“With such an excellent song, MONSTA X’s overseas expansion will definitely be smooth sailing,” Director Kim Ji-yeon said approvingly, patting Liang Yun’s shoulder.
“This melody, this rhythm, I’m already looking forward to the performance!” Minhyuk also couldn’t help but exclaim.
The next day, Liang Yun was called by Director Kim Ji-yeon to the company’s recording studio, where the MONSTA X members were already waiting for him.
Seeing Liang Yun, they all showed warm and sincere smiles, completely losing the sense of distance from their first meeting.
“Oh, our great Producer is here!” Shownu stepped forward and gave Liang Yun a big hug.
Liang Yun was a bit flustered by the sudden hug, his whole body stiff, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.
He felt like a scarecrow caught by a giant, his mind blank, only able to be at the other party’s mercy.
“Ah haha… Hello, seniors,” he said stiffly.
“Why are you still calling us seniors?
Just call us hyungs!” Minhyuk patted his shoulder casually, “From now on, we’re partners working together!”
Liang Yun looked at their sincere smiles, and the tension in his heart lessened considerably.
He nodded with a wry smile, “Hyungs.”
The recording session began quickly.
Liang Yun sat in front of the control panel, put on his headphones, and seemed like a completely different person.
He was no longer the shy and introverted homebody, but a professional and rigorous “overseer.”
“Kihyun hyung, the tail end of that last line was too clean; it needs a bit more of a tearing feeling, like that feeling of wanting to stay but not being able to… Imagine when the person you love turns and leaves, that feeling of wanting to grasp them but being unable to.”
“Jooheon hyung, the flow of this rap segment can be a bit freer; don’t be constrained by the beat. Treat it as your inner monologue, scream it out! A explosive feeling!”
“Hyungwon hyung, the emotion in this harmony isn’t enough; it needs to be sadder. Imagine your dog that you’ve raised for ten years is lost! Or you’ve been dumped by your girlfriend! I want a sad emotion!”
His voice was transmitted through the microphone into the recording studio, clear and firm, every instruction precise and on point, completely devoid of his usual stuttering and shyness.
The MONSTA X members were all amused by Liang Yun’s contrasting charm.
They hadn’t expected that this Chinese junior, who usually seemed a bit socially awkward, would be so “uncompromising” when working.
However, they also admired Producer Liang Yun’s professionalism even more, and began to seriously listen to his suggestions and actively discuss the song’s details with him.
Although the recording process was tough, it was also filled with laughter.
Minhyuk always liked to tease Liang Yun during breaks.
“Producer-nim Liang, did you secretly go to an acting class behind our backs? This guidance is too vivid, isn’t it?”
Liang Yun answered earnestly, “How could that be? Could an acting class teach a student as excellent as me? I just transformed my feelings from playing games and watching anime into music.”
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh at his words.
The recording work continued late into the night.
When the last note fell, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing tired but satisfied smiles.
“Good work, good work!
Our great Producer!” Shownu stepped forward and gave Liang Yunanother hug, “This song will definitely become one of our signature works!”
Liang Yun was hugged so tightly he could barely breathe, “Hyung, I can’t breathe, I’m dying, I’m dying…” But a happy smile hung on his face; he knew he had successfully taken the first step.
After the recording, the MONSTA X members enthusiastically invited Liang Yun to have a late-night snack.
Liang Yun’s introverted instinct initially made him want to refuse, but seeing the expectant “You’ll definitely come, right?” looks in their eyes, he still nodded as if by some strange impulse.
At the Korean BBQ restaurant, Liang Yunexperienced the “nightlife” of Korean idols for the first time.
They ate meat heartily and chatted loudly, completely shedding their stage personas.
Although Liang Yun was still a bit reserved, he gradually relaxed under their influence.
However, an introvert’s “relaxing” often means the beginning of “disaster.”
“Here, Producer Liang, let me grill for you!” Minhyukenthusiastically placed a large piece of pork belly on the grill.
Liang Yun was flattered and quickly waved his hands, “No… no need, I’ll do it myself.”
He quickly picked up the tongs, intending to flip the meat, but his hand trembled, and the whole piece of meat flew out, landing squarely on the bald head of an uncle at the next table.
The air instantly froze, everyone was petrified, only the pork belly was still sizzling with oil, leaving a greasy mark on the uncle’s bald head.
Liang Yun felt his blood run cold, his mind blank.
He stiffly turned his head and saw the uncle’s face, which had turned from white to red, then from red to black, scaring him almost to death on the spot.
Just at this critical moment, the MONSTA X members reacted.
They immediately stood up, bowing and apologizing, handing out tissues and helping to pay the bill, a smooth set of actions, clearly indicating “rich experience.”
“These guys definitely haven’t done this for the first time…” Liang Yun complained wildly in his mind.
Finally, with the members’ “heroic efforts,” the uncle finally calmed down.
As for Liang Yun, he was full of “I don’t know these people, don’t look at me, don’t look at me” expressions, shrinking in a corner, wishing he could dig a hole and crawl into it.
“Producer Liang, you… you really are a talent!” Minhyuk suppressed a laugh and patted his shoulder.
“No, I… Oh my goodness, my dear great-grandmother…” Liang Yun blurted out a phrase in his hometown dialect, on the verge of tears.
He felt that his path in the entertainment industry was truly full of unexpected “surprises.”
The song “WHO DO U LOVE?” not only added a significant highlight to MONSTA X’s English album but also made the name Liang Yun leave a deep impression in the K-Pop scene for the first time, in a rather comical way.
And this was just the beginning.