Chapter 26: Falling Into Music
Chapter 26: Falling Into Music
Oooh...!
Ras inwardly marveled.
The moment he entered the restaurant, the white marble floor and sculptures immediately gave off a luxurious atmosphere.
On top of that, the walls and ceiling had all been wrapped in high-quality wood, with parts of them even carved with intricate designs.
“This way...”
The moment he stepped inside, a waiter immediately approached and guided him to his seat.
As Ras followed behind, he admired the dazzling ceiling decorated with mirrors and chandeliers, while ice sculptures reflected the soft lighting throughout the room.
“Here you are.”
Only after walking deep inside past elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen enjoying their meals did he finally arrive at his seat.
The waiter immediately presented the menu and explained several recommended dishes before handing him a bell and saying he could ring it once he made his selection.
Ras stared at the ornate bell for a moment.
It was somewhat similar to the call buttons commonly found in Korean restaurants, but actually picking it up and shaking it still felt impossible to get used to.
But the music is really good.
While choosing what to eat from the menu, his attention drifted toward the singing that had been tickling his ears from the very beginning.
Then he realized the music was not coming from speakers but from an actual band and singer performing live, causing him to stare in slight surprise and admiration.
This world might lag behind Earth technologically, but it was still a world with computers.
Naturally, records already existed, and most places simply used them whenever music was needed.
Which meant the fact that this restaurant had set up a stage and hired live performers truly reinforced the impression that it was a high-class establishment.
Ras continued enjoying the music while looking through the menu before eventually deciding to simply order the recommended dishes.
Surely a place like this would not create recommendation menus merely to get rid of leftover ingredients.
Ding!
“Yes, sir. Is there something you need?”
The moment he awkwardly shook the bell, a waiter quickly approached from somewhere nearby, and Ras placed his order.
Then he leaned his shoulder against the partition and properly began enjoying the performance while waiting for the meal to arrive.
The songs were gentle enough not to disturb the restaurant atmosphere or interrupt the guests’ meals.
To be honest, Ras knew almost nothing about instruments, so all he could think while watching them play passionately was simply, They’re really good.
But singing was different.
Since it was created directly through the human voice, it reached him in a far more instinctive way.
He could not quite explain it, but it sounded incredible.
The flowing melody, the way every lyric delivered itself clearly, and the singer’s tone itself felt as though it were melting both his mind and heart.
As he became increasingly absorbed in the singing, his attention naturally shifted toward the singer herself.
At first, he had only vaguely registered her as a young and beautiful woman, but now his gaze kept returning to her.
Her outfit was somewhat unusual.
The green dress alone was eye-catching enough, but it also had decorations resembling leaves attached to it, and upon closer inspection, sparkling vine-like patterns had been woven into the design.
She even wore a flower crown made from red and white blossoms.
Ras initially thought it merely looked peculiar, but when the singer slightly shifted her angle while performing and came into his direct line of sight, he finally understood why.
He had already noticed her long green hair, but now he could also clearly see her thin green eyebrows, her large gray pupils that looked unusual even from a distance, and her ears, pointed at the top yet much smaller than an Elf’s.
All of it revealed her race.
She was a Dryad.
They were not a particularly numerous race, so Ras had only ever seen them in books or on television before. This was his first time seeing one in person.
Wow... She’s beautiful.
People said Dryads were not only physically more attractive than humans on average but also possessed a mysterious charm that captivated others beyond mere appearance.
And it truly seemed to be the case.
The singer was beautiful, but beyond that, there was something about her that irresistibly drew at Ras’s heart, causing him to unknowingly become completely absorbed.
“Sir. Your meal has arrived.”
“Huh? Ah.”
Ras had been staring blankly with his mouth slightly open, and only managed to come back to himself because of the waiter’s voice, along with the warmth and aroma rising from the dishes now being arranged in front of him.
Ras cut into the meat with his knife and fork and placed it into his mouth.
As expected from such an expensive and famous restaurant, it tasted excellent.
Still, because he could not fully focus on the food, it felt as though the flavor itself had diminished.
He chewed the meat almost like gum before turning his gaze back toward the Dryad singer.
He thought he might have fallen for her.
But it felt slightly different from love.
If things somehow worked out and they started dating, he certainly would not refuse, but it felt closer to a fan becoming obsessed with a star.
In other words, it was like discovering his ultimate favorite idol.
Completely spellbound by the performance while barely paying attention to his meal, Ras hesitated for quite some time before finally stopping a passing waiter.
“Yes, sir?”
“Excuse me... Could you tell me the singer’s name?”
Even while feeling his face heating up, Ras tried to maintain a composed expression as he asked.
The waiter smiled faintly, but there was no trace of mockery.
Apparently, there had been plenty of customers like him before.
In any case, the sharp-featured black-haired waiter willingly answered.
“I didn’t hear it directly myself, so I’m not completely certain.”
“That’s fine.”
“Yes. I believe her name was Nebrania.”
Ras thanked the waiter while deeply engraving the name Nebrania into his mind.
And immediately, thoughts of somehow getting closer to her began shaking both his heart and mind.
It was an almost excessive level of fan obsession.
Back in Korea, he used to click his tongue while watching friends go crazy over idols.
That was why Ras himself found it difficult to fully accept these emotions.
He tried desperately to come up with another justification for them, and fortunately, one plausible excuse did exist.
Maybe that girl could actually handle sound work? She’s obviously involved in music, and if she sings this well, she probably has enough musical sense to use sound programs too...
Even though it was only a half-forced justification, the more he thought about it, the more reasonable the idea actually sounded.
Whether she truly could do it or not was something he could simply confirm later.
Still, he lacked the courage to approach her directly and start a conversation.
Ras found himself briefly bewildered.
Ever since arriving in this world, he had rarely hesitated whenever something seemed necessary, likely due to instincts developed for survival.
So the fact that he was hesitating over something this trivial felt strange even to himself.
Then he quickly realized the reason.
Because he had become emotionally attached, he was afraid of being rejected.
Of course, simply understanding the reason did not magically make the fear disappear.
Otherwise, nothing in the world would ever be difficult.
After agonizing over ways to get closer to her, Ras ultimately copied what other customers were doing and slipped a tip beneath the decorative flower basket in front of the stage.
Getting to see her face up close pleased him greatly, but beyond that, he failed to do anything more before eventually leaving the restaurant.
It had already been a long time since he finished eating, and he could hardly continue occupying a seat forever in a restaurant that required reservations.
Afterward, whenever Nebrania performed, Ras began regularly eating at Dayalla Restaurant.
He still remained too passive to truly form any sort of relationship, but he enjoyed it.
Perhaps communication between stars and fans was naturally something like this.
Still, after repeatedly visiting and leaving tips every time, she eventually seemed to recognize his face, and sometimes their eyes would meet and she would smile at him.
Oooh!
Whenever that happened, Ras silently rejoiced.
And so, satisfied with things remaining at about this level, he continued enjoying performances at Dayalla.
Meanwhile, development of Land of Adventure 2 progressed smoothly.
Even though Ras had discovered a new hobby, it remained something he only enjoyed after work.
And perhaps because his stress was being relieved—or maybe because the new experiences stimulated him—his focus during work actually felt sharper than before.
He also came up with another way to search for sound staff.
Through performances.
Even beyond the restaurants he had recently been visiting, there were still many places in this world where people performed live music.
And beyond that, there were also proper performance halls.
Naturally, major stars did not perform in such places, but since many people there were deeply passionate about music, they seemed like ideal places to search for talent.
Moreover, until someone became a star, musicians generally remained far removed from wealth, and many even struggled to feed themselves.
So Ras expected it would not be difficult to recruit people if he offered reasonable compensation.
And so, he immediately began searching for nearby performance venues.
Finding them proved easy.
He had never paid attention before, but once he actively looked, he realized that the cluttered performance posters plastered across street bulletin boards all included venue addresses.
After examining the chaotic and flashy posters, Ras found the nearest venue to his home.
It was called Sky Castle.
When he visited personally, Sky Castle turned out to be located in a rather remote area.
Apparently performance venues were considered undesirable businesses due to unavoidable noise issues.
There were barely any residences nearby, with only occasional one- or two-story commercial buildings scattered around.
Unexpectedly, however, there were still plenty of people.
They were probably musicians or people coming to enjoy the performances.
It’s underground.
Despite the grand name Sky Castle, the sign itself was attached above a staircase leading downward.
The sign was decorated with countless tiny colorful incandescent bulbs, but since the sun had not yet set, it only looked somewhat tacky.
Ras followed the crowd down the stairs.
The atmosphere was dark and grimy.
If nobody else had been around, it felt like the kind of place he never would have entered alone.
But once he descended and pushed open the heavy wooden door, the entire atmosphere changed.
The lighting, which was fairly decent by this era’s standards, immediately brightened his view.
The interior walls were decorated with movie posters, singers’ photographs, guitars, and several wind instruments.
More importantly, the sound itself was different.
The chatter of the audience and the singing accompanied by guitar music from the stage powerfully announced that this was a live performance venue.
Ras squeezed through the crowd of various races swaying to the music and found a place to stand.
The group currently performing consisted of Beastmen and humans, with three guitarists taking turns singing.
Still, the music naturally felt different from Earth’s.
The melodies were lively and exciting, yet the tempo felt slightly slower somehow.
It also sounded somewhat simpler.
No, maybe the vocal range feels lower?
Come to think of it, the guitars were not electric.
Considering the level of electronics in this world, he would have expected electric guitars to exist already, which struck him as a little strange.
But after thinking further, he realized that even if they had been invented, it would not be unusual for some performers to still avoid using them if they were only beginning to spread.
Ras bought a bottle of soda from the bar tucked into one corner.
Seeing all the alcohol lined up tempted him to order a beer, but he decided to wait until he officially came of age, which was not far off anyway.
The music itself was enjoyable.
It differed from his preference for modern rock, but the overwhelming intensity of hearing live music directly in a performance venue made it flow naturally into his ears regardless.
Originally, he came here because listening to performances like the ones at the restaurant had made him wonder whether places like this might also be enjoyable.
And the result definitely was not bad.
Of course, he had not forgotten the original excuse of scouting sound staff.
Like that, Ras gradually began regularly attending live performances.
It truly was enjoyable.
And beyond simply enjoying the music itself, he found something deeply fascinating about seeing members of many different races standing on stage, playing instruments, and singing.
Unlike the quiet figures who merely passed by on the streets, seeing them passionately moving their bodies while openly displaying emotion and enthusiasm made them feel vividly real somehow.
And it was not only the performers on stage.
The audiences below, composed of many races standing together alongside Ras, gave off the exact same feeling.