DLMS 22

Chapter 22

After seeing off Seolhee and Taehun, I returned home.

Today, like any other day, felt long.

I’d attended lectures, studied a bit for exams, and then took part in the audition.

After that, I spent a lively evening over dinner.

My daily schedule had grown a lot busier these days.

It was exhausting, but I enjoyed it.

“Hey, how was I today?”

After my shower, I lay down on the bed and, as usual, started talking with the demon.

[What kind of question is that—you sound like you’re asking your girlfriend.]

“Ugh… forget it, don’t answer…”

[Well, it wasn’t bad. But I think you need to pay a little more attention to rhythm.]

“Rhythm?”

[Yeah. The songs you sang before—at the performance or at karaoke—were melody-centered, right?]

“Right.”

[But the song you composed this time is rhythm-driven.]

“Yeah, that’s true.”

[You need to pull the rhythm along with more ease.]

“What exactly do you mean? Did I mess something up?”

I could understand his intent, but I wasn’t sure which part I had done wrong, so I asked again.

“Was I singing ahead of the beat?”

[Yeah. It wasn’t a serious issue, but if you’d leaned back on the beat a little, it would’ve been cooler.]

“You mean in the melodic rap part?”

[There, and also here and there in other spots.]

“Hmm… so even if I’ve gained vocal power, rhythm is a separate issue.”

[Of course. Vocal ability is about using the vocal cords and resonance, but rhythm belongs to a whole different domain.]

“Yeah, I know. Still, thinking of it fundamentally like that feels interesting.”

Rhythm is a concept of time.

Even the dictionary says rhythm means the unit of time in which sound exists.

Vocal ability belongs to the realm of sound, not time.

[In fact, this is the hardest part of music. Because time can be infinitely divided or extended.]

“Yeah… using it precisely must be difficult. I get what you mean.”

[You still have a lot to practice.]

The demon, who usually joked around or gave compliments, always added a small critique at the end.

Conversations like this made me understand why.

[Up until now you’ve been focused on your new powers or stage presentation, so I didn’t say anything. But from now on, you should also practice handling rhythm delicately.]

“Got it.”

There wasn’t any problem in the recorded track.

Even if I sang a bit ahead of the beat, you could just shift the track backward.

But on a live stage that required quick instincts, I would need to be more precise.

I wasn’t used to live performances yet, so I knew I had to be extra careful.

It hadn’t been long since I started dreaming of becoming a singer, so difficulties were inevitable.

“By the way… do you think I’ll pass the audition?”

[We’ll see. From my perspective, it wasn’t bad. But you never know what their requirements are.]

“Yeah, well. By the time I wake up, the results should be out.”

I was in the position of having to wait nervously, yet somehow my heart felt light.

Before the audition, I had thought failing would feel like the world collapsing.

But now I realized—I already had a lot.

I still needed more practice, but I had enough composition skill to write for professional singers, way above my peers.

On top of that, I had perfect pitch and vocal strength from my deal with the demon.

And more than that—I had the habit of deeply thinking about music.

I believed that my analytical thinking was the biggest reason why, at such a young age, I’d been able to enter JH Entertainment and write for pro singers.

Some people were born with natural intuition, unlike me.

But I was the type who worked hard.

Through steady effort and reflection, I’d come this far. Add the demon’s help on top of that, and whether I passed the audition or not didn’t feel like the most important thing anymore.

Besides, having spent time in an agency, I had at least some knowledge of the entertainment industry.

Of course, my plan was to get into Groovy Nation.

But it wasn’t as if failure would mean the end of the world.

[So, once you get in there, what will you do? Just club activities?]

“Well… I do have plans. But first, I want to think more about my music.”

[You mean that thing you said before—about defining your own color in music?]

“Yeah. If I become a composer, it’s best to be an all-rounder. But if I become a singer, I’ll need at least one main weapon.”

[Yeah. That’s a good thought. It’s the best way to imprint yourself on the public.]

“To do that, I’ll need to make a lot more songs.”

[Of course. You’ve always been the type to make all kinds of genres without sticking to one. Choosing and focusing now is going to be tough.]

“I’ll take it slow, making songs as I go… Hey, by the way.”

[Yeah, what?]

“What’s the next ability?”

[You’re impatient, huh. What do you want?]

“Wait—I get to choose?”

[To some extent.]

“What do you mean by that?”

[Ultimately, I’m the one who chooses what ability to give you.]

“Yeah, I figured.”

[The abilities you want are the ones that’ll help you become the kind of artist you want to be. So most of the time, what you want matches what I think I can give.]

“And sometimes not?”

[Yeah, sometimes.]

“Hm…”

I fell into thought.

The kind of artist I wanted to become.

What kind of singer? What kind of music?

I still didn’t know.

For now, I just enjoyed being on stage and the thrill of listening to music I created on my own.

I was still lacking too much to draw a more detailed picture.

And unless I moved carefully, getting revenge on CEO Kim Jung-hyuk of JH Entertainment would also be difficult…

[You really hate that guy, huh.]

“Who, CEO Kim Jung-hyuk?”

[Yeah. Every time you think of him, your anger gauge maxes out.]

“Of course. He trampled on my dream. I could put up with other things, but not when it comes to music. Besides, I’m sure I’m not the only one he’s screwed over.”

[Listen, sometimes just existing is revenge in itself.]

“What do you mean?”

[That time you gave Kim Jong-pil a hard hit—that was revenge too, right? Or getting someone punished, and so on.]

“Well, yeah.”

[But just by becoming a famous person yourself, you can make him burn inside.]

“Still, CEO Kim Jung-hyuk is in too high a position…”

[One day, you’ll understand what I mean. Anyway, go to sleep. It’s already two in the morning.]

I hadn’t noticed how time passed as we talked.

Tomorrow—no, today—the audition results would be announced.

I decided to get some sleep.

Maybe because I wished for good results, I had a good dream that night.

“Damn, this bus is so packed.”

“I wish we had a car like Jaehee-hyung.”

“Hyung lives in Sillim. Driving here would be worse for him.”

“Oh… I guess so.”

Early in the morning, Taehun and Seolhee got off the bus together to go to school.

It was only about ten minutes, but the crowded ride had left them exhausted.

“By the way, do you think hyung passed the audition?”

“Do they give results right away?”

“They’re out in the morning. He probably already got the results by now.”

“Oh! Should we ask him?”

Taehun pulled out his phone to call Yoo Jaehee.

“Hello, hyung! Where are you?”

—Yeah, I’m… huh, isn’t that you?

Hearing the voice over the phone, Taehun looked around.

“Oh! What the—Hyung!”

Not far away, they spotted him.

Taehun hung up and ran over.

“Hyung! Hyung! Did you pass? How was it?”

“Hey… wait…”

Seeing Taehun demand results immediately, Seolhee covered her forehead.

“Uh… well…”

I hesitated to answer.

“Ah…”

“Hey, this guy…”

My reaction made Taehun flustered, and Seolhee smacked him lightly on the back.

“It’s okay, hyung. Honestly, even if you didn’t pass, it’s not like our club is what it used to be. You could succeed anywhere else!”

“I passed.”

“…What?”

“Oh—I passed.”

“You passed?!”

“Yeah!”

“Ah, come on!”

“Hyung, seriously!”

“Hahaha! You always prank me, so I wanted to try it on you for once.”

Since I always fell for Taehun’s tricks, I wanted to return the favor.

“Damn, hyung! You’re such a scammer! You should’ve gone into acting instead of music.”

“Haha, thanks. Really—it’s all thanks to you guys.”

Only after hearing I passed did the two finally relax.

I thanked my good friends once again.

“Nah, we didn’t do anything. You did it all, hyung.”

“No, Seolhee and you helped me a lot.”

[Ugh… enough with the cheesy stuff. It’s making me squirm.]

Of course, someone in me couldn’t handle the heartwarming vibe.

“Anyway, let’s go to your rehearsal room after exams are over. I’ll write a song for you guys. By then, the other members should be back too, right?”

“Yeah. They’ll all be back tomorrow. I’ll tell them in advance—let’s go together after exams.”

“Good. We’ll be late if we don’t hurry. Let’s go.”

With the good news in hand, the three of us headed to our lecture hall.

—You have passed the Groovy Nation audition.

……

After finishing all my lectures, I sat in the campus study hall, supposedly studying for exams.

But I found myself checking that morning’s text again.

[Happy now?]

‘Of course. Why, you think I’d be upset?’

[Listen to that tone, huh.]

‘What? What.’

[Heheheh… You’re a funny one.]

The message had been from Lee Jong-in.

Below the acceptance notice, he’d written:

—Since it’s exam period, everyone’s busy. After exams, we’ll arrange a gathering. Until then, study hard and we’ll set a date soon.

Though we’d met once before, we still hadn’t dropped formal speech.

It was a bit awkward.

But it felt like we were building some familiarity—at least, I hoped so.

Either way, what mattered was that I was really looking forward to the club meeting.

Even more than any department gathering.

[But hey, is it okay for you to study this hard alone?]

‘What do you mean?’

[Look in front of you…]

I lifted my head—Taehun had dozed off, sound asleep.

Seolhee, as if used to this, was quietly focused on her book.

‘Oh boy…’

While Yoo Jaehee and his friends were absorbed in exam prep…

Over in Sinchon, Kim Jong-pil was drinking soju with a friend.

“Can you believe that punk talked to me like that? So damn cocky.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. Calm down, man.”

At that drinking session with Yoo Jaehee not long ago, he hadn’t been able to say much.

Apparently still fuming, he vented the story to an old middle school friend who also knew Jaehee.

“Honestly, it’s hard to even picture him talking like that.”

“I know, right? I didn’t expect him to say that either. Damn…”

Spitting out his anger, Kim Jong-pil downed his soju.

But that wasn’t enough. His fury wasn’t cooling.

“Isn’t it just insane? That pathetic punk, talking like that—seriously…”

He wanted his old friend to agree with him.

But the look he got in return was cold.

“Hey, Jong-pil. I get you’re upset, but seriously, just drop it.”

“What?”

Unable to bear it, his friend finally spoke bluntly.