Peninsula's Life Begins in 2016

Chapter 100 More That Cannot Be Owed

It was afternoon.

Jiang Yan didn't have to wait long before Lin Yoona appeared outside the door.

Today she wore a beige loose-fitting knit sweater and light blue cropped jeans, revealing a glimpse of her slender ankles.

He was only wearing a black face mask and carrying a brown paper bag with the logo of a coffee shop printed on it.

"I brought you a cup of coffee, have some iced Americano to perk you up."

She pulled down her mask, smiled with her eyes crinkling, and said, "Come on, let me see what you've done with this song, working tirelessly day and night."

Jiang Yan stepped aside to let her in, took the paper bag and glanced inside. Besides the iced Americano, there was also a thick egg sandwich wrapped in oil paper.

"Noona, I told you I was asleep."

"I don't believe anything you say anymore." Lim Yoona changed into her pink spare slippers, walked into the living room with practiced ease, sat down on the sofa, and then held out her hand. "Where's the USB drive? Let me listen to it first."

Lin Xiaolu glanced at Lin Yoona, then at Jiang Yan, and muttered softly, "Why is she becoming more and more like she owns the place?"

Jiang Yan went into the bedroom, took out the USB drive containing two demos, and plugged it into the Bluetooth speaker next to the TV cabinet in the living room.

"Are both songs ready?"

"Inside, the arrangement framework for 'As If Its Your Last' and 'Kill This Love' was completely rebuilt, and I used my own voice for the vocals."

"Okay, let's play 'As If It's Your Last' first." Lim Yoona picked up her Americano and took a sip.

Jiang Yan pressed the play button.

The intro flows from the Bluetooth speaker, with a bright and clear signature 80s FM synthesizer tone, carrying a retro and playful feel of disco and new wave.

Then came Jiang Yan's lead vocals.

His voice was quite good, his pitch was stable, and his pronunciation was clear. He sang the vague hook of the chorus in Yoona's demo very clearly.

After the entire song finished playing, Lim Yoona slowly turned her head to look at Jiang Yan, her doe-like eyes filled with surprise.

"Your guidance is much better than I expected."

"Noona, you flatter me."

"Ani, I'm just stating the facts." Lim Yoona leaned forward slightly. "The way you handled the ending notes in the chorus was almost on par with some of the professional backup singers in our team, and the arrangement was even more complete than I remembered."

"Let's listen to the second song."

"Wait a minute." Lim Yoona raised her hand to stop him, then leaned back on the sofa, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Let me clear my mind first. The emotional range of these two songs is too wide. I need to switch channels."

After a while, Lim Yoona opened her eyes and said, "Okay, let it go."

Jiang Yan pressed the play button.

The moment the intro to "Kil I This Love" burst out from the small speaker, Yoona's shoulders trembled slightly.

The heavy, oppressive synthesizer brass tone explodes instantly, followed by the bass brass and snare drum kick drum cutting in at the same frequency, each heavy beat like a precisely struck hammer.

Jiang Yan's vocals in this song are completely different from the previous one. He uses a heavier breath, enunciates more forcefully, and deliberately drags out a hoarse, tearing tone at the end of the note.

As the song progressed into its second half, after the chorus, Jiang Yan added an interlude lasting over ten seconds, featuring a rapid snare drum roll and a constantly rising synthesizer wall of sound, all piled together.

Finally, it suddenly became quiet.

Then, the drumbeats exploded again.

The music ended at 3 minutes and 20 seconds.

Lin Yoona looked straight at Jiang Yan, "Jiang Yan, I was worried that you would handle that part too simply, but you handled it in a way that was even more interesting than the original version I remember."

She paused, then suddenly winked with a smile, "And the opening lyrics, it's quite interesting that you were able to adjust them without me reminding you."

Jiang Yan had anticipated that Lim Yoona would bring this up, and replied without changing his expression, "BLACKPINK in your..."

The phrase "area" is too suggestive. Since the song is from the future, such strong suggestions indicate uncertainty.

"Yes." Im Yoona nodded, giving a thumbs up. "That explanation is very reasonable."

As she spoke, she took out a light purple USB drive from her bag. "Copy the audio you exported into this drive, and I'll take it to Zhi'en to listen to."

Jiang Yan took the USB drive back to the bedroom, copied the two audio files into it, and after confirming that the files were complete, unplugged it and went back to the living room.

Im Yoona put the USB drive into her bag, then suddenly looked up as if she remembered something. "By the way, do you want to come with me to see Ji-eun?"

Jiang Yan paused for a moment upon hearing this. "Noona, I don't know IU sunbaenim. Wouldn't it be a bit abrupt for us to suddenly appear together?"

"You've thought this through very well, but she's my good friend, no way." Lim Yoona tilted her head. "Besides, you're the producer of these two songs now, I'll bring the producer along to talk to her about the music, no problem."

Jiang Yan remained silent for a moment, his mind racing as he calculated the potential benefits.

He certainly knew why Lin Chong'er wanted to take him along.

If it were just about submitting a demo, she could have handled it herself, but by bringing him to IU, she essentially created a connection for him.

IU is a top solo female singer on the Korean Peninsula, a ruler of the music charts, and also a true songwriter.

If IU approves of his music, then the two will inevitably have contact in the future.

Thinking that Lin Yoona was paving the way for him, Jiang Yan slowly shook his head, "Noona, let's skip it today."

Im Yoona raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Wei? You don't want to get to know Lee Ji-eun?"

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that the timing isn't right. Noona and IU are meeting for coffee to catch up. If you suddenly bring a stranger along, IU will feel offended, and it will also affect your conversation."

Jiang Yan organized his thoughts and continued, "Besides, the demo hasn't even been handed to Teddy yet. If I go there now and say that I wrote these two songs, Teddy will probably think I'm too eager to promote myself."

Lin Yoona stared at him for a moment, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes, and then chuckled softly.

"Alright, you have a point. I'll go by myself today, and I'll arrange for you two to meet after Teddy gives me his feedback."

"Yes, thank you for your help, Nuna."

"Don't use the word 'trouble' anymore. When you helped me, I never said it was troublesome."

Jiang Yan was speechless after hearing her words and could only nod.

"Eat the sandwich while it's hot, I'm leaving now."

Lin Yoona carried her bag to the entrance, changed back into her canvas shoes, opened the door and walked out, leaving him with a neat back view.

Jiang Yan leaned against the door frame, watching her departing figure. A warm feeling washed over him. Apart from her penchant for testing him, this woman was incredibly thoughtful in every other aspect.

He closed the door, turned around and walked back to the living room, picked up a sandwich and took a bite.

The fat from the thick egg and ham melted on his tongue, paired with perfectly toasted bread, making it more delicious than any meal he had eaten in the past few days.

Lin Xiaolu floated over to his side and asked curiously, "Why don't you go? It's such a great opportunity to meet IU. Countless producers across the peninsula would love to get to know her but can't even get a chance."

After chewing his food, Jiang Yan picked up his iced Americano and took a sip. "Don't take too big a step."

"What do you mean?"

"Yoona paved the way too smoothly for me. She cleared away all the obstacles and built all the connections for me. All I had to do was follow the process she arranged step by step."

Jiang Yan put the coffee cup back on the table and replied soberly, "But things are going too smoothly right now, which may not be a good thing for me."

Lin Xiaolu paused for a moment, then suddenly realized, "So you're deliberately slowing down the pace? To stop her from worrying about you so much."

"Not entirely." Jiang Yan lazily stretched. "She has already paid back what she owed me, and I can't afford to owe her anything more."