37 – 『Rough』(3) 37.
Before I knew it, only one week remained until school started again.
Seriously—wasn't this vacation way too short? They should at least give us two months like in college.
Still, I felt proud. I actually got things done during break. I did the stage with Jin Sohyang, and while it was slow, I was steadily working on the song I was making with Suyeon.
Then, along with the tuition invoice, a scholarship notice arrived. It was only half tuition, but the fact that I'd received a scholarship made Mom smile from ear to ear.
But that wasn't the only gift I had prepared for her.
I handed her the contract from ROC Entertainment. She took it, looking confused.
"What's this?"
"A contract."
"No, I know that… Are you joining a company?"
"It's not like that."
I briefly explained the contract. After listening, she looked shocked, then happy.
Seeing her like that made my chest feel full.
"My son, I'm so proud of you."
In my past life, I'd only ever disappointed her. And yet she still lived her whole life for me.
Only now was I finally able to give something back.
"I'll keep working hard."
But I was still far from done. There was so much more I owed her.
Mom smiled proudly.
"You're doing well."
She believed in me.
I clenched my fists.
Mom was always the one who believed in me first.
"Yeah," I said. "I am doing well."
I just had to keep going like this.
I told myself that.
Because Yoon Hajun was still a minor, his legal guardian—his mother—had to handle the contract.
To convince her, Hajun explained several times just how good the terms were. As for the money, it would go into Hajun's own account.
He told his mom to take it, but she insisted, "If you earned it yourself, you manage it yourself."
Well, he didn't really have anything to spend money on anyway. He would save it and use it when he needed it.
With that settled, Hajun spent the rest of the vacation working on Suyeon's song.
Then, with three days left before school resumed, he went out to meet Jin Sohyang to treat her to the promised meal.
"Where's your sister?" Sohyang asked.
"School's starting soon, so she said she has to finish her homework."
Hajun took a sip of water as he spoke. Honestly, he hadn't expected Suyeon to turn down a meal with Jin Sohyang, but homework was homework.
"Are you okay with a place like this?" Sohyang asked.
"Of course. I can totally afford it. Plus, my members recommended this place—apparently it's amazing."
The restaurant Sohyang brought him to was a high-end Japanese place with private rooms. As expected, it was quiet.
Familiar with the menu, Sohyang ordered smoothly and took a sip of water.
For some reason, she was nervous the whole time.
Do I look weird today?
She glanced down at her outfit. None of it belonged to her.
The moment her members heard she was having dinner with Hajun, they'd lent her nice clothes without her even asking. Not just clothes—they even did her makeup and styling. They'd beamed and cheered her on like proud parents.
That's not what this is…Seriously, I'm just here to eat. That's really it!
She hadn't been thinking anything weird, but after they made such a big deal out of it, she couldn't stop being self-conscious.
Come to think of it, this was the first time she'd dressed up to meet him. Aside from the concert stage, she'd always seen him in comfortable training clothes.
"When can we start working on 'Rough'?" Hajun asked.
"Eh? Ah— I think we can start next week."
Caught off guard by his sudden question, Sohyang fumbled out her answer. Then they talked about 'Rough.'
Hmm. It's fun… but different from what I imagined.
Still, fun was fun.
Soon, the food arrived. As expected from a place her members recommended, it was delicious—especially the perfectly aged sashimi, rich with umami. It was memorable.
After eating to her satisfaction, Sohyang glanced at Hajun.
Every time he took a bite, he let out a genuine sound of admiration. His usually sleepy eyes widened every time he said, "Wow."
"Mmm! This is seriously good."
…So he could make expressions like that, too.
She'd always thought he was so composed and mature.
And then she remembered the smile he'd shown in the waiting room. That smile had been… beautiful.
The memory made her cheeks burn.
Thinking back, it was extremely embarrassing. It was the first time she'd ever looked at a guy from that close.
His long eyelashes. The dimple that formed when he smiled. His gentle voice.
The moment she remembered it, the scene replayed over and over.
"Uwaaaah."
The memory scrambled her brain, and Sohyang let out a weird groan as she shook her head.
Hajun blinked at her with chopsticks still in his mouth.
Did she eat too much wasabi? That can happen.
He went back to focusing on the food. Hajun was extremely serious when it came to good food.
"Whew."
After finishing the satisfying meal, they even polished off the ice cream dessert. They were so full it was hard to move.
"About that vocal trainer you asked for," Sohyang said.
"Oh. You found someone?"
"Yeah."
Sohyang pulled out her phone and showed him a photo of the teacher she'd researched.
Hajun recognized her instantly.
"Oh—Lee Ji-yoon?"
"You know her?"
"She's famous."
Lee Ji-yoon.
A singer who'd debuted more than sixteen years ago, and the main vocalist of the hugely popular girl group Lullaby. After the group disbanded, she'd become a soloist and musical actress.
"She's my teacher. She's really good."
"Hm."
Lee Ji-yoon, huh.
Yeah. She was more than trustworthy, and not just because of her name. In the future, Lee Ji-yoon would fully retire from entertainment and become an extremely renowned vocal trainer.
"Want me to introduce you?" Sohyang asked.
"Yeah."
"I'll contact her and send you the address."
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me. I'm more grateful to you."
She meant it. Because of Hajun, Sohyang had discovered the magic of the stage. If not for him, she might've gone her whole life without ever feeling that thrill.
"And please take care of me when we record 'Rough.'"
"Mm. It won't be easy."
"I'm ready."
Sohyang clenched her fist.
"This is the place?"
"Yeah."
The day after Sohyang connected them, I came with Suyeon to the academy Lee Ji-yoon ran.
It wasn't that big. According to Sohyang, she didn't take just anyone—only people she personally wanted to teach.
But that didn't mean the place was shabby or under-equipped. If anything, the facilities were the best I'd ever seen in a vocal academy.
We went inside and waited.
Soon, Lee Ji-yoon stepped out of a room.
"Hello. You're Yoon Hajun and Yoon Suyeon, right?"
"Ah, yes. Hello."
"Good."
She nodded casually and looked us over. Suyeon stiffened under her gaze.
After observing us for a while, Lee Ji-yoon suddenly smirked.
"It's fine. Relax. So who's planning to enroll? The younger sister?"
"Yes."
Suyeon nodded. At least her voice wasn't shaking—she'd calmed down a bit.
Lee Ji-yoon thought for a moment, then pointed toward what looked like a practice room.
"Then why don't you sing something?"
"In… in that room?"
"Yeah. Why? You don't want to?"
"No, it's fine."
"Oh, and what about you, oppa? Wanna stay or wait outside?"
Before I could decide, Suyeon wiggled her fingers at me. She wanted me to come with her. Singing alone in front of a stranger was probably too much pressure.
"I'll stay with her."
"Wow. A brother and sister who actually get along—rare sight."
"My sister's just a good kid."
We went into the room together. It wasn't huge, but it was clean and well-equipped.
"Can I just sing right away?" Suyeon asked.
"Yeah. Let me know if you need an MR."
"Can I sing anything?"
"Anything."
At her answer, Suyeon hesitated for a moment, then came over to me.
"Oppa, do you have the track for 'Actually'?"
"I do. You're going to sing that?"
Suyeon nodded.
'Actually.' The second song we made together.
I asked Lee Ji-yoon if I could plug in my USB, then connected it to the computer. Sure, I could've used the cloud site, but I didn't feel like logging in on someone else's device.
I found the MR for 'Actually' and pressed play.
As the music started, Suyeon took a deep breath and straightened her back.
Her whole aura changed.
The day after seeing Han Goyo's performance at the concert, Yoon Suyeon couldn't sleep.
The image of Han Goyo singing on stage kept flashing in her mind. An uninvited guest who stepped into her precious boutique, and yet that guest showed her a performance beyond anything she'd ever dreamed.
It made her furious.
She hated it.
But she also couldn't help admiring it.
She wanted to sing like that.
How could she sing like that?
From that day on, Suyeon thought of nothing else. But no matter how much she thought, she couldn't find the answer alone.
So she decided to go to a vocal academy.
She wanted to sing like that person. She wanted to sing her brother's songs even better than that person.
That was why she chose to go.
The melody flowed.
'Actually.'
The second song her brother ever wrote for her, and the first song she ever wrote lyrics for.
It was also her favorite.
Suyeon tapped her thigh to the beat, then carefully closed her eyes.
If that person sang this, how would she do it?
With that thought, she slowly opened her mouth.
—Actually.
The moment she began, Hajun, who had his arms crossed, widened his eyes.
He wasn't the only one.
Even Lee Ji-yoon stared at Suyeon in shock.
—I have something I want to say.Actually.
What the hell?
Goosebumps.
She was only sixteen. She'd never been formally trained, yet the sound coming from her mouth made Lee Ji-yoon stare, entranced.
Suyeon's signature dawn-like voice tugged at the emotions.
And it wasn't just Ji-yoon who was surprised.
Hajun was just as shocked.
Not that long ago, when they worked on 'The Reason I Left You,' Suyeon had been nowhere near this level.
Can a person grow this much in a single month? What happened?
Unaware of their thoughts, Suyeon focused on singing.
—You know…Actually.
Right now, only one person existed in Suyeon's mind: Han Goyo.
How would she sing this?
That was all she thought about as she sang.
—The weather was nice today…Just casually…
Probably, if it were her, she'd sing it like this.
Suyeon recalled Han Goyo's performance at the concert—the way she shook people to their core—and copied it.
Of course, compared to Han Goyo, she was still lacking. Her power was weaker, her technique unrefined, her fundamentals not yet solid.
But when it came to tone and emotional delivery, she wasn't inferior.
And with just those two strengths, she stunned both Hajun and Lee Ji-yoon.
She's a real monster.
Hajun knew Suyeon was talented. That was why he chose the composer path.
But even he didn't expect this much.
Suyeon had never formally studied singing. She'd only been singing properly for a few months, and yet she was already at this level.
If she trained seriously…
She might surpass Han Goyo.
Not as a joke. A real possibility.
As that thought crossed his mind, Hajun let out a deep sigh.
He envied her.
How could siblings be this different?
A faint bitterness welled up, but he didn't show it. It would be shameless to feel jealous right now.
He was the one who crushed that shining talent in the past life.
Suyeon's song came to an end.
She looked around nervously.
Hajun's expression was serious. Lee Ji-yoon's expression was unreadable.
Did I do something wrong?
Suyeon's face crumpled with anxiety.
Then Lee Ji-yoon strode forward and grabbed her shoulders firmly.
"Suyeon, you said you've never properly learned to sing before, right?"
"Ah… yes."
"Yeah. I thought so."
Still holding her shoulders, Lee Ji-yoon turned to Hajun.
"When can our Suyeon start lessons?"
Our Suyeon?
When did she become "our" Suyeon?
Hajun chuckled and stood.
"Ask Suyeon, not me."
"Right. Suyeon, when can you start?"
"Um, I can start tomorrow! But school is starting soon, so weekdays will be hard. I think I can do weekends."
"Oh my. I see. Then shall we register you right away?"
It was clear.
Lee Ji-yoon liked what she'd heard.
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