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Chapter 8
1. Hit the Road, Jack (7)
‘First, if I want to save Minjun’s family, I need to make money.’
What exactly was this kid thinking?
His family situation was already that terrible, and he still wanted to go to university?
Well, I understand wanting to chase a dream even while poor.
I also started music with absolutely nothing to my name.
But back then, I had nobody depending on me.
If I starved, I starved alone.
If I slept on the streets, I slept there alone.
That was different from this kid, who had an exhausted mother working until dawn to feed her children and a little sister precious enough to treasure forever.
‘Still, I understand how teenagers think.’
The poverty wasn’t even his fault.
Of course he didn’t want to give up on his dreams.
And he probably chose music because, among dreams, it was one of the few paths where you could potentially make money quickly.
But becoming a singer is easy.
Succeeding as one is hard.
Didn’t he know that?
I brushed back my hair and muttered,
“Still, I happen to be pretty good at this kind of thing.”
Nobody was more confident than me when it came to starting from absolutely nothing.
I remembered my younger days, walking into clubs with no instruments, playing whatever piano they had there, singing, and earning money that way.
The man who first gave me a chance became rich because of me.
Later, his club even became famous as the place where Ray Robinson was first discovered.
“Hm. Hm.”
I touched my throat and warmed up my voice.
After singing during the practical exam yesterday, I realized this kid’s voice was completely different from mine.
Unlike my old voice, roughened by fifty years of alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs, this voice was clear and clean.
And when the voice changes, the control method changes too.
I needed time to learn how to use this voice properly.
But as I got closer to school, more students in uniforms appeared around me, and somehow it felt like everyone was staring at me.
At first, I thought I was imagining it.
But then one of the girls walking ahead turned around, got startled, and quickly moved aside.
I thought maybe she wanted me to pass first, so I walked a little faster.
Then both girls started following close behind me.
I’m not some famous gangster, so why are people clearing the road for me?
Don’t tell me I’m some legendary school fighter or something.
At that moment, someone suddenly slammed into me from the side.
“Song Minjun!”
A fight?
I’ve never fought anyone before.
Even the worst thugs usually avoided messing with blind people.
I’d been slapped by women for flirting before, but I’d never fought another man.
As my mind raced to figure out how to avoid this fight, I looked at the guy who had bumped into me.
“Ah. It’s you.”
I recognized him from Minjun’s memories.
Jung Hyunwoo.
Minjun’s best friend and a guy dreaming of becoming a music producer someday.
He had transferred from a middle school in another district and ended up alone at this school. During their first year, the two bonded over music and became inseparable friends.
Hyunwoo threw an arm around my shoulders and looked around before grinning.
“Our universe-level handsome king. Your walk to school is a flower garden again today.”
For a second, I had no idea what he meant.
Then I remembered the meaning of the phrase from Minjun’s memories.
‘Ah. So that’s why.’
The area around us was packed with female students.
None of them spoke to me, but they all looked at me with admiration.
So the saying really was true.
Looks matter most.
“How’d the exam go yesterday?”
“Eh, more or less.”
“I’m screwed.”
“Which school did you test for?”
“You bastard, are you even my friend? I told you already. Seonwoong University composition department.”
“Ah, right.”
“Damn it. I missed one question on the ear-training test.”
“Really?”
“What about you?”
“I just sang and came back.”
“Think you passed the first round?”
Do I think I passed?
If those professors’ ears were functioning properly, then obviously I passed.
Hyunwoo clicked his tongue.
“Well, the vocal department selects eight people, right? So the first round is a ten-times cutoff?”
“…?”
“If they pass ten times the number, then around eighty people make it. Meanwhile, composition only takes thirty. Competition’s brutal.”
Ah, that’s what he meant.
So seventy-two people would get eliminated in the second round.
Hyunwoo lightly punched my chest.
“When do first-round results come out?”
I searched my memories and answered.
“October 18th.”
“And second round? Two free songs, right? One Korean song and one pop song. Did you prepare?”
“……”
“Huh?”
“I’m not taking the exam.”
Hyunwoo’s eyes widened.
“Bullshit. Don’t say stupid things.”
“I’m serious.”
He studied my expression and realized I meant it.
“Why all of a sudden?”
“University costs money. We need money badly enough already. I can’t afford to spend it.”
“……”
Pity appeared on Hyunwoo’s face.
Don’t look at me like that.
Being poor is hard, but pity feels even worse.
After hearing that I was giving up university because of my family situation, Hyunwoo quietly walked beside me without saying anything else.
Silence was better than cheap comfort.
This guy really is a good friend.
There it was.
Class 3-1, Minjun’s classroom.
When we reached the door, Hyunwoo lightly tapped my shoulder.
“Pay attention in class. And you didn’t forget our plans later, right?”
“……”
What plans?
As I hurriedly searched my memories, Hyunwoo answered first.
“We’re going to Jongno after school.”
Why?
Ah, right.
He wanted to visit Nakwon Arcade to look at music equipment.
“Ah, right.”
“I’ll buy tteokbokki for you.”
“Okay.”
“See you later.”
Hyunwoo had been in the same class until the second year, but they got separated in the third year.
Watching him head toward his own classroom, I opened the door to Class 3-1.
Inside, groups of girls sat on desks chatting noisily.
Some students were already sleeping.
Others were eating snacks or reading comics.
I searched my memories and found my seat.
The girl sitting next to me had been sleeping, but when she noticed me, she hurriedly pulled out a small mirror, fixed her hair, and smiled shyly.
“Morning, Minjun.”
“Huh? Ah, morning.”
“How’d your exam go?”
“Good.”
Why is literally everyone asking about exams?
Does this country worship college entrance exams or something?
What’s the big deal if you don’t go to university?
The girl suddenly asked,
“Did any girls flirt with you there?”
“……”
Instantly, Hayoon’s face came to mind.
When I failed to answer immediately, the girl’s eyes widened. She ran toward the group of girls in the corner and shouted,
“Hey! I think Song Minjun picked up a girl while going to entrance exams!”
For a moment, it felt like the classroom temperature dropped below freezing.
The girls all stared at me coldly with crossed arms.
Unable to meet their eyes, I quickly buried my face in the desk.
‘It’s not like I even did anything wrong.’
I spent the entire time until class started lying face-down on the desk.
Even during lessons, the girls occasionally glared at me so intensely that it became genuinely terrifying.
So this is what it feels like when someone stares at you with resentment.
First time experiencing that.
Impressive.
They actually managed to scare a seventy-year-old man.
***
When lunchtime arrived, Hyunwoo entered through the back door and kicked my desk lightly.
“Hey, let’s hit the school store.”
Thank goodness this guy exists.
I was suffocating in here.
One of the girls whispered something to Hyunwoo, and he grinned while denying whatever she said.
I don’t know what it was, but it seemed like he was defending me.
“Hey, did you really meet a girl yesterday?”
“…Not really. I just talked to the girl sitting next to me.”
“Heh. I knew it.”
As we walked through the hallway, Hyunwoo glanced behind us.
The girls were still leaning out the classroom windows glaring at me.
“You should manage your fan club better. Those girls are completely obsessed with you, so treat them nicely.”
“……”
“Don’t you remember? That first-year girl who confessed to you when you were in second year? Those girls bullied her so badly she ended up transferring schools. I heard the girls all agreed not to confess to you until graduation because they were scared of getting ostracized too.”
What kind of insane nonsense is that?
Being handsome isn’t entirely a blessing after all.
No wonder they’d been glaring at me like crazy all morning.
When Hyunwoo opened the convenience store door, I saw it was packed with students because of lunchtime.
“What do you want to eat?”
I checked my pockets.
No money.
No matter the era, you need money to eat.
Hyunwoo glanced at me and nudged my shoulder.
“When have I ever not bought your food? What do you want?”
“Uh… anything.”
This guy really is a great friend.
Though judging from the expensive watch on his wrist, he must come from a rich family.
After spending lunch eating the snacks Hyunwoo bought, I returned to the hell known as the classroom.
The girls still glared at me, but the intensity slowly weakened, making the afternoon bearable.
But once classes ended, the girls immediately swarmed around me again.
“Minjun, what are you doing after school?”
“Minjun, we’re going to eat mala hotpot. Wanna come?”
“You cheated on us yesterday, so today belongs to us.”
What do you mean “belongs to you”?
Did I borrow something from you?
Thankfully, Hyunwoo rescued me.
“Move aside, move aside. I already reserved Minjun’s afternoon.”
The girls frowned.
“What? Where are you going? Meeting another girl?”
Hyunwoo waved his hands.
“We’re going to Nakwon Arcade to look at music gear. You girls know Minjun’s preparing for applied music exams, right? Are you trying to ruin his future? Our Minjun likes elegant, traditional women. He hates loud girls.”
The moment Hyunwoo said that, the girls immediately folded their hands politely in front of themselves, bent their knees gracefully, and pretended to walk elegantly.
I almost burst out laughing.
***
Together with Hyunwoo, who had rescued me, we arrived at Nakwon Arcade by subway.
From Minjun’s memories, I learned this was supposedly the biggest musical instrument market in Korea.
Though honestly, once I got there, it still seemed smaller than a single large instrument store in America.
Hyunwoo entered a shop, showed the owner a list of equipment he wanted, and sat down on a sofa.
“Sit. My neck hurts.”
I sat beside him.
After waiting a moment, the shop owner brought over the equipment Hyunwoo requested.
“This is the hottest MIDI controller these days. The SL88 GRAND.”
“Whoa, you don’t have the Studio Logic SL88?”
“Hard to get these days. No stock.”
“How much?”
“1.1 million won. Seriously, kid, why does an amateur like you only look for expensive gear?”
“Music is all about equipment.”
“You crazy bastard.”
“I’ll take this one, then.”
1.1 million won?
That’s over 750 dollars.
This kid really is rich.
Seriously.
I can’t believe I’m shocked over 750 dollars when I once spent 750,000 dollars in a single night.
Then I heard someone playing bass nearby.
A deep bass sound that resonated through the chest.
Bass had always been my favorite instrument sound.
Listening to the electric bass for the first time in a long while, I smiled unconsciously and muttered,
“That’s a KEN SMITH BSR 5TNE model. Damn, that sound is incredible.”
The shop owner’s head snapped toward me instantly.
He looked me up and down with disbelief.
What?
Why are you looking at me like that?
After staring at me for a long moment, the owner finally spoke.
“Kid, you can identify instruments just from the sound? Have you even seen a Ken Smith bass before?”
What kind of question is that?
Do you think that thing’s expensive?
I had bass guitars worth more than ten times that, collecting dust in my storage room back home.
