Chapter 7

20-second composing genius, becoming a monster in 200,000 seconds - Chapter 7

Innate Talent (3)

FL Studio is famous and user-friendly.

Back when I was a complete beginner, knowing nothing about arranging or mastering, it was the first program I used to make a song.

There are plenty of tutorial videos on YouTube, and even without watching them, if you have a sense, you can easily create an electronic track thanks to its incredibly intuitive UI.

It was a very grateful program that taught me the joy of making music.

‘I once relied on it.’

And now it's time to rely on it again.

“Please step aside for a moment.”

I squeezed in next to the music teacher, whose face was full of surprise, and grabbed the keyboard and mouse.

“What do you prefer?”

“Eh… What?”

“The mood of the song. Upbeat? Calm?”

“...Upbeat.”

Okay. Request accepted.

The familiar carrot-shaped window opened, and the gray background screen greeted me.

I also put on the headphones that were on the desk.

“There’s no master keyboard...”

Even if it’s a preparatory school, they don’t keep such things in the office.

But there’s a regular keyboard, right? That’s enough.

“Let’s start with the beat...”

I quickly began placing drum loops in the browser panel.

Thud-chick-thud-chick

A simple sequence of kicks and snares, but that’s enough. What I need to show him now is not arranging skills but composing skills.

‘Just pull something out.’

There were many melodies I could pull from my head.

I pulled out the virtual keyboard, placed it over the beat, and started playing with the computer keyboard.

There’s no need to show a super high-quality, finely polished melody.

I just need to prove that I’ve changed.

About 5 minutes.

That’s how long it took me to complete a 30-second melody loop.

There’s only a beat loop and a melody I tapped out on the electric piano, but that’s enough for now.

“Let’s listen.”

“...”

I handed him the headphones. And not long after,

“...!”

His eyes widened, very wide.

Is he going to fall over?

“This is...”

Even after the 30-second track ended, he couldn’t speak, just staring blankly at the screen.

It took about 5 minutes for him to start taking action.

Thud!

He threw off the headphones.

“I can’t believe it...!”

The music teacher pulled out the headphone jack and turned up the volume on the speakers.

And as if to make sure everyone could hear, he played my original song.

* * *

Ding-ding-ding!

A melody based on D major. Even without any effects, it has an ‘upbeat’ feel that penetrates the ears.

Kim Hak-sun tried desperately to suppress the urge to bob his head.

‘What is this...?’

He wasn’t a genius.

He had some talent, but it was never enough to overshadow others.

That’s what Kim Hak-sun had observed about the student Kim Do-il over the past year.

However,

‘This is just unbelievable...’

The composition of the melody was outstanding. No, it was more than outstanding; it was incredibly meticulous.

How...? In such a short time?

What came to mind was a racing competition.

Not just watching, but participating in a racing competition.

The thrill of outmaneuvering a tuned car chasing you on a mountain road with pure driving skills enveloped his entire body.

If he heard this song while driving, he would probably get 20 tickets and have his license suspended.

Thud

Kim Hak-sun quickly pulled out the headphone cord and asked the young math teacher who was peeking from the side.

“What do you think?”

“Me, me?”

“Yes. What do you think, as a math teacher?”

“It sounds good...”

“More specifically?”

“It’s upbeat...”

One might think it’s pointless to ask a math teacher, but in fact, the opinion of a layperson is very important.

You don’t just make a song and only let experts listen to it, right?

The math teacher’s expression when he gave his opinion was very sincere.

In other words, it wasn’t just his own delusion.

However, Kim Hak-sun couldn’t shake the deep-seated doubt in his heart.

“W... Well... other songs...”

“Teacher.”

“Huh?”

“If you keep doubting, I’ll be very upset. Even if... even if my family is poor...”

‘What have I done...’

At first, he was angry. He thought I was a scoundrel who stole someone else’s song and submitted it to a contest.

But now, seeing my ability in front of him, he realized he was in the position of condemning a hardworking student.

“I’m sorry.”

Kim Hak-sun bowed his head in apology.

“No... it’s okay. You had every reason to doubt.”

“I’m really sorry. The contest entry was submitted without any problems.”

“Can I get up now?”

“Sure. Go back to class.”

But his heart wasn’t really filled with regret, thanks to his greed.

A greed that every musician has, and as a teacher, especially a teacher of ‘students,’ he felt it more intensely than anyone else.

‘I want to teach.’

It was the desire to educate.

‘I thought it was a pebble... but it’s a gemstone!’

Kim Hak-sun smiled gently. No one noticed, but it was a face drenched in pure desire.

* * *

“Phew...”

As soon as I left the office, I clenched my fist and let out a small sigh.

Success!

Not only did I overcome two small crises with a reasonable excuse, but I also left a strong impression on the teacher.

‘He had such a good look in his eyes.’

Music teacher Kim Hak-sun.

Unpopular among students, but quite sociable and with a glamorous past before becoming a teacher.

Even 10 years after graduation, I occasionally heard rumors about him, despite being a nobody.

In any case, after the regression, I had to make sure to catch his eye.

‘A crisis is an opportunity.’

I used to think a crisis was just a crisis.

Is it true that there are no false proverbs?

I immediately returned to the classroom for the next class and sat down.

‘Was the first period Korean History?’

Just because it’s a preparatory school doesn’t mean they only have art-related subjects 24/7.

Basic subjects are also taught.

In our school, out of seven periods, two or three are general subjects.

Of course, not many students pay attention, but falling asleep affects your attitude score, so that’s understandable.

But how can you stop students from daydreaming or secretly doing other things?

Physical fitness is a very, very important virtue for preparatory school students, and as long as they don’t do anything too ridiculous, general subject teachers tend to turn a blind eye.

That is,

As long as they don’t do anything too ridiculous!

As soon as I sat down, I was surprised.

This kid was sitting next to me.

Long hair, a small but adequately straight nose, and a recently cut straight bang.

Was I surprised by her good looks?

No, not really. In fact, I’m confident that no matter who sat next to me, I wouldn’t have noticed their appearance.

‘Damn, she’s really watching anime.’

For a moment, I wondered if our school had an anime-related department.

No way. Our school doesn’t have any art-related departments, and most students are focused on classical or practical music.

The dance students are all in one class, so if she’s in my class, she must be someone who aspires to ‘music.’

I couldn’t help but admire her confidence in watching anime.

‘Yeah, preparatory schools are full of crazy kids.’

I’m sure in my past life, I would have just shrugged it off with this thought.

“...?”

“...”

...

But something different happened this time.

Our eyes met.

“...Do you want to watch together?”

She even offered me an earpod.

“Watching anime together during class...”

“Yeah.”

It might be kind of fun?

“Isn’t that the first episode?”

“14th episode. Oh, it’s also the first episode of the second season.”

What the hell, you’re such a hardcore fan.

I understood, but for some reason, I felt like saying that.

“Turn off the local broadcast.”

Maybe because our conversation got a bit long, the teacher finally noticed.

“Because of you, I can’t watch anime this period...”

Does that mean she plans to watch it next period?

“Sorry.”

“You don’t look very sorry.”

“Is that so?”

I’m not really sorry!

I subtly glanced at the name tag of the girl sitting next to me. Her name was...

‘Kim Bom...’

A foreign name.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a name I remembered from my 34 years of life.

That means she didn’t achieve the kind of success that would make her famous.

‘It’s kind of nice to meet you.’

I felt a brief sense of camaraderie, meeting someone in a similar situation.

“...Were you called to the teacher’s office?”

“Yeah.”

Has the rumor already spread?

The class president seemed quiet, but apparently not.

“I heard the song you submitted to the contest.”

“You heard it?”

“It’s on the school website, so anyone can listen.”

True. That’s right.

In the past, I used to eagerly check what songs were uploaded.

But a warm feeling welled up in my chest, and I knew exactly why without thinking too deeply.

‘Someone actually listened to my music!’

When the teacher listened, it didn’t feel like anything. Of course, it was something he ‘had to listen to.’

But now it’s different. Someone who didn’t have to listen to my music went out of their way to do so.

Euphoria.

An incredible euphoria that enveloped my entire body after a long, arduous journey.

My hands were trembling.

“Eh... Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah.”

My throat was dry, making it hard to speak, but I managed to regain my composure with superhuman effort.

And I also heard the shocking news from my seatmate.

“I’m not the only one... I got it from a friend in another class.”

“You, you mean others heard it too?”

“Yeah. And they... they all suspect you. They think you got the song from someone else. Even yesterday...”

My seatmate glanced at me suspiciously and continued.

“So they all seem to be waiting... you know, for the next period, the piano sight-reading.”

“...”

I looked up at the timetable next to the blackboard.

Sight-reading and aural training.

An essential subject in preparatory school.

‘Suspicion...’

Better than indifference.

If they suspect me, I just need to prove them wrong.

The difference in skill between the 18-year-old me from the past and the current me is incomparable, especially in piano.