Chapter 532: World Class
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 532: World Class
Emergency.
Code Red.
F-u-u-ck, a variable has occurred.
"You crazy bastard, what the hell is wrong with your voice?"
When I demanded an answer, Kang Han-gang tried to respond, coughed a few times, and then forced a laugh.
— Cough! Hey, man. What’s wrong with my voice? It’s fine.
"You son of a bitch, you sound like a withered old tree right now. What the hell did you do to your throat?"
— Ah, this... it’s just because it’s over the phone. If you heard it in person, it’d sound the same as always.
"At least put some effort into your excuses!"
As I snapped at him, Ahn Hyun-ho, who was standing next to me, seemed to realize something was seriously wrong.
He gestured for me to put it on speaker, so I switched it over so we could listen to Kang Han-gang’s voice together.
— I mean, I’m the vocal, aren't I?
"Why does this guy's voice sound like this?!"
— Is that Hyun-ho? Man, the call quality is terrible. I should’ve upgraded my phone.
"You bastard, you upgraded to the latest model less than two months ago!"
— Hyun-ho, it’s your hyung.
"No, ha! What the—!?"
Ahn Hyun-ho clutched his forehead and writhed in frustration.
The situation was just that absurd.
I calmly asked Kang Han-gang again.
"Hey, what exactly did you do to make your throat end up like that?"
— Ahem, well, I just practiced a bit hard yesterday. And I was screaming to warm up my voice, and then...
So, he basically worked his throat to death.
'We are truly fucked.'
And not just regular fucked—we were royally fucked.
"For now, consider yourself out for today. I'll try to find a sub."
— What kind of bullshit is that? I can do it, cough! Cough!
"F-u-u-ck! We only have two options! Either you don't go on stage, or you go up there alone!"
— .......
If I had to go up with this guy, I’d rather we all boycott the show.
Why should we all have to share the embarrassment?
Ignoring Kang Han-gang, who clearly wanted to make more excuses, I hung up the phone.
"Hey, what are you going to do?"
"Wait a sec."
Answering Ahn Hyun-ho’s question, I scrolled through my contacts.
The first person who came to mind was, of course, Bong-geun.
They said only one outsider was allowed, but in an emergency like this, what choice did we have?
Ring. Ring. Ring.
— Hello?
"Bong-geun! Where are you right now?"
— Uh...? Why?
"You're coming to the festival today, right? Tell me you're coming!"
— No-pe? I thought I’d just feel restless watching you guys, so I went out to have some fun.
Ah, this petty bastard.
He immediately went off to play somewhere else just because we didn't include him.
"You went out? Get here right now! You have to stand on stage today!"
— What?
Bong-geun’s voice sounded bewildered.
"I said come here! That idiot Kang Han-gang trashed his voice, so you have to be the vocal!"
— Uh, well... I told you, I’m out having fun.
"So what! Did you go to Busan or something? Even if you have to take a helicopter—!"
— I'm in Germany.
"......What?"
— Germany. It’s pretty cool calling through VoiceTalk...
"You son of a bitch! Germany?! You went all the way to Germany to clear your head just because we didn't put you in the band?!"
Crazy rich bastard!
This is why you can't deal with chaebol kids.
Everything they do is on a ridiculous scale.
"Ah, forget it!"
— Sorry.
Click.
After hanging up, I immediately tried calling the Bald Uncle. He was one of our intended members, after all.
"Ah, damn it."
But I ended up hanging up mid-call. No matter how much I thought about it, the Uncle wouldn't work.
We barely managed to squeeze in one outsider; adding the Uncle on top of that was too much.
Besides, wouldn't it look bizarre to have the Bald Uncle suddenly singing up there?
It was too random.
"Hey, what do we do?"
Ahn Hyun-ho stomped his feet anxiously, and I bit my nails, agonizing over our next move.
"You, you! Why don't you try singing? Usually, the guitarist sings too."
"Did you not hear me sing back then? Even Jin-ah asked how I even manage to function in society with a voice that bad."
"Ah, right."
This guy's singing was the absolute worst.
They say even dog shit can be used as medicine if you're desperate enough, but this guy's singing was dog shit you couldn't use even if you wanted to.
Just then, Jeong Chan-woo, whom we were supposed to meet, approached us. He was already surrounded by female students, smiling brightly.
Seeing him so relaxed while we were suffering made me want to punch him in the jaw.
Shouldn't we be worrying together?
I immediately ran over to Jeong Chan-woo and informed him of the situation, and his face collapsed beautifully.
Technically, I was in the same boat.
But strangely, seeing Jeong Chan-woo fall apart like that made me feel better.
I wasn't the only one; Ahn Hyun-ho was also smirking slightly.
* * *
The sun set.
The festival was in full swing.
We were currently in the tent behind the talent show stage.
"Ptooey! Ptooey!"
Seo Ye-rin, mimicking the act of spitting on her hands, swung a baseball bat through the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
It looked precarious, as if she might drop it at any moment, but she had a look of supreme confidence on her face.
She seemed to think she was some power hitter about to knock it out of the park.
"I knew a day like this would come!"
Grinning as she swung the bat, Seo Ye-rin was full of anticipation.
"Um, Ye-rin."
Choi I-seo, who was holding Yu-na and Seo-woo in her arms, let out a sigh.
"Cover the kids' eyes! They shouldn't see anything violent!"
"......You won't have to swing that."
"Why?! I've wanted to beat the crap out of Senior Han-gang at least once in my life!"
Apparently, she had a lot of pent-up resentment.
Seo Ye-rin pouted as she lowered the bat. Standing beside her, Yoo Ah-rin also sighed.
"If you want to hit him, just hit him. Why wait for a reason?"
"......Is that so?"
"In case you didn't know, hitting people is illegal."
Choi I-seo, cutting off their conversation, approached me. Perhaps my anxiety was showing on my face, as she looked at me with pity.
"You worked so hard. It’s a shame."
"That's not the problem. The embarrassment of going up there is bigger."
Honestly, I didn't care about the effort.
But I was going to be so damn embarrassed.
Our performance was already amateurish at best, having practiced for less than a month.
Without a vocal, our messy playing would stand out even more.
"Let's go home after you come down. I'll do whatever you want then."
"Really?"
"......A-as long as it's not that slave play stuff from last time."
"I have plenty of other things in mind."
Should I not have said that?
Choi I-seo muttered to herself, then sighed and stroked my hair.
"Just close your eyes and get it over with. You worked hard, after all."
"Woo-jini, fighting!"
"Your strength is not caring what others think anyway. Just go do it."
Along with the three women's encouragement, the kids also giggled and cheered.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped outside to find the idiots already waiting.
For the record, I told Kang Han-gang to get lost because I couldn't stand the sight of him.
He was probably watching the stage from somewhere, though.
"F-u-u-ck, let's do this."
When I shouted, everyone nodded like cattle being led to the slaughterhouse.
We just had to play.
I told them we just had to play one song and get down.
"You're all here!"
Choi Jin-ah came running toward us in a hurry.
And in her hand was a violin case I had never seen before.
"The Uncle brought this to me in a rush. It turns out I had left it at my main house."
"Huh?"
As we stood there bewildered, Choi Jin-ah explained quickly.
"Play like you usually do. I'll match you and handle the flourishes myself. You guys just focus on keeping the beat like we practiced. Focus. Just keep the beat."
"......Ji-Jin-ah, you're going up?"
When we asked with stunned expressions, Choi Jin-ah nodded.
"I'm the Captain, aren't I? I have to take responsibility."
Oh, my Captain.
It was damn cool, but was this even allowed?
"D-do I step out?"
Pyo Jin-ho immediately tried to make a run for it.
He seemed to see this as an opportunity since only one outsider was allowed.
Choi Jin-ah smirked and replied with more confidence than usual.
"No, I got permission."
Permission?
How?
"My performances start at sixty thousand dollars minimum."
Sixty thousand dollars.
Roughly 80 to 90 million won.
That was explanation enough.
A performance worth at least 80 million won being held for free at a university festival?
Rules were likely tossed out the window long ago.
"Whoa, damn."
"That's insane."
"I thought she was just a piggy."
Everyone marveled at this new side of Choi Jin-ah. Though she frowned at the last comment, she headed toward the stage.
"Let's go."
The MC's voice introduced us. I quickly took my place and slung the bass over my shoulder.
Choi Jin-ah stood where the vocal usually would and connected her violin to the amp.
Judging by its different appearance, it seemed to be an electric violin.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Choi Jin-ah. As a violinist—"
Choi Jin-ah introduced herself.
Because she had appeared on variety shows and the media had often hailed her as a world-renowned violinist who brought glory to Korea, people recognized her easily.
"Whoa, Choi Jin-ah?"
"For real? The violinist?"
"She's gorgeous."
"I've received some help from Gahyeon University lately! So I came here to perform! This isn't your tuition money at work! It's a talent donation!"
The crowd laughed.
'Well.'
She did receive help.
She had been living in the dormitory like a cockroach, after all.
"Please enjoy!"
After her greeting, Choi Jin-ah glanced at Pyo Jin-ho.
Tap! Tap! Tap-tap-tap-tap!
'That bastard, that's the only thing he's good at.'
He must have practiced nothing but clicking his drumsticks, because that part was professional level.
The moment the drums and keyboard signaled the start.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEECH!
"Chills down the spine" was exactly the phrase for a situation like this.
A terrifyingly sharp, ear-splitting sound, like metal scraping against metal, tore through the space.
The entire audience held their breath, as if they had all been hit by an electric shock at once.
With a single note that gripped the heart from the very beginning, Choi Jin-ah forcibly seized the attention of everyone watching the stage.
In that moment, I realized.
We were merely support.
No matter what vocal came, no matter how flashy the rhythm.
They weren't needed in this space right now.
We had only one job.
Do not interfere with her performance.
The keys and rhythm played only the steady beat.
The certainty that the moment we tried to do something more, the entire performance would shatter.
Even if we wanted to join in, we couldn't.
Every single sound.
Was art, meticulously and sharply designed.
The technique went beyond beauty; it was precise to the point of being frightening.
A violent melody emerging from elegant movements.
Every time she moved her arms wildly and gestured, cheers erupted.
Even when our clumsy accompaniment ended.
She remained alone, continuing an endless solo.
As if this stage had belonged to her from the very beginning.
And finally.
One more time, that tearing sound.
SCREEE—EECH!
Silence.
Followed by an explosion of cheers.
The sound of applause so loud it felt like the stage might collapse.
We.
No, I.
Might have been taking it too lightly.
The weight of the title "World Class" that Choi Jin-ah carried.