No More Thug Life, I’m Playing Music

Episode 50: The Demon King (4)

“Yes… everything is proceeding as planned…”
In the dimly lit emergency stairwell, a man’s voice echoed softly amidst the stale smell.

“No, failure is not an option.”
He wiped the sweat off his brow and glanced up and down the stairs to ensure he was alone before continuing.

“The rumors have already spread among the students. Once the camp ends and they return to their schools, it’ll only get worse… Yes, I’m trusting the representative’s promise to take me into JS Art…”

Before he could finish, the call abruptly disconnected.

“Hello? Manager Oh?”
He checked his phone screen, his face twisting in frustration.
“Damn thugs…”

The man pushed open the emergency exit door and stepped into the quiet basement lounge.
The only sound was the faint classical music playing over the speakers.

The lounge was usually deserted, and with the weekly recital still ongoing, the corridors were completely empty.
His destination was a karaoke room tucked away in a corner of Building D’s basement.

After ensuring no one was around, he entered a spacious room.

At the center sat Eom Deokgu, relaxed in his seat.

“You’re late, assistant teacher,” Deokgu said calmly.

“What do you want?”
The assistant plopped into the chair across from him.

“Assistant teacher? Why the sudden politeness?”
“…….”

“Enough of that. Why did you ask to meet? Yesterday, you were all about getting in my way. Changed your mind?”

Deokgu’s stoic expression remained as he replied.
“I want to know the reason.”

“The reason?”

“Why are you doing this to Jung Seojoon? If I’m going to help you, I need to know why.”

“Hah… you’re such a pain to deal with.”
The assistant leaned forward, his tone dripping with irritation.

“Hey, Samuel.”

Deokgu’s brows furrowed at the name from his past abroad.
“I told you not to call me that.”

“Oh, my bad,” the assistant said with a smirk, shrugging nonchalantly.

The assistant had been ordered by Professor Han to investigate Deokgu, so he knew exactly what kind of baggage the boy carried.

“But…”
The assistant’s grin turned mocking.
“You’re one to talk, considering you were expelled for assaulting a professor. And here I am, offering you a chance to rebuild your life at JS, to get back into singing. Shouldn’t you be kissing my ass?”

“Shut your damn mouth,” Deokgu growled, clenching his fists.

The assistant raised his hands dismissively.
“Look, I don’t have time for this. Are you in or out?”

Deokgu slowly unclenched his fists and exhaled sharply.
He tapped his phone, lying on the table.

“What you want is here. But first, explain why you’re targeting Seojoon.”

“You’re mistaken,” the assistant sneered.
“I’m not after Seojoon. Why would I bother with some high school kid?”

“…Then what?”

“Not him. The one above him.”
The assistant’s grin widened.
“Han Gwangsook. I’m going to take her down.”

Deokgu shook his head in disbelief.
“And the reason?”

“You don’t need to know, kid. Just hurry up and send me that footage of Seojoon. What’s the holdup?”

“……”

Deokgu checked the time on his phone and began typing.
“It’s sent.”

“Oh.”
The assistant glanced at his phone and saw a video file incoming. It was large, so it didn’t play immediately.

He stood as it began downloading.
The weekly recital was about to end, and he needed to get back quickly.

“See you around~”
The assistant left the karaoke room without looking back.

“Hmm?”

As he emerged into the lounge, something felt off. The usual classical music wasn’t playing.

Did the speakers break?

He brushed it off and headed up the stairs to avoid drawing attention by using the escalator.
At the top, he took a deep breath, adjusted his clothes, and pushed open the door.

“……”

The lobby was filled with people, but it was eerily silent.

The atmosphere was tense, like when an unwelcome guest enters the room.
All eyes were fixed on him, their faces stiff.

“What the…”

Hundreds of eyes bore down on him, and a crushing sense of pressure made it hard to breathe.

What’s going on?

As he tried to process the situation, a loud voice suddenly broke the silence.

“Hey! Don’t touch that!”

He instinctively turned toward the source: a large screen mounted on the lobby wall.

On the screen was a short female student who often hovered around Jung Seojoon. She was flailing her arms dramatically. Beside her stood Eom Deokgu, staring blankly.

The assistant’s jaw dropped.

The video’s background was unmistakable—it was the karaoke room he had just left.

“Is this even working?”
Deokgu frowned as he reached toward the camera.

“That’s expensive, you know!” the girl shrieked as the video abruptly cut out.

The assistant swallowed hard, feeling the oppressive weight of hundreds of eyes fixed on him.

“What… what is this…”

As his panicked gaze darted around, his phone buzzed.

Ding!

The video Eom Deokgu had sent him finished downloading and automatically began to play.

“It’s true… he told me to do it… that assistant teacher…”

Startled, he glanced at the screen.
The student who had been expelled on the first day of the camp was staring fearfully into the camera.

“He said he’d take care of it if I spread rumors… told me to make it sound like I was wronged… Please, sir! You have to help me explain—”

“What the hell is this…?”

He hastily stopped the video, his eyes darting around the room, now filled with murmurs and whispers.

In the middle of the crowd, Professor Han sat with her head bowed, Seojoon beside her, offering comfort.
At that moment, Seojoon lifted his head and locked eyes with the assistant.

Seojoon’s gaze was filled with contempt, a mocking smirk curling his lips.

It wasn’t just disdain—it was as if he was looking at an insect crawling on the ground.

“Agh…”

The assistant clutched his head, realization and rage mixing in his mind.

Was this all a trap?

“This… this bastard!”

His blood boiled at the thought of being outplayed by a mere teenager. The accusatory stares from the crowd only amplified his frustration.

Ordinarily, he would have denied everything and kept his composure. But now, with his temper fraying, he snapped.

“Damn it!”

He lunged toward Seojoon, flailing his arms as he charged forward.

But he didn’t get far.

“Urgh!”

A sharp blow sent him sprawling to the floor.

“You bastard!”

It was Lee Kitae, his face twisted in fury as he struck the assistant.

“Because of you! Because of you, it’s all my fault!”

Kitae screamed, his voice raw with frustration, as he rained down blows on the assistant.

“You… what are you!”

The two rolled on the ground, yelling and grappling.

****

Outside the lobby, Seojoon stepped away, pulling out his phone and making a call.

“Ducheol.”

“Yes, hyung?”

“I got the video. It worked perfectly.”

“I’m glad it helped.”

“…But you didn’t go too far, did you?”

“Of course not! You know me—just a friendly conversation. I told them I’m Baekjung’s manager and they practically spilled everything. Oh, and they wanted me to put in a good word with Professor Han.”

“Speaking of Professor Han, I have another job for you.”

“Just say the word, hyung.”

Seojoon had known early on that the assistant was the source of the false rumors. He’d also suspected the involvement of JS Art behind the scenes.

His extraordinary hearing and the assistant’s careless actions had made it easy to uncover the truth.

However, there was still one piece of the puzzle he didn’t fully understand.

“Find out what JS Art is planning. They’re targeting Professor Han.”

****

The latest video on Baekjung TV was unlike its usual uploads.

Instead of a thumbnail featuring Seojoon’s striking looks or an exciting performance highlight, it displayed an illustration.

The artwork depicted a figure resembling Seojoon, though slightly exaggerated, almost feminine in beauty.

The title read:
“The Demon King Descends! Enchanting Students at the Camp…”

“What a cheesy title.”

A pair of pale, slender hands pressed the play button.

The video opened with Choo Minji, the host of Baekjung TV, trying—and failing—to interview students.

“Hey, excuse me, have you heard of Baekjung TV…?”

“Just a quick moment…”

“Um, excuse me…”

After a series of rejections, the camera cut to various scenes of the Fenggwang Orchestra students.

Some were dozing off, others chatted idly in groups. Occasionally, they practiced—though the footage quickly shifted to a heated argument with art school students.

The scene transitioned to the convenience store, where a shouting match escalated into a scuffle.

“Wow…”

The video continued to portray the Fenggwang students in an unflattering light—smoking in hidden corners, sneaking beers, and neglecting their practice.

Overlaid with these clips was footage of Seojoon bowing and apologizing to Professor Han.

“I’m sorry, Professor.”

The narrative cast Seojoon as a beleaguered leader struggling to manage his unruly peers.

A new character, Eom Deokgu, appeared frequently in the video.
He was shown skipping practice, locking himself in his room, and sneaking into karaoke lounges.

One particularly striking clip showed him grabbing an art school student by the collar.

But the most dramatic scene was Seojoon leaving a packed lunch on Deokgu’s doorknob.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone!”

“Deokgu…”

The video’s focus was clear: Seojoon’s relentless efforts to support his troubled orchestra, contrasted with their reckless behavior.

“This guy… is he a saint or just a pushover?”

Next, interviews with art school students appeared on screen.

“Baekjung? I don’t know… I’ve never thought much about him.”

“Isn’t he the leader of those delinquents?”

“They’re definitely not fit for a student music festival.”

The final interview featured Lee Kitae.

“The weekly recital? I’m not expecting much.”

The screen faded to black before lighting up again, revealing a packed banquet hall.

The stage was set, the grand piano gleaming under the lights. The murmur of the crowd filled the room as Jung Seojoon appeared.

“What the…?”

“Is he barefoot?”

Seojoon walked onto the stage silently, sat at the piano, and began playing without any formalities.

Da−da−da−da−da−da−Da-da-da-da-da-da-

Liszt’s arrangement of Schubert’s Erlkönig—its ominous and powerful melody poured through the speakers.

“Holy shit…”

The man watching the video smirked, his dyed blonde hair catching the light. His handsome face wore an amused expression, and he was dressed in an immaculate tailcoat.

“Not bad,” he muttered, nodding his head in time with the music.

Da−dan−Da-dan-

The performance ended as suddenly as it began. Seojoon stood from the piano, and the screen faded to black.

The next clip showed the audience of art school students. They stood, clapping and cheering with astonished expressions.

A bold caption filled the screen:
“Did Baekjung’s passion for music finally reach their hearts?”

The caption disappeared, replaced by interviews with students from earlier in the evening. The framing was the same as before, but their demeanor was completely transformed.

“It was insane… Absolutely insane.”

“Actually… I’ve been subscribed to Baekjung TV for a while. I’ve watched all the older videos.”

“Jung Seo… I mean, Baekjung…”

Noh Hyeji appeared on screen, teary-eyed, holding up her feedback form to the camera.
Her form was filled with meticulous, beautiful handwriting.

“I’m so grateful… This will really help me grow…”

Other students followed, showing off their feedback forms and expressing their gratitude. Each one delivered a heartfelt message of thanks.

The video ended with a smiling Seojoon surrounded by students, their admiration clear.

“Damn, this is wild.”

The blonde man scrolled down to the comments section.

****

‘G_WON’ – As expected! The perfect blend of power and finesse.
‘Yukhanyeonilban’ – 30 years of piano experience here. That tempo and power are impossible. Baekjung must be a god.
‘kimmina’ – You used my drawing as the thumbnail… please reach out.
‘Bayahwro’ – This is the day my favorite pianist officially changed.
‘Meragangmera’ – (3:12) Jawline, (8:32) Arm veins, (11:05) Toes, (11:40) Biceps
‘Joshimnida’ – Check out his previous videos. Especially Rachmaninoff—it’s insane. The conductor was Park Myunghoon, no less.
‘Choejinji’ – He looks like he’s struggling with those delinquents. Rooting for him.

****

The man chuckled and typed his own comment:
‘LIMGOD’ – It was okay, I guess. A solid 3 out of 5.

He hit the subscribe button, removed his earbuds, and turned to the man slouched next to him.

“Hey, Sanghyuk. Ever heard of Baekjung?”

Jo Sanghyuk lazily opened one eye.
“…Nope.”

“C’mon, you know. He played Emperor back in the day, same time as you. Han Gwangsook’s student.”

“I said I don’t know.” Sanghyuk closed his eyes again.

“Still chewing on candy? Got any left? Toss me one.”

“……”

When Sanghyuk didn’t respond, the blonde man scowled.
“Damn brat. One day I’m gonna teach you some manners.”

He lit a cigarette just as the door to their waiting room burst open.

A man in a black suit entered, holding a phone to his ear. Tattoos covered his wrist as he gestured while talking.

“Yes, Vice President. Of course, I understand. Yes, I’ll see you in Korea. Rest well.”

The man ended the call, and the blonde stood up immediately.

“Director Park, did you give this guy more candy again?”

“You know Sanghyuk can’t perform without his meds,” Park Deuksu replied with a sigh.

“And I don’t get any?”

“You’ll get some when you’re done.”

“Whatever, man.”

The blonde grumbled as he flopped back onto the couch.

Park Deuksu clenched his fist briefly, then relaxed, exhaling deeply as he checked a message on his phone.

“Listen. After your performance, don’t head back to the hotel. I need you both to come with me.”

“Why?”

“You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

“Fine, okay.”

The blonde man nodded but then snapped his fingers as if recalling something.

“Wait, today’s the last stop of the duet tour with this guy, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then I can head to Korea next month, right?”

“Why? Planning to cause more trouble?”

“Come on, I just have someone I want to meet.”

“Oh, yeah? Who?”

“No worries, just a casual meetup.”

“You’re kidding, right? Idol? Actress? If it’s another scandal, I swear—”

“Relax. Just a friendly chat.”

“Still, who is it? I need to know so we can prepare.”

“This guy.”

The blonde held up his phone, displaying a photo of Jung Seojoon with Han Yeoreum.

Park Deuksu narrowed his eyes at the image, then nodded.

“…Mind if I tag along?”