Chapter 4

20-second Composition Genius, Becoming a Monster in 200,000 Seconds Chapter 4

The Return of the Genius (2)

Memories gradually fade. The first to be erased are those deemed useless, followed by the good ones, while the regretful ones linger the longest.

They might even last until death. For me, this was exactly that era.

"Really came back, huh."

Thud, thud.

I walk with the almost-set sun at my back.

The scenery from my childhood fills my field of vision.

"Wow."

But is this even possible?

I was so tired of imagining going back in time, but I never thought it would actually happen to me.

Well, falling into hell was an unrealistic experience to begin with. Most people don't even believe in the afterlife, let alone hell.

Anyway, I felt good.

Maybe because I had already experienced falling into hell, I could quickly accept the fact that I had returned to the past.

But the problem started after I accepted it.

Opportunity. The very opportunity I had longed for was given to me in its entirety, so it was natural to be confused.

"What should I do…."

There are so many things I want to do. My mind is a mess, unable to prioritize properly.

I want to learn the piano properly, and the same goes for the guitar and bass.

Even if virtual instruments or session players ultimately perform the music, I need to understand each instrument's role accurately, right?

Improving my skills would undoubtedly help.

"Music school…."

I stopped in the middle of the students' crowd while walking home.

The row of commercial buildings, the young heads bustling about.

Awesome piano lessons, practice rooms, and crazy violins and cellos.

It was a place I always passed by after school.

And… a place I couldn't enter.

'Because I didn't have the money.'

The school curriculum at the arts high school was perfect for nurturing 'experts,' but if you ask whether you can get into a top university with just school classes, the answer is no.

Receiving lessons from famous teachers or at music schools is a basic necessity.

Talented kids pour money and an enormous amount of time to barely secure a spot in the music industry.

I was just lucky enough to get into the arts high school and then a university.

"Really just luck."

No matter how much people say life is 70% luck and 30% effort, I had no intention of leaving my fate to uncertainty.

If I'm going to plan, it should be 70% effort and 30% luck.

Indeed.

I moved towards the commercial building stairs without a second thought.

I don't know why I always felt intimidated when passing by here as a high school student.

Was it because I felt I shouldn't even look at something I couldn't afford?

But even if I can't attend, I can still go in, right?

I can wander around and ask for a discount on tuition fees.

'Even if I get rejected, nothing much will happen.'

My reputation might take a hit, but how much of a reputation do I really have? My family's financial situation was already well-known, and I had already been teased by kids who replaced private lessons with YouTube.

I had nothing more to lose.

In my previous life, I lived a failed life. There were many reasons, but the main one was my habit of being overly cautious.

'Don't be overly cautious.'

Therefore, I confidently climbed the stairs of the commercial building and opened the door to the music school.

"Welcome~"

A young female staff member sitting at the counter and the well-decorated interior caught my eye.

Music schools always feel like high-end, well-insulated karaoke rooms.

A few large practice rooms inside, and small practice rooms lined up along the hallway.

'I visited a lot as an adult.'

Not to take late-night classes, but to earn some extra money as an assistant teacher for a few months.

"Never seen you before, are you here to register?"

"Just looking around."

"Oh, I see. Are you a student at the arts high school? What's your major?"

"Composition."

"Great! We still have spots open in our composition class~"

The staff member, with a friendly smile, was about to start writing down my information.

I confidently and boldly toured the school.

Peeking into practice rooms through small windows, sitting in chairs in the ensemble room where various instruments were placed.

And for the final act...

"That's not how you do it."

I went into the recording studio where a computer was set up and gave some advice.

"..."

"..."

Our gazes met.

A girl, who looked somewhat familiar, stared at me with sharp eyes, clearly annoyed, as she faced the DAW screen.

Her uniform was from my school.

Who was she?

"Who are you?"

"Kim Do-il."

"No, I didn't ask for your name…."

The girl let out a 'huh' in disbelief and then shifted her sharp gaze to the staff member.

"Teacher Seo Hee-young."

"Sorry for the interruption. I'll leave soon."

Hearing me call her 'teacher' made the girl flustered. The conversation gave me a hint of her status at the school.

So, I acted even more boldly.

"The bass line is too complex. Using different instruments to layer it might sound rich at first, but it will get boring after a while. Try unifying the feel with a Precision bass instead of the Contrabass."

"Who are you to suddenly show up and…."

"Just saying~"

Approaching a stranger and giving advice out of the blue?

In my past life, I would never have done that. I would have thought it was rude and not even tried.

But,

'I always wanted to try it once.'

I wanted to show off my knowledge and offer some helpful advice, just like that.

And now, I did it.

To a girl whose name I couldn't even remember.

"Let's go."

I toured the school again.

The facilities were good, and it wasn't overcrowded. It was a perfect place to attend.

"Can you give me a discount?"

"Excuse me?"

"Just a little… no, a big discount."

After thoroughly treating the school like my own living room, asking for a discount.

If you're not a saint, you'd probably lose the will to give a discount even if you had it.

But I didn't care.

'Don't be too humble, be confident.'

If I'm going to beg, I'll do it confidently!

"Please leave."

"Yes, sir."

I was kicked out.

As expected.

* * *

Lim Da-yoon was in a bad mood lately.

The stress of managing grades after moving to the second year, the repetitive and boring practice every day, and the blisters and poor circulation in her legs from sitting for long periods.

There were countless reasons to be annoyed, but one of them was the competition.

'The submission deadline for the contest is less than eight hours away!'

Arts high school students must constantly prove themselves.

Practicing is a basic necessity, and it's very important to record how much they have grown through various activities.

If you had world-class talent, these things might not be necessary, but Da-yoon knew better than anyone that her talent didn't reach that level.

Composition.

It's a field that only the talented can touch, but not everyone is equal. Therefore….

"What gives… what gives you the right to criticize me?"

Da-yoon felt her annoyance towards the boy who suddenly appeared, criticized her, and then ran away growing more and more.

She had just finished a piece with her own effort, and he criticized it without even listening.

Is he sane?

And asking for a discount on tuition?

What kind of shameless guy is he?

Her grumbling continued endlessly. But suddenly, she wondered why she was so annoyed.

"Ah… sigh."

She knew the truth.

The piece she was working on was ambiguous.

While the chords and melody are in the realm of pure creation, where a lack of talent is evident, her arrangement skills were also lacking.

After replaying the track several times, she definitely felt it was getting boring.

That's right. She was angry because she was hit where it hurt.

"Change the bass…? It won't make much of a difference…."

She used a piano and acoustic guitar for the high and mid-range melody lines and a contrabass and jazz bass for the low range.

She wanted to create a lavish feel by using two instruments for the bass line, as she lacked the ability to decorate it elaborately on its own.

"This is getting boring…."

The harmony of the different ranges in her head was perfect, but reality was different.

After the strange boy left, the teacher came in, listened, and gave an ambiguous reaction.

"A bit messy?"

That was all the teacher said.

Unlike the boy, the teacher didn't point out specific issues or suggest improvements.

'Unify the bass…?'

She was hesitant and felt her pride was hurt. She didn't want to do it. But Da-yoon, with a sense of doubt, started to make the changes the boy suggested.

"Laying down a basic line with a Precision bass… removing all the contrabass bowing…."

The unique bowing of the contrabass, which provided a low, resonant sound, was gone, and the song suddenly felt empty.

"Hey, what's this?"

It was a complete mess, right?

She felt a brief moment of satisfaction. A very brief moment.

The good feeling was immediately shattered when the soundproof door opened.

"Wow, much cleaner? Da-yoon, you did a great job!"

Her teacher, with a smile, praised her.

"Wow… I would have found that ambiguous too. Great job!"

Even the teacher found it challenging.

'Kim Do-il…? What kind of kid is he?'

Her mind was flooded with confusion.

* * *

I thoroughly toured the music school area I couldn't visit in my previous life.

What kind of place is it? What equipment do they have? What kind of students attend?

I resolved all my curiosities.

'Not much different.'

It was as expected.

But it was also as expected.

Passionate teachers who teach with enthusiasm, students with serious expressions focusing on their sheet music, and the sounds of instruments that don't quite harmonize coming from all around.

It was the very scene I had longed for in my previous life.

Of course,

"They didn't give much of a discount."

The line "I was moved by your passion, so I'll give you an 80% discount" is probably only in manga.

The only place that offered a discount was a shabby school with few students and poor equipment.

"Well."

Thinking about it, it was natural.

I had no objective achievements, so it was hard to believe in me.

I remember winning my first award at a school competition in the second semester of my second year.

"So… I have nothing."

But I wasn't in a bad mood.

With nothing, I can gain anything.

In a place that existed only for pain, I tried to get what I wanted and succeeded.

Therefore, in this world full of possibilities, I can gain anything.

Rumble—

My stomach growled, demanding food.

I had lived without a physical body for over a decade, but adapting to hunger was instantaneous.

I immediately searched my pockets and the bag I was carrying.

"...Money."

It's not there.

In my previous life, I at least had enough money to buy a bowl of beef and vegetable soup.

All I had in my bag were a strangely folded school newsletter between the books, an external hard drive, and sheet music.

Wait.

Sheet music…?

"…!"

I remembered.

What I was doing now, what I was preparing.

"The school composition contest."

A contest for a march to be used at the sports festival.

I was preparing for it.

...Right, the contest I didn't even place in.

"Huh?"

But the submission deadline was today.