Ryu Won had composed quite a number of songs in his previous life, twenty-five of which were released to the world through Baek Ye-rin’s album.
But could that possibly be the end?
Having finished contemplating what song to play for those present, Ryu Won began playing the piano again.
“STAY.”
If his songs from his past life had a beginning and an end, this one was made almost midway through.
If “Rewind” was the masterpiece that made him known as a genius composer, “STAY” was the song that helped him break free from obscurity.
This song simply contained Ryu Won’s own thirst.
I’m still diligently composing music to achieve my dreams, yet there is no one to listen to it. Thus, Ryu Won pondered: how could he make people listen to his music?
And Ryu Won realized there was no definite answer to this pondering.
If there was one, all composers in the world would have succeeded by now.
Hence, nothing changed.
The composer could only continue to wish.
For people to listen to his music just a little more…
So with that wish, he decided to silently continue writing his own songs from this spot.
“STAY” was a song that carried such meaning, and now its melody was resonating from the tips of Ryu Won’s fingers.
Meanwhile, Baek Ye-rin had her eyes closed, savoring the melody.
The piano playing felt calm yet carried a heavy undertone. Listening to it stirred some kind of emotion.
However, halfway through the song, it suddenly changed in tone.
The heavy melody began to grow light and bright, as if blowing away the troubling thoughts that had plagued the mind.
This was because Ryu Won, through his regression, had found an entirely different kind of answer.
Now, he realized something far more important than just hoping for people to listen to his music.
If only one person,
Baek Ye-rin, listened to his music and liked it, that would be enough.
As a result, “STAY” had transformed into a completely different song from the one in his previous life.
Containing the fresh wish for the brilliant you…
To please listen to my songs and like them.
Eventually, Ryu Won’s performance came to an end. Removing his hands from the keyboard, he turned his head and asked,
“So, how was it? The original song I made.”
“That was amazing. You really know how to compose songs, huh?”
“Is that so? Thank goodness.”
The person who answered Ryu Won’s question was Baek Ye-rin.
And because it was Baek Ye-rin’s answer, Ryu Won couldn’t help but smile faintly, as if she was trying to harmonize with his cues.
Next, Ryu Won looked at Kim Tae-hwan’s reaction.
Kim Tae-hwan opened his mouth with an expression of disbelief.
“You really composed that song just now?”
“What? Is there a problem?”
“Not at all, it was even better than what I imagined.”
“What a surprise to be praised by you.”
With that, Kim Tae-hwan fell into thought for a moment.
Because he felt a strange sensation.
And,
‘You must be crazy!’
Right there and then, a new fan of Ryu Won appeared among them.
Yoon Se-hee.
For some reason, she was staring at Ryu Won with glittering eyes.
After finishing his performance, Ryu Won naturally exchanged names with the people who were in the practice room.
In reality, among those present, Ryu Won was the only high school student, whereas everyone else was famous, so he only needed to introduce himself.
And the first person to accept his introduction was someone.
“I’m Baek Ye-rin.”
“Is there even a high schooler in the world who doesn’t know your name?”
“Is that so?”
With that, she smiled and naturally extended her hand.
It was an offer of a handshake, a gesture to signal mutual success.
At this action, Ryu Won momentarily froze his brain.
Upon reflection…
Have I ever shaken hands with Baek Ye-rin before?
Hmm, it definitely felt like it had happened a few times in my subconscious.
But never like this, in front of others.
Therefore, Ryu Won naturally became tense.
Swallowing his saliva carefully, he gently took Baek Ye-rin’s extended hand.
“That… it’s an honor.”
Baek Ye-rin didn’t reply to Ryu Won’s words.
She just smiled faintly as if she found his words quite amusing.
… But anyway.
Ryu Won soon had a question.
What kind of…
‘When will it end?’
To finish the handshake, Ryu Won slowly tried to pull back his hand.
But for some reason, it wouldn’t let go.
Entirely because Baek Ye-rin was firmly holding onto Ryu Won’s hand.
“That… Baek Ye-rin?”
“Ah, your hand was warm, and I did it without realizing.”
Only then did Baek Ye-rin release the hand she had been holding onto with Ryu Won.
The scene…
“Hmm?”
From the perspectives of Kim Tae-hwan and Yoon Se-hee, it was a somewhat awkward moment.
.
.
.
After a busy day at Seolhwa High School, the two of them were once again having a conversation in Ryu Won’s room as usual.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been called by my real name, Baek Ye-rin. It might make me a little sad.”
“I’m sorry. But I think for a while, it has to be like this.”
“No, there’s no need to apologize.”
Baek Ye-rin shook her head, negating his apology, and Ryu Won asked her about something he was curious about from today.
“So, when did you get so close with Yoon Se-hee?”
“I got close with her at the Korean Music Awards. I found out she has a surprisingly cute side when we talked.”
“Yoon Se-hee has a cute side?”
Ryu Won couldn’t fully understand that.
Yoon Se-hee, the youngest member of the popular girl group Iris.
Her icicle-like cold atmosphere and appearance, plus her hard-edged speech, have even given her the nickname “Ice Princess.”
In fact, Ryu Won felt that nickname fit perfectly when they introduced themselves in the rehearsal room.
Just as he was thinking about this,
Gloooo.
Suddenly, Baek Ye-rin’s index finger gently touched Ryu Won’s cheek. Then, she used a bit of force on her finger, turning Ryu Won’s head towards her.
A silent gesture, like telling him not to think about other girls and to focus only on her who was sitting right in front of him.
Of course, since he couldn’t understand the intention, Ryu Won couldn’t help but give her a puzzled look as their eyes met naturally.
At that moment, Baek Ye-rin smiled kindly and continued.
“Anyway, it seems like everyone who listened to the melody you shared has become quite pensive.”
“But it’s hard to guess my identity from just the melody of the piano. If someone actually figured out my identity that way, I believe that should be acknowledged.”
“Acknowledged?”
“Yeah. If someone could identify me as a composer that way, it seems like they truly love me as a composer. Instead, shouldn’t I be happy?”
“…”
Upon hearing that statement, Baek Ye-rin paused to think.
What if he was even hiding his identity from her?
If so, could she have guessed his identity from the melody from today’s practice room?
‘I would have definitely noticed.’
The reason for this certainty is simple.
Just as he had just said…
Because she believed she was the person who loved the composer standing right in front of her the most in the world.
The first and second days at Seolhwa High School consist only of general classes, but from the third day onwards, specialized classes begin in earnest.
Most of the freshmen must be looking forward to these specialized classes.
Primarily, Seolhwa High School’s lineup of specialized subject teachers is quite impressive, and they even hire external lecturers to conduct classes, which is why.
This was to create an environment to teach the students as close to a one-on-one basis as possible.
Because it’s not very efficient in music majors to teach several students at once by a single teacher.
In any case, on the second day, one can choose which specialized class to attend on the third day.
“Whose class are you planning to attend?”
To Kim Tae-hwan’s question, I couldn’t answer right away.
Because I have been deliberating about whose specialized class to attend for tomorrow.
Of course, it’s not because I don’t want to attend specialized classes.
Isn’t there a saying that there is no end to learning?
Even though I currently achieve outstanding results in music, there are certainly limits, and plenty of areas where I fall short.
Thus, I believe it will certainly benefit me to learn from various experts.
But as it turned out, I didn’t have the choice of which specialized teacher to learn under.
“Ryu Won student? Come over here for a moment.”
Suddenly, someone visited our classroom and called out my name.
Shin Yura.
One of the composition majors teachers and someone who might arguably have the most reputation among the teachers.
That she openly called my name brought all the attention in the classroom to me in an instant.
I went out of the classroom with a puzzled expression to talk to her, and Shin Yura said this to me.
“Attend my specialized class tomorrow. There’s something else I want to discuss with you.”
*
Shin Yura’s specialized class gives feedback on original compositions and teaches composition techniques.
Honestly, when she told me yesterday to take her specialized class, I might have been a little curious.
The woman known as ‘Yura’ in the entertainment world.
She was no less than a founding member of the current top three entertainment agencies, Flow Entertainment, renowned for her outstanding abilities.
But why would such a person teach high school students?
Already having achieved great commercial success, it went beyond mere volunteer work.
Though the hidden reason was unclear, with the conclusion that she had good intentions, I went to attend Shin Yura’s specialized class.
And there, I…
“Let’s share feedback on this piece.”
“Isn’t this your piece, teacher?”
“That’s correct.”
“?!”
Before I knew it, I was giving feedback on a piece composed by Shin Yura herself.
