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Chapter 19
Wait. This is actually good.
Eddie was in charge of the set list for the bombed-out church performance. So if I impressed him this time, I might perform there as the freshman representative.
I can’t pass up a chance like that.
I lifted the corner of my mouth.
“Ah, I’m a little nervous going first. But all right, Professor.”
Playing it up with a bit of bluster, I found the video I’d filmed with the members on my phone. I pulled it up on the screen and handed the phone to Eddie. He walked over to the equipment set up on one side of the classroom and plugged a jack into it. With a crackle of noise, he pressed play.
I wake up in the morning, once again.
My calm voice rang through the classroom with no accompaniment at all. A few of the students who had heard it at the open mic on the day of the opening ceremony flashed their eyes.
“Oh! This is that song! The one Sinu sang alone at the open mic!”
“Right! It was mesmerizing even then. How did he turn it into a band sound?”
As usual, in the same bed I know.
With everyone’s expectations rising, the song moved on to the next line. Thrum, thrum, the guitar sounded, and the drums began to rev up. The intro passed, and before long the first chorus arrived.
Every time I see you. I dream of you. Look, who’s in the mirror.
Doom, doom. This time the bass came in, along with the piano. As all the instruments blended and made the song steadily more intense in time with the chorus:
“Hold on.”
The first verse hadn’t even ended when Eddie paused the video. He turned to me with wide eyes.
“Sinu. Did you really write this song?”
What? Why was he asking? I nodded lightly.
“Yes.”
“And you got no help whatsoever from any professional when composing it?”
“No.”
“Hmm…”
Eddie stroked his chin, deep in thought for a moment. Then:
Clap, clap, clap.
He started applauding, breaking into a huge grin.
“And yet this level of quality! Absolutely excellent!”
Phew. I’d been worried he would say something bad. I quietly settled my startled heart and smiled.
“Thank you, Professor Eddie.”
“But does the rest of the song develop this way too?”
“Um… yes.”
“Hmm. Then there’s one thing that’s a little disappointing.”
Eddie tapped my phone screen and adjusted something. The video played again, and the second chorus began.
Every time I see you. I dream of you. Look, who’s in the mirror.
After hearing the front of the chorus, Eddie stopped the song again.
“Unlike the first verse, the song needs bigger dynamics here, but right now it doesn’t look much different from the first verse.”
But as if telling me not to worry, he smiled and continued.
“But if we layer a chorus here, the sound will be much richer.”
He looked at me.
“How about it, Sinwoo? Can you layer a chorus in right now?”
“Ah, yes.”
At my answer, Eddie lined the video up with the second chorus again. When he pressed play:
Every time I see you. I dream of you. Look, who’s in the mirror.
I sang a backing chorus over the main melody coming through the speakers. Eddie raised his eyebrows, put on a rapturous expression, and gently closed his eyes. Then:
“Good. Very good.”
He flew. That is, he spread both arms like a bird and began swooping around the classroom. At this sight, which they were seeing for the first time, my classmates whispered to each other in utter bewilderment.
“W-what’s this? Professor Eddie?”
“Is he drunk?”
But I knew this was the highest praise he could give, so I chuckled at my friends’ baffled remarks. After Eddie’s flapping had gone on for a while, he asked.
“Is this song ready for performance? Could you play it right this minute?”
“Yes. Of course.”
“And the chorus part you just did?”
“In an actual performance, Jalen can help.”
I looked at Jalen.
“Right?”
Jalen raised his eyebrows and answered.
“Sure, I can probably handle a chorus.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
Eddie fell into thought. Since he was in charge of the bombed-out church set list, I hoped it was about that. A very important person in Liverpool’s club performance scene would be there, after all.
“A very interesting song. I enjoyed listening, Sinu.”
But Eddie only pondered and never brought up anything related to it. Just in case, I waited until the songwriting class ended for him to mention it, but it never happened.
“Hey, Jalen. Could we go to a practice room for a moment and work on that chorus part?”
“Ah, okay. No problem, Sinu.”
After the songwriting class ended, I approached Jalen with the chorus as my excuse. We did need to sync up for tonight’s Gatsby Party performance, after all. We reached a practice room with an acoustic piano and started working on the chorus.
“Oh, not bad for a first try. Nice. Then shall we run it from the top?”
“From the top?”
“Yeah. With piano accompaniment. That way we can get a sense of the overall mood of the song while we sync up.”
“Ah… sure. Okay.”
Jalen tilted his head as if something about the situation was off. But soon he didn’t seem to suspect anything, raised his eyebrows, and placed his hands on the piano.
“Then I’ll start, Sinu.”
“Okay.”
I began singing along with Jalen’s piano. Before long, the song passed the first verse and headed toward the second chorus.
Every time I see you. I dream of you. Look, who’s in the mirror.
As I sang the chorus, Jalen remembered to layer in the backing vocals. It really felt as though following Eddie’s advice had been right, because the song had a fullness it hadn’t before.
“Good. If you keep following with the chorus like this, I think it’ll have a richer sound, just like Professor Eddie said.”
I said this, then glanced at Jalen again.
“By the way, Jalen.”
“Hm?”
“If a performance came up with just piano and vocals, the two of us, could you help me?”
“Of course!”
Sure enough. Jalen nodded and smiled at me.
“Even if that day were today?”
“T-today? That’s a little sudden…”
Jalen trailed off, then answered as if it didn’t matter much.
“We just synced up like this, so I think it’s possible. Why? Do you have a performance to do today?”
“No. I just wanted to know if you’d help in case something like that came up.”
When I smiled, Jalen raised his eyebrows at me as if it were anticlimactic. I stood up from the practice room seat and continued.
“Then you’re coming to the Gatsby Party later, right?”
“Of course. Everyone’s going.”
I’d asked again just in case, so that was fortunate. I smiled at Jalen.
“See you later, then!”
“Yeah! See you!”
I left the practice room and was saying goodbye to Jalen as he walked away when:
“Hey. Sinu.”
Itai, who must have been waiting outside the practice room, called out to stop me. I’d been about to meet Hjalmar outside the school and head to the vintage shop together. What was this about?
“Oh, Itai. What’s up?”
“Nothing big. Helena said she heard back yesterday that she passed the interview for that Dolby Hotel job you introduced her to. She wanted me to pass on her thanks.”
In Itai’s hand was a small box of fine chocolates. So she’d finally found a job. Then maybe this time, unlike in my previous life, he wouldn’t have to go back home after one semester. I waved my hands and refused the gift he held out.
“No, what did I do? She got in because Helena did well in the interview.”
“Still, Helena wants to show at least a small token of thanks.”
Itai set the chocolate box in my arms without taking no for an answer.
“Then see you at the Gatsby Party later.”
Itai waved and disappeared out of the classroom.
“Sinu. Is there really a vintage shop on the second floor of Leaf?”
Arriving in front of the tea café Leaf, Hjalmar peered into the café’s interior with wide eyes, unable to believe it. And no wonder. It looked like nothing more than a casual café with a nice atmosphere, so no one would imagine a vintage shop on the second floor.
“Yeah. It’s the second floor.”
When I answered, Ash and Abby spoke up excitedly.
“I’ll pick out Sinu’s outfit!”
“Then I’ll pick out Hjalmar’s!”
“We’ll pick our own clothes… Let’s just hurry up and go up.”
We headed to the second floor of Leaf.
“Wow, this is incredible!”
Upstairs, clothes hung packed together across a wide space. From everyday wear to flashy outfits suited to tonight’s party. At the sight, Ash and Abby lost themselves and began rummaging everywhere.
“Then shall we pick out ours?”
I chuckled at Hjalmar. He grinned playfully back and began choosing clothes.
I think it was somewhere around here…
In my previous life too, I’d found an outfit that fit me perfectly and bought it. Because prices were set by weight, it was cheap. And the design wasn’t too old-fashioned, so it had been useful whenever I needed a suit later. As I rummaged through the piles of clothes:
Oh…! That’s it…!
I pulled a black suit out of the pile. Ash and Abby, who had been busy browsing their own accessories, glanced at what I’d picked up.
“Oh! That’s pretty!”
“Right! I think it’d look great on Sinu!”
They hustled me toward the fitting room, telling me to try it on quickly. I changed in the fitting room and stood in front of the mirror.
This is it.
Looking like this, I wouldn’t feel intimidated even if I got on the Gatsby Party stage. I looked in the mirror and lifted the corners of my mouth. Now everything was ready. All that remained was for Ines to contact me, asking me to perform at the Gatsby event.
