Become A Music Monster Overnight! [EN]: Chapter 112

Music Monster Overnight! Episode 103

As Jamie and Youngchan stepped onto the stage, which had been empty for quite some time, the audience watched them with interest.

There were many reasons for this, but the biggest was probably their youthful appearance.

Jamie usually overcame her youthful looks with smoky makeup, but since she wasn’t supposed to be working at the bar that day, she only had on basic makeup.

So, from a Western perspective, it was no surprise that she looked like a high school student.

The same was true for Youngchan.

Even without the hoodie he wore the previous day, Youngchan, with his baggy t-shirt, hair down, and large horn-rimmed glasses, looked every bit the teenage Asian boy.

It was only natural that the regulars would be unhappy to see such young kids suddenly on stage.

“This place isn’t what it used to be. Seeing kids like that on stage.”

“Yeah, good for them… if this were a school talent show.”

“Ever since Mr. Smith passed away last year, things have been chaotic. It seems they can’t even manage the singers on stage anymore.”

Such complaints weren’t just expressed verbally.

They were easily conveyed through expressions, glances, and gestures.

“Uh… um.”

Naturally, Jamie, seeing this from the stage, froze.

At 23 years old in Korean age,

She was young and didn’t have much experience on stage, especially not on a stage with such a negative atmosphere.

‘…’

The joy of finally being able to perform on stage was fleeting. As soon as she stepped onto the stage and met with hostile gazes, her mind went blank.

Usually, musicians who come on stage would do a mic check and other necessary things, but she was too out of it to even think about that.

Of course, the more foolishly she stood there doing nothing, the worse the atmosphere became below the stage.

“Haa~ I guess there’s no helping it…”

The manager who had put her on stage sighed and tried to quickly get her off the stage. He knew this was the opportunity she wanted, but at this rate, she wouldn’t be able to sing.

It would be better for her to get off the stage as soon as possible. Just as he was about to go up to the stage, that happened…

-Da-da-da-dan dan-dan!-

The Asian boy who had suddenly joined Jamie started playing the piano.

As expected of a piano in a restaurant that wasn’t much different from a bar, its condition wasn’t great.

It seemed someone was maintaining it periodically, but since it wasn’t a professional, it was gradually breaking down.

Naturally, the sound of such a piano couldn’t be good.

In fact, performers who sat down without knowing the terrible sound often panicked and made mistakes, while some experienced ones somehow managed to continue the song or brought their own electric pianos.

Most of the people in the audience were regulars, so they didn’t pay attention to the person sitting at the piano.

It was a determination not to have any expectations, as it was sure to be a disaster.

But then…

-Da-ra-ra-ran da-da-dan!-

The piano sound that was now unfolding was enough to shake their reason—no, their emotions.

The sound of the piano played by the Asian boy was somehow heavy yet clear, as if someone was playing a hidden camera prank [a prank where people are secretly filmed].

The beautiful and sad tone, along with the explosive energy and intense flow unfolding on the piano keys, was unbelievable.

-…….-

The inside of the bar, which had been as noisy as a British pub just a moment ago, was now filled with silence.

They were so engrossed in the piano performance that they strained their nerves to the point where even their breathing couldn’t be heard.

In less than 10 seconds of playing, the Asian boy, or rather, Youngchan, who was being misunderstood, had captivated the people, but he found it hard to unfold his furrowed brow.

‘This is more messed up than I thought?’

If he hadn’t known that there was a problem with the piano through the sound he heard two days ago, he might have stopped playing.

It was no joke that the piano he played during practice and on stage was a Steinway piano, a star among grand pianos.

It was inevitable that he would feel a considerable sense of reverse experience, as he was now playing such a broken piano in a place with muffled reverberation.

However, he continued to play silently with all his might.

He was reminded of the words of the pianist who had taught him the piano.

“You need to know how to play even a crappy piano well.”

It would be best to have the best condition and the best stage if possible, but how could the world only be as you wish?

Even the stage that Youngchan in his memory played for cancer patients was terrible in many ways.

Fortunately, the person who taught him the piano had him experience various pianos, including such terrible pianos, and thanks to that experience, he received excellent reviews even on such stages.

It was the result of quickly grasping the characteristics and environment of the piano and drawing out a good performance.

Of course, it wasn’t good to only experience too many bad pianos. You might mistakenly think that the bad sound is your own sound.

That’s why, after reaching the level where he had to find even a slightly better sound, he had insisted on only Steinway pianos until now.

‘I’m having a really shitty experience for the first time in a while…’

If he let his guard down even a little, the narratives he had built up with difficulty would collapse, so Youngchan had to pay attention to everything until the end of the song.

And… finally, the piano performance came to an end.

Youngchan’s touch to finish the impromptu performance, which was less than 4 minutes long, was so delicate.

And beyond that delicacy, the piano sound was so sorrowful yet beautiful.

-Da… da-da-dan.-

-…….-

Then, it came to a lie-like end, and the audience finally returned to reality.

“Haa~”

Youngchan, letting out a long sigh, shook his head and then turned to Jamie, who had made him play this performance.

“!!!”

Jamie met his gaze with a look of astonishment.

The tension that had made her shrink was long gone. Instead, her face was complexly stained with intense emotions such as joy, fear, or shock.

-Clap clap… clap clap clap!-

-Waaaaah!-

What brought her back to reality was the cheers of the crowd that erupted as someone’s applause cracked the silence.

“That was the best!”

“Who the hell is that! I… I’ve never heard such a performance before!”

“That’s crazy! He can make that kind of sound with that old piano!”

“Hey! Did the piano get replaced? No, even if it did, can a piano make that kind of sound?”

Along with the cheers, compliments arose from all over, but Youngchan looked at Jamie silently with a familiar face and said.

“Okay, it’s your turn now.”

“Huh? Ah! Okay.”

Jamie, who was being spoken to by an absurd monster who was more than just an amazing genius, began to prepare for the stage in a docile manner.

In this surreal situation where she had blown away all her tension and everything else, that was the only thing she could do.

The song choice was The Carpenters’ ‘Close to You’.

This song was a famous old pop song even in Korea.

It appeared in the OST [original soundtrack] of *Eternal Sunshine*, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet, and as an old pop song, there were no complicated instrumental sounds, so the musician’s skills were reflected as is.

‘I guess she chose it because the only instrument is the piano.’

Youngchan guessed the reason why she chose this song, but he thought it was a good choice.

He thought that this would reveal the identity of the déjà vu that had been making him curious for days.

“But I don’t know if she’ll be okay like that.”

It certainly seemed that the tension had disappeared due to his performance, but somehow she seemed to have lost half of her soul because she was so surprised.

But that worry was only temporary, and Youngchan quickly looked at the piano sheet music.

By the time he had looked through the sheet music once, Jamie was ready.

“Um… I’m all ready.”

“Hmm.”

Youngchan let out a short breath as if he was worried about Jamie, who was showing him respect for the first time since they met, but he soon opened the sheet music and began to play.

-Ttan-tta-da ttan-tta-da-da ttan-tta-da.-

As Youngchan began to play the piano again, the audience, who had been getting noisy again, quickly fell silent.

-!!!-

Unlike the previous impromptu performance, there was no one who didn’t know The Carpenters’ ‘Close to You’, so they couldn’t help but be impressed.

Even though it was the same song, the quality of the song itself seemed to have improved by one level because the piano sound itself was so different.

That’s why they couldn’t help but turn their attention to the girl standing in front of the microphone.

Depending on what kind of vocals she showed, the emotions they were feeling could fall to the bottom.

The audience’s attention was focused on her, but she, who had already lost half of her soul, closed her eyes and began to sing.

“Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near…….”

-……!!-

Her vocals, which started like that, shattered the audience’s anxiety with just the first word.

It was a vocal that matched the beautiful piano melody so well.

That’s why people couldn’t help but fall in love with this song, but that’s why it was actually very surprising.

This was because she showed a singing ability that satisfied them, who had become so demanding due to Youngchan’s previous piano improvisation.

‘…This is crazy?’

For this reason, the person who was the most objective and surprised by her vocals was none other than Youngchan, who was playing the piano.

In fact, from the beginning, Youngchan couldn’t help but think of Karen Carpenter, who sang “Close to You.”

Karen Carpenter was a tragic singer who started an extreme diet to overcome obesity in her teens and eventually died of anorexia.

James Paul McCartney praised Karen as “the best female vocalist in the world,” and John Lennon also praised her for having a really beautiful voice.

Elton John also praised her as ‘the best voice of our time,’ and a Korean musician who has been famous as a music camp host for decades also praised her, saying, ‘No one can sing as comfortably as Karen Carpenter.’

Youngchan also partially agreed with these reviews.

Since her death, countless female vocalists have poured out, and there were more than a few singers who surpassed her fame.

However, no one could produce the same song as Karen Carpenter, so Youngchan was disappointed.

“If she hadn’t left like that, or if she had been born in this era, her vocals would have been even more perfect.”

That was why Youngchan partially agreed with the previous legends.

But she had already died decades ago, so his wish didn’t even give any meaning.

But then.

Like a lie, she appeared in front of him, gifted with a talent like the reincarnation of Karen Carpenter.