Chapter 34
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Perfect Mistake (2)
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In response to the band's call for the next participant, the surrounding crowd subtly buzzed with anticipation.
I crossed my arms and scanned the square, wondering who might step up next.
"Do-hyun."
Lee Seong-hyuk called my name in a lightly excited tone.
"Yeah."
"Here's a question for you."
"Out of nowhere?"
He started counting on his fingers right in front of me.
"Who among us has the least piano experience? Number 1, Lee Ha-yeon. Number 2, Kim Ju-hee..."
It was such a random question, but I rattled off the answer without thinking.
"Number 4, me."
"Ooh, correct."
"What kind of nonsense is this?"
In the midst of the busking band's lively clamor, Lee Seong-hyuk crept up behind me with a sly grin.
"Experience matters in the end, right? Performance counts for a lot in this evaluation too."
"What are you talking about? Then you go do it."
"Go time!"
"Hey─."
Before I knew it, my upper body lurched toward the square. The guy had shoved my back hard.
To keep my balance, I stepped forward widely with my right foot. My head naturally whipped back. Two surprised girls and Lee Seong-hyuk's beaming grin flashed into view.
'That crazy bastard...!'
I let out a yelp and a big breath, and suddenly I was in an open space. Straightening up and looking around, no one was near me anymore.
"And now we have a student joining us. That uniform looks so familiar... Isn't that the Ye-rim Arts High School crest?"
Admiring cheers erupted from all around, filling my ears. A high schooler participating in busking made for a great visual, but of all people, it had to be me.
"A collab with a Ye-rim Arts student? Guess we'll have to step up our game. Everyone, give a big round of applause for our young musician!"
A man pushed through the crowd's applause and guided me to the stage.
"Nice to meet you, kid. What year are you? What's your major?"
"...First year, piano."
"Ah, first year. A freshman, huh."
His face showed a hint of quiet disappointment at hearing "first year." At least piano major was a plus, I supposed.
"Ever tried jazz piano?"
"No, not once."
With basic exercises and assigned pieces keeping me busy, I didn't have the bandwidth to even glance at something like that.
'Though I've listened to plenty before.'
Whenever the strict structures of classical music felt suffocating, I'd put on some jazz records and just sit back to unwind.
Jazz was perfect for refreshing the mood. It had a laid-back vibe different from the restrained depth of classical.
"If it feels too tough, we can switch to new age stuff. You know, Yiruma or Joe Hisaishi—popular ones like that."
"I actually love jazz from the bebop to free jazz eras the most. I've even hunted down contrafact albums specifically."
"...Really? Sounds like you've got some real taste in jazz."
"Yeah, sometimes."
I nodded lightly.
This band focused on bebop and free jazz, which matched exactly what I enjoyed. A genre built mostly on spontaneous improvisation.
They seemed confident. If I thought it'd be overwhelming, I would've said so first.
"Need sheet music?"
The guy rummaging through his bag called out to me as I sat on the piano bench.
'From the looks of it, they've been performing without any the whole time.'
The empty music stand embodied the band's style.
Real books probably just had basic chords and notes anyway. As the guest, it was only natural for me to follow their lead.
"Real book style?"
"Not exactly Real Book sheets, but the format's similar."
Figured as much. That's why the previous woman had stuck to comping instead of taking the lead.
'Then I'll go as improvised as possible too.'
Like Seong-hyuk said, treat it as performance practice—no need for perfection.
"Just keep going in bebop style."
"This kid knows his stuff!"
He chuckled warmly and chatted briefly with the crowd to buy time.
I used the moment to loosen my finger muscles and warm up. Then the guitarist tuning nearby asked me,
"Nervous?"
"A bit."
"Don't overthink it. Play however you want, go wild."
His eyes brimmed with confidence.
"We'll follow your lead as best we can. No stopping if you mess up—just keep going."
I shifted my gaze from his energetic smile to the keys.
'However I want...'
Even if my piano was a little rough, they were sure they could back me up perfectly.
I mentally replayed the sounds of the instruments I'd play with and took a deep breath. Soon, the session's cue came.
"Ready to start?"
I nodded to the band with a faint smile. At the edge of my vision, I glimpsed the crowd watching us.
"Okay, let's go!"
The sharp crack of drumsticks clacking the beat.
Drums, guitar, and cello laid down a gentle backing track. It felt familiar.
The chord progression I'd heard countless times.
'Starts in B-flat major... Similar to So What.'
Feeling the backing through my body with nods and foot taps, I grasped the overall vibe of the piece. Calm and relaxed, with plenty of room for the piano to shine.
'Time to jump in.'
Hands on the keys, I exchanged glances with the bass section. They shot back warm, encouraging looks.
'Right hand for melody first.'
First time syncing with the session, so a quick feel-out was needed. I kept it light, riding the backing wave as I touched the keys.
'Solid support.'
Definitely pros. Even without many bars traded, I could tell their level instantly.
With players like this, the quality hinged on my main melody work. So, time to get bold.
"Ah."
My confident left hand froze for a split second. I'd hit the wrong key right from the start.
'Should've stretched the fourth finger way further...'
In other words, a dissonance.
I didn't panic. Just one note off—totally recoverable. As I hunted for the right note to smooth it over,
'...What?'
The backing surged intensely. The bass guitar swelled to fill the gap where my piano had paused.
And not just that. The following trumpet melody perfectly buried my mistake.
A nonchalant flair, as if they'd baited the dissonance. That was woven into the notes.
'Turning a mistake into no mistake at all.'
It felt so familiar.
Like spotting the trombone's slip in the recording from practice with Kim Ga-eul's group, instantly covered.
'Is this okay...?'
Curiosity got the better of me.
The beat for piano re-entry came around. I deliberately hit another dissonant chord to test it.
I needed to confirm.
'Bass again.'
My sideways glance caught it crystal clear.
The instant I hit the wrong note, the bassist shifted his left hand to alter the chord. Then he layered a line making my error sound like the right progression. All instruments varied their melodies to match the new chord.
The band was fully adapting to the piano, tuning the music around me.
"Piano!"
The bassist grinned ear-to-ear and called out to me powerfully.
That's when I snapped back to reality.
Everything clicked. No more "mistakes" could derail the performance.
'Play however I want, freely—I get it now.'
Buoyed by surging confidence, I slammed both hands down on the keys with full force.
Right hand painting the melody's colors, left hand shading chords for weight and depth.
'Can't beat this comfort with such perfect backing.'
Guitar and cello holding it down solidly and naturally, drums clearly charting the path forward, trumpet gluing the center tight.
And finally, my piano melody frolicking wildly in the harmony's heart.
'Perfect jazz.'
Rhythm smooth yet taut, never slack. The vibe sexy enough to drop jaws in the crowd.
"So cool..."
"Totally different from before."
"No sheet music?"
Pure immersion.
The occasional camera shutter didn't bother me.
Trading glances with the session while pounding keys, they grinned back wide.
'Yeah, this is what ensemble is.'
Piano anchors the performance, instruments lean on each other, building harmonies fiercely.
Had I synced this well with other instruments lately during piece practice?
A strange euphoria bubbled up. With the feel locked in, I wanted to lead boldly.
'No mistakes this time.'
Based on the flow so far, I anticipated the next chords and hit the keys a beat ahead of bass. Piano taking the reins on variation.
The result stunned. Instantly, the session matched my chords and followed.
All instruments together.
'...Feels familiar.'
I remembered.
Calming the percussion seniors' frenzy while backing them up—I'd done the same then. Nothing new.
A burst of laughter, and my fingers flew even faster.
Entering a bar late after drums started anew, or repeating a melody three times to hand reins to session.
Trying every melody idea popping in my head, no holds barred.
Freely, truly.
"Hey!"
As piano really took off, drums chimed in cheerfully.
No clashing. My wild piano ride fit the mood perfectly.
'If this were piano solo, couldn't go this free.'
Why could I steer the flow as envisioned?
Every instrument moved solely for the piano—for me.
'The true role of a solo instrument.'
Commanding the stage, all others bending to its will. The protagonist.
Finally grasping that hazy concept.
This was concerto.
First-year freshman.
'Still, Ye-rim Arts.'
Zero jazz piano experience.
'Still, piano major.'
Lee Jae-seok, who'd yielded the piano spot to the boy, just mulled those thoughts blankly.
'Just about that level.'
The neat boy staring blankly at the digital piano. No big expectations.
He'd only ended up on stage because a friend pushed him. Lee Jae-seok had half a mind to send him back, but since the kid said he could handle it, no need to refuse.
'Expecting too much from a civilian guest is greedy anyway.'
Just blend decently with the session without disappointing the crowd—that was plenty.
They weren't some elite band chasing perfection, nor was the audience hyper-critical.
"Whew."
Even when piano slipped a little, Lee Jae-seok barely flinched.
Nothing major. Session could cover it, and no one here would notice a single flat-note dissonance.
"Don't get down, keep powering through..."
The boy looked flustered briefly but recovered quick with the session's steady cover.
Impressive how he easily comped chords left-handed alongside melody.
'Not coincidence he grasped our favorite genre.'
He'd given off that "I've listened to some jazz" vibe, and it wasn't bluff—real skill.
'Melody substitutions are sharp.'
Jazz improv mostly borrows common chords and swaps melodies on top.
Key was voicing: arranging chord tones fittingly.
Contrafacts built on that framework, and this kid nailed it.
Just from his chords so far, anyone could tell his jazz knowledge ran deep.
'Youthful boldness.'
Lee Jae-seok found himself nodding along, enjoying it. The crowd's gasps and entranced stares lifted his mood.
Regretting not bringing a camera, he hummed softly—then the vibe flipped instantly.
"...?"
Piano started leading the whole performance.
Before, it'd been riding session's melody. Now, carrying the session forward.
'What flipped the switch?'
He keenly owned his lead role. Using session support fully, as bass had suggested pre-performance.
In this odd setup of busking band recruiting a high schooler, faint hopes stirred.
Maybe it'd pay off. Excitement crept in unbidden.
'Chord progressions got way more dynamic.'
Piano directing session reeked of veteran poise. Relaxed yet solidly grounded.
Flexibility belying classical training.
Tension, comping, swing might lack polish, but innate sense filled gaps.
'Arpeggio use is... insane.'
High school freshman? Hard to buy. Oozed savvy only certainty in one's music allows.
'Taste and conviction... that's experience, not talent.'
So how was this kid pulling it off?
"Wooow─!"
As Lee Jae-seok gaped blankly, crowd cheers exploded.
A glissando, nails raking keys fast. He even knew how to hook the audience.
'...This guy's a freshman?'
Turning his creaky head like rusty metal to meet session eyes, they wore matching shock.
Hands moving mechanically, all staring at the boy in awe.
'Impossible.'
Shaking his head to rationalize, something shiny caught his eye amid the haze.
"What's that?"
Ye-rim Arts uniforms. One boy, one girl.
They'd set up an expensive-looking DSLR on a tripod, staring at the stage slack-jawed.