Daarin | ダーリン | Oscar Piastri

S2 E1: Emiko

2 April 2024
Seoul, South Korea

The morning sun cast a warm glow over the cityscape as Emiko navigated her way through the maze of streets, guided by the familiar beats echoing from her earbuds. She had always been captivated by music—its ability to transcend language, culture, and borders. It was this universal language that had attracted her ever since she was 14. In the end, it led her into the world of producing and songwriting, where she could sculpt melodies, lyrics, and harmonies into emotional landscapes.

"Emiko-san!" A voice called out in Japanese, snapping the Japanese girl, with dyed platinum blonde hair,  out of her thoughts as she arrived at the sleek, high-rise studio building. It was Jay, Enhypen's 2nd oldest, with his charming smile and confident demeanour. "Welcome back. Missed us?" He stepped closer to her with a cheeky smile.

Emiko left out an amused scoff as she put her earpiece back into their case. "Not really."

Emiko has been working with Enhypen ever since their debut. Most of them were also around the same age as her, which allowed her to create close bonds with them.

They were all like the brothers she never had. She worked with many different groups and artists before but they were her first main job without working as an "assistant", which made them special to her. Like the new album, she would be recording for the next few days.
This time, it wasn't just about producing another hit song. It was about capturing the essence of Enhypen's journey, their aspirations, and the emotions that fueled their music.

Together, they entered the studio. As soon as they stepped into the room, with soundproof walls and state-of-the-art equipment, the younger group members, Niki, Sunoo, and Jungwon, greeted her with a hug. Jake greeted her by dapping her up. Heesung and Sunghoon followed in his steps, but the latter and she managed to dap up the air instead, which caused everyone to burst out laughing, including their managers.

"Let's get started, shall we? I don't want to spend more time than I have to with you idiots." Emiko announced in Korean, one of the languages she managed to pick up while in school.

Some of the Enhypen members rolled their eyes with a smile on their lips in response while the rest just mumbled a "Yea, yea."

Emiko listened intently to the demos they had prepared, according to the last meeting they had online.

Jungwon was the first to step into the recording booth, wearing his headphones while waiting for Emiko's input.

"This bridge section needs a bit more emotion," Emiko suggested, playing a segment of the track. "Try emphasising the longing in the lyrics. Jungwon, can you bring out that vulnerability in your voice?"

Jungwon nodded, adjusting his headphones as he sang his part according to Emiko's instructions.

"Yep, that's it." Emiko encouraged, her eyes lighting up with satisfaction as Jungwon's voice filled the room with raw emotion. "Just try not to drag it out at the end, though. Let's try, yea?" She waited for Jungwon's nod before playing the backtrack and starting the recording.

Throughout the session, Emiko guided Enhypen through intricate vocal harmonies and delicate transitions, pushing them to explore new depths in their performance.

"Let's try that chorus again," Emiko suggested as she leaned forward in her chair, pressing the button that allowed Jay to hear what she said on the other end of the glass panel.

"Ignore the mistakes you have made Jay, if you keep thinking about them, you'll choke up. It's fine if we have to stay here till 12 am. I'm paid by days, not hours." Emiko assured him with a hint of amusement that did him some good.