Chapter Thirty: A Duet Between Man and Woman (Extra Chapter 1/4 for Wan's Generous Reward for "Cannot Wake from the Sleepy Slumber")

Under Lee Jieun’s guidance, the group quickly arrived at LOEN’s recording studio. Looking at the array of equipment—some familiar, some not—Chen Zhe couldn’t help but show a hint of surprise on his face.

“Jieun, didn’t you say you were going to take a break today? Why have you come to the studio again?” As they surveyed the room, a deep male voice came from behind the mixing console, startling everyone except Lee Jieun.

“Soyoung? So this is where you’ve been!” Startled by the man's voice, Kim Jungmin finally realized who it was, and, with a touch of hesitation, called out. He had a feeling this voice belonged to his old friend, Bae Soyoung, LOEN’s music director, but the tone sounded slightly off, making him uncertain.

“Mmm, Jungmin, what brings you to the studio today?” As Kim Jungmin finished speaking, the chair spun around to reveal a man wearing a mask, with chestnut brown, slightly wavy hair pulled into a ponytail. He held a pen in his hand, as if he’d just been writing something.

“Director Soyoung, the president brought the creator of ‘Melody’ here today!” Before Kim Jungmin could respond, Lee Jieun spoke up eagerly, her excitement now apparent in her voice.

“Oh, so you’re Chen Zhe, the creator of ‘Melody’? It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Bae Soyoung, LOEN’s music director.” Upon hearing that this was the composer of ‘Melody’, Bae Soyoung could no longer sit still. He set his pen down and, crossing the distance in just a few quick strides, stood directly before Chen Zhe.

“Yes, Director Bae, it’s a pleasure to meet you too.” Confronted by the evidently excited Bae Soyoung, Chen Zhe felt a slight chill and unconsciously took a half-step back.

“By the way, Chen Zhe, do you have some time now? I have a few questions about ‘Melody’ I’d like to ask you.” Not noticing Chen Zhe’s reaction, Bae Soyoung remained enthusiastic, as though Chen Zhe’s arrival was a delightful surprise he could barely contain.

“Questions about ‘Melody’?” Caught off guard by Bae Soyoung’s words, Chen Zhe scratched his head in confusion, unsure what Soyoung was getting at.

“Yes, a few things about the vocal arrangement. I watched your performance videos over a dozen times but always felt something was missing, so I kept analyzing them. Just now, I finally realized what it was.” Noticing that he might have been a bit abrupt, Bae Soyoung composed himself.

“Oh? What’s missing?” Soyoung’s remark piqued Chen Zhe’s interest. He’d also noticed a few issues when reviewing his own videos yesterday, though those concerned his singing technique. He wondered what aspect Soyoung had picked up on.

“It’s a bit complicated to explain. I made some notes—Chen Zhe, why don’t you come take a look?” Deciding it would be easier to show than tell, Bae Soyoung gestured for Chen Zhe to join him and see what he’d written.

“Sorry about this, Chen Zhe, Director Soyoung gets like this—when he’s focused on music, he ignores everything else.” As Soyoung returned to his seat, Lee Jieun quickly leaned over and explained in a low voice.

“It’s fine, IU.” Chen Zhe replied softly, then hurried over to where Bae Soyoung was sitting.

Once Chen Zhe stood beside him, Bae Soyoung handed him a sheet of paper, indicating he should read it before they discussed further.

Chen Zhe read the contents carefully. Part of it addressed issues with the song’s melody—something he’d already noticed when watching his own performances. Regarding his vocal skills, Soyoung didn’t highlight any major flaws, just noted that Chen Zhe needed more practice and was a bit slow getting into the right state.

“Director Bae, you suggest trying a duet for this song?” Reading further, Chen Zhe was surprised. Soyoung had actually proposed using a male-female duet to compensate for his slow entry into the song.

This suggestion reminded Chen Zhe of an old version of ‘Melody’ he’d heard—a duet by Qian and Chui. That rendition had truly amazed him, especially the harmonies at the beginning; their collaboration was outstanding.

“Actually, I’ve considered a duet before, but I never found the right partner.” Chen Zhe stroked his chin, pondering the possibility. Now fully immersed in work, he’d forgotten the original purpose of his visit to LOEN.

“As for a partner, isn’t there one right here? Since we have the chance, let’s test this idea.” Hearing Chen Zhe mention he hadn’t found a suitable partner, Bae Soyoung felt a bit stumped—without the right person, it would be hard to try out the concept.

He turned his head absentmindedly and caught sight of Lee Jieun, who was watching them both in confusion. Only then did he realize they already had a talented female singer present.

He reached out and tapped Chen Zhe, who was still pondering, and when Chen Zhe looked at him in confusion, Soyoung pointed directly at Lee Jieun.

“Yes, of course—we have IU!” Seeing her, Chen Zhe immediately understood, his eyes lighting up with excitement, mirroring the enthusiasm Soyoung had shown upon meeting him.

“Now that we have the singers, the next step is to divide the lyrics and work out the arrangement.” After briefly explaining the situation to Lee Jieun, Bae Soyoung clapped his hands and moved on to the next item.

Chen Zhe pulled from his pocket the Korean lyrics for ‘Melody’ he’d written the night before. Drawing on his memories of the Qian-Chui duet version, he began discussing the arrangement with Bae Soyoung.

As their conversation grew more involved, Lee Jieun and Choi Sooyoung, drawn in by their discussion, couldn’t help but join in as well. Only Chen Yuqi and Kim Jungmin, unable to contribute, sat idly on the sofa, a bit bored.

The four of them debated energetically, occasionally humming a melody or singing a line to test their ideas.

“All right, this should do. Let’s try it out. Jieun, Chen Zhe, get ready and warm up.” After another long round of discussion, they finally settled on a version everyone could accept. Bae Soyoung clapped his hands to bring them back to attention.

He signaled for Chen Zhe and Lee Jieun to prepare themselves and, following the newly revised arrangement, attempt a recording to see how it would turn out.