Chapter 242: Hostility (1)

“You guys, we got an offer to do a drama OST this time….”

“Gasp, really?”

I heard Manager Lee Jaeyoon’s voice from beyond the partition wall.

It was an interesting bit of news.

I raised my crumpled body and poked my head out from the closet door.

“Whoa, you startled me.”

Manager Lee Jaeyoon flinched with a startled expression when he saw me suddenly appear.

“…Why is he in there?”

“Ah.”

I scratched my head awkwardly and laughed sheepishly.

Maybe he remembered the room assignment livestream we filmed the other day, because Manager Lee Jaeyoon added with a baffled face.

“What the heck. Did you really decide to sleep like that?”

“No, I gave Seo Han the top bunk in the next room.”

That’s how the room assignment came out, but it wasn’t like I could actually sleep that way for months.

In the end, I moved to the next room to match the number of people.

“Then why is he in the closet?”

“Because it’s cozy.”

Being in there sparked my inspiration. It wasn’t a bad experience, surprisingly.

Jin Sehyun nodded and added.

“Yeah, so I told him to come take a nap here from time to time.”

“Pfft.”

This is a misunderstanding.

“I’m not planning to sleep in here.”

I explained as I stepped out of the closet, brushing myself off at Jin Sehyun’s words.

Seo Ian and Jikyung, who had been watching, let out a small exclamation.

“It’s amazing that you can fit in there with that size.”

“Maybe the theory that Seo Han is actually a hamster is true….”

“You’ve been weirdly influenced by Junseo-hyung.”

“I can’t live like this.”

Manager Lee Jaeyoon tilted his head, then burst into a laugh. Then he added jokingly.

“Then Seo Han, get back in there.”

“Ah, I’m good. I’ll just listen from here.”

“All right, then….”

The news Manager Lee Jaeyoon brought was about an OST offer for a high school drama currently airing on SBC.

“Turns out someone from the drama team must’ve been chosen by the algorithm, because they saw your competition stage from Stardust.”

The <On the Way to School> performance from the Stardust Project, which had been quite well-received.

It was a stage adapted in a musical format for a drama OST, and after watching that video, they must’ve gotten interested and sent a duet song proposal.

“Seems like they thought you guys could pull off this kind of vibe well. Anyway, congratulations.”

“Really?”

“Wow!”

It’s our first time working on an OST, so I felt quietly excited.

Manager Lee Jaeyoon continued in a slightly uplifted tone.

“The work is scheduled to start as soon as next week, so the timeline’s a bit tight, but you guys can make some time, right?”

“It doesn’t overlap with our comeback.”

“This is a must-do!”

“Oh! And the song… apparently it’ll be prepared by Hyukwon.”

Composer Hyukwon, who had worked with us on the current title track. A familiar name popped up immediately.

I nodded and responded to Manager Lee Jaeyoon’s words.

“Ah, I heard.”

“He told you too?”

I hadn’t been told specifically that we’d be working on a drama OST together….

“He just mentioned once that he’d give me a song.”

After finishing recording last time, I had gotten the composer’s contact info separately.

Maybe he was really grateful that I had helped him out during the plagiarism scandal despite not knowing him personally, because he said he’d give me a good song the next time we met.

Since he was someone with real talent, I just thanked him and let it pass. But I guess this time we were working together on a drama OST.

Cha Seongbin smiled contentedly and added.

“He writes really good songs.”

“Sounds like it’s going to be fun already…!”

The ones participating in the OST duet would be me and our main vocal, Seo Ian.

Hyung had always muttered about wanting to try an OST once, so he seemed pretty excited about the offer.

I bumped my fist lightly and said.

“Let’s do a great job.”

“Mhm!”

Manager Lee Jaeyoon smiled and said.

“There’s already an appointment for tomorrow. Go and listen to the song.”

“Ah, of course.”

Starting today, I’m diving hard into vocal practice….

A studio located in a villa complex not far from the company.

From the outside, the villa looked shabby and unimpressive, but it was the place where Hyukwon began his fresh start.

He had already finished setting up all his equipment with the contract deposit, and now it was a studio equipped with everything needed.

He even prepared a mattress bed for late-night work sessions, so in truth, it had basically become Hyukwon’s house.

Today, guests were coming.

Knock knock—

As soon as the knock sounded, Hyukwon got up from his seat, tidying his messy hair.

“Oh, you’re here.”

“Yes!”

Hyukwon greeted the two visitors with a bow.

“Hello!”

Stardust’s Seo Han and Seo Ian. The members I’d be working with this time.

Seo Han smiled softly and greeted him.

“You moved studios.”

“Yes. I couldn’t really use the old one anymore.”

Hyukwon let out a self-deprecating laugh as he spoke.

The previous studio had been one he shared with THE-H, so… now that things were awkward, he had no choice but to leave.

Back then, he had genuinely respected him as a senior, and never imagined things would end like this.

Seo Ian cautiously asked a question.

“Were things resolved between you two?”

“Sss… no.”

Hyukwon shook his head with a slightly darkened expression.

The truth is, after the collar-grabbing incident at the company, Hyukwon had been planning to let things go within reasonable limits.

If he had just admitted to plagiarizing the song and apologized, I might’ve let it slide as if nothing happened….

But human relationships never go the way you want them to.

“I’m thinking of suing if it comes to that.”

“Ah….”

The truth was, these days Hyukwon had been getting harassed by THE-H.

After his contract with Doubles was terminated, there were rumors he was struggling with unpaid debts.

Maybe because of the resentment built up from that, he had been sending threatening messages nearly every day.

Not when he was sober, but mostly when he was drunk.

“Whenever he drinks, he starts cursing like crazy.”

Then the next day, he would apologize, but Hyukwon was already feeling emotionally exhausted.

Besides, even those apologies didn’t feel sincere in the slightest.

“Saying stuff like he’ll get me out of this industry, or he’ll kill me. All kinds of bluffs. But… I mean, does he even have that kind of power? I’m just too tired to care anymore.”

Just listening to him, you’d think he was some incredible composer, but now he was just a has-been.

He was someone who could assess himself better than anyone, so I trusted he wouldn’t do anything truly reckless.

“Just block him.”

Seo Han said with a sympathetic look.

The past was nice and all, but there was no need to tolerate every drunken ramble.

Hyukwon had a soft spot for those kinds of things.

“Yeah, I should.”

Even as he said that, he probably would still get shaken up for about another month.

Knowing himself too well, Hyukwon let out an awkward laugh and clicked his mouse.

Either way, they were here to work, so business came first.

Hyukwon naturally shifted the subject.

“Shall we listen to the song first?”

“Sounds good!”

“Ian-hyung came really excited today. He said the last song was totally his vibe.”

“…That’s right!”

At the compliment, Hyukwon chuckled warmly and opened a folder.

There was one unreleased song in a folder labeled “Untitled.”

“This is what I’ve been working on. Except for some final touches, it’s pretty much complete, so feel free to listen comfortably.”

While working on a different song one early morning, a beautiful idea suddenly popped into his head.

So he dropped everything and poured all his energy into this track.

After finishing the chorus part, a specific duo came to mind.

“I thought it would go really well with your two vocal tones, so I saved it right away.”

It was the first time he’d worked with this group, so he’d grown fond of it.

Since the song suited Stardust’s vocal color, he had emailed Doubles as soon as it was complete.

Click.

The moment the song played, a calm piano accompaniment began—the OST would start here, with Seo Han’s gentle voice layered on top.

Seo Ian listened to the guide track with his eyes closed.

As he heard the smooth-flowing melody, he imagined layering their voices over it.

It was a sweet and gentle song. It carried emotions that lightly tapped at the corners of the heart.

“Ah, this is really good.”

Seo Han smiled brightly as he took off his headset. It wasn’t just flattery—it was good enough to include in their next full album.

Seo Ian also gave a thumbs up and nodded.

“This is exactly my taste…!”

The style was quite different from their current title track, so this OST project was also a new attempt for Hyukwon.

Seo Han smiled and gave a compliment.

“You’ve got quite the wide spectrum.”

“Oh, no. I just made it and got lucky.”

“It totally has the OST vibe. It fits perfectly.”

Their eyes were full of the desire to work together.

Hyukwon let out a hearty laugh and sat back in front of the computer.

He wasn’t finished talking yet.

“It’s still rough, but! I’ve already split the parts between you two.”

“Oh, we’d love to hear it.”

He had already envisioned the two of them singing it when he first worked on it, so he’d divided the parts to some extent during composition.

Originally, he was thinking of sliding it in as a unit track for Stardust’s next album, but it also matched the drama’s emotion, so the work got pushed forward.

Since the parts were done in a rush, they might not be 100% satisfying.

“Check them and let me know what you think. It’s still editable.”

With a serious look, Hyukwon handed the divided part sheet to the two of us.

“First of all, Seo Han, your tone is really nice. I thought placing you in the intro would bring out that warmth well, and Ian, your vocal range is impressively wide, so I was thinking you’d be great for the main vocal part. Let’s give it a listen.”

The idea was for Seo Han, whose soft and low voice was his strength, to lay the harmonies, while Seo Ian hit the high notes.

Seo Ian nodded and sang a light highlight part.

“Like this…?”

“The chorus is a bit high, right? Whoa, that was great.”

Hyukwon blinked in surprise. The vocal range was higher than expected and very stable.

Seo Han also spoke with satisfaction.

“I think the part distribution is great.”

“Should we practice a bit here and then go straight into recording tomorrow if it works?”

“Yes, that works for us!”

We could practice a bit and go right into the session.

At this rate, we’d be able to produce a final version smoothly before the deadline.

It felt like working with people I’d collaborated with for a long time—our chemistry was spot on.

“For this part, can I try singing it with a bit of vibrato?”

“Hmm. That sounds good. Let’s go with that.”

“Yup!”

Their passion was overflowing, and it made working with them so easy.

Hyukwon smiled contentedly and quickly noted the adjustments.

Just about an hour had passed.

The impromptu meeting ended far earlier than expected.

Originally, the plan was just to briefly play the track today, but everything had gone so smoothly.

Since they had their next schedule, it was time for the two of them to head out.

Hyukwon got ready to see them off and turned off his computer screen.

“Then I’ll continue working and contact you tomorrow.”

“Okay, sounds good!”

“See you tomorrow…!”

Seo Han and Seo Ian also stood up with Hyukwon.

As we got ready to leave, I was just about to call Manager Lee Jaeyoon, who was waiting outside.

Bang!

Bang!

“……?”

There was the loud sound of someone kicking the door outside.

Hyukwon furrowed his brow and whipped his head around.

“What the hell is that?”

The noise was far from ordinary.

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