God's Song


It is said that humans only reveal 5% of their DNA. The person you perceive yourself to be and the person others judge you for is determined by this 5%. No one can know what is in the hidden 95%.

Put simply, it would be as if our parents gave us a total of 100 cards when they gave us life – of which only 5 can be used. They don't know which cards they'll be handing down, but that's not the real issue. The bigger problem is that of the 100 random cards, we can't even choose which of the 5 we get to use. We have to pick them with our eyes closed.

Now imagine each of these cards represents a different trait – maybe an attractive face, an intelligent mind, a great body, a handicap. A lucky person who might have been fated with a prized card would be able to use it as a weapon to speed through life with considerable ease. And then there are also the ill-fated who end up with a torn or useless card. Maybe all five cards are duds. But that is what we have to use to our advantage or disadvantage until we die.

This is a story about a boy, the "cards" he is dealt, and how he uses them to build a music empire.


Read God's Song - Prologue online free - Light Novel Full

Volume 1 / Prologue

TL: LightNovelCafe

It is said that humans only reveal 5% of their DNA. The person you perceive yourself to be and the person others judge you for is determined by this 5%. No one can know what is in the hidden 95%.

Put simply, it would be as if our parents gave us a total of 100 cards when they gave us life – of which only 5 can be used. They don't know which cards they'll be handing down, but that's not the real issue. The bigger problem is that of the 100 random cards, we can't even choose which of the 5 we get to use. We have to pick them with our eyes closed.

Now imagine each of these cards represents a different trait – maybe an attractive face, an intelligent mind, a great body, a handicap. A lucky person who might have been fated with a prized card would be able to use it as a weapon to speed through life with considerable ease. And then there are also the ill-fated who end up with a torn or useless card. Maybe all five cards are duds. But that is what we have to use to our advantage or disadvantage until we die.

The dictionary definition of absolute pitch is as goes.

Absolute Pitch: The ability to hear any musical note and, without a reference tone, recognize its pitch.

Absolute pitch is said to be a natural gift – something you are born with. But then there are some say that it is possible to acquire it with enough training. That it is more of a talent than a gift. But imagine being blessed with the gift of absolute pitch and enhancing an already impressive feat with another other talent. How extraordinary would that be?

The ability to extract the pitch from all sounds heard by the ear – the revving of a motorcycle exhaust, a frog croaking in the countryside on a cool summer night, the rattling of a subway into a platform, the sound of raindrops on the roof of a car – or to hear them as a beautiful melody in and of itself is indeed a gift from God.

But this is true only if that person realizes that the sounds he hears is music and not merely noise.

Of the 10 contemporary musicians chosen by New York's Metropolitan Museum to represent the 20th century, there is a South Korean who is a native of Sancheong and captain of Tongyoung – Mr. Yoon Yi Sang. He was born with such a gift.

He has said that the tranquil landscape and sea of Tongyoung he constantly yearned for are nestled in his music. A German couple who so loved Mr. Yoon Yi Sang's music said they traveled all the way to Tongyoung in order to feel his music on a deeper level.

And that German couple further said the moment they saw the sea in Tongyoung, they knew that it was the same sea they imagined while listening to Mr. Yoon Yi Sang's music. The music had expressed a natural landscape as if a picture had been taken.

Let us look at an incident from his childhood.

'When Spring comes and the paddy fills with water, it is filled with frogs. The sound of the frogs every night was very noisy but to me, it didn't sound like whining. Instead it was more like an artistic chorus composed of different voices.

When one frog starts crying, another sound matches that and responds, and if a third joins, suddenly a chorus of trebles, mids, and bass start in concert, and again suddenly fall silent.'

This is what is archived in Mr. Yoon Yi Sang's memorial in Tongyoung.

Hopefully, the readers who will see these words will not misunderstand. The purpose is not to write a biography about a man who has already passed away. Truthfully, I don't know much about the deceased man. I have never even heard his music. As someone who is used to pop music, difficult contemporary music is still an uncomfortable noise for me.

Going forward, I will tell the story of one young musician who appeared suddenly. He left humanity with music so beautiful it was like a gift from God. The young genius was associated with impressive modifiers of the 21st century such as Mozart, the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Chopin, and Quincy Jones, and was respected by the world.

This is a record of his music and the music empire that he built.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 1

TL: LightNovelCafe

The birth of a first child usually brings parents boundless joy. This is especially the case in Korean society where the birth of a son gives the mother reassurance and the father a little more happiness than a daughter does. A son means being able to pass on their lineage, and words are insufficient to express how the grandfather and grandmother feel from a grandchild.

Now if a particularly handsome baby is born – why the parents will jump up and down with joy.

However, there are the few parents who think that their first child's birth signifies nothing short of a disaster.

This was the case with the immature teen who forgot the gravity of pregnancy and the importance of contraceptives. When she finally found out about her pregnancy, unable to tell anyone, she trembled in fear and lost the chance for an abortion; ultimately becoming a single mother.

Of course not all single mothers are fools like this young woman. I am just telling you what happened in this one isolated incident.

The only things Jang Jun Hyuk received from his mother being a paper with his date of birth and his name, he was abandoned at an orphanage in Daegu before even having once tasting his mother's milk.

A nun of the Catholic foundation behind the orphanage looked after baby Jang Jun Hyuk, who rarely cried and was as cute as a kitten, with more love and care than his biological mother ever did or could.

Though it was unfortunate that he was abandoned by his mother, he was blessed with the orphanage's excellent facilities and the loving care of its nuns.

While it was impossible to know when he was a newborn baby, as he reached an age when he started to toddle and could manage some sort of expression, it was evident that this endearing child was different from the other children.

At an age when he should have been playing with dolls or toys, he spent his days touching the mobile dangling from the ceiling. When he reached the age when he should have been playing with his friends, he spent all day listening to hymns on his CD player or to the sound of wind coming from the big tree standing in the yard of the orphanage.

"Jun Hyuk. Let's play with your brothers. Why are you always alone?" said the head sister almost as if in reprimand.

"I need to be alone to hear the sounds, mom."

"Sounds?"

"Yes. The sounds."

"What sounds? The hymns?"

"The hymns are no longer any fun."

"So what are fun sounds?"

"The sound of trees, the wind, and of my friends playing. Um… I also like the sound of eating. Ha ha."

It meant that he knew how to train his ears to sounds. The sister suspected that Jun Hyuk may have received a gift from God and wanted to ask him more questions to test this, but was unable to continue due to his following words.

"The best sound is… the sound of crying while sleeping. When one person cries, the older or younger siblings all start to cry as well. The sound of everyone crying together is better than the songs of the cathedral choir. It's different every single day."

The head sister realized what Jun Hyuk's real problem was. Jun Hyuk had never once cried for the parents whose faces he didn't know as the other children had. And she left it at that.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 2

TL: LightNovelCafe

One day one of the nuns approached the head sister of the orphanage with a concerned expression.

"Head sister. You know Jun Hyuk."

"Yes. What about Jun Hyuk?"

"Father said that… he behaved strangely during service."

"Strange behavior? Jun Hyuk? What kind of strange behavior?"

"Well, apparently he kept changing the hymn as he sang it. At first, he thought Jun Hyuk was imitating the choir… but it was as if he was inserting chords…."

"Chords? Well, that's not so strange. That just means Jun Hyuk is a good singer."

The young sister was surprised by the smile that started creeping on the head sister's face.

"No… no. That's not it. I'm saying he changed the hymn completely. The words were the same and the rest was different."

"Whew. You almost scared me for a moment. Don't be so silly. That's how kids are. They have a great imagination. There are a lot of kids who change the lyrics when they sing. How is that any different from changing the tune?"

The young sister could not say more because the head sister spoke so nonchalantly while waving her hand. The father had clearly spoken about it as it if were very important and something to be addressed immediately.

The young sister left the office thinking that if it were really a critical issue, the father would speak to the head sister himself. She wouldn't bother with it anymore.

The head sister already knew that Jun Hyuk was very different from the other children. An unusual child cannot help but live an unusual life. It was difficult for Jun Hyuk's environment to be one that would guide his extraordinary talent in a good direction.

Regardless, it was impossible to give Jun Hyuk special treatment. The head sister's work ethic was that all children needed to be treated equally and she followed this firmly.

For Jun Hyuk…no, for all of the children, the best solution was for them to be adopted into good families.

Fortunately, there was a middle-aged couple who visited occasionally and they cared very much for Jun Hyuk. It was also said that this middle-aged couple didn't have any children and were planning for an adoption. Although they weren't rich, they were an ordinary couple financially stable enough to raise a child.

The head sister made up her mind to make the best choice for Jun Hyuk. That was to personally meet the middle-aged couple, ask what their intentions were, and show them what a good choice Jun Hyuk would be as their adoptive son.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 3

TL: LightNovelCafe

"How are you? Have you thought about it a bit?"

"Yes."

The middle-aged couple came to the orphanage a month after the head sister had suggested Jun Hyuk's adoption and started to speak cautiously.

"We deliberated on the issue very carefully. Though we think that we would become good parents to Jun Hyuk….."

"Is there a problem?"

The head sister who had been monitoring the couple's atmosphere felt unsettled by the trailing of their words. Could they be turning the adoption down?

"We get the feeling that Jun Hyuk isn't opening up to us."

"When we are speaking or playing, instead of doing it together, should we say it's as though he is observing us? Strangely, we get that feeling."

The couple took turns confessing their inner thoughts on Jun Hyuk.

"Could it be that you feel this way because Jun Hyuk by nature does not talk very much? Though he is young, should I say that he is a very deep child? Jun Hyuk is also very quiet and likes to ponder about things than to be wasteful with words."

The couple faced each other. After a short while, the husband spoke.

"Will you talk to Jun Hyuk for us? If he says that he likes us and is willing to follow us, we do have the intention to adopt him."

The head sister did not hide her happiness in the couple's acceptance.

"Thank you. The both of you are really giving a great love."

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"Jun Hyuk, what do you think? That man and woman say that they really like you."

"I like them too. They are very fast."

"Fast? Whatever do you mean, child?"

"Their sound. The man and woman make sounds very quickly. They're very funny sounds. Ha ha."

Looking at the innocent Jun Hyuk laughing about something as simple as sounds, it seemed necessary to teach him the meaning of adoption.

"Jun Hyuk. What do you think it'll be like to live with that man and woman? They would like to live with you."

"Why? That man and woman don't have fathers and mothers either? Will they be living here with us?

"No, that's not it. You would go to live in their house. You would have parents."

He simply blinked at the words mom and dad, so the head sister decided to discuss what would catch Jun Hyuk's interest first.

"The couple raises animals. The majority are chickens, but there are also ducks and goats…"

"Okay. I'd like that."

Jun Hyuk smiled widely with his bright eyes and spoke loudly.

"What? You'd like it?"

"Yes. I want to go if there are a lot of animals."

"Jun Hyuk, you have to like the man and woman in order to go live with them. Not the animals."

"I like the man and I like the woman too."

The head sister thought that it would be better for Jun Hyuk to spend more time with the couple before going through with the adoption. She decided to finalize the adoption after they spent more time together and once both parties were sure of their choices.

After that, the couple started visiting the orphanage together or separately at least twice a week to spend the day with Jun Hyuk.

Seven to eight months went by like this and once May came when the heat became rampant midday, 5 year old Jang Jun Hyuk was adopted by the couple with a chicken farm on Gyeongbuk Number 7.

The man was awkwardly wearing a suit and the woman an airy dress, having gotten her hair done early in the morning at a salon. They picked Jun Hyuk up in their van and left the orphanage as the other children looked on enviously.

This was especially the case as it was May 5th, Children's Day. As Jun Hyuk had never been to an amusement park, they took him to one in Daegu to make it a special day.

With the loud music and the activity of Children's Day, Jun Hyuk acted like a 5 year old for the first time in the bustling noise. He patiently stood in the long line to ride the merry-go-round and ran around yelling excitedly. The couple had to hold his hand tightly and follow him around so as not to lose him.

They never said no to him because it was their first day as a family as well as Children's Day. The two who became parents that day and gave Jun Hyuk whatever he wanted.

They got in the car and left once it became evident that Jun Hyuk was tired after spending the entire day running around.

Not surprisingly, before even 10 minutes passed, Jun Hyuk was laid out in the back seat of the van sleeping comfortably. Once they got on the highway to Number 7, the man sped up the car.

"Honey. Should we stop at a rest area and eat a bowl of ramen?"

"Ramen? Why suddenly ramen?"

"After eating all of the sweets that Jun Hyuk likes, I feel like I'm going crazy because it's so greasy. I need to eat some ramen with red chili powder and ease my stomach. Jun Hyuk is asleep, right?"

"Yes. He's even snoring."

The sleeping Jun Hyuk was so cute with his shallow snoring that the two smiled broadly.

"The rest area is just up ahead, so I'll eat quickly and come back."

"I'll eat with you. The greasy food is bothering me as well."

They had eaten things that they would usually only eat when they ate out. They had pasta for lunch, then foods that children like such as grilled squid with butter and sugared churros. To these two middle-aged people who were used to eating kimchi stew and soybean paste stew, the food was difficult to bear.

They parked at a highway rest area and checked again to make sure that he was sleeping. They could still hear his low snoring.

They left the window open slightly and ran to the rest area. When they had come out of the rest area after quickly emptying a bowl of spicy ramen each and buying water and juice at the convenience store, it was raining. They ran through the rain thinking of the rain that may have gone into the car through the small crack in the window. When they got to the car, the door was wide open and Jun Hyuk was gone.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 4

TL: LightNovelCafe

To the Jun Hyuk who had only been to the cathedral and nursery, the loud melody of a trot heard out at the highway rest area was a world of new sounds. He woke up to this incredible sound.

A bout of passing showers came down as if it had been planned. The sounds of the trot tune and the raindrops on the car roof drew Jun Hyuk out of the car.

Trot's bumping rhythm laid out the basic bass and the raindrops pounding the car hood were the elaborate music on top.

It was as if there were dozens of instruments playing at the same time in the parking lot of this highway rest area. Jun Hyuk was able to differentiate between the distinct sounds each raindrop made on every different type of car hood.

Drunk with the elaborate sound that the raindrops and cars made, Jun Hyuk ran around the parking lot forgetting that his clothes were wet. It was in the crisp chords, he heard a fine, thin treble. The sound came from a kitten that had found shelter from the rain under a car.

Jun Hyuk bent down and reached out his arm to get the kitten out and the scared kitten ran out into the rain.

Within moments, the rain-soaked parking lot had become a playground for hide-and-seek. Jun Hyuk chased the kitten laughing gleefully, and while his adoptive parents yelled for him, the shouts didn't carry far due to the sound of the music of the rain.

The byway next to the rest area building was the passage the employees used to commute to and from work. Jun Hyuk followed the kitten out of the rest area through this byway.

Jun Hyuk's adoptive parents had no idea that this had happened and lost their first child born from the heart within a day while the rest area speakers blasted the message that they were looking for Jun Hyuk.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 5

TL: LightNovelCafe

44 year old Yoon Kwang Hun was on the phone shouting.

"Hey! How can you do this so suddenly? What are we going to do about the customers if you cancel when we've been advertising with flyers for a month? Customers are already taking their seats!"

"Boss. Please be considerate of our circumstances. It's our first broadcast request in 4 years. We came here urgently because the person who was supposed to go on broadcast canceled last minute as well. How can we miss this opportunity?"

"Damn. Isn't that a program that doesn't even get high viewer ratings? And… how can Kim Jung Soo go on that program at that age? That's where trot elders in their 60s go to make petty cash. Are you crazy?"

"Not today. Pop singers from the 70s and 80s were also included today. Anyway, please excuse us just this one day. In exchange, we'll promise two free shows next month. Okay? Let's hang up now."

Yoon Kwang Hun tried calling Kim Jung Soo's manager again who had hung up, but only got the answering machine. He nervously put the receiver down and pulled out a cigarette.

"How many people are here?"

The waiter standing anxiously next to Yoon Kwang Hun eyed him apprehensively.

"There aren't very many tables as it's still early. Boss, what should we do?"

"What can we do! Take down all of the flyers outside and post an apology that today's performance isn't happening at the entrance. And you."

"Yes."

"You stand at the entrance and tell the people coming in that today's show has been pushed to next week."

"Okay."

He took his anger out on his young employees. The young employees stood with their heads hanging as if they had done something wrong.

"Go and inform the people who have already ordered food and don't charge them for the food."

"Yes boss."

The employee left and Yoon Kwang Hun took a drag of his cigarette.

"Damn damn damn, I need to stop doing this crap too. I'm getting too old for this."

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Volume 1 / Chapter 6

TL: LightNovelCafe

Yoon Kwang Hun graduated from a prestigious Korean university and got his MBA at the reputable Stanley University in California. After, he became a successful fund manager on Manhattan's Wall Street.

At this time, a financial institution in Korea called Future Asset offered him a hefty salary, a sizable signing bonus, in addition to some generous incentives to scout him – and he accepted it without a second thought.

No matter how successful he was, it was difficult to compete with the white man as a person of color. What was it called again? The white male privilege? Another reason he took the offer was that his level of skill was slightly short to play in the major leagues like Wall Street.

After that, Yoon Kwang Hun's life was that of every man's fantasy. He drove a luxury foreign car, lived in a deluxe apartment in Gangnam, and went to the Gangnam room salons every night. The name-brand clothing he wore from head to toe cost almost as much as his car did.

He was the perfect man for gold diggers because he was young and professional, made a fortune, and was single. He had over 100 women's numbers saved on his phone. From an internet shopping mall fitting model to a TV announcer, an unemployed woman, and a young married woman were also among his to play with. Occasionally, he would have a celebrity's phone number that he would later delete.

No matter how beautiful a flower is, it cannot live past the summer. No matter how mighty an authority may be, it cannot live past 10 years. As such, since power isn't held by withstanding it, do not try to use power at your whim and do not fret to obtain it. This proverb can be applied to men in stock exchange. The extravagant days that he thought would be endless disappeared with the subprime mortgage financial crisis in the United States.

While planning a comeback after experiencing a huge loss, Yoon Kwang Hun was diagnosed with depression at a hospital where the Director happened to be his boss' best friend.

This news was delivered immediately to his workplace, Future Asset, and he received his dismissal papers the same day.

"You *holes. How can you fire me after all of the money that I've made for you?"

He made a scene and slammed the company door on his way out. I still have enough. There's still enough money that I've saved and my skills haven't rusted over yet. I can make an office by myself… No I can jump into the gamble that is the financial market from home. Isn't it a gamble that not many people in Korea recognize?

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Volume 1 / Chapter 7

TL: LightNovelCafe

He lost two things in exactly 3 years. Money and health.

All he was left with was a bank balance that had been reduced to a measly $1000 from what was once over $10 million and a warning from his doctor that, because he had spent his days watching the HTS program while chain smoking, he would die if he did not quit smoking and start exercising now.

Though Yoon Kwang Hun was not a successful gambler, he was not stupid. He had admitted his defeat and left the table.

After he sold his house worth millions to settle his loans, he had about $1 million left. For someone who survived such a great loss, it wasn't a bad result. He needed to be careful with his second challenge. He couldn't waste his remaining $1 million.

At first, he thought of making a cafe in Hongdae or Sinchon. Music, coffee, and wine were Yoon Kwang Hun's only hobbies and he had wanted to spend the rest of his life surrounded by them.

However, the music that Yoon Kwang Hun liked had long become classics that wouldn't be popular in Hongdae and Sinchon. This became a reason to give up his tiny store with colossal rent.

Yoon Kwang Hun lost all of his nerve and had to admit that he was an old middle-aged man and needed to be more and more careful with the money he had left. The last place that he contracted was a refined live cafe.

Infested with middle-aged customers and the occasional irrelevant pop singers with one or two hits under their belts, the target customer was the person who wanted to listen to music while giving a farce of elegance with wine.

The practice did well enough for 6 months to make a comfortable living. Once the business slowed down, he was making the bare minimum to live off of. About a year passed like this and, as the contractors kept frequenting his cafe, Yoon Kwang Hun had to change its concept to another live cafe.

As another year passed, he found out that he had been swindled by the contractors. Though the menu prices were increased 5-fold on the days that singers performed, profits didn't increase. Eventually, his live cafe just became another cafe in Misari where he had to keep listening to the pop music of the 70s and 80s instead of the music that he liked.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 8

TL: LightNovelCafe

Whenever a singer cancels last minute like was done today, the number of customers decrease. After Kim Jung Soo's 50 year old fans ate their free food and left, all that was left were their leftovers.

Yoon Kwang Hun closed the cafe early for the night and sipped on a bottle of wine alone. He should have kept the business going on its original concept. Due to his greed, his body was tired and his mind was uncomfortable. As he was calculating the cost of returning the interior decoration to its prior state, he heard a loud noise from the dumpster. It sounded like the stray cats were going through the garbage again. Every time those cats went through the dumpster, the garbage was left in an unbearable state.

Yoon Kwang Hun set his wine glass down and ran out of the kitchen. Instead of a stray cat, there was a child dripping in water with his head in the dumpster, shoving pieces of leftover steak in his mouth.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

The boy became startled at Yoon Kwang Hun's yell and ran away like a bullet with pieces of meat in both hands.

"Are there kids like that these days?"

Kids groveling in the street were a vague memory. A long time ago, it used to be common for children to beg in the train stations or on the street, but they had pretty much disappeared since online games became popular. It was said that these kids now spent their time pharming online games in a warehouse somewhere.

Since the child was someone else's problem, he forgot about him and started cleaning up the garbage. He went back into the cafe and started drinking the wine again to think about redesigning the cafe, but kept thinking of the little boy's handsome face and couldn't concentrate.

Yoon Kwang Hun went into the kitchen, took out two tonkatsu cutlets from the freezer, and started frying them.

"Ugh, my situation isn't any better so what am I doing thinking of someone else?"

As he was grumbling like this and thinking about how hungry the child must have been that he had gone through the garbage, he kept cooking.

He put a few tonkatsu cutlets and three or four bananas that were supposed to be used as snacks in a bag and left it by the dumpster.

"Hey! I'm leaving this out for you to eat, so take it before the stray cats do!"

He wasn't sure if the kid was still in the vicinity, but he called out loudly and went back into the cafe. He thought that with this, the sympathy and remorse he couldn't help but feel would go away.

After about 10 minutes, there was a rustling sound and then silence. He quietly stepped outside to make sure the stray cats hadn't taken the food left out for the little boy.

Yoon Kwang Hun saw the little boy running away with the bag of food in his hands and his heart became a little lighter.

He forgot the depressing thoughts he had earlier and turned his favorite CD on loudly. All he wanted to do was have some time to himself with music and wine.

He lost himself in the music and as it was reaching its peak, he saw a face stuck to the cafe window. He was startled by the head floating like a ghost's, but once he recognized it as the head of the little boy who ran away with the bag of food, he calmed down.

He went out thinking that the boy had come to say thank you for the food, but he remained stuck to the window without realizing that Yoon Kwang Hun was standing next to him. Once Yoon Kwang Hun tapped his shoulder, he finally knew that someone was next to him and ran like lightning.

He just watched the boy in shock, but the boy stopped and came back towards Yoon Kwang Hun.

"Thank you."

He bowed in greeting and the sight of him holding the paper bag made Yoon Kwang Hun's heart tremble again.

"Hey. Come in. You didn't even get to drink water after eating the tonkatsu and bananas, right? Your throat is probably dry… I didn't think of that earlier. You're probably thirsty, so come in and have a glass of water."

The little boy who had been flitting his eyes back and forth followed Yoon Kwang Hun into the cafe. Looking at his messy hair, clothing dripping in dirty water, and face, it seemed like he hadn't been able to wash himself in at least a year.

The beggar-like little boy sat down cautiously and he drank the whole bottle of water he was given. Watching the boy drink water, he could guess he was still hungry.

"Hey. Are you still hungry? Do you want me to make you more tonkatsu? Will you eat it?"

He went back to the kitchen after the boy's eyes became big and he nodded his head vigorously. He first fried one cutlet and handed it to the boy in a plate.

Yoon Kwang Soo watched the boy chewing the cutlet in his hand instead of cutting it up and asked,

"Hey. What's your name?"

"Jang… Jang Jun Hyuk."

The sight of the child saying his name with a mouth full of tonkatsu was even more pitiful.

"Do you want to eat more?"

Jun Hyuk nodded his head heartily as though he had been waiting for it.

Yoon Kwang Hun went to the kitchen, fried the rest of the tonkatsu, and put it on a plate. From the way he was eating, it seemed like he could eat enough for 10 people.

Jang Jun Hyuk saw the plate with more than 10 tonkatsu cutlets, and he couldn't speak. He ate and ate until he was nauseous. It was like a bear filling his stomach after a winter of hibernation.

"If you can't eat anymore, you can stop. I'll pack up the rest for you so you can eat it later."

Jun Hyuk put his fork down once he heard that he could take the rest of the food.

"Did you run away?"

"Excuse me?"

"Did you run away from home?"

"Oh, no. I don't have a home."

"What? You don't have a home? What does that mean?"

"I'm an orphan. An orphan without a home or parents."

"How old are you?"

"I'm not sure. 15? 16?"

"Did you run away from somewhere like a nursery or an orphanage?"

"I lived in an orphanage run by nuns when I was young, but I've been living on the streets since I was 5 years old."

"Why!?"

Yoon Kwang Hun was so surprised that he yelled without realizing it. Goodness! How are there still children like this? And looking at his age, it means that he's been living in the streets for 10 years… This was something that he could not begin to understand.

"Hey… mister. It just happened. Do I have to tell you everything?"

There was no need to rub salt in the wounds of a child he met today. It was just out of curiosity. Yoon Kwang Hun began to think that he had made a mistake.

"Alright. You don't have to tell me. I asked something useless."

Though it was a situation where one person had done a good deed and the other person should be thankful, there was only silence. This awkward situation disappeared because of Jun Hyuk's words.

"But mister. What is that music you just turned on?"

The speaker was already quiet. Yoon Kwang Hun hadn't even realized that the CD track had finished.

"Oh, that? That's Mahler. Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5. That was recorded when Georg Schulte used to lead the Chicago Orchestra. It's my favorite."

Jun Hyuk only blinked his eyes. There weren't any words that he could understand in Yoon Kwang Hun's explanation.

"Yes. Well… Anyway, thank you for the tonkatsu."

Yoon Kwang Hun saw Jun Hyuk rising from his seat and spoke.

"Hey. Do you want to listen to it again? From here, not from outside. From the beginning."

"Really?"

Jun Hyuk seemed like a strange boy because he smiled more brightly at that than he did when he ate until he was full as he sat back down on the sofa.

Yoon Kwang Hun put the CD in and turned the volume back up. As the music flowed out, Jang Jun Hyuk closed his eyes and listened closely. He had been sitting on the sofa tensely with a straight back, but he changed his position comfortably so that he was seated back.

When the music ended again, Jun Hyuk burst out in admiration.

"It's incredible he included that many sounds in 66 minutes and 10 seconds. It sounds much better than when I was listening from outside."

"What? What did you just say? 66 minutes?"

"No. 66 minutes and 10 seconds."

"What's 66 minutes and 10 seconds?"

"The road. The music's road. You know? How long it was playing."

Yoon Kwang Hun jumped up from his seat and looked at the CD case that he had thrown next to the CD player. It was clearly printed that the running time was 66 minutes and 8 seconds.

"You… How did you know the running time? Did you measure it on the clock?"

"What time?"

"Running time. The performance time."

"I just know it."

"You just knew it? Automatically?"

"Yes. I just knew it."

Yoon Kwang Hun couldn't believe this beggar-like teenage boy. When Zubin Mehta was leading the New York Philharmonic, there was a legend that he matched the running times exactly every time he conducted Beethoven's symphonies.

However, it may be possible because he listened to Beethoven hundreds of thousands of times to interpret it for the orchestra he was conducting. But figuring out the running time just by listening to it? Yoon Kwang Hun shook his head back and forth. It was impossible. Did it mean that there was a stopwatch or metronome embedded in his head?

Jun Hyuk's feminine face didn't show any sign that there was something strange. It didn't seem like he was lying and there was no reason for him to lie.

Yoon Kwang Hun swallowed and asked again,

"Do you by any chance remember the entire song you just heard?"

"Yes. When I was listening from outside, I wasn't sure because it wasn't clear, but I just remembered the whole song."

Yoon Kwang Hun's sight became fuzzy. Mahler's Symphony No. 5 isn't a widely known work like Beethoven's symphony Fate was. No matter how many times he had heard it, there was no way for him to memorize the whole song unless he had majored in classical music. No, among classical music majors, how many of them could have completely memorized all of the parts to a symphony? Even Yoon Kwang Hun who had listened to the song hundreds of times could only remember the melody. It wasn't even that he memorized it, but he just remembered it.

Yoon Kwang Hun asked carefully,

"Do you… want to try it? Remembering it?"

"How? There's just the sound."

"Exactly. Um… You can make the same sounds. Bam ba bam ba, or turururu… in this way."

Yoon Kwang Hun's heart beat faster and his whole body felt weak at the thought that there was an extraordinary person in front of his eyes. Jang Jun Hyuk thought for a while and eventually grimaced.

"I can't do it."

Of course not. What a ridiculous lie! Unless he was the reincarnation of Mozart, it was impossible. He didn't know why, but he relaxed and his mind found comfort.

But Jang Jun Hyuk's words that he could not do it were not the last.

"There are 106 sounds… Doesn't that mean there are 106 instruments? How can I personally make each of those sounds?"

He tensed up again at the shock and became uncomfortable again. Even more than he had been before. It felt like all the blood in his body had rushed to his head.

If this child was not lying, the reincarnation of Mozart was standing in front of him. No, he was even more impressive than Mozart. Mozart had memorized Allegri's 'Miserere Mei, Deus' after hearing it for the first time when he was 14 years old.

This song had been sealed by the Pope, so it was only performed at the Sistine Chapel. Revealing the sheet music for this song and singing it outside of the chapel was strictly forbidden, but 14 year old Mozart heard it once and wrote it perfectly.

However, that music lasted just 10 minutes. It didn't compare to this small child's ability.

"Are you saying that knowing what it means? Are you saying that you memorized all the parts in an orchestra after hearing a song once?"

"Mister… Say a random time."

"A time? What time?"

"Any time in the 66 minutes."

Yoon Kwang Hun figured out the kid's intent.

"Minute 37."

"At minute 37, there were eight sounds. From minute 33 to 41, eight instruments played. I don't really know names of instruments….."

Even classical music enthusiast Yoon Kwang Hun had no way of confirming Jun Hyuk's response because he did not have the ability to separate the sounds as such. He may be able to check if he were looking at the sheet music.

Looking at Jun Hyuk's innocent face, it was difficult to think that he was lying. Jun Hyuk bowed his head to Yoon Kwang Hun who could not recover from the shock and stood up.

"Mister. Thank you for the tonkatsu."

Jun Hyuk did not forget the plastic bag with the tonkatsu and held it tightly in his hand. Yoon Kwang Hun had the thought that he must do something, but he could not think of what it was. In the midst of his reluctance and hesitation, Jang Jun Hyuk was opening the cafe door.

"Hey, kid! What did you say your name was?"

"Jang Jun Hyuk."

"Right, Jang Jun Hyuk. If you want to eat tonkatsu, come back. I'll make it deliciously."

Jun Hyuk bowed his farewell again and left the cafe.

Yoon Kwang Hun stared blankly at the door Jang Jun Hyuk had left through for a few minutes. Once he came to his senses, he started pulling his hair.

"Ah, crap. What are you doing!"

He was cursing at himself. How could he be so stupid? No matter how shocked he was, how could he have sat here blankly while a young Mozart went out into the rain with nowhere to go?

He must find the boy. He couldn't confirm yet, but he needed to know if the boy was a diamond or a coal. Even if he was not a diamond, their fates had crossed and he could not let leave such a young child alone in this situation.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 9

TL: LightNovelCafe

Once Jun Hyuk came out of the cafe, he needed to get out of the neighborhood. If those guys caught him again, there was no way that they would let him live.

The guys he mugged a few days ago had clearly looked like good students. They wore their uniforms neatly and looking at their heavy bags, it seemed like they carried their books with them. He had followed them quietly and called the two into a quiet place. After he hit them a few times, they had obediently given him everything in their wallets. Everything was okay even as he was leaving with a few tickets to the museum and $30.

$30 was enough to suppress hunger for 10 days with two rice rolls a day from Kimbap Heaven. He could make enough to buy cup ramen if he sold the museum tickets to children at the internet cafe.

Before he made it inside the internet cafe, the students appeared with their friends, and Jun Hyuk barely managed to run away from the kids.

He had bothered the wrong people. It seemed like these kids did not even attend school. Jun Hyuk saw them looking for him near the prep schools all morning.

Since he could not go into the area with all of the prep schools, he could not even buy a triangular rice roll. When he was famished, the best place to find food was the area with all of the cafes. Because the cafe area was not downtown and they were not all placed closely next to each other, it was easy to approach them inconspicuously. There were also cafes that did not serve soups and had dry foods. Of the places that dumped all of their leftover food in a separate barrel, the ones with soups mixed with everything else had made it all impossible to eat.

Yoon Kwang Hun was one of the only people who removed liquids while throwing out the food due to his clean nature. Jun Hyuk usually went through the garbage right before the collection trucks came when the cafes were closed for the night but he could not wait this time – he had starved for days. And that was how the two had finally met.

'Let me get just $50 more and I'll leave this neighborhood.'

If he had just $50 more, he could hold out long enough to figure out the situation in a new neighborhood. Jang Jun Hyuk started walking towards the area with the prep schools again.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 10

TL: LightNovelCafe

Jun Hyuk wandered cautiously around the middle school. There were kids who roamed into the back streets after school to smoke.

Jun Hyuk's radar caught 4 schoolgirls. Two were smoking cigarettes and two were distracted by their smart phones.

"Where do you girls think you're smoking?"

Jun Hyuk turned around after he had pretended to be passing by and punched the two girls who were smoking. He then smacked the two girls who had been looking at their phones and took their phones.

He knew that he had succeeded when he saw the girls were recoiling in fear. Even without using force, Jun Hyuk's long hair, dirty and worn clothing, and odor were enough to scare the young schoolgirls.

"Hurry up and take the money out of your wallets or I'll break these phones."

As he raised the phone to smash it to the floor, the owner clumsily took her wallet out and handed it to him. The two girls who had been smoking before Jun Hyuk punched them were standing with their hands to their cheeks, unable to lift their heads.

"Damn. What are you guys doing? Hurry up and take out your money."

He kicked the two girls slumped on the floor a few times and they took out their wallets. He shoved the money from the four girls' wallets into his pocket and quickly fled out of the alley, towards the main street.

All he had in his pocket were a few dollar bills and one 5 dollar bill. Maybe it was because they were middle schoolers, but there wasn't one 10 dollar bill.

When he came out onto the main street and some boys who weren't in uniforms walking with some in uniforms looked at Jun Hyuk in surprise.

"That… that bastard… isn't he that bastard?"

Jun Hyuk recognized them as the guys who had been going around looking for him right away and ran back into the alley.

"Hey! Catch that kid!"

Jun Hyuk's heart started beating as wildly as the countless footsteps that were chasing him.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 11

TL: LightNovelCafe

"Boss, the places where kids like that go are obvious. Internet cafes, comic book cafes, or saunas. But if he's as dirty as you say he was, he probably wouldn't go to the sauna. Those kinds of kids also hang around the area with the prep schools. That way, they can mug middle school or elementary school students."

All he had to go on was information from his young employee. Yoon Kwang Hun took his employee's word and walked around the prep school area.

After wandering the area for a few days, he heard girls cry out in the direction of the main street. Teenagers were running from where the screaming had sounded.

He spied the long hair of a boy running away. Yoon Kwang Hun was sure that it was Jun Hyuk and ran after him.

"Get up kid. You didn't even get hurt that badly. Are you making a big deal out of a few scratches on your back?"

"Oh, mister."

When Jun Hyuk opened his eyes, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar room. He was disorientated at first, but quickly recalled yesterday's events.

He remembered Yoon Kwang Hun yelling at the kids beating him to stop, but they both ended up getting hit. If it can be considered fortunate, it was fortunate that the beating did not last long because an adult had interfered.

"Even if you break a bone at your age, if you eat well….."

Yoon Kwang Hun quickly stopped. Wasn't he like a stray cat, unable to eat properly? He couldn't talk about food to a child like that.

"Anyway, sleep a bit more. We'll talk later."

As he was closing the door to the tiny room, he stopped and left it wide open instead. Music accented with a compelling yet rough voice spilled through the door like sunshine coming through a window.

"Listen to the music carefully. Listen to how long it is."

"What is this?"

"Lynyrd Skynyrd. This is probably the first time you're hearing it."

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Volume 1 / Chapter 12

TL: LightNovelCafe

After a night of deep sleep, his body felt light. The only signs that something had happened were his bloated face and stiff, bandaged back.

"You're awake now? How do you feel?"

"Oh, mister. Yes… I'm okay."

"You must be hungry. Sit there and I'll make you something to eat."

Jun Hyuk sat uncomfortably in a corner of the cafe. He had only seen the boss on the first day when he ate the tonkatsu, but there were two young people cleaning and preparing the hall now. He could also see the boss making something next to the chef in the kitchen.

The two young employees cleaning the hall kept glancing over at Jun Hyuk as well. Yoon Kwang Hun came out with a plate once that attention started to become uncomfortable.

"Eat this first and ease your stomach. We'll eat more heartily for dinner."

Jun Hyuk only noticed that something was wrong with Yoon Kwang Hun's face after he had scarfed down the porridge.

"But mister. Your face?"

"Oh, this? Those high schoolers hit me a little yesterday. At any rate, I thought you would be able to fight a bit but you couldn't."

"If we fought properly, I would have won for sure. What can I do when they're all ganging up on me? I could have run away if it weren't for you but you came….."

"Hey kid! Your tone is different after being saved. Ha ha."

Jun Hyuk wanted to thank Yoon Kwang Hun who was laughing with a bruised face, but he lost his chance to show his gratefulness because of his next words because they were entirely unexpected.

"Do you want to work here?"

"Excuse me?"

"You don't have a place to go anyway. You can sleep in that small room and since this is a cafe, your meals won't be a problem."

Yoon Kwang Hun had considered taking Jun Hyuk home as well, but the cafe was better suited if he wanted to be surrounded by music at any time of the day. Yoon Kwang Hun's CD collection and the audio system he had spent thousands on were at the cafe. If Jun Hyuk even wanted to make ramen at the house, he would have to be careful of Yoon Kwang Hun, but if he were alone at the cafe, he could go into the refrigerator at any time and eat whatever he wanted.

"But what type of work?"

"Instead of dealing with the customers, preparing to open for business and cleaning the hall and kitchen after closing. That's it. What do you think?"

"So you're telling me to just prepare and clean, right?"

"That's right. Isn't it completely ideal?"

He thought Jun Hyuk would be jumping for joy at the offer of simply cleaning in exchange for food and shelter, but he had a strange expression that was neither positive nor negative. What's more, the expression did not look favorable either.

"Excuse me, mister. Tell me honestly. What do you want from me?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"There's no adult who gives out food and shelter for free. There's no such thing as free food."

His eyes were full of distrust. His lips were forming a slight smile.

Adults made a young child like this. Could it be that he had never experienced kindness and goodwill?

"That… that… Whew~."

Yoon Kwang Hun stopped talking to depress this horrible feeling. How had the world treated this 15 year old boy and what awful tribulations had he endured on his way here?

Yoon Kwang Hun had so many questions, but did not want to revisit old wounds like they had done the last time. Instead, he told Jun Hyuk what he needed to do going forward slowly and clearly.

"Listen carefully, Jun Hyuk. There are also adults who give hungry children free lunch without expecting anything in return. And it's not free, is it? I'm making you clean."

Jun Hyuk's expression was that of disbelief. No matter how hard he searched his memory, there had never been a person who treated him like this without expecting something in return. He felt Yoon Kwang Hun's sincerity in the way he was speaking clearly as if he were upset.

"But why are you being nice to me?"

"Um… let me think. How should I say it?"

Yoon Kwang Hun thought for a moment about how he could say it in a way that would help Jun Hyuk understand.

"You have a tremendous talent that you don't know about. I don't know how extensive it is either. I want to see that talent and I don't want it to disappear."

"By chance, can I hear… I mean, do I have a talent in music?"

"So far it seems so. It could be an incredible talent."

"I see."

Jun Hyuk hung his head. Yoon Kwang Hun could guess why his head was hanging and went on speaking.

"Even if you don't have a talent, let's live here together until you're an adult. I'm alone and you're alone."

Jun Hyuk finally lifted his head and thanked him.

"Thank you, mister. I'll make sure to be successful with my music and repay your kindness."

"You're embarrassing me… Forget about that. And you're not just playing around. You really have to start studying hard."

"Excuse me? Study?"

"Yea, study. You've never been to school, right?"

"No."

"So you won't know hangul?"

"No."

"Hey, it's fine. It's not something to be ashamed of. It's natural that you don't know it if you've never learned it."

Yoon Kwang Hun hit the back of Jun Hyuk's once again hanging head.

"When the cafe opens in the morning, go to your room and sleep. Sleep well and you can listen to music when you get up. We can study together after the cafe is closed. We'll learn hangul and sheet music."

"Sheet music?"

"Yea. Sheet music makes it possible to read sounds."

"Sounds?"

"Yes. It means you're recording the pitch and length of sounds. And since you don't know tones yet, you'll need to learn an instrument. You need to know the different sounds instruments make."

"Then… if I learn sheet music, I'll be able to write down the sounds I think of?"

'Exactly. This is it.'

Yoon Kwang Hun felt a shiver run through his body. There's definitely music unique to this child in his head. Yoon Kwang Hun wanted to see that music. He needed to know if this child was Mozart reincarnated or if he just had absolute pitch, a sense for tempo, and amazing memorization.

If Jun Hyuk was not talented in composition, he would need to receive professional training. Yoon Kwang Hun thought this far ahead and started to worry. How much money would this cost?

"Jun Hyuk, you can think about making music slowly. You need to listen to a lot of it before that. As you listen to a lot of music, it'll become clear how you can make the sounds that you are thinking of."

With that, Jun Hyuk started to live at the cafe.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 13

TL: LightNovelCafe

He walked through the cafe door early in the morning and the soft melody of a guitar was floating around. Jun Hyuk sat in the middle of the cafe and stirred the air with his fingers without realizing that Yoon Kwang Hun had walked in. It seemed like he was following the guitar's melody with his finger.

Yoon Kwang Hun waited until the CD track was over. When the music ended and the cafe became quiet, Jun Hyuk's eyes opened wide and he ran over to the closet packed with CDs.

"You need to stop and work, right? What are you doing instead of preparing the cafe for business?"

"Ah… Boss."

Jun Hyuk finally realized that Yoon Kwang Hun had come in and bowed to the cafe owner. Since it had been decided that he would start working, the first thing to change was the way he referred to the man. Yoon Kwang Hun also thought that it would be better for Jun Hyuk to call him that than mister so that he could gain a sense of responsibility and seriousness.

"Did you listen to music all night?"

"Yes, boss. But who is this person? Someone who plays the guitar?"

"Why? You like it? Jeff Beck. He's a British guitarist."

Jun Hyuk brought another CD and handed it to Yoon Kwang Hun.

"What about this person? This person playing the piano."

"Glenn Gould. I guess you heard Bach's Goldberg Variations. It's incredible."

Yoon Kwang Hun held the CD that Jun Hyuk handed him and smiled slightly. Jun Hyuk had fully taken his words to listen to all music without prejudice into consideration – rock, the blues, classical, etc.

"So? You haven't answered my question. You didn't sleep last night?"

"No."

"Hurry up and get the cafe ready so you can go in and sleep."

As Yoon Kwang Hun was about to drink a cup of coffee, Jun Hyuk came carefully to his side.

"Excuse me."

"Yea. What?"

"Can you teach me english before hangul? All of the music is in english. It's so frustrating to be unable to read the CDs."

[TN] hangul is korean for…well, korean.

"It isn't important who the people are. Just start by listening. Whatever it is. For now, it's important that you listen to a variety of music."

He couldn't even write properly in hangul yet. Yoon Kwang Hun was also frustrated because he could not comprehend why someone who learned music scores so easily was having such difficulty memorizing the Korean alphabet.

However, it was obvious that he had been born with his talent for musical instruments. He remembered music he heard for the first time perfectly and could identify each sound by their instrument. All that was left to work on was the skill.

When he held a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, he remembered all 22 frets, 6 series, or 132 sounds perfectly. After he memorized the chords, he didn't need to look at music scores to play any guitar performance.

Yoon Kwang Hun had purchased the Blu-Ray of a world famous guitarist because he was unable to play an instrument himself. After Jun Hyuk watched these guitarists' live performances and saw how they handled their instruments, his own skill on the guitar improved steadily.

During the first year spent at the cafe, Jun Hyuk only played the piano and guitar. He slept once he finished preparing the cafe for business and listened to music from the moment he woke up in the afternoon. Once the cafe closed at 10 at night and he was done cleaning up, he practiced the piano and guitar until morning.

Yoon Kwang Hun was able to witness Jun Hyuk's gift every day. He never once rested and even if he had practiced for 10 hours, he said that those 10 hours were short. It seemed as though he could not believe that the time had gone by so quickly.

Talent meant devoting oneself so much so that time is forgotten.

Jun Hyuk had reached the level where he could imitate anywhere from B.B. King's blues to Yngwie Malmsteen. After another year passed, he could play the piano so well that a passerby would think that he had majored in classical music.

Music scores accumulated faster than his guitar and piano skills increased. He had now moved on from listening and imitating to creating his own music. The scores ranged from short instrumentals to the 40 minute symphony that he had wrestled with for over a month before its completion. Once he finished a song, he didn't look at it again because he would write another song come tomorrow anyway.

"Jun Hyuk, what's this song? To be honest, it's a bit bothersome."

It sounded as though there was a dissonance through the introduction that was almost uncomfortable to listen to. Of course, it could also be attributed to the fact that Yoon Kwang Hun had not been properly educated and could not imagine the melodies played by all of the instruments in an orchestra. He closed the score before going through very many of the sheets. He was not sure why, but he found the discomfort and uneasiness unbearable.

"You think so? I really like it."

"It's too experimental. What is it that you were trying to express?"

"Um… was it when I was 10 years old? It was when I was begging on the streets while singing gospels… I was beaten with a belt because I hadn't brought in enough money. It was the first time I had been beaten so severely… and I passed out. The fear and pain I felt then and the frustration of not knowing when the beatings would stop? I tried remembering those feelings. I ended that song at the point where I had fainted. It doesn't seem right?"

How could he talk about such a harrowing experience with a smile on his face…..

Yoon Kwang Hun felt even more uncomfortable than when he had been looking at the music score. From what had been occasionally disclosed to him over the last two years, it seemed Jun Hyuk's street life had been more dramatic than a soap opera or a movie. He came to know that reality was more miserable and gruesome than an author could put into expression.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 14

TL: LightNovelCafe

Piano lessons were what Yoon Kwang Hun had hesitated most on. In popular music, it was possible to succeed as a self-taught guitarist, but pianists in the classical world received systematic lessons under tremendous maestros.

Honestly, he had not wanted to leave Jun Hyuk with some random professor from a Korean university, but he also did not have the means to get Jun Hyuk lessons from a highly reputable pianist.

However, Jun Hyuk himself made these worries go away.

He couldn't stop the tears when Jun Hyuk played Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto. He had delivered a real pianist's performance with a personal and emotional interpretation of the music rather than that of someone who plays robotically from the score.

It was evident that he was short on practice with frequently missed notes, and he did not show the techniques that would have been developed with formal lessons.

'Should I just hire a piano teacher?'

Yoon Kwang Hun did not have the connections in Korea to find a decent college professor, so he started searching for a pianist who had studied abroad and was making a living on tutoring.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 15

TL: LightNovelCafe

Go Sae Won went to France at age 23 and traveled Europe learning to play piano for 15 years – even taking part in the Poland Chopin Competition. He had not earned a high score, but he had received enthusiastic applause from the youth.

Though he started at a much later age than the gifted pianists who had started at age 3 and 5, there was a greater passion in his music that was in the music of the young geniuses.

As a graduate of a university in the countryside, there was no place for him in his homeland. Unless he had been extremely successful in Europe, he could only be undervalued and spurned as he lacked the proper connections.

He knew as soon as he heard Jang Jun Hyuk's piano, that his pride, passion, and efforts so far were really nothing.

Go Sae Won spoke after he heard Jun Hyuk play Chopin's 'Farewell' and was so touched that his hands were shaking.

"Has… Has it really only been two years since you started playing piano?"

"Yes."

Chopin himself had said that he could never produce another melody as beautiful as that of 'Farewell,' a song capturing his feelings for his homeland, Poland. Jun Hyuk expressed Chopin's longing for his country and his loneliness effortlessly.

"But why have you brought this child to me?"

"I brought him so that he might receive lessons from you. If you can see talent in him to teach…"

"Teach? Talent? What can you teach a child like that? It has only been two years since he started playing the piano by himself and he can digest Chopin. I'm saying there will be less than ten people on this Earth who have the qualifications to teach that boy."

"Ten people? You lower our Jun Hyuk too much. Ha ha."

Yoon Kwang Hun must have liked Go Sae Won's evaluation, because he laughed brightly and showed his relaxed state of mind.

"This man really! Are you playing games with me?"

"I meant it as a joke… I apologize if you were offended. It is the truth that I came here to ask you to give Jun Hyuk lessons."

"What lessons? A few minor mistakes and bad habits? Lessons from me to fix those? You can ask a college student majoring in piano for that. He already knows all of the really important things… I have nothing to teach him."

Go Sae Won's words were sincere. He had nothing to teach Jun Hyuk, a pianist who could interpret music's message and deliver it with emotion.

"Even with a diamond in the rough, don't you have to buff and clean it to get to the light and have it reborn as a jewel? I am asking you for that."

Go Sae Won had the thought that becoming Jang Jun Hyuk's first teacher and being the person to lay down his foundation might be considered one of his musical achievements later.

That was when Jun Hyuk started to learn the basics twice a week at Go Sae Won's house.

Just how far will Jun Hyuk go?

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Volume 1 / Chapter 16

TL: LightNovelCafe

The only thing Yoon Kwang Hun taught now was english. His goal was for there to be no difficulty in Jun Hyuk's ability to communicate in english. In exchange, Jun Hyuk paid Yoon Kwang Hun with something much greater everyday.

He had the privilege to be the first to appreciate the new music that he made and the first to listen to his piano and guitar performances. Jun Hyuk played rock music for him when he was drinking beer and jazz when he was drinking wine.

Jun Hyuk started listening to other maestros' music less and less. Instead, he spent more time making his own music.

Also, it had already been a year since Yoon Kwang Hun changed his business from a place for washed out pop singers performing live to a music cafe. This was the cafe he had originally envisioned. One with music, coffee, and wine. And finally the profits slowly started rolling in. But that was also on due to Jun Hyuk.

Jun Hyuk played the piano for one hour every day at the cafe and the customers' reactions were better than expected. He was not performing played out classical music, but remade pop songs that the customers liked. Not only that, but he improvised the music to the customers' requests of ballads as jazz, trot, and blues.

When rumors spread that there was a young and handsome pianist performing at the cafe, the customer base that used to be women in their 40s became women in their 30s, after which even young customers in their 20s started to come.

Jun Hyuk looked like an adult over 20 with his tall height and long curly hair. The customers sighed in regret when they were told that he was only 17 years old, but they remained as regular patrons.

Jun Hyuk's name started to float around the internet as the Kang Dong Won of Misari.

[TN: Kang Dong Won – Famous korean actor

Once customers started uploading videos of Jun Hyuk playing the piano on blogs and YouTube, even high school girls started to come to the cafe and Yoon Kwang Hun was forced to put up a sign forbidding entry to minors.

As the views on the videos went up, more customers came to visit the cafe, and entertainment agencies eventually started to approach them. They didn't care for Jun Hyuk's piano playing. They had come to see his long arms and legs, and his small and handsome face – something that would sell to the general public.

"Sir, I would like to introduce myself."

The same words always followed after the business cards.

"Can I meet the pianist?"

When the people from the entertainment agencies saw Jun Hyuk in his t-shirt and jeans, they burst out in admiration.

"Wow… Even his look is enough."

"Goodness. He would look so cool next to Kang Dong Won."

Jun Hyuk's height was not noticeable in the videos. He had gone through a growth spurt over the past two years – aided by the fact that Yoon Kwang Hun always made sure that he was fed. It was obvious that they were interested in Jun Hyuk.

"There's an idol band that our company is trying to debut. We were thinking of a 5-member group and if Jun Hyuk were to join, it would be a huge success. He does look a little older though."

"Excuse me. He's still a minor."

"A minor? How old is he?"

"17."

"Really? He looks like he could be 20. Even better. For idol singers these days, 20 is a bit old."

Entertainment agencies only liked the children to be younger because the 20 year olds were not unconditionally obedient.

"Okay, so what genre is that new group you're making? Hip hop? Electronic?"

"Mostly hip hop, but they do a little bit of everything. If he joins, I can see them singing a ballad with him on the piano."

These guys did not have an ear for music. They might as well be deaf. They were spewing garbage after hearing the instrumental that Jun Hyuk had just improvised of Kim Kwang Suk's song.

The nerve of them to suggest being a pretty idol singer to a young genius who is to be lauded as the Beethoven or Mozart of the 21st century.

"But there is one problem."

"Yes. What is it?"

"As you can see, our Jun Hyuk's piano ability is at a high level, but he cannot sing."

"Gosh, it would be a scam if he could sing with that face. Don't worry about it. There is already a main vocal, so there won't be any problem."

"I understand. I'll think about it and let you know."

Yoon Kwang Hun mollified the agency employees as though they were children. He did not reject them on the spot for fear they would come back and bother him. Since then, a few more entertainment agencies came with the same praises and promises of stardom and left.

There were entertainment agencies at different levels of course. For the past few days, it seemed as though there had been a new regular but a man most likely in his thirties came looking for Yoon Kwang Hun.

"Hello. I am Choi Jang Hyuk of SN Entertainment."

The title on his business card was that of Producer.

"I have been listening to this boy's piano performances for the past few days. Is he by chance receiving a formal education?"

"No, he is self-taught. He is receiving lessons these days to learn the basics of piano, though."

"That's impressive. I mean, that he can improvise any song regardless of its genre."

Choi Jang Hyuk could not hide his surprise, but Yoon Kwang Hun was more surprised by the SN written on the business card.

"If you say SN, do you mean the SN that we know?"

"Ha ha. Yes. There's only one SN."

[TN: SN Entertainment is one of the biggest entertainment companies in korea.

"Are you trying to make Jun Hyuk an idol singer?"

"No. I haven't seen him sing… In our company, singing ability is the minimum requirement. If he hasn't received formal training, that means he's 100% talent… With this talent, he's a genius."

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that it was the best in the country. It was a company with someone who could recognize talent at first glance. Only, they did not know the depth of that talent.

"So the thing is, we would like to train Jun Hyuk. What do you think?"

"Train him?"

"Yes. Actually, idol singers and girl bands are not the real mainstay of our company. It's because we have a lot of distinguished composers, arrangers, and producers. We would like to train Jun Hyuk as a producer. Of course we'll teach him composition as well."

Who are they saying is teaching who? What expression would they have if they saw the songs Jun Hyuk had written so far? He wanted to show Jun Hyuk's symphonies to these composers who wrote 3 minute hook songs filled with sound effects created by machines.

"Thank you for the thought, but I would like to let him live freely for now. He has plenty of time to learn as he's only 17 years old."

"17? Is that true? I thought he was at least 20."

"I know. He's grown so much over the last two years."

SN Producer Choi Jang Hyuk seemed lost in his thoughts for a moment and did not speak. Once he opened his mouth, his words were entirely unforeseen.

"What if we do this? We'll write a recommendation so Jun Hyuk can enroll in university for music. Of course we'll pay his full tuition. He can come work for our company after."

A long-term investment? The prejudices Yoon Kwang Hun had held against entertainment agencies all came crashing down. He had perceived them as people who took young children who were attractive and forced them to make money.

"Thank you for the offer. I don't want to decide Jun Hyuk's future just yet. I plan on letting him live freely. If our fates cross again, I'm sure something will work out."

Most parents in Korea would be so grateful they would be speechless if SN offered to train their child, but this man was very different. Choi Jang Hyuk had thought of Yoon Kwang Hun as a simple cafe owner, but he was surprised by the unexpected reaction he was receiving.

"I see. That's a good idea. Anyway, I'll leave my business card with you. Please contact me if you need me. I'll come at any time."

What will Jun Hyun's fate be??

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Volume 1 / Chapter 17

TL: LightNovelCafe

Bothersome entertainment agencies gradually stopped coming, and women who claimed they wrote for broadcast stations began to visit the cafe.

"Hello, sir. I'm Kim Ji Young, I'm a writer for channel MV."

"Oh, yes."

"May I meet this internet star pianist?"

"Why are you asking for him?"

Yoon Kwang Hun had the passing thought that she wanted to make some gossip show using Jun Hyuk's handsome face.

"Have you by chance heard of a program called 'Tomorrow's Star'?" It's very famous. Ho ho."

"Are you talking about the audition show?"

"Yes, that's the program. This is its fifth year, fifth season. We will be accepting contestant applications soon."

"And?"

"The pianist… Right, what's his name?"

"It's Jun Hyuk."

"Yes, we were wondering if Jun Hyuk would participate."

"No. We aren't really interested in auditioning….."

"No, don't think about it that way."

"That's not it. Our Jun Hyuk cannot sing."

"Oh, is that true?"

Three of these writers did not show disappointment that Jun Hyuk could not sing. It was as if they had no interest in his singing.

So what exactly did they want?

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Volume 1 / Chapter 18

TL: LightNovelCafe

"Did you find some good kids?"

The 'Tomorrow's Star" crew was scouring the internet in search of performers who could become topics of conversation this season. They interviewed people who had potential to catch interest to see if there was a story to tell. If the growth story and singing skill surpassed expectations, they extended an invitation to audition.

It was enough if there was even a minute story. The writers could blow up that story so it would be suitable to air on the program.

Season 2 of 'Tomorrow's Star" had hit jackpot.

The winner of season 2, Heo Jun of Kyeonggi-do, Bucheon dreamt of being a singer while making a scanty living cleaning windows of large buildings. Short, chubby, and in no way considered attractive, he came out on top on singing ability alone and won $200,000.

The dramatic reversal story was that he was competing against 2nd place James Park, a 2nd generation Korean American.

2nd place James Park was the son of a successful businessman in America, at the time attending a prestigious university, and very handsome.

Up to this point was the reversal story that aired on broadcast. The reality?

1st place Heo Jun had an affiliated agency before his appearance on the program. The agency was small and only had a couple singers specializing in event performances. Heo Jun's main source of income came from the money earned for singing at local events. Of course the pay was not generous.

Washing windows had been just one of the many part time jobs he had taken when he did not have many performances lined up. The writers were the ones who had inflated it to create a reversal story.

He was a good enough singer to be in 1st place. Once they were down to the top 3 contestants however, any one of them could have been the winner without question.

1st place was ultimately an issue of contract conditions. Who laid out the conditions more favorable to the broadcasting station? This was the decisive factor in determining 1st place.

Heo Jun's company forfeited most of his profits to take this once-in-a-lifetime chance. When he debuted his first album, it blew up on the three main channels, cable music channels, and digital charts, also taking 1st place on all 3 main music programs.

Of course the broadcasting station took most of the profits that came from this. Only in principle was the $200,000 prize money a predecessor to the revenue the singer would make from selling his debut album.

These contract terms are never revealed to the viewers.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 19

TL: LightNovelCafe

"Senior, take a look at this."

"What is it?"

"There's a boy who isn't very famous, but is steadily gaining popularity. He's called the pianist of Misari….."

"Misari? Ha ha. He better not be an old man."

The junior writer pushed her laptop over.

"What do you think?"

"Ha ha! What is this guy? Is he Won Bin's little brother?"

[TN] Won Bin is an actor in Korea – famous for his good looks

The main writer of 'Tomorrow's Star' watched the 5 minute video to the very end and pat the junior writer's head.

"Our junior hit something big. Ho ho."

"What do you think of the piano? I don't know much about that."

"Why weigh on it? He's playing classical music. With that face, he could play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' and it would be okay."

The writers felt as though they had caught the biggest fish of the year. Without delay, they went to the cafe.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 20

TL: LightNovelCafe

Upon hearing Yoon Kwang Hun's response that Jun Hyuk could not sing, the writers held an impromptu meeting in the corner.

"Won't he be okay until the team mission?"

"Exactly. He won't make it to the top 10, but shouldn't we have enough to air about him before them?

"Exactly! If he just goes on broadcast, he'll be more popular than the top 10. We'll have to push his story as much as possible before the main missions and change the direction later to that of a pianist."

"Pianist?"

"These girls! You need to think a little. Once the program ends, we can make him go on variety shows and the game's over when he plays the piano. Entertainment agencies will come flooding in to pick him up. They probably won't give the winner a second look."

The broadcast writers did not pay attention to Yoon Kwang Hun and spoke amongst themselves excitedly.

"Excuse me… "

"Yes? Oh, sorry. We were chatting too much on our own, right?"

"Sorry, but most of the agencies have already come with scouting offers."

"Yes, we know. We figured it would be so. But if he gets popular on our show, the contract conditions change."

"Contract conditions?"

"Yes. To start, you wouldn't have to pay the advance fee."

"Advance fee?"

"Oh, you don't know about this stuff. A scouting offer doesn't mean that they'll just debut the child."

As soon as Yoon Kwang Hun showed interest, the main writer took the opportunity and started explaining in detail.

"These days, it takes 5 to 7 years to debut an idol group. The costs alone come out to at least $500,000. When there are a lot of members, it'll reach over $1 million. So they take about $40,000 to $50,000 per person.

"I heard people like that who take money from the kids are scammers. That proper companies don't demand any money….."

All of the writers burst out in laughter at Yoon Kwang Hun's words.

"No, all agencies are the same. The fees for vocal training and dance lessons alone are incredible. And how much are the costs for creating and marketing a debut album? Even after they debut, it's not like they start making money right away."

"Among girl groups awaiting their debuts, there are even girls whose parents have invested $10,000 to $20,000 to have them placed in their groups."

"Only the main member of the group won't have to pay the company. Instead, she'll basically be under a slave contract."

Looking at Yoon Kwang Hun sitting silently with his eyes wide open, the main writer thought that her plan had succeeded.

"So if he goes on our show and presents himself well, you won't have to pay the advance fee and he can skip years of training."

She emphasized that it would not cost him anything, but Yoon Kwang Hun's expression went back to that of apathy.

"I see. Anyway, I understand. I'll talk to Jun Hyuk and get back in contact, but don't hold your expectations. Jun Hyuk doesn't have intentions to become a star or an idol singer."

The writers had to leave without interviewing Jun Hyuk.

Do you think Yoon Kwang Hun fell for the agency lady's lies?

Stay tuned….

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Volume 1 / Chapter 21

TL: LightNovelCafe

When the writers left, Jun Hyuk slowly approached Yoon Kwang Hun.

"Boss."

"Yea. What?"

"Should… should I go out on that show?"

"What? What show?"

"The audition program. 'Tomorrow's Star'."

"Why? Why would you go on that?"

"From what I heard, the prize money is $500,000?"

Did he want the $500,000 prize money? Jun Hyuk had not revealed any concerns regarding money so far. It seemed like he had only been thinking of music, but had he been hiding it all this time?

Yoon Kwang Hun was slightly taken aback by this unfamiliar aspect of Jun Hyuk.

"But that show picks singers. You need to sing… Do you sing well? To think about it, I've never heard you sing."

"I don't need to sing. The piano or guitar is enough, don't you think?"

"Without singing? I'm pretty sure that won't do. Ha ha."

"Geez. You still don't know me? You know how these ladies wet themselves over my piano performances."

"This kid. Talking like that again… Didn't I tell you to watch the way you speak? People care a lot about manners in the classical world. You can't reach the top anyway. Didn't you hear those women earlier? They're only putting you on the air until they reach the top 10. The prize money goes to the person in 1st place."

At the words that only the 1st place winner receives prize money, Jun Hyuk stopped talking. Yoon Kwang Hun started to wonder about Jun Hyuk's intentions. It seemed that to this day, he had only looked at Jun Hyuk through his musical talent. Only now 17 years old, it was an age to have a lot of interest in stars and celebrities, but he had forgotten because of the music.

"Jun Hyuk. What do you think? Do you want to become an idol singer?"

"I don't care. I'm okay with anything as long as I can make music."

"Okay. I'll make it so that you can dedicate yourself to music in the best environment. Just wait a little."

"Excuse me? No, it's okay. I think that this right now is the best environment."

Jun Hyuk wavered for a moment and started to say what had been on his heart.

"You changed the piano, drum set, electric guitar, everything to the best for me. Haven't you spent more than $100,000?

"What are you talking about? No, that's not it. What money do I have?"

"I know hangul and english now. I looked it all up. Everything. It was all really expensive."

"So? Are you trying to go on the audition show to make back the money for the instruments?"

"There's that and….."

From the way his words trailed off, it was evident that he wanted to give the audition a try. He must have wanted to see how he was compared to other people's music and talent. Yoon Kwang Hun also thought that it would not be a bad idea for Jun Hyuk to meet children with musical talents that differed from his own.

"Then watch the last season. If you still want to go on it after you watch it, go. I'm sure it'll be fine. It's an experience."

There was something that Jun Hyuk did not know. An orphan abandoned by his parents as soon as he was born. A pitiful child who had lived on the streets since the age of 5 and who had suffered all types of jarring experiences. Also as attractive as an actor and possessing innate musicality.

The broadcasting station and public would not pay attention to Jun Hyuk's music, but concentrate more on his intriguing story.

It was worrisome that this might hurt him.

What will happen to Jun Hyuk now?

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Volume 1 / Chapter 22

TL: LightNovelCafe

The broadcasting station received over a million application video clips, but the number of people who actually qualified was under 1%.

Of this already small number, it was the ones who were already known on the internet or known by word of mouth that had the most spots on the list. The anonymous applicants were just checked casually to see if they had anything unique in their resumes and weren't really given too much attention. They started by choosing the applicants with unusual histories or funny videos. Because this was entertainment. More than talent, it was important to find something they could sell.

After filtering through the 1st round, thousands of applicants went to the gymnasium or auditorium in their respective areas. These locations were filled with booths set up for each applicant to show off their talents and try to make it to the next round. The broadcasting station's goal was to find qualifying participants in each area who were cool, admirable, or funny. Search for any real musical talent or ability was a farce. If it could sell, they wanted it – whether they could sing, dance, perform, or not.

On the day of the preliminary area qualifier, Jun Hyuk went to the auditorium with his acoustic guitar. When he arrived, the young writer he met last time came running out.

"Welcome Jun Hyuk. Come this way."

It was obvious he was drooling at the marketable young boy.

In the waiting room the young writer led him to the main writer, Production Chief ,Kim Ki Sik and a well-dressed middle-aged woman who looked as though she had made countless men cry in her youth. The two had been holding a meeting.

"Producer Kim, this is the piano genius we told you about. This is Jang Jun Hyuk."

Producer Kim Ki Shik was already at a loss for words. He could not take his eyes from the long curly hair, tall height, and well proportioned body. Now this. This is he could sell. This would bring viewers!

"It's nice to meet you. I'm the producer in charge of 'Tomorrow's Star'."

"Yes."

Jun Hyuk awkwardly shook Producer Kim Ki Shik's hand lightly and let go.

"We have great expectations for you because you most definitely stand out. Anyway, we're going to make you and the top 10 the main focus until Star Week. Of course the top 10 varies, but the candidates we predict usually make it into the top 10."

Jun Hyuk seemed to be half-listening, but Producer Kim kept chatting.

"Since you can't sing, becoming one of the finalists will be difficult. This program does run on singing."

Jun Hyuk only nodded his head. A person's voice was just another instrument, but he could not understand why they made such a differentiation. Songs with lyrics just had text that made it easier to deliver. Ultimately, it was just a relaying of emotion and this could be fully accomplished with a melody from an instrument.

"And since you don't speak very much, what do you think of going with a chic concept?"

"Chic?"

"Meaning when you're going through screening and when you're with the other contestants, you act indifferent and a little annoyed. Maybe even a little snobby?"

The writer next to him pitched in,

"With your image, you have to act a little snobby to look more attractive. We should go with a rebellious image and not that of the kind protagonist in a romantic cartoon."

Jun Hyuk had no idea what these people were talking about. It wasn't like they were filming a soap opera, but what was all of this with concept and protagonist?

"Jun Hyuk is naturally chic. You won't have to worry about it. Jun Hyuk, just be yourself."

The young writer sensed Jun Hyuk's discomfort and spoke up again.

"But why the guitar? Aren't you playing the piano today?"

Producer Kim had already placed a grand piano in the screening room, but there was a guitar case hanging from Jun Hyuk's back.

"No, I'm going to play the guitar today."

Producer Kim could not hide his inconvenience. He had already imagined him playing the piano, and a guitar did not have as much impact.

He did look forward to the expectation that Jun Hyuk would sing since he brought out an acoustic guitar.

"What's the song you prepared for today?"

"I haven't thought about it yet….."

"What? Didn't you bring the guitar to sing a song?"

"No."

Producer Kim thought that it was an error in judgment to hang their expectations on a kid like this who did whatever he wanted. He even had the thought that with one mistake, they might have to edit out all of Jun Hyuk's air time.

All that was remaining was to see how they could sell his looks.

After sending Jun Hyuk from the room, the middle-aged woman who had been silent turned towards Producer Kim.

"Producer Kim. Now that I look at you, you have an eye for seeing talent. How did you find him?"

"Our youngest writer found him. What do you think? You think he'll be any good?"

"Any good? You've hit jackpot. Great, our XOR will sponsor on the condition that he makes it into Star Week no matter what."

The Marketing Director of Korea's representative casual brand XOR was already thinking of how to use Jun Hyuk as the model for their new line.

"Oh, Director. How can I decide that? There are other kids who can be used so…"

"Are you crazy? We just found a kid who could stand on the runway now and you want me to use something recycled?"

In contrast with the smiling Producer Kim Ki Sik, she held a straight face and waved her hand as if he said something ludicrous.

"Let's do it like this, Producer Kim."

"Yes, Director."

"If you don't think that child can make it to Star Week, pass him over to us now."

"Excuse me?"

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to make him our exclusive model altogether. He'll need to have talent as a model of course."

"So you want to have priority over him?"

"Exactly."

"Then the sponsorship?"

"If that boy signs a contract with us, we'll go through with the sponsorship. How does that sound?"

Jun Hyuk's opinions were unimportant. No teenager in Korea would turn down this opportunity to be made into a model or celebrity.

"As is expected of you, Director. I'll arrange for a meeting with the legal team."

Producer Kim Ki Sik gave her a thumbs up.

But Jun Hyuk was not other kids. How would he react to this new idea?

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Volume 1 / Chapter 23

TL: LightNovelCafe

The waiting room was full of tension and anxiety pumping from the hundreds of applicants. As Jang Jun Hyuk walked in, all eyes turned to him. The female candidates' wonder and male candidates' jealousy could all be felt at once.

The attention paid to Jun Hyuk only lasted a moment, and everyone went back to practicing for the audition.

Jun Hyuk plopped down on an empty chair and started tuning his acoustic guitar. Once he was finished tuning the guitar, he had nothing left to do. Naturally, the sounds nearby came into his ears.

"What's with that bastard?"

"You can't tell by looking at him? Some entertainment agency sent him. He must be a member of some idol group preparing to debut. They just sent out the best looking kid to gain attention."

Jun Hyuk heard the two teenagers complaining because of the song they had just been singing.

It seemed like a self-written song. Jun Hyuk heard the rap for the first time and because the beat was alive, his ears had tuned to it.

Jun Hyuk put a finger on his guitar, and started playing the rap he just heard very quietly. No one paid him any attention because it was a simple rhythm, but the two boys reacted differently.

They were astonished that this annoying kid was playing their original song on his guitar.

The simple melody and rhythm went on for about 2 minutes and when they could no longer hear it, the two boys' expressions changed from surprise to embarrassment. It had clearly sounded like their song, but the second half of the song was completely different.

"By chance, is the song you just played on the guitar our song?"

The two approached Jun Hyuk to check and he nodded nonchalantly.

"It seemed a little different… was it not?"

"Isn't this better? I changed it a little because it sounded a bit flat."

"No, no. You're right. It sounded way better….."

Jun Hyuk chuckled at the two boys stuttering in surprise.

"Can we ask you to play that again?"

The two rappers asked cautiously and Jun Hyuk held his guitar again.

"The beat is too fast. I lowered the BPM to 130, so try to match that."

Jun Hyuk played the guitar with a percussion rhythm and the two rappers matched it, murmuring.

Jun Hyuk stopped playing all of a sudden and spoke,

"There isn't much time, so just do it as if this were the real evaluation."

As the music started again, the two boys rapped freely. After repeating it two, then three times, they fully memorized the beat and could not stop smiling at Jun Hyuk, forgetting that they had been complaining about him.

"Excuse me… Would we be able to…"

After the two rappers learned the beat Jun Hyuk altered for them, they had trouble speaking and hesitated. Jun Hyuk saw this and smiled as he spoke.

"It's okay. If you like this, you can use it."

They bowed to Jun Hyuk and hurried off.

The person who was most surprised was not the rapper, but the VJ in charge of Jun Hyuk. The general producer had given him a special order to stick to Jun Hyuk.

He took his camera and ran to Producer Kim Ki Sik.

"Excuse me, Producer. Will you take a look at this?"

Producer Kim saw the tape and moaned with delight.

"Wow! This kid is a total catch."

"Right? This is….."

"And he's no joke on the guitar. That rhythm… You're saying he heard those rappers practicing for a moment and made this, right?"

"Yes. I couldn't even really hear those rappers practicing."

The regret he felt when he saw the guitar instead of the piano had already disappeared. He only just remembered Jun Hyuk's improvisation skill on the piano as it had been shrouded by his handsome face. This boy might be beyond his imagination.

"If you see something good like this while you're filming, come show me right away as you did now. We need to get interviews."

Producer Kim Ki Sik ran to the judges' waiting room with the videos of Jun Hyuk playing the piano at the cafe and the clip he just saw. Lee Sung Chul (who was recognized as the best vocalist in Korea, a former girl group member (who had be a popularity zenith about 10 years ago), and a successful composer (who would not be recognized by the average person) were chatting in the waiting room.

Immediately after they watched the tape that Producer Kim showed them, the composer snapped his fingers and said,

"He learned classical music."

"Classical?"

"Yes, you can tell by his hands. All 10 fingers are stuck to the keyboard. This is difficult without training. He has for sure received lessons to fix his bad habits."

Producer Kim handed over a couple sheets of paper.

"This is this kid's story. He's only 17 years old and it's as though he's filmed a full-blown soap opera."

Lee Sung Chul looked over Jun Hyuk's whole story and spoke,

"But why this song?"

"Unfortunately, he can't sing."

Lee Sung Chul threw the paper he was holding.

"Then it's the end. What is he going to do without singing?"

"That's why we were just thinking of taking him to Star Week. And from the guitar he brought with him, it seems like he might be thinking of singing an easy song….."

"So? You're asking us to give him leeway?"

"Yes. Ha ha."

Unlike the disdainful Lee Sung Chul, the composer showed interest.

"It's a remarkable talent if he could improvise this rap after hearing it from afar… Why did this kid come out on this program? If he just studies for a few more years, he could become one of the best composers or arrangers."

"It would be a waste to hide this face in a studio. He would be able to debut as an idol singer right away with just a little preparation. Add the piano to that, and he's all set to go out on professional broadcasts. Don't you think that's what he's going after?"

With the female singer's driving words, they settled the preliminaries.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 24

TL: LightNovelCafe

When it was his turn, Jun Hyuk went into the temporary studio that had been turned into the panel room. The only face he knew amongst the judges was that of Lee Sung Chul.

"Hi Jang Jun Hyuk. It says here that you're 17 years old."

"Hm… It says that you're an orphan in your introduction… and that you've never attended school?"

"Yes."

The female singer took over Lee Sung Chul's questioning,

"Does that mean you're living in an institution now?"

"No. I work and live at a cafe."

"Cafe?"

"Yes. There's a cafe in Misari."

The female singer already looked ready to spill tears with a pitiful expression and only needed to hear a bit more of this sad story to do so.

"It says here that you wandered the streets after you got lost at age 5….."

Jun Hyuk stared blankly at the female singer. She continued to speak because she thought that they had not understood each other.

"Tell us how you lived while on the streets…"

"Excuse me."

"Yes."

The camera had already closed in on Jun Hyuk's face and the mic had been lowered to catch his wretched and sad childhood story.

"Isn't this a place where we're judged by our music? Why are you asking me about my past?"

Everyone in the room froze. The three judges and the production crew could only blink while the audition contestants sat with their jaws dropped.

All of their expressions were saying the same thing.

How could he be so daring in front of the judges?

Only the producer in charge of the program balled up his fists.

'That's right. This is it. This is what we need. Something new. Fresh. Spunky!'

There had been no need to request a chic personality from him. He was naturally chic, though he was not sure if it was due to his looks, music, or rough childhood.

Unlike the other children who suffered under the pressure, he had made everyone nervous within 5 minutes.

The female singer was speechless at Jun Hyuk's bold retort and so veteran Lee Sung Chul took the mic.

"That's right, music is everything. I am expecting your talent to be as great as you are bold."

Brother, drag it out a big longer.

The producer's desperate request came through the earphones, but Lee Sung Chul ignored it entirely. He had seen countless children who mistakenly believed that they had a great talent. He thought that things like this kids' attractive looks, advanced piano skill, and mediocre arranging skills had made him arrogant.

It was necessary to judge these types of kids ruthlessly so that they would look back at themselves and try harder. Though of course there were many kids who could not even do that.

Lee Sung Chul readied himself to give criticism and invective.

"Judging by the guitar you brought, it seems like you'll be singing a folk song… Okay, what song did you prepare?"

"Jung Tae Chun's 'Poet's Town'."

Upon hearing the name Jung Tae Joon, the 3 judges and the young contestants watching the waiting room monitor began to murmur.

"Jung Tae Chun?"

"Who's Jung Tae Chun?"

"I don't know."

Even in the studio, there were not very many people who remembered Jung Tae Chun. Lee Sung Chul and the composer were the only people to remember Jung Tae Joon's lyricism that had stirred up the 70s.

Producer Kim pushed the staff urgently,

"Look it up quickly. What year is this song from?"

"It was released in 1978."

As soon as the staff searched the song's history on the internet, the producer quickly spoke into the mic,

"Brother, it's from 1978."

Lee Sung Chul who had heard the information via the earphone needed to provide lip service to the viewers.

"Was it 1978 for Jung Tae Chun's 'Poet's Town'? I think it was released around then… A teenager singing a song that's almost 40 years old? Wow."

The composer continued with Lee Sung Chul's light banter,

"Will you be able to capture the emotion of a song that was created more than 20 years before you were born and is 10 years before your generation? We look forward to it."

Jun Hyuk started playing the guitar after placing it on his lap and breathing in gently.

Everyone's expressions were full of expectation as the soft guitar prelude came out. Could this teenager remake this song that only their parents' generation could know? How would he express Jung Tae Chun's heavy tone of longing? This kid's voice did not have the suited huskiness to it yet.

However, everyone's expectations collapsed.

As the 10-second prelude ended, the suspense-filled judges became bemused. Instead of singing the lyrics 'Open the window hm – and look out,' his 10 fingers started dancing smoothly on the guitar strings.

For the 4 minutes following, there was no voice to be heard and only the melody of the acoustic guitar. When the last of the steady fingering came to an end, the only sound in the studio was the rustling of Jun Hyuk placing his guitar back in its case.

While the three judges sat blankly unable to speak, the producer could be heard shouting urgently through the earphones,

"What are you all doing? You have to talk!"

The first person to speak was the female singer.

"Isn't there someone on the internet who plays the guitar similarly? Jung Sung Hwa? It sounded to be at that level."

"We're very different."

"Excuse me?"

"I said that we're very different."

The singer could not speak, baffled by Jun Hyuk's snappy replies, and the composer took the mic,

"It is the finger style, but you put in a lot of sliding."

"Yes."

"I also get a much rougher sense… I think it would have been better to play this on an electric guitar."

Jun Hyuk formed a small smile as though he appreciated that there was a person who could hear properly.

"First off, the guitar technique is top level. Most teenagers concentrate on playing the faster components, but Jun Hyuk focused on saving the sentiment of the music. We could say that you were gifted as a guitarist. It was a good performance."

Lee Sung Chul was the last to speak after the composer's commentary ended.

"Performing an instrumental is taking a great risk. You are starting with a limitation by forfeiting the delivery provided by lyrics and relying solely on the sound of the instrument. Why did you choose to do an instrumental when it's such a disadvantage?"

"Because I handle the guitar much better than my voice."

"You're saying you play the guitar better than you sing?"

"Basically.'

The producer discovered the smile that had momentarily appeared on the monitor.

'That kid. He's being cocky. To the judges and the evaluation.'

He pressed the switch on the mic and yelled,

"Brother, push him more. We need to get a full idea of how cheeky he can be."

"It isn't that you can't sing?"

"A classic guitarist can perform for an hour merely with a guitar, but there is no vocalist who can sing for an hour without accompanying music. There needs to be a piano playing at the bare minimum because the human voice is an imperfect instrument."

Lee Sung Chul, who had proudly been lauded as the best vocalist throughout his entire life, was left speechless.

"John Lennon's music can be considered masterpieces, but John Lennon doesn't sing so well that he gives people goosebumps, does he?"

He had never heard of such insolence. How could a teenager like this pass judgment on John Lennon?

Lee Sung Chul however showed a completely different reaction to Jun Hyuk's assessment of John Lennon because they were the exact words that he had said on air.

"That's right. Anyone who wants to make music needs to have his own set of standards. I would like to hear another guitar performance from you, except on the premise that you play in a wholly different style. What do you think? If you pass this round, can you show us a completely different performance?"

"I can play the 'Poet's Town I just played in a different style right now. Do you want to hear it?"

"Producer Lee, let's stop for a second."

Lee Sung Chul asked to stop recording at Jun Hyuk's provocative actions. The monitor that the contestants were watching as well as the mic were turned off.

"Wow. That bastard is trouble, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Arrogance to that extent is an illness."

Producer Kim Ki Sik who had been watching the stunned contestants outside came running in.

"Alright. Let's hear it. Let's see how good you are. Go ahead and play it."

At Lee Sung Chul's order, Jun Hyuk pulled out his guitar and started playing again.

Lee Sung Chul and the other judges, the producer and staff did not realize that 30 minutes had passed until after they had heard eight different versions of 'Poet's Town'.

The composer was the most astonished. He did not have the confidence to create eight completely different versions of a song even if he were given a month's time.

This child however, accomplished this difficult task impromptu. Moreover, without modifying once. Even if he had anticipated this situation and come prepared, each song was impressive.

Lee Sung Chul wanted to work with Jun Hyuk as an arranger for his next album, the composer wanted to see his ability to create music, and Producer Kim had the feeling that he had caught the biggest fish of the season.

Jun Hyuk found them inadequate as they were showing such excitement and surprise over such a simple and easy feat.

What is going on?!

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Volume 1 / Chapter 25

TL: LightNovelCafe

"Shouldn't we get the contract in advance?"

"We need to. I'm thinking of selling the song he played today, too."

When the southern Kyeonggi Province preliminaries ended, the production crew had the intuition that Jun Hyuk's music would make history. They first needed to make sure they were on contract if they wanted to get the money from the sales.

"More importantly, you know today's judge Cho Eun Young, right?"

"Yeah."

"She wanted to release a remake single."

"Ha ha. Why suddenly a song?"

"It seemed she had tact and intuition. She just wants to get noticed along with Jun Hyuk."

"Will Jung Tae Chun permit a remake of his song? It's been a while since he's lived in seclusion. He won't be up for a former girl group member turned fashionista or whatever she is singing his song. Don't you think so?"

"Cho Eun Young knows that too. She's asking us to make it happen in exchange for all of the profits made from the song."

"Keke. She's thinking she can get a permanent spot on some variety show if she can just make this song popular. Demand at events will increase too."

"That's right. She's really clever in that area."

"Since it's something we'll have to do anyway, let's rush it a bit. Let's arrange a meeting with the legal team first… Tell them to make sure they get Jun Hyuk to sign the contract."

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Volume 1 / Chapter 26

TL: LightNovelCafe

As soon as Jun Hyuk entered the cafe the day after he participated in the preliminaries, there were two men waiting for him.

"Hello. We are from MV channel's legal team."

"Legal team?"

"Yes. We came to go over your contract."

They passed a packet over the table. Yoon Kwang Hun did not pick up the contract and waited for them to speak.

"There isn't much to it. There will be some issues with the digital tracks once 'Tomorrow's Star' starts, dealing with copyrights and arrangement fees. Lastly, it explains how the digital sales will be handled. Since you're Jun Hyuk's guardian, all you have to do is sign it."

"Okay. I'll look over it and get back in contact."

Yoon Kwang Hun spoke without touching the contract on the table.

"Excuse me?"

"I can't just sign a contract, can I? I said I'll look over it and let you know."

"Sir, there really isn't much to it. And it's hard to continue with the broadcast without this contract."

"That means Jun Hyuk can't participate, right?"

"Yes because copyright issues are always very sensitive."

"Exactly. It isn't possible for the information to be simple if it's such a sensitive issue, is it? I'll look over it and call you again tomorrow."

The contract surely contained a lot of unfair points. Kids who were desperate to become stars signed these contracts without looking at it because they would not be allowed to appear on the show without it.

The broadcast's legal team could never have anticipated that Jun Hyuk was not one of those kids who were desperate to become famous and that Yoon Kwang Hun was not an ordinary cafe owner.

"Sir, you don't have to sign right away. However, if you read it now and have any questions, we can go over them with you. Wouldn't that be better?"

Yoon Kwang Hun skipped the general information on the contract and read carefully through the section concerning revenues.

The contract contents were abominable. The best way to make sense of it was to say that their intentions were to stick a straw in Jun Hyuk.

"What is this here? Is it saying that after the broadcast ends, 20% of what Jun Hyuk makes for the next two years goes to the station?"

"Ah, yes. If Jun Hyuk becomes a star, it would be because of our station."

"Outside of music as well? This is saying that even if he shoots an advertisement, 20% of that will also be shared?"

"Yes. Wouldn't that also be attributed to our program?"

That was not the end of it. It also said that the station would hold distribution rights to Jun Hyuk's songs for three years after. Yoon Kwang Hun did not say more about this section.

They would need a distributor anyway and MV channel was top-tier.

However, he could not help but ask when an unforeseen item appeared.

"What are arrangement fees? Jun Hyuk will end up improvising existing songs to sing or play. The station will be taking all of the royalties?"

The legal team answered as if they had been waiting for this.

"Ah, let us explain that part. What goes on air is the contestant arranging the music to sing, but really, professionals are assigned to them. The experts are the ones who arrange the songs perfectly to fit the contestants. Consider it for a moment. Without being a genius, it would be impossible for them to perfectly arrange their mission songs in a matter of hours."

"So that means pre-selected songs have already been arranged and the contestants only practice them?"

In other words, it meant that the contestants only sang what the station ordered them to.

"Ha ha. Well the song selection isn't something that our legal team deals with, but it is true that specialists are used in arranging the songs."

The man on the legal team spoke quickly as he saw Yoon Kwang Hun's disapproving countenance,

"Excuse me, sir. All contestants of 'Tomorrow's Star' signed this contract over the last five years without exception. Jun Hyuk passed the preliminaries, but he will be edited out completely and we'll make it as though none of this had happened if this contract isn't signed."

"Okay, do that."

"Excuse me."

"Didn't you say that you would make it as though none of this had happened? I'm telling you to do it."

There is a weak party when negotiating a contract. If MV channel has approached Jun Hyuk with a contract the day after the audition, it means that they were resolved not to lose him.

Tomorrow's events were unpredictable with Jun Hyuk. He did not want this contract to put Jun Hyuk in a situation where the station was reaping all of the profit for his skill.

Yoon Kwang Hun was also not in a place to sign the contract because he was not Jun Hyuk's guardian by law.

Will Jun Hyuk sign? Will the MV channel get their evil way? What will happen now?!

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Volume 1 / Chapter 27

TL: LightNovelCafe

"Producer Kim, the legal team called and Jun Hyuk has refused to sign the contract."

"What?"

"The cafe owner looked at the contract and said that it was unfair to them… They completely took it apart and sent it back but….."

"But what?"

"It says that they'll share the profits of only the music that goes out on our program and nothing else."

"Geez. They're saying they have the upper hand, are they? He's trying to make as much off of the kid as he can. Shit."

Producer Kim Ki Sik did not want to lose Jun Hyuk. He knew that it was hard to find a musician of this level, not a singer.

He wanted to examine his intuition again.

"Producer Kim, today's not the day. It feels like we're holding auditions for the national talent show. How come there's no one useful?"

The program's main music producer was grumbling about the contestants' low potential as if it were the producer's fault.

"Brother, there's not one good person?"

"Why are you asking when you know? That handsome kid. The guitar performance."

"You're talking about Jun Hyuk?"

"Shit, I cried. How could that kind of emotion come out of a guitar?"

"Then you know those rappers from yesterday? The duet group from Pyeongtaek. What do you think of them?"

"Oh yeah, those kids were good. The guitar and those two stood out the most."

"Jun Hyuk heard that rap once and arranged the music for them. He changed the chorus a little bit too."

"Really? After hearing it once?"

"I'm telling you that's what happened. And that's after he just happened to hear them practicing next to him in the waiting room. Can you do that too?"

"After hearing it once and on the spot? And hearing it for the first time on top of that? That kid really is a genius."

Producer Kim Ki Sik made up his mind to sign Jun Hyuk even if he had to modify the contract. If a music producer with 30 years of experience in the industry said that he was a genius, there was no doubt that he was a genius.

Even if they adjusted the profit share so that they were only receiving a small amount, geniuses always made up for it. It was possible that Jun Hyuk alone could bring in more money than all of the other contestants would combined.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 28

TL: LightNovelCafe

"Jun Hyuk."

"Yes, sir."

"MV channel's legal team just came and they left the contract."

"The contract?"

"Yeah. The music rights or advertisements that will arise… Anyway, you have to sign a contract like this to be able to continue going out on the program."

"Okay. You know those types of things well. You always brag that you were good in school… Didn't you say that you graduated from the best university in Korea and went to a really famous college in America too?

Jun Hyuk gave him a look full of suspicion.

"I knew it….."

"What do you mean you knew it?"

"I'm just saying I knew it. He he. Does it make sense that someone who was doing so well is now selling coffee in a cafe?"

"Hey! This kid. You want to see my diploma? There were a lot of waves in my life."

"Oh sure. Then you can handle the contract or whatever it is."

"But that's a separate problem. It's a legal issue."

"Legal?'

"Yeah. You and I are technically strangers. You need a guardian since you're still a minor….."

"Oh. Weren't you my guardian?"

"We need to have that recognized by the country. That would be a legal guardian."

"Then we can just do that."

Jun Hyuk carefully looked at Yoon Kwang Hun.

"Jun Hyuk, there are two ways for me to become your legal guardian. One is to adopt you and become your father and the other is to just be your legal representative and custodian."

"But sir…"

"Listen to everything I have to say."

Yoon Kwang Hun stopped Jun Hyuk with his hand as if he knew what he was going to say.

"Okay."

"A legal custodian's rights as a guardian disappear automatically once you become an adult. After that, you would decide everything on your own. I am satisfied with being your legal custodian."

"….."

He had thought for sure that Yoon Kwang Hun had thought of him as someone like his child, but now he was saying legal custodian. Jun Hyuk's face was full of disappointment.

"Truthfully, I think of you as my son but a father… it's a parent's duty to provide care from birth until adulthood. I didn't do this. If I were to act selfish, I would adopt you as my son, but I don't qualify."

"Sir. You're the one adult adult who gave me a meal without expecting something in return."

Jun Hyuk's eyes flushed with tears as he felt Yoon Kwang Hun's sincerity.

"Hey, this is getting depressing. Let's stop talking about it. Just know that I'll become your legal custodian. I was going to do that this year anyway. You need to make an ID card since you're 17 years old."

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Volume 1 / Chapter 29

TL: LightNovelCafe

MV channel's legal team had been tuning the terms with Yoon Kwang Hun and appeared with the final contract.

"Thank you for agreeing to a lot of concessions."

"No need. I'm thankful as I wonder if I was being too picky."

They exchanged courtesies with meaningless words.

"Then we'll go over the highlighted details one more time."

The legal team pointed out a few articles.

"First off, the domestic distribution rights to Jun Hyuk's songs over the next three years will be reserved for MV channel, right?

"Yes."

"But did you specifically articulate domestic distribution rights because you plan for international activity as well?"

"You never know what will happen."

Yoon Kwang Hun planned to send Jun Hyuk to a foreign country during the second half of next year at the latest. Jun Hyuk's piano teacher Go Sae Won was looking into a school in Spain and Yoon Kwang Hun was comparing schools in America with the help of acquaintances he had from his study abroad days.

Jun Hyuk would not stop creating music even if he were abroad and a masterpiece could emerge. It was to prevent MV channel from controlling the distribution over that aspect as well.

MV channel sacrificed most of the other items.

They had come to the conclusion that among the digital sales revenues, Jun Hyuk's shares would solely be his. This unconventional contract was possible because of Producer Kim Ki Sik's demand.

He had insisted that in the five years since he had been in charge of the program, it was hard to find another person like Jun Hyuk. And it was true. So very true.

"This is a new item that we added in and we would like for you to be understanding."

"What is it?"

"It's nothing really, it concerns sponsorship."

"Sponsorship?"

"Yes. While we're filming the show, Jun Hyuk is to only wear clothing provided by sponsors. Of course this item is automatically invalid if he signs on somewhere as a formal advertising model."

"I'm guessing there's a company willing to provide sponsorship?"

"Yes, it's called XOR. It's a casual brand."

The legal team scoped Yoon Kwang Hun out. They had to get this item at the least to save face.

"That's fine. It's not anything difficult."

"Thank you."

"Do they take the clothes back?"

"Excuse me? Oh, ha ha. No, they will be giving everything to Jun Hyuk."

The legal team laughed, thinking it a relief that the contract was signed.

It was very rare for them to be so accommodating. But they knew they had to have him. And that was that.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 30

TL: LightNovelCafe

Even when the area preliminaries ended, the production crew had no time to breathe and needed to move quickly. They had to check the dormitory that hundreds of Star Week finalists would be using for about a week and they had to make sure the judges' schedules had not changed. On top of that, they had to go for days without sleep to secure copyrights to all of the songs that the finalists would sing.

"The list is all set, right?"

"Yes. We picked the 110 main contestants."

"Who are the people who will go into the top 10?"

"There are about 17 candidates."

"Including Jun Hyuk?"

"No, excluding Jun Hyuk."

"Hey, but can Jun Hyuk really not sing? When you look at people with musicality, don't they have the rudimentary at the least? He has a good voice."

Producer Kim Ki Sik looked at the young writer as if checking, no as if complaining.

"I checked numerous times, but he won't sing. I asked him to sing just one verse but he won't budge."

It was not the young writer's fault that Jun Hyuk would not sing, but she shook her head back and forth as if she were trying to avoid responsibility.

"It would be the best if he would just sing a little. It'd be over if he kept playing the piano until the finals and burst out singing during the live performance."

It was the picture that all production staff members in the conference room dreamt of. What if he kept acting like he would sing, then not back and forth, building up the suspense until the 1st live performance where he belts out all the high notes in a song like 'She's Gone'?

How high the real-time viewer ratings would soar… It was a sweet imagination.

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Volume 1 / Chapter 31

TL: LightNovelCafe

As the bus Jun Hyuk was riding entered Sangam-dong, his cellphone rang.

"Hello?"

– This is Jang Jun Hyuk, right?

"Yes."

– I'm a writer from MV channel. Where are you?

The familiar voice on the phone was that of the youngest writer.

"I'm almost at Sangam-dong."

– Bus? Subway?

"Bus."

– Then get off at the Sangam-dong Digital Media City stop and wait there. I'm going to pick you up.

"Okay."

Jun Hyuk got off at the stop and looked around. He had wandered the downtown area lined with skyscrapers before, but this was the first time he had come here with somewhere to go. It was also the first time he had done something after making plans with another person. He had not known that this exciting and stirring feeling would be so great.

"Jang Jun Hyuk."

As he turned his head to see who had called his name, he saw the young writer waving to him from a car.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it? This is it for your bags?"

She spoke as she looked around the backpack Jun Hyuk was wearing.

"Excuse me? What bags?"

"You'll be here for a week. You didn't bring your clothes?"

"I brought my socks and underwear."

"Hu hu. Good. You'll have to change your clothes anyway."

The young writer discussed things Jun Hyuk did not know about and drove the car into MV channel's building parking lot. She took Jun Hyuk to a personal waiting room fit for a famous singer instead of the participants' waiting room.

There were already a few people waiting in the room and a rack full of clothing.

"Wow, he might as well be a model. A treasure like this walked in on his own? MV got really lucky. How tall is he?"

"He's 186 cm."

"186cm and his looks would make Jang Dong Gun and Won Bin cower. He'll look amazing on camera. Our Director really has an eye for these kinds of things."

"What do you think? Do you think you'll have clothes he'll look good in?"

"Since the mannequin kills, whatever we hang on him will be fashionable."

Excluding Jun Hyuk who stood there blankly, everyone fussed and carefully examined him. It was only then that the young writer started to explain the current situation to Jun Hyuk.

"Jun Hyuk. These people are here because of the clothing sponsorship. It's an extremely rare situation, but you're a special case. Cooperate with us on this."

The young writer addressed the people there for the clothing sponsorship again,

"The concept is chic, rebel. Please dress him accordingly since his target will most likely be teenagers."

Jun Hyuk finally understood what was going on. It was the apparel sponsorship that Yoon Kwang Hun had told him about. It meant that they were going to give him clothes.

He had to wear a t-shirt with a big XOR logo on it with tight jeans. There was even a long and thin chain hanging from the pants.

Jun Hyuk looked at himself in the mirror and smiled slightly. The young writer thought that he was smiling because he liked what he saw in his reflection and laughed as she spoke,

"What do you think? You like it? Is it okay?"

"Yes, I like the chain. My boss really doesn't like these types of things."

"Older people usually don't. Also pick out the clothes you like from this hanger. They'll be the clothing you wear for the next week."

"Really? I can pick what I want?"

"Of course. It's a sponsorship. When the shooting ends, it's all yours."

Jun Hyuk had the thought that he had done well to participate in the auditions for the first time.

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