Ch.39039. Homework

Flushed red cheeks.

Beads of sweat trickling down beneath his hair.

All of this was because of her.

“M-more water, please!”

Suhyeok, who had expected a normal level of spiciness, was experiencing hell.

This wasn’t just ordinary braised chicken.

Shouldn’t it be called “fire chicken stew” at this point?

At this level?

Unlike Suhyeok who was panting heavily, Hana remained completely calm.

As if wondering why he was making such a fuss, she dabbed the sauce from the corner of her mouth with a tissue.

“When it’s spicy, fried rice makes it less spicy. Want me to order some?”

Suhyeok nodded while gulping down water, but he wasn’t convinced.

Rice fried in spicy sauce becomes less spicy?

What kind of nonsense…

But the owner had already dropped off a bowl of rice generously topped with seaweed flakes.

Suhyeok had no choice in the matter.

“Ahh~ That’s more like it~ Wow. This is seriously delicious.”

Thinking he should at least try it, Suhyeok took exactly two bites before putting down his spoon.

It was too much.

He couldn’t eat any more.

“Ha. Hana.”

“Hmm?”

“Want some ice cream?”

Suhyeok’s cheeks were still flushed even after leaving the restaurant.

Seeing him struggle so much, Hana did feel a bit guilty.

But really, it wasn’t that spicy to me…

“That’ll be 2,400 won.”

Hana took the card and placed a milk-flavored ice cream in Suhyeok’s hand.

She decided to pay for it herself as a special gesture.

“Phew…”

Sitting on the bench, Suhyeok hastily tore open the wrapper.

“Feeling better?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you.”

“Let’s go after you finish that.”

The sky had already darkened, well past 9 o’clock.

“You know.”

Suhyeok turned his body slightly toward Hana as if something had just occurred to him.

A soft orange light fell upon the two of them.

“Seo-eun noona mentioned something to me the other day.”

Hana’s shoulders twitched at the mention of Seo-eun.

Don’t tell me my sister…

Said something weird to Lee Suhyeok…

An uneasy feeling brushed against her skin.

“I heard you’re working on an original song?”

At Suhyeok’s words, Hana let out a short sigh of relief.

“Ah… yeah. It’s almost finished, so I was planning to let you hear it when it’s done.”

It was a song she had been working on since last winter.

Although Seo-eun had helped, it would be fair to say that Hana had composed most of it herself.

Most of the theoretical knowledge and melody came from Hana’s mind, while Seo-eun’s role was limited to asking her boyfriend about parts Hana couldn’t figure out.

“Oh… what kind of song is it?”

He was curious.

What kind of song would Hana create?

Recalling the albums he had seen at Hana’s house, Suhyeok tried to imagine the musical possibilities.

Would it be a classic hard rock song?

But Juyeong wouldn’t be able to sing that kind of style.

“Ah… umm… damn…”

As if troubled by something, Hana fidgeted with the already-finished ice cream stick.

“What? Is it something I shouldn’t hear?”

“…It’s not that.”

She was going to let him hear it anyway.

But now that the moment had come, why did it feel so embarrassing?

Hana’s gaze fixed on the tips of Suhyeok’s fingers.

Though slender for a man, the calluses at the ends clearly showed how diligently he played the guitar.

Presenting an amateur composition to someone who had probably listened to many songs by hit master bands…

“…Wait a moment.”

Hana took out her phone from her pocket and stared intently at a file named [DEMO#RealFinalFinalFinalFinal].

“Don’t expect too much.”

“But if you made it, I’m sure it’ll be good…”

“No? Just don’t expect anything. Seriously.”

With her lips pressed tightly together, Hana pressed the play button.

What flowed out was a tight, crunchy-toned guitar riff.

The intro of the original song had a Japanese music feel to it, and going a bit further, it even gave the impression of an anime opening.

Suhyeok listened to the music silently without saying a word.

The progression was quite familiar.

The palm muting using power chords and all.

It was a song that incorporated various techniques they often used in Spirit Band practices.

While Suhyeok was immersed in appreciating the music, Hana swallowed nervously, waiting for his reaction.

Not a word.

No reaction at all.

He remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the ground.

Only when it reached the guitar solo part in the latter half did Suhyeok’s expression change.

It didn’t seem to be a positive change. His furrowed brow spoke volumes.

When the three-minute song ended, Suhyeok looked up.

“…It’s cool.”

It was an awkward smile.

And Hana wasn’t a fool.

“…You don’t like the solo?”

“No? Why?”

“Just tell me honestly.”

Generic expressions like “it’s cool” or “it’s great” were of no help.

Especially since they both played guitar.

“Umm… ah… but… I’m not sure if I should say this.”

When someone who isn’t usually like that acts this way, it’s even more frightening.

Hana’s front teeth nibbled at her lip.

“Go ahead.”

“It’s flat.”

It felt like being hit on the head with a rock.

“R-really?”

Hana rarely stuttered.

“Yeah. The structure and progression at the beginning are all good, but the solo seems to lack power…”

Suhyeok, who had been watching her reaction, finally spilled his thoughts.

“Kind of disappointing…”

“Damn it.”

Anxiety turned to frustration.

Frustration turned to anger.

And the target of that arrow was none other than Suhyeok.

“Hey! Then you do it!”

“Huh?”

“Since this is our team’s original song, you should come up with a solo too!”

Although Hana shouted in a vengeful manner, Suhyeok’s response was quite different from what she expected.

“…When do you need it by?”

His eyes seemed to suggest he already knew the answer.

* * *

[Oh. Thank you for watching today as well.]

Juyeong blinked slowly as she pressed the broadcast end button.

21 people.

That was the number of viewers who had followed her livestream almost to the end today.

Two times, no, more than three times her usual viewership.

Analyzing the cause…

If there was something different about today’s broadcast, it would definitely be…

The cute effects in a light green tone that newly decorated the top of her channel banner.

“…Is this capitalism?”

In reality, an increase of about 10 viewers wasn’t exactly a miraculous change, but to Juyeong, who had a small following, it seemed impressive.

It was thanks to Suhyeok.

Thanks to him, there were fewer times when she had to keep her mouth shut because no chat messages were coming in, and she felt like she talked more.

Pleased, Juyeong picked up her phone.

She had to share this good news with Suhyeok.

[Suhyeok.]

The reply came only after 10 minutes.

[Yeah?]

A conversation between two loners, without excessive “lols” or emoticons.

It was a plain chat window completely devoid of flowery language.

[My viewership increased!]

[By how much?]

[About 10 people?]

[Congratulations! Did you put up the new banner?]

[Yes. It’s all thanks to you.]

Looking at the screen, Suhyeok thought, ‘Hmm… is that so…’

How should he put it?

It was like giving advice along the lines of “Use a spoon and chopsticks when eating.”

That’s how basic he thought his suggestion had been.

Suhyeok scratched his nose awkwardly at her reaction, which was like that of a primitive human encountering civilization for the first time.

[No, it’s because you sing well.]

Honestly, with Juyeong’s singing skills, he thought she should have hundreds of viewers already.

[So about that.]

This was the main point.

[Could you help me pick songs again sometime?]

Juyeong thought that if Suhyeok helped her again, she might be able to attract even more viewers.

[Uh… but I’m kind of busy right now…]

Since returning home, Suhyeok hadn’t put down his guitar once.

Hana was right.

If you point out what’s wrong with something, you should also suggest a solution.

Just vaguely saying it was “flat” without explanation would only hurt Hana and accomplish nothing else.

He needed to come up with an answer…

But he wasn’t making progress because he couldn’t think of a good line.

[I see… Would the weekend work for you?]

[Probably?]

A smile spread across Juyeong’s face.

Y-yes… I should invite him over to talk about the broadcast again, right?

He seems to like candy too, so I’ll get him some sweets for helping me.

Last time it was pizza, so maybe chicken would be good this time?

Although Suhyeok hadn’t said anything about coming over, Juyeong was already letting her imagination run wild.

[Juyeong.]

[Yes?]

[Could you help me with something too?]

[What is it?]

She wasn’t sure if she could be of help, but she was willing to try if it was Suhyeok’s request.

[I’m working on a solo for our original song right now… but I’m not sure which one is better.]

[You want me to choose?]

[Yeah.]

[But I don’t know much about guitar… Wouldn’t it be better to ask Hana?]

…This homework was given by Hana, that’s why I’m asking you.

With a disgruntled face, Suhyeok rubbed his chin and started recording.

Perhaps a non-musician’s ear might actually be better at determining what sounds good.

[This is option 1.]

[And this is option 2.]

Each was a voice recording containing about 10 seconds of playing.

After listening to each about three times, Juyeong tilted her head.

[Option 2.]

[You think 2 is better?]

[Yes. No matter how many times I listen, option 2 sounds much better crafted.]

It was much later that Juyeong learned she had chosen the correct answer.