"Hey?"
Even though the song had ended, no response came from outside. Moo-young stared blankly out at them. Siwon and the crew were huddled together in a serious discussion.
"Oh no."
Something's gone wrong. Did I mess up?
He'd spotted Go Kyung-min, but his manager was waiting outside the studio too. Like a kid about to get scolded, Moo-young stood there awkwardly, waiting for instructions.
Thud—
Thud—
As he skimmed the lyrics once more, a noise came from somewhere. It was a soundproof booth, so outside sounds shouldn't have been audible.
"Hm?"
Moo-young pulled off his headset and whipped around. A man was slamming his head against the wall. Just his forehead pressed against it, over and over: thump, thump, thump.
...He'd come in alone, and no one else had entered, so it couldn't be a person.
Studios like this really do have a lot of ghosts.
- Moo-young.
"Yes!"
Moo-young casually glanced at the ghost before responding to the call. Siwon scratched his forehead and grabbed the mic.
- The lyrics from when I called you just now. The part we decided to hum.
"Got it."
- Did you just make that up on the spot?
Moo-young paused, processing the question. It had come out so naturally that calling it "made up" didn't feel right. Maybe it was something he'd subconsciously known.
But after a moment's thought, he shook his head.
"It just came out that way while I was singing."
- The lyrics fit the beat perfectly, so let's keep them as is.
"If we're going with that as is..."
- Remember what you just sang? Write it down.
'You'll fall for my charm and never escape. Don't worry—it's only natural.'
At Siwon's words, Moo-young hurriedly grabbed a pen. He jotted it down exactly as dictated, not missing a single syllable.
- You're an actor, so you know the character best. We'll go with that. Starting from the intro? Right away like this?
No real coaching? Moo-young raised his hand.
"Am I doing okay?"
Back at the dorm when they'd heard him sing, Siwon had freaked out. He'd said it was his first time seeing something like this.
Siwon crossed his arms at Moo-young's question. His posture was cocky, but a faint smile tugged at his lips.
- Yeah. Just like before. Oh—one part in the first verse: 'Just follow me.' Pay attention to the rhythm there. Tat, ta-ta, tat! You get it?
"Yes. Got it."
No big deal.
Moo-young drew a circle in the air with his finger and grinned. Siwon's icy vibe from moments ago had thawed, making Moo-young relax too.
- Alright, take it from the top.
"Yes! Hit the music!"
This wasn't some karaoke joint. Siwon chuckled and pressed play.
One line floated in Moo-young's mind.
'What if it turns out okay—'
If he held onto that, a decent track would come out. As long as that ghost pounding away at the wall with his forehead didn't keep distracting him.
It was getting harder and more intense; even with the headset on, the vibrations buzzed through.
- What's wrong? Problem?
Siwon grabbed the mic again, unable to ignore it. Moo-young's focus was slipping, missing beats more and more.
Moo-young gave an embarrassed smile and waved it off.
"No. Just a bit bloated."
- ...Take a break?
"I'm fine. We gotta keep going. Sorry! I'll focus for real now."
It was already past dawn. Moo-young flashed an apologetic smile and looked back at the lyrics. Then he brushed his left hand over—
'Can we keep it down?'
He placed his palm on the wall where the ghost was slamming his forehead. No idea what the deal was, but since the ghost kept hanging around, chasing it off wasn't an option.
"Going now. Music, please."
The ghost had been pounding the hard wall, but now it turned its head. Its forehead was gashed open, blood streaming down.
Moo-young ignored it and sang.
"Don't say you're sorry— I don't want to hear those words from you. The words I want to hear are 'thank you'—"
...Thank you
"I love you! Those are the only two!"
Instead of the hard surface, the ghost now thudded its forehead against the back of Moo-young's hand. Muttering its thanks, it shifted its gaze and kept going: thump, thump, thump.
But thanks to Moo-young's hand, no sound echoed out.
- Good. Okay.
Oblivious to that eerie expression of gratitude being recorded, Siwon and Moo-young breathed in perfect sync, progressing faster than expected.
"Great work, everyone!"
It'd take another day or two, but for a newbie to get this far in one session was impressive. As Moo-young stepped out of the booth, the crew applauded and praised him.
"Whoa, you were great."
"Yeah. Siwon's notoriously picky, but you nailed it almost first take."
"What's your voice usually like?"
"Me? Does it change?"
"Kinda. A bit deeper and huskier than now. Great tone."
Overwhelmed by the praise, Moo-young scratched his head awkwardly. Dawn was breaking, but everyone looked satisfied, no sign of fatigue.
"We'll set a schedule and see you again. Thanks for your hard work."
"Get going."
"Yeah. Thanks, Siwon hyung."
Moo-young smiled brightly and bowed sincerely. The rookie had no idea how much effort Siwon had put in.
Siwon turned away without a word.
Tap—
After Moo-young left, Siwon leaned back in his chair and hit play.
- Don't say you're sorry. I don't want to hear those words from you. The words I want to hear are thank you
...Mawo
"Huh?"
Was his ear playing tricks? After "thank you," there was static. Sounded like words...
"What's up, Siwon?"
"Man, that Ha Moo-young's got a great personality. Pulled an all-nighter and doesn't look tired at all."
"Shh. Hang on. Hyung, listen to this."
Siwon handed the headset to a crew member and replayed the problematic section. Their faces lit up with surprise.
"Huh? What is it?"
"What? Let me hear."
"Isn't that 'thank you'?"
The legendary ghost voice rumor? The crew member chuckled and shook his head. He didn't really believe in ghosts, but the superstition that catching one meant a smash hit? That he bought.
There are precedents.
Music videos or live radio with ghostly traces? All huge hits.
"What do we do?"
"What do you mean? Erase it and re-record."
"Erase? Nah, I'm against. Let's keep it."
"For real?"
"Perfect noise marketing. But is it really 'thank you'? Sounds different to me."
As the crew chattered, Siwon stretched his neck back.
Never thought I'd see the day.
"What, Siwon? What's the call?"
He paused at their question. A career needed something like this, right? All or nothing.
"Leave it in."
"Okaay—gonna cause a stir."
"I'll tell the agency ahead of time. Don't want them freaking out after articles drop."
"Drama airs and we drop the track then? Plenty of time—let's take it slow. Man, the more I listen, the weirder."
They kept hitting replay, marveling. Siwon watched the sun rise, feeling hunger for the first time in ages.
"Food?"
"Hell yeah!"
Was it the promise of a great result, like some omen, easing his mind? Instead of worry, Siwon chose anticipation.
"Delivery. Gotta polish this."
He spun his chair and dove back in. But this time, with a light, excited heart. His hands danced freely over the equipment.
* * *
"Ah. Drama prep and the documentary at the same time?"
On the way home, exhausted Moo-young blinked sleepily. He looked ready to pass out any second.
"Yeah. PD's the same one."
Lee Yu-jin PD, overseeing You Are a Star, I Am a Star, was also involved in the network's 30th anniversary special Rookie Entertainers. Not the main, but supporting the actor segment.
"Filling a lot of the doc with drama prep for promo."
"Whoa. Nice."
"Schedule's out. Oh, but issue—well, not sure if it's an issue, but changes."
Moo-young rummaged in the front drawer and pulled out a neatly folded sheet crammed with his monthly schedule.
"Why am I so busy? Let's see..."
Doc shooting and drama reading starting tomorrow. Poster shoot. Acting practice in between...
"Huh?"
Followed by Plague poster shoot. Moo-young turned, puzzled.
"Wasn't it delayed?"
"Turns out, same distributor as the other director's film. Their lineup and investors are no joke."
The director had name value, backed by big corp money. So Plague got bumped from prime March slot.
"Production's debating, but if they can't grab screens then, they're thinking delay or early release."
"Early? Possible?"
"Edit team's sweating bullets."
Pulling March to January. Bigger films loomed after, so early might be better. Two 10-billion-won flicks clashing? Insane.
Ego battle or just sloppy?
Top three distributors in Korea. Internally coordinated, but externally competitive—big releases often overlapped. Great for audiences, hell for producers.
"Whoa. Everyone's suffering."
Moo-young clicked his tongue, picturing the staff's gaunt faces. They'd wither even more.
"Online promo first, offline like press cons and interviews around December."
"Wait, does that mean...variety shows too?"
"Obviously. Agency'll book 'em."
Jackpot! Sleep vanished. Promo variety meant the big ones. He binged them on YouTube over meals—hilarious.
"Focus on drama first. Slots around reading."
"When's that? Heard December."
"Schedules flip every blink. Don't fixate—clear your head, just tackle what's next. Okay?"
Special year too—30th anniversary specials popping up and vanishing.
Moo-young draped a script over his face like he was done with it all.
"Got it. Gonna crash and focus now."
"Wet towel first. Voice took a beating."
"Yep. Candy too."
Munch, munch—the cool candy lulled him to sleep. Seemed oblivious to drama and film dropping near-simultaneously.
Booster or wasted shot...
One exploding could propel the other; worst case, brief flash and buried. Better steady exposure all year than a seasonal blip.
Especially for a rookie like Moo-young.
Unaware of his manager's worries, Moo-young slumbered gracefully. Like the prince from the sleeping forest.
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