Trapped Together — Chapter 18

...OH?

She sings, too.

NOAH!

NOAH!

OH MY, TO HAVE SUCH AN ESTEEMED GUEST HERE...!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING!

AH, PROFESSOR.

THE PLEASURE IS MINE. THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION.

THIS IS BAD.

WE GOT THROUGH THE VOCALS WITHOUT ANY MISTAKES, BUT...

THE TEMPO JUST STARTED DRAGGING EVERYWHERE AGAIN.

AH, FCK...

I HAVE TO COME IN SOON, WHY IS THE TEMPO LIKE THIS?!

THIS IS DRIVING ME CRAZY...

I CAN'T CATCH MY BREATH...

HAA...

ARE YOU ENJOYING THE SHOW?

YES.

ALL OF THE STUDENTS ARE EXCEPTIONALLY TALENTED, SO–

?!

IT...

IT WENT BACK...

TO THE REGULAR BEAT.

WITH RUBATO...

RUBATO: "STOLEN TIME" (RUBARE). A MUSICAL TERM FOR FLEXIBLY ALTERING THE TEMPO, SPEEDING UP AND SLOWING DOWN FOR EXPRESSION.

NOAH?

IS SOMETHING WRONG?

DUDE!!

HOW THE HELL DID YOU PULL THAT OFF?!!

I-I MADE A MISTAKE AND MESSED UP THE TEMPO,

SO I WAS JUST TRYING TO FIX IT SOMEHOW...

THAT WASN'T JUST "SOMEHOW"!

YOU WERE FCKING INSANE!!

TO THINK YOU'D USE RUBATO TO LEAD US THROUGH A QUINTET ON YOUR OWN...

I DIDN'T REALIZE YOU HAD THAT MUCH NERVE.

Seriously!

NO, YOU GUYS FOLLOWED MY LEAD PERFECTLY.

I JUST TRUSTED YOU.

AT THAT POINT, IT PROBABLY DIDN'T EVEN SOUND LIKE A MISTAKE, RIGHT?

It was so smooth, for real.

THE PROFESSORS PROBABLY STILL NOTICED, THOUGH.

HONESTLY, WITH SKILLS LIKE THAT, THEY'D PROBABLY GIVE YOU BONUS POINTS EVEN IF THEY DID NOTICE!

BUT I WAS SO INCREDIBLY NERVOUS.

PERFORMING IN FRONT OF THE PROFESSORS IS ONE THING SINCE WE SAW THEM AT THE ENTRANCE EXAMS, BUT...

PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THE UPPERCLASSMEN, THERE WERE AGENCY REPS IN THE AUDIENCE...

AND EVEN FAMOUS MUSICIANS...

RIGHT.

I WAS ESPECIALLY SHOCKED TO SEE PIANIST SU NOAH HERE.

HUH?

SU...

...SU NOAHHHH?!!

Y-YEAH.

YOU DIDN'T KNOW?

He would have been hard to miss.

I SAW HIM TALKING TO A PROFESSOR IN THE AUDIENCE WHEN WE WERE WALKING OFF STAGE.

STILL, FOR SU NOAH TO SHOW UP... HANKUK UNIVERSITY'S COLLEGE OF MUSIC REALLY IS LEGENDARY.

FOR REAL.

AH...

I SHOULD HAVE PRACTICED THE PIANO MORE INSTEAD OF MY SINGING...

DON'T WORRY, YOU KILLED IT.

NOAH!

YOU TOOK THE TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE TO COME HERE. ARE YOU REALLY LEAVING RIGHT AFTER THE SHOW?

YOU SHOULD AT LEAST JOIN US FOR A MEAL.

I APOLOGIZE.

I HAVE ANOTHER ENGAGEMENT TO GET TO.

I HOPE THE PERFORMANCES WERE TO YOUR LIKING.

I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THEM.

IT WAS REFRESHING TO SEE THE STUDENTS TRYING SO MANY NEW THINGS.

AND...

WAS HER NAME OH SEONYUL?

THE PIANIST FOR TEAM D.

AH, YES.

HER HAND POSTURE WAS RATHER UNIQUE.

AH, YOU NOTICED?

THAT STUDENT...

SHE'S A FRESHMAN WHO JUST JOINED US,

BUT IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT SHE DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY FORMAL TRAINING FOR THE ENTRANCE EXAMS.

...SO THAT EXPLAINS WHY HER POSTURE AND KEYSTROKES

WERE SO FAR FROM THE STANDARD.

PLUS, SHE'S ONLY A FRESHMAN...

THANKS TO YOUR INVITATION, PROFESSOR, I HAD A VERY WORTHWHILE EXPERIENCE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A WHILE.

THANK YOU.

OH, NOT AT ALL.

I SHOULD BE THE ONE THANKING YOU.

HAVE A SAFE TRIP BACK,

AND I'LL CONTACT YOU AGAIN SOON!

...PROFESSOR. BY THE WAY,

REGARDING THE SPECIAL GUEST LECTURE DECLINED PREVIOUSLY.

AFTER WATCHING THE STUDENTS PERFORM TODAY...

I'VE CHANGED...

MY MIND.

I'VE NEVER WORN CLOTHES LIKE THIS BEFORE,

SO IT'S EVEN HARD TO WALK FAST.

I NEED TO HURRY UP AND CHANGE OUT OF THIS.

I CAN'T SHOW UP AT THE MED SCHOOL LOOKING LIKE THIS...

WHAT THE? HE STARTLED ME.

I THOUGHT HE WAS AN IDOL.

THAT'S THE GUY FROM THE MED SCHOOL, RIGHT?

HE IS F*CKING GORGEOUS IN REAL LIFE.

WHAT IS HE DOING AT THE MUSIC COLLEGE?

AH.

OH SEONYUL.

I ENJOYED THE SHOW.

Y-YOU ACTUALLY CAME.

THANKS FOR COMING TO WATCH.

HERE.

IT'S YOURS.

YOU LOOKED EXCEPTIONALLY COOL TODAY.

TH-THANK YOU.

UH...?

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER RECEIVED A BOUQUET FOR A PERFORMANCE.

GETTING ALL DRESSED UP TO PERFORM LIKE THIS...

AND HAVING SOMEONE TELL ME I LOOKED COOL AND THAT THEY ENJOYED IT...

IT'S ALL A FIRST FOR ME...

I'M SO HAPPY TODAY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

...OH SEONYUL.

I-

?!

AH...!

THIS BITCH IS REALLY DOING EVERYTHING SHE CAN TO PISS ME OFF.

GETTING IN THE WAY LIKE THAT...

HUH?

EEEK♥!!

Are you okay?

YOU'RE THE MED STUDENT FROM LAST TIME?!!♥

OH MY GOD!!

DO YOU HAPPEN TO REMEMBER ME?!

WE WERE DRINKING AT THE SAME CHICKEN PLACE!

I WAS SO BUMMED WE DIDN'T GET TO TALK BACK THENT-T

But meeting you like this must be fate!

THE MED SCHOOL UPPERCLASSMEN WERE PROMOTING IT SO MUCH ON EVERYTIME!

THEY SAID YOU WERE PLAYING KEYBOARD AT THE MED STUDENTS' NIGHT PERFORMANCE TODAY!

I'M A KEYBOARD MAJOR, YOU SEE~

SO THERE WAS SO MUCH I WANTED TO ASK YOU!

LIKE, WHY ARE YOU INTERESTED IN THE KEYBOARD~

WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER INSTRUMENTS OUT THERE~

THINGS LIKE THAT...

YOU KNOW, THERE'S A SAYING.

WHEN SOMEONE TREATS A PERSON COMPLETELY DIFFERENTLY THAN HOW THEY TREAT EVERYONE ELSE...

IT ACTUALLY MEANS THEY LIKE THAT PERSON.

I DON'T KNOW WHY

THAT SAYING SUDDENLY POPPED INTO MY HEAD, BUT...

I'D GOTTEN SO USED TO HIM LATELY

THAT I'D MOMENTARILY FORGOTTEN A CRUCIAL FACT.

BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL,

LEE ROWOON WAS—

HEY.

RENOWNED FOR HIS GRADES,

HIS LOOKS...

AND—

PICK IT UP.

FOR BEING

A COMPLETE AND UTTER JERK.