Chapter 37: Top Star's Older Brother

What a bold child indeed.

To be so calm after looking at a score with only a few notes written on it.

Is it because he is that confident, or is it just a show of bravado?

We will soon find out by the results.

Ding!

The performance began with a bold touch of the keys.

The first note, the second, the third, and then the fourth.

Ding-ding!

A performance that was as combative and bold as could be continued.

From this point on, it was entirely Jung Yun-seong, the student's composition.

"Oh..."

The judges let out short exclamations as the performance continued so smoothly and naturally.

Is this the performance of a student who has just graduated from middle school?

Even if a professional were given a score like this and asked to perform it immediately, there would inevitably be parts where they would get stuck.

But Jung Yun-seong,

'He doesn't get stuck at all?'

It was as if he had prepared this performance beforehand, as if he knew the score, and the performance continued naturally.

Not only did he lead the piece with a bold and strong touch, maintaining the style of the piece, but he also did not deviate from the existing framework in terms of note placement.

As they listened, entranced,

"Hmm?"

"A-."

The piano sound suddenly stopped, and they snapped back to their senses.

They had forgotten that they needed to judge and had let their guard down.

"Thank you for listening."

At Jung Yun-seong's greeting, the judges burst into laughter.

It was a hollow laugh that came out of sheer disbelief.

"Haha... This is really something."

"Wow. I can't even speak."

All the judges had the same thought.

They never expected to hear a piece of this level!

"Jung Yun-seong. I'm just asking out of curiosity."

"Yes."

"Have you seen this score before the practical exam?"

"No. Has the score ever been leaked before?"

"There's no way. I just asked because I knew it wasn't the case. The piece you just played for us was beyond expectations."

Jung Yun-seong's piece was so well-composed that it made them wonder if he had known the exam content in advance.

It wasn't a piece cobbled together with simple notes.

Those who heard it would know.

How difficult it is to compose and perform a piece on the spot.

That's why they were so astonished.

"Do you often compose music?"

"Yes. Whenever I have time and inspiration strikes, I do."

"Oh, I see. Then are all the original songs on NewTube composed by you?"

Jung Yun-seong nodded in response.

"Yes. All of them are composed by me."

"Really? You didn't get any help from others?"

In response to the question that still harbored doubt, he answered the same.

"Yes. 100% composed by me."

His voice did not contain a hint of falsehood.

"I see. Thanks to you, I've been able to listen well. I hope you continue to create good songs in the future?"

"Yes. Thank you."

The judges checked their watches.

Surprisingly, only 5 minutes had passed since the exam began.

"This is a bit of a problem. I didn't expect it to end so quickly."

"Do you want to perform anything else? It ended much faster than expected. Usually, it takes about 10 minutes."

Typically, candidates spend 5 minutes just struggling with the score.

This was the first time they had encountered such a case after conducting many practical exams.

"Then, I'd like to perform the given score in a different style. Is that okay?"

This was also the first time they had received such a proposal.

"Oh? Does that mean you'll perform a different piece from the one you just played?"

"Yes."

"Even the notes will be different?"

"It will be a completely different song."

They couldn't help but be excited, especially after hearing the previous piece.

"Go ahead as you like."

The exam was already over.

The judges leaned forward as if they were at a concert.

And,

Ding-ding.

As Jung Yun-seong produced soft and flexible notes, different from the first performance, their eyes grew wider.

# # #

Thud!

After closing the exam room door,

"Phew."

I let out a short sigh.

'It was a bit intense.'

I never expected them to throw a score with only a few notes and ask me to compose a piece on the spot.

I had heard rumors, but I didn't expect the exam to be this ruthless.

'But it wasn't too difficult.'

I absorbed the auras of the students in the waiting room, savoring the various talents. Then, in the exam room, I absorbed the auras emanating from the judges.

'As expected of the top arts high school.'

The auras from the judges were not ordinary.

These were people who had grown up being called geniuses and had become teachers.

I had heard that the tuition at Jeonho Arts High School was exorbitant, and now I understood why.

'I didn't make any mistakes, did I?'

This was the first time I had absorbed so many and diverse auras, and I performed an impromptu piece while under their influence. I did it more than once.

"Jung Yun-seong. It took you a long time. Did you finish the exam?"

"Ah, yes."

"Then you can go now. I hope you get good results."

"Thank you."

Following the staff member's guidance, I left the exam room.

Now, I just had to go home and wait quietly for the results.

* * *

"..."

The judges were silent for a while.

They just stared blankly at the spot where Jung Yun-seong had been.

"This is... quite a shock."

"Yes. I never expected it to be this level."

The first impromptu piece was well-composed, but the subsequent pieces were almost insane.

"Really. Can this be composed on the spot?"

"Exactly. Where did he learn such skills?"

The second piece Jung Yun-seong played after the first one was a fresh shock.

It was so different from the first piece that it was hard to even remember what the first one was like. The rhythm, note composition, and performance style were all different.

It was as if...

"It felt like multiple people were inside him."

The first piece was intense, while the second emphasized softness.

They let him perform a third piece, even though they knew they should end the exam, and before they knew it, a lot of time had passed.

"Even if he is a student of Professor Jeon Ho, this isn't something that can be taught."

"It felt like listening to three different performances."

"Creating and performing different pieces is not easy, even for me."

That's why...

Today, the aftertaste lingers especially long.

It didn't seem like this long aftertaste would fade easily.

"Then... we should start the judging, right?"

"Haha. It seems we all have the same thought."

There was no need to have meaningless conversations.

The answer was already decided.

"Phew. It's already this late. We'll finish very late today, won't we?"

"Let's move on to the next one quickly."

They marked Jung Yun-seong's profile with intense circles and continued the practical exams that had been delayed for the day.

* * *

"Chilly winds blow on this night-."

Yuna's soft voice resonated with my guitar strings.

"Your face visible in the distant starlight."

Now, Yuna's familiar pink aura floated around the recording studio like a cloud.

"If I gaze at you wistfully, will you come back to me?"

She stopped singing.

I also stopped playing and asked,

"Why?"

"Well, I didn't like the lyrics much."

To me, it sounded great, but Yuna would immediately start revising if there was even a small part she didn't like.

"How was the melody?"

"Ah, any song you make is always good."

I couldn't tell if she really thought it was good or was just not saying anything.

"Really? I also had a part I didn't like. Should we change everything and try again?"

"Sure."

This has been our recent routine.

After receiving lessons from Professor Jeon Ho, we come to the studio and sing various songs or create and practice original songs.

"Creating original songs is really not easy. This is why singers get help from guide singers."

There are singers who specialize in being guide singers.

They sing the songs in a guide format, and the singer who receives the song uses the guide to perform it.

But since we don't have such help, we have to do everything from start to finish on our own.

"Still, isn't it fun to do it like heading into uncharted territory?"

"Hehe. Yeah. It's strange, but when I get stuck, it's frustrating, but it's also fun."

Is this what it means to be a heavenly singer?

This must also be a talent.

"Yun-seong~ Yuna~."

At that moment, Father entered the studio.

He was holding a bag with bread and drinks.

"Father~!"

Yuna greeted him and immediately checked the bag.

"Oh. What's this?"

"Ah, a new bakery opened nearby, so I bought some to try."

As always, our father is generous.

The bag was full of bread, as if he had bought one of each type from the bakery.

"Pick what you want to eat. You can eat it all if you want."

"How can we eat all of this?"

"Haha. I think Yuna can do it."

Father patted Yuna's head and sat down.

"You're working hard. How's the composing going?"

"Yep! Honestly, I'm not doing much. It's all my brother."

"No, Yuna is also doing a lot."

Father looked at us with a warm smile.

"The thing I'm most grateful for is that you two don't fight and are close. A year ago, you were really fighting like it was a matter of life and death."

I felt a bit guilty but pretended not to notice and stuffed bread and drinks into my mouth.

"By the way, Yun-seong. You really don't want to study abroad?"

"Study abroad?"

"Yes. Since you have such outstanding musical talent, I thought it might be okay to send you abroad."

Before I could answer,

"No!"

Yuna shouted first.

"..."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she scratched her head and said,

"Well... I don't think there's a need to leave our comfortable country..."

I had no intention of going abroad either.

"I don't really plan to go abroad."

Going abroad would certainly offer a lot to learn, but I wanted to continue my music activities with Yuna here.

And most importantly,

'It's that day in a year.'

The day when Yuna's and Jung Yun-seong's lives would change completely.

That day is only a year away.

"Right. Your mother and I would also feel very sad if you went abroad. It's hard to send our handsome son to a distant place. And Jeonho Arts High School is one of the best in the country, isn't it?"

"Oh! That's right. Brother, isn't today the announcement day?"

"Ah... That's right."

It had been about two weeks since the practical exam.

Now that I think about it, today was the announcement day.

"Quick! Fast! Check it!"

Yuna hit my shoulder with her palm to urge me.

"Ouch. I know. Stop hitting me."

Yuna, like our mother, has a sharp hand.

I turned on my phone and went to the announcement site.

'Why am I so nervous?'

I was already breaking out in a cold sweat just from entering the site.

I clicked on the list of successful candidates that appeared in the pop-up window.

"Oh. It's loading."

Father also hurried to my seat and bent down to look at my phone.

After entering my name and ID number and pressing the confirmation button,

A message with a fanfare image appeared,

And my name was written in bold letters next to "Top Rank Successful."

Chapter 38