17 April 2018.

The date for their comebacks are set. It’s ready to be released in a few days just after Taekwoon’s last stage in The Last Kiss.

The concept and story board are all set, costumes have been approved and are in the workshop. All the songs are picked, 9 new songs in total. 9 songs have to be recorded, main vocal tract and the background vocal overlay. 9 songs Wonshik have to micro examine. 9 songs that required massive communication to convey ideas. 9 songs that becomes the reason for a million and one argument between 6 brothers.

In the last couple of weeks they have been recording almost non-stop, ever since Wonshik was allowed back in the recording studio. Recording will start not long after 10 am and won’t stop until way past mid night. If members are not in the recording booth, they will be monitoring and discussing about arrangements. Rehearsing lines and coming up with choreography possibilities. During this time there were no off switch to their job, it consumes them completely. All the while still keeping up with other individual schedules.

The most frequent arguments were between Taekwoon and Wonshik. They had a history of fighting on the job, pretty much all the time. During the creating period of Whisper, they had a big fight that seeped into their promotion period. Only calming down after the first few days and able to put genuine chemistry for the camera. It’s no different this time around. Wonshik had been the bulldozer that he is, seeking for nothing short of perfection.

It was late at night the sound engineer had been sent home and Wonshik was manning the mixing table, they were in the Jellyfish studio recording the vocals for My Valentine. Arguably one of the hardest vocals to do since the song was set to such a high range with complicated vocal layers. For the chorus alone, Taekwoon needs to do two separate layers that are only half a not apart. At his point they have been recording since the morning and Taekwoon had gone straight from the theater to follow in after Jaehwan’s session. Hongbin was there seated next to Wonshik with his own sets on notes and keeping track of the tracks recorded.

“Hyung, can you do that part again? This time try not to put so much tension in. I need it to sound a little airier.” Wonshik spoke through the mic connecting the recording booth and mixing room.

“Alright.” The music was playing again and Taekwoon sang the line again. This time pushing more air and sounding a little huskier while maintaining the falsetto.

“Alright, just like that hyung. Let’s do that a few more times.” Taekwoon does it again. And again. And again.

“YAH!! Wonshik-ah!! I did that like 17 times already. What more do you need from me?!”

“Just a little more hyung.”

“How many more times, Shik?” Taekwoon said from within the booth. “Do you really need that many samples?”

“Do you want this song to turn out good?” Wonshik barked into the mic.

“Of course I do. Do you think I’m only playing around?!” Taekwoon barked back.

“Then do it a few more times, this time keep the difference. You keep on mixing the two melodies!”

“Of course it’s easy for you to say that!! Go ahead come here and record this line! You think it’s easy to hit such high notes repeatedly? Why the do you always do this to me?” The older’s frustration showing through. “Excuse me but my balls dropped quite some years ago. This notes does not come easy!! And pushing the air out like you want me to do is hurting my throat!”

“So you want me to change the whole song to fit your needs? Sure then Your Highness.” Wonshik spat out. Taking a jab at the princely role Taekwoon is currently doing for his musical.

Taekwoon stormed out of the booth. He looked angry. He crossed the two steps between the booth and their desk in a fury, grabbed Wonshik by the collar, hauling him to his feet.

At this Hongbin sprung to his feet. Trying to plant his body between the two members.

“Now you are mocking my show! Sure then mister Hip-Hop lord! Try doing a full 3 hour show and then follow your own ty attitude in the studio! Go ahead if you think your work is so royal. I bet you are only going to cry!” Taekwoon left hand had already drawn back, ready to put another crook on Wonshik’s nose.

“Hyung, hyung…. Calm down.” Hongbin tried. “Wonshik only want to do this in one go, so that you don’t have to do this line again tomorrow. Hyung calm down. Shouting is only going to hurt you further.” He tried to reason, while holding back Taekwoon’s impending punch.

“Taekwoon-ssi. Do you think you are the only one being tired because of a show? I am the one that had to listen to all of this back! Every time you ed up the line, the more I have to spend in weeding it out.” Wonshik barked. His breath rose too, his chest puffed out.

At times like this Hongbin resent the few centimeters both members had over him. Even though both of them are skinnier than he is, they are much stronger when combined and he is struggling to keep them apart.

“YAH!! Both of you calm the down!! We are not getting any work done here!! Takewoon-hyung, put your hand down, no punching is happening. Wonshik, you’re being impossible!” Honbin finally shouted above the bickering. His baritone booming in the room. He is between the two men, his left hand grabing Taekwoon’s wrist his right forearm surpressing Wonshik’s chest. “We are taking a break! Taekwoon-hyung go take a break. We will pick it back up tomorrow. Don’t drink anymore coffee. Please, just walk away.” Hongbin tried to reason after the glare Taekwoon shot his way.

Taekwoon huffed and let go, he made way to gather his things and leave but not before shooting death glares towards Wonshik.

The room was silent after the older member left. Wonshik’s breath had calmed down a little but he was still audibly huffing.

“Shik, you were being to him.” Wonshik dropped down to the sofa in the back of the room. “You were being unnecessarily harsh to him. C’mon man, he was right. He already did a 3 hour show today, you can be a bit more merciful on his voice.”

With his face planted on the brown leather Wonshik muffled out “What am I supposed to do then?”

“Not make him do so many reps? I’m sure we already got like 5 perfect sample from him an hour ago!”

“You can’t be sure though.”

“Oh I am sure. Because the more you push him the more tired he is, the shakier his vocals get. You know that, Shik-ah this is the 4^th year you are producing.” Then his phone vibrated from his jeans pocket. Really, Honbin was not in the mood to answer any call, so he just ignored it. “Why are you such a little anyway? You were being perfectly nice to Jaehwan earlier.”

“Can you stop calling me ?”

“Only when you stop being one.”

“Ei! I’m tired too okay, I have been holed up in the place for days now. I haven’t shaved in ages. I miss my puppy and I can’t remember when the last time I got laid was!”

“So is this only about you being after recording with Jaehwan and then you take it out on the hopelessly straight Taekwoon-hyung?!”

“Since when does my and ual preferences a part of this conversation??!”

“Since you mention it? I mean the only one regularly getting some amongst us are only Hakyeon-hyung. He’s over at Wongeun’s place all the time.”

“And Sanghyuk. I’m sure half the time he is out it’s not for work all the time. He filed in the base tract for his song weeks ago.” Wonshik had fully calmed down now. Being Wonshik, he can just get riled up and cool down in matters of minutes.

“He got a girlfriend?” Hongbin asked.

“I’m sure. It’s just a wonder that he haven’t introduces her to us.”

“How sure?”

“He got scratched on his back ‘sure’.”

“Damn, scratches huh. How did you know?”

“Did you forget that I still share a bedroom with him? And we change in and out of clothes in the room. And he was just there, scratches on his back. I don’t think I’ve been with anyone that scratched that badly. I’ve had biter, but not scratcher.”

“EW! Too much info!! If he has a girlfriend then why is he so hostile over the whole me and Eunjung thing?!” His friend only shrugged.

“C’mon, I need some air. I can’t stay in this room anymore. Let’s grab something before I have to go back and check the recording.” Wonshik said as he got up from the couch and blow out the scented candle on the desk.

“You’re still going to work? Can you still concentrate?” Hongbin grabbed his phone and wallet.

“I gotto man. With the pace we are working on, we are not going to finish everything before it’s due for printing.” Wonshik shook his hair out of his beany. It’s matted to his scalp already. “So I had a meeting with Hwang-nim earlier today. He’s still not happy with the tittle tract, again. ARG!! What do I do?!!”

Hongbin patted him on the back as they walked out of the studio. Hongbin felt sorry for his friend, with the amount oof time he is working. Wonshik does claim that he likes his job and what he is doing, and Hongbin never doubt him about it, but with how much Wonshik is working he’s just afraid that his lovable idiotic friend would burn out a little earlier than necessary. For their late night scnack, they decided to go to the convenience store a block away from the office. Restaurants are already closing down for the night. People walking home from their social events. Couples holding hands as they walk.

They both got discounted bowls of teokbokki and steamed buns. During recording time, Hongbin is used to just throw away his diet plan, and hopefully burn enough of it in the gym. Wonshik tried, he really did, but at this point the way he eats and keep in diets are part of his lifestyle. But with the exhaustion and stress he caved and loosen up his eating habit too. They did not try to fill the short walk to and from the store with chatter. They know that emotions are still a little raw from the encounter with Taekwoon earlier, and they still have a whole night of work and a morning of apologizing to the older member.

When they got back into the studio, they were expecting it to be empty. But they found Sanghyuk in the room. His large body spread out on the couch. He was reading from a paper, most likely lyric sheets. Hearing them enter the room, he sat up.

“Hyung!! I thought you went home already, but then the light was still on and the computer was only on sleep. So I waited. Thank God you’re still here.”

“What is it Hyuk?” Wonshik said and he made his way to the mixing table, checking over the recording files.

“I was just thinking to do a few more takes. I copied some of mine earlier today, and I’m not too happy with it. What do you think?” the large man moved to the chair next to Wonshik. Only sparing a glance at Hongbin’s direction.

“Which part do you want to re-do?” Wonshik re opening the sub sequence with Hyuk’s vocal showing. When Hyuk pointed it out they replay the section.

“It sounded fine to me.” Hongbin said. “What do you want to change?”

“I just think that I can sing it a little clearer. Before it’s layered with Leo-hyung’s vocal.”

“Let’s try it with Leo-hyung’s vocal. We recorded it already.” Wonshik said. As he quickly sorted thru the result of a dramatic recording session earlier. He quickly put together a temporary mock tract with the two vocals and music and listen thru the section. “Hm…”

“See hyung, I feel like it doesn’t match. My lines are too slurred. Let me do it again a few more times.”

Wonshik looked at Hyuk, then looked at Hongbin. His face clearly displayed how tired he is, and how reluctant he is at having to add a few more recording to check later. “What do you think, Binn-ah?”

“Hm? I think it sounds just fine. I mean it’s not the final mix with all of the music arrangement right. I’m not sure if recording it a few more time is going to be any different in the final cut. With the adjustment, it will get faded anyway.”

“What, so you think I can’t try to make things a little better?” Sanghyuk challenged.

“It’s not that I don’t want it to be better. But if you record some more, it means there will be more work for Shikkie. And it it’s not going to be any different, why do you need to push him through it?”

“How about the beginning of the song? There will not be much instrumentation there!”

“That part is fine too Hyuk-ah. I already picked the tract from the ones you did yesterday.”

“But I’m sure with more samples, you can get better ones, right?!”

“Then you are just undoing everything he did last night. Please Hyuk-ah, don’t do this to Shikkie. Jisoo-noonna already scold this idiot with the amount of wrinkles on that thing he call a face.” Hongbin tried to lightly reason with the younger man.

Sanghyuk looked at the both of them. “What is it with you two? It’s weird that you don’t want to push for the best.”

“We do want the best! And I think we already got the best. I let The Boss listened to that part already, and it’s already been approved.”

“Well, not the best. I think this album needs to be super extra. We have a lot to make up for.”

“What do you mean? What exactly do we need to make up for?”

“Well, we have a million reason to believe that this is the last of VIXX.”

“Yah! Sanghyuk, what are you saying?”

“What, you think starlight will all be kind and all smiles when they found out about how stupid you are? And the even stupider decision you made?”

Hongbin whipped his head to the younger member. Face hardened.

“Do you expect this whole out-of-wedlock baby will just blow over without any damage? I know you are not the smartest, nor the ones that cared the most. But please don’t be so naïve.” The younger man went on. The annoyance in his face is clear. “I have seen idols went down with less scandal than a baby. Their album sales drop, they were refused from tv programs and public appearances.”

“Sanghyuk, stop it right there.” Wonshik warned him.

“Or what hyung?! The damage is done! It’s been done since Hongbin was crazy enough to keep it.” Sanghyuk was glaring sharply at this point to Hongbin. Hongbin was thankful of the coffee table that is still between them, the only piece of furniture that is stopping him from pounding on the other man. “So this album needs to be extra good. With extra merch. So that if the next album is destroyed and we lose all support, and we ended up jobless at least we have something to live off of.”

Sanghyuk grabbed his bag and made a motion to the door. Hongbin take a hold of his shoulder. “Yah, are you blaming my son for something so uncertain? He’s not even born yet!”

“And here we are, waiting for the ends of our careers.” The tall man walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Hongbin threw a nearby water bottle at his direction, but he was too late. It hit the door instead. He is angry. He is livid. He is sad. He is disappointed. He felt protective. He felt like he had done nothing useful in his life. “ARGH!!” He punched the air.

“Binn-ah, don’t listen to him. He’s just scared.”

“And you don’t think that I’m scared?! Every single day since I found out that Eunjung is pregnant I have been terrified! Do you think I don’t feel guilty?! I do, Wonshik!! Every single time I think of the prospect of being a father of raising my son as pretty much a single father! The possibility that I will screw up everything. What if I bring this child to the world only to face a horrible life? What if I failed as a father and my child grew up a little er? Every time I look at Eunjung, do you think I don’t feel like I have ruined her life?! She have so much going on for her, and all I did was walk in, ed and mess it up! She tried to hide this from me, and says that everything is alright. But I know that she had been missing classes and works. Shik I made her delay her graduation because she can’t finish up her research!! I made her put her life on hold for a baby she did not even want! Oh my… what would she say to any man that wants to be with her? They will be spooked when she said she have a child already, what man wants to be associated with a baby that is not theirs? I have ruined her shot at a happy life, Wonshik-ah.” At this point his breath was ragged, his voice hoarse and his eyes started to sting. “You think I don’t have the same fear that Sanghyuk had? Shik I read the fancafe every day. Wondering what starlights will say when they found out. I love that they have been giving us nothing short of warm love and support, but what do you think they will feel? This is the biggest betrayal they would never expect, this is not what they signed up for. They will tear me to pieces.  And then I see you. I see all of you…….. I have ruined our lives.”

“Hongbin-ah.” Wonshik rushed forward, out of his chair to wrap his arms around Hongbin’s wide shoulder, currently slouched and curled in. “Ssshhh….. Calm don’t. You will be a great father, and we will always be there for you and Red Bean. Your child is not a mistake Bin.”

The tears are burning its way out of Hongbin’s eyes. Ripping across his heart. He weakly clutched the back of Wonshik’s hoodie.

“Hongbin, don’t listen to everything that he said in such high emotion.”

“But he’s right. He’s just the only one that express it. I know that all of us are scared. I know that all of you hate me for insisting on keeping the baby. Shik, I know how much you value your work. You can be angry at me, you deserve to be angry at me. Why are you still here, defending me?”

“But I’m not. I’m nervous, and anxious. But I don’t hate you. And I don’t hate Red Bean, I never could. If I hate you and Red Bean, why would I help build the crib? If I hate you and Red Bean why would I buy all of those cute sneakers and onsies? I don’t think I will ever exchange my y sports car for a boring SUV for people that I hate.”

“Thank You, Shik.” Hongbin pulled away, to get some air. “Really, the reason you exchange your car is for Red Bean?”

“I don’t think it’s safe to put a child with the car seat on a sports car. I don’t think the baby car seat even fit in my old car.”

“Shik-ah. You loveable idiot!” Hongbin pulled Wonshik into another tight hug.

“Okay, now you are being a little dramatic, and you start to hug like N-hyung. You’re scaring me….” Hogbin still haven’t let go. “Bro, seriously you can let me go now. C’mon let me go, so we can lock up and go home. I can’t work anymore. Too much.”