Ch.9292. Fragments of a Dream

The hot weather continues.

This is the third vacation since becoming an adult.

Suhyeok thought that this vacation might be relatively meaningful.

At least he had a goal.

-Participate in the band competition and aim for a prize.

Having a sense of purpose alone made it seem better than his freshman year.

Other plans were gradually filling up too.

After the competition, the 23rd generation of Spirit had decided to go on a trip together.

As they had discussed, the destination was the sea.

They planned to watch a rock festival in Gangwon Province for two days and spend one day playing at the beach.

Seo-eun had roughly calculated and drafted a budget, but Suhyeok was shocked by the total amount.

Beachside accommodations during peak season.

Festival ticket prices.

When transportation costs were added, it was far beyond what his parents gave him as allowance.

This meant he would have to work part-time somewhere to cover the expenses…

The fact that he would have to apply somewhere and adapt to yet another new group made Suhyeok frown already.

“Let’s use the prize money to help cover the trip!”

Everyone agreed with Seo-eun’s suggestion, but the prize for the original song category was only 500,000 won.

That meant about 100,000 won per person at most, which wouldn’t even cover half of the travel budget even if they spent it all.

And the trip wasn’t the end of it.

Juyeon’s birthday was at the end of August.

Suhyeok, who planned to celebrate her birthday even if not extravagantly, couldn’t help but sigh.

“Hey. Lee Suhyeok.”

While he was racking his brain trying to figure out how much he needed to save and how,

A voice called from behind.

“You’re here?”

Suhyeok turned around and greeted.

“Yeah. What were you doing?”

“Calculating money.”

“Money?”

“You know, the expenses for our trip.”

“Ah, right.”

On a weekday during the leisurely vacation.

The two had agreed to meet in the club room today to finalize the tone of their original song.

Beads of sweat were trickling down Hana’s forehead from the effort of carrying her pedal board.

“It really would be a disaster if we don’t win a prize. It’s not a trip, it’s a truck. A truck.”

Hana smiled as if she sympathized.

“If I’m unlucky, I might be eating only ramen this month.”

“You could just work.”

“That’s true, but…”

What needed to be done needed to be done, and what he didn’t want to do, he didn’t want to do.

“The offer to work at my uncle’s bar is still valid, want to do it?”

Hana asked again what she had asked before.

“…Is short-term possible?”

“You can just come on days when there are performances. You don’t need to come on days when there aren’t any.”

“Then could you please ask for me?”

From Hana’s perspective, there was no reason to refuse.

“Of course. You could probably start as early as tomorrow.”

“How much is the hourly wage…”

“Minimum wage. Labor costs are expensive these days, so my uncle can’t give me much either.”

“I see.”

“Ah, but since you’re a friend, you can probably get free drinks?”

It seemed like he could ease his financial burden a bit.

“Shall we get started now?”

Hana finished setting up her pedal board and connected the cables.

“I’ve been thinking while practicing recently…”

“Yeah?”

“For this kind of song, a Les Paul would really be better.”

Suhyeok’s guitar was a Telecaster.

A guitar known for its signature bright, twangy sound.

Meanwhile, Hana’s guitar was an SG.

It was heavier than a Tele, but it was true that it lacked the weight compared to a traditional Les Paul line.

“Hmm… that’s true.”

“I think the judges will notice these differences.”

The judges for their performance would be active artists or experts.

This meant it wouldn’t be a stage filled with friends who came to support them.

“But we can’t get one right away, can we?”

Unless they suddenly bought a guitar for hundreds of thousands of won.

“Hmm… Jaejun oppa uses a Les Paul, but would he lend it?”

“Would it be difficult to ask Seo-eun noona?”

“Even if I ask her, I can’t guarantee anything. That oppa really cherishes his equipment.”

Hana wasn’t much different in that regard, so it was completely understandable.

It was a guitar worth over 2 million won.

No matter how close they were as juniors, it wouldn’t be an easy decision to readily lend it.

“…That’s a shame.”

“Let’s try to make do with the equipment we have.”

The sound of clicking effects pedals on and off continued.

Suhyeok played the same section over and over according to Hana’s direction.

And so they narrowed it down to three candidates.

Since they were all aiming for a similar sound, the differences could only be described as very subtle nuances.

“This is difficult.”

“Yeah.”

“Should we ask the other members?”

“That might be better.”

Sitting close together, Hana and Suhyeok held their phones near their ears, listening to the recordings.

Their arms touched.

Hana’s hair was draped over the hem of Suhyeok’s t-shirt.

“Ah! I’ll have to listen to this again on speakers at home. This isn’t working.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Suhyeok nodded in agreement.

Hana and Suhyeok.

Their relationship could be considered smooth sailing.

At least that’s how it appeared to Hana.

There was no more news of the girl who had barged in during the end-of-semester party.

Their communication had become regular and established.

This meant they were steadily moving from the testing waters stage to the certainty stage.

She thought they might become a couple before the end of summer.

If that slow-witted Lee Suhyeok didn’t confess by the end of the vacation, Hana was planning to just go ahead and do it herself.

She wanted to receive a confession made with courage, but time was running out.

If Suhyeok went to the military, that would be the end of it.

“Lee Suhyeok.”

“Yeah?”

Hana, who had hung her guitar on the stand, leaned back on the sofa.

“Play the guitar for me.”

“Suddenly?”

“Play something cool.”

As if wanting to hear a lullaby, Hana closed her eyes and commanded him.

Something cool…

Suhyeok hadn’t really practiced any covers apart from the songs they rehearsed in Spirit.

-Ba-ra-ba-ba ba-ba-ba

“Ah. What’s that?”

Hana gave a disbelieving laugh at Suhyeok’s choice.

“I think this is cool.”

What Suhyeok played was the intro to “Dawn is Blue,” their first original song and Hana’s composition.

Feeling pleased, Hana wanted to express herself more candidly to Suhyeok.

“Lee Suhyeok.”

“Yeah?”

“I wish you would just play guitar forever.”

What does that mean?

Is it an insult? A compliment?

It was somewhat ambiguous, but Hana’s expression didn’t seem malicious at all.

Hana rested her chin on her hand, staring at Suhyeok.

Her golden hair was once again tinged with white as it caught the light.

Unable to figure it out on his own, Suhyeok asked.

“Is that your way of saying I play well?”

“Yeah. You play well.”

“…Thanks.”

“If only you were as cool in general as you are when playing guitar.”

That’s an insult.

But since there was a bit of praise mixed in, he didn’t feel particularly wronged.

“Haha… then wouldn’t I be super popular?”

He meant it as a joke, but Hana’s expression became quite serious.

“Hmm… that’s true. Just stay as you are, then.”

“…What?”

“Keep being that dorky self every day.”

Suhyeok made a dubious face.

Hana got up and approached him.

“And keep playing in the band with me from now on.”

“From now on?”

“Yeah. Even after Spirit activities end.”

Something she hadn’t told anyone yet.

Hana was revealing a small, precious fragment of her dream to Suhyeok.

The lazy afternoon sunlight was warmly illuminating the club room.

“Huh? But doesn’t Spirit end this year?”

“There’s no reason why your band has to be Spirit forever.”

“That’s true, but…”

If not here, where on earth would he play in a band?

“Heh. Never mind~ Hey. Just go to the military.”

Hana felt it was still too early to discuss further, even though she had considered saying more.

Meanwhile, Suhyeok tried to understand the deeper meaning of Hana’s words.

A band that’s not Spirit.

A band after Spirit.

That means…

“Hana. Are you really planning to form a separate team…?”

She just smiled without denying it.

“Why? You don’t think I can do it?”

“No, you could…”

“Your reaction is weird. What do you mean ‘you could’? Are you saying I’m not reliable enough?”

Suhyeok waved his hands in denial.

“No, that’s definitely not it, it’s just…”

A real original band, not artificially created by someone else.

Just thinking about it made his heart swell.

“Just what?”

“I think it’s really cool…”

Suhyeok’s face looked excited.

Hana could once again feel why she liked him.

He who took seriously what others would just laugh off.

He who looked at the music she loved with the same eyes of admiration.

“Hey. Lee Suhyeok.”

“Yeah?”

Hana smiled brightly.

“I want tteokbokki.”

“I’m not really into spicy food.”

“I want to dip hot dogs in it too.”

“…You want to go now?”

“Since Suhyeok is working hard, noona will treat you.”

Hana’s slender fingers ruffled Suhyeok’s hair.

“Come with me, Lee Suhyeok.”

Suhyeok nodded with a smile.