Chapter 34

34. Naturally (Revised)

"When this song ends, I'll forget you…."

As Jinhyuk's sweet voice resonated through the music room,

"Wow--."

A natural exclamation burst from the students' mouths.

"Ah, it's so good. What do I do!"

"His voice. He's insane."

It wasn't just his voice that was insane.

"An un-singable song--."

When Jinhyuk's beautiful high notes opened the chorus, everyone listening could only swallow their exclamations.

'Wow.'

The students' mouths gaped open.

"An un-sung-- my-- song--."

The breathtaking high notes, reaching their peak with Jinhyuk's vocals,

"When this song ends, I have to erase you. I still can't finish the song."

When he reached the impossibly high notes that no one could easily reach.

"An un-singable song--."

Teacher Jeong Su-jin's hand trembled.

'What, what is this…!'

In her ten years of teaching, she had never seen or heard a student like this. Or, could this even be called a student's performance?

Goosebumps ran down her arm.

Before she could even sort out the thoughts in her head, Jinhyuk's poignant voice, now lowered, signaled the end of the song.

"…An un-sung-- my-- song--."

As soon as the song ended, the music room erupted in cheers and applause.

"Wow!!"

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The music room had already become Jinhyuk's concert hall.

***

Tap. Tap. Tap….

Teacher Jeong Su-jin's fingers, tapping rhythmically on the desk, still carried the unsteady pulse of her heart.

'Is this even possible? Is this a real thing?'

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't believe what she had just witnessed.

A student with poor grades had become the top of the class in just a few months.

A shy student who seemed to be invisible had torn the stage apart in a play.

That alone was unbelievable, but she tried to accept it. She had heard stories of people becoming geniuses after a major shock or a complete personality change.

But could an accident change one's vocal cords? Moreover, this wasn't just about the vocal cords.

Jinhyuk's voice change had already been confirmed in his stage performance. However, good diction and singing were different things.

Singing required diction, breathing, pitch, rhythm, and emotion. Not just understanding these, but being able to express them required vocal technique.

Moreover, the unbelievable range Jinhyuk had shown. Although it lacked a bit in detail, his ability to freely move between low and high notes was almost a natural talent.

Could such vocal ability have appeared suddenly after an accident?

Teacher Jeong Su-jin realized she was misunderstanding something significant about what had happened to Jinhyuk.

'Why didn't I think of that… This is clearly…'

"Teacher."

"Hmm?"

"You called me."

"Oh, right. Jinhyuk, do you want to sit here for a moment?"

Woo Jinhyuk sat in the chair across from Teacher Jeong Su-jin.

"Jinhyuk."

"Yes."

"Have you…."

Teacher Jeong Su-jin hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Have your memories started to come back at all?"

Jinhyuk shook his head.

"No."

"None at all? Not even a little?"

"Yes. But it's not a big problem. Min-woo has been helping me a lot."

"Right…."

Teacher Jeong Su-jin nodded with a sympathetic smile.

'I should probably meet his parents.'

Jeong Su-jin had a certain level of confidence in her hypothesis, but it wasn't something she could discuss further with Jinhyuk.

To change the mood of the conversation, she brightened her expression and handed Jinhyuk a brochure.

"Jinhyuk, would you like to participate in the Youth Song Festival?"

As a vocal teacher, she was cautious about immediately encouraging Jinhyuk to pursue music seriously, despite his exceptional talent.

Jinhyuk wasn't just about looks and singing.

His academic performance was outstanding in all subjects, to the point where it was hard to choose between arts and sciences. He had maintained the top spot in the school in both the midterm and the recent mock exam.

"Even though I keep being surprised by you, Jinhyuk, I didn't expect your singing talent to be this special."

In most cases, it's better to focus on studies. The reality is that pursuing music is a very narrow path.

But as a music teacher, she couldn't bear to let such talent be buried under studies.

Jeong Su-jin thought it might be good to let Jinhyuk have various experiences so he could make his own decision.

He was already taking acting lessons and excelling in his studies, so giving him the opportunity to sing in a competition seemed appropriate. Or, at least, suggesting a small experience.

"It's not a big competition, just an event organized by the city hall to celebrate the opening of a youth center. There's a small prize too. How about trying it out without any pressure?"

Performing in front of an audience at an official competition might give him some insights. If being a singer is Jinhyuk's path.

Jinhyuk took the brochure from Teacher Jeong Su-jin.

Youth Song Festival….

"Of course, I know you have to study and prepare for the play. From what I see, you don't need to spend a lot of time practicing. You can perform the same song you just sang."

It sounds interesting. Jinhyuk's first thought. Especially since it's a Youth Song Festival, it's an experience he won't have again.

For Jinhyuk, who had decided to fully enjoy his high school life, it was quite intriguing.

"Um… I'd like to try it."

"Really?"

Teacher Jeong Su-jin's face brightened.

"Then, if you decide to participate, you must invite me, right?"

"Do I need to invite you to come?"

"No, anyone can come, but it's different when Jinhyuk is singing. Hehe."

"Sure, I'll let you know then."

Jinhyuk's words made Teacher Jeong Su-jin nod approvingly.

***

"Jinhyuk, have you really only been acting for less than three months?"

Teacher Kim Jong-ho, who had been assigned to the drama club for the play, looked at Jinhyuk with a puzzled expression.

'Not only is his acting unbelievable, but how does he use the stage movements so perfectly?'

Jinhyuk said he had learned how to use stage movements at the acting school.

But to learn a little and then create such perfect stage movements for a play that hasn't been properly adjusted yet, it must be an unbelievable genius….

Is that it? Was he really an unbelievable genius?

She had never seen anyone like this. Kim Jong-ho's heart, which had been racing while watching Jinhyuk, beat even faster.

"Hehe! Our Jinhyuk is pretty good, right, teacher? I've been giving him a lot of advice."

Do Min-woo laughed happily. Seeing this, Min Seo-yeon said,

"Do Min-woo, why are you here when you're not even in the drama club?"

"Huh? Didn't the teacher say?"

Seo-yeon looked at Teacher Kim Jong-ho, who shrugged.

"I'm the official manager of the drama club until the play."

"Manager?"

Min Seo-yeon's frown deepened, and Kim Min-young, the president, gently wrapped her arm around her.

"Why, Seo-yeon. Having a manager is good, right?"

Min-young smiled at Do Min-woo.

"Manager, we're thirsty. Can you get us some drinks? And while you're at it, some snacks too. We're really hungry from all the practice."

"Oh, oh."

Min-young's words made Do Min-woo lie down on the floor of the practice room.

"Did I focus too much on monitoring the practice? I'm so tired… I need to rest a bit."

"Hey, what's wrong with you, Do Min-woo? You're the manager. Get up quickly."

Min-young tried to pull Do Min-woo up, but he was already as limp as seaweed.

"Hey, get up."

"I'm a slime."

"What are you talking about?"

"Slime!"

Watching the two bicker, Lee Young-jun said,

"They always do this, but they never really fight. It's quite amazing."

Hearing this, Jinhyuk looked at the two and smiled.

Just like that.

Min-young, who was pulling Do Min-woo, who was either seaweed or slime, looked quite natural.

***

"Jinhyuk, did you pack your socks?"

"Yes, I packed enough."

"Did you pack a towel?"

"The dorm will have towels, but I packed a few just in case."

Although it might seem annoying, Jinhyuk enjoyed his mother's nagging.

He had never heard such things before. Seeing his friends complain about their nagging mothers, he remembered how much he had envied having a mother who nagged when he was young.

In his previous life, the only woman who had ever nagged at Jinhyuk with affection was…

'Captain! You're not eating breakfast again? That's not good!'

Seong Mi-ling.

Jinhyuk smiled at the memory of Seong Mi-ling's frowning face.

"Going on a school trip to Japan. The world has really improved. When I was young…."

Jinhyuk's mother reminisced about her school trip memories. She looked happy.

It wasn't just a feeling. Thanks to Jinhyuk, who had been her conversation partner recently, his mother was experiencing small joys every day.

"By the way, what are you most looking forward to on this school trip? You're going to many places."

"Um… We're going to Universal Studios on the second day."

"Universal Studios? Isn't that a movie set or something?"

"Um, it's a theme park in Japan based on movie sets."

"Oh."

His mother nodded.

"If it's a theme park, you'll probably ride a lot of rides, right?"

"Yes."

Jinhyuk was quite looking forward to the thrilling rides he had heard about.

"By the way, there's also an interesting event this time."

"An event?"

"Yes. A special action movie event. It's themed around famous action movies."

"Action movies?"

"Yes. It should be fun."

"Hehe. Is it because you're learning acting? You've become really interested in these things."

It was true. Watching actors perform had become a great pleasure for Jinhyuk.

He preferred movies, which have a condensed story and performance, to dramas that take time to watch. Among them, he especially liked action movies.

"Anyway, it's great. I wish I could be a high school student again. Hehe."

As the night fell, preparing for the school trip the next day, Jinhyuk tossed and turned in bed.

***

"Ah! Amazing!"

A few days ago, Do Min-woo, who had been playing slime on the floor of the drama practice room, had turned into a goblin in Japan.

"I'm in Dotonbori!"

He ran around, shouting in triumph, looking just like the famous Glico character.

Seeing this, a smile spread across Jinhyuk's face.

Click.

Lee Young-jun, assigned to take snapshots, moved his camera busily.

As they walked down Dotonbori, a few Japanese female students approached Jinhyuk.

"Sumimasen."

"Kankokujin? Ah… Korean?"

Jinhyuk nodded, and the girls burst into laughter, chatting among themselves in Japanese.

"Wow. Up close, you really look like a celebrity."

"Are you an idol in Korea?"

"Wow. My heart is racing…."

Unaware that Jinhyuk understood Japanese,

"Take picture. Please."

The girls asked for a photo in broken English.

"Hello! Take picture. Okay!"

Suddenly, Do Min-woo, who had run off a while ago, was right next to Jinhyuk. Seeing the girls' attention, he chatted away confidently.

"He's my friend! We're friends!"

"Kyaa. Kawaii!"

"Kawaii? Huh? What does that mean? It can't be an insult, right?"

Jinhyuk didn't bother to