Chapter 85: Level Up (5)

What I want is to see the morning with you on the same bed

From head to toe, everything about you is lovely

I'm proud that you're my woman

Don't think like that

You will be in my arms

Don't think of things that can't happen (baby~)

From head to toe, everything about you is lovely

I'm proud that you're my woman

Don't think like that

You will be in my arms

Don't think of things that can't happen (baby~)

I'm proud that you're my woman

Oh, how happy I am

Like a spring breeze

I feel so good that I hum

Lay down the red carpet and the cloud blanket

The moment your feet step on it, my heart will beat with you~♪

"…You've improved even more than yesterday."

After finishing the song, Bok-soon gave her impression.

"Did I do well?"

"You're really a unique case. Your vocal tone keeps getting better. It's unbelievable how a person's voice can change in real-time. How can someone's voice keep getting better and better? Even the way you sound is getting better."

Pouring coins into singing had paid off significantly.

Even I thought my singing skills had improved considerably. Now, if someone asked me to sing, I could do it confidently.

"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching."

"Don't be arrogant. You still have a long way to go before you sound like a pro."

Although my skills were improving rapidly with the coins, the constant praise from those around me made me feel like I was flying.

Seeing my skills improve so quickly was enjoyable.

What used to be a boring chore had become interesting, and even the dance practice, which used to be so challenging, no longer felt as daunting.

'Anyone would find it enjoyable if their skills improved this quickly, right?'

At first, when I started dance practice, I was desperate to improve quickly, and it was chaotic trying to keep up with everyone else.

But now, I was starting to understand what dancing really meant.

I was no longer just mimicking others; I was at the stage where I was figuring out how to make the dance more enjoyable.

Comparing a professional dancer to an amateur, even if they do the same dance, it feels very different. Now, I had reached the entry level where I was no longer just an amateur.

'I redirected the coins from dance to singing, and my skills improved significantly. Singing has become really fun. It's a shame I don't have more coins.'

Unfortunately, continuing to grow at this pace was impossible.

The coins I had saved up during the two-week vacation were now depleted.

[Coins Owned: 0 (3,550)]

It was frustrating that the coins I earned from completing missions couldn't be used to improve my abilities.

"Technically, you've improved tremendously, so I'm not worried about that. But why isn't your emotional expression improving?"

"Is it really not improving at all?"

"Even now, if you set your mind to it, you could do it. But with your level of talent, you should be thinking more about the future. To sing a song that resonates with people, you need to know how to express emotions. A song without emotion is just a bland bun."

"But even when I try to sing with emotion, I don't know what to do."

"As a teacher, it's always difficult to teach how to express emotions in singing. Even when I explain it to students, it's always vague, and what works for me might not work for everyone else. One-size-fits-all education is impossible. Students have to figure it out on their own."

Expressing emotions in singing…

I had grown so much, and it felt good, but now I faced the reality that coins might not help with this part.

'It seems like coins don't help much with the emotional aspect.'

The emotional part of singing seemed to be something that coins couldn't improve.

Moreover, the emotional aspect of singing wasn't as visible as technical skills, making it harder to discern improvements.

You can see technical improvements clearly, but emotional expression is more subtle.

"How do you express emotions when you sing?"

"I focus on the lyrics. Before singing, I understand all the lyrics and think about what kind of emotions and thoughts went into creating the song. Then I create a story related to the lyrics."

"A story?"

Was she talking about the concept?

"Want to give it a try? If you don't understand, trying it out might help you understand better."

"…Should I?"

"I don't know if you'll be able to do it well. Hehe, you're really bad at acting."

Bok-soon smiled meaningfully.

"??"

I had no idea how creating a story related to the lyrics involved acting.

All I could do was tilt my head in confusion.

"You know that singing requires a narrative structure, right? Like a movie with a beginning, middle, and end."

At this moment, Bok-soon felt completely like a teacher.

••••••••••••••

As soon as I returned to the dorm, I wondered who among the members was the best singer.

'It has to be Kang Jun, right?'

Although I hadn't directly compared their singing skills, Kang Jun was the one who genuinely loved singing.

'Kang Jun, you're the one!'

Knock, knock, knock.

"Kang Jun, can I come in for a moment?"

"…Hae-sol?"

"Yeah."

"Come in."

When I opened the door, Kang Jun was lying on his bed.

"Were you about to sleep?"

"No, I was going to watch a drama."

Kang Jun's hobby was watching dramas and movies.

He also had a keen interest in acting, attending acting classes diligently.

With his good looks, second only to mine among the members, he could easily become an actor. 

"Can you spare a moment?"

"Of course."

"It's nothing major, but you're the best singer among us, so I wanted to ask you something."

"About singing?"

"Yeah."

"Wow, you're asking me about singing? That's a first. I'll help if I can. What do you want to know?"

My skills had improved significantly, and the competitive spirit among the members had intensified. Everyone was working hard.

If anyone had a grudge, they would have shown some displeasure at my question, but these innocent kids were actually happy to help.

"How to express emotions in singing. The teacher said I'm lacking in that area. I thought you might know, so I wanted to ask."

"Ah~."

Kang Jun understood my situation and put down his phone, sitting up on his bed.

"Hmm, I don't know if my method is the right one, but I can share what I do."

"That would be great. The teacher's method didn't work for me. I wanted to know your approach."

"The teacher's method? What does she do?"

"She focuses on the lyrics, creates a story based on them, and then acts out that story while singing."

"Wow, that sounds interesting. I should try that method sometime. It sounds fun."

He was more interested in Bok-soon's method than sharing his own.

I urged him on.

"Come on, tell me your method."

I didn't want to waste coins on acting when I needed them for singing.

Although I suspected that improving my acting skills might help with the emotional aspect of singing, I still needed to focus on singing for now.

'I don't have enough coins to spend on acting.'

"In my case, I focus more on the melody and rhythm rather than the lyrics. I concentrate on how the sound flows and use my breath to express emotions. The emotions build up and are released through my breath."

"Breathing…"

This somewhat overlapped with what Bok-soon had said.

Kang Jun used breathing to control emotions, while Bok-soon used the interplay of breath and vocal strength. If Kang Jun's breathing was similar to Bok-soon's concept of breath, it made sense.

"Sometimes the melody and my voice sync perfectly. Those are the moments when it feels amazing. It's like the emotions flow naturally. The teacher's method is also good, but personally, I think of the lyrics as just one instrument among many. And for you, I would recommend focusing on the rhythm. And if that doesn't work…"

Kang Jun went on a tangent.

He usually didn't talk much, but now he was talking non-stop about singing.

'I should stop asking others about singing. This is getting out of hand.'

According to what Pony told me, there's nothing coins can't buy, but it seems like expressing emotions in singing might be an exception.

Kang Jun's tips were helpful, so I thanked him and returned to my room. I also sent him a gift coin.

'I should check the status window again.'

Through experience, I had learned that the status window was like a pearl necklace around a pig's neck—useless if not utilized properly.

To make the most of the status window, I needed to explore it frequently.

Asking Pony for explanations wouldn't help; he would just think I was trying to steal his abilities.

"Is there something like this?"

[Vocal Technique Mastery (Book) 990 coins]

[Emotional Vocal Training (Book) 990 coins]

And after thoroughly searching the status window, I found what I was looking for.

"So the answer is in the shop after all."

Every time I wanted to try something new, it cost money.

This time was no exception; it required a significant number of coins.

The item looked like an ordinary book, but it functioned like a 'skill book' in games, automatically transferring knowledge to the reader's brain upon opening it.

[Complete Foreign Language Mastery – English Edition (Book) 990 coins]

"So they sell language mastery like this too."

I had already used coins to enhance my language learning ability, but it seemed there was a more direct way to acquire languages.

Of course, the 990 coin price tag was a deterrent to purchasing it.

'Improving my musical knowledge wouldn't be bad, but continuously buying items like this will delay reaching 110,000 points.'

I decided not to buy any more items.

If I kept making impulse purchases, it would take forever to reach 110,000 coins.

'I should just endure it. If I improve my singing skills more, the emotional aspect will naturally improve. If not, I can always enhance my acting skills.'

Feeling regretful, I closed the status window.

'Emotions…'

For now, I set aside my problems and focused on Ahyeon's issue, which I would address in a few days.

[Me: Are you asleep?]

[Ahyeon: Not yet! Are you?]

[Me: I wanted to see you before going to sleep. Can we meet for a bit?]

[Ahyeon: Now? Aren't you tired? ;ㅁ;]

[Me: I'm never too tired to see you. ( o )/]

We often met late at night, so this wasn't an unusual request.

[Ahyeon: I would love to, but… if it's because of what happened today, it's okay. You don't have to push yourself. I'm really fine! ( )]

[Me: I want to see you.]

[Ahyeon: Ugh... You know I can't resist that. Okay, let's meet.]

Fortunately, Ahyeon agreed to meet me.

* * *