Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Raise Three Idols Well And They’ll Launch a Confession Attack.

Episode 27: First Date At Age 17.

Three days later, I settled in a plaza near the subway station, which had many benches.

Usually, people who made appointments would gather here, making it a place with many passersby.

Moreover, there was a piano donated by an instrument company, where sometimes professionals would showcase their skills.

“Are the filming preparations done?”

“Yes, we’re already filming, so don’t worry.”

“Okay, I trust you, Sis.”

After finishing the call with my sister, I placed the prepared acoustic guitar next to the piano and set up the microphone and sound equipment.

People glanced over, seemingly thinking a performance was about to start.

However, most people passed by without paying any attention.

I was confident. In just ten minutes, their attitudes would change.

As I finished setting up, five minutes before the scheduled time with Gaeul, she appeared.

Her hair was still in the ponytail she usually used for convenience, but it was evident she had put much more effort into it.

The waves in her bangs, carefully done with a curling iron, and the black hair tie with sparkling beads were something not usually seen on her.

Additionally, the light eyeliner and warm-toned makeup subtly enhanced her face, making her look more radiant.

This was also a look not seen during her part-time job.

Her clothes looked similar in style and price to the inexpensive blouses she usually wore.

But the white blouse seemed new, as if it had never been worn before.

It matched perfectly with her brown tennis skirt.

Overall, it seemed she had put a lot of effort into her appearance for this outing.

Gaeul looked around near the bench, then noticed my face and, with a bright expression, held her skirt and ran over.

“Wow, Team Leader Seon, you’re here first! I wanted to come earlier, so I was ready to run as soon as my bakery part-time job ended! I ran here like a sprinter as soon as I could, but I lost! It’s such a shame! How long have you been here? Did you come here comfortably?”

“Well, I didn’t come from a part-time job like you, so it’s natural for me to arrive early. Rather, I’m grateful you came earlier than our appointment time despite that.”

“Hehe…”

“I came comfortably. Thank you for asking.”

I tapped the microphone with my finger to check if it was working properly, then spoke.

“By the way, you look stunning today. You could debut right now.”

The power of her A+ appearance potential was evident. The term “center-level idol” must have been coined for someone like Yoo Gaeul.

Blushing, Gaeul scratched her head and said.

“…Actually, I’ve never made plans with a boy my age before. I thought I should look presentable.”

“A boy your age?”

There were only the two of us here, so who could she mean?

“Yes! You, Team Leader Seon!”

I felt puzzled and asked.

“Aren’t we not the same age?”

“Oh! How old are you, Team Leader Seon?”

“Thirty… I mean, twenty-five.”

I almost said my age from before the regression but quickly corrected myself.

“Then we’re the same age! I’m seventeen by Korean age!”

…But still, we’re not really the same age, are we?

It was strange, but I decided to take it positively as a sign of her feeling close.

Gaeul looked at the guitar and sound equipment and asked.

“What’s with the instruments? Is there a band coming?”

“A band?”

“Yes, a band!”

Realizing Gaeul’s misunderstanding, I smiled playfully and said.

“They’re coming.”

“Wow! Where are they?”

Gaeul looked around, searching for the band.

I didn’t drag it out and gave her the answer.

“Here.”

“Here?”

“Yes, you and me.”

“…Me?”

Gaeul looked around at the people nearby.

People were gradually gathering, perhaps drawn by Gaeul’s beauty.

She took a small step back and said.

“You’re joking, right?”

“No, I’m not joking. You’re today’s vocalist and guitarist.”

Gaeul shook her head and said.

“I can’t do it!”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve never sung in front of people before.”

“Then you can experience it today.”

“It’s been over two months since I last sang!”

“Then let’s start with a simple song to warm up your voice.”

Gaeul, you can’t escape.

Since you’ve come this far, I won’t let you go easily.

Sweating and looking around nervously, Gaeul said.

“…Can I run away?”

“It would be troublesome if you ran away. You didn’t say you wouldn’t sing. I’ll pay you properly. I also said you could refuse if it was something strange. But isn’t this a normal thing?”

Five times the hourly wage didn’t come out of nowhere.

It comes from the work done.

“Then, what did you expect when you came out today?”

“Well, a date…”

Gaeul stopped mid-sentence, blushed, and quietly stood in front of the microphone with the guitar.

I was a bit curious about what she was going to say.

But seeing her flushed face, it seemed she wouldn’t tell me.

I suppressed my curiosity and clapped my hands to welcome her.

“Welcome to the band.”

Gaeul, who had been hiding her face, suddenly asked as if she remembered something.

“By the way, how did you bring the guitar?”

“…Huh? I just rented it from an instrument shop and brought it. Are you asking about how I transported it?”

I just put it in a bag and carried it; there was nothing special about it.

Gaeul waved her hands and said.

“No, not that. If I can’t play the guitar, it doesn’t mean anything.”

“You know how to play the guitar, don’t you?”

“That’s true, but… You never asked if I had played the guitar before. I never told you either.”

“I couldn’t not know.”

I smiled slightly and said.

“The unique calluses on your fingers, you can only get those from practicing the guitar for a long time.”

I’ve seen enough artists and sessions to know that.

Gaeul was startled and looked at her hands.

Then her face turned red, and she hid her hands from me.

“Why are you hiding your hands?”

“After hearing what you said, I realized my hands are ugly.”

I felt the sensitivity of a high school junior was truly delicate, and I showered her with compliments.

“Don’t worry. I think the most beautiful part of you is your hands.”

It’s proof of effort for someone with S-level talent. How could it not look beautiful?

A trainee with talent, effort, and character looks beautiful just by breathing.

“So don’t hide them. It’s a shame.”

Hearing my words, Gaeul’s already red face turned even redder.

I thought I hadn’t said anything that special, but her face reddened so easily.

She must be quite shy.

I thought I’d need to use thick, white-toned makeup for her when she’s on screen.

Shaking her head to regain her composure, she asked me.

“By the way, Team Leader Seon, do you know how to play the piano too?”

“Yes, I can play well enough not to be a nuisance.”

Actually, the piano was one of the few hobbies I carried over from the previous timeline, so I knew the basics.

There was no problem reading sheet music and playing.

But today, I planned to rely on the power of the reward.

“It’s time now. Shall we start singing? The audience seems to be waiting, too.”

A considerable number of people had gathered, whether because they were drawn by Gaeul’s face or the hint of a performance starting.

She was slightly trembling from the gazes of the people around her, but she still placed her fingers on the guitar strings.

As she was about to sing, she suddenly seemed to remember something and looked at me.

“Oh! By the way, what song should I sing?”

“Just sing a song you like. You have a lot of favorite or practiced songs, right?”

Gaeul scratched her head in embarrassment and said.

“But the songs I like and practiced are a bit minor. You might not know them, Team Leader Seon.”

“I can play them. Don’t worry.”

“…We’ve never practiced together before, though?”

“It’s okay. I can play anything.”

“Anything?”

I opened the reward window and used ‘Jukebox in the Fingers.’

[Jukebox in the Fingers is now activated. For the next three hours, you can play any existing song on any instrument.]

As I placed my fingers on the piano, thousands of songs swam through my mind.

From funk, jazz, classical, ballad, to rock, no genre was excluded.

At least at this moment, I was omniscient about music.

So, I spoke with confidence.

“Yes, anything. You can test me.”

Gaeul looked puzzled by my grandiose words but nodded anyway.

“Alright. I’ll take your word for it.”

Gaeul lightly tuned the guitar and asked.

“Do you know the song ‘Memories of the Sea and Leaves’?”

It was an unknown song.

But as soon as I heard the name, the melody, sheet music, lyricist, composer, and lyrics swirled in my mind.

“Of course I know it.”

With the power of the reward, I was invincible.