Baek Ye-rin always does something she calls “deliberation” before singing a song.
It concerns how she is about to approach the song and what emotions she will put into it.
That said, it remains purely her personal interpretation.
It may be right sometimes, but there are moments when it could be wrong as well.
In that sense, there exists a method to more certainly and easily know the correct answer.
By directly asking the person who composed the song.
For this reason, Baek Ye-rin often inquired of Ryu Won on how to sing a certain song.
And the answer he gave her was always the same:
“Just sing it like you. That’s the right way.”
Baek Ye-rin didn’t understand.
For the composer to just let the singer do as she pleases without specific instruction seemed no different from not offering any direction at all.
But there was a hidden meaning in what he was trying to convey.
There was no need to perfectly align with the composer’s intention.
Avoid being confined by rigid limitations, just sing like yourself…
Freely.
Because every song Ryu Won gave to Baek Ye-rin was meant for her.
Thus, how she sang it was entirely up to her heart.
But “Rewind” was a little different.
This song was the one that made Ryu Won famous in his previous life and could also be considered the work that awakened him as a composer.
Contrary to his eventual success, however, the song <Rewind> was based on negative emotions.
The feelings of emptiness and futility that came with realizing the loss of someone precious and the impossibility of achieving his dreams.
The deep regret and sadness of leading a life moving further away from his dreams by living a lie.
Ironically, within this negativity, Ryu Won clung to one glimmer of “hope.”
Praying to a deity of sorts…
To go back.
To be given another chance.
With this hope in mind, Ryu Won composed the song <Rewind>, and ultimately, his wish came true.
Well… technically, it’s still ongoing.
Anyway, <Rewind> was an exceptionally special song to Ryu Won.
While he was uncertain of the exact reason, he had this premonition.
Perhaps it was because of this song that a miracle happened to him.
And there was one person who seemed to have sensed his special feelings regarding this song.
“Hey, I have a question about this song.”
“What is it?”
“You’ve mentioned before that composers often convey their personal experiences and emotions through songs.”
“Not an incorrect statement.”
“So, is this song the same?”
At Baek Ye-rin’s question, Ryu Won wore a somewhat perplexed expression but eventually nodded in affirmation.
“Yeah, you could say <Rewind> is a song derived from my personal regrets.”
At that moment, Baek Ye-rin remembered clearly.
Ryu Won’s faint, bittersweet smile that day.
That smile was directed solely at her, Baek Ye-rin.
…Though she wasn’t sure exactly why.
She didn’t know what his regrets stemmed from or why he gave her such a smile.
But there was one clear thing.
The more she sang the song, the more naturally she realized that the person this song suited the most wasn’t her.
Thus, she had no intention of freely singing this song.
Instead, she planned on following someone’s style.
The way she first heard <Rewind> in the car with Kang Beom-jun—the version Ryu Won personally recorded.
Baek Ye-rin’s voice, teary and heartfelt, melds perfectly with the heavy piano accompaniment, creating a harmony that resonates on stage.
The stage was enveloped in dry ice smoke, with Baek Ye-rin standing at its center, slowly reaching out her hand.
“Because I want to see your smile again.”
“I want to go back.”
As her image and the song overlapped, the audience instinctively shrank, their chests feeling heavy. The heart-wrenching atmosphere she projected was impossible to resist.
But this was only the first verse.
Ryu Won did not intend for <Rewind> to be filled solely with sorrow and regret.
Thus…
“This time, I’m going first.”
“I’ll be the one to come to you.”
The music gradually shifts.
The melody brightens ever so slightly.
If the part about regret was about the past, then the current section is about correcting that regret.
Perhaps…
“I desperately want to tell you something.”
“…Because of this story.”
Maybe this story is already beginning to unfold beyond the confines of a song.
Because a miracle has happened.
And the witness to this miracle sits among the audience, watching Baek Ye-rin on stage.
Ryu Won gave her a wry smile.
“Just sing it like you.”
He had previously advised her this, but the Baek Ye-rin currently singing on stage didn’t appear to have that intention.
She sang in a style entirely different from the original track.
And Ryu Won knew better than anyone whose style it was.
His own.
Thus, it felt like she was whispering to him.
“You’re the answer.”
“Singing <Rewind> like you is what it should be.”
“So, I’m merely singing your story to the world.”
If this was Baek Ye-rin’s conclusion…
“Then it must be the right answer.”
There was no way Ryu Won could suppress the wry smile tugging at his lips.
Because, in the moment Baek Ye-rin began singing, the owner of the song had changed.
The song now belonged to him.
To him, and no one else—a song with the composer’s story interwoven within.
And through this song, he wanted to convey a message to her.
“Let’s leave regret behind.”
“I want to move forward with you.”
As the song raced towards its conclusion, the lighting on Baek Ye-rin started to dim, the music gradually fading, as if the instruments were whispering, though it was not yet over.
Lifting her head, Baek Ye-rin gazed somewhere in the audience, naturally catching someone’s eyes, and took one last breath before continuing.
“This time, I will…”
“Be your light.”
And the stage ended.
The performance from Baek Ye-rin had concluded.
Now that all the participants of today’s Music Save had finished their performances, it was time to announce the number one spot.
However, they couldn’t proceed.
This was truly an unprecedented scene.
Not a single sound could be heard. The Music Save venue was completely silent, as if not a mouse dared to stir.
Still immersed in the performance, all eyes were fixed on the now-empty stage, their expressions betraying confusion over what they had just witnessed.
And within this atmosphere…
“Absolutely overwhelming, don’t you think?”
Kang Beom-jun alone wore a faint smile.
Crushed.
It was likely the most fitting description of what he had just observed in Baek Ye-rin’s performance.
<Rewind> was a song about seeking hope at the end of regret.
A song perfectly suited to close the final act of today.
Furthermore, Baek Ye-rin had demonstrated something in this live performance.
Why she was chosen by composer Ha-on.
It was a stage so perfect and resonant that it surpassed even the festival stage from last year.
…Which meant…
Now was the time to see his reaction.
The self-proclaimed biggest fan of Baek Ye-rin, the singer.
Kang Beom-jun turned his head.
And there he saw Ryu Won, smiling with evident satisfaction.
“Ugh. Kind of a boring reaction.”
“You mean should he have shed tears or something?”
“I really thought he would.”
“Boss, I’m not a crybaby.”
“But didn’t you cry like crazy in the car that time?”
Kang Beom-jun chuckled at the memory.
Letting out a deep sigh at the sight of him, Ryu Won responded:
“But I was deeply moved nonetheless, as this marks the realization of my dream.”
Ryu Won reflected on his dream.
Simply having Baek Ye-rin sing his songs—and even more so, to witness her interpret and perform them live on stage.
It was far from humble, and yet, it was a dream he had cherished for a long time.
And now, at this very moment, it had come true.
However…
“Seems like dreams don’t end so easily.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
“The end of one dream is the beginning of a new one.”
Kang Beom-jun still wore an expression of confusion.
Ryu Won smirked and continued.
“I now find myself longing to hear Ye-rin’s voice in a much bigger venue.”
“Like?”
“Let’s start with the biggest in Korea—Jamsil Stadium.”
As he said this, Ryu Won extended his fist toward Kang Beom-jun.
It was a gesture of shared intent, a silent promise to strive together going forward.
Without hesitation, Kang Beom-jun returned the fist bump with an equally sly grin.
“To that effect, this has got to be the most gentlemanly thing you’ve said so far.”
The top award at Music Save was inevitably taken by Baek Ye-rin with <Rewind>, dominating with overwhelming numbers.
Afterwards, Baek Ye-rin’s acceptance speech and encore performance wrapped up successfully, and exactly one hour later,
“Alright, let’s mark the occasion of Ye-rin’s first-ever music show win. This one’s on me!”
RT Entertainment held a commemorative dinner.
The meal was free, so naturally, I joined, finding myself naturally seated next to Baek Ye-rin by the looks of it.
Baek Ye-rin appeared somewhat fatigued.
Not only had she participated in the early morning music show recording, but she apparently received a severe scolding from her manager Lee Ha-ri on the way here…
That said, this was expected of her.
Regardless, she had escaped punishment by earnestly assuring everyone present that she wouldn’t misbehave again, turning a potential serious situation into a light-hearted moment.
…Alright.
There were no issues so far.
“How was today’s performance?”
“My thought is, <Rewind> probably needs to be re-recorded; it was that good.”
“Good to hear that… What a relief…”
Upon hearing my response, Baek Ye-rin responded with a sigh of relief, flashing a faint smile.
Up to this point, everything was fine.
“Try this.”
“Hehe, you look so good when you eat like that.”
“Should I wrap this one for you?”
Things were all going smoothly until Baek Ye-rin started to take peculiar care of me.
…What now?
As I took another leafy wrap that Baek Ye-rin prepared for me, I paused to reflect.
Baek Ye-rin has always been kind to me.
Her inherently compassionate nature probably contributed to this behavior.
But something seemed different this time.
I glanced her way to find her smiling at me affectionately.
It was the kind of gaze where “the eyes seem to sparkle with honey.”
And I caught someone else’s gaze directed straight at us.
Looking ahead, I saw members of RT Entertainment, including Kang Beom-jun, pretending to enjoy the dinner while covertly observing us.
…?
What’s going on here?
