I put 1,000 won into the karaoke machine and turned the knob.
Whirr-
Dding ♪ Dding ♪ Dding The cheerful sound of coins being added resonated faintly through the speakers.
Since the song hadn't started yet, I turned the volume down.
"Okay, who wants to sing first?"
"....."
"....."
The club members, huddled together in the small boarding house counter room, glanced at one another nervously.
The greatest dilemma of karaoke: who will sing the first song?
In the somewhat awkward atmosphere, all eyes turned to Gyeongwon, who was the most guilty among them, but he averted his eyes and began leafing through the thick
karaoke songbook.
"Ah, it's been a while since I've been to karaoke... I should look for a song I know, Prez.... if anyone else wants to sing in the meantime, let them. I need to find a song first...."
"Ahem.."
The members pretended to be busy.
Sunah stared wide-eyed at the karaoke songbook upside down and flipped through it, and Jinhee randomly pulled up the popular song list with the remote.
[Popular~ Song list!]
"Someone turn the volume down a bit more, just a little... We can't have all the people crowding in before the song Starts....."
"Ah, I'll do it."
Dukhun, who had neither the songbook nor the remote, stepped up, looking relieved to have something to do.
Everyone seemed to be desperately looking for something else to do besides singing.
'Being the first to sing always has a lot of pressure, after all.'
I slowly and intentionally unwound the cord wrapped around the microphone and nodded in response.
[2019, May 27th | Monday, 12:05 AM]
[Lee Joon: Number of Attempts - 2]
[Ghost Story Points: 581]
[Causality Rate: 32%]
The counter room we had decorated had completely transformed into a karaoke room.
Of course, there wasn't a huge flat-screen TV like in a real karaoke room. but we had connected the machine to the counter monitor so that the music video and lyrics would be displayed.
We also plugged in the lights and tied a spinning mirror ball to the fluorescent light with a string, decorating the place in colorful lights to fully create a karaoke atmosphere.
The counter room was a bit more spacious than the regular rooms here, but with amplifiers, equipment, and several backless cylindrical stools lined up, it felt quite cramped once all six of us settled in.
It felt like we were all crammed into a narrow coin karaoke room.
As I unwounded the microphone cord, I looked at each person one by one.
"The first song. Who should go first?"
"....."
"Of course, Sunah would do it."
Sunah jumped in her seat, startled.
"Just kidding."
The members glanced at each other nervously.
Being the first to sing carries pressure, not just from the atmosphere, but also from the choice of song.
If you start with a ballad, the following Songs tend to stay calm and mellow. On the other hand, if you kick things off with an upbeat song, the next person is more likely to pick lively tunes too.
But the problem is the reactions of the people you are with.
The atmosphere at a karaoke room is often a bit awkward at first, so whether it's a gentle song or an upbeat song, it's hard to get a strong response from the people for the first person to sing.
Therefore, no matter the song choice or singing ability, the first singer has to bear the awkwardness of singing alone.
"...Do you want to go first, Jinhee? You seemed pretty good earlier."
As I suddenly held out the microphone, Jinhee flinched and leaned back.
Soon, she averted her eyes with a shifty expression.
"...I'll sing later....."
"Why? You sang well earlier."
"..Hey, singing there isn't the same as singing at the boarding house."
Jinhee looked to the side and smoothly pushed the remote control with her hand.
It was true.
This was Noryangjin boarding house, a place where even breathing was difficult.
And now it was well past midnight.
Someone had to take on the burden of being the first to cause a ruckus here.
At nat moment.
[Please select a song quickly for the next guest!]
"F*ck, that scared me!"
"The heck, turn the volume down, turn it down!"
"Otaku, you idiot, you turned the volume up backwards..."
As we put in the money but didn't sing, a loud voice from the machine urged us On.
Gyeongwon hastily reached out and turned the volume knob of the machine, but it seemed someone had already heard the commotion, as loud footsteps pounded down the hallway toward us.
Knock knock-
"Excuse me. What was that sound just
now?"
A woman's voice, sounding extremely
sensitive.
I answered through the door.
"Get lost~"
"Why is it so loud—Wha, what?!"
The woman sounded dumbfounded and at a loss for words.
I shoved the microphone toward Hayoon.
"Hayoon. Sing us a song."
"....."
Hayoon's pale face twisted into a blatant expression of displeasure.
When I pushed the microphone toward her again, she subtly avoided it and turned her head away.
"Sorry, Joon. I don't know any popular Songs."
"...Children's songs are fine too."
I smoothly changed direction and turned to Sunah.
"Right, Sunah? Children's songs are fine too."
"j-Joon..."
Sunah jumped up with a start in her seat.
She dodged left and right with a clearly flustered expression.
"S-sorry..."
Even Sunah wouldn't do it.
'I trusted you!'
How can love change like this!
This time, I quickly turned toward Gyeongwon, and Gyeongwon immediately grabbed the karaoke songbook and blocked the microphone.
"If you want someone to sing, you should go first, Prez."
"The person who sings can just pick the next person. It's only reasonable."
A reasonable solution, just like him.
I flinched while holding the microphone.
No matter how much I can pull it off when I have to, honestly, this was a bit much.
Even if it was to exorcise the ghost story, being told to suddenly sing in this stifling boarding house where dozens of people were deeply focused on studying.
It was something only a crazy person Would do.
Click- click-
Even as this was happening, the test-taker outside was turning the doorknob and calling us.
"...Excuse me? Open the door, please,
Excuse me. Are you done talking now?"
Thinking that things needed to be done quickly, I pushed the microphone toward Dukhun.
Then, he frowned heavily and looked
down at the microphone.
His face looked displeased, but for some reason, I had a feeling he would do it.
"..D-Dukhun. Any anime song or whatever is fine, so just—
"25589,"
Dukhun answered curtly with an uncomfortable look.
"Play 25589."
"...!"
What a spirit warrior!.
I was momentarily taken aback, but
without further hesitation, I pressed
the number right away.
Beep- beep- beep- beep- beep-
[25589 - Butter-Fly]
"Turn the volume up, the volume."
"I-Ill turn it up."
Soon, Gyeongwon raised the volume back to the maximum, which he had lowered earlier.
The title quietly appeared on the monitor screen.
25589
Butter-Fly
(Dejimon Adventure? OP)- Kōji Wada
25589
A brief silence before the song began.
Butter-Fly
The Japanese words filling the monitor screen added to the ominous atmosphere.
デジモンアドベンチャ?OP
The boarding house was as quiet as a mouse.
In that place, even the flow of time itself seemed to have come to a halt.
For a moment, we were frozen in place.
And then, in an instant.
♪♪♪
Papapa papapa bam papapa papapa bam papapa pappa bam papapa bam~♪
The lively electric guitar accompaniment resonated throughout the room, pounding loudly!
A fast tempo, along with a cheerful electric guitar in the background!
"Whoa, f*ck, the heck!?"
Jinhee clapped her hands with a laugh!
Gyeongwon and Sunah were startled by the blaring volume and tumbled backward!
Hayoon also covered her mouth with both hands and began smiling expectantly!
I quickly turned off the fluorescent light, left only the karaoke mirror ball light shining brightly. grabbed the microphone, and placed it on Dukhun's lap!
Then, with a low hum, Dukhun nodded, grabbed the microphone, and stood up!
The blaring electric guitar accompaniment echoed with a boom-boom-boom, filling the small boarding house room!
Ding~ Diridididing ding Ding diridididing dingding~ Ding diribudiding ding ding~ Ding diridi ding ddeudeun! Ddeudeun! Ddeun!
"This is crazy, really...."
The one saying that, laughing while covering her mouth, was surprisingly Hayoon!
In stark contrast to her usual calm demeanor, she leaned her upper body forward, covering her mouth with a face brimming with anticipation!
Sunah and Gyeongwon were also staring at the karaoke machine blaring loudly with their mouths agape, seemingly stunned to see something they had never seen before!
Jinhee muttered 'Crazy b*stard...' as she giggled uncontrollably.
Soon, the instrumental ended, and Dukhun, holding the microphone, took a deep breath!
The amplified voice resonated throughout the entire boarding house!
"Gokigen na chõni natte~♪♪ kirameku kaze ni notte~♪♪" ( I'll become a cheerful butterfly, riding on the sparkling wind)
"What the hell, what the hell! What's with that voice, damn it!"
"Imasugu kimi ni ikö~a" (i'll come to meet you right now)
Bang bang! Bang bang bang!!
"F**k, this crazy b*stard!! Open the door right now! What the hell are you doing!!"
Dukhun's booming voice, amplified with the amplifier, echoed loudly to the point that the surroundings seemed to vibrate!
Jinhee clapped her hands and toppled backward!
"Crazy! It's so damn loud!!!"
Even her cackling shout was drowned out by the backing track and Dukhun's voice, making it hard to hear!
"Nani ga wō wō Wō Wō~ kono sora ni todoku no darõ~A" (What is that reaching for the sky)
"You crazy b*stard!! Open the door!!!"
"Dakedo wō wō wō Wō~ ashita no yotei mo wakaranai~ yeeeh" (But ooohhh, I don't even know what's gonna happen tomorrow~ yeahhh~)
♪♪
"Mugen~ Dyna ♪ Yume no nani mo nai yo no nakaja ♪♪"(In a world with nothing, after infinite dreams)
"Open the door, you f*cking bastard! You crazy b*stard!!"
Bang- bang- bang- bang- bang-
Dukhun, riding the rhythm, wildly shook his head, while outside, several people had gathered and were pounding on the door!
The frenzied spinning of the mirror ball lights, the upbeat electric guitar accompaniment, and the club members doubled over with laughter!
"What the hell, this is crazy! For some
cringy otaku song, Its insanely catchy!"
Even Jinhee, the class bully, was laughing and giggling!
Eventually, the boarding house residents outside reached through the glass and rattled the window to open it, but Jinhee, still laughing, pushed the amplifier in front of it and blocked the window!!
"Stay shigachina imeeji darake no~♪ (But this clumsy wings want to stay)
"Report the police! Report them, now!"
"Tayori nai tsubasa demo~" (I'm sure that I can)
"Get me something to break down the door! Fire extinguisher! Fire extinguisher!"
"Key It-to-to Berusa~ On~~ My~Love~" (that I can fly on my love)
Puhn~ deureu ddeudeudeun puhn~deun~♪ Puhn~ dereudeudeudeun
the joyful echoed loudly, and the Japanese language dominated the boarding house!
As the first verse ended and the instrumental briefly played, Dukhun took the chance to wipe his sweat! We cheered and shouted even louder on purpose to encourage him!
"Hey, you're good!"
"Oh Dukhun is the best!"
"Let's keep going! Let's go, Otaku!"
"Let's keep this momentum! Go, Oh Dukhun!"
The sounds of boisterous laughter and
cheering spread joyfully between the
booming instrumentals!
Sunah clapped with a dazed expression, and Hayoon, leaning casually against the wall, chuckled quietly!
♪ Ddeudeun! Ddeudeun! Ddeun!♪
"Alright, here comes verse 2! You guys, follow along!"
"Let's go~!!"
"Ukareta chō ni natte~ ichi zu na kaze ni notte~"(I'll become a cheerful butterfly~ riding on the steady wind~)
**
[Dokomade mo kimi ni ai ni ikou~] (I'll go anywhere to see you)
Siyoung, who had been sound asleep in just her undergarments, woke up with a start and sat up in bed.
"W-What the...!?"
The sound of loud singing blared and echoed throughout the entire boarding house.
Siyoung, wonderingif she was dreaming, opened her eyes wide and stared into space.
[Aimai na kono batte ♪ ga ii ni benri datte~♪] (How wonderful this vague identity is~)
"W-What the..."
Siyoung sat blankly on the bed ,dumbfounded.
It wasn't a dream.
Right now, someone inside the boarding house was singing in Japanese at the top of their lungs, making the entire building vibrate.
[Shikenderu hitto songu kikinagara~nani ga wau wau wau~a] (Listening to the music of the song~ my heart goes yeah yeah yeah~~)
'What the hell, this is insane...!'
At that moment, what flashed through her mind were the members of the Ghost Story Club, moving the karaoke machine earlier.
"Crazy kids, those crazy kids..!"'
Though Sivoung was furious about being woken from her sleep, she was filled with disbelief at the sheer absurdity of the situation that she couldn't help but stomp outside.
The hallway was already packed with boarding house residents in Sweatpants, some who had been sleeping, some gaming, and others only pretending to study, all drawn out by the noise.
"What the f*ck? Who's the crazy b*stard?"
"It's from the karaoke room, right? Is it coming from down there? I mean, we can hear it up here, right?"
"Can't you tell just by hearing it?"
"No way, it's so absurd I thought I must be hearing things—
"It's coming from the counter! The counter!"
The boarding house students were practically shouting to each other over the deafening singing.
Siyoung looked around and searched for the people from her sec-study group.
Amidst the chaos, she managed to spot Subin, the CSAT retaker girl who was running wildly from room to room of the boarding house and stealing things.
[Mugen tai na~♪ Yume no ato no yaruse na iyo no naka ja~♪] (The world that appears~ After endless colorful dreams~)
"....What are you doing, at a time like this?"
"Uh, Sister!"
Subin rushed out, carrying the bundle of cosmetics she'd been holding in her arms.
[Sousa Joushiki Hazuremo Warukuwa Naakana~♪] (Maybe being so carefree is not so bad)
"Even in the midst of all this, you're stealing? You're really something, I Swear"
"Sister, your only wearing underwear right now....."
It was only then that Siyoung realized what she was wearing.
[Imeji o sometagikochina~ i tsubasa demo~♪] (Even with these wings, dyed
with imagination-)
"Uh, oh my god.. you Crazy.."
"Sister, you're always screwing around with guys, so you probably can't even tell if you're dressed or not, huh.....? I may steal, but at least I don't act like a slut like you."
Taking advantage of the chaos, Subin
snickered mockingly and briskly dashed back to her room.
Siyoung trembled with anger and disbelief, but for now, she hurriedly pulled her top down to cover her lower half and ran to her room.
"This is insane, completely insane....!"
[Ki-itto to~beru sa~~On~ My~~Love~~(i'm sure I can fly on my love)
'It's because of those kids, f*ck... Woke me up out of nowhere.....'
She hurriedly rushed into her room and changed her clothes.
Even while all the residents were shouting and cursing, the strange Japanese singing didn't stop for a moment.
Siyoung, feeling her head about to burst open from the loud music and the high-pitched rhythm singing off-beat, let out a torrent of curses in her room.
"Shut up, shut up.. shut the hell up....!!"
[Mugentai na yume no ato no yarusenai yo no nakaja ♪](The world that appears after endless colorful dreams)
"Shut up, damn it!! Shut up! I said shut up!!"
[Sōsa itoshii omoi mo mnakesō ni naru kedo ♪] (Even these dear feelings feel like they might overwhelm me)
"Shut uuuuuuup alreeeeeeady!!!!"
[Arigato, arigato.]
**
"Puhaha....."
"Wow, applause, applause~!"
"Clap clap clap-!"
We gave Dukhun a round of applause filled with both support and encouragement for successfully completing his first performance.
"Oh Dukhun is the best!"
"Oh Dukhun, singing anime theme songs in the boarding house is the best!"
Just then, the fanfare of the score rang out.
Bbam bbam bbam bbam bbabbam
[100 points~ Maybe you should become a singer or not~]
Bang, bang, bang!
"Come out, youb*stards, come out!"
"i'll really kill you! l kill you!"
The boarding house residents, perhaps they were also excited, shouted loudly.
We also clapped in sync with them.
"Wow~ 100 points!"
"Hey hey~ If it's 100 points, isn't there
supposed to be a bonus round~"
Dukhun exited the stage with an
embarrassed smile.
And a brief silence settled between the songs.
But the awkwardness from before was gone, and instead, an excited restless atmosphere lingered among us.
The excited atmosphere, waiting for who would come forward again.
"Who's singing next? Anyone want to?"
"Prez, let's have Dukkhun pick. The person who sings first chooses the next person.
"Alright, Dukhun. Who will you pick?"
"Sodesune. Let me think about it first—
Thump thump- thump thump thump-
"Hey, you little b*stards! Come out or you're all dead!"
"Smash the window! The window!"
Clang-
Outside, the angry boarding house residents kicked and cursed.
Some finally smashed the counter window and wildly flailed their hands inside, but all they managed to hit was the poor amplifier blocking the window.
The amplifier was so heavy that it took several of us struggling and grunting to carry it, so their thrashing hands couldn't make it budge.
After thinking for a moment, Dukhun nudged me.
"President. You should do it."
"I guess that's probably right?"
Looks like it was my turn to step up. I took the remote and entered the song I would sing.
[10554 Song (M/V Ver.) - Scent of Forest]
"The police are here, the police!"
"You b*stards, you're all dead! Officer, Over here!"
From outside, the sound of people shouting and cheering at the sight of the police could be heard.
I smiled as I grabbed the mic.
Police?
Pfft.
A laugh slipped out.
They perhaps thought the police were on their side.
Soon, the deep and heavy voice of Detective Park Gangwoon echoed from outside.
"Ah, I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. There's no law to specifically punish noise between floors. If you're upset about it, go see your member of the National Assembly"
"Why can't you do it, huh! Why can't you! Isn't there some law that covers everything? You're neglecting your duty, dereliction of duty!"
"It's not that I don't want to. For noise like this there's really no proper law. Go buy the same woofer and get your revenge or whatever."
"Is that something a cop should say! I'm studying for the police exam too! This can be done! Why are you saying it can't be!"
Detective Gangwoon let out a chuckle at the mention of police exam.
"I'm not someone preparing to be a police officer, I ama real police officer. Anyway, if it's too noisy, how about stepping out for a bit? Our officers are all downstairs."
"What! Why should we leave! Those
b*stards should go! Hurry up and take
them away!"
"I'll be waiting."
"Sir! Where are you going, sir!"
"Take those b*stards with you! Where are you going!"
Detective Park Gangwoon leisurely stepped back outside.
Down below, police cars were lined up, deployed to rescue the dozens of missing people.
The title soon filled the screen.
10554
[10554 Song (M/V Ver.) - Scent of Forest]
I smiled and opened my mouth to sing.
"A little~"
"Far away~"