The Genius Composer Starts Again - Chapter 28

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Perfect timing.”

Jeong Tae-seong glanced at his wristwatch and continued speaking.

“The other two who were recommended for scholarships will be here soon. At least say hello before you go.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah.”

I frowned inwardly.

Wasn’t this timing as if he had anticipated I would accept and scheduled everything accordingly? No, rather than that, it was probably a device to subtly create an atmosphere that would make me change my mind even if I refused.

Looking at Jeong Tae-seong’s composed face, I felt strangely unsettled.

“There’s going to be a recital soon. I wanted to discuss what to prepare. Since you’ll be moving as one team from now on, it would be good to get along well.”

As soon as Jeong Tae-seong finished speaking, footsteps echoed from the corridor.

Knock knock.

“Come in~.”

The door slid open smoothly.

The first thing that caught my eye was yellow bleached hair.

“Yun-je’s here.”

Cho Yun-je looked at me, already seated, and smiled brightly. It felt annoyingly like he was saying ‘I told you so.’

-I’m Cho Yun-je. I think we’ll be seeing each other often. I wanted to say hello in advance.

So that’s what he meant.

It seemed Cho Yun-je had listened to my presentation that day and intuited that I would join the same scholarship group as him.

Well, there probably weren’t many people who would deliberately refuse this elite course.

“Where’s Se-a?”

“She’ll be here soon. I met her on the 1st floor.”

“Really? Why didn’t you come together?”

“Well…”

Cho Yun-je trailed off awkwardly as he naturally sat on the sofa across from Jeong Tae-seong, which was next to me.

Soon I could understand the meaning of that silence.

“Professor!”

Pattering footsteps echoed rapidly and overlapped in the corridor.

Then the door, which hadn’t fully closed, was roughly flung open, and a short female student made a boisterous entrance.

“I’m here!”

Her beaming face looked exactly like a mischievous little rascal. Just looking at her face, you could believe she was a middle schooler.

The guitar case on her back was almost as big as her body, making her look precarious just watching her.

Her pink hoodie had rabbit ears attached, and she was decked out in pink from head to toe.

She looked like she had jumped straight out of a Japanese manga.

“Se-a is energetic as always today!”

“Yes~! I met a totally cute puppy on the 1st floor!”

The female student called Se-a began bouncing in place and passionately describing how cute the puppy she met was.

Hmm. If she had been like that from earlier, it would have been difficult to approach and strike up a conversation.

When I looked toward Cho Yun-je, sure enough, he had a slightly fed-up expression.

Even Cho Yun-je, who seemed to have a bunch of cunning schemes brewing inside, appeared to find this type of stubborn my-way personality overwhelming.

“Right, right. Oh, both of you say hello. Yun-je, you’ve already seen each other since you take the same class, right? This is Yoon Seol. She’s a second-year, and she’s decided to join our scholarship group.”

“Please take care of me. I transferred here from the piano department.”

“Come on, you two introduce yourselves too.”

At Jeong Tae-seong’s urging, Cho Yun-je spoke first.

“I’m Cho Yun-je. You didn’t repeat a year, right? Then we’re the same age…”

“I’m Kang Se-a!”

Before Cho Yun-je could finish speaking, Kang Se-a interrupted.

“I’m a third-year, and my main instrument is guitar!”

A third-year?

She had a face I wouldn’t believe even if she said she was a first-year, but she was older than me. I must have shown my surprise, because Kang Se-a grinned.

“By the way, I really hate it when underclassmen speak casually to me, so I’d appreciate it if you treated me ‘respectfully’?”

“Yes.”

She must have suffered a lot because of her young-looking appearance.

When she was giving a warning, her cheerful demeanor was nowhere to be found, and only a chilling coldness lingered.

‘She’s like a completely different person.’

She seemed like someone with a big gap between when she was expressionless and when she smiled brightly.

‘No, maybe that cute appearance is deliberately put on, and her true nature is actually closer to this side.’

Jeong Tae-seong clapped his hands to draw attention.

“Good. It seems like everyone’s introduced themselves, so let’s get to the main point. We need to decide what to show the sponsors.”

Kang Se-a’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“How about an ensemble? We just got someone from the piano department. It would be nice to do it trio-style.”

Cho Yun-je immediately countered.

“If we go with a recital, we might actually be compared unfavorably. The majors from that side will also be preparing recitals.”

“Right. It would be a bit disappointing if the Composition Department’s presentation was just a simple ensemble.”

Jeong Tae-seong nodded. Cho Yun-je offered a different opinion.

“What about each of us presenting one original composition we’re confident in?”

“Hey! If we do that, there’s no point in the three of us being a team. It’s just individual presentations.”

This time Kang Se-a objected.

“What should we do…”

“I know, right.”

“Hmm.”

Silence continued as all three seemed lost in thought.

I cautiously raised my hand and brought up an idea.

“Then how about the three of us present original compositions, but show one unified flow?”

“Flow?”

“Yes. For example, we could use ‘time’ as a theme and each create pieces with past-present-future themes.”

“Ah~. Right. There are many four-part pieces themed around the four seasons too.”

“It would be easy to show that we’re one team too.”

“That’s not bad?!”

“Then what should we make the theme?”

“Past, present, future seems too abstract.”

“How about something more intuitive but allows for various interpretations.”

More contemplation followed. While Kang Se-a and Jeong Tae-seong put their heads together thinking, Cho Yun-je spoke up.

“Birth-life-death. How about a trilogy like that?”

“Ooh. That’s not bad. It’s classical, but that makes it an interesting theme.”

When Jeong Tae-seong showed a positive reaction, Kang Se-a immediately raised her hand high.

“I want life! I’ll do life. Life!”

“I don’t mind either way. Seol, what about you?”

I nodded as well.

“Awesome~!”

Then Kang Se-a, having secured the part she wanted, jumped up excitedly.

“What’s left is birth and death…”

Cho Yun-je looked at me and asked.

“Which one do you want to do? I don’t mind either.”

The choice was passed to me.

I slowly drew in a breath. Either one was fine, but if I could choose…

“Death.”

I answered in a low, subdued voice.

“I’ll do death.”

“Then I’ll be birth.”

Cho Yun-je nodded calmly. Then Jeong Tae-seong looked at the three of us in turn and spoke.

“Good. Now that we’ve decided, what’s left is composing that clearly reveals your own unique color. Come up with basic melody lines by next week. I’ll review them and help supplement any lacking parts.”

“Yes~!”

“Understood.”

“I’ll do that.”

“Then dismissed!”

At Jeong Tae-seong’s declaration, Kang Se-a laughed cheerfully and ran outside.

When I glanced out, her back already looked like a small dot in the distance.

“It’s still too early to be surprised.”

As we came outside, Cho Yun-je chuckled and spoke to me.

“About what?”

“About Se-a noona. She may seem a bit foolish, but her talent is certain.”

Cho Yun-je spoke as if he knew Kang Se-a well. When I looked at him questioningly, Cho Yun-je added an explanation.

“Since last year, both Se-a noona and I have been in the scholarship group. One fourth-year senior graduated, so you’re the new addition.”

Ah. Then the two of them had already known each other since last year.

Since they hold recitals once per semester, they would already have experience preparing for recitals together twice.

“Everyone’s the same. First they’re surprised by her young-looking face, then they’re surprised when they hear her age. Finally, they’re surprised when they see her skills.”

To that extent, huh.

I’d never heard Kang Se-a’s compositions, but I was starting to look forward to them.

“By the way, that was unexpected.”

“…?”

“I mean choosing death.”

Cho Yun-je spoke with a slight smile.

“It looks like the easiest at first glance, but it’s actually the most difficult theme.”

I quietly waited for what would follow.

“Birth and life are things everyone has already experienced, so there are common shared images. Birth is a baby’s cry, a single ray of light first discovered while crouched in darkness, things like that.”

He shrugged his shoulders lightly.

“Life is the same. Joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure. Anyone can project their own experiences onto it. Empathy is one of the important elements that makes listeners focus.”

Cho Yun-je’s gaze fixed on me.

“On the other hand, ‘death’ is an unknown realm. Something we who are alive cannot know.”

I ended up chuckling.

At my reaction, Cho Yun-je narrowed his eyes and observed me.

“Ah, sorry. It’s not that what you said was funny or anything. It’s just…”

I paused for a moment before continuing.

“In that sense, I think I chose well.”

That distant pain that rushed in like high tide and receded like low tide. That eerie coldness was something only those who had experienced it could understand.

I could guarantee it,

In this world, no one knew death better than I did.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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