The Gates Opened on the First Day of Debut Chapter 45

Music broadcasts he happened to watch while flipping through channels when he was young. 

 

A dazzling stage and captivating songs.

 

And idols singing and dancing freely across that stage, upon that music.

 

Seo Yijae fell in love with K-pop.

 

While singing and dancing were great, creating songs was his absolute favorite. 

 

‘My songs, my members, my stage….’

 

Seo Yijae dreamed of future members—whose faces he did not yet know—singing and dancing to the songs he had created.

 

He passed an audition at a small agency and made it into the debut lineup.

 

Even the group’s name and concept were decided, and their real debut approached Seo Yijae in giant strides.

 

Yet Seo Yijae never revealed to anyone that he wrote songs.

 

‘I’m not confident enough.’

 

Seo Yijae thought, staring blankly at his MP3 player.

 

Stored on the MP3 player were hundreds of self-composed songs Seo Yijae had written since elementary school.

 

Yet Seo Yijae had never once let anyone else listen to his own songs.

 

“Hello—oh, only Minwoo Hyung is here.”

 

Arriving at the practice room again today, Seo Yijae found Hwang Minwoo sprawled out on the floor.

 

Seeing his eyes closed, it seemed he had fallen asleep while practicing.

 

He didn’t know the hyungs he was going to debut with very well yet, but they all seemed like good people.

 

Seo Yijae stepped carefully into the practice room so as not to wake Hwang Minwoo.

 

‘I should wait until Hyung wakes up.’

 

He intended to listen to the self-composed songs on his MP3 player until Hwang Minwoo woke up.

 

But when he plugged the earphones into his ears and played a song, it strangely sounded quieter than usual.

 

‘Huh? Why is it like thi—ah!’

 

Seo Yijae belatedly realized that the earphones had not been plugged properly into the MP3 player.

 

“Uh… S-Sorry, Minwoo Hyung….”

 

Seo Yijae hurriedly stopped the song, but Hwang Minwoo was already awake, looking at him intently.

 

“Did you wake up because of me? I’m so sorry….”

 

“You… what was that just now?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“That just now… a song? What song is that?”

 

“Uh, um… this is….”

 

Seo Yijae couldn’t answer right away and hesitated, stammering.

 

Looking at Seo Yijae, Hwang Minwoo curled the corners of his lips in a gentle smile.

 

“It’s the first time I’ve heard it, but it’s really good.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Can you tell me what song it is? I’d like to listen too.”

 

“Uh….”

 

It was the first time he had ever let someone else hear his music, and the first time he had been praised that his song was good.

 

After hesitating, Seo Yijae gathered his courage upon hearing Hwang Minwoo’s praise.

 

“It’s a song I made.”

 

“What? Really?”

 

“Yes….”

 

“That’s awesome! The song earlier was really good. Can you let me hear it?” 

 

“Yes. W-Wait a moment. Let’s listen together.”

 

In a fluster, Seo Yijae held out one earbud toward Hwang Minwoo.

 

Thump, thump, thump.

 

While Hwang Minwoo listened attentively to the song, Seo Yijae’s heart pounded rapidly.

 

When the song, roughly three and a half minutes long, came to an end, Hwang Minwoo pulled out the earbud.

 

“The song is seriously good.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Why were you hiding such a great song all this time?”

 

Seo Yijae’s face brightened instantly.

 

Hwang Minwoo swept a swift, calculating gaze over Seo Yijae, but Seo Yijae failed to notice.

 

“We could even use this as our debut track.”

 

“Th-That’s….”

 

“Shall I mention it to our manager?”

 

Seo Yijae clamped his mouth shut.

 

‘My song as our debut track….’

 

It was a chance to fulfill Seo Yijae’s longtime dream.

 

But Seo Yijae could not bring himself to readily nod.

 

“I don’t think it’s that good. It’s still lacking in so many ways….”

 

He lacked confidence.

 

It was no exaggeration to say an idol group’s success was determined by their debut track.

 

Even debut tracks made by dozens of dedicated professionals failed.

 

Seo Yijae did not have the confidence to shoulder the group’s success and his fellow members’ futures.

 

“Then should I help you?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“The truth is, I know a bit about composing and arranging too.”

 

A blatant lie.

 

Yet at the time, Seo Yijae, who believed his members were good people, didn’t harbor even a sliver of suspicion.

 

“Really?”

 

“Self-producing idols sell well these days. Let’s give it a shot together.”

 

Hwang Minwoo reached his hand out toward Seo Yijae.

 

After hesitating, Seo Yijae steeled his heart and took Hwang Minwoo’s hand.

 

And Seo Yijae would regret the moment he took Hwang Minwoo’s hand for the rest of his life.

 

*    *    *

 

Jiyu gave a final check to Winter Boys’ debut track, Winter Boys, finalized by the engineer.

 

“Mmm….”

 

The melody was truly great, but overall the song was chaotic.

 

In truth, Jiyu had barely done more than chip in on the production of Winter Boys.

 

Because Winter Boys members Seo Yijae and Hwang Minwoo had taken on nearly all of the work themselves.

 

Jiyu had only helped when Seo Yijae and Hwang Minwoo asked first.

 

“It’s good for a track made by two amateurs, but….”

 

She couldn’t shake the thought that the melody was wasted.

 

If only the arrangement had been done properly, it would have been vastly cleaner and more sophisticated.

 

“Whatever. Let’s not worry about it.”

 

The mixing and mastering were already finished, so there was no turning back.

 

Jiyu swallowed her lingering regret and got ready to clock out.

 

—Knock, knock.

 

Right in the middle of preparing to leave, someone knocked on the door of Jiyu’s studio.

 

“Come i—oh, Yijae?”

 

“Hello, Jiyu Noona.”

 

“What brings you here this late? Have a seat for now.”

 

As Jiyu gestured, Seo Yijae stepped inside the studio.

 

“What’s with your face? Did something happen?”

 

She hadn’t noticed because the studio was dim, but seeing him up close, Seo Yijae’s face was a wreck.

 

Puffy, swollen eyes and a red-tinged nose.

 

Dark circles hung down almost to his cheekbones.

 

“This….”

 

Seo Yijae held a USB out toward Jiyu.

 

“What’s this?”

 

“Could you please give it a listen?”

 

“Well, sure. It’s no trouble.”

 

Jiyu turned her laptop back on and plugged in the USB.

 

On the USB was a single MP3 file.

 

[Winter Boys_DD.mp3]

 

Winter Boys?

 

It was the debut track of Winter Boys, on which mixing and mastering were already finished.

 

Jiyu tilted her head and played the track.

 

“Huh?”

 

Was this really Winter Boys?

 

No, it was definitely Winter Boys. It was undoubtedly Winter Boys, but….

 

Something was different.

 

The melody was similar to the current Winter Boys, but every single part other than the melody was different.

 

“How is it?”

 

Seo Yijae asked with eyes entirely devoid of light, like a dead fish.

 

“It’s good?”

 

“Compared to the current Winter Boys?”

 

“What are you even asking? Obviously this one is—”

 

Oops.

 

Realizing her mistake too late, Jiyu hastily clamped a hand over her mouth.

 

But it was already too late.

 

“Is that so….”

 

Seo Yijae let out a hollow laugh.

 

Having no idea what the situation was, Jiyu asked Seo Yijae cautiously.

 

“What is this?”

 

“….”

 

“Why did you hide this when you had something this good?”

 

“….”

 

“Did something… happen?”

 

But Seo Yijae did not answer Jiyu’s question; he merely held out his hand slowly.

 

It meant he wanted the USB back.

 

“Tell me what happened. If you tell me, I’ll give the USB back.”

 

“…Then forget it.”

 

She had tried to blackmail him in her own way, but it didn’t work on Seo Yijae.

 

Without a hint of lingering attachment, Seo Yijae turned and walked out of the studio.

 

“Wait, Yijae! Hold on, wait just a second! I’m sorry, I’ll give it back. I’ll give it back, so… won’t you tell me what happened?”

 

Rushing out after Seo Yijae, Jiyu barely managed to catch him.

 

Seo Yijae quietly looked at Jiyu, then held out his hand once more.

 

Jiyu obediently placed the USB onto Seo Yijae’s palm.

 

“Just what on earth happened?”

 

“…Nothing happened.”

 

“Don’t lie. Then why did you hide this?”

 

“I didn’t hide it.”

 

“What?”

 

“This is… the original.”

 

When she first heard Seo Yijae’s Winter Boys, Jiyu assumed Seo Yijae had hidden a version he personally arranged.

 

But Jiyu’s assumption was completely off the mark.

 

Staring at the USB on his palm with a conflicted expression, Seo Yijae clenched his fist tightly.

 

“It’s the song I composed… the one only I, I alone composed… it’s my song.”

 

A single trail of tears ran down Seo Yijae’s cheek.

 

*    *    *

 

[“When I asked Hanul later, he said Minwoo completely gutted Yijae’s song, leaving nothing but the melody.”]

 

“Ah….”

 

Hearing the full story from Jiyu, I was left speechless.

 

I wanted to punch my past self for having taken Seo Yijae’s condition lightly.

 

This wasn’t a problem I could resolve.

 

‘A self-composed song he cherished like his own child was butchered at the hands of a member he trusted.’

 

Unless you’ve experienced it yourself, there is no knowing how devastating that shock must have been.

 

“Thank you for telling me.”

 

Even though I had heard the story of Seo Yijae and Hwang Minwoo that I had wanted to know so badly, my mind only grew more tangled.

 

Because I realized I couldn’t solve Seo Yijae’s yips.

 

‘What should I do?’

 

Right now, I was standing in a dead end, blocked in every direction.

 

No, it wasn’t that there was no path at all.

 

The problem was simply that the path was a sheer cliff where falling meant certain death.

 

[“You’re doing some mission, right?”]

 

“Pardon?”

 

[“Aren’t you filming PD Jang Hyuksoo’s program? What was the name again… EX-Class K-POP Idol?”]

 

I was a little surprised.

 

I had tried to conceal the circumstances as best as I could, but it seemed she already knew.

 

“That’s right. Did you know about it?”

 

[“I’ve been looking up news about Yijae from time to time. I take it the mission song is Winter Boys?”]

 

She really knew everything.

 

Having spoken with her for a bit, she didn’t seem like the type to go around blabbing about our situation to others.

 

I simply answered honestly.

 

“Yes. We have to remake Winter Boys. Actually, Yijae Hyung is in charge of the arrangement, but….”

 

[“Aha, so that’s why you contacted me.”]

 

I had only given a very brief explanation of the circumstances, yet Jiyu seemed to grasp the entire situation.

 

She’s remarkably quick-witted.

 

[“Can Yijae still not compose or arrange?”]

 

“No, he still can’t.”

 

[“That must be tough. It’s not easy… overcoming trauma.”]

 

My head hurts too.

 

Isn’t there something like a Yips Cure or Trauma Overcoming Potion among the quest rewards?

 

[“Winter Boys, Winter Boys, huh… Wait.”]

 

“What is it?”

 

[“No, I was just wondering if you really need to remake it.”]

 

“Pardon?”

 

A remake is the mission, yet we don’t need to remake it?

 

What on earth does that mean?

 

[“You don’t need to arrange it; you can just use the original track.”]

 

“The original track? What original… ah!”

 

A beat too late, I realized what Jiyu was talking about.

 

[“The original song Yijae played for me back then. I’ll send it to you.”]