Chapter 35 : Ashes

Ashes

In a daze, I was caught and dragged into the final sprint room by the principal.

Despite its terrifying appearance and name, the inside was surprisingly clean.

“Hey, come in! This isn’t your room. You’ll be practicing in a much better room, so just watch and see what class feels like.”

Thud.

“Now that the new student is here, I’m no longer needed. Is that it?”

The principal, smiling broadly, pushed Hanwoo to the corner sofa.

Wow.

I never thought someone could smile so purely out of joy.

Maybe it’s because the first face I saw was a devilishly twisted one, but the principal’s smiling face was a bit unfamiliar.

“Did you two introduce yourselves? How about you start by introducing yourself? Everyone knows this actor~.”

“Uh, excuse me…?”

Isn’t it obvious to skip Hanwoo’s introduction?

Was he that famous?

“I’ve never seen him before…”

“Really?”

The principal seemed more surprised than Hanwoo, who was standing there quietly without changing his expression.

The principal’s mouth hung open for a moment before she snapped back to reality.

“Jeong Hanwoo is the hottest actor these days. He’s on TV whenever you turn it on! He’s currently playing the busker role in a new drama and is practicing at our academy.”

“Otot.”

Not quite a legend, but more like a rising star.

No wonder he didn’t look like a typical famous actor; he seemed more like a college student.

Hanwoo, standing there without a single change in his expression, listened to the principal.

If a flight trail is the expressionless face of someone without emotion, his was just an innocent blankness.

I was almost intimidated, but then realized he was simply blank, which made me feel more at ease.

“I’m Jeong Hanwoo. Please take care of me.”

“Ah, I’m Kang Suhyun. Please take care of me too…”

Swoosh.

My hand was completely covered by the large hand reaching for a handshake.

“Me too! Me too!”

The principal, who slipped in to shake hands, made the room quiet again.

The subtle gazes of the two people focused on me.

Don’t make an INFP do this… It’s too much.

I waited for a while, but the principal’s bright-eyed look didn’t change, and no one spoke, so I finally did.

“…I’m not a celebrity like Hanwoo. I’ve never been on TV or anything.”

“It’s okay! You’ll get to know me from now on. So, where do you live and how old are you?”

The principal approached me, making hand gestures like those seen in shorts, a gesture used abroad.

“Huh? Huh?”

This is so overwhelming.

Unlike the flight trail, this felt more like she was trying to stop me, so I finally opened my mouth.

“I’m Kang Suhyun. I just turned 18 this year…”

“Oh my, Hanwoo, if you’d started a month earlier, you would have been in big trouble!”

“I didn’t start anything.”

Though his voice didn’t change in pitch, Hanwoo desperately waved his hand, and the expressionless face he maintained slightly cracked, his eyebrows twitching.

Yeah, the minor controversy would be pretty serious…

“Heh heh. Why are you all so down?”

Look at this tragic scene.

One outgoing person is completely overwhelming two introverts at once.

The principal laughed when she saw me and Hanwoo, who were clearly awkward.

“Ah, I get it. It’s time for the academy tour, right?”

Clap.

The principal clapped her hands, changing her expression.

It was no longer the smiling face from earlier but a perfectly angled career woman smile.

“Whoa.”

Although I didn’t know her face, her expression was almost like a virtual avatar. I raised my hand to clap without thinking, but Hanwoo stopped it.

“If you clap, I’ll show a different expression all day. Just quietly follow the tour.”

“Yes!”

That sounds about right…!

I followed the principal while quietly listening to the senior’s instructions.

Hanwoo, watching the principal walk away, was about to go back to his final sprint practice.

No, he was about to.

“Where’s Hanwoo going?”

“Huh? I have filming next week, so I’m heading back to the final sprint…”

“You need to show the ‘one-month intensive training case’ to your junior? Come on.”

“Damn.”

And Hanwoo followed me.

After walking back to the entrance of the academy, the tour began as we proceeded through the academy facilities one by one.

“This is the group practice room! You can rehearse choreography in sync, and the soundproofing is great for singing too. The downside is that it’s very popular—it’s almost entirely occupied by idols.”

Hmm.

When the principal started working, she completely transformed into someone else.

The warm, lively person from before suddenly became a cold professional.

Her smile, which she wore while explaining professionally, was a huge contrast.

The principal’s calm, clicking footsteps as she explained were paired with a bright, sincere smile.

Ah, this is the only room I know.

“This is the final sprint room you just saw. Two or more professional trainers will help with every pitch and tone. It’s a room where stress and skill improvement go hand in hand.”

I’m familiar with this.

“Ah, this is the room where Hanwoo senior was locked in…”

“Quiet, junior.”

Hanwoo glared at me slightly, squinting his eyes.

Was he mad at me? Maybe he’s afraid of the room.

Well, I don’t have to go in.

“Is this place really that effective?”

Two professional trainers.

Just from the explanation, it sounds like a super expensive and effective scam product.

“Just listen to the effects yourself. You’ll be surprised.”

The principal smiled brightly as she took out a pair of high-end headphones.

Quite expensive, high-end headphones. If we’re talking about sound quality, this brand is top-tier.

Is she going to let me listen to the senior’s song with these?

“Is it okay to listen with these?”

“Principal, are you really going to let me hear my song from a month ago…?”

“Hanwoo, didn’t the contract say that the song video could be used for promotion?”

The principal lightly ignored Hanwoo as he approached and handed me a tablet and the headphones.

On the tablet, there was a video of Hanwoo awkwardly standing and singing.

“Uh…”

Tone-deaf. Out of tune. Can’t even dance. A terrible dancer.

This person really made the right choice by becoming an actor, I thought to myself, watching the video.

His pitch was completely off.

“Now, let’s see the results of a month’s training! Hanwoo, music start!”

Swish. Dering~.

The principal pulled out a guitar, strumming the bass while casually playing.

She’s really good at guitar. Do they not teach guitar here?

“Sigh…”

“Wow.”

Hanwoo, holding the microphone with his ears turning bright red, prepared to sing.

I clapped softly in encouragement.

I thought he’d mess it up… but…

“Ugh.”

Why does it sound so good? His pitch and timing are way better than a month ago.

To my surprise, after the song ended, I wasn’t left with a blank face but with astonishment.

Did the person in that video really change this much in just one month?

Some YouTubers who live off singing could still be beaten by him, I thought.

While I was purely admiring, Hanwoo handed me the microphone.

“Let’s see how you do. Try it with this intense gaze.”

“…Me too?”

“Well, we need to see your skill and style before you come in. You’re a pop singer, so a jazz trainer couldn’t work with you, right? Definitely not!

Of course! Even if the ‘Whiplash’ guy came to help, it wouldn’t work.”

The principal sat down at the large grand piano beside the desk as if it were the most natural thing.

Then she turned to look at me.

“Do you have any songs you can sing right now? Maybe the most recent one you sang…?”

“Uh… well…

There’s only one song that comes to mind.

But singing it here would be super embarrassing.

The K-pop idol trainees are watching, so there’s no way I could proudly sing a Vocaloid song…”

“Huh? Your face is turning all red. Well then… just sneakily let me hear it. Privately.”

The principal winked at me with a smile.

Her consideration was so kind that I almost teared up.

“Ah… okay. I’ll only let you hear it, principal.”

“Ugh. So mean.”

Hanwoo, on the side, mocked me with a thumbs down.

Is he really my senior? Why is he acting like that?

“Heh heh. Ignore this big, immature guy and come to the principal’s office to sing for me.”

The principal pushed Hanwoo aside, who was still mocking me, and led me toward the principal’s office.

For some reason, as we walked toward the office, I felt like each burden in my heart was being lifted.

“Hehe.”

Maybe today, Kang Suhyun will achieve the highest point of her singing career?

With a weary step, the silver-haired girl opened the academy door and stepped outside.

Her cough, as she wore a mask, made her look sickly.

“Cough. Goodbye…”

“Yes. Goodbye.”

The principal, Ms. Bangmalja, watched Suhyun’s back silently for a long time as she walked away, her pride clearly shattered.

For a month, Hanwoo had spent half of every day in the practice room, and the serious expression on the principal’s face, which he had never seen before, felt strange.

“What’s with that expression?”

“Hanwoo, you’ll never understand this feeling, right? I thought she was a raw gem, but turns out she was just a broken piece.”

What is she talking about now?

Since Hanwoo had been the one to handle the principal’s frustrations for the past month, he naturally pulled his chair forward and sat down.

“What happened?”

“Suhyun, she seems like someone who has already tried singing. The emotions she carries… it’s unbelievable. It gave me goosebumps.”

The person who had been so timid just now, Hanwoo thought jokingly, but then closed his mouth quietly.

The principal’s expression was so unbearably sad that it was hard to describe.

“So?”

“I wouldn’t say anything if she was just an amateur. The problem is…”

The principal bit her lips tightly as if she didn’t want to speak further.

“Her throat is completely ruined. She might be able to sing, but…”

Sigh.

The principal let out a deep sigh as if smoking a cigarette.

She couldn’t bring herself to continue, but Hanwoo could guess what she meant.

“You’re saying she won’t be able to sing perfectly, right?”

“Yeah. It was fine up until the middle, but as she went higher, her voice cracked, and by the end, it was completely ruined.”

Hanwoo wasn’t an expert, so he didn’t know what to say, but one thing was clear.

“How much has she been overworked?”

“I don’t know. To think such a young girl’s vocal cords are already damaged…”

Hanwoo glanced at the principal, who had bowed her head, then looked out the window.

Suhyun was walking outside the building, her face completely covered as if she was hiding from the world.

“Is it that serious?”

“Yeah. It’s that serious.”

The principal answered firmly and looked out the window as well.

Her beautiful silver hair reflected the glow of the sunset like white ash.

“Right now, that girl is just ashes.”

The principal’s voice was heavier and calmer than ever.

“Sometimes, the wind might blow, and the embers could reignite… but it’ll be hard for the fire to burn again.”

She had burned it all in such a short time.

Hanwoo imagined how much the shy, playful girl must have suffered.

“Mm…”

Though his imagination wasn’t great, for some reason, he felt a deep sympathy this time.

Suhyun would probably be disgusted if she knew he pitied her, but sadly, she wasn’t by his side.

“…I think the director said they wanted someone with a unique and beautiful visual for the drama.”

Hanwoo thought of Suhyun.

Her deep blue eyes reflecting the autumn sky.

Her long silver hair flowing like pure white silk.

Her snow-white skin, making everything even more beautiful.

A beauty with an innocent yet distinctive impression.

Was there anyone else who matched the director’s description so perfectly?

“Yeah. Maybe I should mention it…”

As Hanwoo left the academy, he muttered quietly.

Unaware of the countless consequences that his words could bring.