After finishing the arrangement to make the beat and melody more coherent, all that’s left is to complete the demo.
“How about we try these lyrics?”
It’s just a matter of writing the empty lyrics in the topline and singing the guide accordingly.
“Anyone want some whiskey?”
“I’m good with just beer.”
These lively composers insisted that writing demo lyrics should be spontaneous and, out of nowhere, they took out some glasses and gathered around, pouring and drinking.
Is this how it’s done…?
“Do-hee, do you want to drink?!”
“But I’m underage…?”
“Yeah, so what!”
Anyway, the simple concept I set for the song is to create an enchanting devil that seems like it could mesmerize everyone, based on the song’s title, [Me Demon].
These boozy folks quickly started layering melodies with lyrics as if they were quite familiar with it.
Of course, most of the sentences were nonsensical, but there was an intentional rhythm through rhyme and cadence.
─Wishing, I could get a taste of yours
Ah, this is the pros…
‘Oh no… why are the lyrics so vulgar?’
I can’t understand why they keep adding sexual vibes to the lyrics.
You, devilish one, excite and captivate me…
Once again, I find myself clinging to you, getting all heated…
I’ll devote myself so bite my neck softly…
“Do-hee, your face is so red.”
“Yours is too!”
“I just had whiskey, of course!”
“Guys, Do-hee is still a child who can’t drink alcohol!”
These… these lewd fellows…
Still, open-minded me can understand enough.
This… this is just a cultural difference!
Songs by English-speaking composers are often like this. Why do pop songs always revolve around sexual themes?
When it comes to hip-hop… it’s outright.
Anyway, the lyricist will change it…
‘Right… this isn’t vulgar… it’s just a song…’
B-but it’s still my song…?
I have to record it…
I mean, I’m like some… um, teenage wannabe…
K-pop is healthy music that even little kids can listen to…
“Should I rewrite the lyrics? Just make it about love or something.”
“Yeah, just a bit… yeah, go for it.”
Suddenly, my composer was getting tipsy, clapping and laughing uncontrollably with that distinct foreigner flair over the top.
“Shall we listen to our youngest sing?!”
“Let’s hear it, let’s see!”
I don’t know when I became the youngest in this composing team, but…
I found myself standing in front of the mic with a pop filter.
And after humming once more, I started the formal guide recording for ‘Me Demon.’
*
“Chiyo, you go shower first.”
Woo-ah returned to the dorm after late-night personal lessons and practice.
“Got it!”
“I’ll be out in a moment?”
The intensity increased even more compared to when they were trainees, with more organic and developed personal training that included instrumental playing.
Feeling a sense of satisfaction that they can still grow after sweating all day, Woo-ah headed towards the source of the noisy sound.
“Ah, it’s too loud!”
“No, seriously! This is the best song I’ve ever written! You won’t believe it until you hear it.”
“Then just play it now!”
“I can’t; I said we’re doing a blind test.”
“What do you expect me to do about it?!”
“I’m saying the song is great. It’s awesome.”
“Blah blah blah.”
After finishing her personal schedule, Seo-yoon unni must have left work first as she lay on her bed, while Do-hee was lying next to her, clinging to Seo-yoon’s arm and chattering away.
“Oh! You’re back? I didn’t even hear you come in.”
Do-hee jumped up from the bed and headed toward Woo-ah, leaving behind Seo-yoon unni, who sported a refreshing smile, feeling liberated. Woo-ah extended her arm to reject Do-hee.
After flashing a refreshing smile behind Seo-yoon Unni, Woo-ah stretched her arm out and rejected Do-hee.
“Not gonna happen, you smell like sweat. Totally.”
‘I’ve been dancing all day, you know.’
But as if she didn’t care, Do-hee dodged the arm and eventually ended up in her embrace.
“It’s okay, I’m the fragrant one.”
Today’s voice had a lower tone, sounding different than usual.
“What’s up with your voice?”
“Strange?”
Seo-yoon Unni answered from the back.
“Super, completely, incredibly.”
She sounded extremely sulky.
“No, it sounds good. Relaxing.”
“This is the vocal style that’s trending among American women in their 20s these days. Totally in vogue.”
“Really? Who told you?”
“The composers I worked with. They’re foreigners, you know.”
“Oh, I see?”
Do-hee must have learned a lot during the song camp.
Woo-ah felt a moment of satisfaction for her efforts today, but seeing Do-hee made her heart sink slightly.
“So, speaking of which, what did I do yesterday and today…”
“Wow, really~?”
“What’s with that tone?”
But as always, she put up with Do-hee’s chattering until she washed up.
“Woo-ah, I’m all cleaned up!”
“Looks like I should wash up too?”
“…Hmph.”
Looking a bit disappointed, Do-hee waved her hand and pointed at Chiyo Unni.
“Hey, come here!”
“…Ha!
Dodo-dodododo.
Tatadad.
Chiyo ran away while Do-hee chased after her.
I should probably shower and get to bed.
*
The howling sound had been heard since the morning.
“Genius composer Do-hee Lee…”
“Ah, let go of me!”
When she went out to the living room, the main character Do-hee was being dragged around by Seo-yoon’s foot.
Seo-yoon Unni stubbornly marched toward the bathroom, regardless of whether Do-hee was cleaning the floor dust or not.
“Members, hurry up and get ready~ Do-hee, shake off that dust quickly!”
“Seo-yoon Unni’s foot won’t let me go…”
“Just drop it!”
And finally, in the afternoon, the members, including Woo-ah, could finally listen to Do-hee’s self-composed song.
*
Blind test.
A bustling meeting room filled with the A&R team staff and the five members.
“First, we selected six tracks through a blind test with the A&R team, and now the members will listen to them and vote to decide on two title tracks.”
Jung So-hyun said while sitting in the main seat, looking at the members.
“The part we need to focus on the most today is definitely the quality of the songs. Pay attention to how good they sound to your ears. And as you all know, there are two title concepts: Debonair and Born Ideals. How well the songs fit these two concepts matters too, as you members will define the group’s identity from here on.”
The members nodded along.
Soon, the songs began to flow in order of titles.
Most were in demo versions without lyrics yet, so they hummed along inappropriately in English in their incomplete state.
From Jung So-hyun’s perspective…
The first song didn’t really grab her attention.
The second song was too complicated for the kids to use.
And the third song was just a recording left with Korean lyrics added.
‘This one… could easily have the lyrics added. About 6.5 out of 10.’
For Jung So-hyun, a score of 6.5 meant it was a song that could definitely have ranked first if released by a popular girl group.
Not amazingly good, but just decent enough to listen to.
A sufficient song as a B-side.
She felt sorry for Do-hee, but the arrangement of ‘Fantasia’ from her time with Seven was around this level.
It was just that the title and the fact that it was arranged by Do-hee and fellow member Gong Chae-rin, along with the performance, had led to much better results.
Still, a score of 6.5 was definitely at a professional level.
Jung So-hyun watched as the staff and members quietly listened to the song, scoring it on paper.
“Now we’re playing track 4.”
The beginning of track 4…
─Doo-doo-doo
A familiar base groove sound that everyone would love.
Especially, it sounded like a recording made right there, with rich realism.
─Yeah
And then a deep voice added a little bit of ad-lib humming.
─Huu
The reactions from the staff and members were already different from before.
There was something about it.
Even without the lyrics in the verse, a single line from the main theme gave a sense of confidence.
A feeling that this song had to be good.
And thus, with the sound of open hi-hats, the verse began.
─Hey, something blooming within you…
Do-hee’s voice, gentle yet powerful, filled the air.
Yes, this song was none other than Do-hee’s original composition.
It seemed like she had no intention of hiding that it was her song from the start.
Every guide recorded in her own voice.
She was confidently exposing it without even trying to hide the creator’s identity in the blind test.
She was sure no one would dare to say otherwise, thanks to the quality of the track.
Even if they didn’t know it was Do-hee’s song, she was confident it would definitely be chosen.
Jung So-hyun nodded in agreement, glancing at Do-hee.
“Umm…?”
‘…Guess not, then.’
In classic “not a bunny” fashion, Do-hee stood there with a dumbfounded look, her two front teeth sticking out, mouth slightly agape.
Seeing her usual flustered expression, it truly seemed like she hadn’t been aware of the blind test during the recording.
‘It would have been great if we had filmed it as a video.’
In that moment, Jung So-hyun lamented not capturing the elements that fans would love.
Anyway, the transitions and progression of the song continued to be great.
Following the open hi-hat that indicated the first verse came a blend of electronic drum rhythms, bass, and a pleasing melody.
In the pre-chorus, the drum and bass sounds ceased, with synth sounds and claps adding a 2000s vibe.
It felt like they had intentionally given a special point to follow the retro trend outlined in the planning document.
And then, it burst into a high note, starting with a guitar riff for the chorus.
─Here-ee-ee Demon-mon-mon
Since the chorus was the most important part, Jung So-hyun focused back on the track.
Leaving aside Do-hee’s leading voice and melody,
In the chorus instrumental, new instruments were being layered in gradually.
‘It started from the verse.’
In the verse, it was only the main theme.
If it was just bass and drum beats.
The main theme continued in the chorus,
where the guitar riff was added to the start and first line.
Then a new percussion sound similar to a wooden clapper was introduced in the repeated chorus.
Despite being a repetitive hook song, the detailed elements made it feel completely fresh.
Just Jung So-hyun had already played it nearly 20 times since yesterday.
‘Considering how catchy and easy it was to sing along from the first verse…’
It wasn’t that mindlessly repeated hook song that gets criticized.
It was a song you’d want to listen to after hearing just one line, so undoubtedly, many people seemed likely to add it to their playlists.
And if Jung So-hyun had been consciously excluding Do-hee’s voice, it was a fit with the song, undeniably appealing.
Among girls, she had a rich lower vocal range.
And for a guy, it was a high and refreshing voice.
Even with past vocal issues that had given her a more masculine sound and yielded complaints about her tone, Do-hee had now evolved into a pleasant-sounding voice.
As the songwriter, she had a voice that matched the song perfectly.
However, there was just one disappointing aspect about this song.
If there’s something to regret, it’s that the first and second verses are exactly the same.
Of course, there were ways to change it.
Like altering the lyrics of the first and second verses to follow a storyline, or enhancing the performance.
But the catchiness of being able to hum along to the second verse after hearing the first is also part of its charm, so we needed to hear what the original creator, Do-hee, thought.
Anyway, considering that Jung So-hyun has hummed it after listening to it 20 times…
“Sticking with this isn’t so bad.”
After the second verse passed, we reached the bridge before the third.
Finally, the song changed once.
A new pop melody line.
Just like in the debut song.
It seemed like this bridge could also use a little dance break.
Even amidst all this, the different instrumental arrangements remained interesting.
The percussion-like sound added in the chorus continued to build tension, even extending into the bridge.
The synth sounds we heard in the pre-chorus added another layer of fun.
And the string sounds that came in for just a moment grabbed everyone’s attention…
“It feels like the tone of a violin… no, like a pitch-up cello.”
Since one of the composers likely played cello, it was highly probable they pitched it up to create a violin-like sound.
With the synth sounds, they naturally aimed to include some cute real-life sounds too.
The continuous novelty from adding instruments was the secret to the coexistence of this song’s catchiness and freshness.
In the explicitly stated third chorus, retro 2000s synth sounds burst out unexpectedly, unlike anything from the first or second choruses.
Building tension as it progressed, adding more structure, and repetitively bursting out.
Of course, it was all possible because the melody itself was incredibly catchy…
And just like that, a short two-minute-and-30-second song came to an end.
And in the silence, Seo-yoon raised her hand.
“Teacher, this is clearly Do-hee’s voice; isn’t that illegal for a blind test?”
Always playful, Seo-yoon remarked.
“But seriously, it’s really, really good! Totally my jam!”
Chiyo was claiming ownership.
“Why is it your song?”
“Uh… Do-hee-chan is so stingy…”
But the positive reactions were clear.
Even by Jung So-hyun’s standards, the song scored high.
If rated… it’d get around 8.5 or 9 out of 10.
If an unpopular girl group could gain attention through promotion, they’d instantly become popular, and for a popular group like ours, releasing it would definitely secure a place on the annual charts.
“Since we’re landing it in summer… the top spots might be hard to reach.”
But surely, the public’s reaction would mirror the atmosphere in this meeting room.
“Our youngest is truly a gem, isn’t she~?”
“Awesome! So proud, good job!”
“It was tweaked with auto-tune, right?”
“…? What are you talking about? It’s completely live! Can you not be jealous, Seo-yoon?”
“So you’re saying it wasn’t touched at all?”
“Of course not.”
“Really? You’re betting Do-ah on it?”
“Excuse me?”
“If you’re lying, Do-ah will dislike you for life.”
“…I really barely touched it; I only adjusted that high note in the bridge… just a little F6, that’s the high D in the third octave. Just that part…”
“I knew it. You’re doing that part?”
“No, but it’s not that I adjusted it because I couldn’t reach the high notes…”
“Yay~”
“No, seriously, this part is yours, but I was trying to make it sound like your real voice on purpose… with auto-tune…”
“It’s my part, right? Yay!”
“Should I show you the high notes now? Huh? Follow me to the vocal room, follow me!”
Jung So-hyun watched the raucous meeting room while showing Do-hee her front teeth, then just hit play on the next track.
“Older sister, you’re done for. I’m overseeing this production, and I won’t let you pass.”
“Oh, right. Just a moment, Do-hee.”
