Chapter 219: I'm Enjoying It
[[On air] I’m watching the broadcast right now]
Seohan always acts so mature in the team,
but in front of his hyung, why does he suddenly feel like a real youngest? It’s so cute ㅠㅠ
-Seriously, even from 100km away, he gives off youngest vibes ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ He’s munching on churros and trailing after his hyung—so freaking cute.
└Ah damn, I haven’t even watched the episode yet but just reading this is adorable ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└The fact that he put eating churros and ice cream on his Wish List ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ He’s still a baby…
└Wow… he’s so cute it makes me slap my forehead ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
-The youngest Hamjji is scared not just of the Haunted House, but also of roller coasters and the Gyro Drop… noted….
└He doesn’t seem like he would be, but he’s secretly such a scaredy-cat.
└Honestly, at this point, it’s not even secret—he’s just flat-out scared of everything.
└Ah ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└He’s the type who’s scared of literally everything.
-After riding the roller coaster, Seohan was shaking ㅋㅋㅋㅋ His hyung stared at him like he couldn’t understand, but since he was genuinely scared, he coolly took him to a churro stand and handed him one.
└The tsundere hyung….
└And after eating that, our Hamjji got happy again.
└Seohanㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Are you really a baby or what????
[[On air] I saw the video letter from the final broadcast of Starf]
Back then, the two didn’t seem that close (+Seohan even said so),
but their chemistry on screen is insane.
Out of all the people in existence, the PD seems to be the best at teasing Do Seohan ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Well, obviously, they know Hamjji best….
└Agreed, there was not a single miss in the three Wish List items they picked.
└They know all the weak points of a Hamjji they’ve watched since he was young ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-I say this as someone with a real sibling: if they truly don’t get along, they just don’t talk at all.
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋAh
└So true.
-This part killed me: even though they knew he’d be most scared of the Haunted House, they said the scene wouldn’t look good on camera ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└That’s… such a producer move
└Is it true this PD worked on Boy’s Dream?
└Whoa whoa whoa I just found out
└It’s true… amazing
[[On air] I’m jealous of the Hamjji family genes]
His hyung is handsome too….
Super handsome
-Yep… that kind of face is too good to be just an average citizen. He seriously looks like an actor.
└Oh damn I agree….
└He really does look like an actor.
└They look so alike, but maybe because of age, the hyung definitely has that adult… aura.
└He’s so grown-up grown-up
-The brothers are both good-looking and successful—one’s in Korea University majoring in journalism, the other is an idol. Their parents must feel so proud they don’t even need to eat ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Korea University…?
└Oh right, you have to be seriously smart to get into that program…
-I haven’t seen their mom yet, but I bet she’s beautiful ㅠㅠ
└“Their mom” lololololololol
└Do Seohan, marry me!!!
└You can have Seohan—I’ll take the hyung then….
└I also prefer older guys, so let me get in line….
.
.
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By the time <Met as Enemies> was airing, we were neck-deep in recording sessions.
A music studio in New York.
From the entrance alone, the dazzling pillars caught the eye.
It was even more massive than the studios we frequented in Seoul. At this size, you could call it a broadcast station and I’d believe it.
“Wow….”
We passed through the hallway and walked far inside.
As soon as we stepped into the workspace Doubles had rented, Elson Telmore came running toward us from afar.
“Hey!”
Despite the slouchy T-shirt, his hair was neatly styled. A man with a cheerful impression greeted us.
“I’m Elson Telmore.”
For someone who had apparently worked all night, he looked surprisingly bright.
It was quite different from how I remembered him from the media.
Elson Telmore was known for his frequent appearances on shows, including as a judge on a BBC music survival program, and the label that always followed him was strict.
A strict and intimidating producer.
A face full of age and experience, and a sharp tone that seemed to leave no room for error.
Had time made him that way?
Back when he was still an amateur, none of that came through.
The man in front of me now had more of a… regular American office worker vibe.
Kang Siwoo smiled and extended a hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Siwoo from Stardust.”
“I know! The leader! I saw you in the video!”
I also joined in.
“I’m Do Seohan. It’s an honor to be working with you.”
“Ooooh!”
It wasn’t just a polite formality—I meant it.
How many chances would I get to work with a Billboard legend? I just threw the line out there, but Elson Telmore’s face turned red in an instant.
“……?”
And then he started firing off English like a machine gun.
I’m pretty good at listening, but he was fast.
What was he saying…? Honestly, I had no clue!
Thankfully, Cha Seongbin, who understood it all, leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“He said he’s the one who’s honored. Very, really, ridiculously, the most honored in the world, apparently.”
“Oh.”
“He saw a video of you dancing. Said it was very, really, ridiculously cool too.”
“That’s… a lot of adjectives.”
“And he says you’re handsome. Congrats, Seohan.”
“Haha…”
Anyway, I laughed awkwardly and thanked him.
Meanwhile, Seo Haim, standing next to me, had been quietly smiling the whole time.
Normally, when he met someone, he’d be the chattiest person in the room….
“It’s hard.”
He seemed a little intimidated by the native speaker vibes.
But once the session started, we’d have a translator.
Until then, we’d just hang back.
That side was having a producer-level meeting.
“I got the arrangement direction from your email. I think we should record with the revised version.”
While Cha Seongbin was smoothly conversing with Elson Telmore in fluent English, the overall direction was being set.
In the meantime, I grabbed the USB and stepped out with Seo Haim.
“Wanna give it a listen?”
The producer’s talk was a bit beyond me, so I figured I’d at least try to get a feel for the vibe.
I plugged the USB into the computer and pulled up the file.
‘Cha Seongbin & Telmore_Final’—this was the file we’d brought from Korea.
Seo Haim looked at me with wide eyes and asked,
“Seohan, have you heard it yet?”
“This is my first time too, after the demo.”
It had started from Cha Seongbin’s demo file and been completed through collaboration with Elson Telmore.
I was curious to see what it had become.
Click-
The moment I hit play, the intro began.
With the headset to my ears, I started listening.
A shimmering synthesizer sound layered in the background, topped with Cha Seongbin’s signature trendy beat.
It was a part I hadn’t heard in the demo.
“The intro’s changed a lot…”
It was so different it felt like they had completely redone it.
“It’s good.”
With a simple impression, I slowly closed my eyes….
And.
The moment the song reached its highlight, my eyes snapped open.
It was much better than I expected.
“Huh?”
The build-up leading to this point was rich and full.
It used a verse style often found in pop songs, while perfectly incorporating Stardust’s own color.
The addictive chorus even had mass appeal.
It’s a style that would work both domestically and overseas.
Without realizing it, a voice full of certainty slipped out.
Ah.
“This is going to work.”
I was up first for the recording.
To think I was receiving direction directly from Elson Telmore.
He was known for having an incredibly picky ear, so I had been a little nervous….
But unexpectedly, he gave me a compliment.
“Your voice is really good.”
Elson Telmore smiled and gave a thumbs-up.
“Your low tone suits the song perfectly. It feels great, and your rhythm is spot on. Should we try pulling the front part of ‘every summer’ in just a bit?”
Maybe it’ll be different in the future, but at this point in time, Elson Telmore was still a complete amateur.
He likely had zero experience in vocal direction.
And yet, he had a natural instinct for it.
Maybe he was just born with it.
Following his suggestions produced a fantastic result.
Thanks to that, the recording progressed faster than expected.
“Great job, thank you so much!”
My turn, as the first in line, ended much earlier than I had expected.
When I listened back to the result, it was quite satisfying.
“Wow, Do Seohan’s in form today!”
I came out and high-fived Cha Seongbin.
We’d probably have to record additional parts tomorrow, but for now, that was it.
I should rest up once we’re back at the hotel.
Just as I was stepping out of the recording booth—
Vrrr—
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
There was a missed call from hyung.
I must have missed it while I was deep in recording.
“Hm, what’s up?”
He obviously knew I was working overseas, so he must’ve had a reason for calling.
I swallowed dryly, worried something might’ve happened in Korea.
Ring ring—
A short tone rang, then the call connected.
—Hey. Seohan.
Hyung answered the call.
“Is something wrong?”
—Ah, no, nothing like that.
I’d been a little worried, but it seemed it wasn’t anything serious.
I stepped into the hallway of the studio to take the call comfortably.
—I called because of the show.
So that was the main point.
It sounded like it was about the public response to the recently aired Met as Enemies.
I hadn’t been able to follow closely since I was abroad, but apparently the reaction was pretty good.
—Seems like the show’s been received well.
—Assistant Manager Yoo kept asking if I could appear in a few more episodes.
“Oh. It was seasonal, wasn’t it?”
Since they were using the same office space, it must’ve been hard to turn down.
As long as the schedule allowed, I didn’t really mind.
The problem was hyung….
I asked calmly.
“What about you?”
—I… hmm… not sure.
Being recognized isn’t always a good thing.
It’s not like he chose this path without being prepared for it,
but I’m sure the past two weeks had their share of discomfort.
“People recognize you a lot now, right?”
—Yeah. I even set my Stargram to private.
I didn’t even know he was on social media.
Maybe he suddenly got flooded with followers after the show aired.
The Do Seojun I knew wasn’t the type to enjoy that sort of thing.
If anything, he’d probably find it burdensome.
His voice came through the receiver, flat and dry.
—I even did a Q&A since they asked for it.
“Huh?”
That “Ask me anything” feature on Stargram.
Sometimes we used it on our official account to interact too….
“You did that?”
—It was hard… so I gave up.
Even in that short time, he found it overwhelming but still tried to engage.
—People kept saying I was handsome. It’s overwhelming, but I’m also grateful.
“Oh….”
—But I….
Gulp.
I heard him swallow on the other end.
—…am I really that much?
“What?”
I had been listening to him absentmindedly,
but something started to feel… off.
—It’s a bit overwhelming, but maybe appearing one more time wouldn’t be so bad….
In other words—
A bad feeling started to take root.
He kept saying it was awkward and too much and overwhelming with his mouth, but….
—Ah. Maybe it is a bit tiring.
—But still, just once more….
I was certain now.
This hyung… he’s enjoying it!!