The Genius Composer Starts Again - Chapter 59

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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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The stares felt piercingly intense. What on earth was happening here.

 

I had continued attending Cha Moon-ho’s lectures, but Cha Moon-ho had never once spoken to students or asked them to do anything.

 

Once he started, he was like a runaway locomotive, talking non-stop for a full 2 hours by himself.

 

Naturally, I thought he wouldn’t even know my name.

 

Since it was such a small elite class, our eyes did meet occasionally, but Cha Moon-ho didn’t even take attendance.

 

At most, he would have only checked the names written on the weekly assignments he gave out.

 

He had never shown any sign of knowing my name until now, and suddenly he calls on me at a moment like this?

 

Whether he knew I was shocked or not, Cha Moon-ho blurted out what he wanted to say.

 

“Can you do as well as this student? If you can, I’ll give you an A+. But if you don’t have that confidence, I won’t accept any objections.”

 

The surrounding students’ gazes became even colder.

 

“I only look at ability. If you received C’s or D’s, it’s because you deserved them.”

 

From here and there came sounds of sharp intakes of breath and suppressed bitter laughter.

 

Cha Moon-ho had an expression that said ‘I’m just stating an obvious fact,’ but this was no different from issuing a wide-area provocation to the students.

 

“This is really ridiculous.”

 

“Ha. He’s completely insane.”

 

“Drill Moon-ho has really become a proper professor.”

 

Anger rippled like small waves. The humiliation that had risen to the top of their heads wandered aimlessly before gathering at one point.

 

None other than me.

 

My back grew hot. Under gazes that contained not a shred of goodwill, I too began to feel mixed with resignation.

 

“Quiet, quiet!”

 

Cha Moon-ho tapped the desk with his hand to quell the commotion.

 

“Student Seol, come forward.”

 

“Yes.”

 

I replied with a voice half-mixed with sighs.

 

I even had the reasonable suspicion that Cha Moon-ho actually disliked me and had put me in this situation.

 

As I slowly walked toward the front of the lecture hall, sticky gazes followed me.

 

“Recreate the piece you submitted for the midterm exam, right here.”

 

I asked cautiously.

 

“…Now, here?”

 

“Yes. Now. Here.”

 

“There’s no piano here.”

 

At my answer, Cha Moon-ho tilted his head.

 

“Is that a problem?”

 

Usually it would be a problem.

 

I swallowed the words that had risen to my chin. There was no point in giving such an answer to a professor who brought drills and shovels asking us to listen to these beautiful sounds.

 

The other students’ eyes also filled with pity.

 

“The midterm assignment was to compose music without using instruments, wasn’t it?”

 

That’s right.

 

It was an exam question that not only students who didn’t attend class, but even those who did attend couldn’t understand at all.

 

What was provided wasn’t even staff paper, but completely blank sheets.

 

Most students probably couldn’t properly grasp the professor’s intention and just wrote down some random piece.

 

“Student Seol must have composed with that in mind, right?”

 

Except for me.

 

Cha Moon-ho was right.

 

My piece wasn’t originally made to be played on piano.

 

Still, it would be more convenient to play it on piano if possible. I had asked just in case.

 

‘Can’t be helped.’

 

I sighed inwardly.

 

“Professor. Then may I borrow the toolbox you brought?”

 

“By all means.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Clunk.

 

I examined the old metal toolbox placed on the desk. Inside, wrenches, screwdrivers, screws, measuring tape, clips and such were jumbled together messily.

 

And I swept my gaze across the lecture hall.

 

Chalkboard, plastic water bottles, laptops, desks and chairs.

 

Tap, I knocked on the desk with my fingertip.

 

‘C# minor.’

 

After confirming the note, I nodded.

 

“Then, I’ll begin.”

 

At the same time, I muttered to myself.

 

‘Title, equip Immortal Performer.’

 

[ SYSTEM – V1.0 ]

 

> Equipping title ‘Immortal Performer (A)’.

 

As soon as I changed titles, I felt the surrounding gazes change.

 

It was probably thanks to the title’s effect: Audience Immersion +10% and increased audience concentration during performances.

 

Those who had been watching with arms crossed in a ‘let’s see you try’ attitude, those who had been yawning boredly, all straightened up in an instant.

 

Clang-.

 

It started with the sound of dropping a wrench. That single note resonating off the desk surface instantly changed the atmosphere.

 

I placed a metal ruler at the edge of the desk and flicked it with my fingertip.

 

Ting-, ting-, ting-.

 

With my other hand, I gripped a screwdriver backwards and tapped the desk edge briefly to create rhythm.

 

Thanks to the balanced 4/4 time, meaningless noise began to become music.

 

“Please help.”

 

I handed the screwdriver and wrench to Lee Hyun-ji sitting in the front row.

 

Lee Hyun-ji looked surprised for a moment, then grinned and followed along.

 

Next was the plastic water bottle.

 

I crumpled the bottle and shook it to make water sounds.

 

I naturally passed it to Choi Dong-hyeok sitting next to Lee Hyun-ji. Choi Dong-hyeok followed along as if he’d been waiting.

 

Then I asked Yu Da-yeon for laptop opening and closing sounds, and Han So-yeon for tapping sounds with a pen.

 

Han So-yeon made a sulky expression but obediently followed along.

 

At the same time, I dragged a chair leg with my foot.

 

Scrape-.

 

The rubber padding touching the floor slipped, producing a dull sound.

 

The music that built up one by one created perfect harmony.

 

At that moment, everyone must have realized.

 

That everything they had called noise until now could actually become material for music.

 

‘This should be enough.’

 

For the final finale, I threw clips onto the desk, listening to the scattering sound as I raised my clenched fist high.

 

Following the hand signal, the music stopped completely.

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

Even after stopping the music, silence flowed for a while. The wrench’s resonance was still vibrating under the table.

 

Clap clap clap.

 

Everyone seemed spellbound until Cha Moon-ho started clapping.

 

“Magnificent. You created the main theme with the wrench and metal ruler. About C#m7. You added rhythm with the screwdriver, and the sound of shaking the bottle softened the hardness of the metallic sounds to balance the whole piece.”

 

Cha Moon-ho chattered excitedly as if thrilled.

 

“If transcribed to sheet music, it would be a perfect A-E-G#-C# structure. You have good ears. To select the necessary tools in one go.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Moreover, the last clip section. The sound naturally faded out to finish the piece. You utilized the space acoustically.”

 

Cha Moon-ho smiled with satisfaction. Then he looked around the lecture hall and spoke.

 

“With this level, you can receive an A+.”

 

Shock spread across the students’ faces.

 

“The harmony was perfect too, and within the physical limitations of the given environment, you established scales, created rhythm, and built tonality. That’s exactly the original form of music.”

 

The lecture hall was once again enveloped in silence.

 

“Students who have objections can come out and reproduce their submitted sheet music exactly like this. If the completeness is decent, I might change your grade.”

 

Cha Moon-ho chuckled as he added his final words.

 

“Though that’s unlikely to happen.”

 

Once again, Cha Moon-ho asked, “Now, are there still students dissatisfied with their scores?” but no one answered.

 

“Good. Then let’s continue with the class.”

 

Cha Moon-ho gestured for me to return to my seat.

 

I bowed in greeting and turned around. The following gazes remained, but I deliberately pretended not to notice.

 

“Damn it. What are we supposed to do about this.”

 

“This is driving me crazy.”

 

“Should I retake it? But I feel like I’d get the same score even if I retook it.”

 

“I should have dropped it earlier. I shouldn’t have been tempted just because he doesn’t take attendance.”

 

I could gradually hear murmuring sounds from around me. I was pretending not to hear and trying to focus on the class when it happened.

 

Buzz-.

 

A vibration rang out and I looked down at my phone.

 

It was Min Chan-hyeok.

 

‘What’s this about?’

 

We did keep in light contact even after the work was finished, but he wasn’t the type to call like this.

 

‘I should answer later.’

 

I declined the call and put it back down, but it rang once more.

 

Buzz-.

 

‘Twice?’

 

He must have known I declined, yet he called again. It seemed like there was something urgent.

 

‘It’s a bit awkward to go out right now.’

 

I lowered my phone under the desk and opened KakaoTalk.

 

[ What’s going on? I can’t take calls right now ]

 

As soon as I sent the message, the 1 disappeared and a reply came immediately.

 

[ Did you meet Jeong Do-hyun? ]

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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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