NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
**Chapter 9**
About a week before the launch ceremony, the list of participants for the festival was released.
The invited performers included a band with numerous hit songs.
The school’s bulletin board also displayed the names of the performing teams participating from within the school.
[Yoo Hae-rin]
[Desks and Chairs]
[Yoo Jae-hee]
[Baek Hyun-soo]
Two solo acts and one retro-themed band.
And Yoo Jae-hee…
Among the four teams that passed the audition, his name was proudly listed.
After the list was made public…
University life seemed to become a bit more uncomfortable.
[Hey, I can hear everything. Can you keep it down, guys?]
‘Um… you’re being louder…’
[No, it’s not that their chattering is annoying. It’s that your cold reaction is boring.]
It wasn’t their chatter that bothered him, but rather the fact that his indifferent reaction was not entertaining to the devil.
Of course, I had no intention of giving him the satisfaction of engaging in this.
As the classroom became noisy due to my participation, the news of my performance reached Kim Jong-pil as well.
“What the…”
While working in the department office, Kim Jong-pil couldn’t help but be surprised upon seeing Yoo Jae-hee’s name on the list.
Kim Jong-pil had assumed that Yoo Jae-hee’s participation meant he would be performing on stage spontaneously, as he did six years ago.
He couldn’t imagine that Yoo Jae-hee was officially participating in the notoriously difficult festival at Yesung University.
“Did his skills really improve that much in six years?”
Unable to contain his curiosity, Kim Jong-pil texted Lee Jong-in.
[Hey Jong-in, did you know Yoo Jae-hee is performing?]
* * *
With both of them having many things to do at university, it was difficult to find time to meet.
Lee Jong-in and Kim Jong-pil briefly got together during lunch.
“Hey, did you know Yoo Jae-hee passed the audition and is performing?”
“Yeah, I knew.”
“Oh, really? How’s he doing?”
Kim Jong-pil’s voice carried a hint of discomfort.
He felt uneasy about the things he had said about Yoo Jae-hee in the past.
“Well, he’s not bad. The skills of the applicants were all pretty average this time. It was just luck.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is.”
‘So that’s it…’
Lee Jong-in, hiding the truth, probed Kim Jong-pil subtly.
It wasn’t just luck; Yoo Jae-hee’s skills were outstanding compared to other applicants.
Though it was an amateur’s assessment, it wasn’t an incorrect one.
Kim Jong-pil’s use of the word “as expected” made Lee Jong-in more certain that the problem was not Yoo Jae-hee’s attitude but Kim Jong-pil’s perspective.
“But even so, the applicants’ skills must have been really poor this time. Isn’t there a lot of talent in our university?”
“This time was a mess. Well, Yoo Jae-hee’s skills have improved too.”
“Figured. If the skills were really bad, he wouldn’t have passed. What you said makes sense.”
That couldn’t be the case.
Kim Jong-pil, who had no interest in music, found it easy to accept that Yoo Jae-hee could be on stage at the festival.
Though Lee Jong-in found it hard to understand how Kim Jong-pil could accept it so easily…
It was evident how little he knew about music.
“By the way, do you know Yoo Jae-hee well?”
“Not really, just an old middle school classmate.”
“Oh, I see…”
Kim Jong-pil, who knew so little about Yoo Jae-hee, spoke in such detail about the negative aspects.
Lee Jong-in, who knew the opposite of Yoo Jae-hee, decided to be cautious about what he said to Kim Jong-pil.
* * *
Time passed, and it was the day of the launch ceremony.
Even though the festival hadn’t started yet, the small athletic field was already full of tents set up for the booths prepared by each department.
The events held by the humanities department had a more colorful feel compared to other departments.
Unlike the arts departments, where the characteristics of each department were mixed and chaotic, or the engineering department, which was drab like a military base.
It was the spring festival that suited the season the best.
Arriving early at the small athletic field for rehearsal, the devil and I surveyed the area.
[Oh, the festival vibe is already strong. Brings back memories.]
‘Yeah…’
[What’s up, are you nervous?]
‘A little…’
[Don’t worry. You’ll do great.]
‘Yeah, I need to do well.’
If I can get through today’s performance successfully, it will be the first step towards achieving my ultimate goal.
Though it’s just a small, short-term goal compared to my larger ambitions…
To pave the way, I gathered my resolve and headed to the waiting booth set up next to the stage.
My heart felt like it was pounding heavily.
* * *
In the waiting booth, set up for the performance teams, there were four teams including myself.
Yoo Hae-rin and Baek Hyun-soo, who were also performing solo, had serious expressions on their faces.
The band called “Desks and Chairs” seemed to be having a lot of fun, laughing among themselves.
‘I wonder how long these rehearsal performances take. I don’t really know how it works…’
[Hmm… Just check the microphone, piano, and sound system, I guess. The engineers will handle the rest.]
‘What? You don’t seem to know much about it either.’
[Of course, if you haven’t experienced it, I haven’t either.]
‘But you’ve been around others who have.’
[Things have changed since then. The sound equipment now might be different. And I need to see what they’re using here.]
‘Hmm… I guess you’re right…’
Although I knew the devil wasn’t a deity, I still had an implicit expectation that he should possess omniscient powers.
It was surprising that he didn’t know something from time to time.
[There are a lot of booths around the stage right now, so try to keep your performance low-key and come off the stage quickly.]
‘Okay, I’ll do that.’
The booths on either side of the stage were long and lined up, with our department also having one.
The devil’s suggestion was to keep our performance understated to surprise the audience with something unexpected.
The less you show beforehand, the better the preview.
What’s needed now is an appropriate length of preview.
Talking with the devil made the awkward atmosphere and my anxious feelings dissipate.
“Alright, teams. You know the order of performances, right? We will proceed with the rehearsal in that order.”
A staff member from the external sound team came into the booth and made the announcement.
My performance was third, and so was my rehearsal.
The performances before mine were by soloists Baek Hyun-soo and Yoo Hae-rin, and the band “Desks and Chairs” would perform last.
It was a good choice to have a live band with a rich sound closing the show.
As Baek Hyun-soo’s rehearsal began first, I and the devil were inside the booth, so we could only hear his performance, not see it.
His voice was naturally strong and seemed to be a born vocalist.
[As expected… he looks young but sings quite well.]
‘Yeah, his high notes are really impressive.’
[I could tell from his phone voice earlier. He spoke so quietly.]
‘Even from just hearing him, I could tell. He was talking very softly.’
[Of course. People who naturally have a slightly bright and resonant voice often produce good high notes.]
‘You really know your stuff about sound. Impressive.’
[Oh, come on, I’ve been around music for a while.]
‘I guess so…’
After Baek Hyun-soo’s rehearsal ended.
Next was Yoo Hae-rin, who took the stage with a guitar.
Only the sound of her voice and guitar resonated, without any backing track.
[Wow, this person has a really rich emotional expression.]
‘Yeah, just hearing a single line makes my heart ache.’
[Hae-rin’s weapon is stronger than Baek Hyun-soo’s.]
‘Yeah, I get what you mean.’
She possessed an emotional delivery far superior to most.
The power to convey something beyond her own abilities.
Simply being good at singing only conveys that level of emotion, but…
Yoo Hye-rin had the power to resonate with an impact much greater than her vocal skills alone.
‘Everyone has their own distinct color.’
Reflecting on it, even the desks and chairs for the next act shared the same principle.
The band, known for its retro-inspired music, was already quite famous in the university.
Their outfits, reminiscent of a father’s borrowed suit, and their disheveled hairstyles.
Of course, they were a skilled team, but their concept was their strongest weapon.
‘Hmm…’
[Why so serious all of a sudden?]
‘I’m wondering what my own color is.’
[Haha! You’re already worrying about that?]
‘It’s not something I can ignore.’
[It’s right to think about it. Finding your musical identity is an important part of developing your skills.]
Even though the two people performing were covering songs, they clearly showcased their own colors.
In contrast, I’m still uncertain.
Although I rearranged existing tracks, singing while playing my own compositions.
It’s hard to say if this is my color.
It’s a common method, and the direction of my future music might change as well.
Of course, they might also be unsure about their own colors, just like me.
But hearing the music of fellow amateurs made me ponder many things.
Like whether my everyday comfort, such as worn sweatshirts and jeans, represents my color…
Just as such thoughts crossed my mind…
“Alright. Next, please prepare for Yoo Jae-hee’s rehearsal.”
“Yes.”