Ch.9191. Gratitude

To talk about Juyeon, I couldn’t leave out the story about the broadcast.

But that would be betraying my loyalty to Juyeon.

Soohyuk tried his best to hide his concerns while pretending to be nonchalant.

“…Not really?”

At his answer, Seoeun’s eyes stared at him as if they would devour him.

That gaze was so chilling that his body flinched, but Soohyuk firmly kept his mouth shut.

“Soohyuk.”

“…Yeah.”

“Hana, Juyeon, and you too, Soohyuk.”

Seoeun turned her back and approached the stand where the guitars were lined up.

She tapped each instrument’s headstock one by one as she passed by.

Her voice was quite low, giving weight to her words.

“You’re all equally precious to me as my younger siblings.”

“I want to help if there’s something troubling you.”

“You might think I’m just showing off because I’m only a year older, but there are definitely areas where I’m a bit better than you all.”

Seoeun turned her head abruptly and smiled.

“I’ll ask one last time. Soohyuk.”

“Was there really nothing wrong?”

Seoeun had known for a long time that Soohyuk liked Hana.

But whatever was happening between Juyeon and Soohyuk was something she couldn’t know in her current position.

If he didn’t provide information, she might never find out.

“…Yeah. It’s just that I might have been a bit too critical when we were practicing the original song.”

Though his answer was somewhat deflating, Soohyuk’s words weren’t unreasonable.

Having your instrument or singing skills criticized by someone in a different position inevitably hurts your pride.

That’s because each person has their own domain.

Although they’re bound together in the large framework of a band, the techniques and knowledge required for each instrument are completely different.

A guitarist criticizing a drummer is similar to a Chinese chef criticizing a sushi expert.

It meant that responses like “What do you know?” could easily come back.

“I see. That makes sense. Juyeon probably hasn’t received much criticism about her singing before.”

Seoeun tried to help based on what she had heard.

“When working together, it’s naturally necessary to express what you’d like the other person to do.”

“But it’s better to start with some words of encouragement before making your point, so neither of you feels bad.”

“Like saying, ‘You did well, but could you fix this part?’ or ‘This is good too, but how about trying it this way?'”

As Seoeun earnestly responded, Soohyuk felt a wave of guilt.

“Anyway. If there’s still some awkwardness with Juyeon, apologize properly.”

“Yeah. Thanks, noona.”

“Ah~ It’s nothing~ Now, shall we study some sound? Hmm. I’ve already taken up 30 minutes.”

Soohyuk took out his guitar and could finally begin the research he had originally aimed for.

-Ziiiiing

While doing a sound test, the club room door swung open.

It was Hana.

“Oh. Hi, everyone?”

Hana wore a pink crop top over a short skirt.

Today’s fashion could truly be described as an idol-like look.

“Lee Soohyuk.”

“Yeah?”

“What are you doing?”

Hana approached Soohyuk’s side and casually asked.

“I came early to adjust some settings.”

“Then why didn’t you call me?”

The only position in the band with two members.

Moreover, Hana had a better understanding of equipment and sound.

“I thought you might be busy…?”

In truth, the last time he called her, Hana hadn’t seemed to be in a good mood.

“I’m not busy at all.”

Her blunt words seemed quite sharp, but it couldn’t be helped.

After all, she had come to like Soohyuk because he genuinely loved guitar and music.

And now he was excluding her from the process.

Hana, who had decided to take a more aggressive approach starting today, began to get irritated less than a minute after entering the club room.

“Okay. Then next time, together.”

“When is next time?”

“To-tomorrow?”

“What time?”

“In the afternoon…?”

Only after extracting a time commitment did Hana’s anger seem to subside.

“I’m hungry!”

That was the first thing Choegang shouted as he entered.

“Let’s all eat together later!”

“Sounds good!”

“You’re coming too, right, Soohyuk?”

A dinner party was formed right there on the spot.

The last to arrive was Juyeon.

She was dressed in neat beige linen shorts.

Over them, she wore a shirt with vertical light blue stripes.

“Hello.”

Juyeon greeted timidly.

Soohyuk naturally checked on her condition.

She drank so much yesterday, is she okay…?

At least her complexion looks fine.

“Did everyone practice?”

At Seoeun’s words, they began turning on their amplifiers one by one.

Hana gave an OK sign with her hand, indicating she had no problems.

“I didn’t need to practice!”

“Choegang, just wait until you mess up while showing off.”

“Juyeon, are you ready too?”

“I… honestly don’t think much will have changed from last week.”

And so, their second original song.

Miro’s ensemble practice began.

For a first attempt, it was quite well-formed.

The fact that it wasn’t difficult seemed to be the biggest factor.

Soohyuk, the creator of the song, was already at max level.

Hana, who pursued perfection with her instrument, had also mastered it completely.

Since she had even created the sheet music, it would have been impossible for her to make mistakes.

The remaining members were Seoeun and Choegang, but the song was so slow and simple that there was nothing to criticize.

“I’m withering away, intoxicated by your kindness”

As the chorus ends, the first verse concludes.

Juyeon, having finished singing, rolled her eyes to gauge the reactions of the other members.

“Hey, this…”

Hana, the ensemble leader, trailed off.

“At this rate, practice will finish super quickly, won’t it?”

Familiar with the usual quality and pace of the 23rd generation, Hana mentally checked the calendar to estimate the schedule.

“It’s the end of June now. The competition is in August.”

“If we practice for a whole month, it won’t even take two weeks to complete the song.”

It felt like they had an abundance of time.

It was natural for them to feel strange about this situation.

Until now, their performances had involved mastering eight songs in just over two months.

Numerically speaking, it was almost like finishing one song per week.

The competition was different.

They only had to present one song.

The practice time given was over a month.

It was truly a luxury.

“Go home?”

Understanding the implication, Choegang suggested with a grin.

“Come on. Since we came all the way here, we should at least do it ten times.”

Since they were only doing the first verse, even ten repetitions would take less than 20 minutes of actual practice time.

Eventually, they agreed to count the repetitions and go home after reaching the target, continuing their practice.

“Good work, everyone!”

“Let’s eat!”

“Juyeon, have you eaten?”

“I…”

Juyeon glanced at Soohyuk.

Their gazes crossed briefly.

Juyeon was the first to look away.

“I already ate.”

Soohyuk’s mouth went dry.

“Okay! Then let’s clean up and go!”

“Yeah!”

After placing his guitar on the stand, Juyeon approached him as if she had something to say.

“Soohyuk.”

“Yeah?”

“Can we talk for a moment before dinner?”

“Sure.”

The members started leaving one by one.

Hana, holding the doorknob, suddenly turned around.

“Hey. Aren’t you two coming?”

The words were directed at Soohyuk and Juyeon, who were still there.

“Ah. We’re going to talk for a bit. You go ahead.”

“What are you talking about?”

Hana was feeling increasingly left out by Soohyuk today.

“Let me join too. Don’t keep it just between yourselves.”

When Hana came on so aggressively, Juyeon couldn’t say anything.

“No, no. It wasn’t anything important.”

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

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it?”

Frustrated, Hana glared at Soohyuk.

It was a signal asking why he wasn’t saying anything.

But surprisingly, it was Juyeon who provided the answer.

“…I just wanted to thank Soohyuk for something he did for me recently.”

She smiled gently.

“Hana… it’s a bit embarrassing to say with you watching…”

Juyeon scratched her cheek with her index finger.

“Oh… I see.”

Now Hana felt sorry for pushing.

“Alright then. Hey, Lee Soohyuk, I’ll text you when we decide on a restaurant, so come there.”

“Okay.”

“Juyeon, take care going home.”

“Thanks, Hana.”

Hana finally left.

After confirming she was gone, Juyeon spoke.

“I’m saying this again, but…”

Juyeon bowed her head.

“Thank you, Soohyuk. I’m sorry I got so disgustingly drunk yesterday. You came all the way to my house because you were worried, right?”

“No, it’s fine. You seemed really troubled, did something happen?”

“I’m okay now.”

That was the resolution Juyeon had made when coming to practice today.

Yesterday would be the last time she caused Soohyuk concern.

“Thanks to you, I think it’s been resolved well.”

“…That’s good.”

There was one more thing to announce.

“Oh, and I’m getting a new broadcast manager. You still have access, but you really don’t need to check on it anymore.”

Feeling somewhat like he was being fired, Soohyuk felt a pang of disappointment.

“Still, tell me when you hit 500. I promised to grant your wish.”

Soohyuk hoped for some remaining connection, like grasping at straws.

“Yeah. I’ll tell you.”

By then, I hope you’ll be in a position to grant wishes.