Chapter 9.1 - Act 9: Whimsically 1 (2/2)

‘But it’s not right for an outsider to say this and that.’

He sighed and buried the regretful heart.

It was a shame.

Especially number 7; Jo Yunjae was it? That student was bound to come last according to the new set of standards.

‘The songs he sang were special though.’

Closing his eyes, Han Seungjoo thought back on it – on that moment when he saw the seventh student enter the room while sitting on the seat of the examiners.

“…”

Of course, the sixth, eighth, tenth and the fifteenth students’ songs were great as well. If the marks were given purely on technique, the 6th Kim WUju and the 8th Lee Suh-ah would’ve surpassed number 7 while the 10th Han Dasom and the 15th Jun Shihyuk would have been similar to Jo Yunjae.

However, that student called Jo Yunjae was somewhat different.

‘How should I say it…’

When he was singing the first song, ‘Elf King’, there was nothing special.

It was just that it was intriguing. He just thought that changing the vocalisation method during a song was quite a unique talent for a high schooler.

However, the second song was different.

‘In one word, it would be… experienced.’

His eyes were sunken deep.

Having the role to lead the opera company forward, he would always have a few questions asked of him. The standards for picking opera singers, what kind of opera singer was good and when was the prime age of opera singers…

The answers to those questions would vary for people and especially so for the prime age of opera singers but usually, the answer would be something like this.

From the 30’s to 40’s.

That was more so the case for male opera singers who would tend to be evaluated as having reached the prime of their career after reaching the 40s.

It was a lot slower than other fields.

Why?

Vocal cords were muscles either way so they were bound to age. Rather than the vocal cords of a forty-year old, the vocal cords of people in their twenties would naturally make clearer sounds. Technique-wise, there was nothing to point out from Kim Wuju who was only a high schooler either.

And yet, there was a reason why the prime age of opera singers was around 40s.

Han Seungjoo defined it as such.

‘Their life experience is different.’

And in addition, the emotions that are embedded from those experiences are different… that was what Han Seungjoo thought.

Emotions shaking the hearts of the listeners – songs moving people.

To sing something like that, the general view on the requirement was an accumulation of 40 years of experience.

‘And yet I could feel that from that student called Jo Yunjae…’

While he was in deep contemplation, the debates inside the conference room were nearing the end.

“Has everyone finished the reevaluations?”

“It’s easy if we’re basing it off of just technique.”

“Well yeah. Kim Wuju sings it perfectly, and is perhaps even better than current professionals… and there was nothing to point out from Lee Suh-ah either. Her expression on the second song was a bit weird though…”

“Jun Shihyuk’s gotten a lot better as well. Although he was good, it wasn’t to this level… did he awaken his talents or something?”

“Han Dasom grew at an instant as well.”

“Then should we announce the results? Let’s go from the last of those five students…”

“Wait.”

With his hand touching his chin, Han Seungjoo raised his head up in a flash and said,

“There is something I would like to say.”

*

After finishing the prac test, we fervently enjoyed our day off.

First, we went straight to a restaurant for a late lunch with the menu being pork belly. Since we used our throat a lot, we should apply some oil on it with meat.

If I could add soju here, it would be the icing on the cake but I decided to hold back since I was still a high schooler.

‘Actually, I shouldn’t drink this time.’

After some thought I nodded my head.

Right. Back when I quit the ensemble and roamed around, I sang half-heartedly and drank but alcohol wasn’t very good on the throat in the first place. I was vowing to myself to limit drinking as much as I could when Chloe diligently eating her meal entered my sight.

On a piece of lettuce, she placed pork, garlic and sauce and threw it inside her mouth at once. She then started chewing with her lips closed and… despite her appearance, she seemed more like a Korean than a native.

“Hey, I think we need a bit more. Should I order more?”

“Unn? Unn!”

Seeing Chloe nodding nonstop with inflated cheeks, I grinned and raised my hand. It was hard to even talk properly due to the chatter of the surrounding people and the background music.

However, this was what mastering the vocalisation method was for right?

Increasing the space inside my mouth, I laid the foundation for vocalisation and breathed out. When I bellowed ‘Excuse me’ with that voice, the old lady that was at a distance approached quickly to take the order.

“Can we have three more orders of pork belly and a bit more lettuce?”

“Okay~”

After ordering, I sat with a satisfied expression when Lee Suh-ah stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“There’s a buzzer here so why bother?”

“Ha. A buzzer? Why use such an embarrassing thing? Just call them.”

“…”

I saw Lee Suh-ah watching me with a pitying expression and clicked my tongue.

There was the pride of an opera singer. Right? Call them with a buzzer? Why not just casually make a sound when it does the same thing?

After filling our stomachs up, we started going around to play. We entered a cafe for a dessert after which we went bowling.

We just borrowed one lane for all five of us for bowling and Lee Suh-ah was the worst out of everyone. Whenever she threw the ball it would enter the gutter and… according to her, it was because it was her first time.

When I mentioned that it was my first time as well before immediately getting a strike, her expression crumpled which was quite funny.

‘I didn’t say it was my first time including my previous life.’

And after around two games, we went to karaoke.

It might be a little weird considering that we sang at the prac test just now but… singing here was different from singing at school.

The karaoke turned out to be chaotic.

Noh Jusup and Lee Suh-ah had opera singing embedded deeply into their bodies and sang pop songs like opera. Plus, because Chloe was trying to sing with an awkward pronunciation, it didn’t sound like a song and was just cute instead.

In the end, it was Han Dasom and I who held the microphone the most.

“You like ballads a lot.”

“Uun…”

Han Dasom’s song after her bashful smile marked the end of the afterparty.

The first semester was finally nearing its end and the only things left to do were the final exams.

With such thoughts, I closed my eyes on the bed of the dorms when the next morning arrived in the blink of an eye. The next day began as another normal school day flew by.

It was a peaceful day like nothing had happened.

Like that, I spent my days while studying for the final exams when suddenly, I realised something strange.

“Huh…?”

…Why aren’t the results announced yet?