No More Thug Life, I’m Playing Music

Episode 46: Group Training (3)

7:00 a.m., the next day.
Professor Han Gwangsook stepped out of her room, immaculate from head to toe.
Despite the early hour, she was as polished as ever.

“Good morning, Professor!”
Her teaching assistant, waiting outside the door, gave a deep bow.

“Good morning to you, too.”
She extended her hand, and the assistant handed her a tumbler of coffee.

“What about those boys?”

“Their parents came and took them away a little while ago.”

“Quietly?”

“Oh, not at all. They were begging on their knees before we finally got rid of them.”

“Good work.”

“Should I contact Manager Kim for follow-up action?”

“No need. Just make sure neither of them shows up at my school or office again. If they do, tell them we’ll sue for defamation.”

“You’re remarkably generous, Professor.”

To an outsider, this might have seemed like a simple matter being brushed aside.
But the reality was far more ruthless.

In the world of Korean classical music, earning Professor Han’s disapproval was akin to social death. Survival in the industry would be nearly impossible.

“By the way, did you figure out when those ridiculous rumors started?”

“I believe it began around last year’s winter concert, ‘The Emperor,’ when Seojoon was unexpectedly chosen as the soloist.”

“‘Unexpectedly’?”
Professor Han raised an eyebrow sharply, making the assistant flinch and bow his head.

“My apologies… that was thoughtless of me.”

“Tsk, tsk. You’ve seen Seojoon perform in person, and you still say such nonsense?”

“I’m sorry. It was careless of me.”

As they walked, the assistant trailed behind, continuing the conversation.

“Shouldn’t we address those baseless rumors, Professor? I could clarify the truth.”

“Assistant, do you react to every worm wriggling in the dirt? These rumors will die down on their own by the time the camp ends. Do nothing.”

“Understood, Professor.”

They entered the elevator. Professor Han pressed the button for the dining floor, and they waited in silence for a moment.

“Speaking of which, did you find anything about that boy?”

“Do you mean Eom Deokgu?”

“Yes. He looks vaguely familiar, but I can’t place him….”

“I did some digging, but he doesn’t seem like anyone you should be concerned about. If anything, he seems like trouble. I don’t understand why Seojoon would associate with someone like him….”

The assistant trailed off, stealing a glance at Professor Han.

The elevator doors opened, and a sudden commotion greeted them.

“Whoa….”
“That’s insane….”
“His face and body are like two completely different people….”

The dining hall stretched before them, its elegant decor framing a breakfast buffet. Most of the round tables were empty.

On the far left side of the room, a crowd of students pressed against a large glass window, staring outside in awe.

Professor Han scowled at the disorder and raised her voice.
“What’s all this racket?!”

“Eek!”
“Sorry, Professor!”

The students scrambled back to their seats, startled.

One figure, however, remained at the window—a woman in sleek, tight-fitting clothes. It was Han Yeoreum.

“Oh my gosh….”

“Hey! Han Yeoreum!”
Professor Han called out sharply, but Han Yeoreum ignored her, completely absorbed in whatever she was watching.

“This girl…!”
Seething with irritation, Professor Han stormed over to Yeoreum.

Just as she was about to reprimand her, something outside the window caught her eye as well.

The blazing sun illuminated an unusual sight on the otherwise deserted private beach.

“What on earth?!”
Professor Han’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

The beach, exclusive to Hanshin Resort’s Building D, was supposed to be empty at this early hour.
Yet there, under the sun, were forty-something men sprinting.

All of them were shirtless.

“Look! Look at them!”
Still reeling, Professor Han turned to her assistant, who calmly approached.

“The one at the front wearing sunglasses is Seojoon,” the assistant explained.

“W-What?”

“The rest are the Poonggwang High School orchestra members.”

“…….”

“They’ve been at it for over an hour now.”

Day 3 of the training camp.

As usual, the day began with light exercise.

“Ah, refreshing.”
Running a hand through my damp hair, I stepped out of the bathhouse.

Scattered throughout the changing room were the exhausted members of the orchestra, sprawled out like corpses.

All that for just a bit of exercise. What a waste of youth.

“Ugh….”
“Please… have mercy….”

“Tsk. Such weaklings.”

The schedule I’d planned was simple:
6 a.m. wake-up, followed by exercise, meals, practice, meals, practice, meals, and more practice.
Afterward, free time.
Of course, only if they still had the energy to do anything.

“Get moving. You’ve got twenty minutes before the next session. If anyone’s late….”

My phone, resting on the dressing table, buzzed with an incoming call.

The caller ID read: Professor Han Gwangsook.

“Yes, Professor.”

“You’re aware of the masterclass today, aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Good. Don’t be late. Meet me at the grand banquet hall.”

“Understood, Professor.”

As I ended the call, I realized that all the orchestra members in the changing room were staring at me. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity, having clearly eavesdropped on the conversation.

I addressed them directly.
“I’ll be stepping out today, so focus on your individual practice. For any facilities or equipment you need, check with Choo Minji or Kim Bom.”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

“Answer me.”

“Y-Yes! Thank you!” they shouted in unison, scrambling to respond.

I left the room, and moments later, I heard their cheers echoing from the sauna.
Their shouts of relief—”We’re saved!” “Freedom!”—mixed with jubilant curses.

Whether they were dumb or just simple-minded, it made me think I’d have to push them even harder tomorrow.

As I walked through the corridors, I spotted Kim Bom lounging on a sofa in the basement lobby, scrolling through her phone.

“Where’s Choo Minji?” I asked, sitting next to her.

“Interviewing the other students,” she replied without looking up.

“Found anyone willing to talk?”

“Of course not.”

The Baekjung TV team, including Choo Minji, had been tirelessly going around the camp for the past two days, trying to conduct interviews with participating students. So far, they’d been turned down by everyone.

“No one wants to be associated with us,” Kim Bom added with a sigh.

“Because of Eom Deokgu’s antics,” I replied.

Even though the offensive remarks had come from someone else, the fact that Deokgu had thrown punches made him a co-culprit. While he only received a warning, the incident had fueled the spread of rumors about us.

“And he’s still sulking in his room?”

“Yep. Makes you wonder why he even bothered coming. Why’d you bring him along anyway?”

“Everyone needs to participate in group activities.”

“Sometimes, you sound like such an old-fashioned boomer….”

“A boomer?”

“Nothing.”

I glanced at the clock hanging on the lobby wall and got to my feet.
“Anyway, I’ve got to go. The professor’s waiting for me.”

“Seojoon, wait a second,” Kim Bom called after me.

“What?”

“Do you have some time tonight? I want to talk.”

“If it’s short, say it now.”

“Not here,” she said, glancing at a spot a few steps away.

I followed her gaze to see a Baekjung TV cameraman filming me with a camcorder.

“Fine. Let’s talk tonight.”

****

A master class is a lesson conducted by a renowned expert or virtuoso. The term is often used in the arts, especially in music.

In such classes, a famous performer teaches a student while an audience observes.
In simpler terms, it’s a “public lesson,” where the student is critiqued in front of everyone.

Typically, the experts focus on positive feedback, toning down criticisms to encourage the students.

One of the highlights of Professor Han Gwangsook’s camp was her master class.

The “queen” of the Korean classical music scene, her influence stemmed not only from her wealth but also her exceptional skill as a pianist and educator.

Today, during the master class, she was especially energetic in her teaching.

“What exactly was that you just played?” Professor Han asked, arms crossed.

The grand banquet hall, filled with piano students, fell into a tense silence.

“Tell me, in your own words. What did you just play?”
She strode across the stage, her sharp heels clicking against the floor.

The girl sitting at the grand piano in the center of the stage answered hesitantly in a small voice.
“Liszt… Mazeppa….”

“Yes, Liszt,” Han continued, placing a hand on the piano.

“The Liszt I know is a musician with an intense edge—showy and self-absorbed. He composed this Étude to flaunt his virtuosity in front of an audience. But what did you convey when you played it?”

“I… uh….”

“You looked like a defeated student sulking in a practice room. Are you advertising yourself as a college entrance exam candidate?”

“…….”

“In my view, you’re showing less than half of what you’re capable of. Why is that?”

“Because I….”

“You don’t believe in yourself.”

“Ah….”

“I’m not asking you to have confidence or swagger in front of me. But during your performance, pretend you’re a master. Act like you’re the best pianist in the world. If you make a mistake, smile through it and carry on as if it was intentional. Very few people have the skill to catch all your mistakes anyway. As long as you fool yourself, that’s what matters.”

Han gently patted the girl’s shoulder.
“Start over. Play as if you’re the greatest pianist alive.”

“Yes, Professor.”

The girl took a deep breath and began playing the piano again.
[Da-dan! Da-dan!]

This time, her immersion in the music was palpable.
Even the sound itself felt transformed.

“Wow… that’s completely different,” murmured one of the students in the audience.

“Right? Every time I’ve heard her play at school, it always felt like something was missing… but not now,” another whispered.

“Yeah, but that’s because she’s already skilled. Did you see the others crying as they left earlier?”

“Totally. She’s ruthless….”

[Da-dan!]

When the brief performance ended, Professor Han resumed her critique, pinpointing new areas to address.

A short while later, the girl left the stage to polite applause.

Then, a soft murmuring spread through the hall as the next performer stepped forward.

A tall, well-built young man with long hair and dressed in black training gear—strikingly different from the formal attire of the other students.

Jung Seojoon.

His appearance caused a quiet stir among the audience.

As Jung Seojoon stepped onto the stage, the audience in the banquet hall adjusted their postures, their anticipation palpable.

“Finally….”
“Wow, look at that presence….”
“Let’s see how good he really is….”

The murmurs filled the room as the atmosphere grew heavy with expectation.

****

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the resort, Choo Minji was in action.

“Hey there, handsome!”
Her sing-song voice called out to a male student.

“Huh?”

“Do you like YouTube?”

“Uh, yeah… but who are you?”

“Ever heard of Baekjung TV?”

“Uh… sorry.”

The boy abruptly stood and walked away, leaving Minji behind.

With a deep sigh, she slumped back into her chair.
“Ugh… this is hopeless… completely hopeless.”

She silently cursed the ridiculous rumors spreading around the camp.

“What am I supposed to do now…?”

Filming Seojoon’s master class was prohibited, and the orchestra members were too busy practicing to provide any interesting content.

Maybe I should ask Hot Summer Unnie to pose in a bikini or something….

Lost in thought, her gaze wandered to the window. The pink hues of the sunset blended with the gray clouds that hinted at rain, creating a strangely harmonious sky. As the lights around the resort began to flicker on, Minji caught sight of something.

“Pretty… wait, huh?”

She spotted a tall figure exiting the building below.
Hands stuffed in his pockets, wearing Adidas slippers—it was Eom Deokgu.

“Oh-ho!”
For the first time in two days since his incident, Deokgu was outside.

“Is he trying to escape?”

Grabbing her camcorder, Minji hurriedly followed him.

****

Moments later, she stood outside, fanning herself with her T-shirt.
“Damn it, he’s gone.”

Despite running down the escalator from the third floor as soon as she saw him, Deokgu had disappeared.

“Where’d he go….”

She scanned the area but found no trace of him. Just as she was about to give up, she spotted him emerging from a corner of the parking lot.

“Hey! Eom!”

She sprinted over and stood in his path.

Deokgu frowned down at her.
“Ugh… do you have a crush on me or something?”

“Ew, please. I’m into pretty faces.”

“Then why are you stalking me? It’s annoying.”

“To keep you from causing more trouble. Where’d you go, anyway?”

“None of your business.”

As Deokgu tried to push past her, Minji grabbed his wrist.
“What’s this?”

In his hand was a business card with the logo ‘JS Art Management.’

Recognizing the name, Minji’s curiosity piqued.
“Why do you have this? Where’d you get it?”

“Why do you care?”

“Hmm.”
Minji squinted, looking him up and down.
“Thinking of pursuing vocal music?”

Deokgu glared at her with a dangerous intensity.
“How do you know I did vocal music?”

“Oh, so you did? I overheard you singing in your room.”

“…Damn it. Does everyone hear everything here? Isn’t this place supposed to be soundproof?”

Deokgu sighed deeply and started walking away.

“Hey, wait up. By the way, who else heard you singing?”

“…….”

“Oh, and what’ve you been eating all this time?”

“…….”

“You know, if you’re bored, you could follow me around with a camcorder. I could use a mobile camera operator—”

“Hey!”

Deokgu snapped, but Minji didn’t back down.

“What?!”

“Wow… everyone around Jung Seojoon is insane, huh….”

“Who, Kim Bom?”

“…Just leave me alone. I don’t care if you’re a girl.”

“Oh?” Minji covered her mouth with both hands, eyes widening playfully.
“Are you saying you see me as a girl?”

“Goddamn it.”

As Deokgu clenched his fists in frustration, Minji blinked up at him innocently.
“You’d hit someone as cute as me?”

Deokgu nodded slightly.
“I might even kill you.”

“Wow.”

“Don’t follow me.”

As he walked away, Minji called out after him with a smirk.
“There’s a karaoke room downstairs! Across the hall from the sauna! No one goes there, so give it a try!”

She grinned, clearly pleased at the prospect of having something to film.

“Still… who gave him that business card?”

Turning back toward the parking lot where Deokgu had emerged, she scanned the area.
But there was no one in sight.