Chapter 86

Even if he was furious at Moon Jung-woo's擅自决定 and capriciousness, Lee Su-young could not help but give a thumbs up to Kim Tae-yeon's singing skills. He finally understood why Moon Jung-woo wanted to collaborate with this young girl and insisted on singing such a challenging song. The gap between a seasoned veteran of the entertainment industry and a mere trainee was simply too vast.

Lee Su-young was very clear that if it weren't for a song like "Love Song," neither Moon Jung-woo nor Kim Tae-yeon could fully showcase their singing abilities while also competing with each other. Only this song was suitable. Lee Su-young even temporarily set aside his anger and complaints towards Moon Jung-woo, turning to ask Principal Choi for the girl's name.

Upon learning that her name was Kim Tae-yeon and that she also went to Seoul to practice singing, he even had the idea of recruiting her as a trainee for his company. But he was well aware that such a talented person would have been snapped up by other companies if there were no unforeseen circumstances.

However, a few minutes later, he not only completely abandoned the idea of recruiting her as a trainee but even wished she would never appear in front of him again.

"I stand there listening to the wind,

Her appearance in this dream makes me miss home even more.

Memories can't be returned,

It sounds like calling your name.

The exhausted voice,

Unable to reach from far away,

Found me in the blue morning light.

Leaning together in the future, your tears,

The height my fingertips can reach,

Is not just getting close to me.

The pain is forgotten,

The very small me, forgive me.

Don't you love me only at dawn?

Forgot to say, if it's

Never seeing each other again,

My heart is too hard.

The blue morning light found me,

Leaning together in the future, your tears,

The height my fingertips can reach,

Is not just getting close to me.

Why did you walk so far?"

The song "Love Song" was performed as they usually practiced. It was unclear whether it was because the two of them cooperated so well or because it was so different from the playful and mischievous nature of the show. When the two of them sang, all the students and teachers involuntarily fell silent, focusing intently on listening and watching.

Is this the first stage performance? While Kim Tae-yeon was singing the second part, Moon Jung-woo was slightly lost in thought, looking at the audience. Actually, there was no special feeling. It was only when he glanced at Kim Tae-yeon beside him that Moon Jung-woo paid more attention. He didn't know if it was only during a collaborative performance that he felt this way.

Perhaps when he performed alone, he would be more concerned about the emotional interaction between the audience and himself. At this moment, even though they had practiced several times, Moon Jung-woo felt that listening to Kim Tae-yeon singing "Love Song" in two different tones was quite jarring.

It was because of him that she was like this.

Even if he had said it earlier, what difference would it have made? For someone who loved singing, and in school, received no attention or even criticism for anything other than singing, to accommodate him just because of a stranger's request, it was too much to ask.

Moon Jung-woo was not a bad person, but he asked himself if he could do the same in her position. If his vocal cords were in the middle of changing and couldn't perform at their best, and might even damage his future singing ability, why would he insist on competing with someone? If he was afraid of losing, why use such despicable means?

The other party was a girl, and in a situation where everyone was on his side and making things difficult for her, he still treated her like this. He slightly turned his head, and it was time for the duet part. They should have looked at each other to increase their默契, but Moon Jung-woo was a bit hesitant to look at her.

After the performance, he would apologize! A sincere and heartfelt apology. What he, Moon Jung-woo, could do, even running away from home and giving up everything, not relying on any help from his family, ultimately needed to rely on such means to suppress a girl, was not his original intention.

There was only one last section left to sing, just one harmony. Moon Jung-woo harmonized with Kim Tae-yeon's voice and finished the last line. He smiled and turned to the audience to bow. Suddenly, his smile froze, and he turned in disbelief to look at Kim Tae-yeon. Without any accompaniment, she suddenly raised her pitch by two tones and repeated the last section.

The students who were about to clap stopped and were amazed again. This was traditional improvisation, something occasionally seen on TV music shows. They cheered, the first time cheering for the entire song. In the corner, Lee Su-young, who had been sitting and watching the performance, suddenly changed his expression, stood up abruptly, and ignored the chair falling over, even when Principal Choi asked him what was wrong.

From the beginning of the prelude of "Love Song" to the end of the performance, Kim Tae-yeon, who had not looked at Moon Jung-woo once, now turned her gaze to him. Ignoring his shock, surprise, and a hint of helplessness, Kim Tae-yeon, who had suppressed her pitch for the entire night and nearly two weeks of training, raised her pitch by two tones at the last moment of this performance, to the level that best suited her.

"Since I cooperated with you for the whole song, shouldn't you cooperate with me for the last few seconds? Don't make excuses, don't give reasons. Compete with me, show your默契, your emotional expression, and your singing skills and vocal talent."

Moon Jung-woo didn't know why, but even though she was still singing and just glanced at him, he easily understood the meaning in her eyes.

Looking at Lee Su-young standing up in the distance, the students cheering for the first time, and Song Hye-in shouting loudly but inaudibly, and finally at Kim Tae-yeon, Moon Jung-woo smiled in relief and opened his mouth to sing along with the pitch Kim Tae-yeon had changed, raising his voice.

"The blue morning light found me,

Leaning together in the future, your tears,

The height my fingertips can reach,

Is not just getting close to me.

Why did you walk so far."

Kim Tae-yeon's eyes lit up, and seeing Moon Jung-woo's smile, she couldn't help but smile too. For the first time, during tonight's performance, she felt like she was performing, not just completing a task. For the first time, she experienced the feeling of collaborating with him, not being suppressed or accommodating him.

Kim Tae-yeon felt the joy of singing, different from the pleasure of singing alone. It was the resonance and默契 of duet singing. This should be the feeling of the two of them singing "Love Song" together. She knew he could do it.

She knew he must understand this feeling. Kim Tae-yeon put aside all the suppression and resistance, and in the last moment, looking at Moon Jung-woo, they completed the final high note together.

Moon Jung-woo squinted and smiled, interacting with her, feeling the connection through the notes in their hearts, and expressing it to the audience in a way that was greater than the sum of their parts. It should be perfect, right? He had reached his limit.

Relieved, he put down the microphone after the last note. At least he could barely hold on to let her showcase her skills.

Kim Tae-yeon was excited, but she didn't expect it. The feeling of not being suppressed and performing freely for those few seconds was far from satisfying.

At the end, she followed the enthusiastic cheers of the audience and raised the pitch of the final climax by two tones and started singing again.

Suddenly, she heard a faint "Don't..." in her ear. When she turned to look at Moon Jung-woo, he had already covered his throat and was frowning on the ground after singing just one line with her.

The speakers emitted a sharp, ear-piercing noise, and the cheers of all the students instantly disappeared, replaced by frowns and hands covering their ears to block out the noise. Kim Tae-yeon instinctively stopped singing and looked blankly at Moon Jung-woo on the ground.

Lee Su-young was the first to step onto the stage, trying to help Moon Jung-woo up, and the entire audience was in chaos, not knowing what had happened to make Moon Jung-woo suddenly look in pain and sit on the ground, holding his throat.

"Jung-woo! Just make a sound! Quickly, don't hold it in," Lee Su-young ordered with a serious expression.

Moon Jung-woo opened his mouth to say something, but he could only open and close his mouth without making a sound. Lee Su-young closed his eyes slightly, as if he couldn't bear to face the situation. Suddenly, he stood up and shouted something.

Lee Su-young's driver hurried over, and Lee Su-young had him carry Moon Jung-woo and quickly leave the stage toward the car. Lee Su-young didn't even have time to greet Principal Choi, just waving to leave.

Before leaving, he frowned and glared at Kim Tae-yeon, who was holding the microphone, looking as if he wanted to hit her. But seeing the driver and Moon Jung-woo already in the car, Lee Su-young grunted and followed the car.

At this moment, Kim Tae-yeon stood alone on the stage, facing the attention of all the teachers and students. The pressure was overwhelming, almost suffocating.

(Thank you to sooyeon.xi and tianxiazhuzhu.xi for your support. I appreciate it. By the way, why did I update so early today? It's because I was thinking about a plot point and couldn't sleep. So I decided to update early. Otherwise, I would probably wake up in the afternoon. o(╯□╰)o Since it's so early, I'm sure you haven't voted for anyone else yet? I remind you every day, don't forget the votes and favorites you promised. Thank you all. zzang. O(∩_∩)O)

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{Piaotian Literature}