The Genius Composer Starts Again - Chapter 82

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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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Under the bright desk lamp, pale white skin and long drooping eyelashes. And fingertips that looked as if they had been rummaging through ashes, with soot dried and stuck to them.

With an appearance somewhat disheveled for someone who was supposedly the owner of the brilliant talent I had just witnessed, Park Hee-jae stood there.

He seemed flustered by the sudden appearance of an outsider.

“I’m Yoon Seol.”

I should start with introductions first.

“I’m in the same department as you. One year above.”

“Ah…! From Professor Cha Moon-ho’s class!”

“That’s right.”

Fortunately, he seemed to recognize me. Given all that commotion during midterms, it made sense.

Still, perhaps because he realized the other person was a senior from the same department, his wariness eased considerably.

But with his face still full of puzzlement, he tilted his head.

“But what brings you here?”

“I consulted with Professor Cha Moon-ho about a personal matter, and he told me to come check this place out.”

“Ah! I see.”

Only then did Park Hee-jae smile sheepishly with embarrassment.

“What about you?”

“It’s similar for me. Last time I told Professor Cha Moon-ho that I didn’t know how to find inspiration, and he told me to come here to encounter unfamiliar sounds and develop my listening skills.”

My reason for coming here wasn’t that, but rather to meet Park Hee-jae, though I didn’t bother to correct him.

“I’m Park Hee-jae. I’m a freshman.”

“I know.”

“You know me? …Oh, come to think of it, you said we were in the same department from the start. How, how did you know? Did Professor Cha Moon-ho tip you off?”

“No. The professor didn’t tell me.”

I took a step forward.

“I’m close with Ah-rin.”

At those words, Park Hee-jae’s eyes changed.

At first his eyes widened as if he’d heard an unexpected name, then he smiled brightly like a flower in full bloom.

“Did Ah-rin noona talk about me?”

“Yeah.”

“What, what did she say?”

“That you’re a junior she cherishes.”

“I see. Hehe.”

Park Hee-jae’s ears turned bright red. An undeniable flutter spread across his face.

“How did you two meet? I didn’t hear that story from Ah-rin either.”

I was curious whether it had been Mun Ah-rin’s intentional approach, or a chance encounter.

Could Mun Ah-rin also have some kind of skill for spotting raw talent? How else could she have found and approached a first-year genius who hadn’t even been selected as a scholarship student yet?

“Well… she probably didn’t mention it because she thought I’d be embarrassed.”

Park Hee-jae scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Noona helped me when I was having a hard time.”

“A hard time?”

“Yes.”

Park Hee-jae hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“I was being bullied.”

“…”

“They took sheet music I had written by hand and were about to tear it up. It survived thanks to Ah-rin noona discovering it and stopping them.”

Small stature for a guy with a thin build, striking appearance, and a timid, fragile personality.

I could imagine how Park Hee-jae might have looked like easy prey to certain kids.

At that moment, very old memories seemed to resurface. A forgotten box of memories creaked open.

-Are you okay?

It was the same back then too.

During middle school, one afternoon. I discovered a noticeably quiet classmate surrounded by a group of kids.

At first I thought about pretending not to see and walking past, but then I changed my mind and intervened.

When I said a teacher was coming, the group cursed but gradually backed away.

I approached that kid with the tear-stained face and asked if they were okay, but got no response.

They probably didn’t want to show their disheveled state to others. Besides, I was pressed for time to get to academy anyway.

I turned around and left,

and what happened that day ended as a simple incident. By the time I had completely forgotten about it, I met Mun Ah-rin again.

-Hi, Seol. Nice to meet you.

With a face completely different from middle school, Mun Ah-rin smiled brightly.

-We ended up at the same high school?

Saying that, she extended her hand to me.

Park Hee-jae in front of me overlapped with Mun Ah-rin from back then.

‘Could it be just a coincidence?’

Park Hee-jae had firmly grasped the hand Mun Ah-rin extended when he was cornered at the edge of a cliff. There couldn’t have been any other choice for Park Hee-jae.

This blind faith was probably from the same context.

“…This song, you wrote it, right?”

I showed him Mun Ah-rin’s audition piece. Park Hee-jae answered with a bright face.

“Yes, that’s right. Did Ah-rin noona tell you? She said it was a secret from other people.”

“…Really?”

“I wanted my song to be properly evaluated. Whether it was a piece that would work not just at the freshman level, but at the sophomore level too. Noona said she’d lend me her name so I could test it out.”

Park Hee-jae’s eyes were sparkling brightly.

“I heard it actually received good reviews. Ah-rin noona was jumping with joy when she told me. So I was happy too. It felt like I had been recognized.”

At those words, I slowly closed and opened my eyes.

As expected. Park Hee-jae had no idea what this meant.

“…Even though your song was published under Mun Ah-rin’s name?”

“I don’t really mind.”

Park Hee-jae smiled bashfully.

“Even if it’s not my name, as long as someone listens to it favorably, that’s enough for me.”

Park Hee-jae resembled me.

‘I used to think like that too.’

When I helped with Mun Ah-rin’s assignments, I thought the name didn’t matter at all. What I needed was self-confidence.

I wanted recognition from someone, somehow. Other people’s evaluations mattered, but most of all, from Mun Ah-rin.

Part of why I threw myself even more into composing was because I wanted Mun Ah-rin to praise me and say I did well.

‘Back then I couldn’t see anything. I was just blind.’

Even knowing that my relationship with Mun Ah-rin looked strange to others, I couldn’t stop.

After losing my entire family in a sudden accident, all I had left was Mun Ah-rin.

Park Hee-jae was probably similar.

When he couldn’t adapt to school life and was being bullied by those around him, Mun Ah-rin appeared like a comet and became the hope and light of his life.

‘Even if I told him that Mun Ah-rin is using him right now, it wouldn’t work at all.’

That blind look in his eyes didn’t seem like it would waver. If anything, he might suspect me instead.

‘Then I’ll be satisfied with just getting acquainted for now.’

When Mun Ah-rin made another move, it wouldn’t be too late to approach Park Hee-jae then.

“Keep our meeting a secret from Ah-rin.”

“Huh? Why?”

“She didn’t directly tell me about you. I just happened to figure it out on my own.”

“Ah…”

“Arin would be in trouble too if it came out that she lent her name. I don’t want to act like I know her for no reason.”

“Yes! I understand. I won’t tell Arin noona about this.”

Park Hee-jae smiled innocently with a grin. He seemed completely oblivious to what kind of situation he was in.

“I’ll come here often too. Let’s meet again next time.”

“Yes~!”

After saying goodbye to Park Hee-jae and leaving, I slowly ruminated over fragments of the past.

My appearance before the regression might have been Park Hee-jae’s future. I had to prevent that terrible thing from repeating itself no matter what.

‘Absolutely.’

I muttered to myself while clenching my fist tightly.

***

Inside the studio was filled with lights brighter than daylight. Various albums hung in rows on the walls, and bottles of mixed liquor and ashtrays were scattered across the table.

Cigarette smoke rose acridly.

“Hey, did you hear that story?”

A thin voice. The man sitting in front of the laptop said while opening a beer can.

“That rookie called YULE or something like barley tea. I heard he’s hot stuff these days?”

“YULE?”

SLO, who was changing guitar strings nearby, looked up. He was a composer who had some standing in the hip-hop scene.

“Who’s that? A woman or a man?”

“Don’t know. They say he’s mysterious. Last time he worked on Lee Ha-in’s title track, and this time he worked under Bella at A&S?”

“Mysterious my ass. I guarantee he’s either a scrawny anchovy or a fat pig. Otherwise, why would he hide?”

SLO sneered while taking a long drag of his cigarette.

“Agreed. His face must be really fucking ugly.”

“I’m curious. How hideous must he be to act like that.”

“Exactly.”

As they threw around nasty jokes one by one, an atmosphere of mocking and badmouthing YULE soon became prevalent.

In the midst of it, SLO spat out with a mischievous smile.

“Perfect timing. Should we get him to work on this project?”

“Huh? For real?”

“Who’s actually going to hire him? We’ll pretend to hire him while getting a look at his face.”

“Crazy bastard, really. Isn’t this guy insane?”

“He must be nuts.”

Snicker snicker. Vulgar laughter spread.

“Isn’t that going too far?”

“Hey. Just drink your booze. You’re ruining the taste.”

Several people tried to dissuade him, but SLO was too excited to stop.

“Hey. Contact him quickly. Let’s get a look at that bastard’s face.”

SLO’s eyes gleamed darkly.

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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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