The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 39



Only Krnovel

39 Another Place

* * *

I went to school like any other day.

I took classes, came up with songs in my spare time, and sometimes even wrote down lyrics.

The children’s interest in me was slowly disappearing.

As usual, children of this age get bored with everything quickly.

The hero who was thought to be immortal was just a quiet elementary school student, and he didn’t respond no matter how many times he tried to talk to him, so they formed a group among themselves again.

Children who love games.

Children who like cartoons.

Children who like idols.

The excitement of the new semester had disappeared, and each child was trying to get rid of the boredom of everyday life.

I, too, was faithfully fulfilling my role as a person who loves music.

During lunch time, I usually played the piano with Ha-eun in the music room of the old building. These days, Lee Ha-eun’s piano has gotten noticeably better every day. What was the trigger? Anyway, the sound changed.

However, today I took some time to go to the cafeteria.

Recently, I started to become a little interested in gastronomy.

So, isn’t it natural to be curious about what children in Korea eat?

Not long after lunch time began, a crowded line of children was seen in the cafeteria.

Today’s diet is pretty good.

Bibimbap, beef stew, and even hot dogs for dessert.

I could slightly understand the feelings of the kids running out like crazy during lunch time.

After receiving my meal, I sat down in a corner and ate two spoonfuls of rice.

But then.

To my great surprise, I discovered Lee Ha-eun.

Lee Ha-eun was standing in front of me. He puts both hands on his hips and glares at him scaryly. I don’t know why, but he seemed angry for some reason.

“hey! “Why are you eating here alone?”

It’s right to be angry.

“just. “I suddenly became curious about the food that elementary school students eat.”

“Then you should have told me!”

“You did that to me last time. I thought it would be fun to use the music room by myself for a day. “I was considerate in my own way, right?”

“hey. “Han Seo-jin.”

“huh?”

“You don’t have any friends, do you? “You idiot!”

“······.”

Suddenly, it hit the nail on the head.

“But why friends? “How did you know I didn’t have any friends?”

“Ugh. done. I shouldn’t say anything. Wait a moment. “I will also come and get lunch.”

“Are you going to eat here too? “Perhaps you don’t have any friends either…”

“It’s because I feel sorry for you. Han Seo-jin, you eat alone! By the way, I have a lot of friends. “Do you think anyone can do it?”

“······.”

“Anyway… I’m just waiting! I won’t leave you alone if you move even a little until I finish eating today? Did you understand? Didn’t you know?”

“······ All right.”

“good. I liked the polite attitude. “Let’s continue to do so in the future.”

“······.”

Lee Ha-eun grumbled in front of me for a long time.

However, as soon as we started chatting after receiving our lunch, we quickly relaxed.

He even talks about what happened at the piano academy.

“no! So, I went into the practice room first, and the middle school girl told me to leave right away?”

“The academy world is also quite confusing.”

“therefore! But does that make sense? “Are you saying that you are preparing for the pre-med exam and that we who are preparing for the pre-exam are ridiculous?”

“It can’t happen.”

“yes? I’ll kill that sister! I was trying to figure out what to do… “If only I were a little taller…!”

“I endured it well. “It was almost like a new bully punch came out of Saebom-dong.”

“Whew. Still, it feels a bit better now that I talk about it. really. “Han Seo-jin.”

Lee Ha-eun, who ate lunch a little late because she was busy chatting, handed me her shopping bag.

“receive.”

“What?”

“Open it yourself.”

‘Did you have something like that?’

I managed to tear open a small shopping bag that was carefully taped shut.

and.

“You said you really signed a contract with ⌜Moolgwang⌟. They say only the final signature remains. “It’s nothing special, I just bought you a congratulatory gift.”

“······.”

The gift Lee Ha-eun gave me was an album CD.

It looks like a slightly older album.

As I was looking through the song list written on the album jacket, I stopped at one part.

I had no choice but to ask Lee Ha-eun about this.

“······ How did you know about this song?”

“Seojin, that’s the song you listen to whenever you have time in the music room or at piano lessons. I thought it was my favorite song, so I bought it. ah! But is this an album you already have? I hadn’t thought of that! “Do I have to get a refund now?”

“no···. This is an album I don’t have. are you okay.”

“okay? Then I’m glad. “Do you like it?”

I looked at the album again.

“······.”

Billboard’s best album, which includes ⌜Live forever⌟ composed by Uncle Miller.

I was dazed for a while by the unexpected gift, and Lee Ha-eun tapped me.

“how is it? Isn’t it touching? These are all things that happen when you have good friends. So please be nice to me from now on.”

“Haeun, I’m sorry. And thank you.”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry for leaving you alone in the music room without knowing this, and I’m really grateful you even gave me this gift.”

“······.”

“really.”

“······.”

Lee Ha-eun looked a little embarrassed when she saw me and said, “Ahaha!” She smiled and continued her words.

“You suddenly became so serious! What is this big deal between friends? uh? is not it?”

“I know. “We are friends.”

“right? Still, I’m glad you like it.”

“I like it very much. “Even more than signing a contract with ⌜Moolgwang⌟.”

“······.”

Lee Ha-eun was at a loss for what to do when I heard my joke mixed with seriousness, and then she suddenly slapped me on the arm.

At first, I thought how much it would hurt if an elementary school student hit him, but he was stronger than I thought.

So I shouted.

“hey! it hurts!”

“What does it hurt! And where is that? It’s better that you made a good contract than a gift like this. Huh! Anyway, congratulations on becoming a professional composer. “Aren’t you almost the youngest in our country?”

“I’m not sure about that either.”

“Later, even when things are going well for me, I should not forget to give gifts? “If you don’t, I’ll bite you right away.”

“Bite it, that was your habit.”

“Previously. “What is the answer?”

“okay. Don’t forget to give a gift to your friend. In particular, I will check yours carefully. it’s okay?”

“good. “We can create people one by one like this.”

“······ what?”

“Are you saying this in a way that people who only know music can’t understand?”

“······.”

“Me~ long~”

“······.”

Lee Ha-eun turned into an elementary school student in an instant.

I laughed out loud when I saw that, and Lee Ha-eun giggled along with me.

Even though we only chatted in the cafeteria, lunch time passed quickly.

Lee Ha-eun said she had an art class in the 5th period, and she and I parted ways in the cafeteria.

While going back to class, I had to walk while looking at the jacket of the album I received as a gift.

‘Friend…’

okay. This is what having friends seemed to mean.

* * *

The contract with ⌜Moonlight⌟ was finally concluded.

The contract details were the same as when we met before at a cafe in Cheongdam-dong.

However, this time, I only met ⌜Moolgwang⌟ with my mother.

Since I explained it to my mother in advance, it didn’t take long to sign the contract.

On the way back home after completing the contract.

In the car, I thought about Manager Park Hoon again.

‘I sang the song I made in front of my mother to the fullest.’

It was like that the last time we met, but this time he emphasized it even more.

They even showed off some clumsy gags.

‘I guess I’m a bit good at being a manager since I’m Manager Park Hoon, right? ha ha ha! Still, the talent that composer Seojin Han has is real. Mother, please believe in your son. Talent like this doesn’t come easily.’

A random ‘exaggerated’ punch line.

It wasn’t funny at the time, but when I thought about it again, I found myself laughing. Her mother smiled when she saw me like that from her driver’s seat.

“Was it that good? Then say something sooner. I want to play the piano and compose music. “Didn’t you know that she would hide this fact from her mother until the end of the contract?”

I cleared my throat once to forget Manager Park Hoon’s face.

“It wasn’t something I hid on purpose. The contract with ⌜Wolgwang⌟ is… “It was a contract that was carried out so quickly that I didn’t have time to say anything.”

“I’m glad then.”

My mother sat still while holding the steering wheel, and then suddenly continued speaking.

“Seojin, mom, it’s okay whatever your son does. So, if you have any concerns, always tell your mom. Because I am the person who will support you even if you suddenly start running track and field. And I won’t force anything on you. So, I want you to know this much.”

Very kind words.

I was about to make an excuse, but I quietly nodded.

“I will do that from now on.”

“thank you. But I didn’t know that my son was so talented at composing music, right? If only he had completed the contract… Should I call myself a professional composer now?”

“No one knows what will happen yet. “First of all, you only know if the song sells.”

“You said the title of the song Seojin made was ⌜TEST⌟, right?”

“yes.”

“Mom, can I listen too?”

My mother kept smiling while keeping her gaze straight ahead. She seems to be in a good mood. After some thought, I played ⌜TEST⌟ on my phone.

A song played softly in the car, just my mother and I.

I felt a little embarrassed and looked out the window.

⌜TEST⌟, which I had already listened to dozens or hundreds of times, did not give me much inspiration.

Rather, I only heard what parts needed to be modified, whether there were any parts that needed to be changed boldly, and what it would be like to change the direction of the arrangement.

But my mother’s sentiments seemed completely different from mine.

“maybe···. Seojin, you probably don’t know how much happiness I’m feeling right now. There will come a day when we will find out later. Mom is···. I think the time I spend with my son in the car is so precious. Thank you, my son.”

After a while.

I nodded so softly that it was barely noticeable.

* * *

two days later.

500,000 won was deposited from ⌜Wolgwang⌟.

Please note that this item was not about competition injuries.

A kind of down payment received when signing with a label.

I heard that in the case of famous composers, there are cases where they change companies after receiving a large contract payment.

However, I am neither exclusive nor a hit songwriter.

The amount of 500,000 won calculated here was only a ‘necessary nominal transaction’ when signing a contract with ⌜Wolgwang⌟.

‘Still, it’s a lot of money for me.’

Thanks to this, I was able to move as quickly as possible.

If you combine the money you previously received from helping the ⌜Let’s Be Great⌟ brothers with this down payment, you will make quite a lot of money.

Enough money to buy that used laptop you’ve been longing for.

I had to save some extra money because I had to purchase a MIDI program as well, but I had been using a calculator to find a suitable used laptop.

So today, as soon as school finished, I took the bus and headed to Yongsan.

Before I knew it, I was stocking up on the things I needed to make music.

‘When I just came out of the desert island, I had nothing…’

and.

Most importantly, my people began to appear one by one around me.

Just remembering this fact made me feel a lot better.

Not long before arriving at Yongsan Station, my cell phone vibrated.

I checked and it turned out that it was Deputy Charina.

[Assistant Manager Charina: As I said yesterday, we are looking for a singer who fits the ⌜TEST⌟, and we were wondering if the composer had a singer’s style in mind. We at ⌜Wolgwang⌟ would like to send you a list of possible contacts. I can’t give you a 100% sure answer, but to some extent…]

There was a PDF attachment at the end of the talk.

Profiles of singers clearly organized.

When I downloaded it, it contained basic information such as the singer’s name, age, photo, and agency, as well as a brief evaluation of the vocal style.

At a meeting with my mother, I said, ‘Composer. All files we send from now on are confidential! Non-disclosure policy! I thought I could understand why the Deputy Czarina, who had sincerely urged me to “observe it!”, was like that.

I checked the singer list carefully.

In the past, even I, who had no interest in anything other than classical music, saw a few Korean singers I knew.

Commonly referred to as mid-level singers.

And even singers who look like rookies.

I was afraid that I might miss something, so I started listening to all of the singers’ music.

First, let’s start with hit songs and latest songs.

It seemed like I would have to invest quite a bit of time in the future.

Before we knew it, the bus arrived at Yongsan Station.

As I stood in the wide square, the first thing that caught my eye was a round building covered in glass windows.

Some people were seen moving at a brisk pace, dragging suitcases, perhaps because they were trying to take the KTX to a distant place.

I followed them into the station and came out on the other side.

Because the place I was going to was much older than here.

After walking for a while, I arrived at an intersection where several people were busily carrying boxes.

I can hear people shouting various things.

A motorcycle passes by through the alleys.

I stopped briefly at a store on the side of the road.

‘This isn’t where I’m going today…’

A listening store filled with audio equipment.

I couldn’t just pass over that place.

I went into the store, picked out a pair of headphones, and tried them on.

A song by a Korean singer happened to be playing on the headphones.

He was the band’s vocalist with an impressive deep voice.

Soon, I was able to listen to the song of a female idol group with a clear voice.

The owner was dozing off where he sat, as if there had been no customers for a while.

Strangely, his hand, which was holding the newspaper tightly, did not fall under the chair.

This place has a slightly unusual atmosphere.

I took some time to relax.