-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Relaxation Tea and the Lottery
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I followed behind Song Ha-na, who had slipped into the pantry at the entrance to the gym.
Peeking into the pantry, I saw her earnestly brewing some tea she had brought separately, her expression serious.
I stood quietly beside her, waiting, when she abruptly held out her hand after finishing.
"Want some?"
Song Ha-na offered me the tea.
She still had that signature prickliness, but what was with this sudden kindness?
I couldn't exactly refuse, so I reached out and took it.
A fresh scent wafted up—one I'd never smelled before—and seeing how clear it was, it seemed like some kind of herbal tea.
"What is it?"
"Relaxation tea. After working out, when your throat's all dry, it's better for it than chugging ice water. You warm up gradually as you sip."
Oh ho, if it's good for the throat, I'd chew rocks for it.
Plus, this was something the heiress of a chaebol was drinking herself—what better endorsement could there be?
I took a sip right away.
"Thanks."
Hmm, I wasn't great at discerning tea flavors.
It was mild and fragrant.
Song Ha-na took a sip of her own, then opened her mouth as if this was the main point.
"You knew Lee Cheong-ha before?"
Weird. It felt like I'd heard this question somewhere.
Ah, right—Teacher Ji-woong had asked me today.
Ji-woong aside, why was she asking?
"Why'd you pair up with someone you'd never properly tested with? How could you know what kind of sound she'd make when she sings?"
She stared at me with a puzzled look, but instead, Song Ha-na threw another question my way.
Her expression was downright menacing.
She looked like if I didn't answer, I wouldn't make it back to the dorm tonight.
"Her voice is good."
"You picked her just based on that? It wasn't even proper singing?"
Not the answer she wanted—Song Ha-na's face crumpled.
"You get a feel for it when you hear the voice. You'll be going up there too, right?"
Truth be told, you could roughly tell what timbre someone's singing voice would have just from their speaking voice.
Even regular folks who liked singing could gauge it to some extent.
Especially with a voice like Lee Cheong-ha's—plenty of people would say the same.
"Hah. You gambled on the exam?"
But choosing an exam partner was a whole different matter.
It was just a hunch, after all.
Picking a partner for a graded exam on a hunch didn't make sense.
Not when there could be any number of variables.
I couldn't exactly snap back with, "Would you want to miss out on the future Broadway actress?"
"There wasn't anyone else handy."
Song Ha-na recalled how Do-hyun had avoided her gaze.
But she couldn't very well say, "You're the one who dodged my eyes."
"You're good enough that you could've paired with me."
Her muttered words caught me off guard.
Before my regression, seventeen-year-old me had zero interest from Song Ha-na.
What to do.
I didn't particularly want to bruise her pride here.
"There'd be a line of guys dying to pair with you. That's the real gamble."
At my words, Song Ha-na's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard.
"Th-that's why you went with Lee Cheong-ha?"
"That, and..."
"And?"
She wasn't letting it slide.
She was really curious.
"Because I believed Cheong-ha would do well."
"What?"
Song Ha-na couldn't wrap her head around believing in someone she'd only just met at school.
But the look in Do-hyun's eyes as he gazed at her was sincere.
Having confirmed those eyes that trusted Lee Cheong-ha completely, Song Ha-na momentarily imagined what it would feel like to receive a look like that.
To be asked to be someone's partner based solely on your voice, in a situation with no guaranteed background or skills?
Wait, Song Ha-na. What are you even thinking? Snap out of it.
"How could you know? Does it show on their face or something? What if she couldn't do it?"
"This is Cheongyeom Arts High. You think someone who can't cut it just sits there taking up space?"
It oddly rang true...
But there were still parts that didn't quite add up.
"So even if Lee Cheong-ha gave up like last time, that would've been fine?"
Ah, right—that.
Song Ha-na wouldn't know about Lee Cheong-ha's stage fright.
Plus, skipping the entire pre-test because she was sick would be unthinkable to Song Ha-na.
She'd probably push through even with a 104-degree fever.
Even if Cheong-ha bailed right before the stage, it would've been okay.
I nodded to Song Ha-na, thinking, Of course.
Seeing that, her face filled with shock.
'Even if she gave up, it's fine? He might be even tougher than I thought.'
For a moment, she thought Do-hyun seemed as mature as Kim Sun-woo.
And his skills didn't lag behind, either.
He was definitely better than Moon Woo-hyuk right now, though hard to say against Kim Sun-woo.
Song Ha-na realized she'd unconsciously put Do-hyun on the same level as Moon Woo-hyuk and Kim Sun-woo—and paled.
'Have I lost my mind?'
She shook her head vigorously to clear it.
Seeing her grab her towel to leave, I opened the almond container in the pantry and asked,
"Want some?"
"Nah. I already had fifteen today."
Ah. Got it.
She actually counts them.
The more I learned, the more astonishing Song Ha-na seemed.
"See you tomorrow at school."
"Yeah. Get home safe."
***
Today was the day for afternoon physical training.
Not even 24 hours had passed since finishing the vocal assessment, but once you were in Cheongyeom Arts High, you couldn't relax after just one test.
"Vocal eval's done—don't get slack on me."
Cheongyeom Arts High wouldn't allow it.
First period Wednesday was acting class.
Han Hyo-jin came into the acting practice room and immediately announced the acting evaluation.
As expected, no rest at Cheongyeom Arts High.
"This time, it's a 'one-scene showdown' you guys can really have fun with."
"Teacher, I'd rather watch than compete."
"Out. Raise your hand on the way."
"Sorry."
Woo-sik shot his hand up with that remark, and Han Hyo-jin pointed to the door like it wasn't worth hearing.
The kids burst into laughter at the sight.
"Okay, the format's simple. Pair up in twos, and I'll give each team a script for a single scene featuring two actors. Interpret and perform it in your own way. Higher score goes to whoever leaves the deeper impression. Questions?"
It wasn't just about high scores.
This two-person acting test would be graded overall with rankings posted, but implicitly, each pair would have a winner and loser.
You could feel the kids exchanging tense glances, aware of that.
"Teacher. What are the criteria?"
By now, Song Ha-na's questions were practically routine.
The kids just nodded along, looking to Han Hyo-jin.
"Obviously, the more original yet plausible the interpretation, the better the score. But no shoehorning in random comedy that makes zero sense."
Han Hyo-jin grinned menacingly and trailed off.
The kids came forward one by one to draw balls from the box Han Hyo-jin had prepared.
"The ball has the work's name, so teams are whoever draws the same... Min Woo-sik! You swapping balls with someone right now?!"
Woo-sik got caught trying to trade his ball with another kid.
"You. Front and center."
No escaping in the cramped practice room.
Woo-sik was dragged out by the fuming Han Hyo-jin.
As I shook my head at the sight, Lee Cheong-ha sidled up beside me and checked my ball.
"What'd you get, Do-hyun?"
"Me?"
I looked down at the ball marked with two letters: 권능.
"Authority? Whoa... heavy one."
Just then, a ball suddenly flew toward us.
It nearly hit Lee Cheong-ha, so I reached out and snatched it lightly.
Same as mine—권능, "Authority."
I looked toward where it came from.
"Eek!"
Lee Cheong-ha's eyes widened as she yelped.
Styrofoam ball, so no real danger, but still startling.
Moon Woo-hyuk was the thrower.
He shoved Lee Cheong-ha aside wordlessly and planted himself in front of me.
Lee Cheong-ha, almost hit and now ignored, pouted and glared at him.
"What."
"You nearly got me hit because of you."
"Didn't."
Lee Cheong-ha looked exasperated at Moon Woo-hyuk's response.
What kind of guy is this?
"Move it, pumpkin."
"What?"
Lee Cheong-ha gasped at the word she'd never heard before.
Calling her a pumpkin? Then nobody was a pumpkin.
"Says the melon."
Incredibly, Lee Cheong-ha muttered under her breath and walked off.
'Melon? Melon?!'
Moon Woo-hyuk bristled.
First time hearing that in his life.
He whipped around, boring holes into Lee Cheong-ha's back, but she'd already found her partner and started chatting.
Moon Woo-hyuk had green eyes from his British mom.
Was that why—melon? But melons were kinda rough and pumpkin-shaped anyway.
Was this an insult?
His confusion—insult or compliment?—showed plainly on his face.
Cute.
Was it weird for a thirty-three-year-old man to find that a bit adorable?
"Let's do well together."
To snap out of it, I stuck my hand out to Moon Woo-hyuk first.
He scowled deeply as I grinned and said it.
"I'm doing the lead."
"Fine."
No pushback from me on him taking lead? He huffed through his nose and stormed off.
Come to think of it, fate must be real.
Even before regression, I'd been teamed with Moon Woo-hyuk for the freshman acting test.
I hadn't expected it, but here we were again.
Not "Authority" back then, but him insisting on lead was the same.
Pre-regression, I lacked the guts or skill to challenge him.
Naturally, he won.
I could still picture his triumphant grin as he looked back at me.
But fifteen years ago, Moon Woo-hyuk's win wasn't because he took lead.
That wasn't what mattered.
Just who acted better—that was it.
Let's see who wins this time.
Just then, Woo-sik slunk back in with Han Hyo-jin, utterly deflated.
"Everyone got your partners?"
"Yes."
"Sit with them next class. Eval's in three weeks—same as vocals. Dance after this, probably. You get the pattern?"
The kids chorused agreement.
While other subjects ran normally, vocal, acting, and dance tests cycled every three weeks.
Next up: mid-semester comprehensive eval.
"For now, think about your interpretation of the work."
"Can we tweak it a bit in the process?"
"To a degree, but nothing that changes the core plot."
"Yes, got it."
Song Ha-na's routine question wrapped up.
By now, the kids were probably grateful for it.
She always nailed the key curiosities.
Everyone nodded, and Han Hyo-jin ended the notice with good lucks, then started class.
And so, another test toward the Cheongyeom Arts Festival began.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Read 320 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
https://noveldex.io/series/a-rewritten-handbook-for-musical-life
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━