Chapter 5: Softly 4
“Over there. Group 5 has to perform so please be silent.”
At teacher Ku Mingi’s grinning voice, I came to things and looking around, I realised that all the kids were looking at us.
Ah, the presentation. There was still Group 5 left.
Smiling a little awkwardly I said sorry as Han Dasom that had been stiffened quickly threw my hand away before lowering her head.
“I’m sorry...”
From how her voice seemed to be crawling on the ground as well as her neck that had been painted red, she appeared to be embarrassed.
Mhmm...
It was her first performance so it’s possible that she was excited enough to forget the surroundings, I understand, yep. Seeing me nod my head, Lee Suh-ah clicked her tongue once.
“Let’s hold back during class time at least.”
“That’s not how it is Suh-ah...”
Looking away from the teary Han Dasom who started creating excuses, I stared at the front.
Jun Shihyuk and Song Mirae group.
I thought they would be a tough competitor but thanks to Han Dasom awakening, I wasn’t that scared of them anymore. I mean, who could win against that with even Kim Wuju out of the equation?
Group 5 seemed to be aware of that fact as well and stood stiffly appearing quite pitiful.
“...”
The prediction had been on point, and despite the relatively well-performed song of Group 5, the reactions from the crowd weren’t very appreciative.
Clap clap clap.
After a courteous round of applause, a few feedbacks appeared one by one – the tenor was too loud here, or that the alto part was too soft... glancing at the class that had turned quiet, teacher Ku Mingi opened his mouth.
“Group 5 was okay as well. I liked how you put the main focus on making the most out of the different voice types. However...”
He turned towards Song Mirae.
“Student Song Mirae’s high pitch was immature. Did you not see the dynamic calling for a softer voice or was it due to a lack of control? In any case, that part was unpolished so please be cautious of that.”
“Yes.”
I could see Song Mirae lowering her head.
Indeed, I could see why the previous me before my time travel had told Song Mirae to be a mezzo.
A mezzo soprano. Located in the middle of the soprano – mezzo soprano – alto, of the female voice types, it had a lower vocal range than sopranos.
The defining aspect was the slightly darker, deeper sound and... Song Mirae seemed to be closer to a mezzo than a soprano. She seemed to be calling herself a soprano because she was able to make high notes but, would mezzo sopranos be unable to make high notes?
It was just that they couldn’t control it as finely as sopranos could.
While making a high note near the end of one’s vocal range, they would have to put their everything into it so would they be able to add minute manipulations on top of that? The fact that that was hard was something which I, who had been a baritone in my previous life knew very well.
The teachers should’ve advised her a lot as well... was there a reason for sticking to be a soprano?
In the midst of my thoughts, teacher Ku Mingi opened his mouth.
“With this, all the presentations of the groups are now over. There were groups like Group 3 that hadn’t been able to display a proper chorus...”
Throwing his gaze towards us, he smiled.
“And there were also groups like Group 4 that had shown a perfect stage. There’s still a lot of time left until the test so I hope you all could practise hard and that would be the end of today’s lesson.”
“Yes...”
The kids’ reactions weren’t very positive.
Practise hard... it was easy to say but to practise choruses, four of them had to match their times and for the busy performing arts students, that was something far too difficult.
There were prac tests, concours and other things that made their lives busy so how hard would it be when a chorus was added on top of that?
“Are you free Thursday?”
“I have the lesson.”
“Ah...”
Carrying my gaze away from the depressed students onto our group, I found that we all wore smiles. Our group had been polished until it was almost perfect so there should be no need to further practise.
We could perhaps just meet up sometimes and check so we were relatively easier off.
Should I polish my vocalisation during the remaining times... I thought while nodding when Han Dasom approached from amongst the dissipating students. With her head lowered, she seemed to have no energy and as I stared at her curiously, she opened her mouth.
“Sorry Yunjae, I was suddenly excited...”
Excited?
Ah, after thinking for a bit I grinned. Did she still have it in mind?
“Aye, after my first stage performance, I was also screaming with my eyes turned, and, it was no joke.”
“But still...”
“No ‘but still’s”
I stared while clicking my tongue but her downhearted expression wasn’t to my liking.
“...”
Looking at her for a bit, I tried reaching my hands to flick her bangs away, and thus with a gentle wave, the hand passed by the bangs as a circular forehead appeared. When I brought my head back from that state and stared, a startled face entered my sight.
Oh, I knew it.
When her bangs that threatened to pierce her eyes were gone, it was like she had become a different person. She appeared on the TV like this as well and, since I had long wanted to do this, I felt my heart relax.
Seeing me nod, Han Dasom who had turned solid started opening her lips.
“Yunjae...?”
“It looks a lot better with the bangs gone.”
Quickly stepping back from me, Han Dasom covered the bangs with her hands and pointed her gaze down.
Kukuk, is someone stealing her bangs, why’s she like that?
After stealing a few glances at me, she carefully opened her mouth.
“...Really?”
“Yeah. If you cut it and hid it away from view, it would be refreshing.”
“Uun...?”
Blinking her eyes, Han Dasom asked again.
“So are you saying I should cut it or hide it?”
“Un? Isn’t it hidden if you cut it?”
“Ah... that’s...”
Smiling a little awkwardly, Han Dasom nodded her head.
“Un, right. I get it Yunjae. I’ll try.”
Seeing that from the side, Lee Suh-ah heaved out a sigh before shaking her head as she walked past.
“Ehew.”
Why was she like that?
*
Halting her feet for a bit, Lee Suh-ah turned back.
“...”
She could see Jo Yunjae and Han Dasom smiling as they conversed, and vacantly, she observed them while thinking.
Jo Yunjae...
It might be sudden, but he was a really strange person and thinking back, he was strange from the first impression.
Suddenly he had appeared with a dad-joke and despite being lacking in skills, he was a weird boy that could embed strange feelings into the song. She had been observing him just in case and as she had expected, he had shown unbelievable development in his Improvement Concert – enough to make her nervous.
In theory subjects, he was more proficient than herself who had never missed out on the first place and yet sometimes, the words he spouted made him appear like a fool.
And on top of that, he was crazier for songs than anyone else.
“...”
She suddenly remembered the things from the past – the memories of when they had first formed a group and how he had been passionately explaining about the selection of a song. And his choice had returned in the form of having first place in the chorus presentations, overturning the future where she would’ve been criticised along with Kim Wuju...
“Suh-ah!”
With a jump, she turned over and found her long-time friend, Song Mirae standing there. Seeing her heave a sigh of relief from the surprise, Song Mirae tilted her head.
“Why were you so absentminded... ah.”
After following her gaze, Song Mirae made a strange expression.
“You were watching them.”
“It was just on the way.”
Jo Yunjae and Han Dasom. Staring at the two blankly, Song Mirae gloomily opened her mouth.
“Should I quit soprano...”
“Why so sudden?”
When Lee Suh-ah stared with widened eyes, Song Mirae hesitated a little before opening her mouth.
“It’s not sudden... the teachers were always like that, same with teacher Ku Mingi today. They said that since I can’t control high notes freely, it would be better for me to go down to mezzo sopranos.”
After saying all that, she returned her eyes to Jo Yunjae.
“...He also found out after hearing it once. At that time I was just upset but... hearing that introverted girl singing today, I was shaken. Thoughts that real sopranos should be singing like that appeared in my head as well.”
“Then was I not a real soprano for you?”
“Ah, seriously! You were always good though!”
Slowly nodding her head, Lee Suh-ah moved her gaze towards Han Dasom.
Han Dasom.
A shy girl that had been singing inconspicuous songs in the beginning. When she agreed to her joining the group straight after admission, it was on a whim without a serious consideration... Han Dasom was just that kind of an average girl.
But today,
In one month, she had sung a beautiful song as a soprano as if she had become a different person. A girl that showed off a clear, soft timbre which Lee Suh-ah could never get a hold of.
Did Jo Yunjae perhaps foresee all these a month ago, on that day when the groups were being formed? But how? Unless he saw the future or something...
“Those two, are they going out?”
When she came to, she realised that Song Mirae was making an intrigued expression towards Jo Yunjae and Han Dasom.
Another worthless topic.
With an indifferent expression, Lee Suh-ah replied.
“Who knows. We are not free enough to be dating though.”
Waving her finger with exaggeration, Song Mirae said.
“Ehew. It’s my fault for asking our Suh-ah who had been single for her entire life. I should ask them directly.”
“What?”
Seeing Lee Suh-ah make a frown, Song Mirae wore a smile and opened her mouth.
“He’s quite good. Good at singing, a decent face and mhmm~ I wish he was a bit taller but, seeing from how he was able to grow an introverted girl, he is capable as well. I’m going to ask him for some help as well~”
After staring apathetically at Song Mirae, Lee Suh-ah shook her head.
“Try your best. Will you be able to go over a week this time?”
“It’s because I didn’t really like them so far, okay?”
“I think I heard the same thing a month ago though.”
*
Staff room.
In that place always filled with the aroma of coffees sat Ku Mingi. Carefreely taking a sip of a coffee, he turned the chair back to the front.
Before him stood a strangely delinquent-like student with black hair, tall height, cold eyes, green nameplate and short school skirt. Apathetically staring at the ends of the skirt that were way above the knee, Ku Mingi opened his lips.
“Isn’t the skirt length shorter than the school regulations?”
“It’s because of the height.”
Seeing Yu Minji touch the ends of her skirt, Ku Mingi heaved out a sigh.
“Right, you should know the general reason why I’ve called student Yu Minji today but, you need to find a performer soon. Two months isn’t that much so... do you still want that student?”
After slight hesitation, Yu Minji replied.
“...Yes.”
Ku Mingi stared at her with his arms crossed.
Yu Minji. The top student of the composing department, but for some reason, she said she was having trouble with finding a performer due to not being good at human relationships. She seemed to have been seen as very important from the composing department as well, seeing from how he had received a request from them to provide a performer for her. In situations like this, there were cases where they would call performers from outside the school but... since the person herself was stubbornly sticking to the performer she wanted, there was no way around it.
Shrugging his shoulders, Ku Mingi opened his mouth.
“I’ve told him about it, but it’s not certain whether he will do it or not.”
“Is that so.”
After saying that, he fell into contemplation.
Jo Yunjae.
After that day, there was no further contact from him. From how he wasn’t being evasive during the concerted music lesson, he shouldn’t have rejected it completely and seemed to be in thought as well.
“Hmm...”
Is he a loyal student... but that didn’t seem right either judging from Jo Yunjae’s attitudes towards teacher Kwak Jungsoo. Which student would be that loyal despite only studying for a month under a teacher, to the point they would reject it when this Ku Mingi was willing to have them as a disciple?
After having a frown for a while, he soon changed it with a smile.
“But soon... I think you’ll hear some good news.”
Taking another sip of the coffee, he stared at the document opened on his screen.
[Overseas Business Trip Request – Kwak Jungsoo]
With a satisfied smile, Ku Mingi closed the document.
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