Chapter 7

7,

Inside the cafe after closing time.

Han Ji-hyuk was sitting alone in front of the piano.

He was well aware of his own limitations.

That was why he knew that the singing skills he had shown at the cafe last time were not entirely his own.

‘Probably, they gave me some help.’

The gods of music must have assisted him.

He was almost certain of this when he recalled the windows that had appeared before his eyes just before he started playing.

“I need to make it my own... I’m not sure if it’s possible.”

Han Ji-hyuk muttered to himself as he looked at the piano keys.

Could he do it again without anyone’s help, just like last time?

With the intention of at least giving it a try, Han Ji-hyuk pressed the record button on his smartphone, which he had set up on the side.

He had set it to start recording three seconds later.

Han Ji-hyuk took a deep breath and placed his hands on the keys.

-‘The Inaudible Artist’ looks at you with hopeful eyes.

-‘Another Queen’ watches you with an interested expression.

-‘The King of Pop’ folds his arms and says he will watch over you.

Ignoring the windows that appeared before his eyes, Han Ji-hyuk moved his hands gently.

It was the same song he had played last time.

Since he still remembered how he had turned the six-minute song into a two-minute one, he thought he could at least play it.

...But he was mistaken.

He needed to play a soft, calm, yet powerful piano, but there was no power in his playing.

He couldn’t feel the unique emotion that the song had.

His playing skills themselves were not bad.

They had improved from what Han Ji-hyuk had originally possessed in his previous life.

But compared to when the gods of music had helped him, his skills were disappointingly poor.

...Hmm.

Still, Han Ji-hyuk stubbornly continued playing until the prelude ended and it was time for the vocals to come in, at which point he opened his mouth.

And he immediately let out a groan and closed his mouth.

As soon as he produced the first note, he felt the lack.

He took the strength out of his foot, which had been pressing the piano pedal, and stopped his hands.

-‘The Inaudible Artist’ looks at your hands with a serious expression, trying to figure out what the problem is.

-‘Another Queen’ tilts her head and looks at you.

-‘The King of Pop’ unfolds his arms and sighs, saying your music is not complete.

Han Ji-hyuk sighed as he read the messages.

“I know that too.”

He muttered and closed his eyes.

He needed to recall the sensation.

Han Ji-hyuk’s physical abilities were not bad.

It was just that he couldn’t put as much emotion into it as before, and his fingers didn’t move as he wished.

“The technical aspects might be resolved with practice...

But putting in the emotion is quite different.

There was a great potential for growth.

Since he hadn’t forgotten the sensation, he believed that with enough practice, he could at least play it similarly to before.

However, the power to convey that emotion was weaker, so the difference would be quite noticeable to the listener.

Han Ji-hyuk stopped the recording and deleted the file that had just been saved.

He pressed the record button again to try once more, took a deep breath, and started playing.

He tried his best to bring out the sensation from that time.

-‘The Inaudible Artist’ looks at your hands with a serious eye, determined to find the problem.

-‘The King of Pop’ advises you to finish even if you can’t do it properly this time.

-‘Another Queen’ closes her eyes.

Thus, Han Ji-hyuk’s performance began again.

As he moved his fingers and pressed the keys, he could feel that it was a little different from before.

There was a very subtle difference, but he could put a bit more emotion into it, and his fingers moved a bit more flexibly.

If you just listened, you might not notice the difference, but Han Ji-hyuk, who was playing, felt it.

And the beings listening to it were not ordinary people.

-‘The Inaudible Artist’ tells you to release a little more tension in your hands.

Seeing the message, Han Ji-hyuk almost lost his concentration, but he didn’t waver and released the tension in his hands as advised.

The prelude was over.

It was time for the vocals to come in.

Han Ji-hyuk opened his mouth.

"Mother, I killed someone."

A calm but powerful piano barely supported the lyrics.

Han Ji-hyuk’s vocals didn’t climb over the piano but rather blended with it, like walking a tightrope.

The vocals needed to have a significant impact, but it wasn’t as easy as he wished.

"Keep going, keep going..."

Han Ji-hyuk tried his best, but it was still precarious.

Still, there was a glimmer of hope.

It wasn’t perfect, but he felt it was getting closer to when he had received help.

-‘Another Queen’ opens her eyes and looks at you with a strange expression, feeling your voice.

-‘The King of Pop’ advises you to put a little more strength in your waist and abdomen.

Reading this, Han Ji-hyuk smiled.

A smile formed on his face as he sang.

Following ‘The King of Pop’s’ advice, he put a little more strength in his waist and abdomen.

It was very slight, but his vocals became more stable.

While still unstable, if before it was like walking a tightrope without any safety measures, now it felt like walking a tightrope with a safety harness.

-“Sometimes I wish I hadn’t been born.”

He struggled with the highlight part, but Han Ji-hyuk managed to finish the song and panted.

“Haa. Haa...?”

He reached out and stopped the recording, saving the video.

-‘The King of Pop’ scolds you, saying you are still far from good.

-‘The Inaudible Artist’ sighs and shakes his head.

-‘Another Queen’ tries to stop them, saying there is potential for development.

Han Ji-hyuk laughed as he read these.

He knew it was a mess, and as the messages suggested, he was still far from good.

But he was confident, like ‘Another Queen’ said, that he could grow a lot.

The gods of music didn’t directly help him or create miracles every time he sang, but they gave him immediate advice.

Receiving guidance from beings who had literally reached the top of the music industry and beyond.

Han Ji-hyuk knew exactly how significant this was.

Also,

“It was really fun.”

His performance and singing were definitely not good.

But he genuinely enjoyed playing and singing.

His heart swelled with joy, filling his chest.

It was similar to the excitement he felt when drinking, yet different.

“What a feeling.”

He muttered, raising his arms to stretch.

After a light stretch, he placed his hands on the piano again.

He had the best teachers right beside him, and he knew he had ‘possibilities’ that he didn’t have in his previous life.

So why hesitate?

‘Now, it’s time to practice like crazy.’

Han Ji-hyuk repeated this to himself and smiled.

The bus jolted, waking Han Ji-hyuk from his nap.

“Ugh.”

Frowning, he opened his eyes slightly and, after looking around and realizing he hadn’t reached his destination yet, closed his eyes again.

But once he was awake, he couldn’t easily fall back asleep.

He eventually opened his eyes and looked out the window.

On the way to the IX Entertainment building.

After a week of practicing late into the night after closing the cafe, his condition wasn’t great.

But he was in good enough shape to handle the promised audition.

‘Since I practiced properly... it’s better.’

Han Ji-hyuk thought to himself and turned up the volume on his earphones.

He was listening to Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’.

-‘The Inaudible Artist’ smiles, saying the interpretation isn’t perfect but the performance isn’t bad.

Han Ji-hyuk listened quietly to the music coming from his earphones and organized his thoughts.

He had decided that it would be better to sign a contract with the entertainment company.

To continue making music and to enter the mainstream market, it was almost essential to be with a company.

He would have to share a certain percentage with the company, but Han Ji-hyuk didn’t see it as a significant loss.

The company would cover the costs and provide help in various areas.

‘Of course, it depends on the contract terms...’

Basically, Han Ji-hyuk intended to sign with IX Entertainment.

But he had no intention of relying solely on the company to handle everything and just wait for opportunities.

“I have to seize the opportunities myself.”

Han Ji-hyuk, who had led a management company in his previous life, knew the industry well and understood how it worked.

Talented people need to work hard to get opportunities.

For those without talent, no matter how hard they work, it’s a tough place.

‘I need to rely on the company where I can, but...’

Even if he signed with IX Entertainment, he didn’t plan to completely rely on the company.

He intended to use his experience to manage himself and decide how to conduct his activities and create opportunities.

Confirming that he was almost at his destination, Han Ji-hyuk stood up.

Squeak

The familiar sound of the bus doors opening.

Han Ji-hyuk got off the bus and headed towards the IX Entertainment building.

There were about ten minutes left until the scheduled time, but he didn’t mind waiting a bit.

As he was thinking this, he saw Baek Kyung-tae standing at the entrance of the IX Entertainment building.

He waved at Han Ji-hyuk with a wide smile.

“Welcome.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve already informed them, and there’s about 30 minutes until the audition. I deliberately set it a bit early... Is that okay?”

“Yes, of course it’s fine.”

Knowing how busy the company was, Han Ji-hyuk nodded in response.

“You don’t need to be too nervous. Just be comfortable. It’s just a formal procedure, after all.”

Han Ji-hyuk nodded at Baek Kyung-tae’s words.

He wasn’t particularly nervous about the audition.

He knew it was more of a formal procedure.

If Baek Kyung-tae had been a more experienced manager, he probably would have brought a contract without the need for an audition.

‘Since signing won’t cause significant loss to the company.’

Raising an idol group or ‘benching’ him wouldn’t result in a loss for the company.

Thus, they weren’t particularly concerned about the contract.

Of course, it would be different if he had tremendous potential.

Han Ji-hyuk, judging the situation objectively, believed that IX Entertainment’s expectations for him were not very high.

“Shall we go in?”

“Yes, let’s.”

Han Ji-hyuk nodded in response to Baek Kyung-tae’s words.

As they entered the IX Entertainment building, Baek Kyung-tae hesitated for a moment.

“Those people over there will conduct your audition.”

Following Baek Kyung-tae’s gaze, Han Ji-hyuk turned his head.

Three men were walking this way, talking.

Baek Kyung-tae bowed to them.

“Hello, Team Leader.”

“Oh, Kyung-tae.”

The man called Team Leader smiled and acknowledged Baek Kyung-tae’s greeting.

“This is Han Ji-hyuk, as I mentioned.”

“Ah, yes. The mask isn’t bad, but I’m not sure about the singing.”

The Team Leader glanced at Han Ji-hyuk and muttered to himself.

Han Ji-hyuk couldn’t help but hear it.

For a moment, Han Ji-hyuk’s eyes twitched, but he maintained a calm expression.

“Nice to meet you.”

The Team Leader extended his hand.

Han Ji-hyuk shook hands with him, making eye contact.

“I’m Han Ji-hyuk.”

“Yes, well... see you later.”

There was a hint of annoyance in the Team Leader’s eyes as he spoke.

There was no hint of expectation in his gaze as he looked at Han Ji-hyuk.

As they passed by,

Han Ji-hyuk calmed his mind.

“Ha, our Team Leader may seem like that, but he’s a very considerate person.”

Baek Kyung-tae laughed and said.

Han Ji-hyuk nodded without saying anything more.

He had expected that the expectations for him wouldn’t be high, but...

‘Getting that kind of look... it’s not a good feeling.’

Han Ji-hyuk thought to himself.

‘Maybe I need to change my plan.’

The feeling was worse than he had expected.

Oh.