Chapter 37: Chrissy (2)

Chrissy, with her passionate and sharp beauty, was truly stunning.

But on the flip side, her piercing gaze was equally intimidating.

…Seeing her in person is even scarier.

There was a joking rumor that Chrissy’s single status was due to her sharp eyes.

Hye-yeon, who had rushed over at the prospect of seeing Benjamin, hid behind me upon seeing Chrissy.

“Oh? Isn’t there one more kid?” Chrissy asked.

“She’s coming a bit later; she’s looking after Jiyu.”

Someone had to stay with Jiyu.

Hye-yeon for an hour, Yuri for an hour.

That’s how they decided to take turns seeing Benjamin.

“Oh, introduce yourself, Chrissy. This is Adele Louis, the writer. You can just call him ‘Writer’ casually,” Benjamin said.

“Uh, hello, Writer. I’m Chrissy. P-please, I look forward to working with you.”

“Yes, nice to meet you.”

I nudged Hye-yeon, who was hiding behind me.

She stepped forward hesitantly and bowed.

“N-nice to meet you! My name is Hye-yeon!”

At her introduction, Benjamin smiled.

“Did you call me on my cell phone last time? Nice to meet you, Hye-yeon.”

“My name is Chrissy. Nice to meet you, Hye-yeon.”

“Eek!” 

Unlike her usual calm demeanor, Hye-yeon was visibly scared.

Benjamin and Chrissy tilted their heads at her reaction.

“Come on, let’s head to the restaurant first,” I said, placing a hand on Hye-yeon’s shoulder.

I figured her tension would ease soon enough.

We made our way to the hotel restaurant and sat by a window with a view.

“Wow…” 

Hye-yeon gazed around, either awestruck by her first time in such a restaurant or captivated by the stunning view outside.

“By the way, about those lyrics?” I asked, turning to Chrissy after we ordered food.

She looked back at me with a nervous expression, as if she were just as tense as Hye-yeon.

“Yes? Oh, yes! Was it too much to ask?” 

Her sharp eyes suddenly sparkled with anticipation.

“No, it’s not a big deal.”

But those eyes made me shrink a little.

Faced with a gaze so fierce it could make a passing dog roll over, I averted my eyes.

“Yes, I’ll write them.”

“…Really?”

Her eyes grew even sharper.

“Yes, I’ll write them.”

At that, her piercing gaze softened slightly.

She’s not a bad person, but those eyes are intense.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul.

But her sharp gaze blocked any view of that soul.

“I’ve never written lyrics before, so I’m not too confident, to be honest.”

“Oh, that’s okay! Even if it’s short, I’ll make it work.”

“You’ll make it work?”

“Yes.”

Chrissy had a genius talent.

She could turn even a textbook sentence into a beautiful song.

Crafting lyrics from Yongsu’s books with such precision required extraordinary skill.

“So, any text is fine… Does the genre matter?” I asked.

“No, no! Any text is fine!”

Even lighthearted lyrics could feel grand with a powerful melody.

Heavy lyrics could feel soft with a gentle tune.

Ultimately, the singer’s delivery was what mattered.

“Then… would it be okay to give you one of my drafts?”

I had some drafts.

Not many, and they were short in word count.

I kept them because I couldn’t bear to throw them away.

“Oh… T-that’s fine!” 

“Hmm.”

She didn’t look thrilled.

Her face, despite her words, was filled with disappointment.

Looks like I need to write something new.

She seemed okay with a draft, but she clearly wanted something written specifically for a song.

It’s simple yet tricky.

I listen to music, but I usually prefer classical pieces without lyrics.

Songs with lyrics distract me when I’m writing.

So, I wasn’t sure what kind of lyrics to write.

She says anything is fine, but…

It should still have some feeling, right?

As I pondered, a file flashed through my mind.

Come to think of it…

An unidentified piece, like an unknown creature, without a title.

Translated and written in multiple languages, but too vague to call a proper work.

Love.

The theme of love always produces compelling results.

Dying for love.

Waging war for love.

Singing to convey love.

Anything with the word “love” somehow feels convincing.

“Hmm.”

There’s less music about love now, but in the past, it was a dominant theme.

To the woman who left me.

To the woman who loved me.

To the woman I had to leave.

And so on.

Love inspired countless songs, and it remained the most potent theme for lyrics.

“Would you… like to take a look at this?”

After much thought, I showed her a piece saved on my phone’s cloud.

I’d unified the language and organized it, so it should be easy to read.

“Now?” Chrissy asked.

“Yes. It’s not a draft, but something I’ve been working on recently…”

“R-recently?”

[Jump!] 

At that, Chrissy’s eyes widened, and she stood up.

Even Benjamin, sitting beside her, looked stunned, his mouth agape almost comically.

“Oh, it’s not exactly a finished work. More like organized inspiration, I’d say.”

It wouldn’t be used in a novel anyway.

I planned to weave these emotions and inspirations into a story.

“May someone like me… see your writing in advance?” 

“Don’t say that. No one in the world would call you insignificant.”

So intense.

But unlike earlier, her sharp gaze felt more familiar now.

I could clearly see the respect in her transparent blue eyes.

It’s like the look I get from diehard fans.

At rare fan signings, I’d seen that look in the eyes of zealous fans.

It was scary at first, but I’d grown used to it.

“Here, take a look.”

Chrissy took the phone with trembling hands.

Her shaking was so intense it felt like I was handing her a national treasure.

“I’ll read it with gratitude.”

“Take your time.”

Chrissy carefully read through the text.

Yongsu showed it because he thought it wouldn’t spoil the book.

It wasn’t a story, just raw inspiration.

But that was a big mistake.

The writer’s writing…

It’s changed!

This was a massive spoiler.

Adele Louis’s works weren’t devoid of love.

But rather than showcasing love, he used it as fodder for deeper, darker tragedies.

This piece was different.

Love… The writer’s planning a romance novel!

A new challenge for a writer known for tragedies.

A grand attempt to break out of a slump.

Though it was just raw emotion, Chrissy felt honored to see it first.

I can’t tell anyone about this.

She glanced at Benjamin beside her.

Curious, his face was forward, but his eyes kept sneaking toward the phone.

Chrissy covered the screen with her hand and continued reading slowly.

It was just inspiration.

A definition of love put into words.

Organized, but nothing more—yet she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

Love… What is it?

Is the affection from parents love?

Is affection for an object love?

Joy? Happiness?

What is love?

Adele Louis’s writing questioned its very essence.

It’s beautiful…

She couldn’t look away.

The more she thought, the more complex emotions and incomprehensible feelings arose.

What is love?

“Chrissy? Are you crying?”

“…Huh?”

At Benjamin’s words, Chrissy touched her cheek.

A tiny teardrop rested pitifully on her finger.

Tears, which she’d never shed in her life, were welling up.

“It’s… just dust in my eyes.”

As if.

This was a five-star hotel restaurant, impeccably clean.

But Chrissy insisted it was dust and quickly wiped her tears with a napkin.

An inexplicable surge of emotion had brought tears.

“I’ve… read it, Writer.”

Chrissy set the phone down.

In the meantime, food had arrived, and Yongsu and Hye-yeon were eating.

“Oh, was it okay?”

“Yes… It was an incredible piece. So beautiful, I wonder if I can even turn it into a song.”

“Really?”

“Can I really use it?”

“Well… Sure. But would you sing it as is?”

Chrissy shook her head.

To make it a title track, not just a hummed tune, it needed refining.

“I’ll send it to you by email then.”

“Thank you! And, um…!”

“Yes?”

“Could we… exchange phone numbers?”

It was well-known that Adele Louis didn’t use SNS.

Chrissy had sent DMs multiple times, but they were always ignored.

“Of course.”

I exchanged numbers with Chrissy.

Her face lit up as she received my number.

“Um… Uncle.”

As we talked, Hye-yeon suddenly spoke up.

“Yes? What’s up?”

“I’m going to head back. Yuri texted me to switch.”

“Did you finish eating?”

“Yes. It was delicious.”

Her plate was completely clean.

The food wasn’t to my taste, but it seemed to suit Hye-yeon’s.

“Alright.”

“I’ll head back now.”

Hye-yeon bowed to Benjamin and Chrissy.

Still wary of Chrissy, she hadn’t said a word the entire time in the restaurant.

After saying goodbye, she returned to the room.

“Why’d Hye-yeon leave?” Chrissy asked.

“She’s switching with Yuri.”

“Oh.”

About five minutes later, Yuri cautiously entered the restaurant.

“Yuri! Over here, over here.”

“Uncle… C-Chrissy?”

Yuri froze upon seeing Chrissy.