Chapter 17
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Sketch (2)
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The notice for the first evaluation arrived the next day.
Lee Seong-hyuk pointed to the paper posted on the bulletin board at the front of the classroom.
"Isn't that our first evaluation notice?"
"Let's take a look."
There happened to be an extra copy under the teacher's desk. Standing side by side with Lee Seong-hyuk, I scanned the notice.
The exam would be in two weeks, how much it would count toward the overall grade... My eyes skimmed over the predictable details before stopping at one spot.
'Harmony between group members.'
It was the evaluation item with the heaviest weight.
The added explanation stated that they would focus on musical completeness and coherence.
'I've had a rough idea of their intentions since they emphasized this evaluation...'
I quickly skipped over minor deductions or attitude scores.
And I thought to myself.
'Completeness, coherence, harmony of sounds.'
The first word that came to mind was 'foundation'.
Song selection, order of performers, part distribution.
I had to convince them through the performance that every element had solid reasoning.
"Got any songs in mind?"
"Not sure. You?"
"Nothing jumps out at me right now."
Lee Seong-hyuk shrugged.
From practicing together yesterday, I'd noticed his touch was rounded, and his overall style was lively and upbeat.
I already knew Lee Ha-yeon's playing well, and Kim Ju-hee was on the delicate side too... So maybe a lyrical Romantic piece would work best.
"The group leader must explain the song choice and give an overview before the performance."
"Explanations too? They really want us to prepare properly."
Should I leave the leader role to this guy, Seong-hyuk? He seemed to like taking charge.
"Hey, you two guys over there!"
As I mulled it over with a quiet groan, brisk footsteps approached.
Turning around, I saw Kim Ju-hee. Her face beamed with energetic cheer, overflowing with morning vitality.
"What are you two whispering about?"
"Hey, Ju-hee."
"Seong-hyuk~."
"The first evaluation notice is up. You see it?"
"I just came from checking it out with Ye-ri in Class 7."
Kim Ju-hee casually hooked her elbow over my shoulder as she spoke. She was shorter than me, so the position looked awkward, but she pressed close anyway, which was oddly endearing.
Given her flashy appearance, her plain nails confirmed she was a pianist through and through.
"By the way, what's with that uniform since the new semester?"
Speaking of which, the skirt layered over her gym pants was distracting.
I'd heard first-years weren't allowed casual clothes like the seniors, so was this her act of rebellion?
The school was lenient on hair and even piercings, so at least as students, they should wear uniforms properly...
"Whoa, you sound like such an old fogey. First time a friend's said that to me. You my teacher or something?"
"Old fogey..."
"So, leader, we haven't decided on a song yet, right?"
No time to dwell on 'old fogey'.
Her blunt question drew an immediate retort.
"Who's the leader?"
"You, Do-hyun. Who else? Ye-ri's group picked her."
What? Why was it already decided for me?
Of course, I hadn't been consulted.
"Then just follow Seo Ye-ri's lead."
"Eww, no way. Too much hassle."
Kim Ju-hee scrunched her face and shook her head.
I glanced naturally at Lee Seong-hyuk, but he was already pretending to gaze at distant mountains.
"Then Lee Ha-yeon, since she's the best pianist..."
"Ugh─ that's sneaky, Kwon Do-hyun~."
Kim Ju-hee dramatically thumbed down like a pro wrestler, just as Lee Ha-yeon entered the classroom.
Having heard her name, Lee Ha-yeon stood blankly, eyes on us. She tilted her head briefly before waving her right hand at me slowly.
That vacant expression surrendered me on the spot.
'Fine, isn't the returnee's fate to handle group project leader duties anyway?'
I sighed, slipping the notice back under the desk.
"I'll go tell the teacher we've formed our group."
"I'm just heading to the dorm quick."
"Yeah, I'll head on ahead."
I watched Lee Seong-hyuk walk away, then grabbed my bag and stood.
I'd meant to ask Kim Ju-hee to come to the practice room, but seeing her stuck to Seo Ye-ri like glue, I let it go.
"Leader! I'll hang with Ye-ri a bit longer and come!"
"Be there by 5, don't be late."
I replied to the voice behind me and headed straight for the central stairs.
We'd been assigned a lesson room. I'd checked it earlier─two pianos and plenty of space.
Normally for lessons, but available just for the first evaluation period.
'Room 617... There it is.'
As I neared the end of the hall, faint piano melody grew louder. Must be from our practice room.
Peeking through the door's glass, I saw Lee Ha-yeon at the piano. Warming up ahead of time?
'She always does scales before playing... Guess it's true.'
Who knew I'd witness an interview fact firsthand.
I slipped in quietly, cleared my throat.
Lee Ha-yeon's fingers paused, her gaze meeting mine.
"Finish up. The others are still a ways off."
I grabbed a chair, sat, and silently observed her warm-up.
How her fingers and shoulders moved, how she twisted her wrists for wide spans─dissecting every motion.
The perfect teaching aid.
'Her technique here is a bit like Flier's... Crossing the thumb like that must make it easier.'
Mimicking her in the air, her hands suddenly stopped.
"What's up?"
"...Staring like that makes me shy."
"Oh, sorry, sorry."
Was my gaze that intense...? Now I felt embarrassed.
After that, I sneaked sidelong glances until her warm-up ended.
Soon, Lee Ha-yeon fully lifted her fingers from the keys.
"Whoa, you do this every day?"
"Yeah. Feels uneasy if I don't. Gets comfortable once I do."
A routine ingrained since childhood, probably.
Recalling her posture in my mind, she suddenly asked.
"But... are you close with Kim Ju-hee?"
"Close?"
"You seemed like it this morning."
Not entirely my doing, but her friendliness had brought us closer since yesterday.
"We're group mates. Gotta get closer. Need that bond for the performance to flow naturally."
"That bond...?"
Lee Ha-yeon watched me with blank eyes, tilting her head again.
"How do you get close?"
Her serious face─like pondering life's big questions─threw me. I'd never counseled on this.
"Who's your closest friend right now?"
About ten seconds of silence.
Lee Ha-yeon finally parted her lips.
"...Ye-ri?"
After all that, Seo Ye-ri...? She gets along with everyone.
"Never mind, I'll think about it myself."
Lee Ha-yeon smiled faintly, dropping the topic. Guess it wasn't that serious.
Gazing at her subtle smile, a sudden greed struck.
We're group mates by fate... One request song couldn't hurt.
"Before the others arrive, could you play something for me?"
"Play?"
"Yeah, but no if it's too much. Seriously."
"One piece won't strain my hands."
"Right, probably."
"Sure, what should I play?"
She agreed casually, like it was nothing.
Suddenly, I felt like a noble patron sponsoring pianist Lee Ha-yeon─my heart raced.
"What's your current repertoire like?"
"Hm... Learning Brahms Rhapsody No. 2 in lessons lately."
"Oh, Brahms."
I almost raised my voice.
Of all things, her Brahms Rhapsody. I'd looped that album countless times.
Memories from my past life bloomed; I nodded vigorously.
"Starting."
I swallowed hard, straining my ears desperately.
Her fingers descended on the keys.
But soon, my head tilted in disappointment.
My expectations had missed the mark.
'Still imagining future Lee Ha-yeon...'
Not that her skill fell short─her absolute level was already sky-high.
Just a huge gap in tone and expression.
The Lee Ha-yeon in my memory wrapped ears lightly like dandelion seeds; now, it was sharp, pressing each note clearly.
'Total opposite.'
It even felt like future her denied this moment's self outright.
Comparing to her frequent pieces, I got the sense.
A massive change over time, big enough to reject her past sound.
'Tone color is supposed to be hard to change...'
My head spun instantly.
Beyond her evolution, I had to erase this sound from my song selection basis.
Drastic redirect needed. Lyrical pieces were off the table now.
As I pondered, the door burst open─Lee Seong-hyuk and Kim Ju-hee appeared.
"We're here!"
"Perfect timing. Let's talk quick. Gotta practice too."
Mountains of decisions ahead.
Once everyone sat, I cleared my throat lightly.
"Wanna settle song, parts, and order today. Any ideas?"
"Me, me!"
Kim Ju-hee, sitting backward on her chair, bobbed wildly and shot up her hand.
"Yeah, go ahead."
"I think I should go first!"
"...Why?"
"If I go after Ha-yeon, no one will remember me?"
I turned from her bobbing shoulders and golden hair.
"Next opinion."
"Hmph, ignoring me."
"Brahms Sonata No. 3 first movement, or Schumann Toccata─what do you think?"
Now Lee Ha-yeon chimed in.
Like her earlier piece, her taste was set early.
Though mismatched with her current style.
"Too hard, though."
And purely suited to her skill─another issue.
If group members lacked basics, forget completeness; it'd be hard for audiences to even listen.
"Schumann has a Toccata too...?"
"Heard it, never played."
New to the others too. Lee Ha-yeon nodded, conceding.
"Do-hyun, what about nocturnes? Chopin or something."
"Nocturne... Hmm."
"Hard to match?"
Regrettably, Lee Seong-hyuk's idea didn't fit either.
I'd considered nocturnes, but her recent playing changed my mind.
Shelve emotional lyrical works. Expression's tough, trickier with four players.
"Leader! Haydn sonata then! Hoboken 50, right? The dun-dun-dun─ starter."
"Ah, first movement."
"Yeah, thoughts?"
Kim Ju-hee wiggled fingers in the air.
Haydn Sonata. Rolled it in my head─decent.
Less expression, more energetic and lively bursts.
"Ha-yeon could take from the pp pedal entry in the middle."
"Nah, no fair. She'd play solo for like four minutes."
Parting tricky. Not quite right.
From her mentioned spot, hard to split between two.
"Huh? How'd you know the part?"
"Like the piece. Anyway, one person too long looks bad, like freeloading."
"Is that so..."
Kim Ju-hee twirled her dangling hair, mumbling.
"Ha-yeon's our highlight; shining isn't bad."
Lee Ha-yeon as highlight... Partly true.
But the core question: is that enough?
'Spotlighting one makes us no different from Baek Ji-ho or Myeong Woo-bin's groups.'
Audiences have expectations per group.
Baek Ji-ho's: his playing. Same for Myeong Woo-bin or Seol Yu-jin's.
Ours? They'd expect Lee Ha-yeon inevitably.
Just her? Do we have a sure win?
To rival aces, ordinary setup falls short.
"Something wrong with me?"
"No, nothing."
Under my gaze, Lee Ha-yeon patted her cheeks lightly.
Her face evoked yesterday's firm rejection of Myeong Woo-bin's offer. 'I'm enough alone,' confidently.
To back that, song and structure must exceed expectations.
As I dwelled, Kim Ju-hee tapped nails impatiently.
"Just Haydn. I think Ha-yeon's way better than Woo-bin anyway."
I agreed a hundred times, but circumstances differed.
Her skill undeniable. Other aces formidable too.
For top scores, max performance elsewhere for differentiation.
'Where to draw that edge...'
Lee Ha-yeon: distinct, sharp edges.
Lee Seong-hyuk: lively overall.
Kim Ju-hee: delicate, soft tone.
Me: basics lacking, but bright tone worth it.
Weave these into peak music.
My lips stayed shut; Kim Ju-hee whined softly, fed up.
"This no, that no... What's with the confidence? You messed up big in placement tests."
"But you heard yesterday with percussion seniors. Not totally unreliable."
Lee Seong-hyuk assisted timely.
I mulled silently.
'Not too deep emotion, moderate tempo. Leverage Ha-yeon's strengths without burying others...'
Tangled melodies cluttered my mind.
Ears hummed with hundreds, thousands of pianos vibrating.
'Adjustable pace, soft and stabbing sounds mixed, lively overall.'
Schubert Impromptus, Mozart/Rachmaninoff miniatures, Tchaikovsky Seasons...
I split rising songs into four, puzzling group tones.
Each a soloist, not mere support. One missing kills charm─high completion envisioned.
'Finishing dragon touch: Ha-yeon's powerful spikes explode.'
Deep thought cleared instantly. Kids' voices filtered in.
"Leader, I don't get why skip easy for hard..."
Finished thinking, I exhaled deeply.
"Chopin, Grande Valse Brillante."
"Chopin waltz?"
"Ha-yeon closing perfect. ff start to staccato part."
Kim Ju-hee blinked confusedly.
"How we know which?"
"I got Haydn Sonata earlier."
"...You like it, huh."
"Famous too. Think─three octave dun-dan-dan─ part."
Group members rolled eyes, recalling.
Suddenly, Kim Ju-hee leaned in, dissatisfied.
"Then what's different from my Haydn?"
Different. Same order, but Chopin's waltz fits better.
I tapped piano lightly, faint smile.
"Let's each play it once and check."