177 - I Unknowingly Rejected My Favorite

EP.177 #177. Get That Autograph! "Jookyungyadok" - a saying that means farming by day, studying by night. If I were to apply this to myself, what would it be? Day... Music... Night... Broadcasting...? I wanted to create an expression for making music by day and watching broadcasts by night, but it didn't quite have a good ring to it. Day music, night broadcasting? It seemed using a half-baked abbreviation resulted in a negative impression. Anyway, the days of "day music, night broadcasting" passed, and the day finally arrived for us when we flipped to the next page of the calendar. A clear morning in June. "Are you nervous, Taemin?" I couldn't hide my anxiousness as I had to head to work earlier than usual. "Oh. A little?" "Come on. You're just assisting. Why so nervous, man?" Even men have their own vulnerabilities, you know. Besides, today was the day Doa would visit our studio. I really wanted to run out and give her a tour of the place. But we agreed to act like strangers, so we'd pretend we're meeting for the first time. Regarding Fumiring, who was coming along, Doa assured me she'd handle it in advance. Knowing how lively Fumiring is, if she spotted me, it'd likely be obvious to everyone in the office that I'm in a relationship with Doa. - Knock knock Through the translucent door, I saw the silhouettes of two women. The teacher stood up from his chair. I swallowed hard. As the door opened, the first thing that caught my eye was bright pink hair. For a moment, I thought it might be cosplay, but it wasn't. She really dyed her hair pink...? It was hard to maintain my composure with such a bold visual. "Oh. Welcome~" The teacher, having dressed neatly for the visitors, invited them inside. Behind the pink-haired Fumiring came my girlfriend, Doa. She had arrived in the studio wearing a very modest outfit. Seeing her tightly clutching her handbag straps out of shyness was endearingly cute. I immediately wanted to hug her. But I stood quietly behind the teacher, pretending I didn't know her. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Ash Block." "Hello there~" Fumiring greeted us with a cheerful smile, even giving me a wink. It's... overwhelming... With her hair like that, it's even more overwhelming. And I still couldn't quite get used to the lip piercing. "Uh... Is this Luka?" Both Fumiring and Doa burst into laughter at the teacher mistakenly referring to Fumiring as Luka. "No! I'm Luka, the one next to Fumiring~" "Ah. Yes. Hello. I'm Luka." Doa bowed her head politely. "Oh dear. With that hair color, I thought you were Luka. Hahaha." The four of us sat facing each other at the table. "Hey, Taemin. You should introduce yourself too." "Oh. Hello. I'm Han Taemin, learning and assisting under Ash Block." "Nice to meet you~" "Hello!" Doa, struggling to make eye contact, while Fumiring found our awkwardness amusing, laughing brightly. "So, have your practice sessions been going well?" "Ah. Well... before coming here, we agreed to listen to each other's songs once." Fumiring spoke as if she were a spokesperson or interpreter. Doa mostly just smiled or nodded. "I think my sister sings slightly better than me." "Oh wow, that's promising! Luka!" The teacher beamed a pleasant smile, but Doa shook her head fervently. "Oh, no! I really did try, but it might... not quite meet the expectations of the producer?" "It's okay. We have plenty of time today, who would like to go first?" The two members exchanged glances, and after a bit of scheming, Fumiring eagerly raised her hand to go first. "Have you recorded in a studio before?" "No? Never." "Ah, then just a moment." The teacher went into the booth with Fumiring. That left only Doa and me outside. As soon as the door closed with a thud, Doa nervously bit her fingers. "Oh. I'm so scared. Oppa, help me..." "Hey. What are you scared of?" "Ugh. I'm so nervous. I feel like I'm going to get scolded." "No, it'll be fine. The teacher doesn't get angry often." "Really?" Honestly, since this was the first time I'd be observing a recording session directly, it was hard to give a definitive answer. "Probably." "Ahhh!" Doa yelped and smacked my thigh. Eventually, the teacher returned, and we monitored Fumiring's song on the spot. Turning on the mic, the teacher offered feedback. "Miss Murin." "Yes?" "Could we go over that part again? The, 'I'll dress up nicely' part." "Oh, sure!" They went over a section repeatedly. The feedback was similar each time, but Fumiring had a hard time absorbing it. Of course, I understood that once habits formed, they were hard to break, but witnessing it on-site, it was astonishing how much it held them back. Watching all this, Doa grew increasingly tense as her turn approached. "Hmm... Miss Murin, I don't think today will work? You should practice and come back." I retract any statements about the teacher not giving much criticism. As a professional, he was relentless, willing to make someone redo something a hundred times if necessary. "Miss Luka? Shall we have Miss Luka try now?" Although there wasn't any annoyance in his tone, Doa was half pale with anxiety as she entered the booth. Fumiring returned to us. Her face bore the look of a soldier returning from battle. "...That was tough." She whispered to me. Still, it was funny how after just one meeting, she was opening up to me like this, making me chuckle quietly. "Miss Murin." "Yes?" "I'll write out the detailed guide for these specific parts, so you can practice them, okay? It's fine if you don't record it here. Just focus on these parts and come back." "...Wasn't it done?" "It feels like it's missing that last 2%. I'm asking for a favor." Fumiring sighed deeply, resting her forehead in her hand. She slumped onto the sofa behind her. "Alright, Luka, it's your turn now." The teacher spoke into the mic, his voice steady. I watched Doa's recording session with parched lips. The recording progressed smoothly thus far. It all seemed to be going well. But, there was yet to be the challenge of the second verse's chorus. Then came that notorious part. "The wind blowing now~" "Oh, I'm sorry." The moment Doa realized she missed a note, she stopped singing. "Miss Luka, next time, try it with a bit more confidence, and even if it feels off, keep singing till the end, alright?" "Ah, sure. I understand." The teacher's expression grew more strained with each repetition of the same section. I wondered if this was Doa hitting a ceiling of her limits. Challenges can introduce a sense of novelty, but they also signify stepping away from what's familiar. It appeared her challenge was no easy undertaking. "Miss Doa, don't push it from your throat, use your head voice. You know what I mean by head voice, right?" "...Yes." "Imagine someone pulling at your hair from above." She responded, but it wasn't something easily done. Despite starting early in the morning, we ended up working continuously until late lunch, endlessly redoing the same tasks in the booth. "Great work, everyone!" The teacher must have discerned the artists' thresholds clearly as he decided to wrap up the recording. "Ah, thank you for your effort. I'm sorry, I just... ha... I thought I was practicing well enough." Doa apologized with a remorseful expression. The teacher waved his hand dismissively, indicating it was alright. "No, it's not that. The reason I divided the parts this way is because I believe in your potential; I never thought it would be easy, even for myself." "Is that so." "So, have you had lunch yet? Would you like to join us for a meal?" Seeing Doa's reluctance to stay, Fumiring readily accepted the offer to eat together. "Alright. That sounds good. Taemin, go ahead and order us some sweet and sour chicken and black bean noodles." "Ah, okay." "Black bean noodles are fine with everyone, right?" As if any of us really had a choice. "Ah, yes, that's fine." "I love it!" We spread out some newspapers on the table, exchanging small talk while waiting for the food. "Leah will be coming by today too, right?" "Yes. She said she'd be here around 5, I think?" "Won't she finish faster than us? Hahaha." "Well. You never know until you see. Even professional singers have to redo parts a lot." When the food arrived, I started setting up, and Doa naturally assisted with familiar steps. "How's the food? Isn't it good?" "Yes! It's really delicious!" Her reaction was just like mine during my first visit here. Munching on a large piece of sweet and sour chicken, I couldn't help but think, as expected, it's utterly delicious. "Ah, Ms. Luka." Upon hearing her name suddenly, Doa looked up with wide eyes. "Yes?" "This friend, Taemin, is actually a huge fan of yours." As the teacher tapped my calf with his slipper-clad foot, Fumiring couldn't suppress her giggle, coughing a little after laughing too hard. "Oh, I'm sorry." "Are you okay?" "Ah, yes, yes. Luka, quickly, give him an autograph!" Fumiring grinned as she glanced at Doa, and though hesitant, Doa picked up the pen with a slight smile. "Make it big and bold! I'd like one from Murin too!" "Sure thing! I'll give you one as well~" She signed boldly on the A4 paper. "What should I write as a message?" Doa met my eyes and smiled. "Well... maybe something like 'Go Taemin Go'? That seems fine." "Taemin, you owe me one now, got it?" "Hahaha. Yes, indeed. Hahahaha." It was one of those moments where you just wonder, what's this all about?