The Devil lives in the Music of Top Star

**Episode 4**

“Hahaha! That guy actually came to school!”

“I’m telling you! As soon as I saw his face, I couldn’t stop laughing…”

At the same time, Kim Jong-pil was having drinks in Sinchon with a mysterious man, just like Im Tae-hyun and Yoo Jaehee.

“Wow, I had almost forgotten about him…”

The person sitting across from Kim Jong-pil was Lee Jong-in, a member of the music club at Yesung University.

They weren’t in the same major and didn’t know each other directly, but Lee Jong-in was also one of those who had witnessed Yoo Jaehee’s embarrassing past.

“Come to think of it, the launch ceremony is coming up soon.”

“Pfft! I wonder if he’ll show up this time too!”

Like Kim Jong-pil, Lee Jong-in also looked down on Yoo Jaehee.

The Yoo Jaehee that Kim Jong-pil talked about was the definition of pathetic.

Introverted, lacking social skills, and merely pretending to be a composer. And there was also the news that he had been lucky enough to sign with a music company, only for it to go badly…

Kim Jong-pil didn’t know much about music and wasn’t interested, so he had no idea that the company was JH Entertainment, let alone how big it was.

“Because of people like him, others think music is easy… Ugh…”

For this reason, Lee Jong-in had a poor opinion of Yoo Jaehee. 

To Lee Jong-in, who was always serious about music and passionate, someone like Yoo Jaehee, who seemed to want to do music just because it looked cool, was an eyesore.

He didn’t want the culture he loved to be tarnished by a bad apple.

* * *

Those who applied for the launch ceremony talent show had to audition to perform in the main event.

Only those who passed the audition could go on stage.

All events at Yesung University had such stages for student participation.

Due to Groovy Nation’s reputation, there were notably many people with exceptional musical talent compared to other schools. As a result, even for smaller events, it wasn’t uncommon for outsiders to come as the audience.

There were rare times when someone so talented made the invited singers feel awkward.

People who performed well at this stage often submitted applications to join Groovy Nation.

In other words, various events at Yesung University served as a criterion for evaluating both star quality and musicality to join Groovy Nation.

And this time, I was going to participate in that gateway.

“Hey, how long will that power take?”

After school, while I was composing at home, I suddenly became curious and asked the demon.

[Wait a minute… Something’s weird.]

“What’s weird?”

[It’s going to take a bit longer.]

“What?”

What’s this about?

[When’s the audition?]

“In 13 days.”

[This is tricky…]

“Hey, why are you suddenly like this…?”

The demon’s demeanor was a bit different from its previously confident attitude.

The demon continued to explain slowly.

[I must have been asleep for too long. Normally, I would move on to the next person’s body almost immediately after one dies, but your immediate predecessor was nearly 10 years ago.]

“So, what does that mean? What’s the problem?”

[It’s like when you humans stop working out for a long time. Your muscles weaken, and you can’t exert as much strength.]

“Ah…”

In a way, the metaphor was so fitting that it was hard to ask more.

A person who has lost all their muscles can’t suddenly lift heavy weights.

It seemed the demon’s body had become sluggish compared to before.

“Does that mean it’s impossible before the audition?”

[It’s tricky. I think it might work, but it might not.]

“What should I do to help? Is there any way I can assist?”

Though I said I would help, it was actually for my own benefit.

I did want the power, after all.

[No. It just needs time.]

“This is driving me crazy… My plan requires that power…”

The quickest and most accurate way to join the club was to participate in the event.

While applying directly to the club without participating in the event was another option, it had a relatively less chance of success.

I was starting to feel like my good plan might fall through, and it was driving me nuts.

Nothing seemed to be going right lately, and even small setbacks were wearing me down.

Losing my songs, a brief period of unemployment, and attending university alone.

And now, even my plans weren’t going well.

“This is frustrating…”

[Hey, don’t get too down. None of the bodies I’ve taken over ended up as losers.]

“Got it. It’s not that I don’t trust your power. It’s just that I prefer to be sure.”

[Alright, just wait a bit. Even if your plan gets messed up because of me, we can find another way.]

“Hmm…”

The demon wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t want my plan to get ruined.

I was finally trying to do something independently.

I had worked hard all my life to meet my parents’ expectations and my own goals.

I had lived trying to handle realistic problems as they came.

Now, I wanted to make the music I wanted, not what the company wanted.

And I didn’t want to see my first plan for that goal collapse.

Though he didn’t express it directly to the demon, he must have had some dissatisfaction growing inside.

And the demon read that feeling…

[Humans… Yeah, I understand your feelings. So trust me and prepare well. It’s just going to be a little late, not impossible, so don’t fret too much.]

Come to think of it, the demon was right.

Even if I didn’t participate in the event, even if I didn’t join Groovy Nation, there were other ways to succeed in music.

While I was genuinely grateful for the power, the uncertainty about the future made me unconsciously uncomfortable.

“You read my mind. Sorry…”

[Kekeke, sorry? No, it’s fine. Humans are always like that. They’re grateful when given something, but they harbor resentment when things don’t go their way. You didn’t curse at me, so that’s a relief…]

“Not everyone is like that.”

[No, they all are. I’ve never seen a single person who wasn’t.]

“…”

Talking with the demon often made me feel like I had no choice but to acknowledge many things.

[Let’s pick a song.]

“Oh, uh, right…”

What I had thought and said to the demon might have been hurtful, but the demon didn’t seem to care.

Instead, it seemed to enjoy my change of heart, as if it found it entertaining.

Since I had apologized, I slowly started to select a song for the audition.

While scrolling through the list on my music streaming app,

[Ugh… Don’t you have any high-level songs?]

“High-level songs?”

[Yeah, something that will blow people away.]

“Uh… for the performance… hmm…”

My playlist had a wide variety of songs.

There were musically sophisticated songs, music that was difficult for the general public to accept, various pop songs, and even some instrumental tracks…

Though I had some idol music from my time at JH for work purposes,

None of them seemed to satisfy the demon.

“I think this would be good.”

[A boy group idol song?]

“Yeah, that’s the kind of song for an event.”

[Are you out of your mind?]

“Why?”

[Are you planning to dance or something?]

“Are you out of your mind?”

It was a moment when two crazy opinions clashed.

“I don’t want to see myself dancing either.”

[Yeah, me neither.]

“Wait, hold on. That kind of ticks me off.”

[Kekeke… You’re going to rearrange it, right?]

“Of course. It’s not like I don’t know anything…”

[Alright, I’ll trust your plan.]

After getting into MIDI as a child, I spent a lot of time copying existing songs to improve my skills.

Copying was the main reason I developed my current exceptional abilities, but it was also a hellish time.

I had to hear even the barely audible instruments and catch every note.

Of course, the task at hand wasn’t copying but arranging, so I could choose the instruments as I pleased.

All that was left was to pick out the chords and melody.

With perfect pitch, I thought extracting the chords and melody would be quick.

I hadn’t tried picking out a melody since gaining my abilities, so I was curious to see how much faster I had become.

“It’s been a while. Extracting something someone else made…”

Unable to contain my curiosity, I immediately sat down at my computer.

The song I chose was ‘Word’ by the boy group ‘Premier League’.

After playing the song on my smartphone, I slowly laid out the melodies of the instruments and vocals in the session.

Of course, the speed at which I perceived it was ‘slow’.

The work was finished in an instant.

What once felt like transcribing English now felt like transcribing Korean dictated by a news anchor.

There was nothing difficult about it.

“Oh, fast, fast!”

[Now, let’s get to arranging.]

As the demon said, I started arranging.

I wanted to produce the best music possible.

The blueprint was already in my head, and I rummaged through the VSTI (virtual instruments embedded in the computer) to insert the first instrument.

[Hmm…]

“Why?”

I already had a sketch of the arrangement in my head, and before I could even assign the instruments in the session, the demon had read my plan.

[You really are something else.]

I could only hear his voice, but if I could see him, I imagined he’d be stroking his chin.

The work was done in an instant, and I listened to the completed song with the demon.

“So, how is it?”

[Well, it’s not bad.]

“That’s all?”

[Hmm, to be honest, it doesn’t quite meet my standards, but it’s much better than I expected. For an amateur, it’s excellent. Very good.]

“Is that an insult or a compliment?”

[An insuliment.]

“Not funny at all…”

Despite the demon’s impressive abilities, he seemed to lack a sense of humor.

[Hey, but remember this: while the quality of the song is good, a stage performance isn’t just about the song’s quality.]

“That’s true… But it’s my first time on stage, so I’m not sure what to do…”

[Alright, let’s do it this way.]

“How?”

[Try removing the piano.]

“Why?”

[Just do as I say.]

With the demon’s suggestion, I made changes to the song.

Somehow, as the work continued, confidence welled up inside me.

* * *

“There are so many participants this time.”

“Yeah, we’ll be holding the auditions all day.”

The humanities department’s student council was slowly reviewing applications for the launch ceremony event.

Among them was Lee Jong-in, a member of Groovy Nation and a friend of Kim Jong-pil.

“Hey, what’s this?”

– Yoo Jaehee, Class of 2013, Korean Language and Literature

While reviewing the documents, Lee Jong-in paused at an unexpected name.

“Who is this guy really…?”

“What’s up? Who?”

Except for Lee Jong-in, the oldest member of the student council, no one knew about Yoo Jaehee.

“Nothing, just…”

Lee Jong-in felt a surge of both anger and curiosity.

According to Kim Jongpil, Yoo Jaehee was someone who tried to hide his mediocrity behind music.

He judged him to lack sincerity and talent.

He also knew that Yoo Jaehee had once faced great humiliation at school, something he had witnessed firsthand.

‘Why is someone like that participating again…?’

He felt anger at the thought of someone who took art lightly joining the event.

And curiosity because he couldn’t understand Yoo Jaehee’s actions.

“Can I participate in this audition?”

“Yeah, I don’t see why not. But didn’t you say you were busy that day?”

“I’ll cancel my plans. I’ll join too.”

“Alright, I’ll let the judges know.”

Lee Jong-in decided to participate in the judging, planning to give Yoo Jaehee a piece of his mind.

A genuine musician’s critique was the best remedy for someone with artistic pretensions.