The pianist, who had spent over thirty minutes analyzing a ten-minute performance, began his closing remarks.
The pianist called Ha Hyeonjun paused at every part that needed to be pointed out,
unfolding a detailed and meticulous analysis.
-This is so fun! Even I, who’s never learned piano, feel like I can understand the performance so clearly.
-Wow... I really didn’t know there was that kind of intent behind it, but now I’m looking at things like her hand shape and expressions again... Thank you for the lovely words!
It was an approach that perfectly interpreted the fans’ needs.
However, the existing audience of a classical music channel was not the same younger generation as the fans.
Naturally, they were classical music enthusiasts—generally people of an older age group.
-A young student expressed the five harmonies right before the coda so fantastically... Her concentration at the end left me speechless... A wonderful performance.
-From the perspective of a music college student, just looking at Dohee’s history of winning competitions made me think she was no ordinary talent... but this is truly amazing...
-I thought her face was as fairy-like as her playing... and she’s an idol...? How are singers these days even good at piano too haha
-I was wondering where I’d seen her before... She’s the girl in the poster photos that my no-good son brings home every day haha lol. Still, I think I’ll be able to communicate with my son while listening to her performance together. Miss Dohee, fighting~
└Ahahaha that’s so funny~
-Thank you again today for the pianist teacher’s detailed analysis. I’ll have to go listen to the performance video myself again too.
-Wow... I knew she was good, but
└This is a comment Dohee posted herself, for real
This also became an opportunity to make middle-aged and elderly viewers, who had no interest in idols and didn’t even know Dohee existed, recognize her.
Thanks to that, Dohee’s competition performance video uploaded to the official Joseon Music Competition YouTube channel
quickly saw its views surge as not only fans and community users, but also classical music enthusiasts who came through classical channels gathered there.
[The 74th Joseon Music Competition High School Piano Division 1st Place Lee Dohee (16Y) F. Chopin Ballade No.4 in F minor, Op.52]
-440K views · 1 day ago
-She herself really seems like a princess
-Her genius is too much of a waste for her to be an idol. It seems like it’d be good for her to switch careers to a pianist at this point.
└Our Rahui was born on Planet Idol, though? And her face is too much of a waste for her to be a pianist lol
└You shouldn’t just look at the outside, you should look within. Modern people, accustomed to shouting sounds, can’t even lend an ear to this kind of refined and restrained sound they ought to hear...
└Yup, Dohee’s contract is 7 years~ Top East will never let her go~ lol
-She’s such a cute and pretty young lady. I’ll be cheering for her. I’m a grandmother in my 70s.
└Your tone gives it away. You’re a granny in your 20s, aren’t you?
└Was it that obvious
-Piano genius, my foot lol She’s just about at the level of a piano enthusiast lol
└lolol She really is exactly at the level of a piano enthusiast
└Should I say it’s just sorrowful... To say that while watching this kind of performance. I hope you set your mind and body right.
└Ah, sorry if you misunderstood. It’s just a joke between fans lololol Before the competition, Dohee kept drilling it into fans that she was exactly at the level of a piano enthusiast lololol
└Ah, I see lol haha lol. Piano enthusiast has a cute ring to it.
└A girl who plays that beautifully is an enthusiast lololol
-Everything about her is truly refined
└This is a comment Dohee posted herself, for real
* * *
The company building’s choreography practice room.
A short break.
Lying on the sofa, I was looking up every single performance video I appeared in.
“Wow... I knew she was... good, but...”
While occasionally leaving a few comments here and there.
“Our baby~ Are you happy you won the grand prize?”
U-a unnie said I was cute, hugged me, and kept stroking my hair.
Honestly, maybe because I’d been used to U-a unnie’s physical affection since we were very young, I didn’t feel any resistance to it.
“Yes~”
“Should unnie comment with you too?”
“No no.”
Looking at the two of us, Seoyun unnie spoke as if she was sick of it.
“She got caught once and she’s still manipulating public opinion again.”
What an extremely radical way of speaking.
“Ahem, this isn’t public opinion manipulation, it’s just a bit of self-promotion.”
Honestly, when the fans caught me doing it once last year, I was so embarrassed.
But after being teased so much, I ended up not caring in front of the members anymore, so now I didn’t even hide it.
“Yeah~ What’s the big deal? It’s not like our Dohee did anything bad.”
Naeun unnie, crouched on the practice room floor, smiled benevolently like a mother.
“Kya, as expected of Naeun unnie. This is what an unnie is. Your dignity is on a different level.”
“Is that supposed to be for me to hear?”
“Does it sting?”
“More importantly, Dohee, can unnie talk about this later as an episode when I go on a variety show?”
Benevolence, canceled.
As if.
“Forget that. You’re not leaving comments with that ID you got caught with last time, are you?”
“Of course not~ I made a new ID~”
“Sigh... Seriously, you’re so immature. Seriously.”
Leaving Seoyun unnie’s sigh behind,
I began my comment work again.
“Truly... everything... is... refined...”
“Sigh...”
And just then, an alert popped up on my phone with a vibration.
[♥Sera unnie♥: Are you asleep...?]
‘Ah, it’s Sera unnie again.’
At the same time, U-a unnie, who had been gently stroking me, shoved my head with a rough hand.
“...?”
I smoothed down my flattened hair and looked at unnie with a bewildered expression.
“You... cheated on me?”
“What.”
“That message...”
A sudden skit.
“What about the message?”
“What’s with the heart in the name setting! You didn’t do that for me!”
Ah, the heart.
[♥Sera unnie♥: You’re asleep, huh...]
“Before, you saved my name as ‘Top East Ji U-a’! But Sera sunbaenim is Sera unnie with hearts and everything!”
First, I replied.
Because Sera unnie kept sending crying emoticons.
[Me: Who sleeps at 8;;]
[Me: I’m in the practice room]
Soon, U-a unnie became the tragic heroine and mimicked a tearful voice.
“You don’t care about me at all, do you? Again... you’re talking to her right in front of me!”
This time, unnie shoved my shoulder roughly.
“Ah, stop it. And Sera unnie secretly took my phone and set that herself.”
“You expect... me to believe that? Then why haven’t you changed it all this time!”
“Because it’s a hassle. Ah, enough. I’m busy. I have comment work to do.”
“You’re always like that, aren’t you...? Give me your phone. I have to see the messages myself.”
“Ah, why would I give it to you? I told you I have to do comment work.”
Meanwhile, Naeun unnie and Seoyun unnie watched the skit with amusement from a step away.
“Does she really want to leave comments even in the middle of this? She’s tenacious. So tenacious.”
“No~ I like it. Somehow, our practice room gains one episode every day, so it’s really nice for preparing for variety shows.”
“I agree with that. There isn’t just one or two idiots.”
“Right, since it’s the majority.”
“...The majority? Unnie, am I included in that?”
“...W-Well...?”
Why is it that even though I won the grand prize,
it feels like my evaluation is only getting lower?
I’m sure I showed my genius.
As such sad thoughts passed through my mind,
something suddenly flashed across my brain.
There was something strangely off about the practice room right now.
The fact that it was quieter than usual.
I shot up from my seat.
Something impossible.
‘Chiyo unnie is quiet?’
For some reason, that made me incredibly uneasy.
I scanned the inside of the practice room.
And right beside my sofa.
In the blind spot of my vision, Chiyo unnie was diligently fiddling with her phone.
—Tap tap tap.
I bent at the waist and brought myself closer to Chiyo unnie’s screen.
“Thi...s... is... a comment... Dohee... posted herse...”
“......”
She was pressing the keyboard with her slow typing speed.
“lf... for real...”
“......”
And perhaps because she sensed something ominous,
Chiyo unnie’s head turned very slowly.
“What are you doing?”
“......”
Chiyo unnie’s eyes were shaking violently.
“Comment wo...rk...?”