Jinyeong gulped down half the ion drink in one go and shook his head.
“You really can’t hold your liquor. Did you even drink half a bottle? You face-planted right away and kept sleeping. So since we had to go to the second round, I called Seonwoo Jin to come pick you up and he piggybacked you home.”
“Ah, really.”
“You don’t remember?”
“Not a single thing…”
Taking a sip of the ion drink Jinyeong handed him and returning it, Jion tried to recall what happened last night. But there was nothing clearly memorable. Just… something… it seemed like he sat somewhere briefly and had a conversation…
“…I think I heard something like whale sounds though.”
Jion tried to recall the voice he heard in his dream. A low, stable sound that gently resonated with an oooong. It was a long breath with moderate bass and the solidity Jion ideally thought of. Maybe he thought it was whale sounds because he could feel the lung capacity was generous and the resonance was good. Jion tilted his head.
“Did we pass by an aquarium…”
“You probably passed by some raw fish restaurant.”
Seeing Jion really couldn’t remember, Jinyeong snorted.
“When I called him to come pick you up, he came running after dolling himself up like he was on 5-minute standby.”
“Really? I still can’t remember though…”
“Anyway. Even though Seonwoo Jin treasures and treats you so preciously, it’s all useless.”
“That’s unfair.”
Jion stuck out his lips. I’m the one who’s been treasuring Seonwoo Jin, doting on him, and raising him so preciously, and who’s treating who well.
But after the brief moment of feeling hurt passed, a strange emotion bloomed in Jion’s heart. It was the first time in his life someone had come to pick up drunk him. No, it seemed like it was the first time someone stepped up to look after him, take care of him, or even worry about him attentively.
As an instructor by profession, rather than receiving someone’s care, his main job was always to pay attention to and care for someone else, so having someone look after him was unfamiliar yet joyful and exciting.
“Where else would you find a kid who sticks to you saying he likes you and treats you so well. Even your mom probably can’t piggyback you anymore.”
“That’s probably true.”
Hearing Jinyeong’s words, it did seem like Seonwoo Jin treated him especially well. Because of memories from the first round of BNCZ in the past, he’d been paying attention only to Seonwoo Jin’s impulsive actions and hadn’t paid attention to what kind of actions he normally took.
Does he… treat me well?
When I hurt my ankle, he did piggyback me and hold me. But that seems like all he’s done for me.
Other than that, don’t I treat him better usually? When he wants to sleep together I sleep with him, I play with him, I coax him, I keep watching over his singing practice…
While blankly retracing memories of past days, he saw Seonwoo Jin’s face in the blanket spinning round and round inside the washing machine drum. Seonwoo Jin spinning round and round with a smiling face. That handsome guy. Jion chuckled thinking of Seonwoo Jin smiling at him.
“What are you cracking up about alone?”
“I wasn’t thinking about you.”
“Thank you.”
Even while bickering with Jinyeong, Jion wore a gentle smile without realizing it. He didn’t know since when Seonwoo Jin had become someone who made him laugh just by thinking of his name, but it was a better phenomenon than eternally hating and cursing someone. Jion thought of it that simply.
Unlike Jion’s misunderstanding that he’d lied about going to the practice room and was playing outside, Seonwoo Jin had really come out to the practice room early in the morning. Starting with the neck relaxation method Jion taught him, he faithfully repeated reviewing up to basic vocalization, then practiced the vocalization he’d realized while piggybacking Jion yesterday.
“Ooo— No, that’s not it. Oooo—. This isn’t it either…”
Yesterday he thought he had it, but today he’s unsure again. It seems like the sound would come out well if he piggybacked Jion. Seonwoo Jin tilted his head and made a sound once more.
“Oooooo—. Is this it?”
Should I have asked Jion to come watch? To look at my practice.
Seonwoo Jin, who regretted it for a moment, quickly shook his head. It was because he recalled Jion’s expression when he gave up after watching vocalization all day and closed the sheet music. A face with no expectations or feelings. It was too hurtful that “I knew it would be like this” showed on Jion’s face, who always doted on him saying he was handsome and pretty.
“…I’ll show him.”
If you could call it fortunate, though that’s a bit much, Seonwoo Jin’s parts weren’t many. He really just appeared in the intro then disappeared, briefly showed his face before Jinyeong’s chorus to strengthen people’s concentration, then disappeared again, so as long as he had basic skills, there wasn’t much pressure. Simply put, it was a honey part where he just needed to show good presence.
“How was it yesterday…”
Seonwoo Jin bent his waist slightly and put strength in his stomach like when he piggybacked Jion. He seemed to get a bit of the feeling. Going with the momentum, when he hoisted the chair next to him on his back as well, his abdominal pressure was automatically locked and his voice gained strength.
This is it! In the ridiculous posture of having a chair on his back with his waist bent hunched over, Seonwoo Jin’s eyes sparkled, having grasped the feeling after 10 hours.
* * *
“Jinyeong-ah, when you sing ‘beyond the rainbow’ here, can you make the sound like Mu. Ji! Gae! Beyond?”
Jion, sitting with a headset outside the recording booth, gave detailed direction to Jinyeong’s part.
『Mu. Ji. Gae. All separated?』
“Yeah yeah, but give it a bit of accent on ji!, and for gae don’t lose all the strength but keep it clear. That’s the key point, okay? Let’s bring it to life.”
『Okay. ‘Jeo’ too?』
“Yeah, there too. Except for neomeoro, separate everything lightly and cleanly with a refreshing tap tap. Let’s go again.”
The recording went more smoothly than expected. It wasn’t at the level of outstanding skill where you’d hear it and go wow, this is it, you’re this year’s top student, you killed it, but moderately well, something like, if you listen it doesn’t grate much and is comfortable? If the pitch and rhythm are right and the tone doesn’t grate, you’ve done it all. Jion relaxed thinking of Ryu Geon and Eungi’s earlier recordings.
Fortunately, Jinyeong understood Jion’s directing at once and outputted it exactly. He’s the type with pride in his vocals, so he worried he might not accept the directing, but fortunately he didn’t prioritize his own interpretation of the song or show pride in his technique.
And now the final ordeal remained. When Seonwoo Jin entered the recording booth and put on the headset, Jion tensed without realizing it. He thought he’d let it go, but had he not let it go? Jion tried to maintain composure against his sensitizing heart and spoke to Seonwoo Jin.
“Woojin-ah. Don’t be nervous. Don’t pitch your voice too low, and don’t raise it too high either. Just take a breath, hold it, and start on one-two-three-four.”
At Jion’s voice mixed with impatience, Seonwoo Jin grinned and gave a thumbs up. Seonwoo Jin, who had already realized vocalization through 12 hours of practice yesterday, was brimming with confidence. But Jion, who didn’t know this fact, turned off the mic and sighed at his leisurely appearance.
“Just being handsome, that guy…”
Hyundae, who heard Jion’s muttering, smiled and gestured to Seonwoo Jin. And after exchanging okay signs with each other, the music flowed.
『—Heut!』
The sound of drawing in breath went in. Jion frowned slightly, but his wrinkled brow soon relaxed.
『’Shall’ we go together』
“Huh?”
Contrary to Jion’s expectations, Seonwoo Jin’s first verse was a clear and refreshing tone, half air and half sound. Jion looked at Hyundae in surprise. It was because of his suspicion that maybe he was moved by Seonwoo Jin’s voice because he remembered the previous disaster, moved by the relatively improved skill.
“It’s good though?”
However, seeing that Hyundae was also giving favorable reviews, objectively Seonwoo Jin’s singing was fine! Jion was moved and clasped his hands together like a prayer.
『Far away the blue sky, the world we saw』
Along with a perfect voice, the sight of Seonwoo Jin standing on stage appeared as a fantasy. Seonwoo Jin smiling at the camera with a fresh and refreshing smile, then smoothly stepping aside. His shimmering hair fluttering, his beauty leaving an afterimage like a fragrance before disappearing.
“Woojin-ah!”
Jion suddenly shouted at Seonwoo Jin beyond the glass. Seonwoo Jin, who had been watching for reactions after finishing the first verse, was startled by Jion’s intense reaction and looked at him, gripping his headset. Jion belatedly came to his senses and pressed the button.
“Come out!”
At Jion’s shout, Seonwoo Jin felt deflated, thinking he’d done something wrong. While doing it, he’d definitely thought, ah, this was good, but the fact that Jion, the person he most wanted to look good to, had a serious expression didn’t feel good. Is this not it? Did I practice alone and pick up another bad habit?
“Why?”
Coming out of the recording booth, shrinking despite his size, Seonwoo Jin watched Jion’s mood.
“Seonwoo Jin!”
“Uh…”
“Ooh, my baby!”
However, Jion’s reaction was the complete opposite of Seonwoo Jin’s thoughts. Jion lifted his heels, pulled Seonwoo Jin’s neck into an embrace, and planted kisses on his cheek.
“You did so well! You did so well! Ooh, you pretty thing!”
“Uh…?”
“Why are you so good? Huh? What did you eat yesterday? Why are you so good, hm?”
Like doting on a student who comes with a certificate of acceptance like a triumphant general, Jion hung on Seonwoo Jin’s shoulders and doted on him as if he’d practically eat him up. And it wasn’t only Seonwoo Jin who was surprised by Jion’s explosive reaction.
He did well, but is it something to praise that much.
Hyundae, watching from behind, recalled what Jinyeong had said at the drinking session.
“Those two definitely have something going on between themselves.”
“Why?”
“No, I mean, it’s not for show but they hug and bite and suck each other…”
At the time he thought they just had a bit more skinship like male students, but seeing it now, the atmosphere was subtly different. One was doting on someone a span bigger than himself in every direction as if he were a cute child, and one was carefully touching a full-grown adult as if he were a decorative item made of foam that would crumble with just a deep breath…
…Are those two dating?
For a moment, he was Jeong Hyundae who had seen the future—stage name Contempory/top composer/served as judge for 4 consecutive seasons of audition programs/7 Billboard No.1 songs.
After Jion’s intense coddling and shower of praise ended, Seonwoo Jin’s recording finished without taking much time. Seonwoo Jin, who had received plenty of doting from Jion and felt good, felt like his feet were floating in the air.
He stuck to Jion’s side all day, and whenever Jion looked at someone else or turned his attention away from him, he whispered “Shall we go together” into his ear. It was like an infant who had just become able to use sentence structure infinitely repeating the only sentence they could to draw their mom’s attention.
Other people—especially Jinyeong—clicked their tongues at the sight saying he was doing all sorts of things, but Jion himself infinitely indulged Seonwoo Jin’s aegyo like this.
“Why is our Woojin so good.”
