Chapter 63

One week later.

Hayoon was in the familiar recording studio.

After lengthy negotiations, she had signed a long-term contract for that studio.

She was at Forest Sound guiding voice actors in their performances.

Well, the word “guiding” might be misleading.

How could Hayoon, who wasn’t a professional voice actor, guide pros?

What she was doing was more like offering advice—suggestions regarding the direction of the work.

Even professional voice actors can’t deliver a perfect interpretation of every scene.

Though it was Hayoon’s first directing job, she would chime in occasionally when the actors seemed to be going too far off.

The actors, having fully understood Hayoon’s advice, began to yield results that were almost perfect.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”

“We’ll see you next time.”

Hours later, the voice actors had finished their recordings.

With just one or two more sessions, the voice script preparation would be complete.

“Well, I’ll leave it in your capable hands. Please send it over once it’s done.”

“I’ll make sure the work gets done as fast as possible, so don’t worry. Even if delayed, this month’s deadline should be met.”

“Yes, please take care of it.”

The president of Forest Sound nodded, assuring that the speed and quality of the work would be fine. Hayoon left the studio with a coffee she hadn’t finished, heading to the sofa outside the recording booth.

Drip.

Drip.

She sipped her coffee through a straw while playing with her phone. It was already July.

The icy cold air-conditioning breeze made her shudder as she checked her schedule.

“I’ll finish all the recordings by July, receive all the voice files by August. By the end of August, all the BGM outsourcing will be complete…”

September and October will be mostly Jin Ho’s solo stage.

He’ll be testing bugs night after night, testing again and again, aiming to reach as close to perfection as possible by October 31.

Considering that the game’s release date is October 31, there’s more than 100 days left at this point.

What Hayoon needed to do was already set.

“As the sun sets, the bustling streets will be dyed red…”

It was Hong Seohyun’s guidance.

When Hayoon worked with professional voice actors, she felt incredibly small compared to them. However, even so, she knew more than Hong Seohyun, who had never been in a recording studio.

The debut song recording for Utaite Scarlet was also planned under Hayoon’s supervision.

And as Hong Seohyun was checking the Korean rewritten lyrics of today’s song ‘Love’ while finishing her coffee…

“Ah, hello there…”

Hong Seohyun entered the recording booth, opening the door, with an overly timid presence that didn’t match her bold crop top and jeans outfit.

Perhaps it was the stern atmosphere of the unfamiliar studio that subdued her. She walked in with a slouched posture.

And Hayoon…

“Over here.”

“Um, ah, hello.”

Waving to Hong Seohyun, who seemed so withdrawn, Hayoon placed her finished coffee on the opposite table, guided Hong Seohyun by gently holding her shoulder, and entered the studio where the supervisor was seated.

It wasn’t anything special.

It felt awkward to hold hands, and pushing her with a hand on her back felt a bit too forceful.

Sometimes, even with Arin, Hayoon preferred holding shoulders when moving together.

“In any case.”

“Director. I’ll be using the recording booth.”

“Huh? Didn’t you finish your schedule for today?”

“It’s for something else. I paid in advance, so I’ll be preparing in the booth right away.”

“Hmm, understood. Since there are no other clients today anyway.”

After confirming with the supervisor that she’d be doing some extra recording, Hayoon entered their usual booth.

Though the scene was very familiar to Hayoon, it wasn’t the same for Hong Seohyun.

She had anticipated this day, but the environment was so foreign that she kept stuttering.

Hayoon gently applied pressure to the shoulder she was holding, signaling her to continue forward, and then…

“Here will do.”

“Here?”

“Yes, right here.”

Hayoon positioned Hong Seohyun in front of the microphone.

“The microphone height can be adjusted to your comfort. I’ve seen the voice actors adjust it by pulling from this side.”

“Oh…ohh….”

Hong Seohyun adjusted the microphone worth hundreds of thousands of won, following her own will, a move that brought her a silent satisfaction.

“Alright, now put these on too.”

Hayoon placed a headset on Hong Seohyun, who seemed to be lost in thought, closed the recording room door, and left.

“So, what exactly are you recording? It seems to be a song judging by the headphones?”

“Yes, a song.”

“Is there background music (MR)? What should I play?”

“It’s called ‘Love.'”

“‘Love’?”

“Yes. It’s a Japanese pop song and a pretty famous hit. If you look it up, it’ll come right up.”

“Is this it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The supervisor pointed at the album cover for ‘Love,’ and Hayoon gave a thumbs-up in response, signaling to turn on the communication microphone to the booth.

“Now student, I’ll slowly turn up the MR sound, so respond when it’s at a good level for you.”

“Yes, understood!”

Through the speakers, Hong Seohyun’s voice came through, and Hayoon crossed her arms, observing the situation.

While with the voice actors, there were moments Hayoon could pitch in, but this was purely Hong Seohyun’s domain.

With excitement, she glanced into the booth, eager to see what would come.

“This level?”

The initial sound check was concluded.

Now it was time to start the actual recording.

“Can we go straight into recording without any warm-up?”

“Yes, I drank a lot of water on the way here, so I think I’m good to go.”

“Alright, then I’ll play the MR, and you do what feels right.”

The supervisor laid out the floor for Hong Seohyun to sing freely, and just after a brief ten-second prelude…

“As the sun sets.”

“The bustling streets are dyed red.”

Hayoon had checked these lyrics just moments ago, and they flowed elegantly from Hong Seohyun’s lips.

Clearly, while her technical skills left something to be desired, her vocal tone was naturally gifted.

From that perspective, the song choice was impeccable.

‘Love’ was less about technical prowess and more about overwhelming the original singer’s tone and session work.

They used the same session from the original singer’s recording, and Hong Seohyun’s tone did not falter under that comparison, thus maximizing her strengths.

It was a perfect debut song for Utaite Scarlet.

“As something always cherished in your heart…”

“Something that disappears one day without a trace.”

“Something that stays close to me wherever I am.”

“Recalling it time and again!”

The recording session went smoothly.

Hong Seohyun reached the highlights of ‘Love’ effortlessly, as if she’d already practiced it dozens of times without hesitation.

“Good job.”

“Wow, the tone is… incredible.”

It was a great performance.

Hayoon’s brief but straightforward evaluation was followed by the supervisor’s hearty laugh, as if he was already imagining all the hits this could bring.

Indeed, Hong Seohyun’s tone was exceptional.

They were certain it would pass any test.

“Let me leave this in your capable hands, sir.”

“Huh? Oh, don’t worry. This single-take vocal is easier to produce than the usual stuff. It’ll be quick. I’m used to this kind of work anyway.”

Hayoon, with polite gratitude, entrusted Hong Seohyun’s vocals to the supervisor.

#

After several re-recordings and selecting the best one, all of the recording concluded.

Hong Seohyun still appeared a bit dazed, either still in shock that she had recorded in such a professional studio or because the tension had just started to ease.

“See you next week, sir.”

“Yeah, see you next week.”

Hayoon bid farewell to the supervisor and gently led Hong Seohyun out. It was baffling how someone who wore revealing crop tops could still seem so shocked.

Her composure had left her entirely.

Thus, Hayoon guided her gently by the shoulder toward the bus stop…

“Snap out of it, will you? Eh?”

“Eh… Ah… No, it’s just the tension from earlier… Or maybe the relief that it’s over that made me space out…”

“Seriously…”

Hong Seohyun, finally snapping out of it, vigorously shook her head dry.

“Phew…”

“Do you feel more relaxed now?”

“Hmm, I think I’m more relaxed now.”

With sighs and deep breaths, Hong Seohyun’s complexion started to return to normal. She waited with Hayoon for the bus and eventually boarded the same one.

“Are you taking this bus?”

“Eh? What’s the matter?”

“No, I was just curious.”

They naturally sat together on a two-person seat.

Hayoon fiddled with her phone while checking her fans’ café.

“Coming up, I’m collaborating as an illustrator for a new upcoming Utaite debut… Make sure to keep an eye on this… I worked really hard on the artwork…”

Given her long-term hiatus, Hayoon needed to rely on the loyal fan base in the café to somehow get Hong Seohyun’s first video trending.

After hitting the post button on her carefully written message, it was time to head home. As she was about to get off the bus…

“I’m getting off now…”

“Ah, me too…”

For some reason, Hong Seohyun was getting off at the same bus stop.

This is… the apartment complex bus stop, isn’t it?

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