No More Thug Life, I’m Playing Music

Episode 30. Winter Wind (1)

The screeching sound of tires pierces my ears, sharp and unnerving.
The fear, initially just a twinge of unease, now engulfs my entire body.
The memory of death, burned into my mind, tightens its grip around me.
Just like that day on the road, here I am again, in a car.

“Damn it…”

I grit my teeth and clutch the handle above the car door tightly.

Screech!

Another ear-piercing sound of tires skidding. Kim Bom, who had tumbled toward me, lets out a scream.

“Choo Minji! Slow down!”

“Unnie… c-can you go a little easier… please…”

Even Junsoo joins in, pleading, as Minji speaks up in a strangely calm, low voice.

“You guys are being kidnapped.”

“Is she out of her mind?!”

“Please…”

“Turn left in 200 meters,” announces the navigation system.

“Oh, need to change lanes.”

Without warning, Minji rolls up her left sleeve, revealing an arm sleeve tattoo under her jacket.
She opens the window, sticks her arm out, and waves it up and down.

“What the—use the blinker!”

I yell before I can stop myself. Minji replies in a leisurely tone.

“My instructor said this is how you get people to let you in. Tsk, tsk, what would you know? No license, huh?”

“Uh…”

In the passenger seat, Ducheol glances at me through the side mirror before giving Minji a thumbs-up.

“Good job, very good.”

“Unbelievable!”

A memory flashes in my mind of Ducheol’s excited face just before we got in the car.

“How could he actually…?”

“Hey! Baek Junsoo says he’s gonna puke!”

“Urgh…”

“Junsoo, don’t! I just cleaned the car yesterday!”

“Pull over, you lunatic!”

Sigh…

After what felt like a lifetime of near-death experiences, we finally arrived at our destination.
Even though it was just a trip around the neighborhood, Minji had managed to make it a wild detour.

Fortunately, Ducheol had taken over the wheel halfway through, saving me from losing this second life I’d been given.

Never again will I get in a car Minji is driving.

“Master, let’s do this again next time…”

Minji handed the keys back to Ducheol, looking reluctant to let go.
The fact that Ducheol lent his large SUV to a rookie driver without hesitation was as baffling as Minji gleefully borrowing it.

“Wait a minute.”

Just as I suspected something might be up, I noticed Minji looking at her phone. She smiled as she watched a video.

On-screen was a recording of me gripping the passenger handle in terror.

“Use the blinker!”

“This is great. This’ll blow up if I post it as a short.”

How could she find an angle to exploit in every situation?
If she put even half this effort into practicing an instrument, she’d have no problem getting into the National Arts University.
No matter how much she denies it, she’s clearly more passionate about broadcasting than music.

As we stepped out of the parking lot, a bustling street stretched out before us, filled with people of all ages and genders.
The aroma of food wafted through the air, accompanied by a cacophony of sounds.

True to its reputation as a busy entertainment district, there were people live-streaming and performing street shows everywhere.

“This place is way too noisy,” Kim Bom muttered with a frown.

“Then go home. Who asked you to come?”

“You think I’m here because of me? It’s because of Seojoon.”

“Go back to your academy, will you?”

“Unnie, shouldn’t you be practicing? Aren’t you applying for college? Your practical exams aren’t far off. Shouldn’t you be rehearsing accompaniments?”

“Mind your own business~.”

These two were the noisiest of all.

I swallowed the words rising to my throat and firmly inserted earplugs into my ears.

“Wow, look at that guy over there.”
“Don’t stare, come on.”

Even just walking down the street, I could feel people’s eyes on us.
The reason was obvious: Ducheol. His massive build, combined with the digital piano case slung over his shoulder, made him look like a walking billboard.

After crossing the street, we arrived at an old park.
There, the ChooChoo TV team had already set up everything—speakers, microphones, and folding chairs.
It was as if they hadn’t even considered the possibility that I might refuse.

“Seojoon!”
“Long time no see!”
“Kim Bom and Junsoo are here too!”

The team approached us excitedly, only to falter when their gazes landed on Ducheol.
Unsurprisingly, their attention lingered on him.

“Uh… hello…”
“Please, let us take that…”

They hesitated as they approached Ducheol, looking down as they carefully took the piano from him and began setting it up.

“Seojoon, I’ll be heading off now,” Ducheol said.

“Alright.”

Apparently, he had a meeting with someone to gather information about the safe I was looking for.

“I’ll call you after it’s done.”

“Okay!”

Ducheol instinctively gave a slight bow before raising both arms high in the air.

“Yay! Go Baekjung!”

“…….”

He disappeared in a hurry, leaving behind a trail of awkward energy.

The camera director from ChooChoo TV approached me, wide-eyed.

“Wow… He must be well over two meters tall. Who is he? Is he an athlete?”

“No.”

I pointed at Junsoo, who was chatting with Bom in the corner.

“He’s that guy’s uncle. A good guy, really.”

The screeching of tires still echoed in my ears. As I tried to shake the disorientation, a man’s voice broke through.

“Uh… Seojoon?”
“Yes, what is it?”

“Are we… rewriting the contract?”
“Contract?”
“Ah…”

The man’s face was flushed with embarrassment.
“You haven’t heard yet, have you?”
“Heard what?”

I frowned, prompting an awkward laugh from him.
“Never mind. I’ll tell you later at the after-party.”
“Alright then.”

As he stepped away, other team members came forward, one by one, to greet me.
Their faces showed a mix of discomfort and anticipation.

What’s going on?

Just as I was starting to wonder, something caught my eye.
Sitting far away, alone, was Choo Minji.

“…Oh.”

That’s when it hit me: not a single person had approached her.
They’d greeted Kim Bom and Junsoo but hadn’t even exchanged a glance with Minji.

Did they fight?
What could they possibly have to fight about with someone so small and unassuming?

“Tsk, tsk.”

I brushed it off, chalking it up to the kind of spats people have at their age. It wasn’t something I needed to meddle in.

“Baekjung!”

Minji raised her hand and called out to me.
“Come here for a second! Let’s do a promo!”

****

In a Nearby Café

Three young men and women sat at a table. Two of them were sighing over the sheet music laid out in front of them, while the third was glued to their phone.

The man studying the score spoke first.
“Seriously, Chopin was so selfish. How the hell are we supposed to play this?”

“People manage it, though.”

“I wish I were a genius too. Especially…”

“Jo Sanghyuk?”
“No.”
“Then Im Hajoon? Im Harim?”
“No.”
“Ah, Kwon Yeseol?”
“No, Baekjung.”

“Eh? Why him? He doesn’t even have much competition experience after his childhood.”

“Exactly, he hasn’t been fully vetted yet. No international competition wins either.”

“Then why Baekjung?”

“Because… look at that face. The first time I saw him, I thought he was Song Eungang.”

“Okay, fair point on the face.”

“If I had that face, I wouldn’t bother with music. I’d just be an actor.”

“Speaking of which, Song Eungang announced he’s quitting idols to focus on acting starting today.”

The two, chatting animatedly, turned toward the quiet third person.

“Hey, what have you been staring at all this time?”
“On YouTube.”
“Classical music? Whose channel?”
“ChooChoo TV.”
“Oh, the cute high schooler?”
“Yeah. Are you subscribed?”
“No.”
“Do it now, don’t make me annoyed.”
“Why? Is it good?”
“Why bother asking? Just watch it yourself.”

The man held up his phone to show them.
On the screen, Minji appeared, waving at the camera.

It was a live broadcast.

“Hello~ As I mentioned earlier, today we’ll be holding a small recital featuring Baekjung! I’m so excited to meet everyone in person!”

The camera wobbled before focusing on a new face: Seojoon’s blank expression.

“Whoa…”
“This is insane…”

The screen filled with Seojoon’s face as his lips twitched and a faint, awkward smile broke through.
Even though the smile was forced, it was undeniably charming.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Baekjung. Today, I’ve been given the chance to hold a small recital. If you have time, please come and watch. Thank you.”

The camera swung back to Minji, who gave a big thumbs-up.

“Wow, you’re surprisingly articulate today! Alright, everyone! The time and location are the same as I announced earlier! Come join us!”

The man checked the location posted on the stream.
“Whoa, it’s nearby.”

****

In Another Scene

She heard the sound of a piano purely by coincidence.

“Sigh…”

It had been a tough day.
The five men she had cherished and supported for over 15 years had suddenly announced their disbandment.

An idol group.
The thought of those once-brilliant stars vanishing brought tears to her eyes.

Sure, they weren’t retiring from the entertainment industry entirely, so she could still see them. But that wasn’t what she wanted.

It wasn’t movies, dramas, or variety shows she wanted.
She loved seeing them together on stage, with their music.

“Forever, I’ll stay by your side~”

The song played through her earphones.
“Lies…” 

Beep.

She pressed the button on her phone, ending the music.
Her long-standing effort to push her favorite idol group up the rankings had finally come to an end.
Swallowing her regret, she pulled out her earbuds, feeling an odd sense of relief as something else seeped into the empty space left behind.

[Din-din-din—din-dan—]

It was the sound of a piano.
A beautiful melody that soaked her dry ears with its warmth.

It wasn’t her usual genre, yet it was captivating enough to make her ears perk up.
Driven by curiosity, she followed the sound.

The source led her to an old park, typically a quiet place with few visitors.
Today, however, it was crowded with people.

“Hmm…”

Being slightly shorter than average, she couldn’t see over the crowd to spot the performer.

‘Leaving without seeing this feels like a waste…’

She scanned the area using her professional instincts and spotted a slightly elevated patch of ground.
Quickly making her way there, she pulled a foldable mini ladder from her backpack and climbed it.

Only then could she see the small stage set up in the park. It was still a bit far away.

‘Should’ve brought my glasses…’

Though she couldn’t make out the performer’s face, she could tell it was a broad-shouldered man.
Sure, she could use the equipment in her bag to get a closer look, but she didn’t feel like pulling it out just yet.

[Din-din-dan—dan-din—]

‘This is good…’

For some reason, she wanted to keep listening.
Though she had been desperate to return home and rest, her feet refused to move.

Had classical music always been this enjoyable?

As she pondered, voices from a group nearby caught her attention.

“Isn’t this nuts? That’s a digital piano, though…”
“Oh… you’re right…”
“Wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t pointed it out.”

Hmm.

She wasn’t an expert in classical music, but she knew enough about instruments from her profession.

Unlike an acoustic piano, which strikes strings with hammers, a digital piano uses multiple sensors to produce sound.
Even the most expensive models, with their sampled tones and touch-sensitive keys, couldn’t fully replicate the natural sound of an acoustic piano.

‘Ah…’

Listening to their conversation, she realized the performer was somehow achieving the impossible—delivering a flawless performance even on a digital piano.
They were marveling at how he played without any muddled notes, calculating every subtle difference with precision.

‘Are they music students? They seem to know their stuff… huh?’

She glanced sideways, furrowing her brow.

She recognized the faces.

“Wow, he’s ridiculously good…”
“Unbelievable…”
“Insane…”

The same loud trio from the café earlier.
The ones who had been ranting about her favorite idol, Song Eungang.

Not that it mattered—she’d quit being a fan today, after all.

‘Still noisy as ever.’

Since it felt inappropriate to tell people to quiet down at a street performance, she decided to avoid them instead.
Though she wanted to keep listening, the distraction was too much.

As she began descending from her mini ladder—

“Honestly, he looks better than Song Eungang in person…”
“Agreed.”
“Yeah, I agree too.”

Huh?

She froze.
‘What did they just say?’

She asked herself silently, not wanting to stir any conflict.

“Sigh…”

Yet their words sent ripples through her heart, ripples that grew and grew until they touched her reason.

Fine.
Just this once.

She steeled herself, slinging her bag forward and unzipping it.

Then, she began pulling out her equipment piece by piece.

“Hey… what’s that? A camera?”
“Looks like a bazooka.”
“Is she a professional fan cammer?”
“I’ve never seen one in action before. That’s so cool.”

As she assembled the camera, her seasoned hands ensured she caused no inconvenience to those around her.

Finally, she extended the camera forward and nestled her eye into the viewfinder.

“…….”

Hearing the piano had been a coincidence.
Meeting the noisy trio again was another coincidence.

But—

The moment her lens captured Jung Seojoon’s face, coincidence turned into destiny.

“Ah…”

Her small, round lips parted as a voice as clear as a jade bead escaped.

“Sh*t… this is incredible.”

The top graduate of the Korean National University of Arts’ photography program.
The “textbook of fancams.”
The golden hand who had taken obscure groups, male and female alike, and turned them into viral sensations.

She had declared she would never open her lens cap again, breaking the hearts of countless fan photographers.

Yet here she was.

Her camera clicked quietly, the shutter sound filling the silence of her mind.

Click—
Click—

“Look at her eyes…”
“She’s intense…”
“Let’s go watch from somewhere else…”