Chapter 47
Enson GT Headquarters, 6th Floor, SM Division Recording Studio.
I visited the recording studio after receiving a call from Chae-young, who had been out of contact and holed up somewhere.
"Oh, you're here?"
"What's the occasion? You haven't even been coming up to the office lately."
"It's not that I didn't want to come up. I just couldn't because of work."
"Anyway, why did you call me?"
In response to my question, Chae-young casually turned the monitor towards me.
"The final version of the trailer OST arrived this morning."
"Oh, really? How is it? Did it turn out well?"
"Just listen to it first. Then you'll understand the vibe."
"Alright."
At my question, Chae-young nodded and played the song.
After the familiar dubstep intro, a smooth male vocal led the song amidst the bass and drum sounds.
Even after that, K's vocal prowess held its own among the avant-garde accompaniment and instrumental ensemble.
Is this the skill of a top-tier vocalist...?
Certainly, all that begging I did to Chae-young last time paid off.
Of course, the price was a bottle of expensive liquor I'd been saving, but still.
"This is beyond my expectations...?"
At my frank and unfiltered impression, Chae-young burst into laughter as if she'd expected it.
"Right? He might look like a bit of a nerd, but his singing skills are no joke."
"I'm worried the song quality might be so good it'll overshadow the trailer video."
"Wouldn't that be even better? If word spreads among fans, we'll get extra promotion for free."
"That's true."
Chae-young cracked open a new can of beer, using the softly echoing avant-garde accompaniment as background music.
"So, when is the trailer scheduled to be released?"
"The trailer video production is about 70% complete, so probably late August or early September at the latest? But since September is Girls Memorial's 2nd anniversary, they're saying we should push it back to October."
"Still a few months away, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, contact me when you need it. I'll send you the audio file."
"Sure thing."
As the OST ended, Chae-young waved her hand, shooing me out of the recording studio.
"Next time you come, bring some snacks from the pantry, you cheapskate."
***
One day in October, after the Chuseok holiday had passed.
Jae-hyun, seated in front of his computer, was brimming with anticipation.
The release of the Project RA trailer, which had been scheduled for release, was just around the corner.
Only 30 minutes remained until the reveal.
While waiting for the trailer to drop, Jae-hyun opened the Pixiv site where his artwork was uploaded.
The monitor filled with a feast of images.
Changing the sorting to "recommended," the top post revealed his drawing of the Resistance Leader.
Literally the number one in recommendations.
He had achieved the feat of being the first to upload a high-quality drawing when the teaser image was released, and as a reward, he could reap the sweet trickle-down effect every time Project RA-related information dropped.
Thank you, Enson GT....
Of course, ranking first on Pixiv didn't mean he'd earn money or any financial gain, but...
It felt good, at least.
After checking his steadily rising recommendation count ahead of the trailer release, he happily accessed the Project RA gallery.
This gallery, created by a brave soul who offered up dumplings as tribute, was bustling with people like Jae-hyun who were eagerly anticipating Project RA.
[Nickname: ㅇㅇ]
[Title: Holy shit, the Project RA trailer is out ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ]
【GIF of 'Leader' in SD deformed style doing a fist pump】
As if it's outㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Comment List][Chronological Order]
-Ugh, get rid of these clickbait trolls
-I want to kill themㅋㅋㅋㅋ
[Nickname: Anonymous]
[Title: So what genre do you think Project RA will be?]
【Project RA Teaser Image】
Honestly, with a mobile apocalyptic setting, it's gotta be a RPG or FPS, right?
They wouldn't make a casual game with this kind of backgroundㅋㅋㅋ
Personally, I hope it's some kind of defense game.
[Comment List][Most Viewed]
-It could surprisingly be a strategy sim
ㄴHonestly, that might be too much for a smartphone screen?
[Nickname: Mingsty]
[Title: Things I hope to see in this trailer]
In-game battle scenes
'Leader's' name
'Leader's' past
Other characters
Honestly, while 'Leader' is hot, the quality of those Resistance folks behind her is no joke either
I hope they reveal some info about them too.
And looking at them, their weapons are all different. Are they dividing them by class?
[Comment List][Most Viewed]
-Come on, it's not even a PC game, how could they do that?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
ㄴFor realㅋㅋ
As he enjoyed reading the posts on the gallery, the trailer release time approached.
When the scheduled time arrived, a single post appeared in the gallery.
[Nickname: ㅇㅇ]
[Title: No lie, the trailer is REALLY out!!!!!!!!!!]
{Video link with a red icon}
I grabbed it as soon as it dropped, now I'm off to watch it.
[Comment List][Chronological Order]
-Upvoteㅋㅋㅋ
-I'm going to watch too, brb
Jae-hyun, like the commenters, clicked the video link as if entranced, moving to the trailer video.
And so the video began.
Starting with an avant-garde dubstep accompaniment, the video shows a ruined city.
Henrietta, standing in the middle of a road in the ruined city, her eyes closed.
The moment Henrietta opens her eyes, the main OST begins with a sharp noise of bass.
The harmony of bass and drums.
Between them, the vocal's singing prowess, which no instrument could match, adds richness to the OST.
Henrietta disappears, and the scene changes.
First in order is young Henrietta, and the exit of the underground city.
[I feel it, it's on fire. There's a voice whispering in my heart─.]
As the OST progresses, the scene transitions to two adults, presumably Henrietta's parents, being dragged away.
[Drag the hypocrites and leaders to dilute your fear─.]
Next, the crematorium of the underground city, a peculiar patterned necklace clutched in young Henrietta's crying hands.
[Keep breathing, don't lose consciousness. When the storm comes, act as planned─.]
With the avant-garde accompaniment, bass, electric guitar, and drums blend together as the OST reaches its highlight.
[Parents, brothers, sisters, neighbors, put snow in your eyes and start a riot─ Don't just stand there quietly!]
Breaking news scenes of riots erupting, along with bloodstains visible here and there.
Once again, the screen shows ruined cities.
Unlike before, it's filled with the chaos caused by the underground city's Resistance riots.
Crack─.
The last remaining policeman's head, along with his gas mask, is shattered by Henrietta's swung axe.
[If you've lost your goal and are drifting, you can hold onto me tightly. We'll be able to reach beyond─.]
Henrietta and the Resistance gathered in the middle of the road after the riot ends.
As if blessing the success of the riot, the raging snowstorm gradually subsides.
The OST also fades, and just as the video seems to be ending,
Thud─.
Thud thud─.
The sound of footsteps in the snow is heard.
The pace is steady, but from the sound, it's not a single person, but multiple figures.
Just as Henrietta notices the sound getting closer,
Click─.
The sound of a gun being loaded, and the screen fades to black.
Simultaneously,
[Last Arcadia]
The title appears, and the video ends.
***
After watching the video to the end, Jae-hyun was speechless.
What did I just watch...?
The impact of this trailer was beyond that of Girls Memorial.
Maybe it was because the concept was the complete opposite of Girls Memorial's refreshing vibe.
However, the shock wasn't just because of the concept.
First, the quality of the trailer.
The quality, reminiscent of watching a top-tier animated film, was breathtaking.
Especially for Jae-hyun, who had some knowledge of art.
Second, the vocal artist participating in the OST.
Pondering over the familiar voice, it didn't take long for Jae-hyun to realize who it belonged to.
Ishida K.
He was such a famous singer that even Jae-hyun, who didn't often listen to J-pop, recognized him immediately.
If you had to pick the Top 3 vocalists in Japan right now, he'd definitely be among them.
And they used such a singer for a mere game trailer OST?
Looks like Enson GT made a ton of money from Girls Memorial....
In reality, even with a lot of money, it's not easy to book a singer of K's caliber, but Jae-hyun, not knowing much about the music industry situation, thought 'They must have made a lot of money' as he opened Blue Bird.
[Trending Rankings]
Last Arcadia
Ishida K
Ishida K's new song
Enson GT
Title of Ishida K's new song
As expected, there was a lot of talk about Ishida K as well as the trailer.
It seemed fans were focused on the singer, who had been on a break, suddenly singing an OST for a game trailer.
Well, that's not really my concern.
Looking at the monitor, he took out and connected the drawing tablet he had put away.
For the first time in a while, his hand was itching to draw not for money, but out of pure creative desire.
Who should he draw this time? The Resistance trio supporting Henrietta?
Or maybe Henrietta's mom who appeared briefly?
After pondering for a while, he finally made up his mind and picked up the tablet pen.
Of course, it has to be young Henrietta.