The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 28



Only Krnovel

28 The end of a performance

* * *

My ears were deafening.

Guitars, bass, drums, and vocals mix with keyboards.

The music the band produced became increasingly clearer.

On the contrary, other sounds did not bother me.

A rustling noise that occurs when the in-ear (monitoring earphone) is slightly twisted in the ear.

The steady sound of my breathing.

Noise made by the audience.

They couldn’t steal my attention.

Instead, I felt like I was underwater.

Suddenly, I remembered the first time I went swimming on a deserted island.

At that time, I didn’t know anything about Uncle Miller.

He told me to jump into the waterfall pond.

At the time, I didn’t know how to swim or even what he was saying.

Still, I knew what he wanted.

He wanted to give me freedom.

I was scared at first.

How do I know whether a foreigner I’ve never seen before will eat me or not?

Well, anyway…

I decided to give it a try.

Because he gave me encouragement and support when I hesitated.

I gained courage from there.

So I ran.

When I found out, I could run.

I fearlessly dived into a deep waterfall pond where I couldn’t even see the bottom.

That time was still vivid in my mind.

Even though I was deep in the water and my ears were deafening, my eyes sparkled.

There were various sounds coming from under the water.

The sound of bubbling air bubbles.

The roar of water as a waterfall falls.

The clattering sound of pebbles rolling away in the current.

But there was another sound that could be heard clearly there.

It was the voice of the man who called me and the sounds of various pieces of music that I had inside me.

The pond, which was an object of fear when I first saw it, became nothing when I jumped into it.

Rather, it was a pleasure.

It was still the same now.

There was no need for me to participate in this performance. Even without me, Daesung would have definitely found the answer and would have somehow overcome the crisis.

The world goes on well even if I don’t jump in.

But the moment I jump in, the world is bound to change somehow.

Anyone who has made waves at least once in their life cannot help but know that fact.

So I got on this stage.

‘Because I said I would do it.’

So I ended up typing on the keyboard here.

‘I thought I could do it.’

The bars engraved on the sheet music passed by in an instant.

I followed the next part with my eyes, and touched the keys I needed to press with my hands.

⌜Coincidence⌟ was a great song.

The story of young people living under the city’s neon signs.

Inferior and superior.

Noise and silence.

Anger and silence.

It sings about the many coincidences that occur there.

There are also thrilling moments like the guitar riff.

There are also dull moments, like a dull bass.

Still, if we follow the path to the end, we discover a treasure called ‘coincidence’.

Coincidence is amazing.

Two people meet on the street and become friends,

Those who fought at work become lovers,

The lyrics scribbled in your sleep become a famous song that will last forever.

I, who knows coincidence well, was able to understand this song perfectly.

So I played without hesitation.

Doing the best I can.

I wanted to ask you at least once.

Is my performance ⌜coincidence⌟?

Or maybe I can do more than this.

I was curious.

At the end of the song heading towards the finale, Daesung looked back at me.

I also looked at him immediately.

Just as a conductor gives silent instructions to performers in a classical concert hall, we seemed to be able to understand the meaning just by looking at each other.

he asked me

Can you do it until the end?

I answered.

I can do it until the end.

The silent conversation ended too briefly.

10 seconds.

There is still time left until the highlight of ⌜Coincidence⌟.

There are only a few words of sheet music left.

Normally, my performance would end in 10 seconds.

The piano solo part that followed was supposed to be replaced by Ilseong’s electric guitar.

I heard that they often do that. So, I did it that way during rehearsals. This was a choice I made to ease the burden of playing the keyboard for the first time today.

5 seconds.

But I could do it.

I thought that Daesung, who is listening to my performance right now, would understand.

3 seconds.

The decision-making power always lies with the band leader. I am just a guest. We haven’t officially become members, so we may just have a passing relationship.

1 second.

Still, I looked at him. My playing was on the verge of stopping. This was the end of my role in ⌜Coincidence⌟.

Expecting more than this is a kind of overreach.

Daesung glances at me again.

For a split second, our eyes met.

And he,

understood me

Hong Dae-seong shouted loudly to the audience.

“Keyboard solo!”

I played the keyboard as if it had been predetermined. Countless notes pass through the score and disappear from the keyboard.

All instruments other than mine had stopped playing for a long time.

There are no drums that split the beat, no bass that was supposed to do the low notes, no guitar that was supposed to do a solo part, and no vocals.

In the concert hall, only my keyboard resonated.

Like a scene from a movie.

For me, for my first audience watching this stage.

I showed everything about myself.

* * *

‘Is there a place to sit?’

There were no chairs in sight backstage. So I flipped the empty plastic box over and put it on just my butt. I also took off my mask.

There were exactly 4 songs that I would play on the keyboard in this performance.

Originally, those songs were scheduled to be placed in the middle of the set list, but today they were all moved to the very front of the performance.

Daesung hyung changed the order because he was worried that I might get nervous and get confused about the order of the songs.

Thanks to this, I was able to get off the stage 15 minutes after the performance started.

The backstage was very hot.

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead.

The excitement I felt on stage a little while ago seemed to have no intention of stopping.

I clenched both fists tightly and then opened them. Red and yellow blood appears on the palm for a moment and then disappears.

It seemed like this excitement would not subside easily.

“hey! You were really good at it! “My keyboard skills are perfect!”

“ah···. thank you.”

The sound director who helped me during rehearsals.

He took a water bottle out of his bag and handed it to me.

“Drink it first. “Isn’t it hot here?”

“I guess the air conditioner isn’t working.”

“no. It comes out well, but it’s because of the audience. There are almost 300 people running and there is nothing we can do. “That’s the best part of Hongdae.”

I cracked the cap off the water bottle he handed me. Just take a sip. Water rushes down my throat.

Phew.

“I think I’ll buy some. “I didn’t know, but I guess I was thirsty.”

“I played so passionately, how could I not be thirsty? “I also have a drink. Would you like one?”

“no. “This is okay for now.”

“then···.”

The sound director took out a mini fan from inside the bag. Power on. Hold the fan in front of my face. A pleasant wind blows.

I accepted the fan he gave me and a towel as well.

It’s an amazing bag.

“You’re the sound director, and you carry all sorts of things with you.”

“Oh, this? Actually, my nickname is Doraemon. That’s good, because I’m the sound director and I’m also in charge of all the Star live house chores. As a result, an all-purpose pocket naturally emerged. “There is nothing that is not here.”

A handsome man.

It felt exactly like that.

“How about the performance? “Is the audience’s reaction pretty good?”

“Eh? Didn’t you just see the audience? “You almost went crazy when you got off the stage.”

“Did you?”

“He wasn’t out of his mind. Anyway… They say the world is full of flying and crawling people, but I never dreamed that I would see a kid the size of you on stage. And that’s not even a side script, it’s a ‘side performance’. “It will be a story that will remain in Hongdae in the future.”

“that’s right! My sister was completely smitten too! Are you a trainee at some agency?”

At that time, a woman dressed in black joined the conversation. Looking at the words printed on the clothes, ⌜Midsummer’s End, Rock Hongdae!⌟, it looked like a staff member.

And these staff began to multiply.

“I know! How old are you? “He was so cool on stage!”

“I think I’ve seen this before somewhere… Have you ever appeared on a broadcast? Like a child actor. It definitely looks familiar…”

“I need your autograph!” But why did you wear a mask on stage? Surprisingly shy?”

“cute! Would you like my sister to buy me some tteokbokki after the performance? It’s possible if you get paid for your part-time job today. how is it?”

“······.”

Uhmmm. tteokbokki?

Before I could even say anything, as I was exhausted, the sound director gave me a disapproving command.

“You bastards! Why don’t you go and do some work? “Will you take responsibility if an accident occurs while you are away?”

“Hey, we were taking a short break because it was our shift time. I came backstage because there was a guy on stage who caught my eye. right?”

“yes. For your information, our bathrooms are also being cleaned every hour!”

“The floor shines. The ticket office has also been settled. The work was already finished. how is it? “Isn’t it great?”

Part-time workers who never say a word.

The director scratched his head and warned again.

“Can’t you see he’s tired? You may say one word at a time, but how many words does he have to say? uh? Not going very well? sudden! Are you taking away part-time wages? Even if you subtract 10,000 won from the daily wage, it’s still over the minimum wage. know?”

At this point, the part-time workers left one by one. Some even told me they were sorry.

however.

“Is the promise of tteokbokki with my sister true? You can call me whenever you have time. I go to Hongdae anyway. Understand?”

A college student who appeared to be in his early 20s left me a note and disappeared.

A piece of paper with your Stargram ID written on it.

The director, who was watching this, laughed.

“Band men are popular, but that’s true. “You are already amazing.”

“What’s so great?”

“Kkkkkk. It is nothing. Anyway, kid! This stage was good. It was cool. So, I’m resting well now. “If anything happens, call me.”

The director tapped my shoulder and disappeared somewhere.

After catching my breath a little, I stood up.

This was because the heavy bass was echoing through the speakers all the way to the backstage, making me curious about the performance.

When I moved to the bottom of the stage and peeked my head out, I first saw the audience seats, which were filled with darkness.

I took a few more steps and stood near the standing seats. Only then did the colorful stage with lights come into view.

Four band members create one song.

The sound coming from the huge woofer speaker penetrated my body.

I was tapping my feet in excitement without realizing it.

The performance gradually matured.

⌜Let’s do our best⌟ Sweat is beading on the members’ foreheads.

Even in an air-conditioned concert hall, their excitement seemed unstoppable.

After finishing the song, Daesung expressed his gratitude to the audience.

It was like a final greeting since the encore song was sung ⌜Let’s be great⌟.

Behind the cheers of the audience, the band members moved to the back of the stage.

I also slowly walked towards where they were.

I could hear my brothers’ voices even before I arrived backstage. An angry sound. Among them, Ilseong was the first to spot me and made a loud noise.

“hey! You bastard! Can I work this hard today? uh? “It’s amazing how small it is!”

“You’re better than most keyboardists. good job.”

“In one word, it’s killer! This time, you didn’t miss a single beat? Does it get that much better just because you tried it once? You said you were 100 times better than you were in rehearsal. young!”

I felt a little embarrassed, so I expressed my gratitude and thanked them for their hard work.

however.

Daeseong asked me a question.

“hey. “Why are you working so hard?”

“yes?”

“Isn’t the word ‘hard work’ something you say when all work is done? Are you going to say that now?”

“······?”

‘······ The work is not finished?’

When I didn’t really understand what he meant.

A certain shout began to be heard from the audience.

Daeseong looks at me and smiles.

“so. You should wear it too. “Can you play one more song?”

I nodded while listening to the audience’s laughter. With an awkward smile on your face.

“One song is possible.”

“Then let’s go. “If it’s too late, they won’t have an answer.”

“is it so?”

“uh. “Our fans are all crazy.”

While we were walking on stage, Lee Yeon gave me a mask. Because he is a meticulous person.

I went on stage wearing a mask.

The cheers of the audience felt right through my body.

“Encore! My head stood on end as they shouted, “Encore!”

The unscheduled encore song was a ⌜coincidence⌟.

Audiences who will hear the same song twice.

But I guess that doesn’t really matter.

A familiar drum beat plays.

I played the intro on the keyboard.

Daeseong looked at everyone, including me, Deuksu, Lee Yeon, and Ilseong, and then quietly placed his guitar on the floor.

Then he shouted at us while holding the wireless microphone.

“This is why I can’t quit performing. Seojin, don’t you think you understand now?”

He ran towards the audience.

Yet, he yells something at the audience.

Hong Dae-seong jumped into the air like a cartoon.

But surprisingly, the audience skillfully caught him as he jumped into the audience.

It is not a skill that has been done once or twice.

Hong Dae-seong sang the song ⌜Coincidence⌟ among the audience.

The remaining members continued to create melodies on stage.

As if there was no difference between the singer and the audience, the people at the concert hall did their best to have fun.

and.

In that scorching heat,

Our performance ended unfortunately.

* * *

Outback Steak House.

There was a person who was alone and in despair at this after-party.

Ilsung is my older brother.

“uh? Why me…! Sigh! How many years have you been in a band? The main guitar is me! teacher! “They say the guitarist gets the most attention in the band!”

Of course, despite the noise, the delicious menu items were diligently served. T-bone steak arrived in front of me. Umm. I cut it into small pieces and ate a piece. nice! It melts gently in your mouth.

“no! Is everyone overeating? yes? Brothers! “Does this make sense?”

Ilseong’s scream.

Deuk-su endured it for a while before he gave up.

“Ilseong.”

“yes!”

“Seojin… Was it that big of a deal to get contact information from a female fan?”

Ilsung even had tears in his eyes.

he protested.

“sure! It’s algebra! uh? Why isn’t there just me! Everyone has a girlfriend! I also have a wife! He’s 12 years old! Why isn’t there just me! This is a scam! “It’s a North Korean conspiracy!”

“hey. You look in the mirror. A mirror. I started to feel guilty. “Who will meet you?”

“brother. I went to their house too. There really wasn’t a mirror in the bathroom. That’s why I don’t seem to be able to objectify myself. But the snow is high again. “Is there any way that could happen?”

“Tsk. Somehow, he has become uglier these days. “Everything happens for a reason.”

“and···. That sounds a bit painful, doesn’t it? Hit me gently. “What are you going to do if he cries in front of Seojin?”

“no way. And to be honest, even if I get a girlfriend, Seojin will come first, right?”

“Well, I admit that.”

“That’s right.”

“Kaaaaaaaa!”

Ilsung hyung screamed even more as the facts were poured in without a filter.

I looked at Ilsung and ate the steak without thinking.

Yum.