Chapter 82

When Min Joo first saw Kim Tae Yeon laugh, it was when he told her that his vocal cords couldn't produce high notes due to his voice changing. Min Joo knew why she was laughing, and while he felt helpless, he actually wanted to laugh too. But it wasn't a self-deprecating laugh. At least both of them were laughing at each other, but not for the same reason.

Kim Tae Yeon laughed and said, "The school festival, a stage you cherish so much, and you chose a song that you interpret so perfectly, yet you've been suppressing me. Now that things have turned out this way, you're bringing up your voice changing?"

And Min Joo laughed and said, "Your laugh sounds like an auntie's, the kind you'd find in a snack shop."

Kim Tae Yeon's face instantly turned sour, her brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. Then she turned and left, not even returning to the classroom. She went straight out of the school gate.

Min Joo guessed she probably went to Seoul to continue her vocal training. He sighed and walked to the corner of the playground where the venue was being set up. The performance was to start the next day. He had already explained everything to her, and now he really didn't have time to deal with anything else.

After a busy afternoon, with the help of classmates and some teachers, the stage was built. It was an open-air stage. There was a large auditorium for school meetings and a ready-made venue for various activities, but Min Joo felt that such a setting lacked interaction. The students would sit in chairs, and with such a high stage, there would always be a sense of distance.

But this time was different. What Min Joo wanted to achieve with this school festival was a comprehensive understanding of such a stage. Though small, it had all the necessary elements, similar to an idol performance stage.

Even without cameras around, the overall feeling was there. The students' interaction was also good, working enthusiastically without anyone complaining of fatigue. What he didn't know was that the teachers had been watching and attributing all of this to his good organization.

When he returned to the dormitory in the evening, Min Joo felt unusually tired. He didn't even want to eat the fish-shaped pastry he had bought and just lay down on the bed.

As expected, there was a knock on the door. Min Joo turned his head and shouted, "I left the door open for you!"

There was a moment of silence, then the door opened. Lee Soon Kye walked in.

Seeing Min Joo in this state, she was surprised, "Is it that bad? This tired?"

Min Joo didn't respond, still lying face down.

Lee Soon Kye pulled him up, "Get up, the performance is tomorrow. Let's go eat something good."

Min Joo chuckled, "What good food haven't I tried?"

Pushing away Lee Soon Kye's hand, Min Joo continued lying down, "Let me rest. I've never been this tired before. Even more than dancing."

Lee Soon Kye, torn between laughing and crying, asked, "What did you do? Did you move something heavy?"

Min Joo didn't answer. After a while, he suddenly turned his head, squinting and smiling at her, "Soon Kye..."

Lee Soon Kye's face instantly turned serious, her arms crossed as she stepped back, "Stop it. Every time you look like this, I know you're up to something."

Min Joo still smiled cutely, "Soon Kye, don't you think my current position is perfect? It's just begging for you to do something. Like... give me a couple of punches or rub my back a bit."

Lee Soon Kye narrowed her eyes, "I'd rather punch and rub your face."

Min Joo sighed, turning his head and speaking softly, "I've said my piece. You know I don't usually ask for anything. It's up to you what you do."

After that, Min Joo really didn't say anything else, just lying there "moaning."

Lee Soon Kye was speechless. When she came in, you didn't seem this weak!

Min Joo called out a few times and then stopped, just for show. But he was really tired, and he felt like he was about to fall asleep. Suddenly, the bed seemed to sink, and then a heavy weight landed on his back.

"Are you saying I'm heavy? Trying to make me hit you?"

His back was hit, and Min Joo laughed, "I must be delirious. I was just thinking it, but I actually said it out loud."

His back was hit a few more times, but Min Joo just laughed and didn't say anything else.

Lee Soon Kye, holding her small fists, was quite serious as she hit and rubbed his back, "Is this okay? I'm not very good at it."

Min Joo chuckled, "It's fine... a bit lower."

Lee Soon Kye laughed, hitting his back hard, "I've found that you never feel embarrassed."

Min Joo hummed, "We're close, so why be formal... By the way, you said you'd treat me to a good meal?"

Lee Soon Kye pouted, "Forget it. What good food haven't you tried?"

Min Joo, feeling comfortable from the massage, hummed a few times and laughed, "That's true, but how can I not accept Soon Kye's offer? Fifteen minutes of massage, then we'll go eat."

"Mo?" Lee Soon Kye's eyes widened, "Fifteen minutes?! Are you trying to kill me?"

Lee Soon Kye, frustrated, tried to get off the bed, "I'm done! Let you die of exhaustion!"

Min Joo quickly stopped her, "Ten minutes... five minutes, just five. Soon Kye, you're the best, give me a few more hits."

Lee Soon Kye rolled her eyes but didn't really leave.

She massaged him half-heartedly, looking at him, "How's the girl you're working with? Did she notice you lowered the key of the song?"

Min Joo paused, speaking in a muffled voice, "She did. We even had an argument today."

Lee Soon Kye was taken aback, giggling and hitting him a few times, "Serves you right. Bullying a little girl, I really look down on you, Min Joo."

Min Joo, helpless, turned around, "What do you want me to do? I only realized I chose the wrong song later."

Lee Soon Kye sneered, "It's your own fault, too proud to admit the truth, right?!"

Suddenly looking at Min Joo with curiosity, Lee Soon Kye asked, "Besides, if you wanted a fair competition, why use this suppression method? That's not fair at all, what kind of competition is that?"

Min Joo frowned and turned around, "Whose side are you on? Why are you always defending her?"

Just this turn, and both of them were stunned. Lee Soon Kye was straddling Min Joo's stomach, their eyes meeting.

After a moment of silence, Lee Soon Kye suddenly hit him, "Turn over! No need for the massage, get up and eat with me now."

Min Joo's expression was strange as he silently turned over. The atmosphere became somewhat tense.

Lee Soon Kye, biting her lip, hit Min Joo's back, her technique extremely amateur. But compared to before, she was now hitting him very seriously.

After a while, Lee Soon Kye's laughter broke the silence, "Oh, your dad is coming to watch your performance tomorrow, and I'm going with him."

Min Joo paused, turning his head to look behind him, "Really? How did I not know?"

Lee Soon Kye chuckled, "Of course you didn't know. I asked my dad today."

I... Min Joo grunted, trying to hold back his emotions but couldn't.

Min Joo, trying to keep his emotions in check, spoke softly, "Soon Kye, do you know that the song I'm singing is considered a banned song in his eyes?"

Lee Soon Kye frowned, confused, "Banned... Oh!"

Lee Soon Kye instinctively covered her mouth, regretfully patting her head, "I forgot about that."

Min Joo sighed, "When have you ever remembered?"

Lee Soon Kye pouted and hit him, then bit her lip, "Then... what do we do?"

Min Joo pondered for a while, "You don't go. I don't think there will be any problems with me singing it for now. At worst, I'll get scolded later. But are you not afraid of the teacher finding out we're in this together? He might scold you more than me... even hit you."

Lee Soon Kye gasped, then fell silent.

She was really stupid, not thinking of this issue. Min Joo, no matter how talented, had only been there for less than a year. And recently, her father, Lee Soo Young, had been busy with Sugar's new album, with little time to take care of Min Joo's vocal training.

For Min Joo to find a way to maximize his vocal cords' usage, it must have been with Lee Soon Kye's help. After all, she had been practicing for almost six years. Even if Min Joo didn't know the severity, how could she not?

Min Joo got up, stretched, and said, "Alright, treat me to a good meal as an apology. Remember, don't do such reckless things again, okay?"

After saying that, he held back his laughter and walked out of the bedroom first.

Lee Soon Kye, mouth agape, watched him, then angrily chased after him, "Hey! I was helping you! You're blaming me? Stop running!"

Chasing Min Joo out of the dormitory, the door was closed behind them. In the end, it wasn't a big deal. But perhaps because they were still young, they hadn't realized a life lesson: sometimes, what happens and what doesn't happen isn't as straightforward as one might think.

(Thank you to kinggao.xi for the donation, and to tianxiazhuzhu.xi for the donation. Thank you all for the recommendations. I hope everyone has a great day. zzang. O(∩_∩)O)

; {Piaotian Literature}