GIJS

Chapter 33

Sakura?

It took quite a bit of effort to push Gunja into the studio.

"Ugh, let go! I hate being locked up!"

"What's with all the talk about being locked up? Are you the Crown Prince Sado?"

"You said it was a place to confine me!"

"...Well, yeah?"

"You said it was cramped!"

"...It's somewhat like that."

"You said there's no food!"

"...How about some dumplings?"

"You said you wouldn't let me out!"

"...Hmm, probably not until I'm satisfied?"

"See, it's just like a storage room!"

"Come on, just go in already."

"I don't want to!"

After managing to push Gunja into the studio, In-hyuk, who had been blocking the door, finally managed to get Gunja inside after Gunja had tried to evade the team with some clever moves.

"Phew—."

While the other members finally caught their breath, Gunja's expression was not pleasant.

He was sitting in the corner of the studio with a sullen face, resembling a stray cat that had been rescued against its will.

"So, it ended up like this..."

Muttering to himself, Gunja looked around the room.

It was indeed much more spacious than a storage room. However, it was dark and gloomy, and the atmosphere was not to his liking.

Moreover, there were eyes staring at him through the large glass window.

Gunja was sure he had seen this place before. Yes, it was a place that appeared frequently on TV when he watched with his parents.

It was a very frightening place, known for yelling at people and sometimes resorting to violence.

Do you think I don't know? Do you think I'm really that foolish?

"Call a lawyer!"

"...What is he saying?"

"Does he think this is an interrogation room?"

"Haha, no way."

Ji Hyun-soo, sitting at the console in the recording studio, spoke kindly to Gunja.

"Gunja, could you start by playing the geomungo?"

"...Hmm..."

Though he was reluctant, Gunja sat down in front of the geomungo.

He was annoyed by being confined, but as the leader of the group, he had to fulfill his role.

If it weren't for the mission, he would have given them a piece of his mind...

"What should I play?"

"Just play freely, like you did earlier, based on your feelings."

"Got it..."

"Thanks. And, I'm sorry for suddenly locking you up."

"...As if that would make me feel any better..."

"Oh, right, after we finish recording, would you like to do a joint performance?"

"A joint performance?"

"There's someone who plays the geomungo and gayageum really well."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. I think it would be incredibly beautiful if you played together."

A joint performance with geomungo and gayageum!

The unexpected proposal made Gunja's lips twitch. Being trapped in a storage room should come with such a reward.

"Then let's see..."

With a much more relaxed expression, Gunja started to play.

Doo-ung-.

As soon as he plucked the first string, Ji Hyun-soo and Trainer Young Eun-chae's expressions melted simultaneously.

"...Wow..."

"...So beautiful..."

"...How can you play the geomungo so well..."

"I told you. It feels like a scholar has been reincarnated."

During the performance, Ji Hyun-soo didn't give any feedback. He focused solely on collecting the sound source from Gunja's performance.

After the geomungo performance, it was time for the gayageum.

As the soft sound of the gayageum filled the studio, Trainer Young Eun-chae's eyes lit up once again.

"...Oh my..."

"It seems like Miss Young prefers the gayageum."

"...Such a poignant... and delicate... just my taste..."

The sound collection proceeded smoothly.

The reactions from Ji Hyun-soo and Trainer Young Eun-chae were not exaggerated.

Even the most talented performers need direction from a producer during a session recording.

It's the producer's role to capture and refine sounds that deviate from the intended vision.

However, Gunja was drawing inspiration from his performance for the producer.

The quality of the performance was beyond exceptional.

Trainer Young Eun-chae, who had worked with countless traditional music sessions, had never encountered such clear and vivid tones.

And that was with a basic instrument provided at the studio, not his own.

Moreover, the emotional depth was unmatched.

The geomungo performance conveyed the resolute and pure spirit of a scholar like bamboo, while the gayageum sound was filled with soft, emotional nuances.

The depth was hard to believe for a boy of his age.

Whether the performance sparked inspiration or not, Gunja's team began to share various ideas about the song.

"It would be great if Gunja could lead the introduction with a hook."

"I think the gayageum would complement Hyeon-jae's voice. If he does a singing rap verse, it would fit perfectly with the gayageum sound."

"Oh, right. I'm considering a singing rap."

"In-hyuk, how about a verse with only percussion? Your deep voice would make that part stand out as a killing part."

"...Sounds good."

"Look at how red his face is. He must like it!"

Meanwhile, Gunja, with a brightened expression after finishing recording, came out of the recording booth.

"Gunja, great job!"

"So, about the joint performance...?"

"Haha, looks like you're not tired."

It was natural. He had endured a long recording session thinking only about the joint performance.

Having never imagined performing with someone before, the mere word 'joint performance' excited Gunja.

"I'm sure there's someone who plays the gayageum and geomungo well—"

"Oh, that person? That's you."

"Hmm? What does that mean?"

What does that mean? That I have to perform with myself?

Throwing out questions in confusion, Ji Hyun-soo set up the loop station instead of answering.

"You'll find out soon enough."

As the loop station console appeared, Trainer Young Eun-chae's eyes sparkled once more.

"...A loop... Could it be... performing live on stage..."

"Yes, if the song turns out well, that's the plan."

"...Wow... A legend in the making..."

Trainer Young Eun-chae seemed entranced, but Gunja couldn't understand. What exactly was this loop station that had been talked about?

"Gunja, when I give the signal, can you play just one phrase on the geomungo?"

"...Okay."

That was an easy task.

However, something surprising happened after the performance.

Doo, doo, dang, dang-.

Amazingly, the device on the desk started playing the geomungo phrase Gunja had just performed. Not just once, but repeatedly.

Gunja looked at Hyun-soo with a surprised expression.

"Someone is imitating my performance!"

"Haha, yeah."

"W-What's happening..."

"Now, let's add the gayageum to it."

At Hyun-soo's suggestion, Gunja placed the gayageum on his lap.

"Then, if I play like this..."

Dang, doo, dangdang-.

With the gayageum layered on top of the basic geomungo melody, the sound became even richer.

"Wow..."


The Gayageum and Geomungo joint performance is amazing.

But the most surprised was Gunja.

The first-time experience of a joint performance was a thrill that sent shivers down his spine.

Of course, the target was not a person but a small machine device.

Combining sounds into one was an incredible pleasure far beyond what Gunja had imagined.

"How is it? The loop station is a toy to play with like this. Is it fun?"

"Yeah, it's amazing!"

Seeing Gunja nodding vigorously, Ji Hyun-soo chuckled.

"Great, then I'll join in this time."

With the second loop station activation, starting with the geomungo sound and layering the gayageum sound on top, Ji Hyun-soo also joined in.

Using pre-recorded electronic drum, synthesizer, and other virtual instruments on the pads, he added rhythm and spatial depth to Gunja's geomungo sound.

As the instrument sources piled up on the simple geomungo melody, a pretty impressive hip-hop beat began to flow from the loop station.

"Wow, ooo!"

"How is it? Isn't it fun?"

"It's exhilarating!"

Forgetting the pain of being confined, Gunja's shoulders began to dance with joy. The high-quality beat created in just a minute had the team excited as well.

"This could be used in the competition!"

"Ji Hyun-soo, you're really a genius, aren't you?"

"No, the loop station is just a toy that many people use."

Ji Hyun-soo humbly shook his head while looking at Gunja with slightly dazed but sparkling eyes.

"With a performer like you, if you can't come up with a good beat, you should just give up."

"...That's... true."

Young Eun-chae nodded vigorously at Ji Hyun-soo's words. They were a well-matched pair in many ways.

After the loop station play ended, Ji Hyun-soo gathered the team again and revealed his plan.

"I'm thinking of using this loop station on stage."

"You're not just going to play with the MR but also perform live with it?"

"Yeah. If we didn't have a performer, we wouldn't have been able to try it, but we have Gunja."

"Wow, it feels like we're holding a nuclear weapon."

"Why is our scholar hyung so awesome?"

Receiving respectful gazes from his teammates, Gunja simply laughed.

Honestly, he still didn't fully understand how the machine device could mimic his performance.

Well, it didn't matter.

As long as there were exciting stages like the joint performance now, he felt he could enjoy himself regardless of the outcome.

* * *

Three days later, the day of the mid-term evaluation arrived.

Following the first team competition, Gunja's team received the most attention again.

The first to reveal their stage was the team consisting of Joo Ha-sung and Noel.

Ting, ting, tling-.

As the prelude began, the eyes of the participants in charge of production widened.

"...Sakura?"

"Wow, they're using that here?"

'Sakura,' one of the virtual instruments used in MIDI composition systems.

This virtual instrument, primarily used in hip-hop tracks, was optimized for creating an Eastern mood.

"Wait, does this mean they went with Oriental?"

"Are they planning to face off directly with Gunja?"

"Even the beat is really good."

"Yeah, it's trendy and well done."

The trap-style beat prominently featuring the virtual instrument 'Sakura' clearly aimed for an Eastern vibe.

After the beat and mid-term evaluation ended, producers Jang Min-hyuk and Rachel lightly clapped.

"Wow, Rachel's clapping..."

"I've never seen it before."

It was quite rare for Trainer Rachel to show such a reaction, causing some participants to marvel.

"Good minimalistic beat."

"Is this El's work?"

"Yep, worked hard on it."

"Did you already have 'Sakura'?"

"No, bought it with coins!"

"Ha-sung bought it for you?"

"Yeah, that's how you should use coins."

"By the way, with Gunja as the opponent, do you think an Eastern style will work?"

"Yep, we'll win!"

"Confidence is great."

The beat carried a sense of nearly arrogant confidence from producer Noel.

At the same time, it was a message directed at the aloof Gunja.

'How about it? If our team had come, you could have rapped here.'

Noel grinned at Gunja.

"Ugh..."

Gunja scowled at him.

"Those rose-colored arrows..."

"This guy is really something."

"Sure enough, it's not a good match with an indecent young man..."

After the beat and mid-term evaluation of 'Team Joo Ha-sung' ended, it was now time for 'Team Yu Gunja's' mid-term evaluation.