Chapter 5.3 - Softly 3 (2/2)

I could see Han Dasom not knowing what to do after suddenly becoming the target of several gazes. Why is she shy about things like these after singing the song perfectly?

Meeting her eyes with mine, I gestured with my mouth.

‘Well, done.’

To the same sentence which I had always told her, Han Dasom showed a response different to normal. With a bright smile, she replied.

“Thank you.”

I was telling Lee Suh-ah and Noh Jusup, well done, while shoving each others’ shoulders, when the rowdy atmosphere had calmed.

Stepping forward, teacher Ku Mingi opened his mouth.

“Now, you all heard that right? Anyone with feedback or things to point out on?”

The class turned quiet in response to the teacher’s question. Nodding his head after seeing the speechless class, he returned his eyes back to us, and wearing a smile on his face, he opened his mouth.

“Group 4. It was very good. A selection of a song, completely different to the previous Group 3. A beautiful harmony with four students becoming one – that is the charm you can only feel from choruses. Group 4 had shown that extremely well.”

“Thank you!”

When we replied with a smile, another round of applause escaped before soon stopping. With a nod, the teacher then turned his gaze towards Lee Suh-ah.

“Especially student Lee Suh-ah. I found it intriguing that despite your spectacular skills, you had been the alto instead of a soprano, but was there a special reason for that by any chance?”

“Dasom would be more suited to this song’s soprano than me”

Throwing a glance at me, Lee Suh-ah added more words.

“…was what Jo Yunjae had said.”

The gazes of everyone inside the class gathered on me.

“…”

Oh…

This is a bit scary.

In front of the prickly gazes, I blinked and stood still as teacher Ku Mingi’s face entered my sight. With a surprised expression that said, ‘Look at this guy’, he soon nodded his head seemingly coming to an understanding.

“That’s what student Jo Yunjae had said huh. To lower student Lee Suh-ah who had entered as the freshmen’s top achiever to alto, while making student Han Dasom the protagonist.”

“…Yes.”

When I glumly answered, the class started to turn rowdy again.

“Lower Lee Suh-ah?”

“Just believe in Lee Suh-ah and get carried.”

“If it were me, I would’ve pushed everything onto Lee Suh-ah like Kim Wuju’s group and played around.”

“But that guy said to Lee Suh-ah that that girl with long bangs was better?”

Seriously, it had been more than a month since admission so how come you can’t even memorise her name yet? What do you mean, the girl with long bangs?

I was in the midst of throwing a glare at them when a strange sound suddenly appeared within the classroom.

It echoed, clap, clap, clap.

The class immediately turned quiet and gathered their eyes onto teacher Ku Mingi who had been clapping. He smiled.

“A wonderful choice.”

In response to his compliment, the students that had been in debate had a sudden change in mood. Getting up from his seat, teacher Ku Mingi walked steadily at us before opening his lips.

“Student Han Dasom. Make an ‘ah–’ sound.”

“Sorry…? Ah. Ah–…”

“You too, student Lee Suh-ah.”

“Ah–.”

Hearing the two voices, he then turned his back to us.

“How was it. You could hear a significant difference in the two’s timbres right? Student Han Dasom’s is more Leggero, light and soft while student Lee Suh-ah is more elegant and clear. No matter how you saw it, it would be better for student Lee Suh-ah to be an alto than student Han Dasom.”

Seeing the students nodding away, teacher Ku Mingi turned his head towards me.

“Besides, the selection of song that amplified student Han Dasom’s timbre was good. It was student Jo Yunjae that chose the song too right?”

“…Yes.”

“I knew it.”

With a clap, he changed the atmosphere and opened his mouth.

“Then, let’s end Group 4 around here and shall we go over to Group 5? Kim Dongsik, Song Mirae, Jun Shihyuk…”

Phew, it was finally over. I’m free now.

Feeling relieved I was returning to my seat when I noticed Song Mirae’s completely blank expression from the side. Why was she like that, was she shocked?

Shrugging my shoulders, I placed my bum on the seat when Han Dasom immediately sat closeby. Glancing over, I saw her face right next to mine – her flushed expression, the circular forehead that appeared while sitting down, the sparkling eyes and lively lips that were raised high were laid bare.

She was indulged in the excitement from the stage no matter how one saw it. Han Dasom, now that I thought about it, wasn’t it her first time singing properly in front of others?

When I grinned and met her eyes, she slowly grabbed my hand.

And whispered.

“Yunjae…”

Slowly raising my hand up, she carried it steadily over towards her collarbone and from that young skin, I could feel the heat being sent to my palm. Feeling like I could hear the loud thumping heart, I pulled my hand back with a start but Han Dasom kept it there with a firm grasp.

She opened her lips.

“I… I think I’m in love…”

Looking at me blinking my eyes, she smiled bashfully.

“Singing, makes me so happy, that my heart goes like this.”

It was bright. Her happy smile seemed to be brightening up the surroundings as joy overflowed from her crescent eyes and delight was reflected from her smile. It was my first time seeing such an expression on her face.

Seeing that appearance, the old memories flashed past in my head.

I who had been as shy as Han Dasom. Teacher Kwak Jungsoo who had led me; the practices that had continued for entire days; standing on the stage and the applause from the audience that I had felt with my entire body…

Han Dasom’s smile overlapped with mine from the past.

“So… Thank you. Thank you Yunjae.”

“…”

I could feel my heart being filled. To think that the girl that would get teary saying she couldn’t sing would grow into this, who would have imagined?

Feeling proud as I gazed at her, I replied.

“No need to thank me. It was you that tried hard.”

“No. If Yunjae wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have even been able to practise like that. Too shy to do that.”

Why is she like this all of a sudden? Feeling a little awkward I quickly changed the topic.

“Um… right. You said your dream was to sing valiantly in front of people yeah? How is it, do you think you’ve achieved it?”

In response, she smiled a little before replying.

“No…”

“Un?”

Lowering her gaze, she tickled the back of my hand with her fingers. Her long eyelashes reflected the sunlight, while the thumping heartbeats were still relayed to my palm.

“The heart is so frightened, and, thumping like this… Not yet I think, so…”

Raising her head, she met her eyes with mine and smiled.

“Can you continue practising with me?”