Chapter 153
Lee HyunAh was currently headed towards SBB station in the car that KangYoon was driving .
She was sitting in the pa.s.senger seat and gave KangYoon a piece of chocolate . Her face was slightly red .
“HyunAh, are you excited?”
“Of course I am!”
Although she did appear in front of a camera before, this was the first time a song in the name of White Moonlight would ever appear through TV . Her thick smile was representative of her current mood .
KangYoon seemed to understand her mood and replied while turning on some cheerful music .
“You chose your song well, HyunAh . SoYoung created a good song too . You did the rearrangement yourself, didn’t you?”
“Yes . But I didn’t know you’d tell SoYoung to do the mastering herself . It’s not easy to let someone else tamper with your machine . ”
Lee HyunAh was very surprised .
Mastering was the process of adjusting the music quality, the duration, and level in order to create a music file for a CD or other media . This work required professionalism to the point that there were engineers who did this exclusively for a living . At World Entertainment, KangYoon was in charge of this job .
He smiled and spoke .
“I heard that SoYoung had learned about mastering at college . That’s why I told her to try . Although she wasn’t so good because of her lack of experience, she was quite good when we did it together . ”
“Huh? Does that mean SoYoung will work at your company too?”
KangYoon shrugged his shoulders .
“Who knows? I’m not sure yet . ”
“Hmm… I’d like to work with her . She’s very hard working when she is tasked with something . It’s hard to find someone so hard working these days . ”
KangYoon said that he would think about it and skipped the topic . Hiring a composer was a different matter than hiring a simple employee . He was going to talk with Lee HyunJi more before he came to a decision .
The two soon arrived at SBB station .
They parked the car and walked to the elevator where a lady a.s.sistant director was waiting for them .
“Welcome . You are from World Entertainment, aren’t you?”|
“Yes . I’m Lee KangYoon . ”
This a.s.sistant director seemed to have stayed up the night as dark circles could be seen behind her thick makeup . Lee HyunAh gulped as this was the first time she saw someone related to a TV station .
Following her, KangYoon and Lee HyunAh got on the elevator .
Their destination was the drama office located on the 21st floor . The a.s.sistant director tagged her ID and led the two inside .
Lee HyunAh looked around the office as this was the first time she had visited one .
‘Wow, it’s like the exact same big corporate office that I saw from TVs . It’s so neat and … huh? That man is so handsome . ’
An employee wearing a suit grabbed Lee HyunAh’s attention . She satiated her curiosity by looking around all over the place . However, when that man pa.s.sed by KangYoon, he was half-a-head shorter than him .
‘I knew it, oppa is so tall…’
Lee HyunAh grinned unintentionally .
Soon, they arrived at the meeting room for ‘His Hospital’ . When they entered, producer Kim DeokJoong and some a.s.sistant directors were waiting for them .
“h.e.l.lo . My name is Kim DeokJoong . ”
“h.e.l.lo . ”
KangYoon and Lee HyunAh exchanged greetings with the producer . Producer Kim DeokJoong was of short stature and had a stiff-looking expression . His sharp eyes were very eye-catching .
The a.s.sistant director that led the two here soon gave them some coffee .
Lee HyunAh sipped on the coffee with curiosity and nervousness while KangYoon talked about what he was here for .
“Thank you for considering White Moonlight’s song on such a positive note . ”
“Not at all . It was a really good song . I got the feeling just by listening to it . Although we usually do verbal contracts, I just had to invite you here in order to express that I want to work with you more in the future . I hope I wasn’t too rude by inviting you here when you must be so busy . ”
“Not at all . We’re thankful instead . ”
The mood was very good . Producer Kim DeokJoong did not stop his praises saying that the vocalist’s tone of voice and the song’s mood was suited to emphasize the mood of the drama . Although many songs had come to their desks asking to be included in the OST alb.u.m, this was the first time a song made him so eager to use – or so he said .
Lee HyunAh asked amidst the cheerful mood .
“Uhm, producer . Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead . Oh, you must be the vocalist right?”
KangYoon answer in her stead .
“Yes . ”
Producer Kim DeokJoong waited for her question with a soft expression . Though, his eyes were so sharp that it didn’t look that soft .
“If our song does appear in the drama, can I ask which scene it will be used for?”
Hearing that question, producer Kim DeokJoong laughed before speaking .
“Hahaha, I guess you must be curious . It will be used in the most important scene, where the male lead ambush-kisses the female lead for the first time . ”
“Oh, then JinWoo and AhJin will… Hiek? Did I just get spoiled!?”
Lee HyunAh covered her ears so as to not listen to any further spoilers . She was also a fan of the drama .
Seeing that, KangYoon laughed . Thanks to her, the mood became even lighter .
After writing the contract, KangYoon and Lee HyunAh stood up .
Lastly, KangYoon spoke while shaking the hand of producer Kim DeokJoong .
“I hope the drama, and the song, goes well . ”
Producer Kim DeokJoong also spoke with a confident expression .
“They will . It’s been a long time since I felt so confident . The viewing rates are going up, and the song will be used in the most important part of the drama, so everyone will have a happy ending . You can look forward to it . ”
He saw KangYoon off to the elevator .
Inside the car heading towards World Entertainment, Lee HyunAh asked KangYoon .
“This OST, it will do well, won’t it?”
KangYoon thought about it for a moment before speaking .
“Well, we’ll see the results when we get there . And this isn’t our final destination . There’s something bigger waiting for us . ”
“The major debut? Oh, yeah, you’re right . ”
“This is just the beginning . Don’t shrink away already . ”
Lee HyunAh resolved to herself while listening to KangYoon’s words, blaming herself for being a coward .
***
It was now May .
As the weather was good, the streets were filled with people, and the mountains were full of greenery .
Eddios’s dorms were also filled with the vitality of May .
“Who was in charge of rice today!”
…Though some were over-energetic…
Ailee grumbled while putting the crumbly under-cooked brown rice . As brown rice needed more water to be cooked than white rice, this kind of ignore-everything cooking method was making her frown .
“MinAh-unni was… . ”
Seo HanYu, who had already finished her meal in order to go to practice told her of the culprit .
“Jung MinAaaaaaaaaaaaaah… . !”
Ailee clenched her teeth and trembled due to the culprit having made worse what was already tasteless food . She could tolerate having a small portion of food, but she couldn’t deal with having tasteless food .
“…Just eat what you get . ”
Christie An spoke in a bland expression . However, Ailee made a fuss about it .
“No way . Do we have to eat the already bad-tasting diet food in such a bad way? This is torture, torture, I say! Ah, I can’t stand this . I’m cooking another batch . ”
Then, Ailee started washing some rice again .
Han JooYeon clicked her tongue .
“d.a.m.n gourmet . She’s a peculiar one . ”
“You’re right . I heard we’re going to be weighed this week . Is she going to be fine?”
“Eeek? Really!?”
Christie An’s unique nonchalant voice made Han JooYeon freak out . No, even Seo HanYu, who was about to go out, made a big deal out of it . Only Ailee, who was busy washing the rice, was immersed in her own world .
“I heard MinAh talk about it yesterday . This girl, she forgot to tell you again, didn’t she? Sheesh, she’s such a hectic girl . Director-unni said that we’re getting weighted this week . The president was going to do it, but the director said that they should preserve our dignity . ”
“I think I gained weight, what do I do…”
Han JooYeon grumbled . Seo HanYu also trembled due to the pressure of the frightening image of the scale .
Women’s greatest enemy, it was the scale .
“Jung MinAh! Jung MinAaaaaaah!”
Oblivious to all this, Ailee was busy cooking another batch .
***
While the other members were causing a fuss about eating .
Lee SamSoon, who had downloaded a drama, was watching ‘His Hospital’ with a headset on . Her laid back posture indicated that this wasn’t just the first or second time she had done this .
– The stars are pretty .
JinWoo, the male lead wearing a doctor’s gown, was watching the stars on the rooftop . Seeing that, Lee SamSoon’s heart tightened . The male leads tall height and the shoujo manga-esque beauty made her heart flutter .
Following that, the female lead, AhJin, appeared . She gave JinWoo a canned drink and stood next to him . The two talked about their superiors at the hospital and talked briefly about their life .
Then, JinWoo spoke about the female lead’s rival, SoJin, who also acted nicely towards him . In the drama, SoJin was a girl who made JinWoo think a lot about her .
– … really?
There was no way AhJin would like JinWoo talking about SoJin when he was the man she liked . She glared at him before interrupting him .
– Wait .
– What is it?
– …Let’s stop talking about s...o...b..e .
Then, she tiptoed and matched her lips with his . JinWoo’s eyes widened in surprise at her actions .
– Now, you can’t talk about her in front of me, can you?
Then, AhJin seemed embarra.s.sed and ran off with a blushed face .
JinWoo was shocked stiff and stood there blankly while touching his lips .
‘Wow… girls should act more boldly, huh, I knew it… Wait, isn’t this HyunAh-unni’s voice?’
But then, Lee SamSoon heard a familiar voice . This was the first time she had heard of the song, but the voice definitely belonged to Lee HyunAh . She hadn’t heard about this from anyone and didn’t think that Lee HyunAh sang such a song .
‘What a good song!’
It was a very sorrowful, yet beautiful song that expressed the minds of women clearly .
After the drama was over, Lee SamSoon went into a streaming site and immediately downloaded the OST that Lee HyunAh sang .
SBB’s drama ‘His Hospital’s OST, ‘Heartache’ first showed itself to the audience in the 7th episode .
The song instantly enraptured the hearts of many by emphasizing the scene where the female lead, named AhJin, suddenly kissed the male lead, named JinWoo, to express her feelings . The restrained, but still barely leaking emotions made the hearts of many resonate with the song .
On the day of when the 8th episode would air .
Lee HyunAh’s ‘Heartache’ placed first place in many streaming sites .
“The reactions are good . ”
Lee HyunJi, who had watched ‘His Hospital’ along with KangYoon inside the office made a satisfied smile while looking at the various reactions on the internet .
“The editing was good . The song came out just at the right moment . It expressed perfectly how the male lead doesn’t recognize the female lead’s emotions at once . ”
“Indeed . Phew, looks like we’ve crossed a big hurdle . ”
Lee HyunJi stood up and stretched her arms out .
“Looks like that’s plenty of promotion for us . We have the t.i.tle of placing first in the streaming sites, so we should ready the alb.u.m now . ”
“I think so as well . We should use this opportunity to appear in front of the public . ”
The two had the same opinion .
However, not all things went their way in this world .
Two days later .
KangYoon had come to work and was talking to White Moonlight about the alb.u.m along with Lee HyunJi when he was called by producer Kim DeokJoong . He spoke in a very apologetic voice .
– I’m very sorry . I don’t think I can air ‘Heartache’ starting from the next week’s episodes, that is, episodes 9 and 10 .
“What? Is there something wrong?”
KangYoon was fl.u.s.tered, but he asked in a calm voice . However, he received no explanations and was only told that the other party was sorry .
The drama was set to end with episode 20 . If the song changed at all, KangYoon believed that it would change from episode 17 at least . Something was wrong here .
– I can only express my deepest apologies . This is due to internal matters so please understand .
“…Fuu . Looks like I’ll have to pay a visit . ”
– Okay . Please do come . I’ll be waiting for you .
KangYoon finished the call and put on his coat . Lee HyunJi asked due to the sudden commotion .
“Did something happen?”
“I think a problem occurred with the OST . It won’t air starting next week . ”
“What? Did the production company or the investors pressure them into doing that or something?”
When Lee HyunJi asked in a worried voice, KangYoon nodded his head . He also had similar thoughts in mind .
“It might have been that since the viewing rates are quite high in this drama . I don’t think it will be easy… but we should come up with our own measures . I’ll call you when I get there . ”
“Okay . ”
KangYoon left the office with a rather stiff expression .
“Not many things are going well recently . ”
Inside the office, Lee Hyunji shook her head .