Chapter 8

008. A Name I've Heard Before

"Wow... It's really amazing."

After streaming 'Unknown Vocalist H's Falsetto Technique (D)', Do-woong felt all the strength drain from his body.

With his basic vocal talent reinforced by a solid high note, even he felt goosebumps on his arms while singing.

He almost lost his pitch in the middle of hitting a high note.

If his basic vocal training made him seem like someone who could sing a bit,

the rich and soaring falsetto was something that would make anyone recognize his singing skills completely.

The satisfaction of singing with a full voice in his chest was an added bonus.

"This life must be truly blessed."

The thought of making the falsetto technique his own, something he once enjoyed listening to, filled Do-woong with happiness.

The feeling of finally grasping the talents he had always wanted was indescribable.

Do-woong touched the home tab to enter his personal practice room.

"Oops, I should finish the basic vocal technique first."

Do-woong reignited his focus to complete the forgotten vocal technique.

He was training it more enthusiastically than usual.

-Brabababam! Brabababam! Ba ba!

Suddenly, trumpet sounds echoed from all sides of his personal practice room.

"Yes!!! Jackpot after jackpot!"

Do-woong threw consecutive uppercuts into the air.

Training completion rate 100%.

Now, Do-woong could sing just as he felt when streaming.

"Mr. Kang Tae-jin! I'll use the talent well! Thank you for the gift!"

Do-woong bowed deeply in joy.

The past days, darkened by a lack of talent.

This was his first talent to completely shed that darkness.

"But... 30? Why do I need so many stars?"

His joy was short-lived as Do-woong checked the number of stars needed for download and couldn't hide his disappointment.

He had almost used up all his stars with the training and streaming of new videos.

Moreover, the warning message below was serious.

"Annihilation? How did I complete this? It's absolutely impossible."

He needed to download it before the completed sensation disappeared.

"I need a way to collect stars."

While racking his brain, an opportunity came from an unexpected place.

**

-♩Pip Bibib Bibib

The music room filled with the high-pitched sound of flutes.

Everyone was playing a recorder ensemble.

-Pip Bibib!

"Who is it! Can't you play properly?"

Someone made a loud mistake, and Teacher Wang Sapo shuddered in disgust.

Somehow, amidst the dissonance, they finished a song.

"Alright, that's enough."

She tapped the table with her baton.

"This semester's performance evaluation is a free instrument performance. You can choose any song to show off your hidden skills."

"But teacher, what if I don't know how to play any instrument?"

Someone raised their hand and asked.

"Those people can play the recorder they have in their hands. We're not evaluating what instrument you use, but how well you play it and how hard you prepare. I'm giving you plenty of time to prepare, so come back well-prepared."

The students were already buzzing about which instruments they would play.

For Do-woong, who didn't know how to play any instrument, the recorder was his only option.

At lunchtime, after finishing his meal and rushing to the bathroom, Do-woong was walking alone in the hallway.

The sound of guitar strings being plucked came from somewhere.

-♬♩♪

'It's coming from the band room.'

Curious, Do-woong sneaked closer and peeked through the crack in the door.

'Wait, Ma Eun-yul? She's not in the band club, right?'

Ma Eun-yul, with a guitar as big as her body slung over one leg, was skillfully forming chords with her delicate fingers.

The melody of a famous 1980s folk song.

The arpeggio technique, plucking the strings with her fingers, was impressive.

'How can she play such an old song? We weren't even born then.'

Do-woong was slightly surprised by Ma Eun-yul's unexpected sentiment.

Her delicate voice began to layer over the melody, exuding a wistfulness uncharacteristic of a high school student.

'She's really bringing out the old sentiment in her own way.'

Do-woong was amazed by Ma Eun-yul's guitar skills and her excellent singing.

'I'll definitely learn to play the guitar someday.'

Playing the guitar and singing was one of Do-woong's bucket list items.

While he was absorbed in the performance, a man with thick eyebrows tapped Do-woong's shoulder.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Nam Do-woong, a first-year student."

The second-year senior, who seemed to be a band member, glanced at Do-woong from head to toe and then walked into the band room, ignoring him.

At the same time, the sweet melody of the guitar stopped.

"Hey, Ma Eun-yul. Are you joining our club now?"

"No, I just come by whenever I want. I was practicing for my performance evaluation while passing by."

Ma Eun-yul tapped her guitar.

"Performance evaluation? Sure, come anytime."

"Yes, senior. I'll be going now. Good practice."

Ma Eun-yul handed over the guitar and stepped out of the room.

Meeting Do-woong awkwardly, she gave a slightly awkward greeting.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Ma Eun-yul smiled faintly and disappeared.

Now he understood why she had greeted him out of the blue in front of the karaoke room last time.

**

That evening, in the 'Deacon' band club practice room at Hanje High School.

Inside, the thick-eyebrowed male student from earlier shouted.

"What? You're suddenly transferring?"

"I'm sorry, senior. It's due to my father's job transfer, and I can't help it."

"Then what about the song we were practicing?"

"I'm sorry."

"Damn... The festival is right around the corner."

The leader of the band, Jo Han-sung, who exuded a macho vibe, clutched his head in frustration.

The first-year student, who had been the vocalist, bowed deeply as if he had committed a grave sin.

For a while, tension hung in the air between the two.

It was uncertain how the hot-tempered Jo Han-sung would react.

Beside him, the long-haired, fair-skinned Yu Ji-pil, who had been playing muted guitar strings, interjected.

"Why are you so upset? It's not like he wants to go."

"Shut up, you useless optimist."

The anger was directed at his close friend Yu Ji-pil.

Yu Ji-pil, unfazed by the cursing, placed his fingers back on the chords.

"If I were you, I'd look for a replacement during that time~."

Such a calm attitude often flipped Jo Han-sung's mood.

-♬♪♩

Despite the serious atmosphere, the strumming of the guitar played as background music in the club room.

Leader Jo Han-sung sighed deeply and asked the first-year student, who was still bowing.

"Are there any capable first-year students?"

"There's Ma Eun-yul in Class 7..."

"Hey! She's been coming to the club room all the time, but she hasn't joined yet, can't you see?"

Jo Han-sung shouted.

The first-year student flinched and then mentioned a rumor he had heard recently.

"Or... I've heard that Nam Do-woong is pretty good these days."

"Nam Do-woong?"

At the familiar name, Jo Han-sung's thick eyebrows twitched.

**

As the cool wind blew, schools were preparing for their festivals.

Performances were a must at these festivals.

Schools with ample budgets even invited real celebrities.

However, Hanje High School had always formed its stage with the band club and students who could sing.

Several students were buzzing over the festival poster on the bulletin board.

"Hey, Dongseong High is inviting Pitch Pink."

"How much do they cost? It all comes from the tuition fees."

"True. Ma Eun-yul is almost a singer."

"Besides, Deacon is no less than anyone else."

Naturally, the students' main interest was the lineup of the performances.

With performances from other schools joining, only verified talents took the stage,

and this year, who would represent the school and grade became a matter of pride.

"But Nam Do-woong's name isn't there? I thought he would perform this time."

A student, a girl from Do-woong's class, raised a question while carefully examining the lineup.

A few people who had heard the name from around them murmured.

'Is Nam Do-woong really that good at singing?'

'I want to hear him too.'

But without a clear plan, they left with regretful steps.

That day at lunch,

Formal and Do-woong, who had just come out of the cafeteria, each held a yogurt.

"Thanks to you, I get to try this too."

Formal, sipping the yogurt through a straw, marveled.

"I don't know what's happening myself."

Recently, he had started to receive snacks from friends.

Just a moment ago, a girl from his class had given him one as they left the cafeteria.

"But why do you have to give me yours too?"

The playful Do-woong put on a haughty expression.

Formal made a dirty and despicable face.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"What?"

"You said you won't join a talent agency for now. How do you plan to improve your skills?"

Formal asked, genuinely curious.

"Well... I'll start by gaining experience singing in front of people."

It was an excuse to collect stars, but Formal nodded and pointed to the bulletin board.

"What about this?"

At the end of his thick finger was the festival poster.

'Why didn't I think of this? If I perform on the festival stage, I can collect a lot of stars!'

Previously, it was a position he could only dream of, but now it was worth a try.

Moreover, it was a perfect stage to try out his newly trained falsetto technique.

Do-woong went to find his homeroom teacher to put his plan into action.

However, not everything went as planned.

"I already talked to the teacher, but the schedule is already set, so it's not possible. The application period ended a long time ago."

"Ah... I see."

"The teacher is also disappointed, but let's aim for next year."

Do-woong left the faculty office with a slight disappointment.

"What did he say?"

"The application period is over."

"Too bad. Don't be too disappointed. I'll look for other opportunities."

Formal, who had brought out a small notebook, scribbled something on it.

'Is there any other way?'

Do-woong, who had made up his mind, wouldn't give up easily.

While lost in thought on his way back to the classroom, a scruffy-haired man passed by them.

He had a few sheets of paper in his left arm and a roll of tape in his right.

'Wait, is that guitarist Yu Ji-pil?'

Do-woong recognized him instantly.

A professional guitarist who would become famous in an underground band five years later.

He remembered seeing his performance videos and being deeply impressed before his regression.

'Is he an alumnus of our school?'

Behind Do-woong, other students who recognized him were whispering.

'Hey, it's Deacon's Yu Ji-pil senior.'

'The famous guitarist senior?'

'Yeah. What's he doing here? This is the first-year bulletin board.'

Yu Ji-pil, ignoring them, casually stuck a sheet of paper on the wall.

The hastily scribbled words in marker were unmistakably his work.

Deacon 1st Year Vocalist Wanted!!

We need someone who can sing at this year's festival. Many applications welcome.

'They say there's always a way out. This is it.'

With a satisfied smile, Do-woong confidently approached Yu Ji-pil.