Chapter 44: Getting Closer to Seolhwa

There are many different types of live performances.

Some artists perform live by faithfully recreating the original track, relying purely on their vocal ability.

Others treat it as a performance, adding ad-libs here and there to hype up the crowd.

And some choose to rearrange the song entirely, singing it however they like.

Out of all these types, the kind of live performance Rage was doing in the video was.

You won’t be there~

A direct, faithful rendition of the original song.

“Oh, they really do sing well. I actually came across their music through the algorithm the other day and started listening now and then.”

[+HurryAndLeave: 00, they sing insanely well.]

[But how does someone suddenly blow up right after dropping an album? Seems kinda suspicious…]

[This reeks of viral marketing.]

[Viral (barely scraped into the Top 100)]

[Pepe: Nah, Rage is just on another level musically. ㅋㅋ]

[Rage really is good, though.]

It was surprising to see my viewers actually recognize Rage.

“How do you all know about Rage? They don’t seem that famous.”

Even though their song had made it into the Top 100, considering my viewers’ usual online habits, it was odd that so many of them were aware of them.

[+HurryAndLeave: Oh, their song pops up in Shorts all the time.]

[The viral push has been crazy lately. ㅋㅋ]

[If you scroll through like a hundred Shorts, you’ll definitely see one with Rage’s song. I saw at least ten just yesterday.]

[Bro, what kind of monster watches a thousand Shorts in a day? ㅋㅋ]

[Pepe: A thousand Shorts a day is straight-up inhuman. ㅋㅋ]

[That’s legendary. ㄷㄷ]

Ah, that made sense.

It seemed like the challenge video I had seen earlier had gained traction, causing their song to go viral across video platforms.

‘No wonder they looked like their skin had improved too.’

Well, since I had worked on the composition, the money coming in lately had been very nice.

To the point where it was an amount most college students wouldn’t even dream of handling.

But for some reason, I felt hesitant to spend it carelessly.

‘Maybe it’s because it feels like passive income…?’

It was best to just let the money sit in my account for now and only use it when I felt like it was the right time.

With that thought, I continued watching the live performance.

“By the way, people seem to be reacting really positively. Usually, when something goes viral, the response isn’t that great.”

It was just human nature.

If someone kept shoving food into your mouth, telling you to eat, you’d spit it out—even if it tasted good.

[+HurryAndLeave: The song is just objectively good, so no one’s complaining. ㅋㅋ]

[OO: Yeah, the song itself is solid.]

[My playlist is full of Japanese weeb music, but I added this one.]

[Fine, I’ll make an exception and put it between J and V5.]

[?]

[Pepe: Ugh, you damn weeb.]

[What the hell is that supposed to mean?]

Judging by the chat, it seemed like if a song was good enough, people could overlook their usual instincts.

I found that interesting as I continued the stream.

Just casually exploring the café today seemed like a good idea.

At that moment.

[Art Teacher: Jaehun.]

[Art Teacher: Are you busy these days?]

[Art Teacher: Someone I know wants to commission something.]

[Art Teacher: I think it’d be worth meeting them at least once.]

Hmm.

To be honest, I already had way too much work on my plate, so I wanted to refuse.

But I couldn’t.

The Art Teacher was someone incredibly special to me.

They were the reason I had gotten into university in the first place.

Because of that, it was hard for me to turn down their requests.

[4:04 AM…]

[Me: Could you give me a rough idea of what it is?]

[Me: I’ve been pretty busy lately.]

After a moment, they replied.

[Art Teacher: It’s nothing too big.]

[Art Teacher: Just a simple, cute character illustration.]

[Art Teacher: If you don’t want to, you don’t have to do it.]

I gave a vague response.

Hmm.

A cute character, huh?

That caught my attention a little.

‘…Well, the Art Teacher wouldn’t introduce me to anything weird.’

Thinking that, I replied.

[Me: Oh… then I think it should be fine.]

[Me: As long as it doesn’t take too long, I can do it.]

And I meant it.

If it wasn’t a time-consuming project, I could handle it.

Of course, I already had a lot on my plate, but if I cut back on sleep a little, I could manage.

Shortly after.

[Art Teacher: Ah, then]

[Art Teacher: You’ll probably get a call about it tomorrow, so you can discuss the details then.]

[Me: Got it. Have a good day, teacher.]

With that, the conversation ended.

I should probably meet up with the Art Teacher at some point.

It had been a while since we last saw each other since our schedules never seemed to align.

‘Maybe I should bring Ryu Arim along next time.’

We used to take classes together, after all.

That had been a really fun time.

As I was lost in these random thoughts, pouring myself a Coke.

Brrr.

My phone rang.

“Hello?”

It was Seolhwa.

Ah, oppa. Do you have time right now?

“Yeah, I do.”

Then, could you come to the studio?

It’d be great if we could speed up the work a bit.

“Oh… sure.”

Great!

That was kind of fascinating.

How did she always manage to call me exactly when I had free time?

It’s not like I had CCTV installed in my home or anything.

Finding it amusing, I threw on some clothes and headed to Seolhwa’s studio.

“So, if we add a bit more drum here and layer in some harmonies, I think it’ll sound better.”

“Nyeh~.”

I arrived at Seolhwa’s studio, and we started chatting while working on the music.

The first time I came here, I was hesitant to even touch the equipment, wondering if I should be handling such expensive machines.

But now, I used them naturally.

Doom.

Doom.

I was layering harmonies over the bassline when.

“Ah, hold on a second.”

Seolhwa stopped the recording and turned to me with a proposal.

A very strange proposal.

“Oppa, have you ever thought about singing?”

Singing?

Out of nowhere?

I was taken aback.

I had never once sung professionally in my life.

Well, aside from karaoke, but that didn’t really count.

As I hesitated, wondering what to do.

“I’ve been singing for a long time, and I can tell—you’d sound really good! Just try it once!”

Seolhwa started persuading me relentlessly.

I could sing if I really had to, but… wasn’t this kind of weird?

She could easily record it herself.

“…Wouldn’t it be better to get another male singer instead?”

“Ah, I don’t actually know any male singers.”

I was speechless.

I had just assumed she must have known at least one.

Feeling a bit dumbfounded, I nodded.

“…Alright, I’ll give it a shot, but don’t complain if it sounds bad.”

“Come on, of course I won’t!”

And so, I put on the headset and started adding harmonies under Seolhwa’s guidance.

Since I had never harmonized before, it was a bit tricky at first, but following her instructions made it manageable.

Ahhh~

“…This actually sounds decent?”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad.

I had no idea what kind of effects she had applied, but it sounded way better than I expected.

Fascinated, I continued working with her.

“Wait, oppa, what was that nasal sound just now?”

“This is the key point.”

“That’s kinda sus…”

Working together was surprisingly fun.

I lost track of time completely.

“Hmmm, I think we should stack more harmonies here…”

“Wouldn’t that make it too cluttered?”

“It’s fine to have at least one track like this. You can’t tailor every song to the audience.”

“…That’s true.”

I wasn’t sure how long we had been in the studio.

“…Alright, I should head out. I’ve been here way too long.”

Outside, the sky was pitch black.

The time? 11 PM.

Since I had arrived around 10 AM, that meant…

I had basically been here for thirteen hours.

Of course, we had taken breaks here and there, but still.

“Oh, it’s already this late? I need to leave too, so we should head out together.”

“Sounds good. I’ll wait for you.”

“Yep!”

As I waited outside, checking my phone.

Brrr—

A call from Ryu Arim.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

Senpai, are you busy right now?

“I’m not, why?”

Could you draw something for me later? I’ll buy you a meal!

“Of course. What kind of drawing?”

I’ll text you the details!

Just as I was finishing my call with Ryu Arim.

“Oppa, let’s go!”

Seolhwa came bounding out of the studio, sounding excited.

She must have been exhausted.

“I’ll call you back later.”

Ah… okay.

Ending the call with Ryu Arim, Seolhwa and I chatted about the day’s events as we walked to the subway station.

“Alright, I’ll see you later. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Got it.”

Since we had worked so much today, I figured we wouldn’t be seeing each other for a while.