Chapter 65
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Rooftop Duet
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After the mention of the bracelet, a slightly awkward atmosphere settled in for some reason.
The silence didn't last long, but I wanted to break it.
Maybe I shouldn't have said anything.
Still, after getting prodded by Grandma too, I figured I couldn't dodge it anymore.
What should I bring up?
"By the way, I was a little surprised when I heard you teamed up with Sun-woo."
Talk about the comprehensive evaluations— that should hit home for us musical theater students.
But I couldn't figure out why Lee Cheong-ha jumped like a startled rabbit at those words.
She rolled her eyes, glancing at me cautiously, then carefully opened her mouth.
"Y-yeah? Well, Sun-woo was the one who asked to team up first..."
"I thought it was great luck."
At the word "luck," Lee Cheong-ha looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"Your tones match so well. And Sun-woo has way more stage experience than me, so you must've learned a ton. You really showed insane growth on stage. I nearly cried watching you two act."
"Pfft. Liar."
"For real. I barely held it together, but if I'd been in the audience, I probably would've bawled."
Lee Cheong-ha seemed pleased by the unexpected praise, but something felt off, like air leaking out.
Why did it feel deflated? Then she startled herself with the realization.
'What? Am I hoping he'll be jealous or something...?'
Lee Cheong-ha shook her head slightly.
She felt a curious gaze from beside her and quickly racked her brain.
"The bracelet."
Lee Cheong-ha swiftly changed the subject.
"The bracelet. You lied to me."
"Yeah..."
There was nothing to say to the word "lied."
Reluctantly answering, Lee Cheong-ha jumped in like she'd been waiting.
"As payback for lying, grant me one wish."
You said it was fine earlier.
The thought popped up, but she didn't voice it.
I did lie, after all.
Oh, right—speaking of wishes.
When she gave me the bracelet, Lee Cheong-ha said she'd give me one wish coupon.
In the end, was even that wish coupon invalid because of Grandma's bracelet?
"The wish coupon's still valid. I haven't fully overcome my stage fright yet."
Whoa, close call.
I thought she'd read my mind.
I figured she'd forgotten, but Lee Cheong-ha remembered too.
Anyway,
"Got it. What's the wish?"
"Sing for me. Anything. Something that fits this vibe."
"Anything," but "fits this vibe"?
Isn't that contradictory?
If I pointed it out now, I'd probably get smacked.
I glanced around the empty rooftop and said,
"Here? Out of nowhere?"
"Yeah. This lazy daytime leisure—we don't get much chance to feel it. I want to remember this mood."
Lee Cheong-ha looked up at the clear blue sky without a single cloud.
Seeing her, I tilted my head back to gaze at the sky too.
Sure enough, the past semester had been nonstop chaos, always rushing.
After regressing, I'd been even more flustered adjusting.
As a second-year first-grader at Cheongyeom Arts High, I'd had it rough, but the others must've had it worse.
"Alright. Deal."
"Eek, really?"
Singing wasn't hard, and I'd lied anyway.
I agreed readily.
Seeing Lee Cheong-ha hop around happily made it feel worth it too.
"Hmm, what to sing."
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my playlist.
Korean pop was rare on my phone.
It was packed with musical numbers from Korea and abroad.
What would be best?
No need for anything too tough.
I pondered songs fitting a warm spring day.
Lee Cheong-ha stuck right by my side, peering at the screen.
Then came the reaction.
"Oh, this one!"
Lee Cheong-ha pointed one out.
My scrolling finger stopped.
"Sing this."
You said anything, right?
Well, since I'm singing, better to do what she wants to hear.
"Long time no see. Today, too, I look at you."
The song Lee Cheong-ha picked was "Today, Too, I Look at You" from the musical *Puppy Love*.
With the song decided, I quickly found the MR track.
"It's one of my absolute favorites."
"Any numbers you hate?"
I paused searching for the MR, looked at Lee Cheong-ha, and grinned.
Come to think of it, she'd always shown me stuff she loved.
She said she loved music, so maybe that's why.
I'd never seen her dislike one.
Caught off guard, Lee Cheong-ha whipped her head away.
"Tch. I don't have *that* many favorites, okay?"
"Got it, got it. Hang on."
I soothed her and resumed searching—found it quick.
Tech was pretty advanced even in 2015.
Amazed anew by the convenience, I cleared my throat.
"Wait."
Thinking about it...
"This is a duet, right? Should I just do the male parts?"
"Today, Too, I Look at You" was a duet about a man and woman's love.
It started with a male solo, sure.
I turned to Lee Cheong-ha, who'd picked it.
"Well... we can do it as a duet. Just the male parts wouldn't be 'Today, Too, I Look at You.'"
I considered another song, but Lee Cheong-ha looked away and replied.
"Wow, Lee Cheong-ha. Your stage fright's really gone, huh? Singing in broad daylight on an open rooftop like this."
And speaking up first, too—impressive.
No way was I backing out with her stepping up.
"Since it's with you, Do-hyun. And it's the weekend—no one's at school..."
"Got it. Sounds good. Ready?"
Lee Cheong-ha nodded at my words.
I played the MR, cranked the volume, and set the phone on the ground.
Then I extended one hand forward.
Might as well pour real emotion into it.
Soon, amid the calm accompaniment, the song quietly began.
"At first, even I was confused—what this feeling was—since it was my first time—"
The intro, perfect for showcasing my solidified low tones.
'He can sing songs like this that well too...'
Lee Cheong-ha was stunned inside after the first line.
Not just the emotion, but the tone that grabbed both ears and heart without sticking out.
The male intro ended, and it was her part next.
The sweet melody right in front of her nearly made her miss it.
"Your turn now."
I turned to the dazed Lee Cheong-ha and whispered softly.
Snapping to, she smiled faintly and began.
"No need to be confused—it's the same feeling every day—this heart that stirs every time I see you—"
Just one line, and it was clear.
Lee Cheong-ha hadn't just grown in acting.
Compared to that first walk where she'd sung at the semester's start, this was worlds more stable.
Above all, with rich dramatic emotion added, she showed insane digestion in such a short time.
Probably Kim Sun-woo's influence.
As the saying goes, even a dog in a Confucian academy chants poetry after three years—with Kim Sun-woo attached to her, it'd be quick.
Two geniuses with top talent together—learning would've been instant.
Next came the duet section they sang together.
"Today, too, when I look at you—
my heart races— I smile—"
Lee Cheong-ha even added harmonies I hadn't taught, focusing on emotion.
Singing with me, her immersion deepened, confidence surged, drawing out richer feelings.
Facing her as we sang, I was shocked again for a different reason.
Not just skill, but her confidence had skyrocketed visibly.
Daring harmonies like that.
Textbook harmony and pitch stability in a first-time duet—it was unbelievable.
Her vocal talent might even top Kim Sun-woo's.
"Now I can say it for sure—I like you—"
We ended stably with the sweet finale.
"Wow."
As the song finished, I beamed and applauded genuinely.
"Lee Cheong-ha, what the heck. I was seriously shocked."
"What~?"
She grinned bashfully at my over-the-top praise.
"No joke, for real. Teaming with Sun-woo, you'll catch up to him soon?"
"Huh? What're you saying? Not yet, not that good."
Lee Cheong-ha waved her hands like I'd said something terrifying, shaking her head.
"Not yet? So you'll catch him later?"
Oh ho, won't say she can't.
I grinned, latching onto her words.
Teasing the blushing, denying Lee Cheong-ha was getting fun.
"Ahem. But..."
Lee Cheong-ha's eyes held expectation.
Wish done? What else does she want?
"Yeah?"
"No Teacher today?"
"Teacher? Which one?"
"You know, that super famous teacher at our school."
Did Lee Cheong-ha spot Huh Ji-woong Teacher's skills too?
That training's no joke to endure.
Mixed worry that another person noticed Ji-woong's talent, and regret.
Puzzled, Lee Cheong-ha pointed at me impatiently.
"This teacher, this one. The nagging machine, Lee Do-hyun Teacher."
Oh, me?
I finally got it and laughed.
"Ah, that's what you meant. I thought—"
I tensed thinking she'd compete with innate talent like yours against Ji-woong Teacher.
Lee Cheong-ha pouted up at me.
That look screamed for feedback.
"Hmm. Wonder if this teacher's on duty today."
I replayed Lee Cheong-ha's song in my head.
No notes or vocalization to nitpick.
Leave her be like this, and she'd surpass me—not to mention Kim Sun-woo—what then.
If I had to pick...
"Breathing."
I saw room for improvement in breathing.
"Breathing? I didn't run out of breath..."
"Right. Breath control was flawless. But."
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation at my words.
"You could loosen up the breathing spots a bit more."
"Spots..."
Lee Cheong-ha's singing was near perfect.
Breathing too.
No shaky or rushed spots.
But the textbook-fixed breathing sections felt a tad rigid.
That "textbook" could be high praise, but also dangerously limiting for conveying emotion.
Musical actors aren't opera singers.
Even opera singers craft personal styles—musical performers revealing acting and emotion can't settle for textbook singing.
"Listen?"
Seeing her confused face, I demonstrated a few lines myself.
First, textbook style like her.
Then, varying the breaths in different ways.
Lee Cheong-ha listened quietly, then replied like she'd grasped it faintly.
"Yeah... placing the breaths changes the feel it conveys."
"Exactly."
I gave her a thumbs-up.
"To shape the breath for the emotion, breathe according to the feeling. It'll bring out the number's rise-fall-turn-conclusion and deliver emotion better to the audience."
Lee Cheong-ha nodded vigorously.
We sang it a few more times together.
I'm still learning vocals myself, so that's all I could teach.
But Lee Cheong-ha would grow fast from this much.
"Today's lesson over!"
"Thank you, Teacher."
Lee Cheong-ha clapped with a smile.
She even bowed playfully.
***
On the library rooftop they'd thought empty, a figure lurked behind a pillar.
'They've got time to goof off at school?'
Song Ha-na scowled, secretly watching Do-hyun and Lee Cheong-ha.