Chapter 12: Keyboard

Myeong-jeon installed something called “Discord” as the kids requested.

He already had KakaoTalk and couldn’t understand why he needed to install such a strange program, but decided to just accept it, thinking kids these days had different tastes.

After installing Discord and entering a channel as instructed, there were two people: [Seibin (u)] and [Sword Taste Star]. Judging by Lee Seo repeatedly calling out “Bin-nim, Bin-nim,” Seibin seemed to be Jeong Hyun-ah. Sword Taste Star… Sword Taste… could that be Lee Seo?

[Ha Su-yeon : I’m here.]

As soon as he typed that message, a reply quickly followed.

[Seibin (v_u): Our Suyeon-nim has arrived~]

[Seibin (☆u_u): Why are you here so quickly? I thought you’d come later…]

[Seibin (v_u): Good grief.]

[Seibin (v_u): Rushing around like that is really bad for your health~~~ You should enjoy life, woman. ENJOY YOUR LIFE~]

As soon as Seibin typed, a cascade of messages started appearing.

The content was so incomprehensible that Myeong-jeon paused.

Was it really the same person? Did he end up in the wrong place?

Myeong-jeon checked Lee Seo’s message once more. It seemed he had entered correctly.

[Sword Taste Star: Suyeon-ssi, you’re here?]

[Ha Su-yeon: Mm.]

[Sword Taste Star: What’s with the nickname Ha Su-yeon? Couldn’t you pick something else?]

[Ha Su-yeon: Do I really need to pick something else?]

[Seibin (v_u): No need for that~~ Sword Taste-nim, why are you like this? Suyeon-nim being herself is what’s important~~~~!!]

Myeong-jeon twirled a lock of his hair, puzzled.

When he met Hyun-ah at the café earlier, he thought she was difficult to deal with.

Now, seeing her on the internet, she felt even more difficult—almost like a completely different person.

Looking at Jeong Hyun-ah, Myeong-jeon felt a faint headache coming on.

[Ha Su-yeon: But what’s this “Suyeon-ssi”? My name is Ha Su-yeon.]

[Sword Taste Star: ????]

[Seibin (v_u): Good grief, good grief~~~ Suyeon-nim is so ridiculously cute;;; is this who you are???]

[Sword Taste Star: Calm down, will you?]

Ridiculously cute? Good grief?

At that point, Myeong-jeon gave up trying to understand.

Anyway, they were different from him. Maybe this was what they called the MZ generation.

In any case, he didn’t recall encountering people like this in his own memories.

Perhaps that specific kid was just peculiar.

Still, he had to achieve the purpose for installing this program, so he began typing on the keyboard.

[Ha Su-yeon: Could I get the performance samples I mentioned yesterday?]

Yesterday, when they parted ways, he had assigned them a piece and requested two versions of its performance.

The first was a solo version. The second was a band version.

[Seibin (v_u): Ahhhhhhh, right, I’ll send it right away!]

Then there was no response for about five minutes.

[Seibin (v_u): 11212111_1.wav 11212111_2.wav]

Two files were uploaded.

The reason for asking for two versions was to assess the keyboardist’s current abilities.

Over decades of playing guitar, Myeong-jeon had done so many things that he’d lost count.

One of those things was band consulting.

Drawing from his experience as a session band master, he provided advice to amateur bands as a hobby.

From his experience, pianists often encountered two major issues when transitioning to band performances.

First, they tried to do everything alone. Piano was a self-sufficient instrument, but that versatility was detrimental in band settings. Trying to do everything alone disrupted harmony.

Second, they didn’t think to diversify their sounds. While synthesizers could produce infinite sounds, the pianist mindset often hindered flexible sound choices.

Would Jeong Hyun-ah face these two issues?

It would be best if she didn’t. But if she did, depending on the severity, it could become a headache.

Considering he had to manage the bass while also keeping an eye on the piano, leaving might be the better option.

Then, the sound started playing—a slightly modified preset with a fairly decent rhythm.

The arrangement for solo performance and the technical skill in keyboard playing were both quite impressive.

[Sword Taste Star: Whoa, amazing.]

[Sword Taste Star: Isn’t she ridiculously good??]

[Seibin (v_u):
ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Thank you, truly~₩~~]

“Not bad at all.”

Though he didn’t show it, Myeong-jeon thought Hyun-ah played quite well.

Judging by how she handled both the solo and band arrangements, she seemed genuinely talented.

If the drummer’s skills were decent too, they might manage a few songs within a few months and perform, even if somewhat clumsily.

Of course, all of this was within the scope of student-level performance.

And for that to happen, Lee Seo’s skill improvement would be critical—a significant amount of it.

[Ha Su-yeon: Seems good.]

[Ha Su-yeon: When was the meeting with the drummer scheduled?]

[Seibin (u_u): The weekend~~~]

[Sword Taste Star: Weekend.]

[Seibin (u_u): Tiger-nim said weekends were the only time he’s available. Sigh~]

[Seibin (u_u): I really want to see Tiger-nim~~]

[Seibin (v_u): Sword Taste-nim, haven’t you seen Tiger-nim before?]

[Seibin (v_u): The drummer. Absolutely insane skills.]

The chat continued, but Myeong-jeon could barely follow half of it.

In the chaotic flurry of messages, his brain felt lost.

In a dimly lit room, one monitor displayed two websites side by side. The other screen was cluttered with Discord, Hangouts, and other programs.

Holding her head in her hands, Hyun-ah stared at Discord.

Contrary to her worries, the audition—or whatever it was—seemed to have gone smoothly.

“I was so worried about this.”

According to Sword Taste Star, this Ha Su-yeon’s guitar skills weren’t exceptional to the point of being phenomenal.

Though she hadn’t yet heard Suyeon play, Sword Taste wasn’t the type to exaggerate, so it was likely that Suyeon was skilled.

Still, was she that good?

Sword Taste and Hyun-ah attended different schools, but Sword Taste and Suyeon were in the same class.

That meant Suyeon was a first-year at Hanseung High School.

But could there really be someone in their grade who played guitar that well?

In Korea, talented musicians usually earned a reputation, so it seemed improbable for someone like Suyeon to suddenly appear out of nowhere.

[Jinseoya.]

[What?]

After pondering a bit, Hyun-ah decided to ask her friend Jinseo, who also attended Hanseung High School.

If Jinseo had heard of Suyeon, that would be good, and if she hadn’t, it would confirm that Suyeon was simply unremarkable.

She had always thought she had some talent as a pianist.

Though the thought that she might never surpass the “real” geniuses had begun to creep in, it was too hard to turn back on a path she had already come so far on. So, she kept moving forward.

On the internet, she’d considered herself capable of easily outperforming people casually claiming, “I think I’m musically talented.”

But was this what a real genius looked like?

Even through the crude quality of a phone microphone, the seamless, flowing performance was undeniable.

It was a piece she had never heard before, yet the unpredictable tempo and pitch changes didn’t feel unpleasant at all.

It felt as though Suyeon had complete control of the song, wielding it like a weapon in her hands.

This wasn’t just “good.” Even to Hyun-ah, who was no guitar expert, it seemed like the level of skill a so-called genius could achieve only after dedicating decades to serious practice.

“But someone like that is a delinquent?”

Her friend Jinseo wasn’t the type to lie about such things, so the claim was likely true.

If Suyeon really was a delinquent, how had she found the time to practice enough to reach this level while drinking, smoking, and living that lifestyle? And to keep it all a secret from others?

“Is she some kind of superhuman?”

Whatever the case, the moment she heard Suyeon’s performance, her initial hesitation about continuing to get involved disappeared completely.

But another thought lingered in her mind: what if Suyeon’s personality came out in the wrong way later?

What if, while acting all friendly now, she lost her temper and lashed out?

What if she, despite being a year older, didn’t care about such things and tried to hit her?

It was shaping up to be a night full of deep, conflicted thoughts.