{김홍중}
"I'm tired of giving people what they want and doing things that please them. Why aren't I allowed to do what I want?"
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ATEEZ SERIES: PART 1
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c h a p t e r t h r e e: i n s p i r a t i o n
✧˚₊‧༉ J I N A ༉‧₊˚✧
Night to day, rain or shine, no matter what the next day brought, I worked on my song submission for the contest, but it was becoming more and more frustrating. Perfectly good songs were being sent straight to the trash can on my computer, simply because they weren't style anyone was looking for.
But it was still no use.
I must have spent a week locked in my bedroom, with the occasional bathroom breaks and midnight munchies, but still nothing came to me.
Putting my foot down, I began to think that a change of scenery would do me some good. Quickly getting changed, I grabbed my beaten up backpack and made my way to the park in downtown Seoul.
Truth be told, this park has given me some bad memories, with it being strategically placed in the area of all the other music agencies that had flat out rejected me. But something around that vicinity could strike as inspiration for myself.
The park wasn't busy as it normally was, considering it was close to 10 in the morning on a weekday. After finding an empty picnic table near a lake, I sat down and opened up my laptop.
'Time to get down to work.'
But no work happened. An hour had gone by with a blank document on my screen. Glancing around the park, I tried my best to look for some kind of inspiration; Many couples were there and I could tell right away which were on their first dates and those who seemed to be long-term partners. There were a group of friends messing around in the grassy space.
And then there was a man. He had silver hair, a distinguishable characteristic that you could spot from a mile away. He didn't seem to look like he had a job, as he wore an oversized hoodie with sweatpants that had one too many moth holes. On his feet were mismatched slides and on his head were large headphones that seemed to block out any noise.
A sigh of disbelief found its way out as I continued to stare at the man. "Must be nice to not have to care about anything" I muttered bitterly.
Thought the park had a large array of individuals with different lives and stories, there was nothing that would help me write a hit song to get me chosen.
Just as I was beginning to pack my things up to visit Jaein, discouraged that nothing new had come to me, a loud sound caught my attention. The group of friends began to play music from a speaker they had brought. Many people, including myself, noticed the newly released track right away as it was produced and written by Hongjoong.
For once, instead of harshly critiquing the song, I decided to listen to the lyrics carefully and saw that it wasn't anything meaningful. It truly was baffling how people enjoy music like this on a day-to-day basis.
"He used baby 20 times in the span of a three minute song..."
But that song sparked an important realization in my mind; This contest- they weren't trying to find the next big producer; they were trying to find the next Hongjoong.
"If I rewrite one of my songs in the perspective that an idol group will sing it, change a few words here and there and make the beat faster rather than slower, then it'll work out!"
My confidence was slowly staring to climb its way back up as I threw myself into my work. Scrolling through the drafts of all my previous songs, I picked out what I'd like to think is my best work and began to revamp it.
The entire song writing process took hours as rewording certain words and phrases into more catchier lines took a while.
But I did it. Just as the sun began to set, I had my new and improved lyrics. Now all that was left was to add the beats and record. A smile creeped its way onto my lips as I packed up my things and left the park, now being greeted by the moon.
Rushing home, I burst through the doors, ignoring Mina and her husband's 'couple time'. After locking myself in my room, I grabbed my noise-cancelling headphones and began to change the original soundtrack.
It took majority of the night and three cups of coffee but it was done. I had finally finished the demo, just as the sun was rising on the day of the deadline.
Grabbing my laptop, I rushed into the couples room, waking them up from their deep slumber. "Rise and shine, losers! I need you input on this song, now!"
As I pressed play, I could feel a huge knot tying in my stomach. My nerves were starting to get the best of me as it was nearly impossible to read their expressions. But, the fear melted away once I saw them nodding their heads to the music and enjoying the beats. I watched my sister look up at me, putting a thumbs up in the air. "This is amazing Ji! Sounds like a best seller to me."
Letting out a sigh of relief, I paused the demo and set my laptop aside."Do you think it's good enough to send in?"
The two nodded furiously and I picked up my laptop and finally, after days of rewriting, submitted my new and Hongjoong improved demo for the contest.
Once the submission confirmation popped up on my screen, I said my goodbyes to the now awakened couple and headed straight to my own bed for a well needed nap.
