Chapter 61

61. Unexpected Ability

Ding-dong-ding-dong

The main OST of High School 1 began to play. It was a cheerful dance song sung by the idol singer Yujin, who was the female lead.

It sounded easy to listen to, but when you actually tried to sing it, the rhythm was quite tricky, and the range went from low to quite high, making it a song that required considerable vocal skills.

It was a song that Yujin, with her exceptional vocal skills as the main vocalist of the group, could handle.

"Ah, man. Let's sing an easier song. This one is actually really hard to sing."

Writer Han Yujing frowned with a look of regret.

"This song requires you to start running right from the beginning…."

Before Writer Han Yujing could finish her sentence,

"We hold hands and run together."

Ding!

"Unreversible time, within it."

A fast-paced, clear high note rang out rhythmically, as if running.

"Wow—!"

People's eyes widened at Se-rin's voice, which seemed to stretch out like she had eaten a CD.

"What?"

Writer Han Yujing couldn't close her wide-open mouth.

The eyes and mouth of PD Jeong Doo-il, who was sitting next to Se-rin and was the self-proclaimed host, were so wide that they could be seen from a distance.

After the intense high-pitched introduction, a medium-tempo melody like a love confession followed.

"Every time I see you, my heart beats with that kind of feeling."

As Se-rin's bouncy and lovely voice echoed, the male staff members, whose mouths were wide open, were not the only ones excited; the female staff members were even more enthusiastic.

"Ah—."

"It's so fresh. So fresh."

Writer Han Yujing, sitting next to Jin-hyuk, covered her mouth.

Perhaps it was because women tend to like dolls more. Jin-hyuk thought.

Of course, Jin-hyuk wasn't particularly surprised by Se-rin's vocals.

After all, Jin-hyuk had heard Se-rin's songs more than anyone else in this world. Perhaps even more than Se-rin herself.

Jin-hyuk could even pinpoint the differences between Se-rin's current vocals and her vocals from her debut era in his previous life.

What surprised Jin-hyuk was something else. Se-rin's posture while singing.

Se-rin's natural and unforced movements, perfectly in rhythm, and her use of the microphone made her look like a seasoned performer on stage.

Is this something you're born with?

While everyone, including Jin-hyuk, was amazed by Se-rin, the main idol cast of High School 2 was the most surprised.

Yoon Eun-joon, An Ye-na, Jeong Haneul, and Lee So-jin, members of the idol group, heard Se-rin's song differently from the other staff members.

"..."

Yoon Eun-joon couldn't fully close his wide-open mouth and glanced at An Ye-na. An Ye-na's eyes met Yoon Eun-joon's, her lips tightly pressed together.

An Ye-na bit her lips even harder.

"Hey, what is she? She's not just an amateur vocalist, is she?"

"Damn. She's better than me."

Jeong Haneul, who looked bewildered, received a nod from Lee So-jin, but Jeong Haneul shook her head.

"Is it a problem with you and me now? To me, she's better than our senior Yujin."

Jeong Haneul and Lee So-jin, who were at the level of sub-vocalists in the group, immediately recognized that Se-rin's singing was on a different level.

That kind of voice was a gift from heaven, not something anyone could have. And the vocal technique to control it perfectly.

While the idol stars were murmuring, Se-rin's song was nearing its end.

"Our beautiful, happy, and shining day—."

"Wow—!"

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Thunderous cheers and applause filled the party room. Writer Han Yujing said excitedly,

"Hey, Jin-hyuk. Tell me, what happened to Se-rin? She wasn't like this at the last audition. Right? She couldn't have deliberately sung poorly during the audition."

Jin-hyuk smiled and said,

"It's a secret."

"Huh?"

The moment Jin-hyuk's answer reached Writer Han Yujing, four words appeared above her head.

Well. Done. Handsome. Indeed.

Jin-hyuk's face, with a smile, seemed almost surreal, and the word "secret" made it seem like it should be a secret.

A mysterious secret.

"The next person to sing is—!"

Se-rin's excited voice echoed through the party room, and the idol actors all tensed up. At this moment, everyone was of one mind.

'Not this time.'

They were idol singers, after all. They didn't want to sing in this round, where they would be directly compared to Se-rin.

The only one who could save the idol's face here was An Ye-na. As the cast's eyes turned to An Ye-na,

"Yujin, please!"

Se-rin smiled brightly at Jin-hyuk and waved her hand.

"Jin-hyuk!"

The idol singers all breathed a sigh of relief. An Ye-na, who had been conflicted about whether to stand up, pouted slightly.

"Oh! Right, our Jin-hyuk should sing a song. Then, Se-rin—"

PD Jeong Doo-il, excited, said to Se-rin,

"Can you step aside a bit?"

"Ha-ha-ha!"

The PD's imitation of Jin-hyuk's acting style caused a burst of laughter. Se-rin, with a sense of humor, stepped aside with a surprised look, like An Ye-na in front of the convenience store.

A smile crept onto An Ye-na's previously tight lips.

Jin-hyuk, who had been called, walked forward.

"..."

Jin-hyuk could sense the meaning behind the gazes of the other cast members.

Se-rin, who wasn't a singer, had sung incredibly well. How could they feel at ease?

Being in their late teens and early twenties, they probably saw Jin-hyuk as younger. But to Jin-hyuk, who had lived for 34 years and returned, they were still young friends.

Jin-hyuk, who had already been the center of attention in the early stages of 'High School 2,' knew that.

The intense performances of the two lead actors were like side dishes to Jin-hyuk's entrance.

Jin-hyuk's sensitive ears in this life knew that his vocals wouldn't be inferior to Se-rin's.

He didn't want to add more tension to his already nervous colleagues. Why make them feel even worse?

After all, they were a team. This was not a serious competition but a casual party to build team spirit.

"I'll sing 'There's Something I Don't Want to Say to You.'"

Jin-hyuk chose a hip-hop song that wouldn't reveal his vocal skills. It was his first time rapping in front of people, and he found it quite enjoyable.

PD Jeong Doo-il smiled happily at Jin-hyuk's unexpected choice.

"Oh! He's going to rap? Wow, that's great."

Thump-thump-thump.

A heavy intro began to play, and everyone's attention turned to Jin-hyuk, the star of the early stages of 'High School 2.'

Jin-hyuk, in rhythm, began the first verse.

"There's something I don't want to say to you. Ye. It's something you can't even imagine."

Jin-hyuk's deep, low-pitched voice resonated with the beat, further enhancing his already attractive tone.

"Wow, shh!"

Yu Geon-woo, who handled the rap part in the group and played the character Lee Dong-jae, who loves to play, couldn't help but let out a hip-hop sigh.

"Wow!"

Even those who didn't know much about rap were left with their mouths agape.

Yoon Eun-joon and An Ye-na's eyes met again.

"Ah."

An Ye-na, instead of biting her lips, sighed.

They say that a song goes as its title suggests. Or is it a movie title? Anyway.

Should he have avoided saying what he didn't want to say?

Because of Jin-hyuk's "I don't want to say it," even the cast members who had been avoiding reality by saying "I can rap" were now in trouble.

When Jin-hyuk, who was rapping for the first time in front of people, heard his own rap coming from the microphone and felt something was going wrong,

The increasingly tense expressions of his colleagues.

He realized it wasn't just because of the serious rap lyrics.

But at that moment, there was someone else who was seriously concerned.

'Wait a moment. OST vocals and rap...?'

The two hot topics singing the OST?!

Is this a case of turning a misfortune into a blessing? PD Jeong Doo-il, who had been seriously considering the OST singer's accident, slowly smiled.

***

1st place: Yujin (Average 99.3)

2nd place: Min-young (Average 98.6)

...

...

"Hey, Yujin. First place again? Isn't that a bit much? I mean, how can you be the top student in the school while filming a drama?"

Do Min-woo, glancing at Kim Min-young standing next to him, said.

"Ha-ha. Min-young, you're amazing too. How do you get 98.6? Man, I wish I could get that score in just one subject..."

Kim Min-young, who usually would have responded with a witty comeback, turned around with a gloomy face.

"I wouldn't have any wishes then..."

Seeing Min-young like this, Do Min-woo's face also turned gloomy. Min-woo, frowning, quietly said to Jin-hyuk,

"Hey, can't you go easy on it a bit?"

"..."

"Since last summer vacation, Min-young has been second in all regular and mock exams. She used to be first all the time."

Do Min-woo looked at Min-young with a sympathetic eye.

"Even as a friend, it must be painful. Min-young is the type who gets really happy when you do well."

"That's why."

"That's why. You're busy with the drama, so no one would say anything if you studied a bit less."

"Are you serious?"

"..."

"If I deliberately lose, Min-young would be really happy."

Do Min-woo scratched his head and sighed.

"Phew, that's true. But I'm just saying this because I'm frustrated."

"..."

Do Min-woo looked at Jin-hyuk and said,

"Jin-hyuk, are you going to go and comfort her now...? No, right?"

Jin-hyuk shook his head.

"Not now, but I don't think you should comfort