Chapter 18: Sing Just for Me Alone

The night deepened gradually, yet scattered lights still flickered through the heavy curtains of Loen’s company building, illuminating the night sky.

In the practice room, Lin Shouxia, who had received death threats from a senior, was clutching the sheet music and holding a microphone, rehearsing repeatedly.

What could collaborating with Lee Ji-eun bring?

Naturally, it meant popularity, fame, and a soaring score on music charts. This senior had once sung “Dolphin” just once, successfully reviving a girl group’s career and securing a chance to re-record the track.

Of course, there was a price to pay. During the collaboration, various pressures would arise—from within oneself and from the company.

The opportunity to duet with a senior came from the company’s efforts.

Having invested so much effort and resources, the company surely hoped he could leverage this tailwind to advance further.

Even without deliberately checking online reviews, he could roughly guess the disastrous state of the comment sections following the company’s announcement.

That was why he had to work hard.

At least, he owed it to the sweat he had shed.

Perhaps it was due to being swayed by these emotions and caught in a cold that he couldn’t perform at his usual level, causing both him and his senior to be criticized.

“Try a few more times,” the man sighed, picking up the microphone from the computer desk, preparing to hit the record button for frame-by-frame analysis.

Just then, the phone, which had been silently resting nearby, rang.

He initially thought it was a check-in message from his sister, but upon looking, he realized it was indeed a message from a sister—but not his own.

[What are you doing?]

[Singing.]

[Isn’t it disturbing to sing so late?]

[In the company’s practice room.]

Lin Shouxia could tell that on the other side of the screen, Yeo Jimin, who had no work scheduled, was probably bored out of her mind.

[Oh, wait, I saw the teaser of you duetting with Senior IU. Is that why you’re home late?]

[Actually, the sound engineer scolded me, so I’m too embarrassed to go home and rest.]

Lin Shouxia’s mood was rather low.

Being defeated head-on by a senior with superior musicality and vocal skills in his own specialty wasn’t shameful to him.

One major reason he lingered at the company was his dissatisfaction with his own performance.

Since the senior left work until now, he had sung the song dozens of times, but unfortunately, he hadn’t found a version that kept pace with the senior and satisfied himself.

[Can you get scolded for singing your own song?]

Yeo Jimin, wearing white pajamas dotted with spots, lay on her small bed with a curious expression.

SM was not short of senior solo artists.

Nor did it lack successful solo cases.

In Yeo Jimin’s impression, she had never seen anyone get scolded for singing their own song.

[Singing badly definitely gets you scolded.]

Collaborating with Lee Ji-eun, Lin Shouxia was extremely nervous. The intro went quite well, but once the senior started singing, his confidence collapsed immediately.

The result was a vicious cycle: the worse he sang, the less confident he became. He was on the verge of losing faith entirely.

This ordeal turned his earlier bold declaration of shedding his “senior’s shadow” into a joke.

Lee Ji-eun, on the other hand, sang better and better. Thankfully, the sound engineer stopped them in time; otherwise, he might have lost track of whether the song belonged to Lin or Lee.

[I’m actually curious how bad it could sound.]

As a debut track, “Polaroid Love” still ranked high on the daily charts and had staying power, even heard in many malls.

Having listened to this younger brother’s tracks many times, Yeo Jimin was quite satisfied with Loen’s released audio quality.

Now, hearing that the original singer was scolded because his singing was too bad, her curiosity was piqued.

[It’s not off-key or out of tune; it just doesn’t sound like yourself.]

The man slumped to the floor of the practice room, struggling to describe the feeling.

It was probably a loss of confidence, anxiously adjusting his singing style until losing his own uniqueness.

[Do you have time?]

[Probably…]

[Answer my call and sing for me.]

[Huh?]

Lin Shouxia hadn’t even reacted when a call came through to his phone.

Flustered, he answered, and a familiar female voice echoed in his ear.

“Come on, sing for me.”

A calm voice that slowly helped him settle down.

Outside the window, the Seoul night sky held few stars to accompany the moon.

Inside, a gentle girl accompanied him as he sang.

She said, “Hey, Lin Shouxia, are you going to sing or not?”

“I am,” the man replied, pressing the speakerphone button and setting the phone gently on the table. He cleared his throat and lifted the microphone nearby.

He pressed play on the music, then turned off the recording function.

“It’s like a Polaroid Love

A cheesy kind of love

But my heart is pounding

Why am I like this?

It’s like a Polaroid Love

My feelings are out of my control

Unconcealed emotions…”

“If you ask me… I don’t think it’s that bad.”

The girl, wearing headphones, squinted her eyes, carefully listening to the man’s voice.

Having some skill in singing herself, she couldn’t find major faults.

If anything, perhaps a lack of confidence?

A somewhat timid tone.

“But maybe you should be a bit more uninhibited?”

“Teenage love should be passionate, bright. You sound like you’re just quietly crushing.”

“Hey, Shouxia, do you have a crush?”

“No.”

The man’s voice was muffled, not quite clear to the girl’s ears.

He sat on the floor, grabbed a cup of water, and gulped down two big sips, breathing heavily to calm a heart that wasn’t really restless.

“Quick question: what’s your relationship with Kim Ryuran?”

“Not exactly a friend of my sister’s.”

“Nuna, why ask that?”

“Tch, you’re quick to react.”

“Honestly, I don’t think your singing has major issues. Maybe I’m just not professional enough to notice.”

“Perhaps… I can only give you some advice on the emotional side?”

Yeo Jimin’s role shifted swiftly.

From a gossip-loving girl moments ago to a reliable senior, trying to offer guidance to a confused singer.

“Try singing a little bolder. Your music scores are quite high, and many malls play your songs. Be more confident; Senior IU is just a person too. She’s not going to devour you.”

The girl lazily stretched on her bed. She had teamed up with many seniors at the company—BoA and Kim Taeyeon—names renowned anywhere.

Seniors won’t eat you; singing confidently is better for everyone.