Chapter 43: Actually, Reckless

Unlike me, who had chosen the economics department with real-life practicality in mind, my hyung had graduated from the College of Arts with a degree in Practical Music.

His major was electric guitar.

One day, he started plucking away alone on an old guitar.

He picked up some worn-out book like it was junk and claimed he was self-studying, spending every waking moment playing guitar.

At first, I didn’t like that my hyung played guitar. He wouldn’t listen to music with me anymore, only played guitar.

Even watching his expression felt a bit awkward.

I didn’t know why he was making such a deep, soulful face like he was possessed by the spirit of an artist.

It was also uncomfortable listening to his sloppy playing.

When the pitch went off because of his poor tuning, I’d frown without realizing it.

But strangely enough, before long, the noise gradually turned into music.

After a few seasons passed, my hyung had become a fairly decent guitarist.

He played in the school band club and even brought home prizes from small competitions.

“Teach me too.”

“You want to?”

I also started strumming along clumsily. It was pretty fun.

But my hyung didn’t stop there.

He had been acting like it was just a hobby, and then,

one day, he suddenly declared that he was going to become a guitarist!

Our mom didn’t seem to take it seriously.

She said any wholesome hobby was fine and even enrolled him in a Practical Music academy.

She probably thought he would give it up soon enough.

But my hyung was serious.

“Taeyoon, I’m going to the College of Arts.”

“What’s that? A place to play guitar?”

“Yeah. It’s where people who do music go. You should come with me later.”

I spoke without any sense of the situation.

“Mom! Hyung says he’s going to the College of Arts. He says he’ll take me too. Mom, do you want to go too?”

I was ten years old at the time.

“Dongyun, you…”

From Mom’s perspective, of course she couldn’t accept it.

I couldn’t understand back then, but thinking about it after I grew up, I could see why she felt that way.

How would you make a living through music? Doing music half-heartedly would only fill your head with empty dreams. Those kinds of realistic reasons.

“Do you want to come watch me play guitar?”

“Yes!”

My hyung was different from me—he was aggressive and bold.

If I was the type to take one step back and think, my hyung was the type to take one more step forward and just go for it.

That’s putting it nicely. Truthfully, he was reckless.

Our mom, frustrated, cut him off from the Practical Music academy immediately.

But then, something unexpected happened.

The director must have thought highly of my hyung.

He offered free lessons on the condition that my hyung cleaned his office once a week.

Oh, and there was one more condition—if my hyung passed the entrance exam, they would hang up a huge congratulatory banner in front of the academy.

Sometimes, I would go up to the academy to wait for my hyung.

Maybe because an elementary school kid hanging around a music academy looked cute, the director gave me snacks and let me see the instruments.

“It’s fine if you look carefully.”

I tiptoed and peeked into the room.

A hyung playing drums, a noona singing, a man playing guitar, another hyung making something on the computer…

They all looked cool and fascinating.

And the one that especially caught my ears was—

“Wow…!”

—the bass.

It was there yet not there.

That heavy low sound had a presence that always drew my full attention.

“So this is a bass…”

As a little kid who had only heard of it before, seeing a bass played in person was like getting struck by something I shouldn’t have been struck by.

The so-called Bass Fever!

It didn’t take the spotlight, but the band couldn’t do without it.

That subtle presence was exactly my style.

No matter what anyone said, the stars of a band were the vocals and the guitar.

But if there was no bass, you could experience the magic of all the other instruments suddenly sounding bland.

“You think that’s so cool?”

“Yes.”

“Wow, this is the first time I’ve met an elementary kid who thinks the bass is the coolest. The bass is the biggest underdog in a band, you know?”

“That’s not true!”

“Whoa, Taeyoon, you’ve got a loud voice, huh?”

I immediately fired back.

“The bass is the real star!”

“Why’s that?”

“Bass is… kind of like a bridge that connects the melody and the instruments.

If the bass is missing, everyone plays separately. Like little islands. They just don’t come together.”

I was only repeating something I had heard from my dad a long time ago.

The Director widened his small eyes at my words.

“And?”

“Since it’s quiet, I can play at night without the downstairs neighbors coming up to complain. That means I can practice more than other people, right?”

“…Pass!”

“Sorry?”

“From tomorrow, you come here every day with Dongyun. See that hyung over there? He’ll teach you bass.”

If it was my brother who awakened my musical sense, it was the Director who organized the messy fragments floating around in my head.

I was twelve years old at the time.

That was how I ended up getting a free 1+1 lesson with my brother.

My brother learned guitar, and I learned bass.

Thanks to that, I mastered music theory—which could be called the foundation of composing—and I can even play the keyboard well enough to imitate.

Ah! I even learned a little bit of vocals.

Looking back now, it was shameless of me, but the Director said that by the third month of free lessons, we had more than repaid the tuition.

Apparently, a lot of girls had signed up for the academy just to see my brother.

Whether that was true or not… well.

My brother was a total bandit.

Who in the world would…

Diriring Practical Music Academy.

Director Jang Siwon was busy preparing to welcome a special guest.

An employee asked,

“You said a guest is coming. What’s with the snacks?”

“The kids like that stuff.”

“Kids? The guest is a kid? No wonder.”

“If they’re twenty-three and thirty, they’re still kids.”

“…?”

At Jang Siwon’s words, the employee muttered, Here he goes again…

Just how many people had he taught for free under this whole “kids” excuse?

All the employee could do was shake their head.

“They’re brothers, and they’re really admirable.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They’ve been super cute since they were little. How should I put it… geniuses?”

“I see.”

The employee was just planning to humor him and move on.

But Jang Siwon’s rambling—disguised as love for his students—went on and on.

“When Taeyoon was fifteen or so? I recommended he try MIDI. Wow, I’d never seen someone copy like that on first listen.”

“There are a lot of people with perfect pitch.”

“No, this is different from perfect pitch.”

Jang Siwon spoke firmly.

“His ears are extremely detailed. Even if he went into engineering, he’d do great. It’s hard to notice when effects are applied, but he can. Honestly, it’s a shame he started with me. If he’d learned formally, he’d be sweeping the Billboard charts by now.”

Jang Siwon’s love for his students was unusual.

In a good way, of course. Thanks to that, I was always receiving a lot of good energy.

Listening to this much was nothing.

“Oh, right. I told you our academy grew because of two brothers, right? These are them.”

“Ah, you should have said that earlier.”

At this, the employee actually showed some interest.

The academy had once been just a shabby little neighborhood music school, but now it was the most famous in the area.

The secret was worth knowing.

Even though they were working as a low-paid instructor under someone else for now, their ultimate goal was to open their own academy one day.

Hearing advice from an industry senior couldn’t hurt.

“They both went to a music college, obviously. Let’s see… Have they been on TV or anything? I haven’t heard, but if they’re geniuses, they might have become famous.”

“No. It’s not like that. Genius? Sure. But musical genius alone doesn’t make an academy a huge success.”

“Then what does?”

“Looks.”

“…What?”

What on earth was he talking about?

Talk about random—this was as random as it gets.

How did the conversation jump from music to looks?

“At first, the girls signed up to see the older brother, Dongyun. Then, when Taeyoon grew up a bit, they signed up to see him instead. That’s how the academy grew.More and more talented kids started coming in too… Huh? You don’t believe me? If you saw them in person, even you’d agree, Mr. Kim.”

Jang Siwon laughed heartily as he walked away.

Before leaving, he didn’t forget to instruct the staff to give the kids onion rings and chocolate milk when they arrived.

The employee, Mr. Kim, just shook his head.

Of course.

That’s not a secret method at all.

I nodded, thinking, As expected, you’re still not giving away the real know-how.

Jang Siwon liked all his students. Everyone knew that.

He was just exaggerating a little.

That was what I thought as I was about to leave the Director’s office.

“Hello. We’re here to see the Director.”

“Welcome… Huh? Huh?”

At the sight of Taeyoon and Dongyun, Mr. Kim let out a short, quick breath.

So the Director had been telling the truth?

“Are you Mr. Kim, the drummer? I’ve heard a lot about you. They say you’re a hidden master. I think we might get your help today, so I wanted to thank you in advance. I’ll be in your care.”

The two even bowed their heads politely.

“Ah, yes. The Director has stepped out for a moment. This way…”

“It’s fine. We feel bad for bothering you by coming too early.”

He was at a loss for words.

Sure, they had the looks, but they were also so polite.

One looked dependable, the other neat.

He wanted to smack the version of himself from ten minutes ago who had doubted the Director’s words.

“If you wait here, the Director will be back soon.”

He even took the onion rings and chocolate milk from the shelf,

just as the Director had instructed, and set them out for the two.

“Wow, onion rings. Thank you.”

“Oh, can I play this?”

“Sorry?”

In the Director’s office, an amp, guitar, and bass were set up for anyone to play.

There was even a drum set on one side.

“Ah, yes. Since you’re the Director’s guests, of course.”

“Awesome, thanks.”

They still had a youthful air, but they were adults.

Was it really something to get that excited about like a child?

Mr. Kim chuckled and casually stepped out of the room…

Only to hear music flowing out the moment he closed the door, as if they had been waiting for him to leave.

Bass?

Like a stray cat, he stole a listen to the sound spilling through the door crack.

It was a performance so captivating, he couldn’t move his feet.

They were freely playing difficult slap techniques.

It started with the most basic thumb.

Then, as if building up with ghost notes,

it flowed naturally into double plucks.

Up to that point, he wasn’t overly surprised.

…!

When the sixteenth-note slap began, he could only tap his feet and mutter,

What? What? over and over.

Only then did Mr. Kim understand what Director Jang Siwon meant.

Had he ever seen a bassist play like that? Absolutely not.

With skill like that, most would want to be a guitarist.

Why? Because guitarists stand out the most in a band.

The electric guitar is the ultimate dream for many men.

Every performer wants lots of people to hear their playing and be amazed.

But this bassist was different.

They were making the bass feel like the main character.

Is this even possible?

He wanted to go in right that moment, grab the drums, and ask to jam together.

Which one is it?

The younger brother? Or the older?

It was a shame the roll screen had been pulled down.

In the end, unable to hold back his curiosity,

he peeked through the gap—

“Mr. Kim?”

“Huh? Director? I was just, uh, ahem.”

“What are you so startled about?

Like someone who didn’t believe me at first, but after hearing it, got so hooked you were secretly eavesdropping and then got caught?”

Mr. Kim cleared his throat a few times and scratched the back of his neck.

He couldn’t deny it.

No way he was going to miss such a fun show.

Jang Siwon asked slyly,

“Am I right?”

Even the cold and blunt Mr. Kim couldn’t bring himself to say no.

You had to give credit where it was due.

“It’s worth building an academy building for them.”

With that rare compliment, Mr. Kim quickly slipped away.

The Director’s office was just the same as it had been a year ago.

The guitar and bass were still connected to the amp, ready to be played anytime—

and there was still a drum set too.

“Wow, nothing’s changed.”

As soon as I arrived, I grabbed the bass.

There were few places where I could crank up the volume

and play an instrument as comfortably as here.

I was having a great time jamming with my brother when a familiar face appeared.

I stood up from my seat.

“Director, how have you been?”

The Director glanced at me holding the bass and said, “Taeyoon, is bass still your favorite?”

“Bass is still the trend these days.”

“Taeyoon, bass has never once been the trend. Maybe keyboards, but not bass.”

At the Director’s exasperated remark, my brother chimed in.

“What are you two talking about? With a guitar right in front of you. Go grab random people on the street and ask them what comes to mind first when they think of a band.”

“Wouldn’t it be the vocalist?”

This was our usual greeting.

I thought today’s repertoire would be the same as always—

“Taeyoon, have you not been practicing lately?”

“Oh—how did you know?”

“You’ve gotten a bit dull. It’s obvious right away.”

As expected, you can’t fool Director Jang’s ears.

“Dongyun, is work going well?”

And so we exchanged updates for quite a while.

Once my brother and Director Jang start talking, they never stop.

I’d heard that before running the academy, Director Jang had briefly worked in the A&R team at a big entertainment company.

Maybe that’s why—whenever the two met, they’d start venting like this.

Even if I was bored, I just stayed quiet.

By this point, the topic would usually change.

“…What else can you do but endure it? Anyway, Taeyoon, what about you? Not in school—what are you doing?”

Finally, my turn.

“I’m writing songs.”

“Really?”

“Yes. That’s partly why I came today. I also have a favor to ask.”

“Okay, let’s hear it.”

“Could I ask you to play a keyboard session for me?”

“Well, if I hear it and it’s okay?”

That meant let’s hear it right now.

I had already prepared for this.

I pulled out the laptop I had brought with me.

Get ready to be impressed!

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