Chapter 527: Band
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 527: Band
“So.”
Choi Jin-ah crossed her arms as she looked at the five men in her house.
Every single one of them was larger than her, but she knew full well that she was the one holding all the cards in this situation.
“The five of you decided to start a band, but since you had nowhere to borrow instruments, you came to my house?”
She was double-checking the current situation.
When she snorted in disbelief, four of them immediately pointed at me.
“This bastard did it!”
“Kim Woo-jin! That jerk said it would be fine if we came here!”
“We tried to stop him! But that guy acts like there’s no tomorrow, and he just—!”
“Please, just sue him. He’s loaded, so you can squeeze a generous settlement out of him!”
“You disrespectful punks.”
As I glared at the traitors, they all scurried behind Choi Jin-ah’s back.
“Report him!”
“Want his number? If you dial 911, the police will come, you know?”
“Smite the evil that causes such social unrest!”
“You are doing a great service to the Republic of Korea.”
“These sons of a…”
The idiots were working together to egg Choi Jin-ah on. Jin-ah herself, however, remained unswayed, keeping her arms crossed as she pondered.
“Hmmmm.”
Now, the other guys were the ones looking at Choi Jin-ah with bewildered expressions.
While they wondered why she wasn't reacting, Choi Jin-ah clapped her hands together and made a declaration.
“A university festival band. That sounds like fun, doesn't it?”
She let a small smirk creep onto her lips and nodded.
“Fine! I’ll help you guys! You should be grateful to receive coaching from a world-class violinist!”
A brief silence followed.
In the midst of this unexpected turn of events, Ahn Hyun-ho and Jeong Chan-woo were the first to respond.
“What is she even saying?”
“No, no! We’re not doing it. There’s no need to teach us.”
On the other hand, Kang Han-gang and Pyo Jin-ho quickly seized the opportunity and grinned.
“Whoa, incredible! A world-class violinist is going to teach us? I can’t pass this up!”
“Let’s get started right away! These guys are idiots, so they need to learn fast. We’re wasting time!”
“Right? Hehe, let’s go!”
At the words of the sycophants flattering her, Choi Jin-ah puffed out her chest and headed toward the practice room where the instruments were kept.
Ahn Hyun-ho and Jeong Chan-woo watched them go with dumbfounded expressions.
Then, they turned to me to complain.
“Hey, you brought us here. You fix this.”
“What’s the deal? Did you actually want to do this?”
“Cut the crap. I didn't think Choi Jin-ah would actually take their side.”
I had naturally assumed she’d be on my side.
“Aren't you coming?”
When we didn't follow, Choi Jin-ah stepped back out into the living room with her arms crossed to urge us along.
The two guys went inside, mindful of her mood, and I took advantage of the moment we were alone to speak.
“What are you doing? Why are you fanning the flames when I was trying to let it slide?”
“Learning an instrument is quite good for you. Since things turned out like this, you should try doing something productive for once, Woo-jin.”
“You make it sound like I’m never productive.”
“…….”
Look at her, not even answering.
“And are you productive? All you do is eat. At most, you just go to the bath—!”
“H-How can you say such things to a lady?!”
Choi Jin-ah huffed and punched me once. Then, she grumbled.
“Hurry up. I’ll teach you well.”
“Sigh. But do you even know how to play other instruments? These guys don't even know the basics. You’ll have to teach them everything from scratch.”
“I’m in a position where I have a lot of exposure to them. I can play most instruments reasonably well.”
“Oh….”
“Now, let’s go!”
Choi Jin-ah grabbed me and dragged me inside. In the end, it was naturally decided that we would perform as a band at the festival.
“Now, look over here.”
Inside the instrument room.
Choi Jin-ah stood us in a line and puffed her chest out like a teacher.
“First, let’s check the roles. You’ve at least decided who’s doing what, right?”
Kang Han-gang raised his hand immediately.
“Yes, Captain!”
“…I like the title 'Captain.' From now on, call me Captain Choi.”
“Bullshit.”
When I muttered that, Choi Jin-ah immediately bit her lip and glared at me.
“You there, student. Watch your mouth. The Captain is generous, so I’ll let it slide once.”
“Bullshit.”
“…I-I’ll let it slide twice.”
“Bull—”
“Stop it!”
Choi Jin-ah shrieked.
After clearing her throat and fixing her posture, she nodded.
“Report.”
“I’m the vocal. Jin-ho is on drums, Chan-woo is on keyboard, Hyun-ho is on guitar, and Woo-jin is on the recorder.”
“Mm-hmm… wait, what?”
Choi Jin-ah, who had been nodding along, widened her eyes and asked again.
“What did you say Woo-jin was doing?”
“The recorder.”
Is this guy serious?
At Han-gang’s words, Choi Jin-ah blinked and then shook her head.
“You’re joking, right?”
“No, I’m serious. The recorder is perfect for him.”
Because Kang Han-gang was so firm, Choi Jin-ah pondered for a moment.
“Hmm, was Woo-jin that good at the recorder in elementary school?”
After muttering to herself, Choi Jin-ah snapped back to reality and shook her head vigorously.
“No! Take out the recorder and add a bass. A bass is absolutely necessary. Without it, it’s like ox bone soup without salt!”
“Is it that important?”
“It is! So, Woo-jin, you take the bass.”
“Well, fine.”
If I had to do it anyway, shouldn't I pick the easiest one? From what I could see, the bass seemed like the easiest thing after the vocals.
I didn't know what it was like at a professional level, but for a surface-level performance, it probably was.
“Then everyone, grab your instruments. We’re not going to play right away, just get used to them.”
Surprisingly, Choi Jin-ah’s instrument room was equipped with everything needed for a band.
There were electronic drums, guitars, and of course, a bass and a keyboard.
Granted, there were far more instruments related to classical music.
She wasn't a wealthy performer for nothing.
“Man, I’m getting pumped.”
Kang Han-gang took his place.
“Whoa, so this is a drum set? This is kind of awesome.”
Pyo Jin-ho, who had only ever beaten up humans, sat behind a real drum kit for the first time.
“This sucks.”
Ahn Hyun-ho had slung a guitar over his shoulder, but the strap was so short it looked like a bib under his chin.
“Ha, why me?”
Jeong Chan-woo looked miserable in front of the keyboard.
“…….”
And then there was me, holding the bass.
I really didn't want to do this, but once I actually had it on, I felt a little cool.
I felt like a real band member.
I quietly handed my phone to Chan-woo.
“Hey, take a picture of me.”
“Dumbass.”
Click, click.
Despite his words, he took quite a few photos once I struck a pose.
I should send these to the girls later.
“Ahem! Everyone, focus! You can at least read sheet music, right? I assume you all graduated from elementary school.”
Wait.
That sounded a bit insulting.
Well, we could at least read it.
When everyone nodded, Choi Jin-ah gave a bright smile.
“Good. Have you decided on a song? It’s easier if you think of it as practicing a specific song rather than just practicing an instrument.”
Since we were only doing this for the festival, that made sense.
When we all looked at Kang Han-gang, he nodded.
“Memories Resemble Love.”
“Dammit, you’re going to sing a ballad at a festival?”
“Ugh, this is awful. This guy only thinks about picking up girls.”
“If you’re going to do that, why even have a band? Just play the backing track.”
Starting with me, Ahn Hyun-ho and Jeong Chan-woo fired off a rapid succession of disses, making Kang Han-gang shrink back.
“Hey, come on. Songs like this are the best for winning girls over.”
Kang Han-gang grumbled.
Choi Jin-ah looked unsure but eventually nodded and played the backing track on her phone.
“Would you like to sing? Since you’re the vocal and you picked the song, I assume you’ve practiced?”
“Oh, of course.”
Kang Han-gang grabbed a wireless microphone.
“I’ve practiced this like crazy by myself at karaoke.”
His confident voice echoed with reverb.
And so, he began to sing.
He had barely finished two lines when—
“Okay, that’s not going to work.”
Choi Jin-ah rejected him immediately.
“…What’s the problem?”
“Well, how should I put this—?”
After a moment of thought, Choi Jin-ah beckoned me over.
When I approached, she stood on her tiptoes and whispered in my ear.
“Um, I want to tell him he has no talent for vocals because he’s just so bad at singing. How can I say that politely?”
“Tell him, ‘Hey, you bastard, how much did you smoke to fracture your vocal cords? Why do we have to sit here and get hit by a Karthus five-man ult?’”
“W-Woo-jin!”
That’s the only way Han-gang will actually get it. Indeed, the guy was already grumbling with his shoulders slumped.
Choi Jin-ah took the microphone and cleared her throat.
“Ahem, as the Captain, I believe we need to reassign roles. It breaks my heart, but I believe it is time for a firm decision.”
A decision made only ten minutes into practice.
“Everyone, come up one by one and sing.”
Following Choi Jin-ah’s request, everyone picked a song they wanted and sang it once.
About another ten minutes passed.
Choi Jin-ah nodded and reached a conclusion.
“Should we just give up?”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
“This isn't working. None of you have any talent for singing. And why did you pick such a difficult song when you can't even sing?! Park Hyo-shin’s songs are really hard!”
“Because we’re men.”
“We don't shy away from the difficult path.”
“A man has to know how to take on a challenge.”
“You guys might be enjoying yourselves, but it’s torture for the people around you.”
Choi Jin-ah sighed, slapping her forehead.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
“Oh? Is Yun-ji here?”
I followed Choi Jin-ah as she trotted out.
Inside, the guys were in the middle of a heated debate over who should be the vocal.
“Yes, who is i—”
Click.
The moment Choi Jin-ah opened the door, her jaw dropped as she looked up.
It was because the person was that tall.
I, on the other hand, lowered my head.
It was because the person was that shiny.
“Haha! I heard you needed my help?”
Standing there was the Bald Man I had called, grinning widely.