DLMS 48

chapter 48

“I don’t know him very well either, but I heard something happened to him recently.”

The manager was recalling as he answered the question from a member of Demian.

“His name… was it Yoo Jae-hee? I heard he became popular recently after some YouTuber went down. I don’t really know, but I heard he’s talented.”

“Yoo Jae-hee?”

The members of Demian exchanged glances.

“Ah, I see. Got it. Anyway, manager, please take care of things this time too!”

“Yeah, sure. Take care, and I’ll see you at the next meeting.”

With the cheerful manager seeing them off, the meeting truly came to an end.

The members of Demian exited the venue.

The area around Crossline was always crowded.

People walked quickly past.

Amid the crowd, Demian paused in the middle of the street for a brief conversation.

“Yoo Jae-hee? Do you know who that is?”

One member asked, and the guitarist was the first to respond.

“Um, I’m not completely sure, but I think I’ve seen him before?”

“Oh? You’ve seen him before?”

“Yes. He’s the one who recently skyrocketed in popularity because of some issue, and if I remember correctly, he was originally a producer at JH Entertainment?”

“What? JH Entertainment?”

All the members froze, eyes wide in surprise.

“JH Entertainment? You mean the JH Entertainment we know?”

“Yes. I went there when they needed a musician, and I think he was the general producer of the piece I played.”

“The general producer?”

“Wait, a producer performs too?”

“I didn’t know either, but apparently he can sing well too.”

The unexpected news about the guest left the members of Demian stunned.

“But I don’t think he can play instruments. Considering he hired session musicians.”

“Oh, so he’s just MIDI-based?”

“Hey, don’t call him that.”

The keyboardist of Demian spoke with a tone of distaste.

“I guess he’s better at singing than composing.”

“But he’s a producer. If he can’t play instruments, doesn’t that make him unqualified, no matter how famous the place he worked at was?”

“Hey, why are you saying that about someone you don’t even know?”

“Hmm…”

For a brief moment, they discussed Yoo Jae-hee.

All members of Demian were experienced musicians with exceptional skills.

Moreover, each was specialized in their own field, making their abilities outstanding.

The keyboardist had a somewhat sharp edge: he tended to look down on non-specialists and viewed MIDI users as distant from pure art.

Of course, specialists had countless advantages.

Similarly, those without formal music education also had strengths, but the keyboardist didn’t seem willing to acknowledge them.

“All right, let’s stop worrying about him and get back to practice.”

“Okay, got it.”

Having learned that the guest would be Yoo Jae-hee, Demian headed to the practice room.

[So, what is it? Piano or guitar?]

Before practice today, I was contemplating something in my room.

“Multiple instruments aren’t allowed, right?”

[You’re greedy. That’s not allowed. Paganini only took one violin.]

“Oh, right. Yeah… hmm…”

I was deciding which skill to acquire next.

The Devil suggested improving my sense of rhythm, but I wanted to figure that out myself.

The ability I proposed to the Devil was:

“Which instrument skill would benefit me the most?”

[Hey, wouldn’t piano be best? With your current piano skills plus the ability ten years from now, you’d be amazing.]

“But guitar is easier to move around with on stage.”

[Do whatever you want. You’ve been thinking about this for an hour already.]

“Ah! This is so hard!”

My head felt like it might explode.

Honestly, for composing and arranging, I didn’t need better piano skills.

Instrument skills were only for performances.

With piano skills, I could show considerable skill immediately, but my stage presence might be limited.

The other option was guitar.

My guitar skills were just above beginner level.

Even if I received my ten-years-later guitar skills from the Devil, I wouldn’t become a master.

But performing with a guitar would allow me to create a more visually impressive stage presence.

[If you keep hesitating, it’ll be next year. Remember that shallow thought you had? Why not go with that?]

“Hmm…”

It was tempting.

The shallow thought the Devil mentioned was actually why I wanted the instrument skill in the first place.

I had heard that Demian’s pianist looked down on non-specialists, and I wanted to shatter that notion.

“All right, let’s do it.”

[Decided?]

“Yes.”

[Okay… good.]

The Devil’s energy disappeared for a moment.

Shortly after, I felt heat in both my hands.

August 2019 was a crucial month for me.

The Groovy Nation performance and the Qrious performance at Crossline.

These two shows were my chance to establish myself.

In July, while preparing diligently, I almost finished the setlists for both shows.

Each performance would feature different songs.

Among them, “Imagine,” my first creation, and “Drive,” which had the strongest response, would appear in both shows.

Only one song remained to be completed.

[Drive Live is pretty good now. It sounds close to the recording.]

“Just need to finish one song and practice. Then I’ll be ready for the performance.”

Today, I spent the day at the Groovy Nation practice room.

The spacious room was filled with music and my passion from morning.

In one corner was the crumpled wrapper from a hamburger I had just eaten.

I quenched my thirst with flat cola and continued practicing.

The last song’s composition was complete, and some arrangements were awaiting completion.

The person handling it was again Lee Jong-in.

I requested a few more songs this time, and Jong-in completed everything quickly and impressively.

The Devil even commented that speed was good.

I was glad to have someone helping me.

“Is Seol-hee doing well…?”

[Haven’t you practiced enough? Why not go watch something for a change?]

“Should I? Should I call Taehun?”

[Yes, watching others perform can help more than practicing alone all the time.]

“That makes sense.”

I followed the Devil’s advice, tossed the hamburger wrapper, and called Taehun.

“Hey! Taehun!”
“Ah! Hyung!”

After the call, I headed to Nanji Park.

Weekend evenings weren’t usually heavy in traffic, but the roads in Sangam-dong were unforgiving.

I arrived a bit late, parked, and met Taehun.

“Wow, traffic was terrible.”
“It’s okay. Your performance isn’t for a while.”
“Really? Where are the others?”
“Over here. Come this way.”

Taehun led me to the center of Nanji Park.

Soon, we noticed a bustling crowd.

• Youth Festival

A large banner caught my eye.

It was the 2019 Summer Youth Festival.

Among the lineup was Qrious.

I had never seen Seol-hee perform outside the practice room, so I was excited.

[Glad we came! This looks fun. Hey, churros over there! Let’s go eat!]

‘You don’t even eat…’

[No! It’s for the vibe! Look! Cotton candy too! Looks delicious!]

‘No, not now.’

[Ah! Let’s eat!]
‘No, next time.’
[Ahhhh! Come on!]

“Hyung, why do you look like that? Something wrong?”
“Huh? No, nothing. Hahaha!”

I was embarrassed because the Devil’s nagging had shown on my face.

“Nothing, let’s go.”
[Ah! They sell hot dogs too!]
‘Ugh…’

“Hyung!”
“Ah! Seol-hee… hey! Whoa, what’s this?”
“Hmm? What?”

After Taehun’s call, Seol-hee briefly stepped out of the waiting room.

The other members were busy, so only Seol-hee made time.

I couldn’t help but be surprised by Seol-hee’s appearance.

“Wow, you really do look like someone training to be an idol.”
“Really? I look okay today?”
“Wow, you’re so handsome.”
“Thanks. Do-hwa unnie did my makeup.”

Truly, a person preparing to be an idol stood out.

Even at JH Entertainment, I had seen many current idols and trainees, but Seol-hee surpassed them in looks.

[Being good at music is more important than looks.]

‘But she sings well too.’

[It’s just okay…]

I knew the Devil’s tone was sarcastic praise.

“But hyung, I thought you couldn’t come today?”
“I wanted to practice, but I couldn’t resist seeing you.”
“Haha, thinking you’re watching makes me nervous.”

Taehun interrupted.

“Hey, don’t be nervous.”
“Got it, don’t worry.”

I heard that Seol-hee failed to become an idol and didn’t join Groovy Nation due to extreme nervousness during tests.

Taehun knew this and worried, but Seol-hee seemed fine today.

“Today isn’t a test, right? I’ll do well, so don’t worry.”
“Good, glad to hear that.”

The three of us stood in the middle of the street chatting.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Seol-hee.

Usually, Seol-hee wore bangs, but today, thanks to Kim Do-hwa, the forehead was fully exposed.

Her skin looked even fairer and cleaner than usual.

I could see why she had so many Instagram followers.

“Hey, Seol-hee.”
“Yes?”
“You’re really handsome.”
“Haha! Hyung, why are you saying that? You’re handsome too.”
“No, I’m nothing compared to you.”

[Hmm? They’re kinda similar.]

“Well, a bit different, but hyung is handsome too.”

Taehun agreed, but I didn’t.

Musically, I was better, but in looks, Seol-hee had the edge.

“Ah, I should head back. I need to get ready. What will you do after the show?”
“Nothing, I’ll rest. Wanna meet afterward?”
“Yes, I’ll contact you after it ends.”
“Okay, do well.”
“Fighting!”

Seol-hee walked to the waiting room, her outfit swinging with straps.

The thought of seeing Seol-hee’s first performance made my heart feel warm, like the moist summer breeze.