stage has been generously set at about a month and a half.
“It’d be great if we could ask Teacher Sang-un, though.”
“Haha… Can’t be helped.”
Unlike with Tae-oh, this time I can’t ask Lee Sang-un for help.
It just so happens that the company Lee Sang-un is affiliated with is Yuyeop Media—the agency of the main vocal member from PD Heo Yul-bok’s Team H.
He’s not just some regular employee; he’s a founding member of Yuyeop Media. No matter how shameless I am about throwing my weight around, that would be crossing the line.
“Don’t worry. The MyWay choreographers are very capable too. For now, I just need to finish this first.”
“That’s true, but… tch…”
For some reason, Sally trailed off at the end, sounding a little disappointed.
I tilted my head for a moment, puzzled as to why, before quickly realizing the reason.
‘Ah, she’s changed her mind.’
What started out as a simple transactional deal to get me on her concert had, in just a few short days, turned into something Sally genuinely wanted as well.
Whether it was solely because of Kim Soo-jin or because the other four had some influence too, I wasn’t sure,
‘But if someone like Sally is sincerely willing to help, that’s only good for me.’
Sally is an idol before she’s a rapper. If she steps up with real sincerity for the kids, it can only benefit them.
Since she seemed a bit embarrassed about it, I was planning to pretend I hadn’t noticed—when
Vrrr.
The phone I’d left covered on one corner of the table gave a dull, short vibration.
“Sunbae, just a second.”
“Sure.”
After excusing myself to Sally and checking the message,
The moment I read it, a smile—different from the one I’d been hiding—uncontrollably leaked out toward her.
[We’ll start in about 10 minutes.]
[Photo]
Along with that short message came a photo of a pastel sky-blue truck with its wing door open.
How could I not smile when I saw that the surprise event I’d prepared for Zia was finally beginning?
The thought I’d momentarily forgotten—how Zia would react—suddenly surged back, making my heart pound.
“What the heck, you’re grinning like an absolute jerk right now.”
Even Sally’s jab held no weight in this moment.
[To the rookie actress Woo Zia—please take good care of her! -From Woo Zia’s fans united-]
The moment I saw the bright, beaming face of Zia vividly illustrated on the banner standing next to the truck, a refreshing wave of satisfaction swept away every single worry I had.
‘Yeah, synth is definitely better than guitar for this.’
Maybe I won’t even need this habit of handwriting scores anymore.
***
On the set of the drama ‘1 Hit Lover.’
After successfully wrapping one scene and busily preparing for the next, a clear, refreshing voice rang out across the set.
“Everyone, take a coffee break~!”
The person calling out while holding a vanilla latte in one hand and a cup of fruit in the other was none other than Choi Si-yeon, the actress playing the female lead Han Seo-ra in 1 Hit Lover.
“Ooooh, Choi Bae-woo~!”
“Even for a short single-episode drama, Si-yeon’s fans send a coffee truck?”
“There’s fruit too? Wow, they really went all out.”
“As expected, the next rom-com queen title isn’t just for show.”
Voices praising Choi Si-yeon—who began her career as a child actress and has now solidly established herself, already starring as the lead in three romance comedy dramas—flowed among the staff.
Meanwhile, the rookie actress playing Yoo Hye-young, Han Seo-ra’s long-time friend, who had been staring at her worn-out script after finishing the previous shoot in preparation for the next scene, felt a strange mix of emotions as she watched Choi Si-yeon.
‘As expected… Choi Si-yeon sunbaenim really is amazing…’
Acting had originally started because someone else had pulled her into it.
The more she did it, the more she felt the pure joy of expressing someone else’s life—while at the same time realizing that walking this path was far from easy.
That rookie actress, gradually coming to that understanding,
“Yeah, let’s take a short break. It’s going smoother than expected, so we’ve got some time to spare.”
Even though the director gave the order, she buried her face back in the script once more.
‘Someday… I’ll be like that too…’
The admiration, envy, and just a hint of jealousy that filled her heart completely were the exact reasons why.
Up until now, no matter how slightly different the nuance had been each time, she had felt that emotion countless times—and the only way she knew to overcome it was through “effort.”
That’s why she hadn’t noticed.
“It’s not for me, though?”
That the gaze of actress Choi Si-yeon, who had just said that, was directed straight at her.
And,
“Zia-ssi, you don’t really like coffee?”
That Choi Si-yeon had already approached right beside her without her realizing.
“Ah… um… it’s not that I dislike it, but right now I just want to look over the script a bit more.”
At the rookie actress Woo Zia’s answer, the smile lingering on Choi Si-yeon’s lips grew just a little deeper.
From someone walking the same path, who could possibly dislike a hoobae like this?
Choi Si-yeon generally didn’t want to interrupt or get in the way of juniors like her—but this time, she had no choice but to put a temporary stop to that consideration.
“Still, go take a look. You’re the lead, after all.”
“Huh?”
Of course, to Woo Zia, those words made no sense at all.
‘Lead? Who? Me?’
She was so flustered that she couldn’t even show how flustered she was.
Choi Si-yeon’s gentle voice continued flowing toward her.
“By the way, I don’t know who took the lead on this, but it looks like someone with experience joined the fan club. This coffee truck company has the best stuff around here.”
But even Woo Zia couldn’t stay dazed at the mention of that particular “word.”
“Fan… club…?”
There was no way something like that existed for her.
“Oh my… Was this supposed to be a surprise…? Aigoo, I messed up… Ah whatever, just get up already. Pretend you didn’t hear anything and go check it out quick.”
Seeing Choi Si-yeon visibly flustered yet still gently pushing her back,
At that point, even Woo Zia couldn’t stay oblivious anymore.
And then,
“Wow, Woo Bae-woo had fans?”
“Sorry, I said something I shouldn’t have. I had no idea Zia-ssi had fans and went on about Si-yeon-ssi’s fans and all.”
“Zia-ssi, enjoy the coffee!”
The passing comments from fellow actors and staff added certainty to her growing suspicion,
[Cheering on rookie actress ‘Woo Zia’’s first drama shoot!]
[Big hit for 1 Hit Lover! -From Woo Zia’s fans united-]
The moment she saw the phrases engraved all over the truck in the distance and her own face on them, she couldn’t help but realize.
Of course, questions immediately followed.
‘What… is this…?’
There was no way she had a fan club.
Even if there was some fan club she didn’t know about, there was absolutely no scale that would allow them to pull off an event like this.
‘Did Ah-jeong unnie send it?’
When she realized that the face of hers plastered everywhere on the truck was from the music video for Aejeong-un, that thought crossed her mind—but she quickly shook her head and dismissed the possibility.
If Lee Ah-jeong had sent it, she wouldn’t have used something vague like -From Woo Zia’s fans united-; she would’ve slapped the name BNW Entertainment right on it.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—that mystery was resolved almost immediately.
Among the people lined up to receive coffee, a banner that had been hidden from view finally caught her eye.
‘…!!!’
[Please take good care of rookie actress Woo Zia! -From Woo Zia’s fans united-]
Unlike the others, the photo of her face on that banner wasn’t from the Aejeong-un music video.
Of course, she knew exactly where that photo had come from.
“Ah, Zia-ssi. I’ll enjoy this. But this photo… it’s from when you took your profile shots, right? An outtake? Wow, this one turned out great too.”
Just as the director said, it was one of the B-cuts from the profile photos she’d taken under the excuse of needing a passport picture.
And the only person in the world who had that photo was one single person.
Woo Zia’s face flushed a deep, burning red with embarrassment.
Yet even in the midst of that, the fact that she was—at least a little, no, a lot—happy painted an even deeper shade of crimson across her cheeks.
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TL Note:
Want to read ahead?
Chapters 139–172 are available on My Patreon (Premium Tier) together with 5 other novels.
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[This series is in the “Regressed Idol” collection]
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