Chapter 48: I Became the Older Brother of a Top Star

“What, what is it?”

Yuna, her hair tousled, got up from the bed due to the loud music blaring from the speakers.

“Are you awake?”

“Brother, did you make that song just to use it as my morning call?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t it wake you up instantly?”

“Ugh. I can’t even say anything because I wrote the lyrics.”

“Hurry up and get up. We need to eat breakfast and go to school.”

I grabbed Yuna’s arm, which was about to fall back onto the bed, and pulled her up.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Gack.”

“Go wash your face and brush your teeth.”

“Are you really more strict than Mom?”

“Well, if you do everything well from the start, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Yuna, with a pout, slowly got out of bed and met her father, who was sitting at the dining table.

Was there something at the office? Father made us wait for a very long time in the parking lot yesterday.

“Oh, our pretty daughter. You’re up?”

Father’s cheerful greeting made Yuna’s cheeks puff out in anger.

“It’s all because of you, Dad!”

“Huh? Suddenly?”

“Because you made us wait in the parking lot yesterday, I went to bed very late.”

Was there something at the office? Father made us wait for a very long time in the parking lot yesterday.

“Cough. I’m sorry, but in return, I’ll come home early tonight and buy you something delicious. How about that?”

“Tsk. You don’t have to do that.”

Yuna was already smiling.

It seemed she was more pleased that the busy father was going to have dinner with the family after a long time, rather than just buying her something delicious.

“Yuna, go clean your eyes. Aren’t you going to school?”

“A-!”

Yuna rushed to the bathroom, washed her face quickly, and finished getting ready.

Usually, kids her age are very serious about makeup and styling, but I’ve never seen Yuna wear makeup.

It’s understandable, as her natural face is better than when she’s made up, so she probably didn’t feel the need to do it.

Going out with such messy hair, people would probably think it’s a hip style and like it.

This is the unfair world of appearance-based discrimination.

“Didn’t you say the last time that you didn’t have many sharpie tips left? I bought some. Take them.”

“Wow, I’m touched. You remembered that?”

“I still have more. Here, wet wipes, water, and some snacks for you to munch on...”

Yuna’s bag, which was much heavier than before, was slung over her shoulder.

“Brother, have you been carrying all this around? Isn’t it too much?”

“Once you get to school, you’ll need all of it.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I used to go without all this stuff, but now I can’t do without it.”

She said this with a hint of regret.

“It was nice when we went to school together and came back together when I was in middle school. And I always looked forward to the snacks during breaks.”

“It seems you only liked that time.”

The reason I didn’t give her all the snacks at once back then was because I knew she would eat them all right away.

Now that we go to different schools, I have no choice but to give them to her all at once.

“Just wait. I’ll definitely get into Jeonho High School.”

“Yeah, you seem to want to use me a lot.”

If she really gets into Jeonho High School, I’ll have to start controlling the snacks again.

No matter how active and how much she eats, it’s better for her health to give her snacks at the right time.

‘Is this because I used to be a gym rat?’

Not only did I have a long career as a manager, but I also liked to work out, going to the gym every day and managing my diet strictly.

“Do you want to come to the school when I finish today?”

I could see Yuna’s intentions.

“Do you want to eat a hamburger again?”

“Sigh. If someone sees us, they’ll think I’m obsessed with hamburgers. I just want to go to the studio with you.”

Yuna smiled and whispered to me.

“Still, you might get hungry if you don’t eat anything, so shouldn’t you at least stop by?”

It seems a hamburger song will follow the chicken song soon.

* * *

“Yunseong, is this you?”

A female classmate, Yoo Jeong-a, showed me a video.

It looked like an interview, and when I saw the face...

“Hmm? Jae-won?”

Ryu Jae-won, who had been a LOC trainee and recently became a professional player.

“Wow, you know him too. Then it must be true that he mentioned you.”

“...?”

“I really like this player lately, and in this interview, he mentioned your name.”

“What?”

Jeong-a played the interview video.

– Yes, this is already the 10th consecutive win for the GX team. And the key player in these victories has always been Ryu Jae-won. Today, we have an interview with Ryu Jae-won, who was once again chosen as the MVP.

Jae-won looked much more mature and confident on screen.

The fans in the audience cheered loudly as he picked up the microphone.

Damn, he’s succeeded.

Jae-won smiled and answered.

– I just worked hard like everyone else, followed the coach’s tactics, and cooperated well with my teammates, which led to these victories.

Up to this point, it was a standard and humble interview.

However,

– But there is one secret that sets me apart from others.

– Oh, really? What is it?

– Actually, I have a mentor. He’s my senior at school, and the feedback I received from him was incredibly helpful.

– Wow, is this mentor also a professional player?

– No, he doesn’t play games much. But his skills are the best I’ve ever seen, even now.

As he said this, Jae-won clenched his fist towards the camera.

– Yunseong, thanks to you, I’m doing really well in my professional career. And I’ve been listening to your songs every day. My teammates listen to them every day too. Keep it up!

It seems Jae-won is doing very well in the professional scene.

Moreover, he mentioned my name.

– This mentor of the legendary Ryu Jae-won is a civilian and doesn’t play games much? And he’s a singer?

– Yunseong? Jung Yunseong? It can’t be.

– That’s probably the right Jung Yunseong. He and Ryu Jae-won went to the same school and were quite close, I heard.

– Wow, Jung Yunseong can sing well and has a good face, and he’s good at games too? That’s too much.

– Mr. Yunseong... You have a good face, sing well, and everything, but isn’t it too much to be good at games too?

The comments on the interview video almost confirmed that the person Jae-won mentioned was me.

“What? Is this really you, Yunseong?”

“I thought it couldn’t be when I saw it yesterday.”

Soon, other students gathered around.

“Yunseong, are you good at LOC?”

“Wow, really a mentor to Ryu Jae-won? Unbelievable. I thought you didn’t play games at all.”

I thought the same.

I didn’t expect girls, especially those from the prestigious Jeonho High School, to play LOC.

“Can you teach me next time?”

“Please, my tier isn’t going up at all.”

“Why don’t we all go to a PC room after school today?”

These seemingly innocent kids playing LOC.

It’s hard to imagine.

That cursed game can turn even the most well-behaved person into someone who casually asks about the well-being of their opponent’s parents.

“Is Jae-won very famous now?”

“Yeah, he’s known as a ‘reverse genius.’ It means a genius of a different kind, and it’s his nickname. He’s been carrying the game for GX since his debut. He’s really good.”

“Right, that’s why he has a lot of fans even though he’s only been in the scene for a short time.”

I see.

I didn’t know at all because we haven’t been in touch recently.

No, Jae-won sent me a text, but I might not have checked it because I received so many messages.

“Student Jung Yunseong?”

A school staff member came into the classroom and called for me.

“Yes.”

“Mr. Yang Tae-hoon is looking for you. Go to the office.”

Mr. Yang Tae-hoon, isn’t he in the conducting department?

Why is he looking for me?

I tilted my head and left the classroom.

* * *

Yang Tae-hoon repeatedly fiddled with his phone today.

Then, as if he made a big decision, he called someone.

The dial tone continued for a moment, and then,

– Huh? Tae-hoon? What’s up?

“Hello, sir. How have you been?”

– Ha ha. I’m the same as always. What’s up?

Professor Lee Jang-won answered the phone with his usual hearty voice.

We were seniors and juniors, but we didn’t often talk, so it felt awkward to be talking like this now.

But I had to ask something, so I had no choice but to call.

“I have a question.”

– Wait a moment. You work at Jeonho High School, right?

“Yes, that’s correct.”

– Then is this about our Yunseong?

As expected, he’s quick.

I guess he thought it couldn’t be anything else if I called out of the blue.

“Yes, that’s right.”

– Oh, so you teach Yunseong too.

“No, I’m in the conducting department, so I don’t teach.”

– Hmm? Then what’s up?

“Actually, there’s the orchestra piece that Yunseong recently composed.”

The orchestra score that Park Mi-hye brought.

Since it’s known that Lee Jang-won was his mentor, he must know about the score.

I thought it must have gone through his hands, given the level of the score.

But—

– Orchestra piece? What are you talking about?

Professor Lee Jang-won reacted as if he was hearing it for the first time.

He didn’t seem to be pretending.

He’s not that kind of person.

“Professor, you didn’t know? Jung Yunseong brought an orchestra piece...”

– What!?

Yang Tae-hoon flinched at the sound of Professor Lee Jang-won’s voice coming through the speaker.

– No, that guy made something without even telling me? Explain what happened.

“Ah, yes. So...”

Yang Tae-hoon explained everything that had happened so far to Professor Lee Jang-won.

The person who was initially very excited now seemed quite calm.

– Hmm. So that’s what happened.

“I thought you knew.”

– No, I didn’t know at all. And now I understand why Yunseong didn’t tell me.

“...?”

– The reason you called me is because you thought I had worked on the score, right?

As I noticed earlier, he’s very perceptive.

“Yes... The level of the score Yunseong brought was too high. I thought he must have received help from you.”

– Ha ha ha.

To my surprise, Professor Lee Jang-won burst out laughing.

I thought he would be upset, but he reacted differently.

– This is just the beginning.

“Huh?”

– When I first met Yunseong, I had many doubts like you. But later, I realized something. The geniuses I’ve met so far were actually just talented.

What does he mean by that?

Professor Lee Jang-won lived among all kinds of geniuses.

– You’ll understand what I mean soon. The same goes for this score. Yunseong made it all by himself. He’s very proud of his music. If he had received help, he would have said so. The fact that he didn’t means he made it entirely on his own.

If Professor Lee Jang-won vouches for it, the score must have been made by Jung Yunseong alone.

But how?

– Don’t try to understand it logically. Can ordinary people like us understand a genius? Just accept it. I’ve let go of my expectations. No matter what he brings, I now take it for granted. Ha ha.

Ordinary people.

Even Professor Lee Jang-won included himself in that category.

It was a bit shocking.

– Anyway, take care of our Yunseong. You’ll be surprised at first.

“Surprised?”

– Ha ha. You’ll see.

With that, Professor Lee Jang-won hung up.

What is this...?

After a while,

Knock knock.

“Jung Yunseong. Can I come in?”

At the sound of Jung Yunseong’s voice, Yang Tae-hoon felt his heart drop.