01x02 - Episode 2

[bunniefuu]

Personally, I found it very helpful.

It drove me to work even harder.

This is just the beginning.

A-LIST TO PLAYLIS

AFTER THE MONTHLY EVALUATION

I really don't like these lyrics.

I'll write it down for now.

I'm trying a lot of different things, but

This last bit just doesn't work.

This is so frustrating.

Man, it's hot.

THE ROOKIE SINGER AT HIS LIMI

I'm working on my own,

and I have no idea

how to develop my ideas.

Writing the chorus,

the interlude, the lyrics

It's just too much for me.

It's overwhelming.

I have my limits.

I think I've grown a lot mentally.

I spent this whole week

trying to absorb the advice

from the four mentors

and incorporate it into my work.

I wanted to make it my own.

I'm almost done with one song.

I can

-I can do this.

-That's a lot of progress.

It's all I think about.

I even think about it while I'm peeing.

-I'd listen to the trickling sound of

-Please stop.

Let's mix this up

This dish is going to be a hit.

Last week, I got in touch

with someone you wouldn't believe

and invited her to the studio.

She's one of the best musicians in Korea.

She's also an actress and an artist.

She likes sweet and sour pork,

so I'm making that.

It's looking good.

Yes, it is.

It's okay. I can just pull them apart.

CLUMSILY PULLING THEM APAR

Should I just order it in?

1 MINUTE UNTIL THE GUEST ARRIVES

It's good.

I think it's good.

COMES OUT TO GREET HER

-IU.

-You were waiting outside?

-Of course.

-But it's so cold out.

-How have you been?

-Hey.

-It's been so long.

-I know.

Hello.

I'm Jung-seok's friend, IU.

Nice to meet you.

Sorry.

Jung-seok was a great mentor.

I'm very grateful

for all the times he helped me.

I have more experience

when it comes to making albums,

so I wanted to help him out this time

as a way of repaying his kindness.

IU.

How have you been?

-What is all this?

-Just some cookies and a diffuser.

-I love the place.

-You really shouldn't have.

-What's this?

-Actually,

I made some sweet and sour pork.

-You made it yourself?

-Absolutely.

-No, you didn't.

-I'm serious.

-Really?

-It was all me.

-When did you learn to do that?

-It's good.

No way. Did you make the sauce too?

-Of course.

-My gosh.

It's delicious.

Not bad, right?

Wow.

I mean, what the heck?

It's so good.

No one's ever made

sweet and sour pork for me.

Really?

Did you hear that?

Back when we were

working on You Are the Best!,

we once went to a Chinese restaurant,

and you devoured

their sweet and sour pork.

That's like ten years ago now.

I know, but I'll never forget that.

I love sweet and sour pork.

That's why I decided to make it.

-And here it is.

-I have another one.

Do you remember "The Beautiful Song"?

-The one we did after the show?

-Yes, that one.

-I sprung that on you out of nowhere.

-Yes, I remember.

You said you wanted to do it for the fans.

It's gotta be somewhere.

I don't know.

It wasn't officially released anywhere.

But YouTube has literally everything.

There it is.

-No way.

-Remember this?

This takes me back.

I loved this song back then.

I haven't heard this in forever.

Right?

I remember this.

Oh my stars!

He's the perfect height

I hadn't heard that song in so long.

I almost started tearing up.

It felt so weird.

What really got me was

how Jung-seok put

his heart and soul into it.

I felt that way back then too.

YOU ARE THE BEST!, 2013

I'm as old as he was back then.

I know it couldn't have been easy for him

to run over to the studio right away

as a favor for a kid

who's over ten years younger than him,

and I could just hear

that he sang his heart out.

I was just so grateful for that.

I got emotional all over again.

JUNG-SEOK WAS EAVESDROPPING

I'M MORE GRATEFUL

-I love this.

-Right?

-It was uploaded exactly ten years ago.

-Wow.

I almost started crying just now.

-Really?

-Yes, it felt so weird.

-Right.

-It's amazing that you did this for me.

-Come on.

-You were so kind.

-Stop it.

-I can't believe you agreed to it.

I just enjoyed singing with you,

that's all.

We both sang our hearts out.

Yes, we did.

-You gave me directions.

-Right.

-We even did harmonies.

-We did.

I just realized something

while listening to this song.

-I should be proud of myself.

-In what sense?

I did a duet with IU ten years ago.

With IU, no less.

IN AWE OF HIMSELF

I just realized that.

-You've basically done it all.

-Exactly.

So how did this project come to be?

And how many songs are you making?

I'm trying to release a full-length album,

so I'll need at least six or seven.

It won't be easy.

It's a big deal, right?

You have to write a lot of songs

SHE HAS 5 FULL-LENGTH ALBUMS

and you have to put them in an order

that'll keep the listener engaged.

But you'll be fine.

You've already achieved

great musical feats.

-Come on.

-But you have.

HIS SINGLE "ALOHA" TOPPED THE CHARTS

You've already released a huge hit.

That was all thanks to the drama.

But the drama being popular

doesn't guarantee

-its soundtrack's success.

-That's true.

It was your voice.

Take my word for it.

I listened to your version a lot.

Really?

I was so touched.

IU is love.

I love your new song too.

-"Love Wins All."

-Right.

"LOVE WINS ALL" CAME OU

A FEW DAYS BEFORE HER VISI

You were actually

the first one to text me about it.

-I was?

-The very first one.

-Really?

-You sent me a long text.

The song just blew me away,

so I texted you right away.

I was just practicing

that song on the guitar

before you got here.

I love it so much.

I tried to write down the chords.

-Check it out.

-Were you actually practicing it?

-Goodness.

-Yes.

I love it.

I've never heard it played on a guitar.

Really?

I love the song.

So this is what I've been doing.

Are you going to sing it?

Dearest, darling, my universe

Would you take me along?

To a place I can't dream

With my poor imagination

Far away in the universe

From Earth to Mars

Will you please go with me?

Wherever it may be, an old loneliness

In search of its antonym

For what fault

Must we be so

Keep going.

Run away from the world, run on

Go to the end with me, my lover

Will it be a bad ending for us two

Gone astray

Crush me in your arms

You're good.

Give me a lovelier kiss, lover

You know it by heart.

It just came out.

Destroy me slowly and chilly, ruiner

It's so good.

I want to get sad with you, my lover

-You're not crying, are you?

-I just love this song.

-You had the capo ready.

-Yes, I need it here.

One, two, three, two, two, three.

Run away from necessity, run on

Go to the end with me, my lover

Two of us, side by side

Gone astray on purpose

Crush me in your arms

Give me a lovelier kiss, lover

That was great.

So this is what I was doing.

Really?

I'm not a great guitarist,

but IU was singing with me.

And I was playing the accompaniment.

It made me feel like a real guitarist.

The best one in the world.

I used to dream of becoming a guitarist,

and I felt like it came true.

This was the first time

I sang it so laid-back.

But I love how it sounds,

especially with the guitar.

I actually had something

I wanted to show you as well.

-Is it your song?

-It is.

-Are those the lyrics?

-Sit down. I'll hand it to you.

-This is embarrassing.

-Whenever you're ready.

-Oh, man.

-Take your time.

When I had the evaluation,

there were four mentors.

So I was like,

"Whatever, let's do this."

-And I just sang the lyrics I wrote.

-Oh dear.

Embarrassing, right?

But you know what was worse?

When they got the lyrics.

That's when I really freaked out.

The words don't even make sense.

Should I explain them to you?

This is nuts.

It's mostly in English.

Yes, it is.

This phrase is in a lot of songs.

"I just wanna love you."

-There's a lot of "I just."

-Right.

-And "I'm gonna."

-A lot of "wanna" too.

-"I just wanna love you" has all of them.

-I know.

-"Wanna," "gonna."

-"Gonna."

-Even IU can relate.

-"Waiting for you"

"Don't crazy for that night."

I'm so embarrassed by the lyrics.

Good grief.

I see your smile in the faded photo

It fades away even more over time

The tan on my face

And the memories with you

They all go away so swiftly

That was awesome!

-It's so good.

-Really?

I'm so embarrassed.

I'm still working on the lyrics.

I love it.

I can tell that you're used to singing.

It's just awesome.

-You really think so?

-Yes.

It's just awesome.

Holy crap.

IU called my song awesome.

Sincerity goes a long way.

That's probably it, right?

HUMBLE BRAG

It's not like you won the World Cup.

I might as well have.

I'm the champion tonight.

-You're being serious, right?

-Of course.

-Come on, Jung-seok.

-Right.

Why would I lie to you?

Just as you saw, she meant it.

I could see it on her face.

I like how it sounds kind of retro.

-Really?

-Yes.

And when the rhythm kicks in,

you can bring the full arrangement in.

-Just an idea.

-Wait.

That's a great idea.

I love that.

You're a proper musician now.

Not even close.

But that was a great idea.

I'm going to change most of the lyrics.

Especially the last part

of the first verse.

But I'll keep "Tell me, tell me loud."

I like that part.

-I'm going to keep that.

-Good.

-That's fixed.

-It sort of reminded me of

Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

It sounded really cool.

-Do you like rock music?

-I love it.

That really comes through in your music.

I'm a big fan of rock music,

but I'm not sure what kind of singer I am.

For "Aloha" or "I Like You,"

I just had to stick to the style

of the original singers.

I was familiar with

Lee Jae-hoon's vocal style

and that of Weather Forecast.

I knew what they were

supposed to sound like,

so I didn't have to think twice

about how to approach those songs.

But with my original songs,

I'm not sure how I should sing them.

But I think you already know the answer.

-Really?

-Of course.

-They're your own songs.

-Right.

No one can understand

your songs as well as you.

And there wasn't a single part

that sounded forced.

Really?

It sounded like you already had

a clear direction in your mind.

So should I sing it however I see fit?

I think it just might work.

You think it might?

-I do.

-Really?

I don't know if there's

any other way around it.

I'm getting fired up.

You're getting fired up?

My heart is racing.

I can't believe it.

This feels unreal.

Okay.

This one is

Were you thinking of a friend

when you were writing this?

Not a specific friend,

but my friends in general.

My friends from back in school.

I was thinking about them

and my teenage days.

"FRIEND": HOW IT CAME TO BE

I saw a video on YouTube

of Mr. Kim Hyun-sik

singing live in a hospital room.

He was unwell then,

so he wasn't in his top form.

And so,

he sang very plainly

with just some basic guitar chords.

And I really wanted to

write a song like that.

If I were to sing about

something close to my heart,

it would be family.

Or

my friends.

D-77

JUNG-SEOK'S HOUSE

Inspiration incoming.

Inspiration gone.

That's all for today.

Inspiration incoming.

OHOHOHO h*

Inspiration gone.

I get it now.

I get why singers get so stressed out

when they're working on their albums.

There's only a finite amount of time

within which I have to finish my songs,

but I keep going back and forth.

One melody sounded better yesterday,

but another one sounds better today.

It's a vicious cycle.

That's it.

This is the one.

-I recorded this with my guitar only.

-Okay.

-Let me play it for you.

-Okay.

"FRIEND" (WORKING TITLE)

LYRICS AND MUSIC BY CHO JUNG-SEOK

-It's just the guitar all throughout.

-Nice.

-I already like it.

-Really?

Do you remember the days

Days we didn't know any better?

Just full of dreams

And carefree

You remember, don't you?

We ran alongside and chased each other

Toward the unknown

At times, we stopped to catch our breath

Just like we do, just different days

Time may pass us by

And our paths may reach a crossroads

We may go separate ways

And the days, they pass by us

So fast

Let's not rush it

And take it slow

-Nice.

-Do you like it?

Yes.

I got little goosebumps right here.

-You did?

-Yes.

-It sounded very heartfelt.

-Really?

Cool.

I love this part.

"You remember, don't you?"

-Really?

-Yes.

It began with, "Do you remember?"

-It's a full circle.

-That was the intention.

-I love that.

-Really?

It's like you're talking to the listener.

When I first read the lyrics of "Friend,"

I could tell this was something

he really wanted to say.

It became even more evident

when I actually listened to the song.

You can't go wrong with a song you wrote

with a clear message in your heart.

I hope he'll keep doing that

for the rest of his songs.

Have your friends heard this song?

No, not yet.

What would they think?

When I was recording this

at home with my guitar,

I actually choked up.

-I had to stop recording.

-Really?

Do you usually

isolate yourself for some time

when you're writing lyrics?

Not really.

I sometimes get ideas while I'm working.

I get the most ideas

when I'm in the shower,

so I usually take a lot of long showers

when I'm on a deadline.

Don't things pop up in your mind

when water touches you?

-Yes, I thought it was just me.

-You get that too?

For me, the water helps too,

-but the acoustics are amazing.

-Right. It makes you want to sing.

Everything just sounds better.

I practice singing in the shower too.

When people think of writing lyrics,

they tend to think

that they should touch on beautiful things

and that you should use fancier words.

But with your song

You used plain words,

-and it really drew me in.

-I see.

If you can keep that up,

-that could be your style.

-Okay.

That's amazing advice.

-It could be my style.

-Totally.

It was really encouraging.

And I realized

that what I'd been doing

wasn't actually that terrible.

It was a huge relief

and a confidence boost.

I realized my thought process

after the monthly evaluation

and the time I spent figuring out

what my own style was

after all the feedback

was all worthwhile.

IU taught me so much tonight.

-I just had an idea.

-Tell me.

The songs I've heard so far

are kind of serious

and kind of nice.

But if it's a full-length album,

you could do something

a little badass.

If you did something like

The tobacco shop lady in my neighborhood

I just think that'd be really cool.

Wow, you're a genius.

This is a great idea.

-People would love to see that.

-Right.

And I think you'd be good at it.

Thank you so much.

You're giving me so much confidence.

I've been feeling pretty down

ever since the evaluation.

Both my confidence

and self-esteem took a hit.

It would be fun to throw in some rap too.

Do you rap at all?

-Not at all.

-No?

But I'm positive

that you'd be great at it.

-Really?

-Yes, you have good diction.

And you have a strong voice.

This is crazy.

So as long as you can keep a rhythm,

you'd make a great rapper.

You could ask for help

from Dynamicduo or someone.

I do love them,

but I'm not sure if I can rap.

I think it'd be fun.

The Dynamicduo guys and I

have a lot in common.

-We're the same age, in our 40s.

-That's right.

And we have children.

Daddy hip-hop.

-Medi hip-hop?

-No, daddy hip-hop.

I thought you meant

hip-hop that heals people.

-Daddy hip-hop.

-Okay, daddy hip-hop.

Hip-hop

I don't know if I can write a rap song.

-Would you like to say hi?

-To whom?

-Do you know BDNS?

-Of course, I love them.

-Really?

-Yes, are they coming here?

One of them is my head of PR.

I'd love to say hi.

-Really? I should tell him not to come.

-Why?

He'll let it go to his head.

MOON SANG-HOON

LEADER OF YOUTUBER TEAM "BDNS"

Oh, man.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

He's already at the door. Unbelievable.

-Why are you here?

-Jung-seok.

-Hello.

-Hello.

Nice to meet you.

-Hello.

-What are you doing here?

You don't get an opportunity

like this every day.

You never come to visit when I'm alone.

But when would I ever get to see IU?

It was yesterday, I think?

Jung-seok asked me if I could drop by

while IU was visiting for the sh**t.

I wasn't going to miss that.

-I'm a huge fan.

-Put those on.

-Really?

-Yes!

Goodness.

-Do you really know me?

-Of course.

-I've been a subscriber

-Don't get into details, IU.

I'm telling you.

I subscribed to your channel

and watched your videos

before you started appearing on TV.

-Really?

-Yes.

-She's serious.

-I am.

Now I know why fans cry

when they meet stars.

Thank you so much.

-I'm a huge fan.

-Really?

I've watched every video you were on.

WHIPS OUT THE IU LIGHT STICK

Oh my, where did you get that?

Where did he get that?

-I told you, I'm a fan.

-Wow.

This is so weird, but in a good way.

You know, I didn't know

-Can I be honest?

-Go on.

You're so good-looking!

What's going on with you, IU?

He's really dashing.

I don't know. I mean

Jungsang Productions

offers great employee benefits.

I will work my butt off.

I'll do anything and everything.

I'm a huge fan.

Everyone knows who he is now, but

Wait, he's right here.

I'm so dizzy. I'm going to pass out.

I emailed your agency,

EDAM, several times.

-To get me on your show?

-Yes.

I'll do it.

Hold on, Mr. Moon.

-Are you here on personal business?

-My bad.

You should worry about

my YouTube channel here!

You're unbelievable.

My inner fanboy had taken over.

I couldn't look Jung-seok in the eye.

And I'd like to apologize.

No more personal chit-chat.

There are things I need to take care of

-as the head of PR and marketing.

-Go ahead.

-There are two prongs to our marketing.

-Right.

One of them had to be a YouTube channel,

so we've been doing that.

So we set up a channel.

"Cheonggyesan Daengi Records."

ONLY 54 SUBSCRIBERS SO FAR

The purpose of the channel

is to surprise people

when this show is launched

by having clips of Jung-seok

singing online already.

We thought about

how to make it even more fun

and came up with

"AI Cho Jung-seok covers Gummy's song,"

which is now on the channel.

IT'S JUNG-SEOK, NOT AI

We only have that one video now.

-We're just getting started.

-Baby steps.

-Does no one know it's you?

-No, it's a secret channel.

It's not getting a lot of views,

but one of the comments said,

"Even Cho Jung-seok

would be surprised by this."

I'm basically using

a fake identity for PR.

If you're doing covers,

-why not cover songs by K-pop idols?

-Yes.

-Idols?

-I think that'll be cool.

Imagine if you did a LE SSERAFIM cover.

-Wouldn't that be fun?

-That's a great idea.

-Write that down, Mr. Moon.

-Yes, sir.

-I'm doing "Love Wins All" for your song.

-Okay.

Are you going to upload

the cover of my song soon?

-Yes.

-There's something I could do for you

when you upload your video.

I sometimes share covers of my songs

on my Instagram story.

I can do that for you.

-That'd be huge.

-No way!

EXPLODING WITH EXCITEMEN

This can't be real!

How is this happening?

Is that your personal camera?

CONFLICT ARISES

-Actually

-It's ours, right?

This is insane.

Oh, man.

I have a lot on my plate now.

When the "Love Wins All" cover is up,

IU posts it on her Instagram story,

and it goes viral,

I have to make the most of that peak time.

In stock trading terms

Never mind.

I'm just really grateful.

Even Mr. Moon

looks so lovely tonight.

-I wasn't sure about that channel.

-I hope it does well.

But if you're helping,

it's a guaranteed success.

Everything's sorted now.

I doubt it'll be that helpful.

What are you talking about?

-I don't know.

-I need water.

I could use some too.

I'll work harder.

I don't know how useful he found it,

but I hope my feedback will help

Jung-seok with his project.

This is his first album,

so I hope he gets to do

everything he wants to do,

and I hope he'll be more confident.

He has great material.

Thank you.

-Thanks, IU.

-Wait, were you listening?

-Not at all.

-Can I have some privacy here?

I was just

CHEONGGYESAN DAENGI RECORDS

SUBSCRIBER +1 (FEAT. IU)

AND THEN, ONE DAY

My stomach hurts so bad.

I'm going to lie down for a bit.

I'm going to the hospital.

It won't go away. This is bad.

Hey.

Are you okay?

No, not really.