Ch.107107. Musical Instrument Market

It seemed better to confess to Hana as soon as possible.

But before that, there was something I needed to resolve.

No. Something I needed to think about.

Juyeon.

What would Juyeon say if I told her that the person I actually liked was Hana?

It was quite a while ago, but Juyeon had once asked me if I liked Hana.

I said no.

At that time, my feelings hadn’t solidified into definite affection.

But I also thought it would be pretty ridiculous to voluntarily correct myself now.

‘I didn’t really like her then, but as time passed, I started to like her.’

How could I say something like that when nobody asked?

Sighing but diligently washing his face, Soohyuk put on his shorts.

Thursday.

The day he was supposed to go pick out a guitar with Juyeon.

Considering his relationship with Hana, this outing did feel a bit uncomfortable.

But he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong.

The two of them weren’t in a romantic relationship yet.

Even if they were, helping Juyeon choose a guitar—who wasn’t just anyone—seemed perfectly understandable to him.

When he arrived at the bus stop, their meeting place, Juyeon was standing there wearing the hat Hana had bought him for the preliminaries.

Breezy-looking wide light green pants and a white short-sleeved blouse.

Upon spotting Soohyuk, Juyeon slightly raised her hand.

“…Hi.”

“Hi.”

Their own way of greeting.

Juyeon moved closer to Soohyuk.

“Thanks for coming.”

Juyeon smiled brightly.

“No problem. It’s nothing to thank me for.”

“But the weather is so hot.”

As he nodded in agreement, the bus arrived.

Soohyuk and Juyeon sat in a two-seater at the back.

Juyeon seemed to have found something, as she showed Soohyuk an online musical instrument store website on her phone.

“What do you think of this one?”

“Um… it’s decent.”

“And this one?”

“That’s not bad either, from what I know.”

Bad guitars.

There aren’t many guitars that truly deserve to be called “bad.”

But cases of “I could have bought this one for that price” are quite common.

Especially in the mid-to-low price range.

With guitars, the higher the price, the more distinctive their characteristics become.

Conversely, lower-priced instruments tend to be judged more on their overall quality rather than their uniqueness.

How sturdy is the instrument?

Is the finishing properly done?

Since less effort goes into making them, they often have deficiencies in the basics.

“Wow.”

The large musical instrument market they were visiting for the first time.

Since Soohyuk had bought his own guitar online, this was his first time visiting such a place too.

“Um… there are so many.”

“I know.”

The two of them were vulnerable to having too many choices.

That’s why this place, filled with soliciting vendors, instantly transformed into a dungeon for them.

“Students! What are you looking for?”

“Are you searching for something specific?”

“Come take a look around!”

Small shops lined the corridor like a marketplace.

The sound of demonstrations could be heard from various places, tempting the two novices like the smell of bread from a bakery.

It was hard to resist.

Though they didn’t want to be dragged into just any shop, they didn’t have a specific destination either.

Realizing this wasn’t going anywhere, Soohyuk stopped Juyeon in front of an ATM by the stairwell.

“Juyeon.”

“…Yes?”

“Do you have a shape in mind?”

Besides sound, shape is extremely important when choosing a guitar.

It’s similar to considering appearance when meeting a potential partner.

While personality, character, and so-called inner qualities are important, external form, like appearance, also plays a significant role.

“I…”

Juyeon took out her phone again.

What kind of shape would be good?

Since she decided to start playing guitar because of Soohyuk, should she ask for the same shape as his?

Or maybe something else…

“Um… what about this one?”

After flipping through several pages back and forth, Juyeon showed him a photo.

“A Strat, huh?”

“Is that what it’s called?”

“Probably?”

The model Juyeon showed was a Stratocaster.

It was the shape most commonly associated with electric guitars among the general public and also considered the most versatile.

“Well… there are many famous ones like this.”

Soohyuk immediately had some brands in mind.

“I see. What do you think of this?”

“It’s decent.”

“…You mean it’s not good?”

“No. I mean it’s really quite standard. It’s good for playing various genres. I recommend it too.”

There was a reason the Stratocaster had established itself as something of a standard.

“Then I’ll go with this one.”

Juyeon nodded.

“Um… what about money? Budget is important too.”

Once the shape and preference were decided, the next consideration was financial.

“I… about 800,000 won?”

That was more than 80 percent of the money Juyeon had earned from streaming.

Since she was starting this, Juyeon wanted to get a decent instrument.

“Oh… really? Then.”

Soohyuk swallowed hard as he gazed down the corridor.

The situation was different now.

They had a compass.

The target was a Strat guitar in the 600,000-800,000 won range.

Perhaps looking at Squier would be best.

Like a ship’s captain, Soohyuk led the way through the crowd of soliciting staff.

As they moved through the corridor, his eyes carefully scanned the display cases.

He was looking to see if they had the brand he wanted.

It didn’t take long to find it.

“Ah. Hello.”

Soohyuk passed the entrance and went inside.

The owner was apparently doing a setup, holding tools and fiddling with a guitar.

“Oh my. Hello.”

The owner stood up and looked at Soohyuk and Juyeon blankly, as if asking what they needed.

“Ah. I’d like to try out this guitar.”

“Oh, of course. Just a moment.”

The owner took the guitar Soohyuk pointed to from the display.

“Here.”

Soohyuk handed the guitar he received to Juyeon.

“Huh?”

A question mark appeared above Juyeon’s head.

“Um… you should try playing it to see if you like it.”

“But I don’t know how to play at all?”

The owner momentarily had a “What’s with these two?” expression, but quickly erased it and continued explaining kindly.

“Ah~ If you’re complete beginners, would you like me to give you a simple explanation and demonstration?”

“Ah… yes.”

The owner explained the features of the guitar and the brand’s history.

Soohyuk knew some of the information but not all of it.

For Juyeon, on the other hand, the explanations didn’t really resonate much.

Is this supposed to be good…?

“Are you college students? Planning to start a band?”

“Ah. Yes.”

“So she’s the guitarist?”

The owner gestured toward Juyeon with a friendly smile.

“Ah. No. I’m the vocalist, and he’s the guitarist.”

“Hmm? So the vocalist young lady wants to try playing guitar?”

“Ah. Yes…”

The more the owner spoke to her, the more Juyeon seemed to hide behind Soohyuk.

“Ah, I see. Then let the guitarist friend try it.”

“Sh-should I?”

“Soohyuk, will your arm be okay?”

Soohyuk’s arm was still wrapped in a heavy bandage.

“Ah, um… as long as I’m not moving vigorously like in a performance.”

After all, it was his left arm that was injured.

In terms of movement, the right arm did more work, so Soohyuk took the guitar from the owner and sat on a backless chair.

“If you want to adjust the gain, press this.”

“Ah. Yes.”

“Play comfortably and call me when you’re done.”

The owner left them with those words and went back to continue repairing the guitar he was working on.

Soohyuk, holding a pick, plucked the strings.

The deep sound of the open E string resonated through the heavy amplifier.

“Is it good?”

How could he tell if it was good or not just from playing that much?

Watching Soohyuk with bright, attentive eyes, Juyeon seemed like a young daughter who had tagged along to her father’s early morning soccer game.

“Listen to this.”

Without any effects, using a clean tone, Soohyuk played some examples that Hana had taught him in lessons before.

His right hand moved rhythmically up and down.

“Ooh.”

Juyeon stood quietly beside him, watching him play.

…He looks cool.

Though she had seen him play guitar many times before, today Soohyuk looked a bit cooler.

Perhaps it was because this was the first time she was focusing on watching him play guitar.

During band practice, Juyeon always had to concentrate on singing.

“This is the clean sound.”

Then came a bright, rocking sound.

This was Soohyuk’s specialty and major.

He unleashed his secret weapon, a Nick Brandon song he had kept in reserve for two years.

The owner, who had been doing repairs, glanced over once with surprise.

He had seen plenty of skilled guitarists before.

But such people usually don’t visit shops that carry mostly lower-priced guitars.

Moreover, based on his long experience, he had assumed Soohyuk and Juyeon were definitely beginners.

So he couldn’t help but be surprised when Soohyuk played a song that even music majors would need long practice to master.

“Wow. You play really well?”

The owner was suddenly beside them.

“Ahaha… thank you…”

Soohyuk felt embarrassed receiving praise from a stranger.

“How is the guitar? Pretty good, right?”

“Ah. Yes.”

To Soohyuk, it felt clean.

The sound wasn’t harsh, and the playability was excellent, he thought.

“What about you, miss? Does it seem good?”

“Yes…”

Just as Soohyuk was about to suggest looking at more options before deciding,

“But do you have it in other colors?”

Juyeon didn’t like the black color.