Yeonwoo finished arranging the music right where he sat that day before returning home.
The next day,
Yeonwoo played his newly composed piece on the piano for his grandmother.
"I haven't heard the original song, but I can tell it's good even as a piano solo," she remarked.
Heo-ok, who had been sitting beside Yeonwoo during his performance, gently patted his head.
The comforting touch made Yeonwoo beam with a bashful smile.
"Yeonwoo, time to go,"
Jihun called out as he emerged from another room.
"Coming!"
Yeonwoo sprang up and scampered to his father with quick, light steps.
It was their rare weekend outing together.
"We'll be going now."
"Have a good time."
After giving his grandmother a proper bow, Yeonwoo took Jihun's hand and climbed into their car.
"What should we see first at the zoo?"
"Hmm... Lions!! And tigers!!"
"Good choices. I like those too."
"I saw YouTube videos where they fight! Tigers sometimes win, lions sometimes win. But I root for tigers. They lived here in Korea! And lions gang up cowardly, but tigers fight alone. That's why I like tigers."
Indeed,
Their destination was the zoo.
Though music consumed Yeonwoo's life, YouTube's algorithm showed him more than just melodies.
The platform became his window to the world -
Filtered through a six-year-old's interests.
After music, dinosaurs and animals ruled his heart.
"Tyrannosaurus could beat elephants! YouTube said even today's strongest elephants would lose."
"Really?"
"Yeah! But elephants are nice. They're smart and friendly if you don't bother them."
Yeonwoo's chatter flowed nonstop during the drive, buoyed by rare father-son time.
Jihun navigated while listening intently until they reached Seoul Grand Park.
Parking the car, Jihun felt waves of nostalgia while buying elephant train tickets.
"First visit in ages."
"You've been here before, Dad?"
"Of course. We came with your mom when you could barely walk."
No longer avoiding mentions of his late wife,
Jihun shared their family memories openly now - just as Yeonwoo honored her through his stage name.
"Your mom was most excited about showing you animals for the first time."
"I don't remember."
"You were too young. Nobody remembers that age."
"Was it fun?"
"How could it not be with you?"
Giggling, Yeonwoo cherished this inherited memory.
As they boarded the train, Jihun recalled his own childhood visit -
The single zoo trip with his parents and sister Jiyoung.
'Was this where I made my few memories with Mother too?'
The zoo... one of rare places his music-obsessed mother had visited.
'Should I have brought her along today?'
No - she already spent every day with Yeonwoo.
Today belonged solely to father and son.
"All right, let's go!"
Before Jihun finished speaking, Yeonwoo burst from the train toward the zoo gates.
"Dad! Hurry!!"
Jihun chuckled at his son's enthusiasm.
"Yooin... gave this?"
Kim Beomshin had visited Alice's studio yesterday to encourage the junior staff, expecting it would be his last visit barring emergencies.
Yet here he was again 24 hours later,
Holding the song from Yooin.
"Yes, CEO. When I played your guide track for her, she said your voice inspired this composition."
"For me to sing?"
Replaying the track,
He recognized the quality instantly - polished yet carrying ballad's soulful essence.
A lifetime immersed in ballads had honed his detection skills.
The song carried that bittersweet fragrance only true ballads possess.
“Will it work out…….”
“Wouldn’t it be fine to release it as a single? I heard fans are complaining because you haven’t been active enough…….”
“Who said that?”
“The manager.”
“That guy always has something to say. Hmm… I’ll sing if I have to, but…… what’s this voice in the bassline? It’s sticking out too much.”
“That’s a guide track.”
“What?”
“We used AI vocals to create a guide track mimicking your voice for the recording.”
“Ah… I’ve seen people use vocals for basslines, but having a machine make a guide track is new.”
“It’s pretty common these days.”
“I must be getting old.”
Kim Beom-shin scratched his head while humming along to the AI-generated guide.
“Soulful? Yeah, I see. They dampened the sound to turn it into a bassline, right? Okay. Should I try it?”
“Absolutely.”
Ellis opened the recording booth, and Beom-shin stepped inside, laying down the bassline through humming as the guide instructed.
Ellis seamlessly layered Beom-shin’s voice into the track.
“Let’s hear it.”
At Beom-shin’s request, Ellis played the song.
The track began with Beom-shin’s voice, soon intertwined with electronic tones.
“Wow…….”
After all these years, who knew human vocals and electronic sounds could blend into such a melody?
Ellis finally understood why Beom-shin’s voice was essential for the bassline—and why he alone had to sing this song.
“A genius remains a genius.”
“Huh? Who? Me? Well, I suppose I am.”
As Beom-shin emerged from the booth with a smirk, Ellis shrugged.
It wasn’t untrue.
But having witnessed true genius, Ellis found Beom-shin’s ordinary brilliance unremarkable.
“Now for the lyrics. It’s been ages since I wrote any.”
When Beom-shin eagerly reached for a notepad, Ellis startled and intervened.
“Boss, maybe you shouldn’t handle the lyrics.”
“Why? What’s wrong with me?”
“…The track’s sleek and modern. Shouldn’t the lyrics be… you know… MZ-friendly?”
Beom-shin flinched at the mention of the MZ generation.
He remembered now.
Why had he avoided releasing albums since his single six years ago?
-Old dudes acting young are fine, but this one’s trying too hard. Just makes him look older.
One fan’s comment—no, most reviews from his last experimental album—had cut deep.
After mimicking trendy music and forcing youthful lyrics, only to be mocked, he’d spiraled into thinking, I’m washed up, too afraid to release anything new.
Even now, the fear lingered.
But this track Yoo-in made for him… it was too good to abandon.
“Ah… You’re probably right.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll nail it.”
“Fine. I’ll trust you, Ellis.”
The old Kim Beom-shin—the one who’d dominated the industry with peerless vocals and tone—would’ve never yielded.
But age had dulled his once-overpowering voice. His signature tone remained, yet it no longer resonated.
His confidence, once bordering on arrogance, had crumbled. The defiant I’m still here had warped into Am I a has-been?—now settling into I’m obsolete.
“Contact me when the lyrics are done. We’ll record and release the same day.”
“That fast?”
“It’s a digital single—what’s to prepare? Promote through YouTube and Shorts. Low risk, high return.”
“Smart. But… this could actually work.”
“You think?”
“The song’s perfect for you.”
Beom-shin smiled at Ellis’s confidence—a producer shaping current trends.
“Right… Just cracking Mango’s Top 50 would be enough.”
He referenced Korea’s top streaming platform without hope. His last album hadn’t breached the Top 100.
Days later, Beom-shin rushed through recording Ellis’s finished lyrics.
“Sounds good? Any retakes needed?”
The session ended quickly.
Whether due to muscle memory or perfected technique, even the taxing high notes came effortlessly.
Only one pitfall remained:
A single outdated, melodramatic flourish.
He focused on restraint—letting the music and words speak.
“I’m over the moon. Finish up quickly. Let’s register the track right away.”
“On it!!”
After several encounters with Kim Beom-shin, Alice, now comfortable around him, flashed a bright smile and hurriedly wrapped up the work as he’d asked.
With a mountain of tasks waiting, she couldn’t afford to focus solely on this. She needed to move fast.
BSK’s upcoming idol group had a completed song awaiting rushed recordings. The track then had to go to the choreography team, and the album’s styling needed finalizing. Time was tight.
Perhaps Kim Beom-shin knew this too—hence his push to hurry.
These days, he felt more at home as a company representative than as a singer.
And so, the track was registered.
[Cold Night]
Kim Beom-shin
Producer: Alice
Composition/Arrangement: Yoo In
Lyrics: Alice
Unintentionally, the first song released under Yoo In’s name wasn’t Alice’s idol track but Kim Beom-shin’s.
Reactions to Kim Beom-shin’s song flooded in immediately.
Inevitable, really. He was Kim Beom-shin—a veteran, even if past his prime.
Decades-old fans, loyal as concrete, still adored him.
His fan club, though dormant, endured: Kim BeomGOD, with fans called GODbaragi (“God seekers”).
A tad outdated? Sure—the club had roots in HiTel, an ancient PC communication platform. Now reduced to a KakaoTalk open chat, its members rallied first:
Oppa dropped a new album!!
Wait, really?
Just a digital single, not an album.
Can’t buy it, but I’ll stream!
It’s been years ㅠㅠㅠ
Off to hear Oppa’s voice!!
Just listened. SO GOOD ㅠㅠ
Not a ballad?
Not a ballad, but it slaps ㅎ
Didn’t he flop chasing MZ trends six years ago? Why try again?
Different now!! It’s trendy ㅠ
Thought it was a pop song;; ㅎㅎ
Legit amazing though.
Played it for my son—he loved it! But he doesn’t know Kim Beom-shin ㅠㅠ
My daughter liked it too ㅎㅎ
Ah… Remember camping outside his dorm all night? ㅠ
Good times! Anyone in Yongin?
Me! Why?
Need English academy recs for my daughter ^^;;
As the fans—now adults with kids—buzzed, their children spread word of “Cold Night” after hearing it from their moms.
The blend of Korean and pop vibes resonated. Searches for the song skyrocketed.
Two days later:
[Ji-young… Yoo In’s address? ㅎ]
[Huh? Why?]
Beom-shin had messaged Ji-young for Yoo In’s details.
Why?
[Wanna send a gift… Grateful, y’know? ^^//]
The song’s success merited thanks. And how:
[I’m #20 on Mango Chart… ^^// Can’t believe it… Tears flowing @ㅅ@]
[…Senior, just call next time. Not text.]
…And so, Kim Beom-shin—once fading—launched his comeback.
No one expected it to smash through the roof. Yet.
