Chapter 2

2,

How many people wouldn't be startled if something suddenly appeared before their eyes?

Han Jihyuk was one of the many people who would be startled.

"What the—"

A mutter somewhere between a scream and a sense of absurdity.

Han Jihyuk frowned.

He blinked and looked straight ahead again.

The semi-transparent window that had appeared was gone, or perhaps it had never been there in the first place.

In his ears, the guitar playing of a man he didn't particularly like had been sounding since a while ago.

He stepped closer to the microphone and began to speak.

His song started.

- The one who makes my heart resonate is only you.

Don't leave me, please.

Why, aren't there such people?

People who receive a lot of praise for singing well in karaoke.

The man sang at a level that was just about that.

Han Jihyuk scratched his cheek.

Not incredibly impressive, but not bad either.

There were quite a few shortcomings, but it wasn't something to nitpick about if you just wanted to enjoy the atmosphere.

As he unknowingly started to give his thoughts, something appeared before his eyes again.

- 'The King of Pop' closes his eyes tightly and suggests leaving this place immediately.

- 'Another Queen' spits and raises her voice, saying that those who insult music should be punished.

He closed his mouth, looking at them.

He didn't know how to react, so that's what he did.

The situation was already confusing, feeling like he had suddenly returned to the past, and now this happened, leaving him with no energy to be surprised.

"What are you staring at?"

The man, thinking Han Jihyuk was looking at him, spoke in a sharp voice.

At first, Han Jihyuk didn't even realize the man was talking to him.

"Hey, what are you looking at?!"

Only after the man spoke again did Han Jihyuk realize it was directed at him.

"It's nothing... "

Trying to brush it off as a bother, the man slipped out of his chair.

"Nothing? You've been staring since I came in. I want to punch your eyes out."

The man growled at Han Jihyuk, clearly dissatisfied.

"I'm not messing around, I don't know why you're acting like this...!"

Han Jihyuk couldn't hold back anymore.

He had been suppressing his temper and bowing his head, but that didn't mean his nature had changed.

Han Jihyuk was generally considerate of others, but he didn't respect those who openly showed hostility and spoke rudely.

He vaguely remembered who this guy was, but couldn't clearly recall him.

'So, he's not an important person, then.'

He clearly recognized the manager's face, but didn't know who this man was.

Whether he had really returned to the past or was in some other situation, he wasn't sure...

'If I can't remember, he's not an important person.'

Thinking this, Han Jihyuk took a firm step forward.

Although he didn't fully understand the situation, what was clear was that the man was hostile towards him.

Han Jihyuk wasn't so naive as to let such a person off and take it lying down.

- 'The Silent Artist' is pleased and encourages you to put this music destroyer in his place.

- 'The King of Pop' snickers, muttering that this guy should find a place to lie down.

Han Jihyuk ignored the things floating before his eyes and took another step forward.

He narrowed his brows and continued.

"Watch your words. Don't speak so carelessly."

Throughout his life, he had dealt with many people.

He had bowed his head and even knelt many times, but...

He had also stood up and confronted many times.

Han Jihyuk judged that now was the time to speak his mind and confront.

Perhaps, his judgment was emotional rather than rational amidst the confusion.

'So what?'

Whatever he did, it would be less stupid than just listening to insults.

He stood right in front of the man, looking down slightly.

"You, you creep...!"

The man, not expecting Han Jihyuk to react this way, seemed a bit startled.

He hesitated, then, perhaps feeling his self-esteem hurt, scowled.

"Hey, do you really want to die? You need to earn money, right? If I say one word to the manager, you're done. Got it?"

Hearing this, Han Jihyuk frowned.

Buried memories, long forgotten, were slowly surfacing.

He thought he knew who the man in front of him was.

The phrases "You need to earn money" and "If I say one word to the manager, you're done" were things the man had often said to Han Jihyuk.

Thanks to this, Han Jihyuk could remember.

Who the man was, and how much of a scumbag he was.

And finally, that even if Han Jihyuk stood up now, it wouldn't be a big problem.

In his youth, he had been scared by such empty threats, but not anymore.

"What are you going to say to the manager? That I look at you unfavorably, so fire me? Try it if you can!"

Han Jihyuk's voice carried a faint anger.

He was ashamed of his past self.

Being scared by such empty threats, taking insults, and even doing menial tasks.

"Are you really crazy? Don't you know who gets the first stage in the evening?"

"I know it's Mr. Jeon Tae-chan."

"Knowing that, why are you acting like this? Are you planning to quit?"

"To be honest, Mr. Jeon Tae-chan, your singing is really bad. There's no reason you have to be on the first stage in the evening."

Han Jihyuk spoke with emphasis.

Of course, it wasn't Han Jihyuk's decision that Jeon Tae-chan had to be on the first stage in the evening.

That was the manager's decision.

But Han Jihyuk genuinely believed there was no reason Jeon Tae-chan had to be on stage.

Jeon Tae-chan's music wasn't that good.

"What? What did you just say?"

His voice carried a fiery anger.

Jeon Tae-chan scowled and glared at Han Jihyuk.

Was he a musician too?

He reacted very sensitively to the comment about his singing.

"Seems like you know it too, don't you? That you can't sing."

Han Jihyuk spoke with a strange smile.

To Jeon Tae-chan, it was a clear sneer.

Jeon Tae-chan clenched his fists as if to hit, but then lowered his arm, seemingly thinking of something.

"Ah... right. You said you make music too, right? Did you think my music was bad?"

"Bad instruments can't produce good music."

"What do you know to say such nonsense?"

Jeon Tae-chan lifted his guitar slightly as he spoke.

Han Jihyuk chuckled.

He was laughing at the fact that Jeon Tae-chan didn't understand that the "bad instrument" referred to him.

"Sure, it could be."

Jeon Tae-chan, who had a distorted face a moment ago, was now pretending to be calm.

He was trying to hide his glaring eyes, but his dirty anger couldn't be hidden.

Trying to manage his expression, Jeon Tae-chan handed his guitar to Han Jihyuk.

Han Jihyuk glanced at the guitar.

What was he supposed to do?

Should he take the guitar and play?

'Can't back out now.'

Whatever it is, he had to do it.

"If you think you're better than me, I'll admit it. I can't make music."

Jeon Tae-chan shrugged.

He immediately scowled and glared at Han Jihyuk.

"But if you're worse than me, you'll have to face the consequences!"

Jeon Tae-chan spoke as if he was about to devour Han Jihyuk.

Han Jihyuk took the guitar.

Jeon Tae-chan smiled.

He was confident that Han Jihyuk wouldn't be able to handle the guitar properly.

He judged that Han Jihyuk's singing wasn't that great either.

That's why he confidently handed the guitar to Han Jihyuk.

Han Jihyuk took the guitar and found a spot to sit.

He adjusted the microphone stand to fit his mouth and lightly plucked the guitar strings to get a feel for the sound.

He exhaled and pondered what song to play.

He had practiced the guitar a lot, so he was somewhat confident.

He knew the chords and basic techniques, but wasn't sure if his hands would hold up.

He decided on a song and was about to start playing.

Suddenly, his hand stopped.

"Come on, start already. Are you scared?"

Seeing this, Jeon Tae-chan sneered.

Scared? Not at all.

A new window had just appeared before Han Jihyuk.

- 'The Six-Stringed Magician' caresses your hand.

The window that appeared before his eyes soon disappeared like smoke.

Han Jihyuk made a small sound and started moving his hand.

'The intro is, Em chord.'

He had practiced hard to make up for his lack of talent.

Even without musical talent, he knew how to hold chords and play the guitar.

But as soon as he held the chord with his left hand, Han Jihyuk felt something strange.

- Twang.

He lightly strummed, and a soft sound resonated.

Han Jihyuk's eyebrows twitched.

The sound was different.

It was a bit different from what he had expected.

Softer and better to listen to.

It felt like it wasn't his own hand, even though it was.

As he continued to play, this feeling became a strong certainty.

Han Jihyuk's hands moved freely.

Fast and accurate.

Even dazzling.

Han Jihyuk's hands busily created sounds.

'(3, next is... 3, I think.'

Even while working as a manager and running a company, he occasionally touched instruments, so his hands naturally found their place.

The song he was playing was a very popular one.

A song titled "Please."

The same song Jeon Tae-chan had just played.

But the atmosphere was completely different.

'Here, D chord.'

Han Jihyuk's playing was weighty and lively at the same time.

A performance that could be described as "beautiful."

The prelude ended.

Han Jihyuk took a deep breath.

Just before he opened his mouth to sing, there was another small change.

- 'Another Queen' bestows a small blessing upon you.

With this window in front of him, Han Jihyuk started to sing.