Chapter 60
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: A Heart-Wrenching Debut
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Musical stages, unlike opera, require wearing microphones.
Unlike opera, where every line is sung, musicals have plenty of spoken dialogue.
That means actors often use relatively soft voices.
Theater aims to deliver consistent sound to even the back rows of the audience, so musical performers wear mics.
Today's first-semester comprehensive evaluation stage required mics too.
Previous subject-specific tests in the small theater hadn't.
The students and judging teachers had all sat in the front rows, so no mics were needed.
"Wow..."
"As expected of Kim Sun-woo."
"Whether there's an audience or not, he sounds the same."
Kim Sun-woo took the stage with his mic on.
The musical majors and first-years gathered in the backstage waiting room, watching via screen.
They all wore troubled expressions as they watched him slowly lift his head.
A large waiting room sat behind the mid-sized theater stage.
Thirty musical majors performing today waited there, fully made up.
It's etiquette for made-up actors not to show themselves to the audience before curtain.
Even if it wasn't a commercial show and they were still students, the rule held.
Cheongyeom Arts High wouldn't fail to teach such basic manners.
That's why a spacious backstage waiting room had a screen for viewing the stage.
Still, what an aura at seventeen.
Even through the screen, Kim Sun-woo exuded an extraordinary presence from his entrance.
"Why did you leave without a word?"
His voice soon carried through the mic and speakers, pure heartache.
What a voice.
Bright and resonant, yet soaked in tearful pathos.
Faint longing and a touch of resentment toward his love.
His first line nearly gave me chills.
You could tell just from his eyes.
How deeply immersed in the role he was.
The play, set in a bygone era, made his crisp suit feel slightly dated.
But that only amplified the pathos and sorrow.
Kim Sun-woo gazed straight ahead from center stage, his face so fragile it seemed it might shatter if touched—like you just wanted to hold him.
"The day I first met you comes to mind—
That wind on the hill that day—"
Then the number began.
It started like spoken word, not overtly melancholic.
Yet it was enough to tug at a corner of the heart.
Kim Sun-woo's clear voice blended perfectly with the melody.
An opening always sets the tone.
It signals the play's direction, building audience anticipation and immersion.
The girl who vanished without a word.
The protagonist learns she has died.
He sings of missing her.
He suppresses his emotions as much as he can, but toward the end, he can hold back no longer.
He barely swallowed the song as his opening number ended.
A flawless opener for the play.
In the backstage waiting room, held breaths burst out as students shook their heads.
"Damn. This is why Kim Sun-woo can't go first."
"At least we're not second. Lucky us."
Not even five minutes in, and other teams already sensed crisis.
Especially the ones right after— they stared at the screen with anxious faces, unable to look away.
Wow. He's insanely good.
How long since I last saw a live show?
Before regression, life crushed me; after, tests, training, readjusting to high school left no time for theater.
Caught up in the performance after so long, I let out a genuine gasp of admiration.
With an opener this strong, expectations soared for what followed.
If Lee Cheong-ha's voice layered on top of his...
Knowing she'd appear soon only heightened the anticipation.
I couldn't wait to hear—and see—their voices harmonize.
And finally, the moment Lee Cheong-ha entered.
A flashback unwinding the story before the opening scene.
Their lead roles centered on reenacting past events through memories.
At the flashback's start, the heroine entered in a floral dress: Lee Cheong-ha.
The floral pattern suited her pale skin beautifully—almost ethereally so.
Her naturally darker-than-usual black hair doubled the mystique.
There she goes exaggerating again.
The moment Lee Cheong-ha appeared, I couldn't help but smirk.
Now, just seeing her face told me everything.
Whether she'd nail this stage or not.
Lee Cheong-ha bounded on energetically, spinning across the stage for her first line.
"Where are you from?"
One line tossed at a butterfly model hanging in the air.
Her voice, like rolling jade beads—clear and tinkling—tickled the audience's hearts.
At that age, she perfectly captured first-love freshness.
The audience was hooked by her voice from that single line.
Soon her number began.
Its pure, clean resonance filled the mid-sized theater.
The audience probably thought it suited her perfectly.
But they wouldn't know she personalized every song she sang.
Through countless stages ahead at Cheongyeom Arts High, everyone would learn her signature style.
Lee Cheong-ha twirled her purple floral dress right in front of Kim Sun-woo.
But the future-dwelling Kim Sun-woo showed no reaction.
Not even when she splashed water.
Or yelled from beside him.
Offended, Lee Cheong-ha stopped right next to him.
"You idiot."
She skipped lightly away, then tossed the bead she'd held at Kim Sun-woo.
Only then did he pick it up and blankly stare at her.
The protagonist returned to the day he first met the girl, facing her.
Rain sounds poured in; serene lighting illuminated their gaze.
Soon, with wistful rain patter, the stage went dark.
The first scene ended.
It perfectly conveyed the pure, innocent vibe from Kim Sun-woo and Lee Cheong-ha.
Not just the play's tone, but the colors these two actors would bring to the musical shone clear.
A vibe I couldn't even dream of pulling off.
What a crazy strong start.
Even with their pairing, isn't this overkill?
It felt threateningly good.
Those simple lines—why do they hit so hard?
My heart tingled too.
First-love theme—maybe that's why it resonates more with a thirty-three-year-old like me?
After that stellar opener, Team 1's show hit full stride.
As the plot progressed, their relationship grew ever more poignant.
Perhaps because the first scene foreshadowed their doomed fate.
Even joyful chats felt tinged with sorrow.
Their duet that followed? The pinnacle of perfection.
A shame it'd only be sung this once, never again.
I'd download the soundtrack just to relive it.
Comforting to the ear, washing away all the world's ills.
Like standing in a gentle, warm breeze.
Judges Han Hyo-jin, Huh Ji-woong, and Jung Hye-seon watched rapt from their seats.
The entire audience followed the actors' emotions, glued to the stage.
As the play neared its end, the theater filled with sniffles.
The final scene: Kim Sun-woo's farewell at her grave.
Linking back to the opening, it formed a perfect loop, closing the play.
Ziiing—
The curtain drew shut left and right, signaling the end.
Clap clap clap—
Thunderous applause erupted.
The play's mood called for subdued emotional sorrow, not wild cheers.
But the massive ovation more than compensated.
Good. Great.
I'd tried keeping my emotions in check to avoid straining my voice.
Eyes a bit red, but that's fine.
Man. Getting older makes you more sensitive.
Body's young again, but the soul's the same.
Then, a cold voice shattered the mood.
"He's sharpened his blade, that Kim Sun-woo."
"Not bad, pumpkin."
Song Ha-na and Moon Woo-hyuk, looking anything but sad.
In medieval costumes, arms crossed, they glared at the screen cockily.
These cold-blooded bastards.
Moon Woo-hyuk whipped his head toward my stare.
Oh. Eye contact.
He tilted his head oddly and asked,
"What? You crying?"
Song Ha-na turned too, mirroring his pitiful look.
These guys.
"What're you talking about? I'm not crying."
I turned away, avoiding their eyes.
"You are."
"No, I'm not."
They figured I'd wiped tears after crying, seeing my red eyes.
I shook my head to clear the misunderstanding.
"If I cry, my voice gets hoarse. I'm not some amateur."
Song Ha-na and Moon Woo-hyuk shot me "yeah, sure, big shot" looks of dismissal.
No, really.
Whatever.
I'd ignore their ignoring me.
Still, Lee Cheong-ha's improved so much.
Proud of how much better she got practicing with Kim Sun-woo.
If she'd learned a ton from him, all the better.
***
Break time after the fifth comprehensive evaluation stage.
Around the mid-sized theater, groans echoed everywhere.
Even with breaks, non-musical majors stuck in their seats faced a brutally long day.
"Ugh! I'm dying."
Students stretched, complaining dramatically.
Out the theater's back door, they twisted and contorted.
"Even for Cheongyeom, this is too intense."
"Dude, my ass feels like it's got boils."
"Kek. Six hours straight is overkill. But show me those boils first."
The eval started at 2 p.m.; now it was nearly 9 p.m., just the finale left.
Breaks and dinner helped, but restlessness was inevitable.
They might hate musicals for a while.
"Final stage starting soon! Everyone, head in!"
Breaks always flew by.
Student council reps hoarse from shouting endured too.
All-day announcements— their voices might all give out tomorrow.
"At least it's the last one. Hope they wrap it quick."
Students trudged back inside.
The mid-sized theater lobby emptied, save a few guides.
In that deserted lobby's center, one figure crept into view.
"Huh? First-year? Get back in the theate—"
A student council member froze mid-sentence.
A student, yes—but no ordinary one.
"I'll head in soon. Pretend you didn't see me, just for a bit."
The musical's star-to-be, fully made up as 'Damious,' pressed a finger gently to his lips.