Why do countless aspiring musicians and artists upload their tracks to Sound Cloud or personal cloud services?
The appeal lies in receiving reactions from others, along with evaluations or feedback.
Furthermore, uploading serves to protect the copyright of one’s songs.
But I don’t really need to do that right now.
If I want feedback, I can just ask Kang Beom-jun or RT Entertainment, and I don’t necessarily need to gain reactions or visibility through Sound Cloud.
For me, it’s probably only advantageous to directly release the tracks as audio.
“Still, you should post a couple songs on Sound Cloud. If you’re seriously going to pursue a career as a composer, it’s an essential step.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
“Huh… Anyway, are we really starting with regular classes from the first day?”
Kim Tae-hwan sighed from the side.
The difference between a specialized high school and a normal one boils down to the specialized courses. In other words, you still have to take basic classes like in a regular high school.
And as expected, the normal classes were pretty boring.
Just looking at Kim Tae-hwan’s bored expression was enough to know the answer.
“So, shouldn’t you be studying hard? Isn’t being at the top your goal?”
“Already gave up. When I heard that Baek Ye-rin got full marks on the entrance exam essay, I felt the wall. Anyway, doesn’t a singer just need to sing well?”
“That’s something I said a few months ago… And you’re right to rethink it. You and the top position just don’t go together.”
“That didn’t sound like a compliment, was it just me?”
After hearing my words, Kim Tae-hwan chuckled.
He then continued as if a good idea had come to mind.
“Hey, let’s check out the practice room or recording studio after lunch.”
“You need to reserve it.”
“I heard that the top and second students can use them freely when they’re vacant, without any reservation. And I’m second right now, right?”
“Hmm… Isn’t that a bit grade-fixated?”
“That extent of privilege ensures the students work hard.”
There was quite a bit of rationale behind his words.
In any case, with the plans set, I listened to the class while barely holding back my drowsiness.
.
.
Elsewhere.
“Yawn…”
Baek Ye-rin glanced at a boy who was struggling to stay awake during the lecture.
In fact, she might have been watching him since the auditorium.
At any rate, when she saw the boy, Baek Ye-rin thought this:
“…He’s cute.”
Her short review of the boy.
Just seeing how dedicated he was to the lecture, even though he didn’t really need to focus, showed respect for the teacher.
That thought brought back their conversation from a few days ago—about how things would proceed in school.
Until now, he hadn’t mentioned much about this.
Because of that, Baek Ye-rin felt compelled to ask first.
—What about in school?
—Just do as you wish.
—Do as I wish?
—Ye-rin, we’re friends, right?
—I guess so.
Her “guess so” reply made Ryu Won tilt his head.
Ryu Won might consider Baek Ye-rin a partner or a friend, but from her perspective, it was entirely different.
Still, she added “for now” to continue the conversation.
Anyway, why shouldn’t friends tell each other how to behave? I think it’s not friendship if one keeps ordering the other around. So, do as you wish. And I’ll do as I please too.
—Such as?
—Hmm… As a fan of yours anywhere in the world, I’ll just have to treat you that way.
Recalling their conversation, Baek Ye-rin unconsciously smiled.
Truly…
“He seems like a considerate person.”
Because of that, Baek Ye-rin also decided to respect him as much as she could.
Of course, she wanted to commute to school with him every day, and she desperately wanted to take the seat next to him where his old friend now sits.
But still…
“This could be fun in its own way.”
She intended to respect him as much as possible, but she also planned to closely observe his suggestion to do as she pleases.
After all, Baek Ye-rin is the kind of girl who listens well to the person she likes.
Yet, there was someone who was already puzzled by her behavior.
“Is she interested in that boy?”
That person sitting next to her was popular idol Yoon Se-hee.
Yoon Se-hee had noticed.
Ever since, the end of Baek Ye-rin’s gaze always seemed to land on that boy.
Not subtly either, in Se-hee’s opinion.
This was strange.
Why would a girl like Baek Ye-rin show interest in such an ordinary boy?
Naturally, Yoon Se-hee’s curiosity deepened.
*
Seolhwa High School had recently remodeled its practice rooms extensively.
In other words, they were state-of-the-art, matching or surpassing any facility in the country.
“Is it this big?”
Upon entering the practice room, Ryu Won, who had accompanied Kim Tae-hwan, couldn’t help but let out an admiring sound.
Even though RT Entertainment had a rarely-used practice room, this place felt better.
Most musical instruments, including a piano and drums, were readily placed.
Ryu Won first approached the piano and lightly pressed a key.
“The tuning is perfect.”
Upon hearing the piano’s sound, a certain score naturally came to his mind.
It was a practice piece he had recently encountered while re-learning the piano under Ryu Se-ah, and it had quickly become his favorite.
Without thinking, Ryu Won’s fingers began to move, following the score. Soon, a beautiful melody filled the practice room.
Chopin’s Etude Op.10 No.3.
Also known as “Tristesse” (Sadness, or The Farewell Song).
The great pianist Chopin himself had called it the most beautiful melody.
While most of Chopin’s Etudes were for technical practice, this piece was more than that—it had depth of emotion.
In short, unlike other Etudes that demanded incredible technique, putting emotion into this piece was most crucial.
Ryu Won liked that aspect.
Because “Tristesse” carried Chopin’s inner feelings of regret, longing, and even hope.
Ryu Won understood those emotions all too well.
“Am I crazy?”
Ryu Won’s sudden piano performance left Kim Taehwan astonished.
The kind of performance that made emotions surge with every note.
Even with a great original piece, if the performer can’t express those emotions properly, they don’t resonate.
In this sense, Ryu Won was deeply immersed in the emotions of the piece.
As if a person were pouring his soul into a song.
“Hasn’t he been learning piano for only a short while? How could he reach this level?”
Kim Taehwan couldn’t help but let out a sigh of disbelief.
Was it the teacher’s genius that made this happen, or was the student a genius as well?
What exactly was Ryu Se-ah trying to accomplish through her younger sibling?
The only certainty was that when Ryu Won’s roughly four-minute performance ended, Kim Taehwan felt a profound sense of longing.
A longing to hear more of the boy’s performance.
And he wasn’t the only one feeling this way.
“Wow…”
The applause coming from different directions made Ryu Won turn his head in surprise.
There, in the doorframe, stood several female students who had been captivated by his piano music and joined the room unnoticed.
First was Yoon Se-hee, who was genuinely impressed by his performance, and then Baek Ye-rin, who was smiling faintly.
Ryu Won scratched his head at their unexpected appearance.
“What… are they doing here?”
While he was wondering that, Kim Taehwan quickly spoke up.
“So, what’s the next piece?”
“Huh?”
“C’mon, it’s a perfect moment, isn’t it?”
As he said this, Kim Taehwan subtly pointed his thumb toward Baek Ye-rin.
Ryu Won more or less understood what the boy was hinting at.
1. Ryu Won was a huge Baek Ye-rin stan.
2. Just now, his piano performance might have piqued her interest a little.
3. So it was the perfect opportunity to get closer to her!
The moment Ryu Won reached this conclusion, he realized he’d performed the piano piece for no real reason.
He’d just played because the tuning was good and wanted to try it out…
“What… what’s next?”
So Ryu Won cautiously spoke up, intending to express that he had no more pieces to perform in this setting.
“But don’t you all want to hear more of his performance?”
However, Kim Taehwan’s words interrupted his train of thought.
As both Yoon Se-hee and Baek Ye-rin nodded in agreement, it was clear that they wanted to hear more of Ryu Won’s music.
“Alright, so don’t feel pressured, just play something quickly. It doesn’t have to be classical. Maybe… one of your own compositions?”
Kim Taehwan smiled cunningly, clearly intending to milk everything from his friend through this opportunity.
Thus, the stage was effortlessly set.
Now, it was down to what choice Ryu Won would make.
Still…
“…Alright. Let them hear.”
Ryu Won became genuinely curious in this situation.
He wanted to see how the people in the room would react to the piano melody he was about to play.
After all, it would be nearly impossible to guess his identity from just the piano melody line.
If they managed to, it would deserve genuine recognition.
Having this thought, Ryu Won raised his hands to the piano keys once more.
