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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Lying Down to Sing
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Ever since regressing, there hadn't been a single day without muscle pain tormenting my body.
Even the slightest movement made my muscles scream, and it was pure agony.
Of course, no need to show that in front of Lee Cheong-ha.
"Alright, let's start recording."
We recorded every one of our daily practice sessions together.
There was no better reference material for listening back later to see what had improved and what needed work.
My arm trembled as I picked up my phone to set it up and put it back down.
That shook way too much just now. Embarrassing. Did Cheong-ha notice?
"Shall we get started with practice?"
"Yeah, let's do it!"
Lee Cheong-ha was way more motivated than before.
The Lee Cheong-ha who'd fake-coughed and trembled in front of the others was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, she approached every practice with eager, expectant eyes, soaking up everything I taught her.
Seeing her like that fired me up too.
Pride came as a bonus.
"Today, we're practicing a song with high notes, right?"
"Yeah."
Lee Cheong-ha confirmed as she immediately fiddled with her phone.
"Any song you want to start with?"
"Yeah. How about this one?"
Seeing Lee Cheong-ha come prepared with a song she wanted to sing filled my chest with emotion.
This is why people want to become teachers.
Lee Cheong-ha showed me a scene from the musical [Hirano].
Her pick was "Suddenly Love."
"Nice choice. The intro especially suits your style perfectly."
"Right? I knew we'd be on the same wavelength."
She lit up like a kid at my positive response.
"Let's go for it then?"
I nodded with a smile, and she connected her phone to the audio, played the MR track, and got into position on her own.
Lee Cheong-ha could now sing without closing her eyes.
"That voice feels somehow new to me
It wraps around my heart like a cool river stream"
She sang without even glancing at the lyrics—probably a song she listened to a lot—and in just a few days, she'd become unrecognizably relaxed.
If only that carried over to the stage.
But that worry was short-lived. She finished the song steadily and looked my way with a smile.
I gave a small clap and a thumbs-up.
"Good, good."
Lee Cheong-ha returned with a smug little strut.
"You've absolutely got to preserve that tone of yours, Lee Cheong-ha. Your unique timbre has this power to make any song feel like it's yours."
"Any song... all of them... mine...?"
"Yeah, for real. The original singers are all pros of the highest caliber, but when you sing it, the original just vanishes from my mind. It's like... listening to your voice invites me into your own personal world."
I knew my words sounded corny and clichéd as I rambled on.
But what could I do?
That's genuinely how it felt.
Lee Cheong-ha was visibly trying to suppress a grin while I kept praising her.
"But... on the other hand."
"On the other hand? On the other hand what?"
The moment I said "but," she perked up even more than during the praise.
Her bright, puppy-like eyes were so cute I considered delaying the answer, but I decided to just tell her.
"When you go for the high notes, you don't need to force extra resonance."
I could see Lee Cheong-ha freeze up.
I'd hit the nail on the head.
No one knew her current state better than I did.
The words coming out of my mouth were straight from Huh Ji-woong's teachings.
"The intro on this song was near perfect. But heading into the high notes, I could feel your vocal cords quivering faintly."
I was passing on the exact advice Huh Ji-woong had given me.
It stung a bit saying it, but there was no helping it.
It was the truth.
And if Lee Cheong-ha didn't fix this habit now, it could become ingrained.
I had to stop that.
"A faint quiver... you could hear all that?"
I shrugged at her shocked stare.
It was audible because we were kindred spirits, but no point explaining further—her seventeen-year-old ears wouldn't pick it up anyway.
"More relaxed, more smoothly."
"Relaxed and smooth?"
"Yeah. Like you're sitting on your bed, scrolling your phone, and just singing your favorite song."
Despite my earnest explanation, Lee Cheong-ha looked like she didn't quite get it.
"Nah, sitting isn't enough."
I stood up and flopped straight onto the practice room floor.
One hand holding my phone, in a super comfy pose like I was about to drift off.
Since I'd brought it up, I figured I'd use the one-on-one exercise from my pre-regression lessons with Ji-woong.
Mentor Teacher. I'm borrowing your method first. I've never skipped core training, so go easy on me.
"You lie down too. Like this."
I patted the floor to call her over, and she hesitated a bit before approaching.
"My uniform'll get dirty..."
She grumbled softly, hiked up her skirt, and lay down beside me.
"In this position, relax your body completely. Just recite the lyrics like we're chatting."
I decided showing her was better than telling.
I naturally started reciting the lyrics first.
"That voice. To me, it's truly new. It wraps my heart warmly."
Lying on the floor and vocalizing, I felt the vibration against my back, and my voice spreading across the ceiling and the whole room.
Lee Cheong-ha listened quietly beside me.
I could feel myself tensing up when I should be relaxing, so I shook my head.
If Ji-woong were here, I'd probably get whacked with a stick.
My body, trained in bad habits already, wasn't cooperating.
I focused on practice and recited a few more lines.
"Your turn. Give it a shot."
"Ahem."
Lee Cheong-ha cleared her throat as instructed, relaxed her body, and spat out the lines like dialogue.
"My breath catches, trembling so tight. Like you see right through me... your words..."
She started off well, but I could feel the tension building, making her vocalization unnatural.
She sensed it too and stopped.
No wonder—how do you relax like this?
Just the tiniest shift from Do-hyun lying right next to her made rustling sounds up close.
Her body tensed involuntarily.
"It's fine. Intentionally relaxing isn't familiar yet."
It wasn't easy to consciously release tension.
Lying down was the easiest way to release it, which made it clearer where tension crept in.
This training was meant to make you aware of that.
With your body against the floor, tense spots felt heavy.
Lee Cheong-ha, who'd learned music instinctively without formal training, wasn't used to conscious control.
"How can we make it even more relaxed?"
I pondered, then switched from lying on my back to prone.
Then I looked down at the straight-lying Lee Cheong-ha.
"Does this feel more like speaking?"
Lee Cheong-ha turned her head and said firmly.
"No. I was getting a feel for it earlier. Let me try again."
"Oh? Can't miss that feeling then."
I quickly flipped back over.
Lee Cheong-ha was staring intently at one spot on the ceiling, not even glancing my way—she really seemed to be onto something.
"You've got to hold onto that feeling when it comes. Focus and..."
I continued passing on Huh Ji-woong's teachings.
Handing down the great mentor's wisdom filled me with surging pride.
"Do-hyun. Could you be quiet for a sec?"
Right, focus on practice.
***
After a long session lying down, we moved to sitting, then finally standing practice.
Lee Cheong-ha gradually achieved natural vocalization with relaxed movements.
"Wow, I totally get the feeling now. You're the best teacher ever!"
Uncle last time, now teacher.
She'd struggled a bit at first with releasing tension, but once she got the hang of it, she picked up everything I said lightning-fast.
"You've got the feeling down?"
"Yeah, yeah. Nailed it."
From there, reciting lines casually like conversation and adding pitch went smoothly.
Genius really is different.
Watching Lee Cheong-ha, it was clear talent wasn't all—she was smart too, grasping ten things from one explanation.
Finally, we had her reprise the number she'd chosen for today.
It didn't sound dramatically different yet, but that wasn't the point of today's training.
Seeing her recite the lyrics with a much more relaxed face put my mind at ease.
On a whim, I joined in beside her, adding harmony.
"Finally, you've come to me, my love
I'm not afraid anymore"
With muscle pain sapping all strength from my body, I couldn't tense my throat either.
The hellish training had wrecked my condition, but paradoxically, the song flowed naturally.
My top priority right now was breaking the bad habit of unnecessary throat tension.
With no strength left, my throat muscles stayed loose.
Just as expected.
Pushing my body this hard prevented any pointless force in my throat.
This was why I'd said starting practice like this was actually good.
No way Ji-woong planned this with his insane workouts.
Nah, impossible.
I shook my head vigorously and matched Lee Cheong-ha's breathing to complete the harmony on the high note.
***
Finishing practice with Do-hyun, Lee Cheong-ha headed back to the dorm with light steps when she spotted an unexpected person.
Her homeroom teacher, Huh Ji-woong.
"Hello!"
"Uh, hey."
Even at her bright greeting, Ji-woong started to pass by, but then remembered she was teamed with Do-hyun.
He subtly backpedaled and called out.
"Lee Cheong-ha."
"Yes!"
Was she always this personality?
Ji-woong eyed the beaming Lee Cheong-ha—so different from her classroom self—and asked.
"Practice going well?"
He knew about her stage fright, so he kept it gentle.
With just over ten days until the duet test, he worried if she'd manage this time.
But her face lit up.
"Yes! Do-hyun's helping a ton. You'll be shocked, Teacher!"
Ji-woong was surprised by her confident vibe.
She definitely had stage fright, and she'd shown it in the pre-test too.
He was curious how this happened but didn't want to pry.
She said it was going well herself—no need to jinx it with careless words.
Singers were sensitive to moods and emotions, so best to let it slide.
"Good to hear. Do your best."
"Yes! Thank you!"
Lee Cheong-ha bowed energetically to Ji-woong, then muttered as she turned away.
To not forget Do-hyun's lesson from today.
"Like lying in bed singing your favorite song..."
Ji-woong, about to leave, overheard and whipped back around in surprise.
It was a very familiar line.
One he used for kids emphasizing tone.
'Do-hyun taught her that?'
But he hadn't taught Do-hyun that one yet.