The Devil lives in the Music of Top Star

**Chapter 7**

That night after the auditions, the judges finished their meeting and started to gather their things to leave.

Just then, Lee Jong-in called everyone to a halt.

“Hold on a moment.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“We still have more to discuss.”

“About that gut,Yoo Jaehee.”

“Yes?”

“Do you think he really did the arrangement himself?”

At once, everyone fell silent.

“Uh…”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“Yeah, according to the rules, we need proof for original compositions or arranged tracks.”

“We got too caught up in his performance.”

“That’s true. We haven’t had participants with original or arranged tracks for a while…”

Given that the school was serious about music, the standards for participating in the festival were also strict.

“What should we do? Should we contact him again?”

“Yes, we need him to attach the session files and show us the creation process.”

“Alright. I’ll send him a text tomorrow.”

* * *

That was how it turned out.

“So we have to prove things like this too?”

[What kind of university is this?]

“It’s really strict.”

[It’s incredibly strict. They’re even doing practical exams.]

“Still, it has to be done. What can we do?”

[Yeah, it’s a hassle but not an impossible task.]

Then I received the details about the time and place.

I was instructed to come to the Groovy Nation clubroom after my classes ended.

With both nervousness and anticipation, I looked forward to showing and proving my skills to the members of Groovy Nation.

The members of Groovy Nation were known to be outstanding musicians and popular students, and the thought of demonstrating my abilities to them excited me.

[But do you think you can do well there?]

“What do you mean?”

[Compared to them, you’re kind of pathetic.]

“Why do you always have to be so…”

The comment hit too close to home, leaving me momentarily speechless.

[Shouldn’t you be more confident and present yourself well?]

“What does that even matter?”

[That’s how you become a star.]

“It’s just a club.”

[Alright, stop talking.]

The devil’s words weren’t entirely wrong, but I hadn’t always been like this. 

Reflecting on my pre-teen years, I remember running around with friends and laughing loudly.

The cause was Kim Jong-pil.

Because of Kim Jong-pil, I became extremely timid, living as if I didn’t exist.

Even during my military service, I was depressed after losing my parents and spent my time in the military feeling as though I was living in a gilded cage.

The only period when I could say my self-esteem was somewhat high was after signing with JH Entertainment.

I bought nice clothes and took better care of myself. 

Although it was a used car, I bought one in my name, gaining a bit of confidence.

But even that didn’t last long.

Now, returning to university at a late age without knowing anyone was making me anxious.

I hadn’t really planned to change.

What mattered most to me was music, and other things were secondary.

But…

To be honest, my thoughts were slowly changing.

Getting a positive reaction and attention at the audition was more thrilling than I expected.

And I wanted to become famous someday and show Kim Jung-hyuk, the CEO, that he was wrong.

I had several big goals, and to achieve them, I needed to change.

After taking a shower to go to school, I looked at the mirror in the bathroom.

“Hmm…”

Looking at my face closely, I didn’t think I looked bad.

Of course, this might be just another common illusion men have after showering.

I brushed my hair back and checked my profile from side to side.

There was no particular meaning to it.

It was just a sort of observation.

[What are you doing…]

“Oh, nothing…”

The problem was that this guy was watching everything.

[Why are you staring at your unimproved face? Hurry up and get ready, you’ll be late for your classes.]

“Okay, I understand.”

Since I woke up earlier than usual because of the message, I had a bit of extra time to prepare.

-Thunk.

The closet was filled with numerous clothes.

Clothes I had bought while working at the agency.

As I slowly scanned the clothes, memories of my past attempts to live a more stylish life came back to me.

‘I used to travel a lot, too…’

Recently, I have been trying to erase the three years I spent working there.

But now, I tried to briefly revive those memories.

“Hmmm…”

[What are you doing?]

“I’m trying to decide what to wear.”

[Just wear whatever. Look, there’s that old sweatshirt and jeans. That’s your school uniform, isn’t it?]

“Isn’t it important to put in some effort?”

The devil chuckled.

[You’re so easy to manipulate.]

“It’s my choice.”

[Alright then.]

I chose a different outfit instead of the worn-out jeans and stretched sweatshirt.

* * *

[See, looking good makes a big difference. You look much better!]

It was just like what my late mother used to say.

Instead of faded clothes, I chose a new pair of black jogger pants and a still vibrant olive green anorak jacket that had been sitting in the closet for a while.

[Yeah, hip-hop is in style these days. Good choice. Leaving such nice clothes aside…]

I also gave my usually scruffy hair a bit more attention.

Though far from expert-level, it was much better than my usual disheveled look.

Perhaps that’s why it felt like I was getting different kinds of looks during class today.

It wasn’t that important, but…

Those looks, though somewhat uncomfortable, gave me a bit of confidence.

-Groovy Nation.

“Phew…”

Arriving in front of the clubroom, I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Click—

“Hello.”

“Oh, hello.”

When I opened the door to the clubroom, three members greeted me.

To be precise, two of them welcomed me warmly, while the third seemed indifferent.

[That guy looked like he had that same expression during the audition. He seems pretty rude. Is this place really okay?]

‘Shh. Be quiet…’

“Sorry for not giving advance notice. It’s been so long since we had someone participating with an original composition.”

But since the other two members were friendly, it wasn’t as uncomfortable as I thought.

“It’s okay. So… shall we start right away?”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

I followed the club members’ instructions and sat in front of the computer.

“Is this sequencer alright?”

“Yes, I use this one too.”

“That’s good.”

“Before we start, let me give you some explanation.”

“Sure.”

I looked at the faces of the three club members before the explanation began.

One of them still had an ambiguous expression.

He seemed uninterested, somewhat aggressive, and for some reason, disliked me.

The other two members’ eyes were filled with curiosity and sparkled.

“I worked with VSTIs at home, but it would take too long to bring everything and set it up, so I only brought the instruments I used. Let’s do some sampling.”

“Hmm…”

“I won’t be doing line-to-line sampling or anything like that.”

“Oh, understood.”

[Oh, your tone…]

I also sensed something odd.

My tone just now was clearer and slightly assertive compared to usual.

The usual timid tone was nowhere to be found.

I briefly wondered why I spoke that way, but quickly focused on the task.

I connected the external hard drive with the pre-prepared instrument samples to the computer and started the sequencer.

Although this track was a joint effort with the devil, I had a much larger share, so I had a clear picture of the workflow in my mind.

“Just explain step by step and we’ll get started.”

“Yes, feel free to do it your way.”

“I first extracted the melody from the original track.”

I took out my phone and played the original track, “Word” by Premier League.

Then I started working as if it was nothing.

“The chords are simple. I’ll extract the melody at the same time…”

“Wait a moment!”

“Did you just hear all of that?”

“Yes.”

“Oh…”

The three people exchanged glances.

“Do you have perfect pitch?”

“Uh… Yes, I guess so…”

“‘Guess so’?”

“No, it’s true. I have perfect pitch.”

The phrase “guess so” for perfect pitch sounded silly, even to me.

Since I couldn’t be honest about the demon’s role, I had to agree.

“Oh…”

“Then I’ll continue.”

“Yes, please…”

Even in a school full of exceptional musicians, having perfect pitch was considered special.

Most musicians desired that ability.

“I transcribed the melody from the piano and arranged it sequentially. The synth at the beginning was replaced with brass instruments. Like this…”

I explained the various brass lines I had arranged.

Word was a song with a strong impact right from the start.

The version I arranged boasted a quality that surpassed the original.

Or so I was told.

I wanted to stay modest, but the demon’s evaluation was as such.

“And this line was kept as it was from the original. The line itself was excellent. Here, the synth was replaced again… The bass has a more realistic feel with this sample…”

The three people seemed somewhat dazed as they looked at my work.

“Um, excuse me.”

“Yes?”

“You’re from the Department of Korean Language and Literature, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“And not from the School of Music?”

“Yes.”

“You studied all this?”

“Hmm… It’s half study, half know-how.”

While I worked quickly due to my perfect pitch, the ideas for the arrangements were all from my accumulated efforts over time.

[No, you should say the demon helped you with perfect pitch~]

‘Hey, no way I’m saying that. I don’t want to look like a lunatic, and the arrangements are all my ideas, right?’

[Ehehehe!]

I heard the unpleasant laughter.

Though it was occasionally annoying due to its mischief, if not for this demon, I wouldn’t have been here.

After answering various questions and completing the arrangements, I was almost done.

“Do you need to mix and master as well?”

“No, this should be enough.”

In fact, the initial validation had already been completed.

The skill in handling the sequencer.

The touch on the keyboard.

From the finesse in arranging instruments to the precise yet friendly explanations…

Everyone had already felt that this was undeniably my work.

“Thank you so much for coming. The audition was a pass, right?”

The polite student turned to ask the other two.

One student agreed with an obvious nod.

“Of course!”

The remaining one merely nodded ambiguously.

“……”

“Well then, make sure to prepare well for the performance. I’ll notify you of the rehearsal schedule in advance!”

“Yes, understood. I’ll head out now.”

I left the club room and headed to the hallway.

Clunk—

[Hey, do you know that guy who was sitting in the back earlier?]

‘Wasn’t he at the audition?’

[His expression was pretty off-putting.]

‘Off-putting?’

It was a strange reason, but the demon’s tone was unexpectedly serious.

[Anyway, be careful. That guy definitely seems to have a problem with you.]

‘Got it.’

[You did well today. Let’s prepare well for the performance.]

“Yeah! Sure!”

[Hey, stop shouting like that… it’s embarrassing…]

My excited response, looking forward to the performance, attracted the attention of people wandering the hallway.

* * *

In the club room where Yoo Jae-hee had just left, the three people continued their discussion.

“There was no need to prove anything.”

It was a conversation between Lee Jong-in, a member of Groovy Nation, and an officer from the Humanities Department student council, about Yoo Jae-hee.

“By the way, Jong-in, do you know that person?”

“No.”

“But why do you always look so displeased, like you don’t like him, even at the last audition?”

“It’s not that…”

“Hyung, did something happen with that person?”

Lee Jong-in hesitated before speaking up.

“Actually, Yoo Jae-hee’s department teaching assistant is a friend of mine, and I heard some bad things.”

“What kind of things?”

“That they’re terrible at music and singing…”

“Eh, that sounds like a rumor. We saw it today.”

“Right. They were the best among recent participants. We saw the arrangements.”

“Yeah, and personally, I was really impressed by his singing as well!”

“Yeah, they did well…”

Even though it was just an amateur evaluation, the two people had high regard for Yoo Jae-hee’s musicality.

Lee Jong-in felt the same way.

By now, he began to doubt his friend Kim Jong-pil’s words.

Perhaps there was a misunderstanding between them.

He decided to wait and see.

After all, he was the one who had made assumptions based on only one side of the story.

‘Maybe Jong-pil was mistaken…’