Chapter 70

Reckless Genius Composer's Regression - Chapter 70 (70/482)

“Wow….”

The flashing lights reflected in his lifeless black eyes.

Had he ever been to a place with so many people since he was born?

No, it was his first time. He had never even been to a common amusement park.

“…Mr. Yi, Mr. Yun Jei!”

While he was lost in thought, a man with a staff badge around his neck called out to him with an irritated look.

“A, yes…!”

“I’ve called you several times. Didn’t you hear me?”

The man pressed, almost interrogating her.

Her name is...

Yun Jei.

A participant who passed the second round of the K-SingerStar Seoul regional preliminaries and came to the final third round.

Yun Jei bowed deeply in front of the man, mumbling, “I’m, I’m sorry….”

“Sigh, just put this on the front of your T-shirt.”

The male staff member, looking exasperated, shook his head and handed her a sticker with her participant number printed on it.

To others, it might seem like an overreaction to not answering, but there was a reason for it.

Indeed.

The final regional venue in Seoul was teeming with nearly a thousand participants and staff members.

There were many people, and time was tight.

In such an environment, the staff couldn’t help but be sharp with participants like Yun Jei, who wasted time.

“Sigh….”

Yun Jei lowered her head to the ground, feeling the many gazes in the waiting room.

Her black eyes, unable to reflect the light, lost focus and became blurry again.

“Excuse me….”

Finally, Yun Jei stood up, grabbed the staff member, and forced out her voice.

“Sorry, but if my turn is still a while away, can I go to the bathroom?”

“Yes, go ahead. But don’t be gone for too long, just in case.”

The staff member added with a reluctant expression.

“And if you want to give up halfway, you should let us know in advance.”

At those words, Yun Jei nodded, looking even more dejected, and hurriedly left the waiting room.

“Sigh….”

Yun Jei rushed into a bathroom stall and crouched down, burying her head between her knees.

‘Why am I so timid….’

She always shrank back and felt intimidated by even a single sharp or curious gaze. She knew that this side of herself was truly pitiful.

“Mom, Dad….”

She called out to her parents, whom she had never sought or called for before, with great effort.

But.

Her words turned into an echo that dissipated into the air.

“I wish they were here on a day like this….”

Her parents had both passed away in an accident the year she was born.

After that.

Living with various relatives, she had become overly sensitive to every gaze, naturally developing a keen sense of awareness.

It was a survival instinct she needed to have, given her lack of support.

In a harsh but matter-of-fact way….

She had lived without ever hoping for anything.

But now, she had one thing she truly wanted.

Music. She desperately loved music and wanted to pursue it.

However….

Her earnest desire was shattered by reality.

“If you want to learn so badly, earn the money and learn!”

She thought she could go out into the wider world and learn music once she became an adult, but she had neither parents to support her dreams nor the financial means to receive education.

So.

Even though her dream was like a kite with a broken string, she continued to cling to it.

She continued to write songs with her old acoustic guitar, which she had bought with her own part-time job earnings and was given by the music school as a used item.

Of course, there was no one to listen.

After failing auditions repeatedly, she had resolved to sell her last guitar along with her dream.

Then.

She saw an advertisement for K-SingerStar participants. For some reason, she felt a strong urge to participate.

Although she was so timid that even social interactions were difficult, she felt a strange confidence welling up from deep within her. She wanted to sing in front of many people, just once.

She was sure of that….

But now, standing in the audition room with competitors buzzing around and facing top Korean singers, she wasn’t sure if she could even sing one line properly.

The people in the waiting room seemed to be formidable singers just by the sound of their warm-up voices. Could she really survive among them?

Now, the real survival battle had begun.

One elimination, and it was over. If she were to be eliminated, her image of being a dropout would be broadcast live. She might never be able to sing in front of others again.

Thinking about it, she suddenly felt scared. Should she just give up halfway, as the staff suggested?

No, no.

“Still, I’ve come this far….”

The deeper she thought, the more she buried her face.

“Participant 283?!”

At that moment, an urgent female voice came from outside the bathroom.

“Are you participant 283, are you in there?”

283? It sounded familiar. Looking down at her T-shirt, she saw the number 283 on the sticker on her chest.

“Yes, yes! I’m here!”

“Hurry, you need to go in soon!”

“Ah, but….”

“Come out quickly!”

Yun Jei finally stood up from her crouched position.

After a moment.

She opened the tightly locked bathroom stall door and stepped out.

“Yes, I’m coming-!”

* * *

“Mr. HS, it seems you only give eliminations?”

Lee Young-a asked, her eyes fixed on the documents.

“I eliminated them because, by my standards, they lacked both talent and potential.”

To Hyun Seung’s blunt answer, Lee Young-a responded, “Yes, I see.” The air in the preliminary judging room, where a break was being taken, was tense.

In a sense, Lee Young-a was the only one continuing the mental battle. Hyun Seung, seemingly indifferent, was only focused on the documents.

Similarly, Kim Gwang-jin, who was also looking at the documents, opened his mouth as if he had discovered something.

“Is it Go Jun-su’s younger brother?”

“Go Jun-su is the rising star known as a monster vocalist these days.”

“Will he sing as well as his brother?”

“Well, blood is thicker than water, right? He should at least have the basics.”

Despite the break, everyone was busy looking at the documents of the next participants.

Rustle, rustle-.

For a moment, only the sound of flipping pages could be heard.

“I’m looking forward to this person.”

“Who is it?”

“Edison Kim, who made it to the finals of a famous foreign audition program.”

Lee Young-a, excited to see a familiar face, added.

“I watched that program, and his voice is really good.”

“If you say so, I’m looking forward to it.”

“I can guarantee he’ll be in the top 10 here.”

Kim Gwang-jin, looking at the confident Lee Young-a, nodded lightly.

“Hmm, I see.”

Then he turned his head to the left and spoke to HS.

“Do you know Edison Kim?”

“Yes, I’ve seen the program.”

“Do you think he’ll make it to the top 10?”

At that question, Lee Young-a narrowed her eyes, as Kim Gwang-jin’s question seemed to imply that he trusted HS’s judgment more than hers.

“Hmm.”

HS, seemingly deep in thought, let out a small sigh and tapped the table with his index finger.

“I’m not sure. I didn’t pay much attention to him.”

Lee Young-a, not satisfied with the vague answer, asked sharply.

“Then, who do you think will make it to the top 10?”

“Me?”

“Yes, I know many celebrities and famous people have participated. Let’s just pick some candidates. You can choose from those who have already auditioned.”

Not only Lee Young-a but also Kim Gwang-jin, curious about who HS would pick, looked at him intently. In that moment, their intense gazes were directed at HS.

“I….”

Unlike when asked about Edison Kim, HS immediately held up the document he was looking at.

“283.”

Lee Young-a, muttering “283?” under her breath, flipped through the documents to find the application of participant 283.

After a moment.

She quietly read out the name at the top of the document.

“Yun… Jei?”

* * *

Who is this person?

This was the thought that crossed Yun Jei’s mind as she entered the audition venue for the third round.

She knew that Kim Gwang-jin and Lee Young-a would be the judges starting from the third round in Seoul, but...

Who is this person wearing a helmet?

Meanwhile.

Lee Young-a was scrutinizing the nervous Yun Jei with a hawk’s eye, noticing the number 283 on the sticker on her T-shirt. Yes, that’s the person.

The one HS picked as a top 10 candidate.

“Can you give a brief introduction?”

“A, ah… I live in Seoul, I’m 25 years old… My name is Yun Jei… Nice to meet you.”

Lee Young-a rubbed her neck in frustration. Yun Jei’s trembling voice and stammering made her feel even more frustrated. Even a primary school student could do better.

“You seem very nervous. Try to relax and sing as comfortably as you can.”

“Comfortably?”

“Yes, try to sing as comfortably as possible.”

Although she spoke gently, as if encouraging the participant, Lee Young-a immediately turned her gaze to the next participant’s document, as she had no high expectations.

Thud.

At that moment, Yun Jei sat down and cradled her guitar.

“What are you doing?”

For Yun Jei, it was a very familiar habit before starting to sing, but to the people in the room, it was a sudden action.

“Since you said to sing comfortably….”

Seeing her sitting cross-legged, Kim Gwang-jin smiled lightly, while Lee Young-a looked bewildered.

Meanwhile, the man in the helmet’s expression was unreadable.

Yun Jei adjusted her grip on the guitar and steeled her resolve. She couldn’t let her first attempt become a regretful memory.

The cold, hard floor felt like her reality, but she had to endure it to rise above it.

Then.

Yun Jei shifted her gaze to the mysterious man in the helmet. She didn’t need to make eye contact or see his expression, which gave her an inexplicable sense of confidence.

Perhaps this was an opportunity?

“One, two….”

Yun Jei tapped the body of the guitar to set the rhythm.

The guitar accompaniment was slow and melancholic.

Her voice, laid over it, was no different.

─ Don’t pity me.

While singing, her gaze was fixed on the man in the helmet. Thinking that he was the only one in the room, her trembling subsided.

Of course, she couldn’t tell if he was looking at her or not, but that made her feel more at ease.

Gradually, very subtly….

Her breathing steadied, and her voice gained strength.

“Stop, stop.”

Before long, her voice was abruptly cut off by a guitar sound that sounded almost like a screech.

“I think that’s enough.”

Lee Young-a raised her hand to stop her.

“Hmm….”

She scratched her chin and looked around. Kim Gwang-jin also had a disappointed look. She glanced at HS’s profile. Due to the helmet, his expression was unreadable.

Why did HS think this woman was promising?

To her, Yun Jei seemed to lack vocal talent. Her voice was somewhat appealing, but her mumbled and unclear pronunciation, similar to her introduction, made it sound like floating dust.

Moreover, the overwhelming sadness in her voice….

If asked if her original song was outstanding, it wasn’t. Nowadays, even ordinary people can create songs with this level of chord progression. Her guitar skills were not exceptionally good either….

What was it?

Lee Young-a, with growing curiosity, picked up the microphone.

“Your original song and vocal skills didn’t highlight your unique charm. Therefore, I vote for elimination.”

She pushed aside her many questions and concluded her critique. There were countless issues to point out, but this was enough.

It’s not that I can’t listen to it, but it’s so unpleasant that I can’t bear to listen – she didn’t need to say that.

“Your voice has a very appealing quality, but you lack the skill to fully bring it out. Unfortunately, I vote for elimination.”

Kim Gwang-jin also pressed the elimination button, and two red neon ‘X’s were already lit.

“A….”

Yun Jei, unable to stand up, listened to the judges’ comments. Her head drooped like a wilting flower.

Then.

“Mr. HS, can you say something?”

At Lee Young-a’s sarcastic remark, Yun Jei’s head snapped up.

‘HS-?!’

Her wide eyes were fixed on the mysterious man in the helmet. Is this person really the composer ‘HS’? If so, he is the creator of ‘Let’s Walk Together’ and ‘Dear my Beethoven,’ which she had listened to so often that her ears were sore.

Thump, thump, thump-.

Her heart began to beat out of rhythm. HS’s songs were all good, but these two songs, which aligned with the direction she wanted to pursue, held a special place in her heart.

She had walked to the venue that morning while listening to those songs.

If she were to hear the word ‘elimination’ from this person, it would be a significant blow. Yun Jei closed her eyes tightly, not wanting to hear it.

After all, it would just be one more red neon ‘X’.

“Mr. HS, Mr. HS-?”

At that moment, a staff member outside the camera’s view spoke up, waving a notepad with writing on it.

“You need to give a critique!”

Despite the staff member’s urgency, HS remained silent. It was so quiet that one might wonder if he was sleeping.

“Mr. HS, you need to say something…!”

Just as Lee Young-a was about to speak.

“I have a question.”

Finally, HS interrupted her and spoke.

Everyone in the room turned their attention to him. What could he be taking so long to say?

Or was he really sleeping?

With much curiosity, Lee Young-a crossed her arms, ready to hear his critique.

Then.

“Is it allowed to use a super pass in the preliminaries?”

The words that came out of HS’s mouth were neither a critique nor an elimination notice.