Recalling her list of goals for this year, one of the items on her list was to record an OST. After all, that was one way to get her name (and her group’s) out to people who don’t pay attention to idols. She wasn’t exactly skilled at variety and wouldn’t be the first choice for acting roles. Besides, singing is what she does best anyway. Wendy has always wanted to sing for dramas. Although this is a web drama, she’s assured that she’s heading in the right direction. 

She listens to the demo as she studies the lyrics. It’s a sad, emotional ballad about a love that’s trying to be saved. The more Wendy listens to it, the more she wonders how the drama will go. Apparently, it stars Royal subaenim of CONVEX and her friend Sejeong. She makes a mental note to send Sejeong a congratulatory email, in case the other girl still doesn’t have a phone.  

She gets to work on mastering her lyrics, both for the soundtrack and their comeback single. It can be a bit confusing mixing up both at first. There had been instances wherein she accidentally sang the lyrics of “Cushion” to the tune of the soundtrack... leading to comedic results. Sometimes, it had been the other way around, to even more bizarre results. 

On recording day, Wendy brings over energy drinks and food to give to the song’s producers and the drama staff present at the recording. After all, she has to make a good impression on them. She asks both the producer and the drama staff as many questions as she can just to get a better feel of the song’s story and message. However, when she asked for any potential spoilers, all Wendy got was a shrug from the song producer and a secretive smile from the drama crew. 

If Wendy thought memorizing and getting the song right was the challenge, she ended up being proven wrong. She had been focused on singing the song correctly that she hadn’t had time to internalize the feelings required for her to sing it. “I know you can do it,” the director says. “Imagine yourself going through a difficult relationship that you think is still worth saving. You’re desperate, but you’re still strong.” 

It’s particularly difficult trying to capture the emotions of the song, as it’s not exactly something she has experienced. However, Wendy likes to think she has enough imagination. Wendy blinks as she tries figuring out what the producer is saying. All relationships are difficult, aren’t they? 

However, it suddenly hits her. It’s difficult to have a relationship with her line of work, isn’t it? She realizes that one day, Hugo oppa can wake up and decide that he’s tired of her. After all, she isn’t the easiest to love. She’s not affectionate. She can’t express her emotions well. Wendy is cold, rational, and realistic. She lacks the warmth and softness required to be a good girlfriend despite her best efforts. 

“We can’t break up, we can’t get farther apart” she sings to the producer, trying to imagine she was saying it to Hugo oppa. 

“That’s the feeling we’ve been looking for!” the producer says, relief evident in his voice. “Keep going. You’re on the right track.” 

Wendy lets out a sigh of relief. At least they can finally record the song without her having to overthink the emotions. Now that she knows how she’s supposed to sound, she confidently steps back in the live room. 

Wendy completes recording the song after a few changes, restarts, and technical difficulties. One take had her laughing when the producer accidentally shouted into the microphone after a drama staff member stepped on his foot. 

It’s difficult imagining herself in the shoes of the song’s persona, but the thought of losing Hugo oppa scares her more than she’d like to admit. Wendy’s always tried being more affectionate and loving. It’s something she has to consciously practice. 

No more, you can’t know about this Even if you’re a bit far away, that’s enough for me Because my precious love, my hidden love Resembles you so much Even though my heart tells me

“And that was perfect! No more. We’re done here!” the producer says as soon as the last notes of the song fade away. Wendy smiles in relief as she finally lets go of the sad and heavy emotions she had been keeping with her while recording the song. 

Wendy finally steps out of the live room, bowing in thanks at everyone who helped with the recording. She makes sure to thank everyone for their hard work, expressing her best wishes for the upcoming web drama.