Episode 9
"Rebound~ Rebound~"
The hallway of Seun Arts High.
'Why is everyone humming all of a sudden?'
I looked at the students singing out of nowhere.
It wasn't that I was curious about the song title, or that it was a good song I didn't know.
For some reason, 'How could I not know it?'
Because the song they were singing was none other than our team's song.
It was the song we had performed with Seonji at the Open Stage.
'They don't seem particularly conscious of me...'
Still, embarrassing was embarrassing all the same.
When I hurried my steps and entered the classroom, I saw Seonji.
She had an expression similar to mine.
"Jahun, hi...?"
Seonji gave an awkward smile.
'She must have heard them singing Rebound in the hallway.'
Just as we were sharing that same sense of bewilderment, a student walked up to us.
"Oh~ aren't you the creators of the school hit song?"
It was the student who had played the drums last time.
'Kim Hyeoncheol.'
I looked at his name tag and sorted through my past life memories.
A mood maker.
I recalled him getting along with everyone and radiating a pleasant atmosphere.
I was sure he had a nickname he was called instead of his name...
After worrying for a moment, I accepted his greeting.
"Ah, Kim Drum. But what do you mean by hit song?"
At the beginning of the semester, he had kept spouting pride in being a drums major, so his name had been replaced with Drum.
"...You didn't know? You guys are totally the standard in our school now."
While I was putting on a bewildered expression, he pulled his phone out from his pocket.
What appeared on the screen was none other than the school website.
"Semoyeong?"
Also known as the Seun Arts High video upload site.
It had been created for the purpose of uploading students' performances and works, but that was the official reason; students used it as an in-school community.
'Why is he suddenly opening that?'
The moment I wondered why he would open that mid-conversation—
"We will now begin the original song, Rebound."
A familiar voice came from the phone.
I couldn't not know it.
Because the person speaking in the video he had played was none other than me.
"What is this?"
Judging by the angle, it seemed someone in the audience had filmed and uploaded it.
I looked at Kim Drum, flustered, and he shrugged his shoulders and said,
"You guys are totally hot in our school right now. More precisely, the music you made."
Kim Drum scrolled down and showed me something else.
They were students' comments on our video.
[Comments: 28]
Lee Su*: I heard it live and it was my taste, so I wanted to hear it again. So glad it's up ㅠ.
Park Min*: Does anyone know the name of the student who did the rap ㅠㅠㅠ!?
Yoon Won*: Practical Music students are so cool. ㅋㅋ They seem to have made the song really well too.
Kim Hyeon*: Speaking as a fellow Practical Music student passing by... they are outstanding. That's all. 20000.
Only after checking that content could I understand what was going on in the hallway.
'So it's already spread quite a bit throughout the school.'
The first Open Stage had ended, and the weekend had come.
During that time, the uploaded video of me had been continuously a hot topic on the site.
'I had no idea.'
Since it was my first weekend after returning as a student, I had been busy with backlogged tasks and hadn't known.
'There's nothing bad about it, though.'
It was sudden, so I was a bit flustered, but it was a good thing anyway.
The fact that there was this kind of reaction meant that perhaps I could really obtain results beyond my goal.
"You guys raised the Practical Music department's average too much."
Kim Drum, who had been scrolling through the comments, muttered quietly to himself.
'...Was that comment in the middle written by you?'
I smiled unconsciously at what appeared to have been written by him.
"The Open Stage results are out!"
While we were talking, someone shouted near the door.
The moment the voice was heard, the students all stood up and began running in unison.
'They must have posted it on the bulletin board.'
It was to check their own scores.
Because depending on what was posted, whether they could advance to the second round or not would be decided.
"Shall we go?"
I said to Seonji, who was still embarrassed.
Since we were on the same team, I was thinking of going to check together, but Kim Drum naturally stood right beside us.
"The top ranks are obviously yours."
Well.
Rather than saying it myself, checking the bulletin board would be faster.
The moment I approached the fate written there.
"You got 3rd place. Congratulations."
Someone beside me offered words of congratulations.
I looked to the side, slightly surprised.
'3rd place?'
The one who had received the congratulations wasn't me, but Kim Drum.
"Phew, thank god."
It was quite a high rank. High enough that he didn't need to worry about advancing to the second round.
What surprised me was that part.
'I guess he did well.'
The fact that this guy, whom I had thought was merely a mood maker, had considerable skill.
While I was thinking that, the drummer's mouth fell wide open.
"Hey... you guys..."
Kim Drum trailed off.
He seemed to have checked the bulletin board's contents too.
'...I should check.'
Seeing his surprised expression, I quickly wanted to see the results too.
I started checking from the bottom, where my gaze first reached.
My chin kept rising.
It wasn't because I was being cocky. It was simply because the name I was looking for was too far up.
'Found it.'
The name was proudly written at the very top of the bulletin board.
None other than mine and Seonji's names.
[1st Open Stage 3rd Year Rankings]
1st place - Team Jahun-Seonji. (Park Jahun, Oh Seonji.) Score - 365 points
'...We really got first place.'
Getting first was thrilling, but what stood out even more than that was the score.
Because the gap with the ranks below was more than double.
"You guys really took everything this time."
Kim Drum clicked his tongue after checking several times in disbelief.
I agreed with him for once.
Even to me, it was an absurd score.
"We'll savor this first place deliciously."
Seeing his resigned expression, I smiled proudly.
He wasn't the only one letting out exclamations at those words.
'Park Yunseok was there too.'
Even the other students who had come to check the bulletin board nodded their heads as they looked at me.
Even though it could be taken as an arrogant remark, they seemed to acknowledge it.
That was how overwhelming it was.
Of course, not everyone was looking at me like that.
'Lee Hyeonsang?'
I saw one unwelcome face.
Of course, he frowned for a moment but immediately left.
'This guy barely made it.'
His team had just barely gotten in as 11th place among the 11 teams that had passed.
Well, it wasn't something I needed to care about anyway.
'One step with this.'
The Crack window I had left open, wondering what the reaction would be.
The words that had been floating like deep darkness had become much fainter.
"What song should we do for the next preliminary round?"
When I closed the Crack window, Seonji came into view.
'Even though it was made with my melody, it was Seonji's song...'
Seeing the students singing Rebound today, a vague ambition had grown little by little.
From beginning to end. It was the thought of wanting to try using a song that I had made entirely.
* * *
"Why are the lights off again? Are you children of darkness?"
A dark classroom with not a single light on.
Teacher Lee Yeongseop turned on the switch and looked around the classroom.
"...They really are children of darkness."
The students wore gloomy expressions. I felt like I knew why without being told.
'Is it because of the Open Stage results?'
When Lee Yeongseop placed his book on the lectern, the students shouted urgently.
"We're depressed!"
"Hey, does your life end just because the competition ended? Those who fell behind just need to prepare for their entrance exams properly."
What's pitiful is pitiful. But don't we still have to have class?
"Entrance exams..."
"Well, congratulations to those who passed. Make sure to do well on the April month-end evaluation..."
He had meant it as comfort, but the more he spoke, the lower the students' shoulders dropped.
"Goodness, how am I supposed to teach like this?"
Lee Yeongseop cleared his throat once and began speaking sternly.
'...Here it comes.'
The students muttered.
The time that teachers enjoyed the most and that made students feel awkward.
"This teacher, having lived, has learned that life is like a single piece of music. That's what it is."
It was quote time.
Then, using notes and rests, etc., as examples, the teacher spread his own convictions.
Though they were a bit bored, the students forced themselves to listen.
Because it was better than class, anyway.
Especially the theory class right after the competition.
'...Is that student the one?'
Among those awkward expressions, one student stood out.
Having transferred not long ago, until recently he had been a source of worry for the teachers, but...
'Now he's practically a hot topic.'
The student who had taken first place in the Open Stage in just half a year.
The person himself, Park Jahun, was burning with focus in his eyes.
"Anyway, what is the conclusion?"
"Life is music!"
"...No. That's not it."
The teacher waved his hand and pointed at the textbook.
"You need to study music theory hard now to make your life well too. That's it. Stop being depressed and open your books!"
"Yeees..."
The students opened their books in unison.
On the pages was a theory textbook that reduced the 'music' he had just been talking about to dry 'musicology.'
[Music Theory 3.]
The students' eyelids grew heavy rapidly as they looked down at the pages.
'...It's the fate of the harmony teacher.'
Unlike the practice room where you make sound or play directly, theory was inevitably somewhat boring.
"Now, as we learned last time, in the case of jazz chord progressions, only the 1st degree and..."
As class continued, the students' concentration began to drop accordingly.
What stood out once again in the midst of that was none other than Park Jahun.
'...Hadn't he not caught up with the previous progress yet?'
Eyes that began to sparkle more as time passed.
It was a sight in contrast to him struggling with the class content until recently.
Now, it looked as if he wasn't looking at a difficult problem...
but rather like a child looking at a toy.
"Mm, in the case of jazz chords, especially these days, you need to study them more."
Remembering that Park Jahun's major was rap, Lee Yeongseop rummaged through his head for a moment.
To explain even just one more thing that he wished Jahun would learn.
"Besides sound sampling, there are many cases where you take jazz chords themselves and make beats."
A gaze saying it was interesting flew toward him, and he smiled and gave a few examples.
"Attention's famous Korean hip-hop song 'Salra, dolra, dele' is also famous for sampling Chet Baker's music."
Upon explaining that, Park Jahun's gaze changed.
Slowly rising corners of his mouth entered Lee Yeongseop's vision.
'I heard he has talent for rap, but who knows.'
He might grow into a rapper who takes both rap and beat making.
Harboring the maximum hope a teacher could, Lee Yeongseop proceeded with class.
* * *
The corners of my mouth rose unconsciously.
Why was it that class, which had sounded so difficult when I was young, was so interesting today?
Lee Yeongseop's class content stimulated my interest without missing a single thing.
'Besides Attention, most of the music that Vvon and Melo Broken used in their early days was jazz sampling.'
Thanks to that, my head became busy.
Experiences accumulated over 10 years without being systematized.
Because the gears of that massive data began to turn, meshing with theory.
"We'll stop class here today. Everyone eat a delicious lunch and cheer up. Dismissed."
That class ending could feel this regrettable.
'I have a lot to ask Seonji.'
Though it was closer to a conversation about realizations than questions.
Anyway, I wanted to discuss this with someone quickly.
Because I felt like I would overflow if I didn't talk about it like this.
'Phew... it won't stop.'
Thanks to that, expectations kept growing unconsciously.
The countless melodies I possessed that had previously existed only as motifs.
They were becoming systematized songs, flowing endlessly in my head.
Regressor on the Beat.