Genius of a Performing Arts High

Act 11: Slowly 9

“So you’ll give me a main actor position?”

“Uh? Are you interested?”

Running her fingers through her hair in an upward motion, Lee Suh-ah looked at Jo Yunjae.

“Just curious. Usually they don’t give the protagonist-level position to first graders.”

In fact, it was closer to saying that it couldn’t be given instead. Within the three year period of school life, excluding third grade which was usually dedicated to entrance exams for uni, students were only allowed two years in societies for a chance to be in the main leading position.

And naturally, it became normal for second graders to be in that spot. Facing Lee Suh-ah’s doubt, Jo Yunjae nodded his head.

“That may be the case in the Musical Club but ours is different because we have two second-grade sunbaes.”

“Two?”

Only two? Seeing the doubt in her expression, Jo Yunjae immediately started covering things up with a look that seemed to be saying ‘oops’.

“Umm... so the second-grade sunbaes seemed more interested in decorating the stage... and conceded a lot to the freshmen. As a result, there are lots of empty positions and even a supporting role would get a similar number of lines comparable to protagonists, I’d say.”

Lee Suh-ah watched Jo Yunjae, zealously trying to persuade her, and crossed her arms as she asked a fundamental question.

“That... doesn’t that just mean that you don’t have enough people that can be in the supporting roles?”

Jo Yunaje immediately replied.

“No, it’s not that bad, okay?”

“Oh is that so?”

Giving a snort, she flicked her head around and contemplated.

Jo Yunjae had already asked her several times to join the society. Ever since the time they went to the airport together, he invited her in whenever he had time – in the middle of a meal, while walking, and even while practising, by the time she realised he would be publicising his society.

The persistent wooing was enough to make a thought pop up in her head.

‘Should I join...?’

In fact, Lee Suh-ah didn’t have any disagreements with entering the society. Although she was currently affiliated with the Musical Club, she wasn’t particularly interested in the club activities.

In the first place, she followed Song Mirae in without much of a thought and wasn’t interested in musicals themselves. And yet the reason she repeatedly refused Jo Yunjae’s offer was... due to a memory of the holidays that would occasionally pop up in her head.

Wedding ceremony.

Song Mirae whom she met in the middle of that brilliant, bright wedding hall.

Her heart that went crashing down.

And a subtle, strange emotion that filled her heart...

Seeing Lee Suh-ah indulging in her thoughts, Jo Yunaje shook his head.

“Oh well, if it’s too hard, it can’t be helped.”

“...Yeah. Aren’t there already lots aside from me? Mirae, Dasom and there should be others right?”

“No? Plus Chloe and that’s it.”

Chloe.

Hearing that name, she paused.

“So there was Chloe as well huh.”

“Yah. There are four first-graders. I do need to start looking for some more people...”

“...”

Lee Suh-ah’s heart turned complicated.

‘Mirae... will she be alright?’

Han Dasom alone would be tough enough and yet Chloe was added on top. No matter how she saw it, Chloe and Jo Yunjae’s relationship appeared deep.

In deep contemplation, Lee Suh-ah started to slowly organise her thoughts.

‘Yeah. It’s not like I... like that guy right? Un, yes. I’m just worried about Mirae so... let’s go help. Just helping.’

Finishing her trail of thought, Lee Suh-ah stole a cautious glance at Jo Yunjae.

“That... you know, your society.”

“Un?”

After some hesitation, she opened her mouth.

“...Can I visit and take a look before joining?”

“...”

Jo Yunjae made a dumbfounded expression.

*

Although it was rather sudden, the request for a visit was approved. Well, a visit, after all, wasn’t too serious and it was like having a temporary member.

The question is why she, who always detested the idea of entering RC society, would suddenly be like this but,

‘...She seemed to be paying more attention to me recently. Is it because of that?’

Ever since the Prac High-achievers Concert, she doubted that I was hiding something and... it could be that she was planning to observe me during club activities now because doing it during lessons wasn’t enough.

‘Anyway, a temporary member is still a member.’

Accepting her in with such thought, I also decided to follow her next advice and scouted for some more.

“Did you ask others about joining it?”

“Hmm... I did say it to everyone I know but...”

“...’Everyone you know’ – isn’t that Noh Jusup plus a few from our class? Do it to others as well. If you promote it... there will be quite a few joining.”

I followed the advice Lee Suh-ah, who seemed oddly sulky, gave and promoted it to others and actually succeeded in inviting a few more in.

“A musical society? Is it a new one?”

“It was always there but I didn’t join any society last semester you see. It’s a society I joined this semester.”

“Mhmm... and there’s you, Han Dasom and Lee Suh-ah? Then it’s a must enter!”

That’s roughly how it went. Once I actually put the time to think about it, I realised that since there were three prac high-achievers from the previous semester in one society, it was enough to grab others’ attention.

‘It feels a bit intriguing though.’

People were gathering due to my name value, and were giving their trust. It was a strange feeling and although embarrassing, it still felt good.

In any case, a week went by as I looked for new members and it was finally the club activity time. I was sitting down in the club room with a palpitating mood, when the teacher pushed the door open and walked in.

“Hello~”

“Yeah.”

After we separated like that last time, it had been a week. When I greeted him enthusiastically, he returned a random nod and stood before the crowd while glancing across.

“Before we start, there’s someone I wish to introduce.”

Introduce?

Seeing us tilt our heads, the teacher gave an empty cough before gesturing towards the door.

A person walked in, with echoing taps made by the heels. White shirt, a formal skirt and a tidily bundled hair.

Seeing that familiar appearance, I looked forward with a strange feeling.

“Hello~”

“...This is teacher Hong Yoojin. Since she studied musicals a lot, we will receive some help from her occasionally.”

After saying that, teacher Kwak Jungsoo secretly took a step back from teacher Hong Yoojin.

...That teacher was also from musicals huh...

Thinking ‘what a coincidence’, I watched the teacher grin while opening her mouth.

“Teacher Kwak Jungsoo also learned musicals with me. He’s too modest right? Anyways nice to meet you guys. I’m Hong Yoojin.”

“Hello~”

After another round of greetings, teacher Hong Yoojin finally stood in the centre.

“First off, since you apparently don’t have enough time, I’ll go straight to the point. I heard about how you increased your numbers and chose the protagonists. Then, what’s the next thing you should do?”

“...”

As we remained silent, teacher Hong Yoojin carried her steps and tapped the ground as she continued her sentence.

“Quite obviously, you need to choose what musical to do right? Because only then can you start preparing for it. Taking into account the story and song that should be focused, the types of characters you like, I brought some music scores and play scripts in their genres so let’s choose one together.”

After finishing her sentence, the teacher grabbed a pile of papers from the stack in her hand and handed it out.

“Take them first.”

Blankly receiving the papers, the society member started chatting amongst each other.

“Music sheets?”

“Hmm...”

“Are we choosing everything ourselves?”

Teacher Kwak Jungsoo from the side crossed his arms and replied.

“Yeah. We’re not the ones standing on the stage right. Since it’s your stage, you guys have to choose.”

“...”

In the middle of a strange flow of tension, the sunbaes started flicking through the papers. Taking my eyes off of them, I also faced down.

What musical should we do...

When I turned to another page with such thought, I found music sheets with different symbols and a synopsis list with explanations of stories.

[Romeo and Julliet]

[Phantom of the Opera]

From famous titles like that

[Taking a cabbage out for a walk?]

[Space Sunflower Project]

To self-made musicals like that. There was a fairly large list of musicals.

We have to choose from these huh...

I was reading through the list with a prudent heart when Chloe, standing next to me, carefully asked a question.

“What would be goodd?”

“Who knows...”

Since we don’t have enough time to change into a different one after deciding on it once, there was a need to be careful while choosing it.

There was a limit to the abilities of the club members.

What sort of musical would make the most out of their voices and fit the atmosphere? All these had to be well understood before choosing the most optimum musical to create the best result.

Everyone had a matching song, after all.

‘There’s also part allocation of members to consider as well.’

While the upperclassmen were submerged in a slightly heavy atmosphere, the first graders had gathered with their friends and were sharing peaceful conversations. Especially Song Mirae was extremely energetic as the future protagonist and was chattering with Lee Suh-ah.

“As expected, it should be this right? Romeo and Julliet?”

“...Isn’t it too much of a romance?”

“That’s why it’s good! Love stories are always popular right~”

Song Mirae faintly threw a glance at me while Han Dasom slowly murmured to herself.

“Is there anything where the female protagonist dies early...?”

...Is that how bad their relationship is?

I was watching their war of nerves with bafflement when Yun Soojin-sunbae clapped her hands and took charge of the situation.

“First off, I’m sure everyone has finished roughly reading through it. Should we have everyone talking about what they each would like to work on?”

Listening to the stories that then unfolded, it seemed that the famous musicals were more popular quite naturally.

Good and well-known musicals like [Romeo and Julliet] and [Mister Saigon] – since these were verified musicals, that must be why everyone was more inclined to do those.

I observed the nods and joy shown on Song Mirae’s face when Lee Suh-ah, suddenly flicking her head towards me, entered my sight.

“What are you going to do.”

“What.”

She crossed her arms with a pout.

“What musical do you think will be good.”

“...”

In response to Lee Suh-ah’s sudden words, I sensed the eyes of those around me, as well as other sunbaes at the front, being gathered.

What musical would be good huh...

It was about to be my turn but the fact that Lee Suh-ah asked during this timing was probably a continuation of the ‘observations’ she repeated. Just look at her persistent gaze that showed her wish to grasp what was going through my head.

‘...Like I said, I’m not hiding anything.’

Well, since it was around time for me to give my opinion, I should choose now. Scratching my hair, I glanced through the scripts before raising a paper which I had set aside beforehand.

[Animal Farm]

Seeing that, Lee Suh-ah gave a frown.

“Animal Farm? Was there something like that?”

“It’s also my first time seeing it.”

Although I wasn’t that knowledgeable about musicals, I still knew most of the famous ones and yet it was my first time hearing about this musical called ‘Animal Farm’. It must be a musical made recently by someone.

In the Composing Department, there were those that made musicals, operas and the likes so musicals like these were included as well.

However, Lee Suh-ah seemed unconvinced and she made a frown while reading through the synopsis of ‘Animal Farm’.

“This is better? Than those masterpieces over there?”

“...”

Indeed.

There were masterpieces in the mix in the list brought by the teacher. The fact that it was famous meant that it was a musical which already received a certain level of recognition. Therefore, it would naturally be a top-level musical with high quality numbers.

Maybe she found it weird that I chose a musical written by a random person, while ignoring those great musicals, but Song Mirae urgently opened her mouth.

“Right, Yunjae! I watched it but [Romeo and Julliet] is really good. It’s sweet as well. This is the type that is preferred by the schoolkids!”

“Isn’t [Phantom of the Opera] good as well...?”

While staring at them expressing their doubts, I smiled and replied.

“Nn. This was fun and the songs were good as well. I think doing this will be better than other ones.”

A reason why we had to do a nameless play instead of a famous masterpiece. Lee Suh-ah searched for that reason from my nonchalant expression before turning her eyes down to the music sheets and glaring daggers at it.

“This looks better than other masterpieces huh...”

Watching her glare at the music sheets as if there was something hidden inside it, I scratched my hair.

‘...What’s she doing now?’

Around the time commotion ended around us, teacher Hong Yoojin walked up to the front.

“For now, most of the opinions seem to have come out right?”

“Yes~”

“But you see, there’s one thing I want to tell you guys about.”

Teacher Hong Yoojin crossed her arms and glanced across the room.

“I don’t recommend doing famous musicals.”

Due to her sudden words, a strange atmosphere started flowing within the club room.