Sing Me a Song

[redletalis]

Hyun-Wan was in the middle of looking over the changes to the song that he was supposed to continue recording that day - notes had been moved a bit, some going lower or been made shorter to match his vocal skills - but his brain was somewhere completely different. He was more focused on the fact that today the winner of that silly competition would arrive at the recording studio for their first meeting, and then for the next week or so afterwards this person would be joining him randomly at different jobs to see what it was like to be a star. The company had even managed to clear Hyun-Wan's schedule enough so that they would have time to meet up in carefully selected coffeeshops where Hyun-Wan wouldn't be mobbed.


He had never really fully liked this idea of a competition - who knew what the person he was supposed to meet was like? For all they knew it could be a crazy stalking murderer! - but the company had been feeling threatened by the other big music company and had to flex their muscles.


"Hyun-ssi, ready to get started?" his manager's voice brought him out of his musings. "I know you are worried, but the person has been screened, it should be completely fine if slightly awkward. Please don't worry about a thing, you just focus on work and I will take care of the visitor when they come."


"Thanks, Bon-Hwa," Hyun-Wan muttered and nodded. "I think the session might run overtime a bit today, these changes are going to take some time to work into the song."


Bon-Hwa smiled. "Don't worry, I'll meet the lucky winner and bring them down here and they will get to see you working a bit earlier than otherwise anticipated. Just focus on your work here and I'll do the rest."


Hyun-Wan sighed and rolled up the sheets of music that he had been holding. "Alright, please take care of everything, Bon-Hwa."


"Of course! I will go to the front desk and tell them to call me the second the winner shows up. I'll be back soon." Bon-Hwa patted him on the shoulder and left the room.


Hyun-Wan watched the closed door for a second and then turned to the people that were going to be in control of the mixing panels and would be guiding him through today's session. All of them were people that he already knew and had worked with before so it helped him relax. "Right then, let's get started!"

 

[sealdust]

Hyeri sighed rather impatiently as the taxi she was riding in got caught in another burst of traffic. Her pen twirled irritably around her fingers, before she tapped it twice against her sketchbook. Next she'd probably find herself clicking the end of the pen, her thoughts about what she could draw as she waited to arrive were as gridlocked as the road. The driver cleared his throat twice, and suddenly aware of her impatient behaviour having an effect on the understandably stressed taxi driver, she sighed again. It's not his fault, she reminded herself. But that didn't change the fact that she felt like she was going to arrive late.


If the weather outside hadn't been as bad as this, Hyeri might have started walking the rest of the way, as she had a very convenient app on her phone that could have directed her there, as that might have been faster than waiting in traffic. Instead, heavy rain kept her captive and trapped within the steel frame of the taxi she'd managed to hail down from the airport, and her phone had managed to die during her flight.


The taxi started moving again, and Hyeri looked up briefly from the paper, spying relief on the driver's face as he managed to catch sight of a building. Soon, the taxi had pulled over, and the driver's face brightened for the first time that morning. "We're here," the driver informed her. Hyeri closed her sketchbook silently, sliding both pen and book back into her bag. Finally.


"Thank you very much." Hyeri replied as she quickly paid for the taxi fare, before stepping onto the curb, the long strap of her travel bag slightly digging into her shoulder. She quickly located the entrance of the building, and started rushing toward it, glad that she'd worn sneakers that had such good grip on the slippery ground. The next chance she got, Hyeri decided she'd invest in an umbrella.


She entered the building, her hair only mildly wet as she approached the front desk. After coming to a stop in front of the desk, Hyeri let the strap of her bag slip from her shoulder and onto the floor, letting her shoulders rest from the weight of the bag a little. Brushing the strands of her hair behind her ears with her fingers, Hyeri smiled politely at the person behind the front desk. "Hi, I'm Seo Hyeri - the competition winner. I was told to come here today. I hope I'm not late."

 

[redletalis]

The receptionist, having been warned about this arrival, simply smiled and looked down her list of people. "Ah, Hyeri-ssi? Please wait a moment. I will call the person who is to guide you." She said with a nod and picked up the phone, dialing Bon-Hwa's number and telling him that the lucky winner of the competition had arrived. "Please wait for a moment, he shall be here very soon."


Five minutes later Bon-Hwa came hurrying out of one of the elevators. He bowed deeply to her when the receptionist indicated to her. "Hyeri-ssi? Ah, please excuse my tardiness. It is wonderful to meet you and allow me to congratulate you on winning. My name is Bon-Hwa, I am Hyun-Wan's manager. Unfortunately the recording session has run a bit long. Would you mind waiting? You can either wait here or I can take you to Hyun-Wan and you can watch him at work if you wish. I will, of course, arrange for refreshments and whatever snack you might wish for while you wait."


Bon-Hwa pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead. He was an older man, slowly going bald and a bit round around the middle, and though still perfectly able to do his job, all this running around was getting a bit too much for him. It didn't help that today was a particularly hot day even by Korean standards. His suit was a good quality but it was still warm.


"Hyun-Wan isn't certain how long the recording might take." He added, but then smiled. "You would be the first person to hear this song, though, and afterwards Hyun-Wan has promised to spend the rest of the meeting getting to know you."

 

[sealdust]

Politely, Hyeri nodded in acceptance of the receptionist's request for her to wait, taking a step back to give the woman at the front desk some space to do work of her own. There was a clock on the wall behind the receptionist, and it seemed that Hyeri had come right on time. Good. She hated being late, it made her nervous.


Hyeri smiled when an older man arrived to greet her, still incredibly relieved that she hadn't been late at all. She inclined her head slightly in reaction to being bowed to. "Thank you, Bon-hwa-ssi. It is also nice to meet you." Her hands automatically reached to collect her bag, a curious expression sliding over her features at Bon-hwa's words. "May I take you up on the offer to watch Hyun-Wan-ssi at work? I like listening to music." The idea of being the first person to hear a new song sounded tempting, and Hyeri supposed that it would be slightly more interesting than waiting alone with her busy mind and empty sketchbook. Another bonus would be that Hyeri would probably have less chances to accidentally annoy the receptionist with her habit of playing with her pen whilst sorting out her thoughts.


Her phone battery was dead. Suddenly reminded of her mobile due to her obligation to check in with her family, Hyeri turned to her bag, pulling her phone and its charger out. "Actually, Bon-hwa-ssi, could you also do me a favour? Would it be possible for me to charge this up somewhere? I still need to call my brother and tell him that I had a safe flight." Despite the relatively low risk of something going wrong on a flight, her brother had called her each time he landed after his own plane trips, and it was only right that she returned that courtesy to him.

 

[redletalis]

"Ah, yes, yes, we can easily get that done in the waiting room. Don't worry about it, Hyerin-ssi, and please come this way." Bon-Hwa took the lead back towards the elevators and when they were both inside he pushed the button for the sixth floor before anyone else could come in. "Hyun-Wan is in recording studio six right now recording a theme song. It'll be the theme song for the new drama he will be playing in and the notice will go out to the newspapers later this week, so you will be the first to hear about it apart from the team working on the series."


When the elevator reached their floor, Bon-Hwa took the lead again. He walked down a corridor, took a right and then a left before he came to a door with a red light right above it and a big number 6 hanging beside it. He put a hand on the doorhandle and then turned to Hyeri and smiled. "Please let's be as quiet as we possibly can when walking in. The walls are thick and isolated out here, but not in there." Bon-Hwa opened the door quietly and went inside. He held it open until Hyeri had entered before closing it just as quietly.


The room was rather small, but a comfortable couch and a small coffee table had been fitted in, and a pitcher of water and paper cups had been placed on the small table. There was a glass wall partition with glass doors at one end. In one half stood the mixing table, stretching from wall to wall and full of blinking lights and knobs and buttons. Two employees wearing headphones were sitting on office chairs, rolling pack and forth and pushing this and that, their full focus on their work. In the other half, behind yet another glass partition, stood Hyun-Wan. A large microphone hung from the ceiling and a stand with sheets and notes and lyrics stood in front of him. He was wearing headphones as well, and his eyes were closed as he listened to the music and sang.


"I'll support you, support you to the end,


I won't hesitate!


Good and bad, black and white,


No need for words!


Luck and disaster, high and low,


We will not fear!


Together, you and me,


We'll battle through trouble!


Side by side we'll walk through the dark,


Challenging this cruel world!


Friendship will guide us through,


I know I'm not alone!


Facing the unknown future,


Heroes will not give in!


We will proceed without hesitation,


Until we die!


Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Oh!


Don't stop! Let it go! Let it go! Oh!


Loyalty, one word, no need for courtesy!


Loyalty unforgettable for life!


Here we go! Here we go! Here we go! Oh!


Don't stop! Let it go! Let it go! Oh!


Loyalty, one word, is the truth!


A deal of no sadness for life!"


((Disclaimer: song is "Here We Go" by Darren Qiu))

 

[sealdust]

Worries soothed a little, Hyeri quietened as she let herself be guided by Bon-hwa. At his announcement of the drama that Hyun-Wan was preparing for, Hyeri looked surprised momentarily, then the surprise passed. It sounds like this is going to be a busy couple of weeks. The elevator doors opened at their floor, and Hyeri felt like she'd missed the vital timing to say something in response to that announcement, so she led Bon-hwa lead again. At his suggestion of silence, Hyeri only nodded in understanding. She wouldn't want to mess up the recording, especially since she knew that sometimes just a little bit of sound could cause a retake.


Hyeri followed quietly, conscious even of her footsteps as she entered the room. It wasn't her first time in a recording studio, but having attended an arts school, that was certainly not unusual at all. Her eyes glanced over the controls for a moment, inspecting the familiar flashing lights and sliders, before her gaze finally fell upon the singer in front of the microphone, Hyun-Wan. He seemed to be concentrating quite deeply on his work, though, with his closed eyes, and Hyeri took a few short steps towards the couch before sitting down, slowly sliding her bag back off her shoulder as she too, concentrated on the song that was being sung, and the singer who was singing it.


Hyun-Wan's voice seemed different here, though only subtly, perhaps because she was hearing it for the first time from himself rather than the radio or from a pair of speakers. Then, realizing that she'd been staring a bit at Hyun-Wan, she turned her attention to Bon-hwa, smiling pleasantly at her guide. 'Thank you,' she mouthed to Bon-hwa silently, with good confidence that such a over-used phrasing of words and the situation they were used in would allow Bon-hwa to understand what exactly she had said, even with her lack of vocalization. Then she glanced down at her phone, twisting it nervously between her hands as she considered how anxious her family would be. Her brother was definitely going to be quite worried. Especially so because she'd promised him she'd call when her plane landed safely.

 

[redletalis]

Bon-Hwa nodded and, with his smile still in place, he reached out to carefully take Hyeri's phone and the charger from her. He walked over to the corner of the couch and bent down, putting the charger in the socket and turning on the phone. Unfortunately there were no tables close enough to put the phone on, and he didn't want to leave it on the table, so he simply placed it on the arm rest of the couch and made sure that it wouldn't accidentally slide down when someone sat down or got up. Then he nodded again to Hyeri and quietly walked over to the door leading into the mixing room, and went inside.


"Excellent, Hyun-Wan! That was the best take yet!" Bon-Hwa said through a mike that went into the other room. "Let's take a break for now and let the techs do their work while they find out if it was perfect. You deserve it and besides, your guest is here."


Hyun-Wan relaxed with a sigh and rubbed his face before he took off the headphones. He rolled his head and shoulders to get rid of the feeling of being tense, and then exited the recording room. He looked at Hyeri with curiosity - she was cute and a bit younger than him perhaps - but then smiled at her as he came over and poured himself a cup of water. He swallowed it all in one gulp, and then finally greeted his guest.


"I'm Hyun-Wan Sul, it's nice to finally meet you." He bowed to her. "I apologise for being late, and I hope you weren't too bored."

 

[sealdust]

Hyeri smiled gratefully at Bon-Hwa in response to his thoughtful action, resting her hands in her lap as she finally relaxed into the couch. Soon her family would be hearing from her, so that was one issue that would be taken care of shortly. Her mind seemed to be less crowded than before, so she briefly considered the thought of taking out her sketchbook to finally draw, then Bon-hwa spoke through the mike, and she realized that she seemed to be 'the guest' that was being addressed.


Not like there was anyone else that fit the description of 'guest' present within the room to begin with, but still, she hadn't expected the recording session to be over this quickly, if it was even over at all, the people working on sound probably needed to check it first. She stood about the same time that Hyun-Wan entered the room, smiling back at him as he smiled at her, but then again, she was rarely one not to return a friendly gesture.


Hyeri inclined her head when Hyun-Wan bowed, and waited for him to finish his sentence before she spoke, "I'm Seo Hyeri, it's nice to finally meet you, too." A friendly smile played about her lips and crinkled the corners of her eyes a little, before she continued, "And it's okay, by being late you gave me enough time to gather all of your secrets from your manager." She glanced over to Bon-hwa, wondering what he would think of being assigned the role of her co-conspirator in her teasing remark, before focusing her attention back onto Hyun-Wan with an openly playful smile.


"He was very helpful."

 

[redletalis]

"Oh no! What has the dastardly manager told you about me?" Hyun-Wan asked, putting on a bit of a show of being horrified although he overdid it with purpose. The teasing was different and quite forward since they had barely met, but it was also refreshing and new compared to the usual reactions. He didn't mind as mcuh as he thought that he would, and instead found himself more interested in Hyeri.


Bon-Hwa was staying in the other room witht the tech crew, so Hyun-Wan motioned for Hyeri to sit down again. He sat down on the other side of the couch, turning slightly to face her a bit more, and poured himself more water. He motioned to her with the pitcher and picked up another paper cup. "Do you want some? There is some honey and lemon mixed in. It helps with soothing the throat between takes."

 

[sealdust]

Hyeri looked about as though worried for listening ears, although she was surprised that Hyun-Wan was actually going along with it. So much for expecting that someone who handles the media on a regular basis wouldn't be able to handle a lone teasing remark from a stranger. "I fear that your reputation will be ruined if I repeat even a word of it. The list is just too long, how would you be able to recover from such a scandal?" Hyeri claimed in a hushed tone of voice, though her words had an identifiable lighthearted sound to them. Hyeri was just relieved that she hadn't been caught lost for words, like she very nearly was.





Hyeri sat down, leaning back into the couch and angling herself to face Hyun-Wan slightly, "Though I do believe congratulations are in order - regarding your new drama role." She smiled, eyes glimmering with something like amusement, "So I'll have a drink with you, I guess..." Her words drifted off as she became a bit more sincere, "Thank you for offering, Hyun-Wan-ssi."

 

[redletalis]

"No problem and thank you. I have been really looking forwards to starting this one. It's a project we have been working on for a while now, and I hope that you will enjoy watching it truly unfold now that we have been given the go-ahead." Hyun-Wan smiled and poured her a cup of honey-lemon-water. He handed it over and winked at her. "I won't tell you anymore than that. Since you won't tell me what horrible stuff my manager said, so will you have to suffer in curiosity."


He cast a look at the room where Bon-Hwa was to check the progress, but there was none. They were still standing there, talking and listening and doing whatever else they were, so Hyun-Wan leaned back in his seat and made himself comfortable. Looking at Hyeri, he had to admit that she didn't seem like or look like your average fangirl. It was a relief that she wasn't throwing herself at him.


"Tell me a bit about yourself, Hyeri-ssi?" he said. "Where do you come from? What do you do?"

 

[sealdust]

Hyeri accepted the cup, quickly bringing the drink to her lips to hide an amused smile. She didn't really suffer well in curiosity at all, but she wasn't the type of person to admit defeat so easily, so she simply nodded in acceptance instead. Challenge accepted. Hyeri would probably eventually find out what the project was about just by being here. She took a sip, finding that whoever had made the honey-lemon water obviously knew how to balance the ratios of honey, lemon and water well.


"I come from Korea, but I've recently spent the past couple of years studying abroad in England." She glanced down at her bag, which contained her empty sketchbook, and decided that she was okay with being labelled an artist for now, though that wasn't the only thing she'd studied. "I was an art student. I finally graduated several months ago, but I have lots of friends in England, and I was finding it hard to say goodbye." Hyeri smiled, "Though I managed to find a job here already, so after the competition ends, I'll be diving straight into work."


Hyeri took another sip of her drink, and thoughtful expression appeared on her face. "So, tell me a bit about yourself, Hyun-Wan-ssi? Where do you come from? What inspires you?"

 

[redletalis]

He poured himself one last cup of honey-lemon water, feeling his throat soothed already from the song. At the question about himself, his smile turned a bit more awkward. "Well, there is little that I can say that isn't already publicly known, so I'm not certain what to say. I was born and bred here in Seoul, grew up here, went to school here. As for inspiration... hmm... that is a bit more difficult. A book, a movie, a sentence, another song, a tv-series, a new place, anything could inspire me. I am lucky to find inspiration in a lot of things, and I have a great team of people helping me with my songs and music. Without them and without my fans I would still be humming behind the counter of an odeng stand."


There were details that he would never give out - like his phone number or the street where he lived. He didn't want his family mobbed by crazy fans or spied on and bothered by paparazzi stalking them day and night in hopes of catching a picture of Hyun-Wan. Instead of continuing down this particular line of questioning, he decided to turn it around a bit and back to Hyeri.


"You are lucky to have studied in another country, and to have a job lined up already. You said that you are an art student. Is it just general art student or did you study something very specific?" he sipped his drink.

 

[sealdust]

"Just general. There was a large variety the arts course covered, so I know the basics of most, but I would have liked to have focused more on traditional mediums, like paint, sketching, charcoal. Though the job that I'm going to be doing is in management, and it's more because my aunt wants to keep me close to home." So that Hyeri didn't head off to England again with the support of her brother, Hyeri suspected, but she didn't voice that thought out loud. There was a beep from behind her as Hyeri's phone finally received enough charge to turn itself on, going through the process of loading it's startup programs. Hyeri picked up her phone without disconnecting it from the charger, looking quite relieved. Then, a notification flashed across her screen with the specific volume of missed phone calls and messages her brother had sent.


Hyeri's hand moved up to her face, covering her worried expression, and she probably stared at her phone for several moments before remembering that she'd just been talking to Hyun-Wan. "Ah, I'm sorry... There's someone I really have to contact." Her brother watched shows about plane crashes way too often, and that probably didn't make waiting for her 'landed safely' phone call any easier. "My phone battery died on my flight in, so I haven't confirmed that I arrived here safely." Hoping that she wouldn't be perceived as being rude, Hyeri quickly composed a text message to reassure her brother, and sent it.

 

[redletalis]

"Don't worry about it, take the time you need to assure them. You have a very caring family." Hyun-Wan replied, holding up a hand to stop further apologies. Though she was here for him, her family would always come first and he wasn't one of those entertainers who needed to have all the attention on them and only them all the time. He had met several divas of that time, and he prided himself on not being like that.


He waited silently until she was done, sipping his drink and occasionally looking over at Bon-Hwa and the sound techs to see if they needed him. They were still talking and discussing and mixing things in there, occasionally gesturing to something on the panel or holding a pair of headphones up to listen to what they had just mixed.


Once Hyeri was finished, Hyun-Wan turned his attention back to her. "Do you have a very big family? You mentioned an aunt? Are there any nieces or nephews? How about siblings? Do you have any? Older or younger?"

 

[sealdust]

Hyeri placed her phone back down, and took another sip of her drink as Hyun-Wan spoke. When he'd finished asking his many questions, Hyeri curled back her hair behind her ears with one hand as she thought of how best to reply, slightly uneasy on the topic of her aunt. "My aunt is..." Hyeri paused, finding her aunt a little difficult to explain, "She's a very busy person, so she doesn't have children of her own, though... she somehow finds the time to make decisions about my life." A bit overbearing and emotionally distant, Hyeri could have said, but that would be perhaps a little too much detail to give to someone she didn't know that well. "She means well," Hyeri quickly added, hoping that Hyun-Wan wouldn't think too poorly of her aunt because of Hyeri's poor description. Hyeri had a rather close relationship with her aunt, and her aunt was very important to her.


Then, acknowledging his question regarding siblings, Hyeri's face became less tense. "Though, I do have a twin brother, Jae-min." Hyeri grinned softly at her mention of him, fondness and affection evident in her tone of voice, "He claims that he's older, and I don't mind being the younger sibling, so I let him have that small victory. Our parents still won't say for sure who is older, but they say we were born only minutes apart, so it wouldn't really make much of a difference." She gave a quick indication to her phone with her hand, "Jae is the one who needed to know that I made it here safely."

 

[redletalis]

"Your family sounds wonderful." He hesitated for a moment before he continued. "I hope you will excuse that I'm saying this, but you are very calm. I haven't met many people who remain this calm upon meeting a celebrity. Even the crews that we usually work with on shows are a bit starstruck at first. It is a bit odd and a refreshing change." He smiled, feeling awkward and hoping that she wouldn't take it the wrong way. "I really m-"


Bon-Hwa opened the door to the mixing room, cutting off whatever else Hyun-Wan would have said. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we need you to listen to this and tell us what you think. Hyeri-ssi, please wait for a moment and Hyun-Wan will return for the rest of your meeting."


"Excuse me." Hyun-Wan smiled and got up, entering the mixing room with Bon-Hwa and closing the door after them.

 

[sealdust]

A tense feeling built up in her chest as he began to broach the question of her calmness, though her face retained complete composure, and Hyeri realized that perhaps she should have acted a little nervous, even if it was just to avoid that question. Then, when Bon-hwa opened the door, interrupting Hyun-Wan's words, Hyeri relaxed, the tension within her chest dissipating. She smiled politely at Bon-hwa's interruption, "It's fine, take all the time you need," Hyeri claimed peaceably.


Hyeri sighed when the door finally closed, almost relieved that Hyun-Wan had left so she didn't have to explain exactly why she was so calm. Any answer she gave would probably result in more questions than she could handle. Deciding to think carefully about a good answer just in case the question of her calm attitude in his presence came up again, Hyeri picked up her phone, scrolling through the pictures of the friends she'd left behind in England. Her brother would be happy to have her back in the same country, though Hyeri doubted that they'd get to spend much time together. Jaemin had a busier lifestyle than she did, after all.


Then her phone lit up, her brother's newest message at the top of the screen. 'Thanks for letting me know you're okay. Also, I think our Aunt is planning something. She says she wants to talk to you. Perhaps you should call me later.' Hyeri felt uneasy for a couple of seconds, hoping her Aunt wasn't planning anything troublesome, before she rested her phone back in place again. Her aunt tended to interfere less in Jaemin's life, but that was because what he was doing was what their aunt wanted him to do in the first place. Jaemin was always pretty observant though, with good instincts, and Hyeri usually trusted her brother's opinion on matters related to their aunt.

 

[redletalis]

"We have more or less what we wanted," one of the techs said as Hyun-Wan entered the room, "but we aren't quite certain about the tone depth and such - he wants to go higher, Bon-Hwa wants to keep it as is, and I want to go lower - so we hope you can give us your verdict. Just keep in mind that in the intro there will be other sounds as well just barely coming through, so your song must be able to get through that as well."


Hyun-Wan nodded and accepted the headphones. "Alright, turn it on and let me hear."


He had a second to prepare himself before the song came through the speakers, perfectly melded with the music that had been recorded earlier in the week by one of the studio bands. It was always so weird to hear his own voice singing his own song over the television set or the radio. He would never get rid of the instant, brief reaction of "That can't be me!" and he didn't want to because it was a nice feeling, it kept him on his toes and he considered that to be one of the reasons that he had stayed in the show business as long as he had.


"I think, we should keep it as it is, but perhaps make the music itself a little bit quieter," he said once the song was done and he could remove the headphones. "We can always change it back once the sound effects have been added if we need to."

 

[sealdust]

Hyeri quickly sent a response to her brother, suggesting instead that they could meet in person later on, before standing up and moving about the room. She had said 'take all the time you need', but then again, patience had never really been one of her virtues, mostly because she hated the idea of wasting any of her time. As Hyun-Wan collected the headphones, Hyeri bent over, collecting her sketchbook from her bag. She sat down as she opened the book of blank pages, clicking the end of the retractable pen, before bringing the tip to the surface of the paper. In quick rapid strokes of varying lengths, she began to draw whatever caught her fancy; the way that the light bounced off the honey lemon-water, the texture and tilt of the microphone, even the faint reflection of her own image only slightly visible in the glass partition.


Aware that everyone still seemed to be working in the sound room, Hyeri turned the page and started to absentmindedly sketch as she focused on their movements and poses. The two sound technicians, Bon-hwa and Hyun-Wan appeared on the paper as she drew out the scene exactly as she could see it. Then Hyun-Wan removed the headphones, and already having been observing his actions, Hyeri stopped drawing. Were they coming out now? Should she stop sketching? Hyeri quickly clicked the end of the pen, closing her sketchbook, aware that if they came out now, she probably wouldn't have time to tuck her sketchbook away without it being noticed. So instead she leaned back into the couch, and relaxed her shoulders, deciding that she'd be less self-conscious of her art if anyone found the presence of her sketchbook to be curious.

 

[redletalis]

"The things is," Bon-Hwa began, "that the project managers want to have something finalized for the group interview this week. The Japanese actress who is to play the main female character will arrive in a few days as well, so you will at least have the chance to get to know her slightly before the interview itself. And Hyeri-ssi might be interested in a small walk-on-walk-off role in one episode, but I'll have to check with the bosses on that one first." He peered down at the clipboard in his arms, leafing through the many sheets.


"I still think that we should keep the voice as is and simply quieten the music a little bit, but you two know better than I do exactly what kind of sound effects will be added so you make the final decision." Hyun-Wan looked out of the room and to the young woman. She was fiddling with a pencil and a sketchbook, her movements quick and certain, and he wondered what she was drawing. "She is a very nice girl, very mild and mellow."


One of the techs snorted and grinned. "Should have seen the crazy fangirl that showed up last week to Seungri's recording."


"I'm sad I missed it." Hyun-Wan chuckled and exited the room. He smiled at Hyeri. "I apologise for taking so long. I hope you weren't bored?"

 

[sealdust]

His chuckle caught her attention first, and then, slightly distracted by the sound, she reacted a couple of seconds late to his question. Hyeri shook her head, "Not at all - I just..." She smiled, halting the flow of her original sentence, "I felt like drawing for a bit." No need to explain that she was terrible at waiting still whilst doing nothing. Hyeri looked over to the sound room for a moment, before looking back at Hyun-Wan, and leaning forward out of interest, "How is the sound? Did it come out as well as you were hoping?" She was actually rather curious about that, as she'd come across people, and a lot of her arts peers, that liked their music, or their art, or their dancing, or their acting, but it hadn't fulfilled their expectations. It was one of those questions that she liked to ask those in more creative industries and professions.


It was one of those questions that she asked herself after finishing her artistic projects. Hyeri fiddled silently with the pen, only slightly aware that she should probably put it down. While the actual range of movement was rather small, rolling and spinning a pen between her fingers eventually ended up becoming very distracting, after all. Carefully, she lowered it to her sketchbook, sliding it into the plastic rings that held the pages together. Hyeri kept her gaze on Hyun-Wan, ready to hear what he really thought about his music.

 

[redletalis]

"I might have expected that from someone who studied art, I suppose. You must show me some drawings at one point, please." Hyun-Wan tapped the sketch book as he sat down next to Hyeri. "The sound is good, it's just that the techs and Bon-Hwa can't agree on what's the best way to mix it and fix it for the big reveal of the project later this week. I gave my verdict but they will have the last say since they know better what sort of sound effects will be added and so on. It is a long process, longer than for a normal song, but from what I have seen of the script and the storyboard then it will be quite impressive I think. Unless that is a bit too forward of me since I star and sing in it."


He poured himself another glass of honey-lemon water and then leaned back into the couch to relax a bit more, sipping at the drink slowly. "Have you been given the schedule for the duration of your visit? Any ideas what you'll do during your free time? I don't know if you have been to Seoul before or very often, but if not then I hope that you will find a lot of things that interest you."

 

[sealdust]

"Hmm, perhaps I'll show you when I have a bit more variety, I only got this book yesterday, and it's still quite empty," Hyeri responded quite casually in reply to Hyun-Wan's request to see her art, though there was a pleased expression on her face that seemed to indicate that she was more than happy to do so. She smiled at his response to her question, before shaking her head lightly, "Forward it might be, but I feel that it's better to hold an optimistic outlook rather than a pessimistic one... so that kind of forwardness is charming."


Charming was probably not a word she should use too often in conversations with Hyun-Wan though, despite how well it conveyed what she thought. So instead of focusing on the fact that she'd called him charming straight to his face, Hyeri decided that she'd busy herself by pouring herself another glass of the honey-lemon water. "I haven't received my schedule yet, but during my free time I suspect I'll try to catch up with old friends. Before England, I used to live here in Seoul, so I know a couple of fun places... hopefully they haven't been shut down." Hyeri took a sip from her newly filled glass before nodding thoughtfully, "Actually, you're not that much older than me... is there any place you'd recommend?"

 

[redletalis]

"Ah! You lived in Seoul! Why didn't you say so? Where did you live?" Hyun-Wan was a city boy himself and knew most of Seoul like the back of his hand thanks to the various jobs he had been doing during his teenage years and before he had broken through in the entertainment industry. Being a delivery boy required quite a knowledge of the city, and especially the specifically assigned parts on his route, and that wasn't something that he had forgotten.


"I'm sorry, I'm not exactly the right person to ask for tips on where to go. I don't get out much myself." Not without being mobbed by fans at least, so all his trips out were well planned in advance and with a couple of body guards to hold back the fans. Not exactly something that could happen spontaniously, or in just any part of the city. The most popular spots and coffee shops where off limits because of that. "My sister, however, enjoys the Piano Café and the 5 Extracts in Hongdae, and Nameu Guneul in Gangnam. She swears to me that they make the best coffee that she has ever tasted in Seoul. Are you familiar with these?"