The Devil lives in the Music of Top Star

**Chapter 12**

At the end of March, as spring was trying to retreat, a late cold snap had made the air unseasonably chilly. The sun had already finished its daily routine, and now dazzling lights took its place. It was blinding.

Because of the spotlight shining directly at me, I could only faintly see the audience gathered in the stadium. 

I couldn’t remember clearly if it was like this six years ago. 

What mattered now wasn’t that.

The host was saying something in front of me while setting up the piano, but I couldn’t hear it well.

All my nerves were focused on the performance about to begin.

I could faintly hear someone cheering loudly from afar, but that too was barely audible.

I waited for the host to finish speaking, having completed all the preparations.

My heart was pounding, and I could feel a slight tremor in my body.

“Why am I so nervous?”

“Yeah, why are you so anxious?”

Kim Jongpil and some 2013 classmates from the Korean Language and Literature department were sitting at the tavern, chatting. 

It had been a while, but since they had attended university with Yoo Jae-hee for a year, some friends were nervous as if the stage was their own. 

Others were indifferent.

Some still doubted how Yoo Jae-hee even got onto the stage.

Among them, Kim Jongpil had an ambiguous expression.

Kim Jongpil had always dismissed Yoo Jae-hee.

In his memory, Yoo Jae-hee was someone who studied well but always occupied the lowest rung in the social hierarchy.

Of course, Kim Jongpil had no recollection of bullying Yoo Jae-hee.

He had just poked and prodded out of boredom.

He never thought it could hurt someone.

It was just an action without much thought.

But today.

Seeing Yoo Jae-hee preparing on stage felt strange.

The Yoo Jae-hee he had so despised…

The one he thought was a reclusive introvert with no confidence was drawing public attention.

The performance hadn’t even started, and he hadn’t seen Yoo Jae-hee’s skill firsthand.

Why was he so anxious?

Did he hope Yoo Jae-hee would perform well?

Or did he secretly wish for the performance to fail?

He wasn’t sure.

He just felt like drinking and wondered if he had gathered friends for no reason.

“Jongpil, did you see Jae-hee’s audition or rehearsal?”

“No, I didn’t see it either.”

“Then you don’t know how much Jae-hee has improved.”

“Yeah, I guess…”

He had mentioned to his friends that Yoo Jae-hee would be on stage, making it sound like a joke. 

Whether his friends were deliberately avoiding him or had forgotten about his comments, they didn’t bring it up.

Maybe that was why he felt more uncomfortable.

At that moment, Yoo Jae-hee’s voice came from the stage.

“Hello, I’m Yoo Jae-hee.”

Nervous, Yoo Jae-hee skipped mentioning the song, the year, or age and just said his name.

He must have had some stage presence, but that simple introduction also seemed cool.

Gone were the boring sweatshirt and straight jeans.

Instead, he wore a white oversized layered shirt and ripped black jeans.

He had thought about dressing more flamboyantly but chose this outfit to avoid distracting from the performance.

Yoo Jae-hee, neatly dressed, sat in front of the piano and looked at the audience.

“Wow!”

“Jae-hee! Rock it!”

Some second-year students from the Korean Language and Literature department who attended classes with Yoo Jae-hee cheered loudly.

Though the stage and the tavern were a bit far apart, Yoo Jae-hee probably didn’t hear it.

People around thought Yoo Jae-hee had many friends because of the cheering.

“Let’s begin.”

Yoo Jae-hee’s next words through the speakers marked the start of his real stage performance.

* * *

After a brief introduction, the prepared MR (Music Recording) flowed through the speakers.

The melody line of the original song was there but with different instruments.

The synth-filled introduction was replaced with various string instruments taking the lead.

I placed my hands on my knees, waiting for the timing.

[Oh, suddenly like this.]

The devil muttered in a tone of surprise, having read my emotions. 

I ignored the devil’s mumblings and placed my hands on the keyboard.

My performance unfolded over the strings that were prominently featured.

A rhythmic performance that drew attention.

When the piano played the main theme, cheers erupted.

“Wow! Is this a Word version?”

“Awesome! It must be a Word arrangement version.”

“Wow, seeing an ordinary person sing a boy group’s song up close for the first time!”

Since everything except the main melody was arranged, the audience initially didn’t know what song it was.

Once the piano played the familiar melody, their reactions came.

The song, which had topped the charts for a long time, instantly focused the public’s interest.

Though it was buried under the MR, he could vaguely hear the cheers.

Encouraged by the response, I sang the first line into the microphone.

Rough breathing.

The exchanged

Gazes between you and me.

I sang the song as practiced.

Strong vocalization that could instantly draw attention.

There was no difficulty singing the rhythmically arranged introduction melody.

I had become accustomed to producing sound after just a few tries.

And I had consistently practiced without stopping.

Thanks to the devil’s words about my good instincts and high understanding.

As soon as I sang the first line, the response erupted.

The cheers were clear this time.

When I looked directly ahead, I saw people looking at me.

It felt strange.

“Wow! What’s this? Amazing!”

“Wow! So good!”

“What’s up with Yoo Jae-hee? What happened in the past six years?”

Kim Jongpil and his classmates from the 2013 batch, sitting at the same table, were stunned and speechless after hearing the first line.

“Is that really Jae-hee?”

“Wow. Incredible… How much has he practiced?”

“So this is how much singing ability can improve…”

Others enjoyed the top-notch arrangement, performance, and singing skills, but those who remembered Yoo Jae-hee from six years ago were different.

They focused on the contrast between his past awkward self and now and were amazed by his seemingly unrealistic improvement in vocal ability.

In our world,

No room for anyone else,

Just the two of us.

Though it felt strange, I tried not to be overwhelmed.

Despite the cheers that were so loud they nearly covered the MR, piano, and my voice.

I deliberately ignored them and focused on singing and playing.

The reactions were similar during the previous two performers’ shows.

But because of the selection of a hit song by a famous idol and the added arrangement, the response seemed even greater.

After finishing the first verse.

I mixed a lot of air into my strong voice.

Don’t mind others’ gazes

On the way to the chorus, the pre-chorus.

Unlike the verse dominated by rhythm instruments, the strings re-emerged, forming a melodic line.

A new performance was not present in the original song.

An atmosphere that felt majestic and sophisticated.

I sang with a delicate voice over it.

At this moment, it’s just the two of us in the world.

The violin, flying high, increased its speed.

The faint rhythm instruments slowly appeared, breaking the beat.

Rising pitch and intensifying atmosphere.

As the buildup before the chorus began, I slowly started to tense my voice.

My fingertips on the piano felt electrified.

The hardest part wasn’t singing or playing right now.

With only five seconds left until the chorus, why did time feel so slow?

I felt like I was going mad wanting to move on to the next part, but maintaining composure was the toughest.

Keeping calm while continuing the performance was extremely difficult.

And then….

Finally, the bass and synths dropped, announcing the start of the chorus.

This moment was eagerly awaited.

No more words needed.

Even the words “I love you”

I hold them close

Something more than words

As the chorus started, I felt the strength enter my voice. My fingertips on the keys also trembled slightly. I felt a strange sense of euphoria, though I couldn’t explain why. Leaning slightly forward, I brought the microphone close to my lips and sang.

I tilted my head slightly to the left and let my gaze fall downward. Though it wasn’t too difficult, I furrowed my brow and squinted my eyes during the high notes.

The performance went smoothly.

Throughout the first verse, I sang and played as if possessed by something. 

Sometimes my mind wandered, and I glanced at the audience, but what troubled me most was the occasional laughter echoing in my head.

After the first chorus ended, we moved into the second verse.

After the opening ceremony, every department’s tavern was loud, but the noisiest place at this moment was the Korean Language and Literature department’s tavern.

“Damn, this isn’t just a simple performance.”

“So good… Did he arrange it himself?”

“I don’t know about that. Anyway, it’s really amazing.”

The students from my department, not even thinking about emptying their glasses, were completely absorbed in Yoo Jae-hee’s performance.

It wasn’t just because of his singing and playing skills.

Seeing someone who usually didn’t fit in with them reveal his true self somehow made him look impressive.

They had always judged Yoo Jae-hee as socially awkward, but now he seemed like a mysterious figure.

Of course, they had long forgotten their own behavior at drinking parties or the gossip behind his back.

“Wow… the guy you like seems like a different person now.”

“Hmm, no. I don’t like him anymore.”

“Why?”

“He’s not the nerdy type anymore.”

“Wow, what a strange girl…”

There were also cases where perceptions flipped the other way.

The second verse flowed smoothly as well.

I was performing everything I had prepared without mistakes…

No, I was doing much better than I had prepared.

While practicing at home, it didn’t seem to have much of an atmosphere, but hearing the song through the large concert speakers and receiving people’s gazes made my song and small movements emit a much greater energy.

The energy unique to live performances was felt throughout my body.

After finishing the second verse, we moved back to the pre-chorus leading to the chorus.

I leaned forward again and pressed my lips to the microphone.

I sang with as much delicacy and atmosphere as possible.

A singing style mixed with plenty of air.

It was the same as the first pre-chorus, but there was one difference.

At this moment, it’s just the two of us in the world!

Before transitioning to the second chorus, I stood up and grabbed the microphone.

[Huh, up again]

It was the same as during the audition.

It wasn’t a planned action; I was just moving according to instinct.

Holding the microphone in my left hand, I stood up, sang fiercely, and lightly danced to the rhythm.

With my right hand, I continued playing the piano.

Since the bass notes I would play with my left hand were covered by other instruments in the MR, it didn’t feel like anything was missing.

No more words are needed

Even the words “I love you”

I hold them close

Something more than words

This time, I wanted a raw, unrefined feeling.

A vocal style that matched best with my one-handed, vigorous piano playing.

The loudest cheer of the performance came, and my voice, hands, and heart all responded.

I had bought my talent from the devil and practiced daily.

These were the reasons it was possible, but ironically, today, my performance was mostly driven by instinct.

Despite the faint voice of the devil occasionally heard, I remembered none of it.

Maybe it was because I didn’t respond to his words.

By the later part of the song, I could only hear his faint laughter.

After the last chorus, I abandoned the microphone and focused solely on the piano performance.

While the original song concluded with sharp choreography, I inserted a flashy piano performance to replace it, and the response was fiery.

Fixing my gaze on the keyboard, I focused intensely on playing.

Though I wasn’t an outstanding instrumentalist, I continued with the best performance I could manage.

Occasionally, sweat droplets from my bangs fell and helped my fingers tap the keys.

When I came to my senses, I was blankly staring straight ahead with my hands on the keyboard.

And I saw the students cheering for me.

Thus, I completed the performance without any mistakes, facing the front and back lights, and left the stage.