Yoon Se-hee.
She is 17 years old.
Two years ago, she was unexpectedly street-casted and entered one of the top three entertainment agencies, Queen. Within just six months, she made her debut, showcasing an incredible talent.
Yoon Se-hee knows the reason she was able to debut as an idol was largely due to her appearance. The fact that she was street-casted in the first place proves that much.
Moreover, in the group Iris, she is openly introduced as the youngest member and the visual担当.
However, the truth is that her musical talent isn’t all that bad. With proper training and practice, she reached a certain level of proficiency.
The issue is that Yoon Se-hee has a fairly introverted personality.
She usually feels shy around others and finds it difficult to initiate conversations with strangers. As a result, when she performs on stage or appears on TV, her expression tends to stiffen up.
Because of this, she earned the nickname “Ice Princess,” which might actually be a bit of a sad moniker for Yoon Se-hee.
Nevertheless, one of the reasons she eagerly accepted the casting offer was her desire to change her introverted self to some extent.
To a certain degree, it worked.
Thanks to the support and love from many fans, Yoon Se-hee can now naturally communicate with them.
She dyed her hair in bright colors to shake off her stiff image, approached her favorite celebrity at the Korean Popular Music Awards on her own…
Ultimately, it was a rewarding experience, but there was a moment early in her career when she thought being an idol wasn’t right for her.
Perhaps she still thinks that way.
Despite this, she has no intention of leaving the idol world.
It’s because of something she had witnessed.
Baek Ye-rin.
An overnight musical genius who suddenly appeared.
When Yoon Se-hee first saw Baek Ye-rin’s songs and performances, she was absolutely astonished.
How could a girl her own age shine so brilliantly and be so cool on stage?
The singer’s singer, the entertainer’s entertainer.
In Yoon Se-hee’s mind, Baek Ye-rin became the archetype of such an image, and it was only natural that she became a loyal fan.
And perhaps she had an underlying thought:
“I want to become like that girl…”
If not at the same level, she at least wanted to get closer.
Yoon Se-hee has never been someone who harbored much ambition.
She had never entertained the thought of being the center of a stage.
Frankly, in her career as part of a girl group, she has never been the center.
It was unavoidable, given the girl group structure where each member performs her part, merging to form a single protagonist.
But a few days ago, a particular melody ignited ambition inside her.
“STAY.”
A spontaneous piano composition Yoon Se-hee happened upon during lunchtime.
The melody instantly captivated her.
It was a sound that inspired hope.
Unlike Baek Ye-rin, Yoon Se-hee had never shone alone on a stage…
She had never even been alone on it.
And yet, this sound made her imagine doing just that.
Fortunately, an opportunity arose.
Freshman welcoming ceremony.
She was asked by a teacher to step in for Baek Ye-rin, who had other commitments.
Honestly, she wasn’t without the desire to decline.
Because of her busy schedule, during her off-periods, she simply wanted to rest.
But the ambition she felt completely overpowered her laziness.
If that boy were to help her…
Would she be able to stand proudly as the protagonist on that stage?
And so, Yoon Se-hee laid everything out honestly to the boy.
Since he had seriously asked her for her story, she felt obligated to honestly answer.
After all, the request came entirely from her side.
Of course, from the moment she decided to be honest, Yoon Se-hee’s ears were red from the start to the end, evidence that it took courage for her, despite her shyness.
“Hmm… I get the gist of what you’re saying.”
Thus, it was now Ryu Won’s turn to respond.
Ryu Won thought for a moment after hearing Yoon Se-hee’s heartfelt words, then slowly spoke, as if something had occurred to him.
“Here’s a question. What’s Baek Ye-rin’s birthday?”
“Umm… July 21st.”
“Debut date?”
“March 14th.”
“And her hobbies?”
“Cooking and music appreciation?”
“Finally, her MBTI type?”
“I believe she doesn’t want to be defined by a specific type and hasn’t taken the test.”
Yoon Se-hee’s immediate and unwavering answers contained no errors whatsoever.
For that reason, Ryu Won…
Clap clap clap—
Couldn’t help but applaud.
With an expression that seemed genuinely moved.
Yoon Se-hee tilted her head in confusion at the spontaneous applause directed at her.
But from his perspective, it was only natural.
Seeing someone just like him standing right there.
A true fan of Baek Ye-rin.
That single phrase had quickly earned her Ryu Won’s favor.
Especially since everyone around him was merely casual followers of Baek Ye-rin, so the effect was powerful.
‘This. This is right.’
Should the person who sings beautifully on stage, Baek Ye-rin, be overshadowed by someone like Ha-on who simply composes her songs?
Ryu Won looked at Yoon Se-hee with a smile full of warmth and spoke again.
“Never would have imagined that a famous idol like you would be a fan of Baek Ye-rin.”
“That’s your prejudice. Any person who sees Ye-rin’s songs and performances would have to be strange not to be a fan, right?”
“Kyaa! I think we’ll get along really well.”
Thus, the two briefly deviated from the subject, diving into a conversation about Baek Ye-rin.
It was said to be a discussion that went beyond mere praise, reaching the level of worship.
“Haa… I should’ve talked to you earlier.”
“Hmm… Telling you now, but I didn’t know you were such a hardcore fan.”
After an intensely heated exchange about Baek Ye-rin, Ryu Won and Yoon Se-hee looked at each other and smiled faintly.
It seemed both felt they could likely become quite close friends soon.
“Anyway, let’s get back to the main topic. You’re asking for help with the freshman welcoming ceremony stage, right?”
“Right. I really need your help.”
“Hmm. There’s about 10 days until the welcoming ceremony, isn’t there? Given that time, we might possibly be able to help with the arrangement and stage direction.”
“Really?”
At Ryu Won’s words, Yoon Se-hee’s eyes sparkled.
Seeing that reaction, Ryu Won could only smile wryly.
Well… In truth, within that amount of time, it would be possible to create a new song.
‘But this is a mere freshman welcoming ceremony stage; helping this much might be too much, and it’s a bit tedious.’
Of course, he wasn’t helping entirely because Yoon Se-hee was a die-hard fan of Baek Ye-rin…
Or, was he?
At any rate, supporting the dream of a popular idol who idolizes Baek Ye-rin wouldn’t be a bad form of volunteer work.
Moreover…
“In any case, I’ll count this as a debt. Later, you’ve got to do something for me too.”
“Of course!”
It’s not a bad idea to have a favor from a popular idol. Arranging a song isn’t that difficult for me.
With that thought in mind, Ryu Won continued.
“First, let’s decide which song to arrange. I think it would be good to use one from the group Iris you’re a part of. Is there any particular song you like?”
“Hmm… Probably the most accessible would be <Kiss You>?”
Ryu Won nodded in agreement.
<Kiss You> was currently the group Iris’ signature song.
“New choreography might be needed too. Would that be okay? I don’t really have much experience with that.”
“Considering practice time, about a week should be enough, I think.”
At this, Yoon Se-hee felt a pang of regret.
Judging by the tight schedule, creating entirely new choreography would almost definitely be impossible.
But Yoon Se-hee had no idea…
“Well, that seems sufficient. I’ll probably give you something by tomorrow, so figure out the choreography on your own.”
“???”
Yoon Se-hee had no clue about the abilities Ryu Won possessed…
As soon as he got home, Ryu Won immediately looked up the stage video for <Kiss You>.
<Kiss You> was, as the title suggested, a rather sexy concept song.
A song about a woman’s determination to tempt the one she loves, ultimately stealing their lips in the end.
I focused on Yoon Se-hee’s performance in the video.
Definitely, Yoon Se-hee’s strengths are clear.
Superb dance skills, a stable voice, and her gaze when performing on stage are exceptional. You can feel she’s fully immersed and concentrating in the song.
Still, with how short her trainee period was supposed to be, her talent can’t be discounted.
<Kiss You> was rather fitting for Yoon Se-hee.
Wouldn’t such a proud and cold image match well with a sexy concept song?
Structurally, there’s no denying it fits.
But…
I couldn’t help but think of the conversations and impressions I’d gathered from Yoon Se-hee today.
And if that’s her true nature…
“Wouldn’t it be okay?”
A single word began to dominate my mind.
That word was none other than “gap moe.”
Yoon Se-hee, who normally has a cold, proud image.
What would happen if she took over the stage in a manner completely different from her usual persona?
A picture was gradually forming in my mind. To bring that image into reality, I opened the composing software and began the arrangement.
It’ll probably be a song entirely different from the original <Kiss You>, but…
If it results in a good stage, isn’t that all that matters?
*
The day after Yoon Se-hee asked Ryu Won to collaborate on the project.
“Try listening to this.”
“Already finished with the arrangement of <Kiss You>?”
“Yep. Didn’t I say I’d have it ready by today?”
Ryu Won’s casual declaration left Yoon Se-hee speechless.
After all…
‘Who is this guy really?’
—
And the rest unfolds.
