Yonghwa was busily tuning his guitar. Wonbin was sitting across him, strumming his guitar. “I’ve heard about this Seohyun girl. From what I’ve heard, she’s one of those innocent, gullible girls,” Wonbin said. “You’ve changed your taste or something?”

Yonghwa chuckled slightly. “Hey, life isn’t just about girls okay? This Seohyun girl is really good. She sings well, and… she lives nearby. It’s a two for one,”

“Still, there’s plenty more girls who can sing, I’m sure they’ll come running over as soon as you clicked your finger,” Wonbin joked. “So what? You planning to play around with her for a while? How many does this make? Number 5?”

Yonghwa smirked. “Number 4, I already dumped that Hara girl last week,” Yonghwa said. “But seriously dude, I’m not going to mess around with her, she’s a friend so.. no. Besides, you know me. She’s not my type,”

“So says the guy who’s dating 3 girls at the same time,” Wonbin chuckled. “Why her though?”

Yonghwa was still tuning his guitar. “Hmm? I don’t know. It’s like once I heard her voice, a part of me was clearly saying ‘she’s the one’. I can’t really explain it. It’s more of a gut feeling more than anything,”

“That’s our Yonghwa, always putting music first,” Wonbin joked.

*phone beeping*

“Oh? A message,” Yonghwa said, before reaching for his phone. “Ah, it’s Lizzy,”

“Oh? That Busan girl? You still dating her?”

“Yeah, I’ll give her another month or two, than I’ll dump her,”

“Damn.., you’re one helluva Casanova,” Wonbin said.

“You know, they say Casanova’s gay,” Yonghwa replied.

“Yeah? Then I guess I’ll have to be careful of you then,” Wonbin joked.

*doorbell rings*

“Oh, that’s probably Seohyun, come on, I’ll introduce you,”

***

‘Do I look okay? I hope I’m not too early. What if he’s busy? Or, what if he forgot about our meeting,’ All this thoughts kept popping up inside Seohyun’s head. Thankfully, Yonghwa opened the door as soon as she rang the doorbell.

“Hey,” Yonghwa greeted her, his guitar still in his hands. “Come on in,”

“Y-yes,” Seohyun stuttered before entering his home.

“Here, make yourself at home,” Yonghwa said to her. “This here’s Wonbin, he’s the bassist for our band,”

“Hi there, nice to meet you,” Wonbin shook her hand. “Yonghwa’s told me a lot about you, he said your voice is amazing,”

“Ah, yeah,” Seohyun said shyly. “I’m not that great,”

“Come on, you don’t have to be so modest,” Yonghwa said, handing her a glass of juice.

Seohyun shyly accepted the drink. “Uhm, Yonghwa-ssi, what are we gonna be doing today?”

“I’m glad you asked. Today you’re gonna help me write a song, for us to sing together in the festival,”

“Me? But I don’t know how to write a song,” Seohyun said hastily.

Yonghwa smiled warmly at her. “Not to worry, I’ll help you. Since we’ll both be singing it, I thought, it’ll probably be more comfortable for you if you also helped write the song,”

Seohyun paused for a while. “Ehm, okay,”

“Great, stay here. I’ll go get the music sheet,” Yonghwa said before going upstairs. “Wonbin, you come up here with me,”

“Ceh, fine,”

Yonghwa left his guitar on the couch downstairs. Seohyun was curious about the guitar, so she tried strumming the guitar.

Yonghwa quickly came down after getting the music sheet, and saw Seohyun playing his guitar. He stared at her fondly, watching her clumsily plucking the strings on his guitar. After a while he clapped his hands at Seohyun.

“Bravo, that was great,” Yonghwa praised her.

“Yonghwa-ssi! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to..”

“It’s okay,” Yonghwa assured her. “You sure you’ve never learned how to play the guitar before?”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be touching your things without your permission,” Seohyun hurriedly said.

“No, no, you were pretty good,” Yonghwa said, smiling. “Tell you what, after the festival, I’ll teach you how to play,”

“No, I don’t want to trouble you,” Seohyun rejected the offer.

“It’s no trouble at all, really,” Yonghwa assured her. “I’ll help you,”

“I-if you insist,”

Yonghwa smiled to himself. “Wonbin, hey, we’re gonna try singing ‘lucky’ together,” Yonghwa said. “I’ll sing the J.Mraz part, and you’ll replace Colbie, okay?” Yonghwa asked Seohyun.

“Y-yeah,”

“You’ve got to hear this dude,” Yonghwa said to Wonbin. “The way she carries this song is just.. incredible,”

***

Wonbin was speechless after hearing their duet. “Y-you’re great,”

Seohyun blushed brightly at the compliment.

“See, what did I tell you? I told you she’s incredible!” Yonghwa said excitedly.

“I don’t know how, but your voices mix really well together,” Wonbin said. “It’s amazing,”

“Yeah,” Yonghwa smiled happily. “Now then, since we’ve agreed that her voice is perfect, it’s time we move on to our second song, our personal song,”

Wonbin looked at his watch. “Dude, I’ve got to go pick up my little sister,” Wonbin told him.

“Kay, that’s fine,” Yonghwa said simply. “It’s not like you’ll be much of a help with the songwriting anyway,”

“Ouch, that hurts,” Wonbin joked. “Hey, Seohyun-ssi, be careful of him. He’s a bunny,” hinted Wonbin.

“Huh?”

“Ya,” Yonghwa exclaimed. “Get going already,”

“Fine, fine, I’m going, I’m going,” Wonbin said before leaving.

“What did he mean when he called you a bunny?” Seohyun asked.

“Aish, it’s nothing. That guy always jokes around like that,” Yonghwa said calmly. “Come on, let’s get started on our song,”

***

“So, this here’s my room,” Yonghwa said as he showed her his room. “It’s my place of enlightenment. It’s where I write my songs,”

Seohyun looked around curiously. “Wow.. that’s really nice..” she said slowly.

“Why? Is there something wrong?” Yonghwa asked.

“Ah, no, no!” Seohyun said hurriedly. “It’s just that, this is my first time going into a guy’s room. I didn’t expect it to be so tidy,”

“Haha, well, it gets kinda hard to write a song in a mess,” Yonghwa said brightly. “That’s why I try to keep my room tidy, as often as possible,” Yonghwa explained, taking a seat on his chair. “Here, sit down,” Yonghwa said as he offered her a seat next to him.

“Y-yes~,” Seohyun said before taking a seat next to him.

Yonghwa opened his laptop, starts making a few adjustments and plays the melody. “I’ve already arranged the melody, and guitar parts, what do you think?” Yonghwa asked.

“It’s good,” Seohyun said quickly.

“Wait, listen to it first,” Yonghwa said sternly.

Seohyun sat there quietly, listening to the melody till the end. “It’s good,” Seohyun said after she finished hearing it.

“Good?” Yonghwa asked, his face looking slightly disappointed.

“Well.. I’m not sure, but it feels like something missing,” Seohyun said carefully. “It feels a little bit bland,”

Yonghwa’s face lit back up. “It does, doesn’t it?” Yonghwa said brightly. “That’s fine, it’s supposed to be bland,”

“Really?” Seohyun asked worriedly.

“Of course, at least for now,” Yonghwa said. “That’s where you come in,”

“Me?”

“Yeah,” Yonghwa smiled. “Listen, a song isn’t just sounds, mixed together. No, songs are a harmonization of sounds, cooperating and blending with each other, until these multiple sounds mix together so well, it ceases to exist separately,” Yonghwa explained. “A guitar, played by itself, is capable of giving people joy. Mix this together with the bass, drums, and other instruments, it’ll become capable of moving the hearts of people,”

“I still don’t see how I come into this,”

Yonghwa smiled brightly at her. “Your voice is also an instrument. Your singing gives us the ability to explore a new dimension, one that wasn’t made readily available to us before. You said it yourself, the song was good enough, but it felt pretty bland, right? Then our voices will be the final instrument to gel it together, and create that harmonization effect,” Yonghwa explained.

Seohyun thought for moment. “But, I don’t really think my voice is all that great,” Seohyun said modestly.

Yonghwa shook his head. “A song isn’t just about sweet voices and singing well,” Yonghwa explained. “Okay, you know how to cook right?”

“Y-yeah, but..”

“Just hear me out. You know how to make ‘Kimchi’ right?”

“Y-yeah,”

“Okay, what would happen, if you switched the cabbage, with say, an apple?”

“It would taste terrible,” Seohyun answered.

“Right. In order to make ‘Kimchi’, you need the proper ingredients, one of them being cabbages,” Yonghwa explained. “If a main ingredient is missing, even if it is replaced with a far superior ingredient, it won’t be ‘Kimchi’ anymore, would it? Same goes for making a song. To make a good song, great, you’ll need the proper ingredients,” explained Yonghwa. “Your voice is perfect because to make this song, I don’t need a strong powerful voice, or a soothing sweet voice. What we need is a melodious charming voice, that blends well with, not only the song and the melody, but also synchronizes with mine,”

Seohyun listened to him intently. “I think I understand what you mean,” Seohyun said.

“Great,” Yonghwa smiled widely. “Now then, I want you to listen again, but this time I’ll add in some temporary lyrics to let you get a feel of what the song should sound like,” he said, before adjusting his laptop again and playing the song again, this time, with random words fitted in as filler.

Seohyun listened intently. “Uhm, Yonghwa-ssi, I think I understand now. The song sounds a lot better when you sang the lyrics,” Seohyun said.

Yonghwa gave a satisfactory smile. “Now then, we’ll take it up a notch,” Yonghwa said. He then gives Seohyun the temporary lyrics for the song, his earphone, and a mic. “Okay, now, I’m gonna go ahead and play the song,” Yonghwa explained. “You’re going to have to sing the lyrics into the mic, and I’ll record it. We’ll then mix your voice with mine and we’ll see how it’ll turn out,” Yonghwa said calmly.

“O-okay,” Seohyun stuttered. She then sang the song according to the lyrics and the tone Yonghwa showed her. “There, I’m finished,” Seohyun said before taking off her earphones.

Yonghwa had a slight frown on his face. “Seohyun, can you sing the song again? But, this time, raise it up a tone,”

“Yes~” Seohyun sang the song again, this time raising the note by one level. “Finished,”

Yonghwa had a satisfied smile on his face. “Okay, that was pretty good. We’ll have to make a few adjustments later, but that’ll do for now,” Yonghwa said before turning to his computer. “Okay, it’s done. You wanna hear it?”

“Ehm,” Seohyun nodded her head. “Sure,”

“Here you go,” Yonghwa replied, handing her back his earphone.

Seohyun listened slowly, her face looking more and more surprised, the more she listened. “Wow, that was amazing,” Seohyun exclaimed after she finished listening to it.

“Yeah, but it could still use a few adjustments,” Yonghwa said calmly. “Now then, putting that aside, we’re gonna go straight to today’s main event. You’re gonna be writing the lyrics,” Yonghwa said to her.

Seohyun was slightly surprised by his suggestion. “I almost forgot about that. But, that, Yonghwa-ssi, why do I have to write the lyrics, I’ve never written lyrics before,”

“A great song is also defined by it’s singer. What makes a song great, also includes the way the singer express themselves when singing,” Yonghwa explained. “So, you’re going to have to express yourself on stage,”

Seohyun had a worried look on her face. “Uhm.. Yonghwa-ssi, I’m sorry, this is my first time doing this, so I don’t think I can express myself all that well,” Seohyun said, troubled.

Yonghwa smiled calmly, already expecting this. “That’s why, to help you immerse yourself in the song, you’re going to write your part of the lyrics,” Yonghwa said calmly.

“But, I told you I don’t know how to write a song,”

“Relax, writing lyrics are easy, I’ll help you,” Yonghwa assured her. “First, write something you yourself can relate to, something you’ve experienced,” Yonghwa explained. “Then we’ll change it into lyrics for the song,”

“Uhm, okay,” Seohyun said warily. “But, Yonghwa-ssi, what should I write about?”

Yonghwa thought for a moment. “Hmm, okay. Why don’t we write a story about a girl whose boyfriend cheats on her, and how she’s already known and planning to get back on him,”

Seohyun stared at him blankly. “Uhm, Yonghwa-ssi, I don’t think I’ve ever had that kind of experience before,”

“Then, something similar, it doesn’t have to be absolutely the same,” Yonghwa explained. “Maybe write about how angry you were when someone lied to you. Then, when you sing it later, you can relate to it, and express yourself,” Yonghwa told her. “I’ll handle the getting back on him part,”

“Oh, okay,” Seohyun nodded.

***

“Okay then, that’s it for today,” Yonghwa said aloud. “I’ll change what you’ve just written, into lyrics by tomorrow,”

“Ehm, okay then Yonghwa-ssi,” Seohyun said. “Take care, don’t overexert yourself,” Yonghwa was slightly surprised by her remarks. “Why? Did I say something wrong?” Seohyun said worriedly.

“N-no, no, I was just.. It’s just that I think this is the first time someone actually worried about me, writing the songs,” Yonghwa said, smiling happily. “Most people think it’s easy to write songs, so they rarely think I’ll overexert myself,” Yonghwa joked.

“No, after spending a whole day helping you, I think I can see how tough it is to write a song,” Seohyun said slowly. “Anyways, thank you, Yonghwa-ssi, I’m sorry I wasn’t much of a help,”

“Nah, what are you talking about?” Yonghwa smiled brightly. “You were a big help. You want me to send you home?”

“Hmm? Oh, no, that’s okay,” Seohyun rejected. “I can go back myself,”

“It’s not safe for a girl to be walking alone at this late hour,” Yonghwa said. “It’s okay, your home isn’t that far,” Yonghwa insisted. “Or maybe, you’re embarrassed to be seen together with me?” Yonghwa .

“N-no! Of course not,” Seohyun said hurriedly. “O-okay, sure, if you insist,”

Yonghwa chuckled slowly. “Okay, let’s go,”

Seohyun then walked quickly in front of Yonghwa. She then crouched slightly in front of him.

Yonghwa looked at her in surprise. “What are you doing?”

“Well, you said I was gonna have to pay back that piggyback ride you gave me before,” Seohyun said innocently.

Yonghwa smiled in disbelief. “Hehe. Ya, you’re too naïve you know that?” Yonghhwa said, laughing. “Okay, if you insist,” Yonghwa said before getting on her back.

“Aigoo, Yonghwa-ssi.. Why are you so heavy? Did you eat a whole elephant?” Seohyun joked.

“Haha, funny. Now, mush horsie! mush!” Yonghwa joked back.