Chapter 14
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Hide or Reveal (2)
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Seol Yu-jin returned to her seat as if nothing had happened. The atmosphere was such that it felt like someone should thank her for not stirring up any more trouble.
"Alright."
Teacher Choi Je-hun watched her plod back to her spot before opening his mouth.
"I hope you've all been well. Today, I'm going to make an announcement about the first evaluation, but before that, I thought we'd do a quick test."
The word "test" drew groans from here and there. Seeing this, the teacher let out a smirk.
"You lot, show some spirit. This is just to gauge your tendencies and skill levels, so it's fine if you do well or not—but if you half-ass it, you'll lose points."
With that, Teacher Choi Je-hun gave a short gesture, and the female teacher standing beside him stepped forward.
She clutched a thick stack of sheet music to her chest.
"Everyone seeing my face for the first time, right? I'm Kwon Se-hee, the piano instructor. Nice to meet you!"
From what she said, she wasn't assigned to a specific class but helped out with various practice sessions and workshops.
"Take one sheet of music each."
The sheets Teacher Kwon Se-hee handed out passed from the front row back.
A piece I've never seen before.
It was a simple canon-form work. For someone like me who knew most common pieces, something unfamiliar probably wasn't all that famous.
The little notes sprinkled across the staff looked downright cute. Even I could sight-read it easily.
"Teacher."
As I calmly scanned the score, Lee Seong-hyuk shot his hand up and asked with a blank stare.
"But... how exactly are you planning to test us with this piece...?"
Teacher Choi Je-hun eyed him with a slouch and smirked again.
"Impatient one, aren't you? Come up front."
"Pardon?"
"I said come up. You can explain what the test is about."
Yeah, that's Teacher Choi Je-hun for you. Good thing I'd kept my mouth shut.
Lee Seong-hyuk gave an awkward grin and shuffled to the front podium. I just watched, stifling a laugh.
"I'll set the metronome to the original tempo, so play along with the score when you're ready."
That was the entire explanation.
The two boys already seated at the timpani and drums eyed the tense Lee Seong-hyuk up and down.
Looking closely, their name tags were yellow. Ours were white, and Senior Jin-seong's had been green, so these must be third-years.
Lee Seong-hyuk sat at the piano bench and took a short breath.
There has to be more to this test than that. Why bring percussion otherwise?
It was a mystery.
I alternated glances between the two seniors and Lee Seong-hyuk, waiting for the performance to start.
The metronome clicked to life. Tempo at 100—lively and brisk.
All eyes locked on Lee Seong-hyuk as he prepared.
He dove right in, striking the keys without hesitation.
Oh, not bad?
Easy piece or not, his sense of rhythm was impressive.
I found myself newly appreciating his touch. It dripped with the joy of making music—comforting to listen to.
The performance continued smoothly, with the teacher and percussion doing nothing.
That's it? No more?
Just as suspicion lingered, Teacher Choi Je-hun's eyes sharpened. A heavy aura settled over him.
"One, two, three... tempo!"
At his calm count turning to a shout, drumsticks crashed down like lightning on the snare and cymbals.
The timpani joined with thunderous declaration, like a war cry. The two percussionists surged ahead of the piano melody at breakneck speed.
So that's the trick.
Now I got why they'd brought percussion.
Throw a simple piece at them, then disrupt with percussion interference. How they adapted was the real test.
Not a bad idea or method, I thought.
It gauged not just rhythm but instant adaptability and harmonic understanding.
Ramping up the tempo and adding other instruments means light improvisation is fair game?
Lee Seong-hyuk grimaced, clearly flustered. He looked genuinely annoyed—a fresh expression on him.
The piano sped up to chase the percussion. His touch flowed nimbly across the keys, fingers leaping lightly.
He's trying, really trying.
But as time wore on, the performance fell fully under percussion's thrall. Just as the piano caught up, rapid beats and booming echoes threw it off again.
Boom boom boom—!
The big bass drum tormenting him rang out sharply.
I tuned my ear to the percussion while trying to anchor the piano's core melody.
Those seniors had zero intention of collaborating. They were just pounding away to mess with the performer.
If they were forcing a gag, the piano had no choice but to push back hard.
Starting lower together might be better... oh boy.
The drums toyed unpredictably with push and pull, and Lee Seong-hyuk started missing notes, half-abandoning the piece.
"Stop. That's enough."
Only then did Teacher Choi Je-hun raise his fist, halting all instruments.
The classroom plunged into dead silence. The test's unexpected difficulty had stunned everyone.
Only the lonely metronome ticked on.
What's his deal?
That's when I locked eyes with one percussionist. He gripped his sticks, grinning wickedly.
As if he were having the time of his life.
"Back to your seat."
Lee Seong-hyuk bowed to the teacher and returned beside me.
His face relaxed now, he let out a silly chuckle.
"Man, that didn't go well. Tough stuff."
I'd been about to console him, but he didn't seem to need it.
"We'll run the test just like that. When your name's called, come up and play."
The teacher scanned the room and lifted the attendance book.
***
The lax classroom vibe before class had frozen solid.
Most students, hit with that surprise punch, just dazedly stared at the two percussionists.
Even Teacher Choi Je-hun dropped the jokes, maintaining a stern demeanor.
"Next, Kang Su-min."
"Ah."
The called student jolted like electrocuted, shuffling to the front like a lamb to slaughter.
The result was the same.
"Practice your rhythm with just the metronome some more."
"Yes... got it."
After that, the confidence of several more students flickered and died like candles in the wind.
"Enough."
"Stop there."
"That's good. Go back."
I didn't miss the malicious smirks lingering on the percussion duo's lips each time.
They came prepared.
If the percussion had kept steady rhythm, maybe. But they irregularly twisted notes and hands, yanking the piano around by the hair.
"This is ridiculous..."
Every returning student looked dejected.
Even more infuriating were the percussionists' quips, grinning all the while.
"Giving up that fast? Good luck."
"Kinda boring."
Their constant needling crushed the next students' confidence, dooming their performances.
"Try harder—at least wipe that look off your face. Makes me feel bad."
"Hey, this is harder on us. You know how much our wrists hurt?"
"Guys, we have entrance exams too. Put in some effort so we feel it's worth it."
I stroked my chin, reviewing the situation.
Standard performance disrupted by percussion splintering and shaking the beat.
Even for prodigies or top students, this was uncharted territory.
Classical music, unlike jazz, placed huge weight on the score.
In short, they weren't trained for major musical shifts. Sure, interpretations added slight variations, but never straying from melody or harmony progression.
So, no wonder the piano majors couldn't handle the onslaught.
"Teacher Choi."
"Ah, right."
Checking his watch, Teacher Choi Je-hun signaled the percussion seniors.
"Take 15 minutes. Other classes are still going, so keep it quiet."
Relieved sighs escaped everywhere.
"Whoa..."
"Insane."
"We all gotta do this?"
"Hope I skip..."
Even for those from Ye-won Arts Middle School, this test was a shock.
Lee Seong-hyuk, catching the mood, gave an awkward grin.
"Seriously tough. No clue how to handle it."
First off, the two percussionists showed zero consideration for the performer.
Plus, their chaotic, rule-free disruptions made countermeasures tricky.
Hard to plan for my turn.
"Hey?"
Suddenly, a warm-voiced girl approached me.
Lifting my head, her fluffy twin tails caught my eye first, followed by horn-rimmed glasses perched on clear eyes, giving an intellectual vibe.
"Seo Ye-ri?"
"You know my name!"
Seo Ye-ri clapped lightly, eyes crinkling.
Of course—the girls squealing your name earlier.
"What's up?"
"Oh, yeah. Nothing big, but I heard your playing yesterday, Do-hyun. It was great!"
"...Uh, thanks."
I replied, unable to hide my surprise. Nice compliment, but the context escaped me.
"But you didn't come just for that, right?"
"Busted."
Grinning, Seo Ye-ri leaned in to whisper.
"Actually, about Ji-eun yesterday. She suddenly played that MIDI track."
"Yeah, what about her?"
"She's my friend. Here to apologize on her behalf. Ji-eun felt really bad."
Seo Ye-ri furrowed her brow, apologizing profusely as if embarrassed herself.
Hm... wasn't bothered.
If she were truly sorry, she'd come herself. Seo Ye-ri was probably smoothing things over to avoid bad blood.
Great social skills, but felt a bit over-the-top.
"Nah, it's fine. Wasn't on my mind."
"Really? Phew!"
But how could I say more to that beaming face?
Even if it wasn't fine, I'd say it was.
"Oh, right—one more thing I'm curious about?"
Seo Ye-ri, not retreating, sparkled through her glasses with another question.
"What?"
"This test today—what do you think?"
I blinked at her unexpected question. No hidden agenda, seemingly.
Why ask me, though?
Like I'd thought earlier, I had no sharp answer myself.
"Eh, maybe just play more freely."
"Freely..."
Watching her ponder with fist to chin, I felt a pang of guilt, like I'd done something mean.
It was just a casual reply.
After a moment, I reluctantly spoke.
"...Saw the drums like switching to thirty-seconds suddenly. Maybe modulate up then—sharps with staccato cuts."
"Ah... yeah!"
"If they sneak in awkwardly, ease off the pedal, kill the legato. Especially here—the beat drags a lot."
I pointed at the score, rambling haltingly before trailing off, embarrassed.
Whoops. Lost myself there.
Just my gut feeling—executing it was another level.
I wasn't in any position to teach, and anyone could talk.
"Ah!"
As I finished, Seo Ye-ri's eyes widened, clapping.
Her eyes rolled cutely behind the lenses.
"Never thought of modulating... reminds me of La Campanella, feels easier maybe."
She muttered realizations, nodding vigorously.
I hadn't thought deeply, so applying in performance? Tough. No guarantee percussion would cooperate.
"Hey, ignore what I said if you want—don't spread it to others..."
"No, it really helped!"
Her reaction only amplified my guilt for overstepping.
Beyond her waving grin, two shadows suddenly loomed over my desk.
"Fun chat?"
Yellow name tags, drumsticks slung over shoulders.
The two percussion seniors who'd been tormenting us.
"Kwon Do-hyun, right? Plays piano, huh."
"Sharp one, that last bit."
"Ah, well..."
I scratched my head awkwardly. Even good words sounded off in that tone.
They glanced at me and Lee Seong-hyuk, then turned briskly to Seo Ye-ri.
"Ye-ri, huh? Hi."
Their voice softened completely—oily and grating.
"Hello, seniors."
"No need to be so formal. We're all musicians."
"Working hard—looks good. From Ye-won?"
"Yes, Ye-won grad."
"Same here! Who's your homeroom this year?"
I propped my chin, watching whatever this was.
"Piano since when? Bet you're great."
"No, I'm not that..."
"Ever done percussion ensemble at Ye-won? Orchestra?"
"Not even chamber music..."
Seo Ye-ri fidgeted uncomfortably, unable to cut them off.
Can't say no—exhausting trait.
Glancing over, her friends hovered nearby.
I cleared my throat loudly.
"Hey, Seo Ye-ri. Your friends are calling."
Eyes turned our way instantly. The chattering girls scanned us.
"Ah... Ye-ri!"
"What're you doing there!"
Spotting the reinforcements, I turned away.
Quick on the uptake—good.
"Ye-ri, where were you!"
"Hi, seniors! Oh, talking to Ye-ri."
"Y-yeah, Ye-ri! Oh, and yesterday Class 9..."
The backup babbled excuses, linking arms and backing away with her.
The percussionists stood dumbfounded, mumbling replies.
"Gotta go, seniors!"
"Uh, yeah. Friends first."
"She has a lot of friends..."
I smirked at the scene—flustered seniors and Seo Ye-ri waving as she was dragged off.
"Talk later, Do-hyun. Seong-hyuk too!"
Even stumbling away, her smile shone bright.
Fun girl.
I exhaled lightly, straightening up. The percussionists glared down, annoyed.
"Do-hyun, right?"
"Yeah."
"Looking forward to your playing."
"Wanna see how good you are."
They spat that and stormed off irritably.
Had I poked the bear of exam-stressed seniors?
Don't expect much.
I let out a quiet sigh.