Chapter 47 Chapter 47
Lia resigned herself to opening the folder, her hand on the mouse. The person who had just pitifully begged her for help immediately announced that he needed to catch up on some sleep after she agreed.
"I haven't slept for over 24 hours." He sighed deeply, as if his energy had been drained away. Currently, in addition to domestic activities, Bigbang is also entering the Japanese market. It's only been two or three months since the beginning of the year.
They'd already traveled back and forth to Japan nearly ten times. He'd conceived this solo album entirely during his downtime between group activities. "Go get some rest. I'll sort through the files I have." Lia nodded.
"What would happen if Lia didn't have us?" Quan Zhilong blew her a kiss, then staggered to the sofa at the back of the studio—and fell down with a "thump". "????"
I thought he was going home to sleep, but it looked like he was just going to sleep on the sofa. "Can you rest well here?" Lia couldn't help but ask with concern. "I want to write another paragraph, I'll be up in half an hour.
Call me later." He pulled out a small blanket from somewhere and covered his head with it, his voice muffled from inside. "Can you hold on?" "Well... I haven't reached my limit yet." His voice gradually became lower.
Soon, the sound of regular breathing began to sound. He spoke softly, but his body honestly forced itself to shut down. Lia knew why he was reluctant to fall asleep. Many times,
Creation isn't something the creator initiates; it's driven forward by inspiration. Her body was on the verge of exhaustion, yet inspiration kept pouring out. She stared quietly at the person on the sofa. A wrist peeked out from under the blanket.
Several silver bracelets hung loosely around him, reflecting a faint, cold light. He was even thinner than she remembered. She averted her gaze and gently turned back to the main console. The screen remained fixed on the file she had just opened.
What she has to do is to pick out the possible useful prototypes from these "flashes of inspiration but unformed" materials, and then work backwards to deduce the core framework of the entire album.
This process of "disassembling and reassembling" is equally difficult. It requires not only precise auditory judgment and structural awareness, but also a deep understanding of the creator himself, especially his artistic personality.
Especially when the theme of this album is something as abstract and personal as "self-awareness." Lia put on her headphones and opened the files one by one.
——Most of them are just basic loops and main melody structures, and some are just vocal humming or keyboard improvisations. She opened her notebook and began to record: Track 02: R&B;, psychedelic
Track 05: Strong drums, electronic music, dance music Track 07: Heavy metal, weird, morbid, infatuated Track 09: Pure vocals, blues...
Half an hour passed quickly. Lia had only listened to six clips, but her notes had already filled two pages. She glanced at the time, hesitated for a moment, and then stood up and walked towards the sofa.
Although she really wanted him to sleep a little longer, she wasn't the type to act on her own initiative and not wake him up for his own good. "Oppa, wake up—" She squatted down and gently patted his hand.
Quan Zhilong was a light sleeper, waking up at the slightest touch. "Is it time?" He pulled off the blanket, still half awake, his eyes still vacant. "Yeah, half an hour."
He casually grabbed a handful of his messy hair and sat up from the sofa. His face was sour. Although she had heard that he had a bad temper when he woke up, this was the first time she had witnessed it with her own eyes.
He seemed to haven't put on his social mask yet, and his entire body exuded the resentment of not getting enough sleep. "Ah... I'm really going to die." Quan Zhilong rubbed his eyes, stood up in one breath, and walked to the main console.
Before Lia could put the notes away, he picked them up and flipped through them. "So fast?" he asked, slightly surprised. The notes not only accurately recorded the structural characteristics of each segment, but also included an explanation of the conceptual direction.
If he wasn't familiar enough with him and his creative habits, it would be almost impossible to achieve this level in half an hour. The last time he felt that he was understood so accurately was when he read the analysis post written by that fan on the forum.
Lia stepped forward and awkwardly pulled the notebook back. "It's just a rough draft. I'll organize it into a table after I hear everything." Quan Zhilong chuckled and nodded. "How long did it take you to write this?" Lia suddenly asked.
Of the clips she had heard, although most were no longer than thirty seconds, she could almost imagine them being expanded into complete tracks.
"From the beginning of last year to now," he said, "I didn't write it specifically, but just jotted it down while on tour, shooting commercials, in the car, or before going to bed." He clearly distinguishes between the creations for the group and his own creations.
He has clear criteria for songs he writes for groups, taking into account the members' voices, team structure, and market acceptance. Songs he writes for himself are more like a record, like a diary.
Lia seemed to realize this and was silent for a moment. Being in the same room with the owner of the "diary," holding the diary in her hand, she had a feeling. "Are you busy later? Do you want to have dinner together?"
Quan Zhilong stood up and poured two glasses of water, one of which he handed to her. Lia took the glass. "Not tonight. I have to go to school soon."
In the second half of this year, special overseas admissions channels for various universities will gradually open, half a year earlier than the Gaokao. "Have you made appointments with your classmates?" "No," Lia shook her head. "I'm going to the Academic Affairs Office to prepare for further studies."
"Can you handle it?" He looked apologetic. "It's a small problem," Lia said lightly. "I'm smart, Oppa." Of course, it wasn't as easy as she said.
But she knew from the beginning that pursuing both her dreams and her studies wouldn't be easy. Kwon Ji-yong was amused by her, saying, "I'll do better than Teddy. You can ask me about your studies, too." Lia nodded.
She knew that Quan Zhilong had always had good grades and was one of the few artists who could balance both his studies and his career. He was always like this, doing everything to the utmost.
"That's all for today," he said. "I'll send you a rough schedule later, and just follow the progress." "Okay." Lia put away her notebook and glanced at the cardboard box on the table.
"Can I put these things of mine here first?" "Of course," he replied, "this seat is yours." As he spoke, he seemed to suddenly remember something, bent down and opened the drawer under the main console.
"This one's for you, too." He handed her a key and winked at her. "Dear VIP." Lia took it. She also had a key to Teddy's recording studio. But for some reason, she felt strange.
"Oppa," she smiled, "next time, write the file name clearly." * When Lia arrived at the Academic Affairs Office, it was just past seven o'clock.
Since there aren't many students with international citizenship at the university, the academic affairs office has specially arranged extracurricular time for one-on-one confirmation. While the latest admissions policy hasn't been announced yet, it doesn't change much from year to year, so you can refer to the previous year's standards for advance preparation.
"Excellent grades." The male teacher in the Academic Affairs Office looked through the information and nodded. Lia remembered him. It was he who suggested she consider overseas admissions channels during her freshman year of high school.
"Do you have a university or academic field you're interested in?" he asked. "Yes, Seoul National University," Lia answered succinctly. "I'm interested in philosophy and social sciences." The male teacher looked up and gave her a closer look.
"I heard that you're already working in music at YG. Wouldn't you consider a music-related major?" "Yes," Lia nodded. "As for music production, I want to learn through practice."
She'd done some research and found that popular music production wasn't a popular major at the universities she was considering. Rather than attending a strong music school and foregoing a social science major, she preferred to spend her four years accumulating systematic theoretical knowledge and structural thinking.
Techniques are merely means; what truly supports creation is continuous input and reflection. "Philosophy and social sciences?" the male teacher repeated, as if confirming. "Yes. After attending the discussion meeting last semester, I'm very interested in this field."
The teacher did not respond immediately, but lowered his head to make a few notes on the documents.
"Seoul National University has strong philosophy and sociology programs, with demanding courses and a generally theoretical research orientation—but the philosophy department rarely accepts international admissions," he explained. "If you're serious about studying philosophy, you'll have to consider the regular admissions process, which involves taking the college entrance exam."
Lia nodded calmly, "I know." She had looked up the prospectuses from recent years. Philosophy was the department she most wanted to enter, but it was also one of the most difficult to get into.
The teacher paused and added, "I suggest you prepare several options. For example, Yonsei University's sociology program is very strong overall, and its curriculum is more practical."
He flipped through the materials on the table. "There's also Sungkyunkwan University, which has made great progress in cultural and social innovation in recent years." The worst thing to do when applying is to put all your eggs in one basket. Even as a backup, apply to as many schools and programs as possible.
"Thank you, teacher. I plan to apply to three or four schools and will take the college entrance examination later. This application is like a backup plan."
"Well, there aren't many students applying for philosophy and social sciences right now," he said. "If your current grades remain stable, you'll have a good chance of applying to Seoul, but it also depends on your extracurricular activities and your personal statement." Lia nodded.
"You are clear about the materials, right? Academic performance, language scores, personal statement and recommendation letters." The teacher turned to the next page, "You are in the second semester of your sophomore year now. You can complete the first draft before this summer and submit it in the fall." "Yes." Lia responded.
"That's it for now. If you have any questions during the preparation process, feel free to come to me." The teacher handed some of the information back to her, "During the application period, don't fall behind in your grades." "Okay."
It was already dark when she left the academic affairs office. Lia tugged at her backpack strap and headed down the stairs. The soft clatter of a stair cleaning truck echoed through the hallway, and a few sparse stars appeared in the sky. She wanted so much.
So every step of the way, you have to work harder than others.
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