Chapter 36
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Variable is (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The early morning classroom buzzed with heated complaints about the looming second evaluation.
This was the time when the real pressure started rolling in. It was only natural for the kids' anxieties to spike.
"Woo-bin, how's it going lately? Mozart should be a breeze for you, right?"
"It's going alright, I guess."
Myeong Woo-bin was one of the few students not swept up in the tense atmosphere.
He had confidence, after all.
Strip away all the fancy labels, and the second evaluation boiled down to a concerto. Even if the orchestra was scaled down, it still had all the essential parts.
'I'm one of the few who actually performed a concerto back at Ye-won.'
It wasn't like he'd had tons of opportunities, but there was an insurmountable gap between zero and one.
Experience was that crucial for performers.
"Ah, the more I practice, the harder it gets. That's the problem. All our kids are having meltdowns."
"You too? Lately, it feels like every day's blending together."
His friends around him were slumping, muttering endless gripes.
Myeong Woo-bin had offered advice a few times before, but since everyone had different assigned pieces, words alone didn't translate easily into practice.
"I've been thinking lately—this isn't something you can just brute-force by grinding concerto reps."
"And we won't even know who we're pairing with on the day, right?"
A few of their frustrations hit home for Myeong Woo-bin too.
Call it the limits of ad-hoc concerto practice. Even endlessly drilling with the same group before the exam wouldn't be enough, yet here they were, constantly shuffling members and trying to build skill.
Once you'd nailed the basic concerto framework, pushing the quality higher got seriously tough.
'Like they say, more practice doesn't guarantee results.'
Plus, the orchestras on exam day would all be evenly matched. Random group assignments made it inevitable.
That only made the solo instrument—the piano—more critical.
No matter how he turned it over in his mind, he always ended up at the same conclusion. The pianist's fundamentals would decide everything.
In other words, for Myeong Woo-bin, the second evaluation was a perfectly set table, with zero reason to lack confidence.
"Back at Ye-won, we had a conductor for quartet or quintet exams. One from the conducting department."
"Yeah."
"But now we're doing chamber without one? What are we supposed to do, just watch and play?"
"Even full orchestras without conductors are a mess to follow."
"Agreed."
Myeong Woo-bin nodded gravely in agreement. He felt the burden of no conductor too.
Without that pillar to guide the performance, reaching an ideal concerto had its limits.
Most players could only focus on nailing the notes on their own sheet music. Only those with a bit of extra bandwidth could glance at other sections or the piano, but it wasn't all that effective.
The absent conductor was a penalty everyone shared. No need to dwell on a universal shortcoming.
Everything was a constant. The only variable was the pianist's skill.
"I'm thinking of switching to solo practice from now on. Woo-bin, mind helping out a bit?"
"......I need more concerto reps myself."
"Woo-bin's going hard this time—got any time left?"
Myeong Woo-bin clenched his molars.
The first evaluation results still didn't sit right with him.
Baek Ji-ho's group taking second place was hard to swallow, but not incomprehensible.
The real issue was Kwon Do-hyun's group.
Those total disasters scoring the highest? He still couldn't wrap his head around it.
'Why did the teachers validate that kind of music...?'
Kwon Do-hyun's group had blatantly broken the form.
One player jumping into transitions between sections to stitch in little bridges? That wasn't genius—it was an insult, a smear on the original score.
Had deconstructionism suddenly trended among Ye-rim's faculty?
Myeong Woo-bin snorted softly as the reel of the first evaluation flashed through his mind.
'......The musical flow wasn't bad, if you ignored everything else.'
Yeah, junk food always tasted good. He cringed at how he'd briefly seen that recklessness in a positive light.
Myeong Woo-bin let out a shallow sigh and turned his head.
His eyes caught a male student intently watching a video through earphones since morning.
'......Kwon Do-hyun.'
This evaluation wouldn't let him slide like last time.
The concerto format would blow away any veil over his skills like a receding tide. His shortcomings would be laid bare.
Now, Myeong Woo-bin was almost worried about the shock Kwon Do-hyun would face afterward.
Setting aside skill, the guy seemed convinced he had real musical chops. And he'd never met anyone like that without sky-high pride.
"Kwon Do-hyun."
Spotting Kwon Do-hyun rising from his seat and heading out, Myeong Woo-bin approached and grabbed him.
"Oh, you actually talking to me? What's up?"
The flat gaze cooled the derision that had bubbled up moments ago.
Right—he wasn't at fault. Just caught in warped musical values from irregular training and the chaotic vibe of art school, too overwhelmed to adapt.
No need to be prickly; a mature approach suited him better.
Myeong Woo-bin decided to help Kwon Do-hyun prep for the second evaluation with advice from his own experience.
He'd never seen the guy as real competition anyway.
With his friends, words might not stick, but...
"......You prepping well for this exam?"
"Worried about me? I'm grinding, don't sweat it. You?"
"Same here."
The chat was fizzling out. Myeong Woo-bin forced the words out.
"You probably haven't done a concerto with orchestra before."
"Duh, obvious. You're not here to tease, are you?"
"......Just saying, don't play it your way this time. Stick tight to the orchestra, keep it clean. That's your best shot."
Kwon Do-hyun smirked playfully.
"Ooh, advice from a vet?"
"No more weird stunts like last time. Think about the score. Other orchestra kids too—play it safe, stable."
Meeting his gaze steadily, Kwon Do-hyun chuckled and patted Myeong Woo-bin's shoulder.
"You're a good guy, huh?"
"Forget it if you don't wanna hear it."
"Thanks for the advice. Good luck to you too."
He'd expected impatience, but the guy seemed oddly relaxed.
'Got some ace up his sleeve?'
Myeong Woo-bin's mind grew a tad muddled.
As Kwon Do-hyun turned to leave, he glanced back.
"Hey, but that 'weird stunt' got me first place last time."
"......"
"Don't worry about my score—I'm grinding too. If it flops, it's on me, right?"
He waved casually and walked off.
"Damn it......"
Myeong Woo-bin clicked his tongue. People always spat curses when words failed them.
He stood blankly for a moment, then returned to his seat.
"Woo-bin. What was that?"
Jeong Hye-won, fiddling with her phone, looked up at him with a sulky face.
"Nothing."
"You don't like him much, but suddenly wanna be friends?"
"Friends? Please."
Leaning back in his chair, Myeong Woo-bin watched Jeong Hye-won. She was scrolling SNS while munching snacks, killing time with little pokes.
"You look all prepped for the exam."
"I just need to beat Seo Ye-ri."
Shoving snacks into her mouth, Jeong Hye-won showed no real worry.
"Confident?"
"Confidence? Seo Ye-ri's gonna bomb the exam anyway."
"She's not bad."
She narrowed her eyes thinly, glaring at Myeong Woo-bin.
"You really can't read girls, Woo-bin. That's why you've been hung up on someone like Lee Ha-yeon for over three years... Ah, got it, sorry, sorry."
Faking fear at his glare, she dialed back the teasing and twirled her finger.
"You think a yes-man like Ye-ri, who's soft-hearted, can tell the orchestra off? She'll just tremble the whole time and give a meh performance on the day. She shouldn't even be playing piano."
True, picturing Seo Ye-ri stubbornly asserting herself and bickering with the orchestra to sync up was tough.
Still, pinning it on innate personality felt harsh.
Myeong Woo-bin fixed her with a cold stare.
"You think people are that cunning?"
"What can I say? Look closer—Seo Ye-ri's one sly fox."
"Hm."
Letting out a soft sigh, Myeong Woo-bin tilted his chin up to the ceiling.
'Second evaluation—no matter what, I'm taking first this time.'
"Why are we short chairs?"
"Check the waiting room. Heard the seniors used some this morning."
"Ugh...... annoying."
The familiar small auditorium hall bustled. I'd tried to help with chair setup, but the piano majors said just staying out of the way was the biggest help.
So I sat blankly in the audience seats, earphones in, staring at the ceiling.
What wind blew Myeong Woo-bin to say all that earlier? Seemed well-intentioned, even if I didn't know.
'Not that I'll play it safe like he said.'
Going full nice-guy in this evaluation was a guaranteed flop. Appreciate the advice, but pass.
'Wonder how the busking video will do.'
I'd already checked the footage Jin-seong sunbae sent. Actually, I'd just rewatched it.
I'd told him not to upload if it bombed, but it turned out decent. Good thing—I'd felt we made some high-level music live.
"Do-hyun!"
A figure popped into my fuzzy view. Kim Ga-eul, grinning ear to ear.
"Hey, you ready?"
"What're you watching?"
I pulled out my silent earphones and answered; she gestured wildly with curiosity. Her long brown hair swayed side to side.
"Oh, this."
Uh, well, I did some busking yesterday, and it's going on YouTube.
No way I'd say that. It'd upload in a few days anyway—no need for fanfare.
"Just YouTube?"
"When you begged me to join earlier, now you're all chill? Practice done?"
"I never begged......"
"We'll see later anyway!"
Kim Ga-eul giggled, waved, and vanished. I sighed lightly and scanned the busy auditorium.
As the situation suggested, I was practicing with her group again today.
Simple reason: she had stronger leadership than she seemed.
Even with a few weaker players, she balanced the lineup without breaking it.
To recreate the busking vibe, syncing with a solid orchestra felt best.
"Let's get started—everyone gather!"
Her birdlike call kicked off practice.
By now, everyone was past familiar and straight-up seasoned with this mini-orchestra setup. No hitches from inexperience—practice flowed smoothly.
"Ah, so tiring."
"Pack up quick and grab food."
The three-hour session wrapped.
They didn't mind help with cleanup, even if not setup. Carrying chairs, I mentally reviewed the practice.
'Way better than before busking.'
Today, I'd ignored the orchestra's minor gripes and led aggressively.
Results as expected. This was the way.
To show the solo instrument's true power, the piano had to shoulder more than expected.
'In other words, the piano compensates for no conductor.'
Fierce playing pioneers the path in the conductor's stead. Like a vanguard.
Just setting direction gave the concerto a clear goal. Possible only in this conductor-less, small-scale setup—a handy loophole.
Might seem cheap, but so what? Best music under the rules—that's enough.
'Ditch matching them—set all standards myself, you follow.'
Closest to the answer right now.
Good vibe. Just polish fine details like rhythm in the time left.
"Do-hyun!"
As I hauled folded chairs to the waiting room, Kim Ga-eul came panting up.
"You taking private lessons? From who?"
Lessons? Her tone dripped "random question," so I aligned chairs while replying.
"Nah, nothing like that."
"Really? You've improved tons since last time, and not that long ago."
Ooh...... Lee Seong-hyuk lately, now Kim Ga-eul praising me. What growth. Worth the all-day grind.
I suppressed the snort bubbling out. Wondered if grinning like an idiot looked shabby—many thoughts flashed.
"I don't show it, but I'm pretty proud right now, y'know."
"Dude, show it sometimes! Confidence—yeah?"
She thumped her chest proudly.
"Like you?"
"Exactly—like me."
I faced her, grinning goofily.
"Was I obnoxious?"
"Nah, keep showing it. Suits you."
"Yeah, even if you call it obnoxious. Heh heh."
"......"
Chuckling, she patted my shoulder and sauntered off lightly.
She'd reacted most sharply to my changes. Hope others catch on like her on exam day.
'Tomorrow, practice with the weakest orchestra group.'
Then back to Kim Ga-eul's next day.
Comparing stark skill gaps would reveal how orchestras take to my playing.
It was a late-afternoon session as the exam loomed final stretch.
Kim Ga-eul shifted her gaze from Kwon Do-hyun strolling out of the small auditorium hall.
Her group was too strong, so he'd skipped joint practice for a bit—but for some reason, he'd joined twice in the last three days.
Up on the fully cleared stage, her friends huddled, debating dinner spots.
'How'd he do it?'
She'd been questioning Kwon Do-hyun's recent growth.
Not an explosive skill leap, but a weird confidence boost.
Conviction. Yeah, conviction—that nailed it.
'Makes our playing feel focused too......'
Normally, it was patched-together scraps, sounds scattered without a center.
With him, from planning, it wove tight like tailored fabric.
The music gained cohesion. Sans conductor.
"Ah, but I felt something off today?"
"What?"
Crouched, Kim Ga-eul's ears caught her friends' chat.
"Practice variance bigger than usual? Today's playing was shockingly good."
"Members keep changing, so skill gaps are natural."
"Nah...... I'd have noticed that. The texture was totally different."
Kim Ga-eul nodded inwardly. Nothing major, but yeah.
"Day before was great, yesterday all sour notes, today insane?"
"Know what changed?"
"Dunno, I stuck with Ga-eul's group......"
She didn't join in, but pondered herself.
'Day before yesterday, yesterday, today—what differed?'
No fancy instruments, no special teacher tips.
Day before yesterday, yesterday, today......
'Do-hyun?'
That instant, Kim Ga-eul shot up unknowingly, eyes wide.