Chapter 50: This Is True Madness

It was vast.

And……

‘What is this feeling.’

I felt at ease.

That was my impression.

Not only the controllers, but even the CDJs were perfectly set up.

It was as if this equipment had been waiting just for me.

Saying, it’s been a long wait—come on over.

I could clearly hear them whispering that.

Seeing my expression, Moon Jungbae shrugged and asked.

“Why, surprised?”

“A little?”

“They were just collecting dust…… want to give them a try? None of us here actually know how to use gear like this.”

After sneaking a glance at me inspecting the equipment without giving much of a reply, Moon Jungbae continued.

“I bought it thinking I’d learn DJing, but I gave up. Man, it was too hard. Is it because I’m getting old? My hands just don’t move.”

Step, step.

As if drawn in, I stood before the equipment.

I inspected it thoroughly.

My fingers began moving on their own.

It happened to be the exact same model as the one set up in Sierra.

‘How could I pretend not to know this.’

Unlike my face, which brimmed with emotion,

the Cheongseong members were looking at me with puzzled expressions.

Bang Gicheol suddenly spoke up.

“What’s all this all of a sudden…… I’d be flustered too. Don’t feel too pressured.”

He had misunderstood, thinking I was nervous.

The other members chimed in.

“Moon Jungbae’s being mean.”

“Not just anyone can DJ.”

“Right, right. You’ve got bass and composing. That’s more than enough. Okay, equipment bragging time’s over.”

“Ugh, my head hurts. How many buttons are there? How do you even use that?”

While the Cheongseong members were making a fuss,

I stayed calm.

“Just a moment.”

I pulled out my phone and browsed through my playlist.

I only needed to pick two. A mix perfect for this moment.

I could set it up right away.

One side of my chest tingled.

I could finally show my specialty!

I felt nervous, but also excited.

“I’ll show you right away.”

I plugged in a USB and hung the headphones over my ear.

Yeah, this was it. The feeling had returned.

Electricity flowed through my fingertips.

As I loaded the first track with practiced ease, the Cheongseong members approached with curious eyes.

“Oh-ho?”

“What the—why does it look so natural?”

Now, there was no reason to hesitate.

My fingers went up on the fader.

It was the same track Blackhole always used to start with.

BPM check, beat matching, EQ adjustment……

Everything flowed as naturally as water.

Just like my usual instincts.

“……You really know how to DJ?”

Adjusting the EQ knob, I finely matched the beat.

Then I slid the crossfader to move smoothly into the next track.

A flawless mix without a single mistake.

“Just now, that……”

Right when Bang Gicheol seemed to have realized something and was about to speak, I slid the fader up—swish—

A brilliant sound filled the space.

“This is really……”

All they could do was watch, letting out admiring gasps.

“Shh!”

As soon as the first drum break ended, I added a scratch.

Listening to the next beat through the headphones in my ear,

I focused all my attention on my fingertips.

Trusting my instincts, I pushed the fader up.

“Wow…… damn.”

“This is possible?”

“I told you to be quiet.”

The two tracks blended perfectly,

as if they had been one song from the start.

‘It’s what I’ve always done.’

My fingers danced across the console.

Every move I made became music, filling the space.

The Cheongseong members couldn’t take their eyes off me.

Because the perfect DJing they had only ever seen on a screen was unfolding before their eyes.

The shy smile I’d worn earlier was gone without a trace.

“With hands like that, you should be playing the keyboard.”

Kang Musong mimed playing keys in the air, following the beat. His body reacted on its own.

“Say the word ‘keyboard’ one more time and you’re done for.”

As the music reached its peak, everyone held their breath.

They were immersed in the fresh beats being reborn at my fingertips.

“……”

“……”

When the track ended—

“……Ah, oops. I got too excited by myself, didn’t I? Haha.”

I scratched the back of my head.

And just like that, I was back to being a shy twenty-three-year-old.

“……I really saw that, right?”

“You, you…… what are you, exactly.”

“Forget this Blackhole guy or whatever. You’re a hundred times better! Hey, hey—starting today, forget Blackhole. The trend is Seo Taeyoon!”

* * *

I lowered the last fader and took off my headphones.

Feeling awkward for no reason, I just stared at the edge of the panel.

‘Did I go too far?’

I couldn’t lift my head.

Why did it feel so embarrassing to face the teachers?

When I was performing as DJ Blackhole with a mask on in a dark club, I never felt like this.

“Phew……”

With my face exposed, I had no idea what expression I should be making.

I thought I heard them say something,

but I couldn’t hear a word.

Once the headphones are on, nothing but the music gets through.

“Well, something like this……”

I gathered my courage, opened my mouth, and raised my head.

Huh. But then—

their eyes were burning too intensely for me to finish my sentence.

This…… felt good?

Because it was the first time I felt like I’d shown someone my true self.

“Uh…… that’s it for now.”

I put the headphones down, ready to step back.

At least, that’s what I thought.

‘It feels empty to end it here.’

Why did it feel so unsatisfying?

Maybe it was telepathy.

Bang Gicheol slowly walked forward, clapping his hands. Then he said to me—

“Encore.”

Pfft.

To approach with such a solemn face and then say “encore.”

Fine. I put the headphones back on.

Now there was no reason to hide.

My most confident track—not a mix of someone else’s song, but one I made myself.

It was time to show Lunatic Beat.

A dreamy synth sound, fitting for a track titled Lunatic Beat, began.

Kang Musong, tipsy from champagne, suddenly lifted his head.

“Huh? This……! How do you even have Lunatic Beat? Don’t tell me…… you ripped it?”

“Shh, keep quiet, you idiot.”

Bang Gicheol awkwardly laughed and clamped his right hand over Kang Musong’s mouth.

A genius who can perfectly copy a song? They exist, though rare.

He hadn’t expected to see one in person here.

“Yap, this is…… mmph.”

“Keep going, keep going.”

The earlier chill in the air vanished in an instant.

The beat erupted like madness itself.

An intense bassline, with an unpredictable rhythm on top.

‘Hoh, this brat…… don’t tell me…….’

Unlike the other members, whose jaws dropped,

Bang Gicheol simply watched me and the members in turn, intrigued.

“Whoooa……!”

The fast tempo and irregular sounds

pounded hard at the Cheongseong members’ senses.

‘Slow it down a bit for the highlight, and then…….’

I carried the track forward with a more delicate touch.

Pulling and releasing the rhythm, weaving tension and excitement in perfect balance.

I knew the stage.

The meticulously planned shifts in tempo and energy went beyond simple DJing—it became a story.

Just as the tension in the sound was ever-changing, the Cheongseong members’ expressions shifted dynamically.

“This is true madness.”

“No room to breathe.”

“But hey…… could Taeyoon possibly be—”

“Shh!”

The beat became an invisible thread, gripping the audience and shaking them.

They were no longer just spectators.

They were comrades—

people who had completed one story together and would go on to write countless more.

With the final scratch, I lifted my head.

My face was full of anticipation.

Come on, shower me with applause!

It’ll make me feel less embarrassed, I swear.

But instead—

“……”

“……”

The earlier murmuring died down.

What was this atmosphere?

Could it be…… lingering emotion?

Or maybe……

‘Hooah…… I put in more effort than I did at Sierra!’

Why was the reaction lukewarm?

Like a rabbit hiding in the bushes, watching for movement,

I focused all my nerves on figuring out the situation.

“Hm……”

“Hmph.”

Why had it gotten awkward?

Just as I was about to pout my lips in disappointment—

“Perfect. Absolutely perfect!”

Clap, clap, clap.

Bang Gicheol clapped three times and walked forward slowly.

Yes, that’s better. That’s how it should be.

Finally relaxing, I grinned sheepishly.

Bang Gicheol began speaking slowly.

“Wow, that was a performance to rival DJ Blackhole’s. I’ve never seen a DJ performance this amazing in my life. Guys, you feel the same way, don’t you?”

Was it just me, or did that sound like he was reading from a Korean textbook?

Why did I see my hyung overlapping with him?

I shook away the stray thoughts in my head and decided to just enjoy the moment.

The members exchanged suspicious glances.

Each trying to step forward first.

Classic middle-aged men.

When I get excited, I talk too much.

Chatter, chatter.

Murmur, murmur.

I was wide-eyed like a startled rabbit, surprised at the strangely flowing atmosphere.

“Blackhole? Nah, nah, forget Blackhole now.”

“That’s right! How could Blackhole compare when we’ve got Writer Seo.”

“Our Seo Rabbit is flawless, like it was measured with a ruler.”

“He wears a mask to hide his face, but look at our Writer Seo—his looks are alive like this, right?”

Uh?

Was I supposed to like this or not?

Unlike me, who gave an awkward smile at the unexpected atmosphere,

the Cheongseong members chattered even more excitedly.

There was simply no opening to cut in.

At that moment, Bang Gicheol spoke up especially loudly.

“You guys know, right? When Blackhole switches from Track A to B, the beat stutters just a little.”

……Huh? What was that?

I’d heard that somewhere before……

— “When switching from Track A to B, the beat matching stutters a little.”

Suddenly, my mind went completely blank.

Wasn’t that something I said?

And then—

“Hey!”

Kang Musong shouted out.

Still slouched into the sofa, but his eyes were sharp.

He looked like he was piecing together a fun puzzle.

“Our Seo Rabbit didn’t have a single stutter there—he transitioned smooth! Compare what’s worth comparing!”

Something was……

“Blackhole goes full throttle without mercy, right? But our Writer Seo—he cuts off decisively where it should be cut, and, huh? Puts power in where it’s needed.”

More and more……

— “In the middle, he gets excited and speeds up just a touch beyond the original tempo—you notice that too, right?”

They were quoting my own assessment of Blackhole.

“Right, Taeyoon? You felt it too, didn’t you? I knew it right away.”

“……Well, I’m not sure.”

I tried to play dumb for now.

“Kehhh. You fixed that stutter you had mixing at Sierra perfectly. Today was ten million times better!”

“……!”

Ah……

I put a hand to my head.

Were these hyungs…… teasing me this whole time?

Was that it?

I flopped onto the sofa and asked.

“Since when did you know?”

Bang Gicheol, looking like he couldn’t hold it in—

and like he adored me—

sprang up and slung his arm around my neck.

“Gah! M-Mr. Teacher!”

“Oh-ho? You thought we wouldn’t notice you were messing with us on purpose?”

“Uh…….”

Only then did I see the playful looks on the members’ faces.

Ahhh. I tried to strut in front of the real pros!

You couldn’t fool Cheongseong’s ears.

“We’re on the same team. How could we not notice?”

“Ah—ahhh……!”

“Almost fell for it, but still!”

Bang Gicheol released my neck.

Then he grabbed my right hand and held it high.

“How could anyone not recognize these golden hands?”

“Excuse me?”

“If this isn’t Blackhole, who is it?”

Strange.

How did they figure it out……?

“From the moment you stood at the console, your confidence was out of the ordinary. Right?”

Everyone nodded intensely.

“The mixing was pure Blackhole.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“There’s no way there are two DJs this meticulous.”

Kang Musong shot up from the sofa.

The alcohol buzz had long since worn off.

“Right before the drop, pulling the beat tight! That’s Blackhole’s signature trick. I remembered it from the video. And our Writer Seo just did exactly that. Urp.”

The mood was now perfectly warm.

The hyungs’ affection for me was already at MAX.

Could it get any better than this?

……It could.

Moon Jungbae stepped forward like he’d made up his mind.

“Hey, hey. Writer Seo. How about we redo our introduction? You know, from the first day we met.”

Aha?

Catching on immediately, I strode forward energetically.

“Cheongseong! No, Pilseung! Unbeatable Cheongseong spirit! Seniors, it’s an honor to be with you!”

The middle-aged men watching my salute all stood at once and shouted.

“Wha—! What’s this? Teacher Seo, you’re Cheongseong Troop?”

“No wonder you stood out from the start!”

“You treated him like a guest and practically turned him away at the door at first.”

“Ah, who cares! Teacher Seo Taeyoon! Absolutely perfect! Perfect!”

Once the boisterous scene had ended and I’d left,

the Cheongseong members stayed quiet for a while.

“Feels like we were bewitched.”

“What just happened?”

“I mean, are kids these days even capable of being this humble?”

Bang Gicheol dropped onto the sofa and said—

“Never met a guy like that in my life, seriously.”

Kang Musong, maybe from the lingering alcohol, looked even more moved.

“Seeing how fast his hands are, he’d probably be amazing at keyboard too. What a shame.”

Ham Doyoung couldn’t stay quiet either.

“This is going to be so fun. A band with a DJ—always been my dream.”

Only Moon Jungbae watched the members with an unreadable expression.

Even if they hadn’t started yet,

it felt like he had achieved a lifelong wish.

The members had gathered in one place again to start making music. That alone was enough.

He spoke calmly to the group.

“Alright. Let’s keep the emotions to just today. Reality’s waiting for us now, right?”

The mood grew noticeably serious.

Performing, releasing albums—

That was all good. But reality was still reality.

“We all agree on performing with masks, right?”

“Forget masks—if we have to get plastic surgery, we’ll do it.”

Small laughs broke out.

That’s how serious Cheongseong was about this project.

“Then next is the band name……”

At that, the members straightened their posture.

Why wear masks?

To cast off the fixed image Cheongseong had.

In that case, the band name naturally had to change as well.

But naming something isn’t easy.

What would be good?

They were still thinking that nothing could represent them better than “Cheongseong” when—

Moon Jungbae smiled and spoke.

“Taeyoon’s come up with a name.”

“Oh?”

“What is it?”

“Looking forward to this.”

“Writer Seo—no, our youngest—probably even good at naming things, right?”

“Well, it is……”

After a moment’s hesitation,

Moon Jungbae called out the band name with gusto.

“The name is…… The Kids Who Escaped Us!”

The band that would shake the public both online and offline—

The Kids Who Escaped Us was born just like that.

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