Ch.40040. Solo

[Notice]

[April 9th Behavioral Economics class has been canceled due to the professor’s personal circumstances…]

These things happen in life.

A lucky event that might occur once a semester—a canceled class!

Suhyeok smiled contentedly as he lay back down on his bed.

He had been dreading the thought of seeing Nayoung.

Since next week was midterms week with no classes anyway, this meant he’d get a free pass for a whole two weeks!

Thinking how rare such a refreshing Friday morning was, Suhyeok indulged in watching videos he’d been putting off on his phone.

I could hang out for a while, then work on that solo for “Hana,” then go see the Spirit kids…

—Bzzzzzz

His phone vibrated.

It was Juyeon.

“Hello?”

“Su… Suhyeok…!”

Her voice was trembling as if something terrible had happened.

“Yeah?”

“The… there’s nobody in the lecture hall…! Where are you right now?”

“Huh? Didn’t you see the notice?”

“…Notice?”

There was a brief silence, then the sound of something being kicked repeatedly.

“Ah. I. I turned off notifications earlier…”

“…Idiot.”

It was rare for a loner like him to tease others.

But somehow today.

No, with Juyeon, it felt like he could get away with it.

“Ugh… brrrrr…”

Juyeon’s self-loathing intensified at Suhyeok’s “idiot” comment.

Having rushed to avoid being late, she couldn’t help but lament her own foolishness.

“Keep your notifications on next time.”

Suhyeok laughed awkwardly and was about to hang up when—

“Hey.”

“…Huh?”

The screen had already turned red.

It seemed like Juyeon had wanted to tell him something, but Suhyeok had already pressed the end call button.

He waited quietly for her to call back, but his phone remained silent.

He considered sending a message first, but since she didn’t call back, it probably wasn’t urgent.

Besides, they would see each other again in the evening anyway.

“…He hung up.”

Feeling embarrassed, Juyeon fidgeted with her hair.

…I was going to ask if he wanted to have lunch together.

She didn’t have the courage to call him back.

* * *

“Hey everyone~~”

Today’s social gathering was being held in the club room.

Not to meet up and go somewhere else, but to have the gathering in the club room itself.

The reason was…

“The original song we decided to make! Hana has almost finished it! Everyone, give her a round of applause!”

“Unnie. Please stop being so dramatic.”

Hana tried to restrain Seo-eun, but it was futile.

“Applause!”

Following the president’s command, the two loners sitting side by side on the sofa gave a timid clap-clap-clap.

Choi Gang, sitting on the drum chair, went a step further and forcefully struck the snare with his stick.

“So as previously announced, Juyeon will be writing the lyrics…”

Seo-eun’s gaze shifted to Suhyeok.

“Suhyeok! You write with her!”

“What?”

A bombshell had just been dropped on him as he sat quietly.

“It wouldn’t be fair if everyone participates but you don’t do anything. Next time you can help with the composition too, but this time, help write the lyrics!”

The president’s consideration—wanting to make sure no one felt left out.

Of course, how one received such goodwill varied from person to person.

“Shall we listen to it first?”

At Seo-eun’s suggestion, Hana took out her phone and connected it to the speaker.

As the speaker turned on with a ding-dong sound, Hana turned slightly to look at Suhyeok.

There was a hint of sharpness in her gaze.

“Ah… but before everyone listens, I have something to say.”

“What is it?”

“The guitar solo was apparently dis.ap.point.ing according to Mr. Lee Suhyeok.”

Suhyeok’s breath caught at Hana’s subtle revenge.

“Oh…”

A short exclamation escaped from Seo-eun’s lips.

She knew how high Hana’s self-esteem was.

And to criticize not just any part, but the guitar solo?

He must have really touched a nerve.

“If it was bad, he probably said it was bad.”

Choi Gang found the whole situation amusing and laughed heartily.

“Shut up. Just forget about this song.”

Hana pouted and said something she didn’t really mean.

“Did you… really say that…?”

Juyeon, sitting next to Suhyeok, whispered in his ear.

“No, that’s not it.”

“Hey! You two, stop whispering!”

Already wounded in her pride, Hana became even more irritated seeing them whisper to each other.

“If you’re going to badmouth me, do it to my face!”

“We’re not badmouthing you.”

Hana approached Juyeon and pinched her soft cheek.

“Park Juyeon. Are you really going to be like this? Is being good at singing all that matters? Is it?”

“I’m not badmouthing you…”

“Lee Suhyeok.”

Releasing Juyeon’s cheek, Hana now confronted him.

“Did you bring something new?”

“It’s not… quite finished yet…”

“Just try bringing something half-baked.”

Turning sharply back to the desk, Hana played the music.

It was exactly the same file Suhyeok had heard on the bench yesterday.

All the members listened to the demo file in complete silence.

Once again, Hana was visibly tense, nervously chewing her lip.

“Wow~”

Seo-eun wrapped her arms around Hana’s waist from behind.

“Yoon Hana. What’s this? Are you a genius?”

“She’s pretty good?!”

Choi Gang’s reaction was also quite impressive.

Juyeon typically didn’t show much reaction regardless of what was presented, but the members’ responses were enough to boost Hana’s self-esteem again.

“Hmm… hmm…! Is it good?”

“It’s great! It feels like something that would play at the beginning of a movie!”

As Seo-eun shared her honest impression, she suddenly became curious.

The solo seemed fine too.

Why had Suhyeok criticized it?

“Suhyeok.”

“Yeah?”

“Isn’t Hana’s solo fine as it is?”

“It’s not that it’s not good…”

“I think it’s perfectly fine too!”

Perhaps Hana’s solo was already good as it was.

The other members liked it too, so maybe it just didn’t appeal to Suhyeok’s taste.

Just as he was wondering if he had interfered unnecessarily without knowing better—

“But… Suhyeok’s version is… really amazing…”

Juyeon raised her voice from beside him.

She could tell that Suhyeok wouldn’t express his opinion at this rate.

And honestly, she thought Suhyeok’s version was much more polished than Hana’s.

The solo Juyeon had heard yesterday wasn’t this loose.

It was more solid and weighty.

A few bars that showcased brilliant technique.

“…I thought you said it wasn’t finished.”

Hana’s voice had turned cold.

She couldn’t hide the displeasure rising within her.

So he gives me criticism, but goes to Park Juyeon for consultation?

We’re both guitarists.

If he wanted an opinion, shouldn’t he have come to someone in the same section?

More than the possibility that Suhyeok had created a better solo, Hana disliked the fact that Juyeon had heard it first.

“It’s not complete yet.”

Suhyeok had wanted to present something that would satisfy Hana too.

His honest assessment was that he hadn’t reached that point yet.

“Show us. Juyeon’s already heard it.”

Hana wasn’t backing down.

“Yeah! I’m curious too!”

“Lee Suhyeok! Let us hear it too!”

When the other members joined in, beads of sweat rolled down Suhyeok’s spine.

He seemed to be in a difficult position.

Juyeon turned her head slightly and once again brought her hand to Suhyeok’s ear.

“…It’s okay. It was really good.”

She wanted to encourage him.

She thought it would be good for him to show it to the other members without feeling intimidated.

“…Really?”

When Suhyeok turned to face Juyeon, she nodded vigorously as if to say “you can do it.”

Hana, who had been watching this scene, made a resolution.

If Suhyeok’s solo was mediocre, she would give him harsher criticism than even the freshmen received.

Suhyeok rose from the sofa and stood in front of the stand with a solemn face.

He took out the club’s shared guitar and plugged the cable into the amp.

“Phew.”

As he lowered his head, his curtain-like bangs once again blocked his view.

“Shall I play it?”

The version he chose to play was naturally the second option that Juyeon had selected yesterday.

-Dadadadan dadadan

After the melodic beginning came fairly fast-paced lines.

Hana, who had been waiting to see how good he really was.

She didn’t know what expression to make.

Because Suhyeok’s solo was truly…

truly…

Much better than her own.

When the roughly 10-second performance ended, a strange atmosphere hung in the club room.

Suhyeok had clearly outperformed Hana.

If someone were to openly praise Suhyeok now, Hana’s embarrassment would reach its peak.

Seo-eun was hesitating about what to do, but surprisingly, it was Hana who spoke first.

“Lee Suhyeok.”

“Yeah?”

“You should play this solo on stage.”

“Huh?”

“Let’s go with this one since it’s better.”

Her cheeks, tinged pink, betrayed her embarrassment.

Park Juyeon, self-esteem, whatever—Hana was simply impressed by Suhyeok’s amazing creation.

“Are… are you serious?”

“What the hell! Lee Suhyeok! If you were going to do this, you should have composed from the beginning!”

“Gang~ Please stop talking nonsense~ But Suhyeok’s solo is really good! Have you done this kind of thing often?”

Amidst the noisy chatter in the club room.

“…That worked out well.”

Juyeon, sitting at the back, smiled contentedly.