No More Thug Life, I’m Playing Music

Episode 55: Give and Take (5)

A dim and dingy one-room apartment.
The only light came from faint streaks filtering through the curtains.

“Hah…”

A man with disheveled hair groaned, suffering from a hangover as he woke up.
Fumbling across the floor to find his phone, he accidentally knocked over an empty bottle of soju.

Clear liquid dribbled out, soaking an employee card lying nearby.
It read, “Korea National University of Music, Assistant Instructor.”

“Damn it.”

He thought about cleaning it up later—no point in worrying about something he’d never use again.
Picking up his phone, he checked the missed calls and messages.

No word from the person he had been waiting to hear from.

His brows furrowed as he redialed a saved contact, “JS Manager Oh.”

The person you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please try again later.

“Damn it!”

He shot up with a frustrated yell, unleashing a torrent of curses.
Yet his resentment was unfocused, jumping from Manager Oh to Han Gwangsook, to Jung Seojoon, and then to Eom Deokgu.

Unable to settle on a target, his anger quickly fizzled out, leaving only a deep sense of despair.

“What am I even supposed to do now…”

He grabbed a stray soju bottle, taking a swig to dull his thoughts.
“Phew…”

Sinking back onto the floor, he gave in to his growing apathy.
Screw it, let it all fall apart.

With a grimace, he opened YouTube on his phone.

“Oh…”

ABLEZ’s new music video had just been uploaded:

ABLEZ – “Beat the Piano (feat. Baekjung)” M/V

He was a fan of ABLEZ—not from the start, but ever since their reverse charting had caught his attention.

The miraculous success of an idol group on the brink of disbandment inspired him. Watching them made him feel as if he too could take flight someday, though he knew nothing of the blood, sweat, and tears behind their triumph.

“Damn… Jisoo is so my type…”

Closing his eyes, he let himself indulge in the wild fantasy of dating her, a foolish grin spreading across his face.

Oblivious to the “(feat. Baekjung)” in the title, he hit play.

*****

[Dun— Da-da-dun—]

A soft piano melody flowed out, accompanied by hazy visuals of an abandoned factory.

A man, his back turned, played the piano amidst a cloud of smoke.

As the camera slowly moved toward him, the scene abruptly transitioned to a stark white room.

Swirling white curtains surrounded the ABLEZ members as they appeared on-screen. Behind them stood female dancers in formation, wearing masks emblazoned with the letter “A.”

[Doom— Doom-doom— Doom-doom—]

The deep bass joined the piano, and bright flashes illuminated the scene.

This marked the start of synchronized choreography by ABLEZ and the masked dancers.

[“Hit it harder! Even harder!”]

The settings and outfits continuously changed. Neon-lit backdrops, shadowy forest scenes, luxury sports cars—they even danced in water, splashing rhythmically on a drenched floor.

The visual effects were relentless, bursting forth in every frame.

Interspersed were fleeting shots of the man playing piano in the factory, his face just out of reach, teasing the viewer.

“…Who is that?”

Kang Jisoo’s solo part began.

[“Don’t come closer—You can’t handle me—”]

Staring directly into the camera, she reached out, her voice showcasing the prowess of a trained vocalist.

“Wow, her classical training really shows… she’s incredible.”

Two minutes in, the setting shifted back to the factory.

Now, the pianist was no longer alone. The four women danced around the grand piano at the center, moving as if to the piano’s melody rather than the electronic beat.

The song’s title suddenly made perfect sense.

[“Your skills? Tut Tut—With just a flick—”]

As Jane’s rap verse kicked in, the camera whirled around.

The factory setting reappeared, but the grand piano had been replaced by a bright red designer sofa with a tiger motif.

Sitting on it was a hulking man, his upper body bare, revealing thick, muscular arms and vibrant full-body tattoos.

Wearing a mask marked with an “A,” he calmly peeled an apple with a long knife.

[“Block with my black gun—”]

Jane rapped beside him, exuding queenly authority as she harnessed his intimidating presence.

“Wow… is he even human?”

The camera returned to the women dancing around the piano, the intense choreography continuing.

As the song neared its end, the booming bass fell silent, leaving only the piano melody.

The members continued dancing softly to the piano as the camera focused on the pianist’s back.

[Dun—]

The melody concluded, and the members froze.

The camera pushed forward, threading through the women to stand directly behind the pianist.

It zoomed in on sweat droplets trickling down his neck.

Are they not going to show his face?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the camera moved further forward, revealing the man’s face in a dramatic close-up.

“…Holy shit!”

The sharp makeup and bright lighting accentuated every detail of Jung Seojoon’s stunning features.

Even among top celebrities known as “visual gods,” his appearance was unmatched, his expression carrying an air of mystery that elevated the allure.

“What the… What is this…”

Shocked for an entirely different reason, the man finally noticed the name “Baekjung” in the title.

No way… it couldn’t be…

Still dazed, he scrolled down to the comments.

“ShoSho”: What was that ending… Was it CGI?

“EeungEeung”: Rap 4, Dance 4, Vocal 4, Visual 5.

“JISOOJI”: Who is Baekjung? An actor? A model?

“JaneMom”: How did this group not blow up sooner? We’ve been missing out for years.

“YeahMeToo”: Did they just slay old-school boom bap? LOL, insane!

‘Sharp Tongue’ – Watching with mouth agape, then biting my tongue in shock at the end. Truly stunning.
‘Weak Heart’ – A monster midway through… must be a foreigner, right?
‘KSO’ – Kang Jisoo’s classmate. She’s an angel, truly. When I was ostracized by friends as a child, she was the only one who reached out to me… (Read More)
‘Choo-Choo’ – Baekjung is running his own channel too. Go check it out.

Half of the countless comments were about Baekjung.
That’s how impactful it was.

“……”
The man clutched his head.
All the scattered resentment started converging in one place.

“Damn it… goddamn it!”
ABLEZ had been a refreshing rain in his life.
For the past few days, he had been emotionally invested in their success story.
He believed that luck had been on their side, and that one day, fortune would smile upon him as well.

But.
Beside those successful women stood Jung Seojoon.
The thought that Seojoon had even robbed him of his luck ignited a fiery anger inside him.

But.
There was nothing he could do right now.

“Damn! Damn it!”
He screamed at the top of his lungs, venting his frustration by kicking the scattered items in the room.

And then.
He noticed a piece of paper in the pile of trash.

‘The 24th National Student Music Festival.’

“……”
One thought led to another.
He remembered that Jung Seojoon would be attending the event with the Poonggwang High Orchestra.

“Yeah…”
As his mind cleared, a brilliant idea came to him.
He picked up his phone and started scrolling through the data Han Gwangsook had gathered for him.

‘Eom Deokgu.’
He had followed his opera singer mother to Austria for studies at the age of ten.
He gained some recognition, but his career fell apart after assaulting a professor.
Deported.
His father was a high-ranking public official.

“……”
The man turned on his laptop and began composing an email.
The recipient was Eom Deokgu’s father.

I work at Korea University… deeply concerned about the potential of such a talented individual…

Click-
At the end of the email, he attached a link to a video titled There’s No Redemption for Eom Deokgu.

*****

“Hyungnim, I met Eomji yesterday.”
Ducheol spoke as he gripped the steering wheel.

“Eomji? The big fuss?”
“Yes, hyungnim.”

“Ha, I guess that guy’s back in Seoul.”
“Yes, looking sharp enough to earn a badge or something.”

“Kim Changsik must be sweating bullets.”
“Indeed.”

Not that it concerned him.
In one ear and out the other.

Bzzzz—Bzzzz—
Then Ducheol’s phone vibrated. An unregistered number.

“Annoying so early in the morning… Hyungnim, Minji’s been dumping work on me.”
“Like what?”
“My phone’s been blowing up with calls for appearances.”

“Oh… I thought it was something serious.”

Choo Minji was upset with him lately, having turned down all the requests flooding in.
And yet, she must have thought Ducheol’s words would reach him.

“Just block them all.”

Ducheol glanced at him before turning his eyes back to the road.

“But why aren’t you doing it, hyungnim? At this rate, you’d be a star in no time. Then you could make as much music as you wanted, and the money would follow.”

“Ducheol.”
“Yes, hyungnim.”
“Fame is like money. The more you have, the more enemies you make. I don’t want to live that stressful life just yet.”

Ducheol, the only one who knew his secret, nodded in immediate understanding.

“I wasn’t thinking, hyungnim.”

They arrived at school.
Even though he was on time for once, as usual, he was the only third-year around.

‘I guess I’ll be leaving alone again.’

He got out of the car and walked toward the school gates.

Murmurs.
The atmosphere buzzed.
Students whispered as they saw him, and a few soon greeted him warmly.

Once it started, a crowd quickly gathered around him as if they were meeting a celebrity.

“What’s this…”
They had kept their distance before, but now they were all eager to approach.
He could even sense unexpected friendliness.

Was it because of the music video?
When they had avoided him like the plague as the leader of the orchestra jerks, now this sudden change felt unwelcome.
Too noisy.
Too hypocritical.

“Move aside…”
“Hell no, we won’t!”

A familiar voice came from the back.
When he turned around, Eom Deokgu was pushing through the crowd of students blocking his path.

As he passed by, he muttered,
“Look at this superstar gracing us with his presence.”

As expected.
That’s why he liked Deokgu.

“Deokgu.”
“Don’t call my name.”
“See you later.”
“No, you won’t!”

He chuckled. Cute guy.

A while later, he arrived at the classroom.
When he opened the door, the students eagerly greeted him.

Soon, they bombarded him with questions about ABLEZ.
Since they were kids he had been on decent terms with, he answered one by one.

“Do we stay in touch? Yeah, occasionally for a quick hello.”

…

“Wake up.”
A voice broke through his nap.
When he opened his eyes, it was already lunchtime.

“Did you sleep all this time?”
Kim Bom sat next to me, staring as if she were impressed.
“Maybe I’m trying to grow taller… I don’t know why I’m so sleepy.”
“If you grow any taller, it’ll be creepy. Anyway, let’s go. You told everyone to gather today, right?”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Today, I was supposed to inform the orchestra about the second semester’s practice schedule.

“Oppa! I’m a fan!”
“Hyung! How is Jisoo in real life?”
“Can I get your autograph…?”

The path to the auditorium had never been this noisy.
I was bombarded with questions from students.
If not for Kim Bom, I might have spent the entire lunch break greeting everyone.

“By the way, I heard you’re performing with a professor’s chamber ensemble at the student music festival?”
“Yeah, it just turned out that way.”
“Will you be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you know who FunFun Chamber is collaborating with that day?”

FunFun Chamber is a group of students from the National Arts University.
It’s the ensemble I collaborated with at Shinhwa Hospital.
They’re also rivals with another chamber ensemble composed of Korean University students.

“I know. Im Hajoon.”
“Han Yeoreum said people near the Arts Center are buzzing about you and Im Hajoon lately. They’re calling it a showdown or something.”
“I’m not interested.”

Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot about Im Hajoon.
People found out he was originally supposed to appear in ABLEZ music video.

“A showdown? We’re just playing on the same stage, that’s all.”

When we arrived at the auditorium, the orchestra members were waiting for me.

– Greetings, concertmaster!
The orchestra members rushed to me, their faces brimming with excitement.
They quickly surrounded me, clapping their hands.

– Congratulations on reaching 300,000 subscribers!
– Congratulations!

“Cut the nonsense and get to practice. The music festival isn’t far off.”

– Yes, concertmaster!

As soon as they dispersed, I checked my phone.
Even now, the subscriber count kept climbing.
It had almost doubled since before I filmed the music video with Ables.

I wasn’t sure how long this momentum would last, but according to Choo Minji, hitting 400,000 to 500,000 subscribers wouldn’t take long.

Still, there was only one thing I was certain of.
This was a fleeting phenomenon.

People don’t have much interest in classical music.
That’s why Choo Minji was eager to seize the moment while it lasted.

I could see her point to some extent.
I had seen the power of YouTube firsthand.
I also had some ambition for fame.

But I believed that if I sought big money and fame with the limited influence I had now, it could backfire and turn into poison.

“Guess I’ve become a coward…”

“Hey.”
I ran into Eom Deokgu on the stairs leading to the second floor.

“Oh, you’re here.”
“I came because I didn’t want to attend class.”
“I didn’t ask.”

I patted Eom Deokgu on the shoulder with a grin.
In the past, he would have flinched and brushed me off, but now he quietly spoke.

“Can I ask you a favor?”
“What’s the price?”
“…Ha, so damn strict. Fine, I’ll owe you one.”
“Alright, spill it.”
“Introduce me to Professor Han.”
“Sure.”

I nodded and walked past him.
From behind, Eom Deokgu muttered in disbelief.

“Why are you so chill? Aren’t you going to ask why?”
“You’re getting back into singing, right?”
“…….”
“Even if you don’t play an instrument, make sure to attend orchestra practice.”
“…Got it.”

As soon as I passed Eom Deokgu, my phone rang.
The caller was Teacher Seo Sooji.
I was about to call her anyway, so it was perfect timing.

“Yes, teacher. I was just about to—”

“Seojoon! It’s an emergency!”
“What happened?”

“The principal’s office is in chaos! A parent came in, making a fuss about the orchestra…”

Bam!
At that moment, the auditorium doors flew open.
A group of people rushed in.

The head of student affairs, along with several teachers, was trying to stop a man from storming inside.
The man scanned the auditorium, shouting at the top of his lungs.

“How can you allow a gang to form inside the school? Are you insane?!”

“That’s not the case…”
“Our orchestra operates under strict supervision and guidance…”

“Guidance, my foot!”

He was a stout man with piercing eyes, dressed sharply in a suit.

“…Huh?”

I was stunned to recognize the face.
It was none other than Eom Jichun, a former prosecutor once nicknamed the Grim Reaper of gangsters.

This lunatic.
He had crossed me once and ended up getting demoted to the provinces.

“What’s he doing here…?”

Then, I heard a muttering voice from the side.

“Shit… I’m screwed…”

I turned to see Eom Deokgu clenching his fists and biting his lip.

Eom… Eom?
Could it be?

I suddenly remembered that Eom Jichun had a youngest son.
And that Eom Deokgu’s father was a high-ranking public official.

Of course.

“Eom Deokgu! Where is that bastard?!”
Eom Jichun bellowed furiously.