Chapter 79

Reckless Genius Composer Returns - Chapter 79 (79/482)

The judges, upon hearing Kang Hajoon's song, nodded their heads in approval, murmuring that it exceeded their expectations.

"Hmm-?"

However, Kang Hajoon, seemingly oblivious to the audience's response, continued to sing with his eyes tightly closed.

"Let's walk together today."

His voice, filled with genuine emotion, resonated over the slightly altered arrangement of the original "Let's Walk Together," which did not significantly deviate from the original.

As the song reached its highlight, his voice, more stable and rich than in the previous main round, filled the hall with power.

"Wow..."

Yoon Jae, who had forgotten about the competition, opened his mouth wide and let out a sigh of admiration.

Immersed in the melody for a moment,

"Let's walk together today, forgetting everything."

As the final note and a small breath were heard through the microphone, applause erupted from the audience below.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap-!

Since this was the stage of the participant who chose the "Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap-!" HS took the microphone as the representative.

"Yes, Participant Kang Hajoon, you did a great job. We enjoyed it, and since this is a one-on-one battle audition, we will give our comments after hearing Participant Yoon Jae's performance."

Without saying much more, he put down the microphone.

'This is enough.'

A faint smile appeared at the corners of Kang Hajoon's mouth, as if he was satisfied.

Yes, this was really enough...

He had given his all, and his voice had sounded even better than during practice, making it a very satisfying performance.

"Yes, thank you!"

Kang Hajoon bowed deeply and then walked with a broad stride towards the side where Yoon Jae was sitting.

"You did an amazing job..."

"Yoon Jae, you did well too."

Their brief exchange was enough. After all, one of them would leave this place in a few minutes.

"Is this the miraculous participant? Yoon Jae, who showed remarkable improvement in the last round, how do you find this round?"

As if waiting for this moment, Lee Young-a asked Yoon Jae, who replied in a voice that seemed about to break, "I tried my best..."

"Are you going to play the guitar yourself again, like in the preliminary round? Last time, without the guitar, it was even better..."

Before Lee Young-a could continue with a brief interview,

'Cut, cut-!'

Reading the signs from the main PD and the main writer, who were jumping up and down, telling her to stop, she trailed off and quickly concluded.

"...Yes, I look forward to a better performance."

"Can I sit down again today?"

"Oh, yes-! Please start your song right away."

The lights dimmed, and Yoon Jae, sitting cross-legged on the stage, cradled his guitar.

'She really does sit cross-legged to sing.'

Kang Hajoon's eyebrows twitched slightly. Was it really because it was comfortable for her, or was it part of her concept? It seemed more likely that it was the former.

The stiff and rigid person who walked like a piece of paper became visibly more relaxed as soon as she sat down with the guitar.

"Yoon Jae is really unique."

"A bit like a mysterious musician?"

"This time, I hope it's a surprising performance..."

The judges, who had thought Yoon Jae was gloomy until recently, now saw a mix of anticipation and anxiety in their eyes.

Yes.

They now felt that her gloominess was part of her charm.

'What is she looking at?'

Kang Hajoon tilted his head, looking at Yoon Jae, who was staring into space.

Following her gaze for a moment,

'Ah...'

He understood where her gaze was directed.

'HS...'

Yes, she was looking directly at HS.

Although.

Due to the helmet, it was unclear if HS was looking back, but one thing was clear.

Somehow...

Her gaze towards HS and his own gaze towards HS were strikingly similar.

'Sense of kinship'

For the first time, Kang Hajoon felt a sense of kinship with Yoon Jae. At the same time, a pang of guilt washed over him.

Yoon Jae, holding the guitar on her own, had spent time on the arrangement.

Was the arrangement good? She had been holding it for over three hours; did she practice enough?

'Worrying about a competitor is the most ridiculous thing...'

He kept thinking about how he had used someone else's help for the arrangement, and his lips began to dry.

Yes, his performance was already over and couldn't be changed. Yoon Jae's performance would determine his fate.

Swallow.

Kang Hajoon swallowed hard and stared intently at her, who had taken the microphone.

And soon...

"Eh, eh...?"

An unexpected melody began to dominate the hall, surprising everyone.

* * *

After Yoon Jae's performance ended, the hall, still filled with its aftereffects, was enveloped in a calm silence.

"Phew..."

Yoon Jae, taking a deep breath, lowered her hands from the guitar strings.

'I really gave it my all. No regrets.'

Repeating this to herself, she lifted her head towards the judges.

The hall was...

Silent, completely silent.

Not even the sound of applause or breathing could be heard, only the beating of her heart echoed in her ears.

Thump, thump, thump-.

Yoon Jae, looking around with an unstable gaze,

'Was it too much of a risk?'

Finally, she lowered her head again.

"Oh..."

She thought that the reason for the current silence and the reason she might be eliminated was because she had arranged "Let's Walk Together" in a completely different style from its original charm.

Soon.

Just as Hyun Seung was about to take the microphone to break the silence,

"Yes, Participant Yoon Jae..."

"Wait a moment..."

Jay B, with a flustered expression, raised his hand to cut off Hyun Seung's words without even holding the microphone.

Then,

He quickly grabbed the microphone and asked,

"Yoon Jae, may I ask why you decided to arrange 'Let's Walk Together' this way?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about how to arrange it to suit me best..."

Yoon Jae, taken aback by Jay B's sudden question, trailed off and nodded repeatedly.

"I'm sorry. I've never learned how to arrange, so I wanted to do it well, but I'm really sorry..."

Jay B wanted to say that there was no need to apologize since he didn't ask to criticize, but his lips wouldn't move.

'Never learned...?'

He was too confused.

'Wait, wait...'

So, was the arrangement of 'Let's Walk Together' that Yoon Jae just performed the result of a beginner who had never learned it, creating it by chance?

Jay B, unable to believe the situation, shook his head and recalled Yoon Jae's performance again.

'Yes, definitely...'

As usual, Yoon Jae, huddled and fidgeting, took her seat.

Thud!

The moment she sat down and held the guitar, her gaze changed. Her suddenly lively eyes were directed precisely at 'HS'.

Her sparkling eyes were filled with confidence, trust, belief, and a sense of mission.

Soon.

As her fingers moved softly over the guitar strings, a familiar yet unfamiliar melody began.

'What chord did she start with...?'

Drawn to the unexpected melody like a magnet, his upper body leaned forward. While the original was a slow, tranquil song reminiscent of a calm lake...

Her arrangement was like a fast-moving, swirling stream, as if it were played at 1.5x speed.

'Wow...'

As the song progressed, he kept exclaiming in admiration. The song quickly pulled him in, like a shortcut he had never known before.

'Is this really her arrangement?'

He was amazed by the arrangement, which he had never even imagined, and his tongue was tied for a moment.

Glancing at the other judges, their expressions were no different.

As they gradually recovered from the shock of the arrangement,

'Insane...'

The voice, which was so good it made him want to swear, delivered another shock.

Yes.

He hadn't recognized it, but HS had, and it seemed that Yoon Jae's potential was her excellent rhythm and voice.

Her innate 'rhythm', which was superior to others, combined with a rhythmic song, finally allowed her mysterious 'voice' to boldly and smoothly dance.

The performance ended without a moment to catch his breath...

Suddenly.

He recalled the previous main round.

Jay B had only briefly said, "Well done," to Yoon Jae because she was the participant chosen by 'HS'.

Yes.

He felt petty, but praising Yoon Jae felt like praising 'HS's judgment.

'Unfairly criticizing an innocent person.'

However.

Today, he couldn't help but take the microphone. His curiosity as a musician, producer, and music lover outweighed his meager pride.

"Oh..."

In front of this young genius, who had created a perfect arrangement that highlighted her strengths without any prior training, Jay B felt as if he had been hit in the back of the head and looked dazed.

"No, you did an amazing job. Thank you for your hard work."

He quickly composed himself and succinctly wrapped up the situation.

"Let's have a brief discussion among the judges and then announce the pass and fail."

With that, the judges gathered in the center.

"When I first heard Kang Hajoon's 'Let's Walk Together,' I thought Kang Hajoon would win."

Lee Young-a was the first to speak.

"But I was wrong."

Kim Gwangjin nodded in agreement, adding to Lee Young-a's slightly excited tone.

"Yes, Yoon Jae's arrangement was so good, it was shocking. For someone who has never learned, to create such an unbelievable arrangement..."

Following Kim Gwangjin's trailing off, Won Jinseop, with an excited face, continued.

"While the original was a calm song like receiving a composed comfort on a dark night, Yoon Jae's version was like a daughter coming to pat you on the shoulder to cheer you up."

Kim Gwangjin murmured, "A fitting analogy."

"Phew, but that doesn't mean Kang Hajoon did poorly. His 'Let's Walk Together' today was the most moving and touching performance I've heard."

"Lee Young-a is right. Kang Hajoon's performance was also beyond expectations."

"Yoon Jae is unique and promising, while Kang Hajoon's singing was so sincere and heartfelt that I wanted to keep listening. It's hard to choose."

"Earlier, I was disappointed that I couldn't eliminate both, but now I don't want to eliminate either, which is a big problem."

"Phew, the production team is heartless. Why did they pair these two to test us?"

As Lee Young-a and Won Jinseop, who tend to talk a lot, continued their conversation with worried faces,

"Still, we have to decide the elimination."

HS spoke firmly, and Jay B echoed with an even firmer tone.

"Yes, we have to follow the rules."

"But..."

After a brief, endless discussion,

"We've made a decision."

The decision was relayed to the staff and then to the MC.

"The participant not called will advance to the next round without further comments, so please leave the stage."

The calm but tense voice of the MC made Kang Hajoon and Yoon Jae swallow hard.

"We will now announce the final elimination."

Both closed their eyes tightly, hoping that the name called would not be theirs.

"Oh-!"

The MC, after a pause, brought the microphone to his mouth.

"The eliminated participant is Kang Hajoon."

Kang Hajoon, upon hearing his name, lowered his head in resignation.

"Oh, oh?"

The MC instructed Yoon Jae, who was covering her mouth in shock, to leave the stage.

"Kang Hajoon, please lift your head."

Lee Young-a, looking at Kang Hajoon alone on the stage, spoke on behalf of the judges.

"Don't be discouraged. Today, the judges here heard 20 people sing 'Let's Walk Together.' Among them, Kang Hajoon's 'Let's Walk Together' was the second best. It might sound cruel, but you just had bad luck with the match."

Kang Hajoon, unable to lift his head, listened silently, not wanting to show his distorted expression.

He wanted to be recognized as a better instrument than Yoon Jae by HS. He had resolved to be recognized today...

But in the end, he was considered a worse instrument than Yoon Jae.

"Thank you..."

Kang Hajoon, biting his lips tightly with a heart full of regret, answered with difficulty and walked off the stage.

Thud, thud-.

Returning to the back stage, where the lights didn't reach, darkness enveloped his face.

Is this really the end? To end without being recognized as an instrument by HS?

Will I get another chance after this?

As this thought crossed his mind, his feet stopped, as if glued to the ground.

However.

He didn't beg the judges for another chance or call the company to ask for help. He just clenched his fists and trembled.

"Damn..."

He was reminded of Yoon Jae's performance, which he couldn't help but admit, even though he didn't want to.

He felt foolish for worrying about the time she spent on the arrangement.

Yes.

The fact that she had meticulously recreated the mission song to fit her voice perfectly was the reason she had to win.

In comparison, he had only focused on singing the arrangement given by the company well, on how to show off his skills better, and on how to appear as a better singer.

That was the reason for his defeat.

Wetting his dry lips, he felt a bitter taste, probably from the sense of defeat.

'What should I say to the company...?'

Just as Kang Hajoon, after a deep sigh, was about to move his feet, which had been glued to the ground,

"Kang Hajoon."

Someone called him from behind.

"Oh..."

It was the man in the helmet...

No, no.

The person he wanted to be recognized by.

HS was standing there.

"Will you continue singing?"

He approached and asked a question whose intent was unclear.

"Oh..."

Kang Hajoon, suddenly facing HS, stammered.

"Are you going to give up because you failed here?"

HS asked, as if he had no intention of waiting for an answer.

Soon.

"No."

Kang Hajoon, more focused on having a conversation with him than on the current situation, firmly continued.

"I will keep singing."

And in his heart, he repeated, "Until the day I am recognized as an instrument by you."

"Hmm..."

HS, after a moment of silence, met his eyes through the goggles.

"Then I'll give you a song. Show me a proper performance."

Kang Hajoon's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected offer.