He entered the alley and stamped out the cigarette butt. He looked once more in the direction the person who had just passed by had gone, but there was no gain. Only the sweltering summer sun was beating down on the road.
Just as he was bitterly moving his steps, a notification sound rang from his cell phone.
There was a text message from the manager.
Check your email– A demo song should have gone through.
Yeon Cheonguk sat in a nearby PC room and logged into Hanmail. Just as the manager said, there was one email. He tilted his head because the sender’s name wasn’t a composer’s name but the manager’s name. Strange vibes were wafting all over.
“What the hell is this?”
There was no way there would be something like a guide track. The attached file was a score scribbled roughly in front of a piano. Not only was it hard to read, but critically, there was no harmony included at all. It was closer to just jotting down a melody that came to mind.
It could be considered the level of a rookie composer’s demo song, and there was a high probability it was someone who had never properly studied composition. The manager had sent this to Yeon Cheonguk without even reviewing it.
“Ah, really…… This is really fucking ridiculous….”
He pounded the keyboard hard and logged into NateOn. It was too much of a waste to use paid text messages, so he’d have to call him out using free text.
He turned on the free text service and wrote everything he wanted to say. From rebuttal about the song’s quality, to what the hell is the composer’s name and what did they used to do, are you trying to hold onto me by giving me a song without a vocal guide, what do you take people for? As he ground his teeth and wrote, it became too long and was automatically divided and sent.
You’re using your head to avoid paying back the money!
Yeon Cheonguk, who had been sighing deeply with a troubled expression, discovered a notification marked in his message box.
Since there was a new notification without him knowing, he clicked on it. As expected, there was no contact he’d been hoping for, just a few messages piled up from college classmates and seniors.
He passed over messages saying things like they were glad to see him or asking when he’d joined, and checked the one from the department representative first.
It was content begging him to please come to the freshman MT. They were going on an MT to Sokcho where the Korean Music Festival was being held on August 1st, and if Yeon Cheonguk would join them, it was a temptation saying they’d give him a <Jekyll and Hyde> performance ticket. There was no way he’d offer a favor for free. It was obvious he was blinded by the prospect of female students who would follow if Yeon Cheonguk participated in the MT.
The message full of emoticons ended with ‘I’ll text you if there’s no answer.’
Ah, right! I had written my cell phone number in my profile in case there might be contact.
It was just annoying. He was slightly tempted by the <Jekyll and Hyde> ticket, but soon the frustrating reality came to mind. When the money and time he’d invested were about to crash and burn, was he going to go to an MT to drink and have fun? Haa….
He set his cell phone number to private and deleted all the messages. Yeon Cheonguk, who was about to close the internet window, thought “oops” and accessed Cyworld. He was thinking he should withdraw from here too.
A basic mini homepage with no content automatically opened. Yeon Cheonguk, who had been about to carelessly press the X button, narrowed his brow.
It was because the number of visitors written at the top caught his eye.
Today 5 / Total 37
“What the hell. Why are there so many visitors?”
A soliloquy burst out suddenly at how absurd it was. Glancing at the seat next to him, he pressed his body to the monitor and checked the homepage again.
Even checking carefully, the number was the same. Good grief… it was enough to make a ghost wail.
Who could it be? When even his parents didn’t know the fact that he’d activated a cell phone, who on earth knew how that he’d joined Cyworld? It was a mystery.
It meant that quite by chance, someone had searched and found Yeon Changuk and went in and out an average of 3-4 times a day.
“Ah, fuck. That’s creepy.”
Whoever it was, he got goosebumps. As expected, there had never been good memories left of something like a mini homepage. Yeon Cheonguk clicked member withdrawal with all sorts of expressions on his face. Withdrawal processing has been completed. After checking the notice, he left his seat.
The sense of presence in a small theater was incomparably vivid compared to a large stage. The subtle changes in facial muscles, the actors’ breathing, every single intended pause shared – that’s the charm of small theater performances. On top of that, the ensemble’s dance and stage devices all harmonize as one with the songs. The thrill Yeon Cheonguk received was beyond expectations.
The acting of an actor whose name he didn’t know. The drawing power that made him forget even the thick stage makeup and the vocalization that rang resoundingly through the space. The dancing that melted in appropriately.
The thrill he’d felt when he first saw <Moulin Rouge> before shook his whole body again. The shock of encountering a world that shakes up life gave him a real smile for the first time in a long while.
The sound system was a bit disappointing, but he was glad he’d seen it. It was an impressive performance. He wanted to convey his impressions to the lead actor but gave up. Somehow he felt embarrassed, and his envy was so great he didn’t think he could manage his expression. He stayed in the audience seats until the end, applauded, then left the small theater.
A small dream forms drop by drop in his chest. Is there somewhere to learn the acting that goes between numbers?
Acting…… It would be worlds apart from expressing emotions through song. He had memories of receiving praise from a professor famous for having a sharp tongue that said ‘you have a bad habit of wanting to mash up pitches according to mood and use rhythm freely, but your basic vocalization, vocal volume, and diction are passable.’ If he has talent in vocalization and diction, could he also quickly learn acting and stand on stage…?
In the old days, he was evaluated as seeming not to know love, but recently he hadn’t been criticized about emotional expression. ‘Lyric delivery ability,’ ’emotional expression’ that vocals and freshmen were criticized about until their ears hurt. He hadn’t been scolded much about these.
It must be that he’d experienced too many things over several years. Too many and intense things.
The Daehangno streets were full of young people even though it was vacation. Yeon Cheonguk, who was passing through the crowded road, discovered a black sign hanging across from the theater.
<○○○ Musical Academy>
In front of the entrance, a promotional poster recruiting students was posted.
Screen acting and musical acting are different. The acting between numbers determines a masterpiece musical. Direct instruction from a director who directly mastered American Broadway acting theory! You too can become the protagonist of the stage.
If he learned for a few months, could he debut in a small theater? The performance fee would be humble. However, if he could directly go up on the stage he’d just seen and use all means of expression – song, dance, acting – to create ripples in the audience’s hearts…. It seemed like his struggling life and loneliness would be forgotten…!
He took out his cell phone to make up his mind and call for a consultation. But the first thing he saw was a text sent by the agency manager. While watching the musical, he’d made several missed calls then left a text.
[Where are you– Let’s meet at a cafe and talk in person]
[I’m in Daehangno.]
[I’ll go nearby and call you, so go into a coffee shop somewhere- Just 1 hour]
Now that he’d received a song too shabby to even attach the word “quality” to, the time had come to settle things. Yeon Cheonguk steeled his resolve.
He wandered around looking for a cafe where it would be okay to have a verbal fight. He was entering an alley, looking for a secluded cafe with no customers, when someone’s loud shout rang out from across the street.
“Over there! Excuse me!”
Since he couldn’t even imagine meeting someone looking for Yeon Cheonguk here in Daehangno, it went in one ear and out the other. He fanned himself with his cap and walked boldly into the alley.
Someone who had run over pushing through the crowded throng eventually tapped Yeon Cheonguk’s shoulder.
“Excuse me!”
When he turned around, a man he was seeing for the first time was standing there. In Yeon Cheonguk’s eyes as he stared down at the man with an expression full of questions, suspenders pants came into view. It was the ensemble costume from the musical stage he’d just seen. He was definitely a supporting actor.
The man smiled brightly with a pleased face.
“Ah…! I was right. Um… Mr. Yeon Someone, right? That… you used to sing often at Migliore before! Seolyun High graduate!”
Hearing his words, he became more wary. When he didn’t easily agree and just scratched the back of his head, the man quickly added an explanation.
“I also went to a practical music academy a lot when I was a student and often stood on that stage and went to many auditions, so I remember. Your voice and singing ability were so good then, I recorded you and practiced following your singing style and stuff…. Ah! You sang a <Les Misérables> number at the World Cup Park singer competition before! I won the grand prize… then.”
Looking at the man’s expression as he spoke while searching his memory, it didn’t seem like a lie. The man’s eyes sparkled as he continued talking.
“If you hadn’t caught a cold then, I might not have won the grand prize…. Anyway… Wow! It’s even more nice to see you again at a performance venue like this! Actually, last year.”
“……”
“After that competition ended, there was an inquiry at our vocal academy too. Asking if the person who sang <I dreamed a dream> that day was by any chance affiliated with that academy…. Apparently there was a first-generation musical actor who also works as a producer among the judges then. They said they couldn’t find contact information even after searching. And then recently….”
The man, as if the story would get long, stopped talking and pointed to the opposite side with the hand that had been blocking the sunlight.
“Rather than doing this here, how about going to our team’s office and having a cup of tea? We’re preparing for our next musical. It’d be really great to talk about that together too!”
The man’s words were welcome and he had time left. Yeon Cheonguk nodded.
“If it’s just for a bit, it’s fine.”
“Follow me!”
The musical team’s office was on the 4th floor of an old building in a corner of a Daehangno alley. The narrow space of about 10 pyeong was messy with no room to step because of stage devices and props. Moreover, they were getting through summer with only an electric fan without even one air conditioner. Since their hungry circumstances weren’t different, even such a scene felt romantic.
“Just a moment. I’ll give you a cool cup of tea!”
The man went to the sink piled with delivery containers after taking out ice from the mini fridge. While he was making plum tea, Yeon Cheonguk looked at the script on the desk.
‘Wow.’
His heart pounded because it was his first time actually reading a musical script. After turning a few pages, he opened the credits. Yeon Cheonguk, who had been quickly reading down the lead actor’s name, the supporting actors’ names, and production company information, reached the bottom and ended up frowning.
“Huh? What the hell.”
Production Investment: Kim Hyuntae, ○○○, ○○○
Sponsorship: Kim Hyuntae, ○○○
How could he forget this name? He’s a shameless person who made him resent even himself for calling him ‘Kim sunbae’ affectionately! Just thinking about his teeth-grinding duplicity made all kinds of curses come out. The man who came to his seat holding a cup asked.
“Why? Is there a name you know?”
“This person. By any chance, is he tall and about thirty-two years old?”
“That’s right! He’s our investor. Do you know him?”
While barely holding back curses, hundreds of thoughts flashed through his head.
Could it be… was this bastard the mini homepage visitor…?
