he makes a face. he can’t help himself, the muscles of his face acting as if on their own: there’s a tension in his eyebrows, pushing them a bit towards each other, the corners of his mouth turn a little downwards and a nostril on one side flares just slightly. he knows it’s rude, to make that kind of face, upon hearing a music most definitely coming from someone much more experienced than himself, created for someone of such idol caliber as krystal of f(x) herself – but he simply can’t help it. there’s just something in the crude tones of music, the noise it creates, the drafted words attached to it–something that both his mind, heart and body despises even beyond his consciousness and rule over his own reactions.
yoongi would lie if he said he’s not relieved to see that the older female – one of the idols he looked up to with starstruck eyes still a few years back, when he himself was struggling to make it through and not give in to the idea of disbandment – approved of his reaction. more than that, it sparked a whole deal of amusement upon realizing that her one pretty much matched his own.
“it’s just a demo though, right?” he asks, eyebrows still drawn together, but now, rather than an exaggerated expression of distaste, it’s more of an automatic gesture accompanying his thinking process. every company, even every producer, works in their own ways, but some things rarely changed: first, there is a need, there an idea, followed by a rough draft, a demo, moving onto adjustments (or scraping the project, which, in yoongi’s humble opinion, would be the best in this case) and eventually finalizing the track – which meant there’s still plenty of time to fix what’s broken.
“i have no idea how these things work with your label, we… well, i think we’re very lucky to have a lot of power over the creative process of the music itself. i know it’s rarely the case,” yoongi admits, trying to thread his words carefully, as to not accidentally offend the fellow idol or her label–they are a powerhouse on the korean entertainment’s market, and they were it for a reason. yoongi, no matter what and how much he has achieved, is in no position to ill-speak of them. even if, in this particular moment, his feelings are less than impressed.
“but can’t you somehow–impact their decision? i mean, you know your fans best. the management has numbers, sure, but there’s nobody more aware of what is expected by those who has stood by your side for years, than yourself. and in the end, your goal is the same: for the thing you put out to be successful–well, unless there’s something going on behind the scenes and they’re trying to sink you,” it’s a rather open and brave after-thought, and yoongi cringes inwardly at the fact that he voiced it at all; god damn it, min yoongi, hold your fucking genius tongue back sometimes, will you.
“what i’m saying is, they should at least consider your opinion, if only you come forth with it. tell them it’s garbage–uh, no, don’t tell them exactly that, but–you know. or try fixing it yourself, i mean, it’s not all bad… if you switched tempo here and there, added some beats, and rewrote the atrocious draft of chorus, it might make a bit more sense,” for a second there, he goes into his producer mode, turning in his swivel chair and tapping against the keyboard of his small studio, highlighting some parts on the screen, deleting others, copy-pasting some bits; all done on a demo that surely was adorned by a whole load of confidentiality policies that both of them are breaching at the very moment. oh well. what the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over, or something like that.
“i can help,” he says eventually, turning back around in her direction. it takes quite a bit of guts to say that, seeing how he is just a little dot on the entire picture that she is one of the main characters of, but he says it anyway, and he’s slightly proud of himself for this impromptu bravery. “there’s everything you may need here, and sure, it might take some time and efforts and logistic problems, but if you think there’s a chance it may impact their final decision, i think it’s worth trying.”
an involuntary and slightly bitter laugh leaves her as soon as she hears his implication. she knew he probably didn’t mean it that way, but she couldn’t help her amusement, the thought having occurred to her several times over the past two years and some-odd months of radio silence from her own agency, watching from the sidelines.
“sm? trying to sink us? this might sound out of line, speaking badly of them, but since i’m pretty sure they don’t have this place bugged, i think you’re absolutely right.” she leans back in her chair, crossing her legs almost instinctively, lost in thought for a moment as she speaks. “see… the thing is, it’s been like that for a while now. no comebacks, no special track appearances, none of our individual activities mentioned… hell. i do my reading, and people think we’ve already disbanded.” she pauses for a moment, pursing her lips at the rather upsetting notion, before continuing. “i don’t think it’s any secret that it’s been all about red velvet since the moment they debuted. don’t get me wrong… i love those girls. but the company sees how successful they are, and we suddenly look like old news. it’s their changing of the guard, so to speak. maybe i sound a little paranoid, but i think we’re being phased out. and this comeback… this comeback’s success means everything. it could make us, or break us, and i’d really like to not go out like this.”
she lets her words sit for a moment, tilting her head to listen to her companion’s input. he was right; the company should value her opinion. whether or not they would, however, was debatable, but krys was pulled from that thought process when he turned his back to her, changing up some things on the track while she looked on. years back, a younger version of herself would have freaked out― wouldn’t have even had the demo in the first place. but the pressure of knowing she needed to do something had led her to ‘accidentally’ slip the flash drive into her purse when a certain producer had cast his eyes elsewhere. and i can’t say i’m even sorry.
she wasn’t fully expecting the word ‘help,’ but hearing it turned on some sort of light in her, a hopeful smile illuminating her features. “really? would you?” krys beams, and immediately kicks herself for her kid-in-a-candy-store tone of voice. woah there. cool it. she may have had more industry experience than suga, but her repeated listens to his work and that of his group’s had built up a high respect for him in her mind― one that her shyness had previously held her back from expressing. trying to adopt a more relaxed expression, krys still couldn’t help nodding vigorously. “i mean… if you have the time, my whole group would be so grateful. i just know that something good can come of this, and… knowing what i do about the things you’ve already worked on, i trust your judgement. i’ll help too!… if i can. i’m not as versed in all of this as you,” she admits, waving her hand toward his monitor, “but i might be able to help tell what sounds good… again, if it’s not too much to ask.”