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Chapter 10
White, faded hair. Wrinkled hands bearing the marks of experience. Faces that showed the passing of years. And yet in the eyes of the audience looking at me, the light of youth was still shining. As the joy of their memories gradually spread across their faces…
Bluebird. Bluebird.
Before I knew it, the song had passed the first chorus, and the emotion in my voice was rising. Time no longer existed there. As if they had boarded a time machine and gone back to the past. As if the Beetles’ golden age had returned. Everyone there was recovering their youth, listening to the harmony the band and I were creating. And at that moment, the chorus melody ended and the guitar riff rang out again. It was as if the bluebird were calling out, giving back the passion of youth once more. Telling them to fly again, just like back then.
“Great work, everyone.”
When all the performances we had prepared were over, I sat down with the members at the group table in a corner of the restaurant that Derek had arranged. Hjalmar quickly took the seat next to me, grinning, still unable to calm the excitement from the stage.
“Wow. For something we put together in such a rush, we did amazing!”
“Agreed. Even with songs you know, it’s not easy to perform with polish after only an hour. Especially for the vocalist, who has to sing the lyrics.”
Itai chimed in on Hjalmar’s words. He gave me a small thumbs-up.
“Good work, Sinu. And thank you.”
“Thank you? For what?”
“Just, everything.”
Starting from how you looked out for me today…
As I watched Itai trail off, as if talking to himself, I thought:
Don’t tell me he noticed?
That I knew his situation and had brought everyone to the hotel because of it. And that I’d used the excuse of offering the little Korean food I had.
Of course, that wasn’t really the plan; I was going for a free dinner through this performance. But Itai couldn’t know that much.
I smiled awkwardly and answered.
“I didn’t do anything. Everyone worked hard.”
The dance majors beside me joined in.
“We had so much fun too!”
“Right! Honestly, I was worried because having to improvise choreography felt like a lot of pressure, but it was so fun!”
“Did you see the audience’s reaction? They were watching us like they were in a trance, and at the end they all gave us a standing ovation!”
“Yes. Ah, that thrill, seriously…!”
One of the dance majors shuddered all over, as if feeling the emotion again. Then she smiled at me.
“Anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, we got good performance experience and a delicious hotel dinner. It’s all because of you, Sinu.”
“Thanks from me too!”
Hjalmar, beside me, chuckled and joined in.
“Thanks, Sinu!”
“But guys, I’m so hungry right now. Can’t we talk while we eat?”
At the dance major’s words, I chuckled and answered.
“Sure. Let’s get the food first.”
We piled our plates full and sat down at the table Derek had arranged, eating happily. Maybe because we were so hungry, no one spoke for a while, until…
“Aren’t we just eating too much?”
Hjalmar broke the silence. The two dance majors laughed sheepishly.
“Right. We must have all been starving.”
“Hehe. The food was so good that… Sinu! Let’s talk, let’s talk!”
I chuckled at them and started the conversation.
“By the way, why did you all come to LSPA? There must have been plenty of other schools.”
The two dance majors answered with sparkling eyes.
“It’s famous! Of course, it’s more famous for music than dance. But hearing it was an arts school built by Sir Paul McCarney made it feel trustworthy.”
“Right. And it’s not common to find a place where you can study contemporary dance and street dance at the same time. That’s part of why we came here.”
“Ah.”
It was true that places teaching across so many genres like LSPA were rare. As I nodded, Hjalmar answered next.
“I came because it’s famous too. In Norway, LSPA is pretty well known, right alongside Berklee.”
He continued, cutting the steak on his plate.
“So I was torn between the two, but I wanted somewhere at least a little closer to Norway, so I came to England.”
“Hmm. I see.”
I looked at Itai. He was the one I’d been most curious about. What situation he was in right now. What goal he had come to LSPA with. Other than rumors I’d heard in my previous life, I’d never heard it from him directly. When our eyes met, Itai looked a bit uncomfortable and let his gaze wander. Then, as if resigning himself, he let out a short sigh.
“I came because it’s famous too.”
With only that brief answer, Itai sank into deep thought. He took a sip of the wine in his glass and continued.
“Actually, I’ve been performing professionally since I was a kid. But maybe because I didn’t go to a professional college, or because I was young, sometimes the people I performed with looked down on me. I couldn’t stand it, so I came in to at least get a degree, but…”
He trailed off, stared blankly into the air, and sighed deeply again.
“I’m not sure I can get the degree. I think I should just be content with having a taste of college for a while.”
“What? You mean you might leave without graduating?”
The dance majors made faces as if asking what he was talking about. Itai answered, drained of energy.
“Yeah. Realistically, yes. I don’t have much money right now, and my fiancée came with me.”
He looked at me.
“Actually, that’s why I followed you here, too. Sinu said he could ask Derek about job information. My fiancée and I really need work right now.”
“Ah…”
In an instant, everyone’s face turned serious. Of course, that was why Itai had followed me all the way here. So he probably didn’t yet have any thought of joining my crew.
What a shame. During the performance earlier, we fit together really well.
It was hard to believe we’d only just met today; playing together, I could feel we were breathing in sync and making living music. Even in my previous life I’d never found a drummer who matched me this well. Moreover, most drummers specialized in one genre: jazz for jazz, rock for rock. But Itai was LSPA’s only drummer who spanned every genre and changed his playing style to fit the mood of each song.
So of course I had my eye on him.
To bring him into my crew and band, I first had to win his heart. How should I do it? As I sank into thought…
“Bravo! That was wonderful! You have a voice from heaven, don’t you?”
A voice suddenly rang out behind me. I turned around and saw a group of guests passing by our table applauding me. Then:
“Thank you for making tonight such a wonderful time.”
He set a fifty-pound note down in front of me. Startled, I looked at the guest, who smiled and made a gesture of thanks. He disappeared out of the restaurant. One by one, other audience members said their thanks, and by the time only our team remained, a hundred pounds in cash was in my hand.
“What’s that, Sinu?”
“Looks like tips for singing well.”
“Lucky Sinu.”
“We each got a hundred pounds too, thanks to Sinu. And a free hotel dinner on top of that.”
“That’s true.”
As the team members at the table chatted with me in the middle…
“Oh, Sinu! Tonight’s performance was fantastic! Thank you so much for helping!”
Derek came toward us. In his hands was something thick.
“Ah, these are from other guests. They asked me to pass them on to Sinu.”
What he held out to me was a bundle of bills, large and small, totaling four hundred pounds in tips.
Itai raised his eyebrows at the thick wad of bills held out to Sinwoo.
Personal tips. Lucky Sinu.
All of those tips were purely Sinwoo’s. Tips that came in as a group were shared with the team, but personal tips went entirely to the individual. This wasn’t only in the performing arts; it was common sense that applied everywhere. Itai let go of his interest in the tips and went on eating the food he’d brought.
By the way, when will I be able to ask this Derek person about jobs?
His fiancée Helena had told him not to worry, saying that once she found work here they’d be free of worries about tuition and living expenses. But even the immediate living expenses were tight enough that they were struggling. As a result, Itai felt himself shrinking from everything. From making new friends. From spending time with them. Hadn’t he been exactly like that at the Kentucky chicken shop a while ago, ordering nothing and just trying to hold his seat? Even though he had the five pounds his fiancée had given him. Unable to spend that money, just smiling.
Still, Sinu must have noticed something, suddenly suggesting we eat Korean food in his hotel room, so I was less embarrassed. He probably didn’t mean to, but thanks to that, I got to have a nice dinner like this.
Itai looked at the plate in front of him. All this time, even when people around him praised him as a drum genius, it was only for a moment. Whether it was bad luck or not, he had rarely received proper support or met good people in music. Instead he had met only merchants and opportunists who used his talent for their own profit. Shame and gratitude seemed to mingle in his heart. As his mood sank and his eyes began to burn…
“Hey, Itai. Here’s your share.”
Sinwoo held out two hundred pounds. Itai looked at the money, then at Sinu in confusion.
“What’s this?”
“Today’s performance fee and the tips from earlier, split up.”
“The tips from earlier were your tips, Sinu.”
“No. Without the team, we couldn’t have performed successfully. So they’re everyone’s tips.”
“What…?”
It was a first. Not a vocalist who swaggered about how the team couldn’t run without him, but a leader who wanted to share all the credit with his teammates. Sinwoo handed Itai his two hundred pounds, then whispered quietly to him.
“And don’t worry too much about school. I asked Derek earlier whether the hotel has any openings. He said they’re looking for one staff member. I think your fiancée could apply.”
“Ah…”
What is this guy? We only met today. All we’ve done together is a small, sudden performance.
“Sinu. Why are you being this kind to me…?”
Suspicion came first. This kind of goodwill was truly a first for him. Sinwoo smiled at Itai.
“Because I want to keep performing together for a long time while we’re at school. I really liked your drumming.”
At those words, Itai’s eyes reddened again. Somehow the words of this black-haired Asian were lifting his anxiety. They were truly giving him hope again. The modest hope that he could make it all the way to graduation at LSPA.
“Thank you, Sinu…”
Looking at the two hundred pounds in his hand, Itai thought: he didn’t know for how long, but at least while he was here at LSPA, he wanted to follow this black-haired Asian, Sinwoo, as his leader. It felt as if his long thirst were finally being quenched. In truth, more than anyone, he had longed to make music with pure people like this, not with clever merchants who were merely skilled.
