No More Thug Life, I’m Playing Music

#053: Give and Take (3)

Baekjung Studio was equipped with state-of-the-art sound equipment, producing an incredibly rich and immersive sound.
The textures and tones were vivid, responding flawlessly to the deepest bass rhythms while catching even the smallest vibrations.
Listening to classical music on this setup was akin to meticulously admiring a master’s oil painting on a vast canvas.

It was, without exaggeration, a nearly perfect environment for appreciating classical music.

But…

The owner of this setup was Junsoo.
As expected, it was not classical music playing today, but pop tracks.

[Hit it! Harder!]
Thump— Thump— Thump—

I sat up from the sofa, picked up a rabbit-shaped apple slice from the table with a fork, and bit into it.
The unique texture from the neatly sliced surface matched the beat of the music.

“As expected.”
I gave a thumbs-up to Ducheol, who was sitting across from me.

“You’re really good with a knife.”

“It’s all thanks to you, hyung. I learned from the best.”
Ducheol grinned, moving the knife even faster.

Slice— Slice—
The sashimi knife, as long as an adult male’s forearm, peeled the red skin of the apple effortlessly.

“But do you really need to use a sashimi knife for that?”

“My fingers are thick; this works best.”

“Fair enough.”
I nodded, picking up another apple slice.

[Don’t come closer— You can’t handle me—]
Thump— Thump— Thump—

“What about Minji?”

“Went out drinking.”

“Again?”

“Yes, she said it’s her duty as a college student or something like that.”

“Tsk tsk.”

“By the way, hyung. I saw Park Deuksu today.”

“Did you now.”

“Yes, he was with Han Yeoreum.”

“Was he now?”

Could he be scouting her for JS Art?
What exactly is he trying to accomplish by gathering famous musicians…
Whatever it is, it’s clearly diverging from my plans.

As I pondered, Junsoo’s voice floated out from the kitchen.

Turning around, I saw him washing dishes, swaying his hips to the music.

“Ha…”

“Good grief…”
Both Ducheol and I exchanged looks of pity.

It was nice that Junsoo seemed brighter than before, but sometimes I wondered if he was still the same Junsoo I used to know.

“Must be under a lot of stress…”

“You’re telling me. I told him not to push himself so hard with studying.”

“Feels like he’s hitting puberty late…”

“And he plays those girl group songs all day long. I’ve memorized the lyrics at this point.”

Just then, a loud ringtone came from the phone on the table.

[Hit it! Harder!]

“……”

“Uh… this isn’t what it looks like!”
Ducheol flailed his hands in defense, explaining that Junsoo had changed the ringtone without his knowledge.

“No one’s judging. Just answer the call.”

He hurriedly put the knife down and picked up the phone.

“Hello!”

“Hello, Manager. This is Mera.”

“Oh!”
His face lit up as he stood from his seat.

“Mera, what a surprise! What’s up?”

“Minji isn’t answering her phone… Are you busy right now?”

“Not at all! What do you need?”

I shook my head at his lovestruck expression.
For someone so burly, he could be oddly endearing at times.

“Who’s got him smiling like that?”
Junsoo, now done with the dishes, turned down the speaker volume as he asked.

“A photographer who takes pictures of us sometimes.”

“Ah, I see.”
Junsoo picked up a fork to grab an apple slice.

“Wait a moment. Seojoon.”
Still on the call, Ducheol turned to me.

“Yeah, uncle?”

“Someone wants to do a shoot with you.”

“Tell them no.”

“Without even hearing what it is?”

“Yes.”

Unless it was a performance, I wanted nothing to do with filming anymore.

Ducheol was about to relay my response when a familiar yet unplaceable voice came through the speaker.

“Could I speak to Baekjung, please?”

“Who are you?”

“I am…”

I motioned for Ducheol to put the phone on speaker. He complied, adjusting the settings and lowering the phone onto the table.

Leaning back against the sofa, I finally spoke.

“This is Baekjung speaking.”

“Oh… Hello.”

“Hello.”

“You might not remember me, but…”

“Kang Jisoo.”

“Ah! That’s right!”
Simultaneously, excited voices came through the phone:
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” and “I know that name! I know that name!”

“What can I do for you?” I asked flatly.

“Well… I’ll get straight to the point. Could you possibly appear in our music video?”

A music video, out of the blue?
Of course, my answer was no.

“I’m afraid I—”

Just then, the sound of a fork clattering to the floor caught my attention.
I turned to see Junsoo trembling, staring at Ducheol’s hand as if it held a secret.

“Hello? Baekjung?”

Junsoo stood up, walked to Ducheol, and wrapped his hands around the phone. Slowly, he spoke.

“Don’t come closer…”

A brief silence.

Then, from the other end of the line:

“You can’t handle me…”

“Aaaagh!”

*****

The atmosphere on set remained dismal, if not worse than the day before.

“What about the pianist?” the director asked the manager.

“Yes! We’ve secured a very capable replacement.”

“Better be as good as Im Hajoon…”

Im Hajoon was a recognizable name for anyone remotely familiar with classical music. His good looks perfectly matched the aesthetic the director had envisioned for the video.

The set bustled with activity as staff prepared, but their enthusiasm was lacking. Few saw this project as a meaningful step in their careers.

“Jisoo, will we be okay?” a member with a bob haircut asked nervously.

“We’ll be fine if we stick to what we’ve practiced.”
Jisoo smiled reassuringly, repeating the words to the other members. As the leader, she couldn’t let her worries show.

Just as she checked the time, heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed through the space.
Everyone turned toward the sound and froze.

A towering figure, easily over 2 meters tall, approached.
His bald head gleamed, veins bulged on his neck, and tattoos snaked across the muscles visible between the buttons of his black shirt.
He looked like a walking industrial refrigerator.

“I-Is that… a person…?”

The giant stopped in front of the speechless director.

“You the one in charge here?”

“Yes, but… who are you…?”

“Pleasure. I’m Ma Ducheol, manager for Baekjung.”

“What…?”
The director turned to ABLEZ manager with a look that screamed, What’s going on?

The manager hesitated, then spoke cautiously.
“The person I spoke to earlier was a woman…”

“She’s hungover. I’m here instead. What, got a problem with me being a man?”

“N-no, not at all. So, where’s Baekjung?”

“He’ll be here soon.”

Without another word, Ma Ducheol scanned the set.
He spotted the members of ABLEZ and waved.

“Hey there! You’re working hard! Have you eaten yet?”

“Uh… hello…”
The sinking atmosphere plummeted further.

But then, murmurs arose from one side of the set.

This time, the reaction was different—less shock, more awe.

Everyone turned to see what the fuss was about.

Step— Step— Step—

A man stepped into the spotlight.
Tall and graceful, his slicked-back black hair and flawless pale skin gave him an aura of effortless elegance.

Even the jaded staff, usually indifferent to celebrities, couldn’t help but pay attention.

“Hmm.”

Jung Seojoon, now the center of attention, scanned his surroundings.
Spotting Kang Jisoo, he walked directly toward her.

“Sorry for being late.”

“N-no, not at all. We’re grateful you could come…”
Her eyes widened in surprise. Was he always this handsome?
With makeup and styling, he could easily pass for an actor.

“There was an issue at the salon you booked for me.”

“Oh…”
The salon was a hub for industry insiders; she could guess what kind of “issue” had occurred.

“Was it resolved?”

“Yes. My manager handled it gracefully. And… ah, perfect timing.”

At that moment, a truck rolled into the factory.

It was a colorful food truck adorned with a large banner:

“Coffee from Baekjung! Enjoy and support ABLEZ!”

Kang Jisoo’s eyes widened in astonishment.
She had imagined receiving such a gift before but had never actually experienced it.

Emotion welled up, and she almost let out a cheer.

“Thank you so much… I can’t believe you went to such lengths for us…”

The other members, teary-eyed, also expressed their gratitude.

Seojoon nodded vaguely, his gaze wandering to something in the distance.

In the passenger seat of the coffee truck sat a masked man—Baek Junsoo.
He clasped his hands together, repeatedly signaling something toward Jung Seojoon.

“Hah…”
Jung Seojoon let out a small sigh and redirected his gaze to Kang Jisoo.

His pitch-black pupils seemed to pierce through her, focusing on the faint, unclean emotions hidden in her eyes.

Like a killer pulling the trigger, he opened his mouth with a calm, expressionless face.

“Actually, I’m a fan of yours. ABLEZ forever.”

*****

The mood on set had transformed.

Everyone was now relaxed, enjoying a break with coffee in hand.
It was a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere before Seojoon’s arrival.

The members of ABLEZ, in particular, looked significantly brighter.

“It’s working well.”

“Right? They say boosting morale is all about this kind of stuff.”
Junsoo smirked as he spoke.

We were standing in a corner of the set, holding a not-so-secret conversation.

“Honestly, it was a bit cringey. ‘Forever’ was the worst.”

“Come on, I thought it went well.”

“Fine, just keep your end of the deal.”

“Of course. As promised.”

Before coming here, I had struck a deal with Junsoo.
In exchange for granting his request, he had agreed to hand over control of the sound system at home.

Though he accepted my proposal suspiciously easily, I managed to get what I wanted.
For one cheesy line of dialogue, it was a bargain.

“By the way, why didn’t you say you were a fan yourself?”

“Too embarrassed to say it to their faces…”

“Man, I told you, boldness gets the girl…”

“Hey, the director’s coming.”

Junsoo quickly made himself scarce as the director approached me with a grin.

“Baekjung, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’re really handsome. You’d outshine most idols.”

“I know.”

“…Right. Anyway, let me explain today’s shoot.”

The director launched into an enthusiastic explanation.
It was simple, so much so that I questioned whether it was worth the money they were paying me.
The pianist they had originally hired, Im Hajoon, must have had an astronomical fee.

“Just give the camera a sexy stare. The girls will crowd around you. Baekjung, you don’t even have to do anything else.”

I had no idea what he was talking about.

“So, when do I start playing?”

“Huh?”
The director looked at me blankly.

“Playing? We’re just using the backing track. You only need to pretend to play along.”

“Ah…”
Why not just hire a model, then?

*****

Time passed, and the shoot began.

Eventually, it was my turn.
I pressed the keys, pretending to play along to the pre-recorded track.

Never in my life had I imagined I’d be miming piano playing.

[Your skill’s just tut-tut— Tapping keys like a black gun—]

The member with the bob haircut rapped as she danced forward.
Her arms and legs kept moving in time, but a brief mistake caused her hand to graze another member’s fingers.

[Block it with my black keys—]

Though the performance continued without pause, the director was less forgiving.

“Cut!”

He shot to his feet, ripping off his cap and throwing it to the ground.

“Please… please!”

Grabbing his head, he ranted.

“What’s this? Didn’t you rehearse? Why? Why?!”

He seemed to calm himself, only to explode again.

“You’re not rookies anymore. Aren’t you desperate?”

The tirade was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass near the coffee truck.

Crash!

All eyes turned to the source of the commotion.
Junsoo had dropped a glass on the ground—surely on purpose.

But the person who ended up drawing attention wasn’t him.

It was Ducheol, crouching in front of the coffee truck, peeling an apple.
He had insisted on preparing the desserts himself.

“What’s this now?”
Ducheol scratched his head with the knife handle.

“Everyone’s so edgy. Must be mealtime.”

“……”

The director locked eyes with Ducheol and swallowed hard.
He nodded and waved his hands.

“Alright, alright… Let’s all take a meal break.”

“Yes!”
The staff responded enthusiastically and poured out of the factory.

The director hesitated as he left, glancing back at Ducheol, who was still peeling his apple.

This time, there was no fear in his gaze.

Instead, he looked at Ducheol with curiosity—like an artist struck with inspiration after meeting a muse.

“…Interesting.”