The meal was nearly over.
"So, how much did we make from today's performance?"
Il-sung, who had been the main target of teasing today, grumbled as he asked Dae-sung this question.
Of course, Dae-sung didn’t so much as bat an eye.
"Are you pouting over that, as a grown man?"
"Pouting? Me?"
"Your tone gives it away. Huh? Should I just cancel the blind date I was going to set up for you?"
"A... a blind date? Really?"
The man in his twenties instantly became docile.
But the man in his thirties was cold-hearted.
"Oh, sorry. I was lying. You took it too seriously."
"..."
"Keke. Il-sung’s got a cute side, huh? Did I get your hopes up?"
"..."
Il-sung's enraged outburst followed immediately.
Without paying him any attention, Dae-sung continued talking.
"Anyway, I was just about to settle the accounts for the performance. Today was a bit unusual because we even talked about refunds with the audience. I had the staff double-check just in case, and I just got a text."
Oh, right. That had happened.
I hadn’t even thought about it while I was busy eating my steak.
- If you didn’t like the performance, go to the ticket office and say so. Even if you watched the entire show, we’ll give you a full refund.
That was what Dae-sung hyung had said directly from the stage.
Recalling that moment made me feel a little tense.
“How many people actually requested a refund?”
When Deuk-soo hyung asked calmly, Dae-sung hyung grinned for no reason.
“Deuk-soo, how many do you think?”
“Hey, stop dragging it out. Seojin seems nervous too. Great job acting like this in front of the kid.”
The conversation arrowed towards me. Then Lee Yeon hyung, who was sitting next to me, nudged my side.
“You did well, so why are you nervous? And was there only a keyboard on stage? There was a bass, a guitar, and drums too. If there were a lot of refund requests, it’s because we didn’t do well.”
“…I wasn’t nervous, though?”
“Heh, okay. Got it. So, what’s the verdict?”
At Lee Yeon hyung’s question, Dae-sung hyung placed his smartphone in the middle of the table with a smack. Everyone’s eyes immediately focused on it.
And on the screen, there was a message.
- Yes, boss. Even after quite some time since the concert ended, there have been no refund requests. In fact, a foreign audience member was so impressed by the keyboardist that they gave a tip...
This was what everyone had hoped for.
I let out a cheer.
“Wow! No one requested a refund?”
“Seriously, not a single refund? Yeah! We were pretty on point today, weren’t we?”
“This is why I love performing! It’s always thrilling! Always fresh!”
“To be honest, the quality of today’s performance was pretty solid. With Seojin jumping in last minute, we were all laser-focused, even better than during rehearsals!”
“But wait, what’s this about a tip? A tip from a foreigner?”
At Il-sung hyung’s question, Dae-sung hyung showed the next part of the message.
“Apparently, two foreign audience members gave 20,000 won and 30,000 won each. They said it was the first time they saw a kid perform like that. They thought it was amazing. By the way, you were on stage for less than 20 minutes today, and you earned 50,000 won just in tips.”
“Wow, so what’s Seojin’s hourly rate?”
“It’s probably higher than yours or mine!”
The older guys gave me high-fives, saying I did well.
Even as I reacted instinctively, I felt a bit dazed.
‘…50,000 won? A tip?’
But that wasn’t the end of the story.
“And this time, the ticket price was 15,000 won, and we sold 274 in total? So, that’s 4.11 million won. After deducting the venue rental, staff wages, card fees, and giving a small cut to the festival organizers….”
Dae-sung hyung quickly finished calculating on his phone’s calculator app, then looked at me and said,
“Each person gets 400,000 won. Not bad for you, Seojin, right? For just a day’s work, I mean.”
My pay?
I had told Dae-sung hyung before the show that I was just helping out.
So I reminded him of that again.
“For this performance, I just want to consider it as helping you repay a debt, hyung. So, it’s fine, I don’t need the pay.”
However.
My words seemed to lead to some kind of misunderstanding.
“What? Repaying a debt? Debt repayment? Hey! Hong Dae-sung! You’re even loan sharking kids now?”
“Wow... Turns out he’s a real pro… No wonder, even his tattoos didn’t look ordinary.”
“Gentlemen, I think I’ll take my leave now. In my life, nothing good has ever come from getting involved with loan sharks. Dae-sung hyung… No matter how tough things get, let’s at least not mess with elementary school kids. Seriously, what is that? Tsk.”
Il-sung and Deuk-soo exploded in anger.
“You little punks! After all I’ve done for you, you’re cutting ties with me this fast? Seojin! I swear I’m innocent. I’m innocent!”
“……”
Of course, I hurriedly explained everything to clear up the misunderstanding, and it was quickly resolved.
“Honestly though, Dae-sung does have the face of a loan shark.”
“Oh, I thought so too.”
“But, didn’t he have a rumor about being in that line of work before? Is that true?”
“No, that's not it! I'm the kind of person who cries while watching romantic comedies! And if I lived somewhere, it would be in Hongdae. Where else?”
“Hmm. Triad?”
“Hey!”
The band members, including me, couldn't help but chuckle.
Dae-sung hyung ended up giving me 450,000 won.
400,000 won was the payment for today’s performance.
The extra 50,000 won was a tip from the audience.
I tried refusing a few times, but there was only one response each time:
“If word gets out that you didn’t pay for the performance, the live house would go under immediately. Just accept it quietly. And as for the extra money, buy food for your juniors.”
Dae-sung hyung also said that he had to make sure to pay the keyboardist of Daesunghaja for the performance.
I hadn’t known him for that long, but maybe running things this way was why Star Music Shop went into a closing sale.
‘Suddenly, I have 450,000 won…’
After buying the RL-173 guitar last time, my balance had pretty much hit zero.
And now, 450,000 won from one performance?
+450,000???
It was the highest income in my 12-year life, updated once again.
“But isn't 450,000 won too much money for an elementary school student? It’s going to be hard to manage. How about hyung takes care of it for you and invests it? I’ll double it for you. How about it?”
That was Il-sung hyung’s suggestion.
I, of course, flatly refused.
“I already have something I’m going to use it for. I just need to save up a little more.”
“What are you going to use it for?”
This time, it was Lee Yeon hyung who asked.
“I’m planning to buy a second-hand laptop. I’ve been trying to compose MIDI on my phone lately, but the screen is so small I feel like my eyes are going to pop out. It’s hard to focus when there are more than three or four instruments.”
"…Do you do MIDI too?"
"I'm learning little by little by watching YouTube videos when I have time. It's pretty fun."
"…."
Lee Yeon hyung suddenly rubbed his face with his hands.
"Maybe… this is what a real genius is, right? I heard this kid is preparing for the entrance exam to an arts middle school with the piano. But he can also play the guitar, play the keyboard, and now he's even talking about composing? Is there any character more ridiculously overpowered than that?"
"Wow, that's no joke. Seojin, what exactly are you trying to do? Are you planning to try every kind of music that exists in the world? Isn't that a bit greedy?"
It was Deuk-soo hyung who asked.
I answered honestly.
"Well, I'm just trying to do as much as I can. After all, there was someone who actually did that—someone who was recognized to some extent in both classical and popular music."
"Was there really someone like that? Were they famous?"
I smiled slightly.
"I came to know them by 'chance' as well, so it's hard to explain exactly who they were."
* * *
Evening in Hongdae.
As it started getting slightly darker, there were even more people than during the day.
The ⌜End of Summer Rock Fest in Hongdae!⌟ was getting more and more lively.
The streets were filled with numerous buskers, and the ground was packed with people sitting and cheering.
A significant number of people were also going in and out of live houses and clubs.
"Wow, it's crazy tonight."
"No kidding. There's no way we can get through that."
"Let's take a detour. If we go down that alley, we'll end up on a residential street."
"Yeah, that's probably better."
As expected, the hyungs were practically Hongdae locals.
I walked down that road with my guitar bag slung over my back, trudging slowly.
Streetlights, spaced out along the dark road, barely illuminated the path.
Insects buzzed and thudded against the orange-glowing lamps.
Ahead of me, the Daesunghaja hyungs were walking.
Il-sung hyung and Lee Yeon hyung had guitar bags similar to mine.
Deuk-soo hyung was twirling his drumsticks, and only Dae-sung hyung was strolling with empty hands.
How did things turn out like this?
It was a bit strange.
I felt like I could only explain it by borrowing the song "Coincidence."
Well...
Having spent time with Uncle Miller, I didn’t really need to understand “coincidence,” though.
I squeezed in between the hyungs and started chatting about what happened during today’s performance.
Since we were in a residential area, we couldn’t speak loudly, but just talking was fun enough.
Even though it had been a while since we stepped off the stage, the memories of what happened were still fresh in my mind.
“Whew, it’s so hot. How about we grab a drink? Seojin, what do you think?”
“Sounds good.”
“What do you want?”
“Hmm.”
At the end of the alley, a vending machine brightly lit up the corner.
I thought for a moment, then picked a drink.
“Cocopalm? Wow, you’ve got such a kid’s palate.”
I only chose it because it had coconut in it.
“Sometimes, I just crave it.”
“Well, it’s nice that you’re still a bit childish.”
The Daesunghaja hyungs pulled out their canned drinks and casually perched themselves on the planter at the end of the alley. Pat, pat. They called me to sit with them.
I lightly hopped onto the flower bed. It was too high to sit otherwise. Ugh, only my feet dangled in the air.
From somewhere, a crackling noise came from the vending machine, as if something was broken. The sound of opening the can’s lid was rather pleasant. I took a sip of the drink.
I suddenly looked up at the sky. Maybe because of the streetlights or the dust, I couldn’t see any stars. Ah, only the faintly glowing North Star barely caught my eye.
“Not bad. It has its own kind of romance.”
Dae-sung hyung, who was next to me, also followed my gaze and looked at the sky. Then he casually struck up a conversation.
“Did you enjoy the show today?”
“Very much. It’s almost regretful that I’ve lived my life not knowing about this.”
Dae-sung hyung chuckled.
He took a long gulp of his drink.
“Ha... Hearing that from a 12-year-old kid feels kind of weird. But you’re at an age where you can still learn about these things. What’s there to regret about time?”
“That’s true, but these days, I find myself thinking about time a lot.”
“Time?”
“Although it’s practically impossible, sometimes I wish I could go back 10 years with my current self, even for just a moment.”
“Ten years ago? Weren’t you practically crawling back then? What would you even do?”
“I mean with my current self. There’s someone I’d like to meet, even if just briefly.”
“...”
Dae-sung hyung drained the rest of his drink. He crumpled the aluminum can haphazardly and tossed it into the trash bin next to the vending machine. It barely made it in.
“You really are an odd one. The way you talk, it’s like you’ve swallowed a philosopher whole, but when I see how much you enjoy eating, you seem just like a kid.”
“Hyung.”
“What?”
“If people don’t eat, they die.”
"......"
"That's why I like eating. Steak. It's no joke. Who in the world could hate something like that?"
"Heh heh. Yeah, you sure do eat well. You'll grow up fast."
"I should, right?"
Dae-sung hyung stared into space for a while, lost in thought. Then he continued.
"You did well at the performance today."
"It's thanks to you guys."
"I'm not one for empty compliments. So, what I mean is..."
He glanced at the other members.
"Have you ever thought about making music with these guys? Watching today, the synergy looked good."
"A band?"
"Whatever it ends up being. But you’ll be starting school soon, right? Then it’ll be tough to officially join a band. You've got to attend school and prepare for your arts middle school entrance exams too. Honestly, you'll probably be busier than us. So, I’m asking if you'd be interested in making music with us without feeling tied down."
I thought for a moment.
"I want to do a lot of things. I can’t stay tied to just one thing."
"Then you can join in whenever you want, whenever you have the time."
"Like today?"
"Yeah."
"Today, I wanted to play, and the timing with you guys was right. In that case, haven’t we already made music together?"
Dae-sung hyung looked at me silently for a moment.
Then, he playfully tapped my arm.
"You're right. We already made music together today."
"Yes."
"And it was fun, too."
"It was unbelievable."
We burst into laughter.
It seemed some time had passed, as there were droplets of condensation forming on the can. I wiped them away and glanced back up at the sky.
Even in this place where stars were hard to see, the moon shone brightly and clearly.
So, I silently raised a toast to someone in my heart.
The drink sliding down my throat was refreshingly cool, though the bits of coconut sometimes caught slightly as they went down.
Dae-sung hyung told me to stop by Star Live House whenever I felt like it.
However, it was a bit different from the last time he told me to drop by.
This time, he said he'd set up a small stage for me, and asked if I’d like to perform.
I gladly accepted the offer.
The summer in Hongdae was hot.
But the drink was cool.
My summer break, though it felt long, ended in the blink of an eye.
