DLMS 45

chapter 45

“Then I’ll pitch in a bit more.”

“Huh?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to me.

“We’re short about 300,000 won right now, aren’t we? I’ll cover it.”

“Hey, do you really have to go that far?”

Lee Jongin, sitting next to me, tapped my knee as if to stop me. Honestly, I wondered myself if I was overdoing it.

But what mattered to me right now was performing in a good venue and putting on an amazing show. That was all.

“Why not? I want to perform in a great place.”

“Uh, well…”

At my firm words, Jongin closed his mouth.

[Well, if you want to do it, then do it. You can always earn money again.]

“Exactly. Isn’t it better if we spend that much and show everyone just how great we can be on stage?”

At my question, the others only nodded. Deep down, I knew they were probably glad I was offering to pay. But it wasn’t easy to show it in the current atmosphere.

“Personally, I think investing in our future is worth more. You guys all perform really well.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“Then let’s do this. Hold a meeting without me.”

No matter how I thought about it, I felt I shouldn’t be in the room.

“I’m serious about investing. You’re all just holding back because you feel bad, right?”

“……”

The club members answered with silence.

“So, talk it over without me around, and then tell me what you decide.”

“Uh, but are you really okay with that, hyung?”

Jang Hansul asked with genuine worry.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Groovy Nation was the club I’d desperately wanted to join. Sure, they were just broke college amateurs. But their talent was top-notch. If possible, I wanted to perform with them on a bigger stage.

“Since it came up, why don’t you just talk it out now? An hour should be enough, right? I’ll step out.”

The moment I stood up, the members tried to get me to stay a bit longer. But I knew staying wouldn’t get us anywhere.

“Alright then, meeting start!”

With a bright tone—trying not to make them feel burdened—I tossed out the words and left the clubroom.

[As long as they don’t treat you like a pushover.]

‘Jongin’s there. He’ll say the right things for me.’

[Yeah, but still… you’re surprisingly resolute when it comes to stuff like this. Guess it’s because it’s about music?]

‘I just… wanted to show this side of myself too.’

[Oh, you mean like those times you daydream—?]

‘W-what daydreams…?’

[You know, when you imagine a random man barging into class and you heroically take him down…]

‘Sh-shut up! Don’t say that!’

The thought that the devil had been watching even my weird daydreams made me want to crawl into a hole. My burning face wouldn’t cool down.

[Kikikikik… you delusional clown!]

‘Shut it!’

While the meeting went on, I walked toward the practice room. Truthfully, I enjoyed practicing more than meetings. And now that I had time to myself, I wanted to spend it singing.

-Jongin, I’ll be practicing in the room. Text me when you’re done.

With Yoo Jaehee out of the room, silence fell. It was a kind gesture. They didn’t know what his actual financial situation was. He had casually offered to cover 300,000 won, but everyone only felt more guilty.

“Well, since Jaehee gave us space, let’s actually talk this out,” Hansul finally said.

“Yeah, if he’s that serious, we need to give him a good answer.”

Among them, Jongin probably knew Jaehee’s personality best. He could tell this firmness was genuine.

“But don’t you think it’s too much? 300,000 won is a lot.”

For a college student, it was no small sum.

“Right. I don’t think this is right.”

“Exactly. He hasn’t even been in the club that long, and now he’s paying for us? That’s too much…”

Most members leaned toward refusing. No matter how they thought about it, it felt wrong and burdensome.

“Hm…”

After listening quietly, Jongin finally spoke.

“Wait a second, everyone.”

He pulled out his phone and sent Jaehee a message.

-Jaehee, are you really okay with this? Tell me honestly. The others won’t see this.

Unlike the heavy clubroom, the practice room was buzzing with energy. I’d thrown them a problem to solve; now it was their turn. I was busy enjoying myself, singing away.

Bzzzzt.

“Ugh…”

[Hahahaha! I thought that was you adding ad-libs!]

The sudden vibration from my pocket startled me mid-song. Checking my phone, I saw it was Jongin.

“Already done?”

-Jaehee, are you really okay with this? Tell me honestly. The others won’t see this.

“What? Did he not hear what I said?”

-Yeah, I mean it.

I shot back a reply and went back to practicing.

“Hey, don’t you think I’m improving?”

Until recently, I couldn’t nail the rhythm. I’d practiced like crazy, and now I was handling that part almost instinctively.

[Yeah, much better. It’s finally coming together.]

“Right? Practice never betrays you!”

[The intro’s solid now. Just focus more on the pre-chorus.]

“Got it. I’ll loop that part.”

I could feel myself improving rapidly. If I kept at it, the harder parts would fall into place too. I almost hoped the meeting dragged on longer so I could keep practicing.

Jaehee’s reply came almost instantly.

-Yeah, I mean it.

A simple, emotionless text. But based on everything they knew, it was clearly genuine. Jongin read it aloud.

“Alright, guys. Jaehee’s serious. He probably just wants to perform in a good venue.”

Everyone’s eyes shifted to him.

“So let’s do this: if he pays extra, let’s give him something in return.”

“Like what?”

“We could give him a bigger cut of profits, or extend his stage time. There are options.”

“Sharing profits would only be a loss for him though.”

“Right, so maybe more stage time instead.”

“Yeah, I like the idea of more stage time.”

“What he really wants is the performance itself. He’d probably love more spotlight.”

Spotlight was something everyone wanted, but in this case, it was the best way to justify Jaehee’s contribution.

Then another quiet member spoke up.

“Um, then… I’ll chip in too.”

“What, money?”

“Yeah, even 10,000 or 20,000 won.”

“Then I’ll add some too.”

“Same here. If he’s willing to put in so much, we should pitch in too.”

One by one, members offered small amounts. In the end, six members pledged a total of 90,000 won. And as thanks for Jaehee’s firm stance, they decided to give him an extra five minutes of stage time.

“Alright, let’s call him back in.”

“YES! It’s really happening now!”

Driving home, I shouted while gripping the steering wheel.

[Holy—! Are you insane?]

“Come on, the venue’s set! It finally feels real. I’m so pumped!”

My excitement filled the car.

[Just focus on practice. You’re not there yet.]

“Hehehe, don’t worry about that.”

[Geez… you’re like a puppy on a snowy day.]

In the end, they’d accepted my offer. Since the others had pitched in 90,000 won, I tried refusing the extra stage time, but they insisted. Otherwise, they said they’d feel too guilty to perform.

The memory of performing at the school’s opening ceremony back in March was still vivid in my head. Back then, I’d sung a cover of an idol song.

“But this time… I’ll be performing my own song!”

[Ugh, fine, I get it! Stop yelling!]

“Hahaha!”

[You’re seriously losing it…]

“I need to upload another song when I get home.”

[On Insta?]

“No, SoundCloud. I can do it on my own now.”

[S-sure… suit yourself.]

Even the devil couldn’t handle how hyped I was.

We had about a month and a half until the concert. Not long, considering how much there was to memorize and practice. But I couldn’t wait. The weather was heating up, and so was my passion.

As soon as I got home, I uploaded another track. Now there were two on my SoundCloud.

• Plays: 2,811

• Likes: 325

• Comments: 378

That was the info for Drive.

• Plays: 34

• Likes: 4

• Comments: 7

And the numbers for Imagine, the one I’d just uploaded.

“Feels good, you know?”

[Yes, yes, I can see that.]

“You get it too, right? Hehe.”

[Wow, I really can’t handle your energy today, Jaehee. What’s gotten into you?]

“Hehe, I’m fine.”

[I’m not fine…]

For an amateur, Drive’s numbers weren’t bad at all. Sure, I was still just a bit above average. But I couldn’t help but feel happy.

On top of that, Groovy Nation’s concert date and venue were confirmed today. My excitement wouldn’t settle.

[But still, you’re really over the moon about this…]

“Didn’t you once say my emotions run big? Today’s no different.”

[No, I mean your expressions are stronger than usual. It’s different.]

“Haha, everyone has days like that.”

[Man… you’re changing. Kinda drastic, don’t you think?]

Maybe I had changed more than I realized. Sure, I still froze up with strangers or in awkward settings—like group projects with people I’d just met. But around friends like Seolhee and Taehun, or when I was alone, my actions had definitely gotten brighter.

It felt good. No, it felt liberating.

Expressing myself. Not just enjoying things silently, but showing it so others could feel it too. Expressing emotions through action made me even more excited.

And I knew this kind of expression would help me on stage.

As my excitement soared higher, the play count on Imagine slowly ticked upward.