GCSA CH 04

CHAPTER 04

“Whew, done.”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand.

“It’s been a while since I installed all this. That was tougher than I thought.”

In the middle of the room, shiny composing equipment was lined up neatly.

It was a beginner’s set I had bought it by emptying out my bank account.

Instead of my old laptop that could barely run word documents, I now had a decent custom-built desktop.

A proper soundproof booth was out of reach, so for now I made do with a headset.

On top of that, an audio interface, a master keyboard, and even a budget condenser microphone.

I had searched secondhand sites thoroughly and gone around in person to get everything at reasonable prices.

‘It’s nowhere near Moon Arin’s studio. But this is still something.’

When I hung the headset around my neck, the familiar weight gave me a strange sense of comfort.

It had already been a week since I returned to the past.

I still didn’t know why this had happened, but I was continuing to live ten years back in time.

The mysterious system was still there too.

At this point, I had more or less gotten used to it.

My eyes drifted to one side of the room. Piles of sheet music were stacked along the wall.

“I really need to organize those.”

The very first thing I did on the night I returned—

was writing down every single song stored in my head.

My old laptop couldn’t handle MIDI software, so I had no choice but to write everything out by hand.

Ten whole years.

Ten years of surviving under Moon Arin’s shadow, doing nothing but composing.

‘I had enough drafts to trip over.’

It took me an entire night to copy them all.

When I finally came to my senses, sunlight was already streaming through the window.

When I looked up, sheet music filled nearly half of the tiny studio apartment.

All of it was mine.

From beginning to end.

Not a single note stolen.

“Organizing can wait. Let’s start working.”

I turned on the computer and opened Cubase. The familiar interface filled the screen.

Before my regression, whenever I faced an empty project window like this, I felt suffocated.

Because of fear, self-hatred, and the inferiority complex that slowly ate away at me.

But this time was different. My heart pounded like I was meeting my first love.

‘Right. Composing was supposed to feel exciting.’

I had run away from competitions, from repeating fixed scores and “correct” interpretations, toward blank staff paper.

I wanted freedom. I wanted to go somewhere new.

‘Let’s record this one first.’

Among the countless songs in my head, one surfaced.

.

A cold, dreamy piece, like the early morning air in a city.

It had an unstable beauty, as if something were constantly slipping and flowing.

I placed my hands on the keyboard.

The first track was a low-tempo kick. A heavy kick drum that sank inward, layered with a softly spreading synth.

♩♪♬♪…

Yes.

This was it.

Instead of lyrics, I recorded a humming guide.

And just like that, it was complete.

The first song I finished after returning.

A smile naturally spread across my face.

Just then—

Bzzz.

My phone, which rarely rang, vibrated on the floor.

‘Moon Arin?’

I glanced at it. It was a name I didn’t recognize at first.

Lee Hyunji: Is there anyone who can substitute for piano tonight? ㅠㅠ]

[Lee Hyunji: It’s a study group preparing to transfer to composition, but our accompanist canceled.]

Ah. Right.

‘Winter break of freshman year was always busy.’

Some people prepared for performance exams, others for competitions, and some reviewed basic theory.

Quite a few students were preparing to transfer majors.

Switching from piano to composition or conducting wasn’t uncommon. That was why I had consulted Moon Arin back then.

The number next to the group chat dropped quickly from 20 to 15. No replies came. It seemed like everyone was avoiding it.

After a while, responses trickled in.

[Kim Yeram: I have a lesson today so I can’t.]

[Park Dongmin: Family event here too…]

No one wanted to volunteer for a sudden request.

‘Lee Hyunji… Was she the class representative?’

There were about twenty freshmen in the piano department. We all knew each other’s faces, but we had split into separate friend groups.

And me?

‘I was a complete outsider.’

Other than Moon Arin, I barely spoke to anyone. Hyunji only contacted me occasionally because she was the class rep.

‘She’ll figure something out.’

I was about to turn off notifications and set my phone down, wanting to test my new equipment, when—

Bzzz.

Another vibration.

This time, it was a direct message.

[Lee Hyunji: Seol!! If you’re free, could you come tonight?

Lee Hyunji: I remembered you were thinking about transferring to composition! I thought it’d be good for you to check out the vibe and see how others are preparing.

Lee Hyunji: The piece is easy! Just need someone to hold down chords and rhythm.

[Lee Hyunji: There’s a bit of improvisationㅎㅎ but it’s not hard!]

Lee Hyunji: Let me know if you’re interested!

It was obvious she was urgently filling a gap, but honestly, it wasn’t a bad opportunity.

‘Before I regressed, I dropped out and never even took the transfer exam properly. This time, I’ve decided to apply.’

It would be good to see what kind of exam I needed to prepare for.

Rather than looking it up later, it would be better to hear it firsthand.

In the end, I typed back slowly.

[What time?]

[Lee Hyunji: 7 PM!]

Okay. I’ll come.

Lee Hyunji: Yay!! Come to Practice Room 3 later! 🐶

She even added a bouncing puppy emoji.

I couldn’t help but smile.

I hadn’t realized it back then, but looking now, everyone really was young.

‘Perfect timing. I can check the sound in the school practice room too.’

With that thought, I saved onto a USB drive.

‘Wow. This brings back memories.’

I muttered to myself as I walked across campus. I never imagined I would return here.

After losing my hearing, I cut myself off from people. The only person I spoke to was Moon Arin.

I was basically a shut-in.

I hadn’t been that close to anyone at school, but whatever connections I had left disappeared around that time.

As I was lost in thought, walking down the narrow alley toward the practice rooms—

A familiar window suddenly appeared.

[ SYSTEM – SUB QUEST ]

Create a Chance Encounter!

Description: Sometimes, a bit of coincidence is needed for destiny. Use the USB containing your excellent song to aim for a fateful meeting. This encounter will later guide you to the correct ending.

Success Condition: Leave the USB in the designated spot.

Reward: Unlock connection with Key Figure (□□□)

Penalty: Block meeting with Key Figure (□□□) (※ May cause disadvantages in future main quest progression.)

My hand froze.

‘Not a main quest, but a sub quest?’

Compared to the main quest, the requirement was simple. Just “leave the USB.”

The reward and penalty were vague.

“Who is this ‘key figure’ supposed to be?”

The name was glitched out, so I couldn’t even guess.

‘You want me to just leave this here?’

I pulled the USB from my pocket. The moment I held it, a corner of the ground began glowing faintly, as if marking the spot.

‘This feels risky.’

I had just made this song. What if someone picked it up and claimed it as their own?

That uneasy feeling weighed on me.

Honestly, I wanted to ignore it and walk away.

‘…But that warning bothers me.’

It said I might face disadvantages in future main quests.

That didn’t sit well either.

“…Sigh.”

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration, then placed the USB on the glowing spot.

Before I could hesitate any longer, I quickly walked away, forcing myself not to look back.

‘It said this encounter will guide me to the correct ending.’

I comforted myself with that thought.

****

A dark shadow slowly fell over the USB.

Long, neat fingers brushed against the ground.

“…A USB?”

A man picked it up.

The small USB gleamed alone in his palm.