The Genius Composer Starts Again - Chapter 39

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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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“That’s all for today.”

 

As the professor finished the lecture and left the room, sighs erupted from among the students.

 

Mun Ah-rin also slumped against her desk and muttered.

 

“Ugh. Another assignment bomb. How many assignments do we have to submit by next week?”

 

“About four.”

 

On top of that, I have Professor Cha Moon-ho’s class, making it five total.

 

“This is terrible. I even agreed to cover someone’s shift at my part-time job this week. How am I supposed to handle four assignments while attending school and working~.”

 

Mun Ah-rin whined with a tearful expression.

 

“Tell me about it.”

 

I responded half-heartedly while packing my bag. Mun Ah-rin, who had been quietly watching me from the side, muttered to herself in a subtle tone.

 

“Seol is so lucky. She doesn’t even have to work part-time.”

 

“….”

 

I froze for a moment. Whether she knew I had stiffened or not, Mun Ah-rin casually continued.

 

“I can’t even get living expenses, so I’m always busy with part-time work. But Seol is free once school ends. She doesn’t even come visit me at my workplace anymore.”

 

Mun Ah-rin pouted her lips. I tried to steady my voice as I answered.

 

“…Is that so? I suppose you could think of it that way.”

 

I had no choice but to give a vague response.

 

That’s because there was a specific reason why I didn’t need to earn tuition or living expenses myself.

 

It wasn’t because my parents were wealthy, or because I had money rotting away in abundance, or anything like that.

 

‘…How can she say such things when she knows the money I have left is my parents’ life insurance payout.’

 

Mun Ah-rin knew this fact too.

 

The accident that killed my parents became such big news that it was covered extensively.

 

It was human casualties due to corporate negligence. Something that might not have happened if they had just been a little more careful.

 

In exchange for losing my entire family in an instant, I received massive compensation and support for university tuition and living expenses.

 

I couldn’t argue if someone said I was living comfortably thanks to that. But it’s certainly not something to be envious of.

 

‘Even if being busy with part-time work is tough… it would have been nice to have a family to eat warm home-cooked meals together with.’

 

I bit my lip while thinking this to myself.

 

Maybe that’s why I withdrew and only stayed friends with Mun Ah-rin. At this time, I still hadn’t fully recovered from the trauma of losing my family, and the wound was festering inside.

 

In the past, Mun Ah-rin’s words like this would have reminded me of my family and brought tears to my eyes, but now it wasn’t quite that bad.

 

It had been so long ago. Even sadness becomes familiar when you dwell on it.

 

‘She didn’t directly mention family, it was just talk about envying my situation. If I get angry, I’ll just seem like an oversensitive person.’

 

It was obvious without even seeing it. If I got angry, she’d tear up and make excuses that she didn’t mean it that way.

 

“So, about that.”

 

Mun Ah-rin started another topic.

 

“Seol, could you help me out?”

 

“Help with what?”

 

“My part-time job!”

 

Mun Ah-rin answered as if she’d been waiting for this.

 

“I’ll talk to the manager! I’ll say you came to cover my shift, so could you work just one day for me? Then I’ll focus and finish all my assignments right away!”

 

Mun Ah-rin gripped my sleeve tightly and opened her eyes innocently. To a stranger, it would have been such a desperate look that they couldn’t possibly refuse.

 

“Please? Just one day!”

 

“I’ve never worked at a cafe before.”

 

“Come on, you can come the day before and learn in advance. I’ll teach you easily. I’ll even write down all the recipes for you!”

 

“Even so….”

 

“Our Seol is so pretty that people would flock to her even if she just stood at the register without making drinks, right?”

 

It was a random comment. It seemed Mun Ah-rin had no intention of backing down easily.

 

“…Did I ask for too much?”

 

When I didn’t react at all, Mun Ah-rin made a dejected expression for no reason.

 

“I just asked wondering if Seol might be able to help. You must have felt pressured. Sorry.”

 

Mun Ah-rin smiled sheepishly. Somehow she looked clearly deflated.

 

“It’s okay! If I sleep a little less, I’ll manage somehow.”

 

She didn’t seem okay at all.

 

She had a talent for making people feel guilty. I sighed deeply to myself.

 

Just as I was about to say something to Mun Ah-rin, someone interrupted.

 

“Right. If you can’t do your assignments, you should sleep less.”

 

“…?”

 

When I turned my head, Cho Yun-je was standing there.

 

I don’t know how I only just noticed that flashy hair color.

 

While Mun Ah-rin and I had been talking for a while, the other students had long since left the lecture hall. Only Cho Yun-je stood there with his bag packed.

 

“Oh…. Weren’t you leaving?”

 

Mun Ah-rin also looked flustered, as if she hadn’t thought someone else would be listening to our conversation.

 

“No. I have something to talk to Seol about, but someone kept holding her up.”

 

Cho Yun-je also smiled as he answered. Despite his gentle tone, the content of his words was sharp.

 

“I didn’t know. You should have said something earlier.”

 

Mun Ah-rin responded without backing down. Both were beautiful women, so it was pleasant to look at, but somehow it seemed like something was crackling in the air.

 

“Seol.”

 

Cho Yun-je called me familiarly. I think the last time we talked was when we met in Professor Jeong Tae-seong’s office.

 

We had quite a few overlapping classes so I’d seen his face in passing many times, but we were definitely not on terms where he’d call my name so intimately.

 

“I have something to discuss about the scholarship concert. Do you have a moment?”

 

“Oh? Sure.”

 

“I’d like to talk just between us two.”

 

Cho Yun-je glanced at Mun Ah-rin as he spoke.

 

“It would be awkward if an outsider heard.”

 

It was a clear line being drawn.

 

He was definitely saying this for Mun Ah-rin to hear on purpose. I reflexively checked Mun Ah-rin’s expression.

 

‘I never told her I became a scholarship student.’

 

Would I have to face that cold, expressionless look I’d seen several times before?

 

Contrary to my anxiety, Mun Ah-rin had her usual bright, smiling face.

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

When I looked at Mun Ah-rin instead, she tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.

 

‘…Did she already know?’

 

The scholarship selection wasn’t a secret, so she could have heard the news from someone else.

 

But then she would have come to me complaining about why I didn’t tell her in advance.

 

While I hesitated with a strange sense of unease, Cho Yun-je pressed again.

 

“Should we talk in the practice room? Room 102, Building A. The professor set it aside for scholarship students to use.”

 

Feeling like I’d kept Cho Yun-je waiting too long, I hurriedly nodded.

 

“Okay. Let’s do that. Ah-rin, do you want to go ahead?”

 

“Tch. Fine.”

 

Mun Ah-rin deliberately pouted as if she was disappointed, but she didn’t seem genuinely upset.

 

I picked up my packed bag and followed Cho Yun-je out.

 

The path to the practice room felt especially long today.

 

Step, step.

 

Only silence flowed between Cho Yun-je and me without much conversation. We didn’t have much connection to begin with, so there wasn’t much to talk about.

 

Then Cho Yun-je broke the silence first.

 

“Is she always like that?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Mun Ah-rin, I mean.”

 

When I glanced at him, Cho Yun-je’s expression was twisted as if he’d seen something unpleasant.

 

“You weren’t about to agree to cover her part-time job shift just now, were you?”

 

“No.”

 

I was definitely planning to refuse as well.

 

“Really?”

 

But Cho Yun-je narrowed his eyes as if suspicious.

 

“Really.”

 

“Then that’s a relief.”

 

Cho Yun-je pondered something for a moment, then added a comment.

 

“Be careful.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Originally, if it weren’t for you, the third scholarship student would have been Mun Ah-rin.”

 

“What?”

 

That was the first time I’d heard this story. As I widened my eyes in surprise, Cho Yun-je continued.

 

“Mun Ah-rin probably knew about it too. She went to see Professor Jeong Tae-seong several times for consultations.”

 

“….”

 

“But then you suddenly appeared. She might think you stole her spot.”

 

“I had no idea.”

 

“Anyway. Considering how she was acting toward you earlier, it’d be better to keep your distance.”

 

I wanted to do that too, if I could. But there were too many things I still needed to extract from Mun Ah-rin.

 

I chuckled inwardly while just nodding outwardly.

 

“I hope you actually understood what I… Sigh. Never mind. Who am I to worry about whom.”

 

Cho Yun-je muttered like a sigh. At that moment, I realized I caught a familiar scent from Cho Yun-je.

 

‘It’s the perfume smell from yesterday.’

 

It was so distinctive that there was no way I could mistake it.

 

“…Did you happen to come looking for me at the practice room yesterday?”

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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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