Chapter 27: Intermission
by AfuhfuihgsHa Su-yeon raised his hand to turn off the alarm clock, then glanced at it. 6:30 AM.
Time to wake up, as usual.
Before getting out of bed, he practiced Mackenzie exercises.
With his lower body fixed, he raised only his upper body straight up and looked at the ceiling.
Taking a deep breath in and exhaling deeply, he restored the natural curve of his spine.
Next was the cat pose.
With his hips pushed toward the sky, he lowered his upper body as close to the floor as possible.
After staying in that position for a few seconds, he felt his lower back stretch and relax.
Although he wasn’t at an age where morning stretches were necessary to prevent herniated discs, this had been a habitual practice since his “ Ha Su-yeon ” days.
It was a healthy routine he found no reason to change.
After loosening his back, he went outside, where Lee Hyein was waiting.
The usual breakfast. One fried egg and a variety of side dishes.
“Enjoy your meal.”
“Mm, okay.”
For a while, the sound of chopsticks clinking against dishes filled the kitchen.
Ha Su-yeon kept eating absentmindedly, only looking up when Lee Hyein spoke.
“You remember you’re coming to the office today, right?”
“Oh, yes.”
“We’ll start after the employees finish their shift and have dinner. Be at the office by 7 PM.”
“Got it.”
The part-time job his “mom” had arranged for him—or rather, forced upon him.
The job involved teaching guitar and offering some band consulting to the company employees.
Though he agreed to do it, he couldn’t help but wonder how the learners would feel about it.
After all, he had only been playing guitar for a few months.
If someone like him claimed to teach others, he’d be lucky to avoid criticism.
Well, if they complained, he’d simply prove himself with his skills.
That should quiet them down soon enough.
“Alright, Mom, I’m off.”
“Okay, take care.”
After breakfast, feeling the ease of vacation, he sat at his desk.
His YouTube channel had gained a decent number of subscribers—about 3,000.
However, there hadn’t been any new inquiries about session work.
No need to rush.
He already had a way to earn money, so he could take his time.
After completing a few tasks, he set up his camera to record today’s performance.
The song he planned to play was Mary Had a Little Lamb by Stevie Ray Vaughan.
After finishing the performance and editing the video, his phone buzzed.
The caller ID showed it was Iseo.
[Today’s practice file.mp3]
Ha Su-yeon opened the file.
The bass notes were clumsy and lacked rhythm, but there was a clear effort to improve.
That was something, at least.
[You’ve improved, but there’s still a long way to go. You’ll need more practice.]
[Are you practicing this afternoon, too?]
[No, I have a part-time job later.]
[You can practice after you get back.]
[No, I need to rest too;]
Rest? What rest? Playing an instrument was relaxing in itself, wasn’t it? Ha Su-yeon couldn’t understand.
If handling an instrument wasn’t enjoyable, one didn’t have the aptitude for music.
After a band rehearsal, shouldn’t they have realized this by now?
[To become a truly great musician, playing bass should feel more natural than breathing. In that sense, you’ve still got a long way to go.]
[You should be thinking about practicing bass every moment you’re not eating. Wanting to do something else is the real problem.]
[Ugh.]
[Look, I get what you mean, but I want to have fun too.]
They were employees.
Not just any employees, but young professionals at a well-established startup.
They prioritized work-life balance and knew how to enjoy a leisurely life.
Their company was, objectively speaking, quite good.
A young, capable female CEO. A product with cash-cow potential.
A dynamic and lively organizational culture.
High salaries and countless benefits that were almost overwhelming to manage.
It was a work environment hard not to be satisfied with.
Until yesterday.
“Uh… Deputy Manager Kim, you’re here too?”
“Yes. What choice do I have?”
“I don’t know what’s going on. I mean, is this even right? Even if it’s a free welfare program…”
“They must have their reasons.”
One of the company’s welfare programs was supporting employee clubs.
While enthusiastically taking advantage of the funding, they were informed by the CEO that she had arranged for a guitar instructor and a band consultant.
The CEO’s words that the instructor was quite talented raised expectations.
When asked, “Who is it?” the answer came back: “My daughter.”
“… Pardon? Your daughter?”
“Yes. My daughter is good at playing the guitar.”
“… Hahaha! Oh, your daughter plays guitar well. I’m looking forward to it!”
A company that had seemed like a top-tier startup until a few minutes ago suddenly turned into a nepotistic workplace where the CEO planted her family members.
Well, she hadn’t hired her as an employee, just appointed her as a program instructor, so maybe it wasn’t outright nepotism.
Still, it was odd for a company to bring in the CEO’s daughter as a cultural program instructor.
What if the daughter wasn’t good at playing guitar? Were they supposed to say, “Excuse me, instructor, you’re terrible at this,” to the CEO’s daughter? Or were they to quit the program by saying, “Sorry, ma’am, I don’t have time for this these days,” knowing full well the daughter would find out they were dodging her?
These thoughts left the employees feeling frustrated and helpless.
“The CEO’s here.”
The sound of heels clicking and steady footsteps echoed.
Upon hearing this, the employees, who had been slouching and despairing, quickly straightened up.
“Good evening! I hope you had a nice dinner.”
Two people entered.
The CEO, Lee Hyein, and behind her, a pretty high school girl with a cold expression.
Without so much as a greeting, the girl narrowed her eyes and scanned the room, making the employees feel uneasy.
“This is, as I mentioned, my daughter. Her name is Ha Su-yeon. Ha Su-yeon, say hello. These are my employees.”
“Hello. I’m Ha Su-yeon.”
The high school girl bowed her head. After a round of polite applause, Lee Hyein resumed speaking.
“Some of you might be a little surprised that I brought my daughter as the instructor, right?”
Responses followed immediately: “Not at all!” “She seems like she’d be great at guitar!” “Your daughter’s so pretty!”
Lee Hyein smiled faintly at the remarks.
“I get how you might feel.
Honestly, if I were in your position and my boss said, ‘My daughter is great at guitar, so learn from her,’ I’d be in a tight spot, too.
How could you even give honest feedback to the boss’s daughter, right?
But trust me, my daughter is seriously good at guitar.
I’m not saying this just because I’m her mother—it’s something I can objectively guarantee.
She’s also great at teaching others. You’ll understand once you learn from her.”
Without waiting for a response, Lee Hyein gestured to Ha Su-yeon to step forward.
Ha Su-yeon moved up, while Lee Hyein retreated to a corner seat.
“If she says we’ll understand after learning, shouldn’t she leave to make that possible?”
That thought crossed not only the minds of the employees but also Ha Su-yeon ’s.
If the boss doesn’t step out, how can anyone relax and learn?
Still, there was no choice. For now, they had to ease the tension, win over trust, and somehow shoo “Mom” out of the room before starting the lesson.
“Hello again, I’m Ha Su-yeon Ha. I’d like to reintroduce myself.”
She bowed her head once more, met with another round of halfhearted applause.
Ha Su-yeon smirked slightly at the lackluster energy.
“My mom is, well… overly confident in her child’s skills and decided to dump this responsibility on me.
Of course, I wasn’t thinking clearly when I accepted, so that’s on me.
I think I can guess what most of you are thinking right now.
‘What kind of skills does she even have to be teaching us guitar? She’s not even a professional instructor—just a high schooler! Even if she’s the boss’s daughter, isn’t this too much?’ Am I right?”
A burst of laughter rippled through the room.
Some laughed awkwardly, while others found the situation genuinely amusing.
Ha Su-yeon noticed this; surely Lee Hyein would, too.
Those who were outright laughing probably needed to watch their behavior around the boss.
Meanwhile Ha Su-yeon opened his guitar case and pulled out an acoustic guitar—a plain, locally-made Cort guitar that Lee Hyein had purchased for these lessons.
“I think the best way to start is for me to show you what I can do.
Then we can proceed with the lessons.”
After Ha Su-yeon finished her piece, the applause that followed was markedly different.
It was sincere and enthusiastic this time.
Ha Su-yeon could tell without question. Perform enough times, and you develop a sense for it.
“That was… amazing.”
One of the employees spoke with a slightly dazed expression. Similar comments followed.
“She’s incredible!” “That was so emotional!” “Wait, is that a Cort? How does it sound like that?”
The last comment irked Ha Su-yeon a bit.
At his level, he could make even a budget guitar sound like a high-end instrument.
After all, tone is in the hands, not just the instrument.
“So, what do you think? Do you feel like learning from me now?”
“Yes!”
The enthusiastic responses were a stark contrast to the earlier hesitance.
Ha Su-yeon smiled before glancing toward Lee Hyein , who also beamed with pride.
“The piece I just played is ‘Wish You Were Here’ by Pink Floyd.
For now, I plan to base the lessons on this song. Of course, before we proceed, I’ll need to assess your skill levels.
From what I heard, each of you already knows how to play guitar to some extent.
So, to get an idea of where everyone’s at, I’d like each of you to come up and play a song you know.
It doesn’t matter if it’s simple or advanced—just play what you can.”
Ha Su-yeon set her guitar aside.
Judging by today’s session, future lessons might require a different setting, perhaps a room equipped with amps for group practice.
By the end of the session, Ha Su-yeon had assessed the employees’ skills, discussed what they could expect to learn, and scheduled future lessons.
Essentially, the first meeting served as an orientation.
“Your daughter is an incredible guitarist, Ms. Hyein. I was really surprised. Her playing is so emotional.”
“I know, right? Even I didn’t realize she was that talented.
One day, she just picked up a guitar and taught herself! Hahaha.”
After the lesson, a few employees stayed behind to chat with Lee Hyein.
The constant praise for Ha Su-yeon felt less like genuine admiration and more like flattery aimed at the boss.
Still, what parent doesn’t love hearing their child praised? Lee Hyein’s smile stretched so wide it nearly touched her ears.
“Everything’s cleaned up.”
“Already? Oh my, look at the time.”
“Compliments can make even the toughest bosses lose track of time.”
While Lee Hyein basked in the glow of parental pride, Ha Su-yeon decided not to disturb her moment.
Still, they needed to wrap things up.
“By the way… does your daughter just practice at home by herself?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“With all these audition shows these days, wouldn’t she do well if she participated? She’s certainly talented enough…”
As Ha Su-yeon prepared to head home, this offhand comment struck him.
Audition shows? Broadcasts?
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