192 - I Unknowingly Rejected My Favorite

EP.192 #192. It Doesn't Have to Be Like This "Alright! Let's go with this one! Done and done. Ugh... when can we go home?" The streetlights had been on for quite some time. Gathered in the Bitdam meeting room, we had been relentlessly listening to samples until our eardrums could practically start bleeding. Compared to the songs we'd worked on before, the deadline was pretty tight. YM said it was because their internal decision was delayed, but the teacher accepted the project out of sheer fan loyalty regardless. Being part of the team, I naturally agreed with his decision. "Taemin, then focus on revising the melody line based on the feedback we got today as quickly as possible, and Hyunseong and I will work on the lyrics." "Yes, got it." "Okay, that's it for today. Great work, everyone." Being in a profession where you can start work at any time also means that leaving work whenever isn't strange. I closed the tablet where I'd noted the meeting minutes and slumped over the desk. "How's Taemin getting home?" "He probably still has his car, right?" "That's good. We'll head out first, then?" "Sure. Have a good night." Packing up my laptop and belongings, I headed back to my workspace to calmly organize what needed to be done by tomorrow. "Sigh..." If I don't finish this today, I might end up camping here all night tomorrow. I considered pulling an all-nighter here but decided to call Doa instead. [Hello.] [Oppaa...] Her voice already sounded sulky. [Yeah, Doa?] [Are you done for the day...?] [Surprisingly, yes.] [So, are you coming home now?] Hearing her voice, I felt my resolve start to waver. [Ah... I still have stuff left to do, but I was thinking about just staying here until early morning and then head back...] I've rarely thought about marriage, but would this dynamic continue even if I did get married? [...Then should I sleep alone?] [I suppose... it looks like it.] [When the bed is this big?] I sighed at Doa's whining voice. [But even if I go home, I might have to stay in front of the computer, you know.] [Then come home and do it. I won't bother you. I'll just sit quietly in the back.] What are you, a puppy? Kim Doa. The thought of Doa quietly sitting behind me just watching me work was too cute to handle. The decision was clear. [Ah! Then I'll come back right away! I'm packing up!] [Okay! Hurry home!] I grabbed my bag, turned off the lights, and hurried to the subway station. As expected, given the time, the train was almost empty. There seemed to be fewer than 10 people in the car. Sitting in a corner, I pulled out my phone to watch this week’s Closer highlights compilation. I usually catch Luka's broadcasts live, so it was mostly rewatching, but there was new content from the other members. Each of the five members had their own unique flair. Today, I found Humuring's Catch Mind segment the funniest. He's naturally hilarious. Meanwhile, Leah had uploaded a curious acapella video; she had her accompaniment set so only she could hear it. Engrossed in the song, she unknowingly sang for about a minute without music. She realized the accompaniment wasn't audible and scrambled, which the fans probably loved. Stepping out of the subway, I headed home along this unfamiliar path, still trying to get used to it. Sometimes, I'd absentmindedly exit the station from our old route, but thankfully, today I got it right. I loved that the new place was on flat ground, as opposed to the uphill struggle before. In case of urgency, the peace of just walking in was invaluable. Arriving home, I opened the door to hear footsteps rapidly approaching from the bedroom. "Oppa!" Doa sprinted toward me for a hug. "Hi." "Why are you so late..." "Just think of it as me working hard to provide for Luka." She sniffed me with a scrunched nose, then nodded. "At least you weren't out with another girl." "I was working with a beer-bellied man, if that helps." "Wash your hands and come here." Doa nudged me towards the bathroom then disappeared somewhere. "Ta-da!" Doa announced, placing a box from my favorite chicken brand on the table. "When did you order this?" "I timed it perfectly for when you’d get home," she said, puffing her chest proudly. "You’re not too busy to eat this, are you...?" Seeing the packaging, I reassured Doa, who was hesitantly edging closer. "There's always time to eat this. Thank you." I planted a loud kiss on her cheek, making Doa wiggle her hips in delight. "Oh man, I'm such a good girlfriend, huh? Agree?" "Yes, agreed." Doa plopped down and began munching away happily. "Are you busy with anything tomorrow?" "Not really. Just overseeing third album recordings, and supposedly, I have to review avatars, but they’re made so well that I just clap and say they're pretty." For both illustrations and avatars, quality correlates with financial investment. In that regard, YM backed them generously in their rise. Even in the early days, their work was impressive, and now there was no competing team on the domestic front. "It’s not the last avatar, is it?" "There are two more, one for the third album and one final one..." Doa seemed hesitant, clicking her tongue at the mention of the last one. "There'll be more after that, right? You're joining as an affiliated streamer." "True. Oppa, now that you've finished eating, you can work. Don’t let me stop you." Insisting she’d handle the leftover chicken, Doa nudged me to get back to work. If I had been less busy, I would have surely offered to clean up together, but with deadlines looming over me, I quickly headed into the workspace without hesitation. There lay my eternal adversary: the headset. Sigh... How late into the night will I be if I put this on now? After a brief 30-second standoff with the headset, arms crossed, I took a deep breath and powered on the computer. Damn it... Yeah... it's all for Doa, isn't it... I'd never worked this hard, not even during finals, but for Doa, I could pull an all-nighter. I turned on the tablet and started to tackle the revision notes one by one. There was feedback suggesting the bridge part was too dull, and now I debated which instrument to incorporate. Should I amp up the drums to make it more intricate? Or perhaps weave in another guitar line? Or perhaps switching the synth effects might do the trick. Too much embellishment could make the song sound cluttered, though. The only solution was to try each idea and see how they played out. While simulations in my head work for some tasks, for music, it was different. Until I heard it with my own ears, the outcome was anyone's guess. How long had I been sitting there? Feeling the stiffness in my back, I stretched extensively. The headset cord became entangled with my movements, so I yanked it off and tossed it onto the desk. "Aaah~" -Crunch Crunch Crunch ...What’s that noise? "Oh! You scared me!" I turned around and was genuinely startled. Doa was seated on the office chair behind me. She was crouched with her knees drawn up, nibbling on a pepero stick. "Want one?" Ignoring my surprise, she nonchalantly offered me a pepero stick. "Oh... yeah. But how long have you been sitting there?" "Since I tidied up the chicken." "Why didn’t you say anything?" "You were working so hard." "When did you even come in?" I realized I hadn't noticed her entering at all. "You seemed to be having an intense showdown with your monitor, so I just snuck in quietly." "Go to bed, why don’t you?" I glanced at the monitor to check the time. 3:40 a.m. So she’d been sitting quietly beside me for a straight three hours. "No, I wanted to sleep together, that’s why I’m here." "Aren't you sleepy?" "Sometimes I catch streams that go well past 3 a.m. It’s no biggie." She approached me and wrapped her arms gently around my neck from behind. "I’ll just recharge here for a bit." Silently, I pulled her in for a comforting hug. "What were you doing all this time?" "Just watching you work and messing around on my phone." At this rate, Doa might actually see the sunrise with me. "I’m almost done. Should be wrapping up by 4." "Really? Yay!" She nuzzled her cheek against mine. I patted her gently on the back and asked her to wait a moment while I saved the files. "Let's go to bed now." "Okay." Taking my hand, Doa led us to the bedroom, where she fell asleep almost immediately as she hit the bed. Putting her to sleep only required a few kisses and about ten minutes of gentle pats. "You really didn’t have to." I whispered softly, barely audible even to myself, as I carefully got up to ensure she stayed undisturbed. Eventually, as dawn broke, I finally returned to her side.