Breaking In the Drummer
The drum room door creaked open, and someone slipped inside cautiously. Short black hair, a slightly petite build. Dark clothes all around. "Leader!" Jeong Hyeona's greeting. The way she shuffled in while responding made it look like she'd heard Myeongjeon's story. The other two, though, seemed clueless about why he'd said what he did.
"Ah, um, I'm Yoo Seoha..."
"Hi~ I'm Choi Iseo~."
"Ah, yeah. Hi."
After returning Iseo's greeting, Seoha stared straight through Myeongjeon. He could guess the meaning of that gaze all too well and let out a smirk. 'The bass is average skill, and there's nothing noteworthy except me, huh?'
As a senior who'd once lived that sly life—surprisingly, people like that never thought of themselves as sly—Myeongjeon could read exactly what was going through Seoha's mind.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ha Suyeon." He extended a hand for a shake. Seoha instinctively reached out with both hands, then hesitated.
"Th-that guitar... you were just playing it, right?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"You play way too well. When did you start learning guitar?"
"Hmm..." Myeongjeon pondered for a moment how to answer. Decades? Or less than a month? Both were true, and neither would be believed. 'In the end, it doesn't make much difference.'
"Not long ago."
The casual words slipped out effortlessly. Seoha thought, 'What kind of bullshit is that... No, wait. It might actually be true.'
She was a drummer, so her field was different, but she had an ear for what made great guitar playing. And to her ears, that performance was on the level of a veteran guitarist from a decades-old band. That kind of playing didn't come from mere effort. It was what people called geniuses achieved after decades of grinding.
Yet it had come from the fingertips of a high school girl. How could anyone accept that? Even if it was a year, three years, five, or ten—it wouldn't matter. No amount of time could produce that with ordinary talent. You couldn't just waste years and expect to reach that level.
In a normal situation, if it had been just a bit better than her own playing, Seoha would've burned with jealousy. Because it felt attainable. It looked possible, so she'd resent it, trash-talk it, and fuel her drive to catch up.
But at this level? Could she even muster jealousy? Sure, a shut-in loser might envy a rich college kid wasting their youth—plenty of people like that. Jealousy over something they could've had but didn't.
But would anyone truly envy Lee Jae-yong? Would someone claim that fortune should've been theirs? Plenty might say it, but that was more ideology than jealousy.
So Seoha didn't feel jealousy. Instead, she wanted to ascend alongside Suyeon. Her own talent might pale in comparison, but with someone like that, they could make history in music.
'How can I tease her a bit...' Myeongjeon's thoughts were entirely different.
He'd planned to form a band from the start, and while not perfect, the current lineup satisfied him. No plans to break it up. The keyboardist who was supposedly better than him... according to Hyeona, she'd definitely elevate their sound.
But first, a little prank wouldn't hurt. And since she was a pro aspirant, grinding her harshly might boost her skills—for her own good, too.
"Alright, let's get started. Drums... Seoha, was it?"
"Yes? Oh, yeah."
"Jump in on drums. We'll go straight for an hour, no breaks. If it doesn't sync up, I'll stop and point out what's wrong. Might sound harsh, so keep that in mind."
"Drums! Not matching again."
"Drums! Come on, you gotta play with the others. Why are you rushing ahead solo?"
"No... this is a jam session. Not just soloing."
"But they can't keep up..."
"Of course they can't! They're beginners. So you have to adjust to them. Why do you keep jumping ahead? I'm matching them right now—what the hell are you even..."
Hah, this is driving me nuts. The muttered words carried just enough, making the drummer flinch. Myeongjeon shook his head. "Short break," he said, heading out of the room.
Glancing back subtly, he saw Iseo following, and Seoha with a slightly pale face.
"Suyeon, what was that~? Her playing's fine...!"
"I know."
Myeongjeon instinctively reached for a cigarette but came up empty. He sighed deeply and grabbed a canned coffee from the vending machine.
"Look, if I sucked? She'd nitpick and bail. We'd take her venting, get hurt feelings, and go home miserable. Even setting that aside, someone with pride in their skills needs to be broken in early. We're jamming as a band, not four solos. Why do you think I'm matching you guys right now?"
"Still... it's kinda pitiful. And judging her like that before anything even happens?"
Iseo waved it off like just let it go~. Myeongjeon scratched his head a bit. 'Fair point.'
Her actions screamed intent, but actually doing it? No evidence. Could you punish someone for thinking shady thoughts? Sure, you could. But unless it was high treason, was it worth pushing this hard?
"Fine... whatever."
"Yeah. Don't go too hard~ Huh? She's still our unnie, y'know? One year older. Getting reamed by a dongsaeng like that when she's older? Super embarrassing."
"Isn't acting like that toward a dongsaeng embarrassing to begin with?"
Iseo burst out laughing. Myeongjeon downed the canned coffee in one go and tossed it in the trash.
"Anyway. Not ending it here—I've got a plan."
He'd dealt with people for decades in bands and beyond. Teens like her? He knew exactly how to handle them.
"Don't worry. If I play it right, it'll all work out."
"You okay?"
"...No."
Seoha hung her head and sighed. Hyeona approached again, asking if she was alright, but Seoha waved her off.
'Does she know what I was planning?'
Guilty conscience kept her from striding in confidently. And that first guitar gaze? Ice cold. Like 'You dare?' She shrank back.
Then the nonstop critiques. If it had been clueless band advice from someone who didn't know drums or bands, she'd have fired back. But no.
Every mistake, she swooped in without hesitation, spot-on. No choice but to admit it.
The break crew returned, playing resumed. Critiques resumed. Play straight. Drums aren't holding the pillar—whole thing's falling apart. Blaming others? Useless. You adjust to their level—that ideal, backed by flawless execution. Seoha lost logically and skill-wise.
Two left for another break. Seoha stared at the ceiling, then let her sticks drop limply.
No one had ever pushed her this hard. Everyone around her was awed by her talent. No critiques needed. If someone couldn't keep up? Their fault for not matching a genius drummer.
Genius at fault? Then you drum instead. Drum scarcity plus her talent bred a bloated ego monster.
Result? She thought amateurs couldn't handle her sky-high talent. Turned down solid players because they didn't meet her standards.
And today, she met her soulmate guitarist. She can band with me. Age? Irrelevant.
Problem: This guitarist was crushing her with unprecedented intensity.
Seoha sighed deeply again. That gaze. 'I know what you were up to.' And the critiques. 'She just doesn't like me.'
Tears welled up inexplicably. She wanted that person's approval. From someone with such insane skill, and an invite to band? Perfect bliss.
'But she has no intention of accepting me...'
The gaze said it: zero interest.
'Gotta bail.'
Obviously, she'd get booted post-jam. Why else the abuse? Better to preempt—cut ties first, even if it meant taking the insults.
Seoha set her sticks on the chair and stood. Hyeona flinched from her phone, but ignored.
Tell the break kids, pack up, go home. Might cry... but at home.
She headed out. While searching for the others, she overheard:
"Don't go so hard on her."
"Hmm..."
Higher voice, lowering one. The latter sounded like the guitarist.
Seoha hid behind the wall instinctively, eavesdropping.
"Her skills suck?"
"No."
Then why?? Seoha barely stopped herself from bursting out, questions burning.
The talk wasn't over...
"At that level, she's the best of the remaining three. You and Hyeona too."
"Then why? Drummers are hard to find. Keep that up, she might walk."
"True."
Silence, then the low voice again.
"She's good. Too good—that's the problem."
"Huh?"
"Talented people need proportional consideration. Soloing like I'm the star~? Useless. No groove, what's the point?"
So that's it. Seoha drooped her head. To someone like that, my level's nothing...
She started to step out—until the next words.
"If we're doing this together, I want her too. She's good, and has room to grow."
"Wait, then..."
The rest faded. But 'I want her too.' echoed in her mind as she slipped back into the practice room.
"So..."
"Enough. Let's head back."
Myeongjeon grinned, heading to the practice room. Iseo tilted her head, wondering what was up with her.