-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: A Lullaby Concert
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After eating baby food and playing to their heart's content, Brown Black gave Seojun a bath.
Bath time wasn't exactly smooth sailing either. After a chaotic splash session, the thoroughly soaked members of Brown Black showered and then laid out bedding in the living room.
Choi Siyoon and Kevin brought Seojun's crib from the master bedroom and placed it in a corner of the living room.
The original plan was to sleep together under the same blanket, but seeing how much smaller Seojun was in person, Choi Siyoon objected.
"What if we accidentally roll over on him?"
At Choi Siyoon's worry-filled words, the rest of Brown Black and Seo Eunchan nodded in agreement, as if they hadn't considered it before.
And so, Seojun ended up sleeping in his crib, enclosed on all sides by wooden railings.
"I'll be going now. Call me anytime if it's urgent."
"Yes, thank you for today."
"You can even call me in the middle of the night. Not that I'm worried; Brown Black seems to be playing well with Seojun, and it looks like they've studied a lot."
Stepping into the elevator, Kim Hwaryeon massaged her stiff shoulders. Taking leave from the hospital to help with the shoot for three days and two nights was exhausting work.
Really, if it weren't for her younger brother... If not for his earnest begging over three days, complete with chicken, pizza, and waiting on her hand and foot, she never would have used her precious vacation days like this.
"Well, still, Seojun is a good baby, and it seems Brown Black really did their homework, so the work itself is easy."
Kim Hwaryeon smiled and pressed the button for the first floor.
Seojun's eyes were wide open.
*Hmm. What to do? I can't seem to fall asleep.*
The living room lights were off, with only a faint orange lamp lit. Brown Black, now in their pajamas, were resting their chins on the crib's railing, watching Seojun.
Seo Eunchan yawned silently and raised his camera.
"Seojun's not sleeping."
"Siyoon. How long has it been?"
At Park Seojin's question, Siyoon looked at the schedule and a clock before answering.
"Thirty minutes."
"I thought he'd fall right asleep. But he's not?"
Kevin tilted his head. The baby, who had been so consistent with his meal and nap times, wasn't sleeping.
"Hmm. Should we do... that?"
"Should we?"
Brown Black, who had been looking at each other awkwardly, nodded.
They had prepared something for three days before the shoot. They had wondered if they practiced for nothing, since Seojun was eating, sleeping, and pooping so well.
"We practiced for a time like this."
Fortunately or unfortunately, Seojun wasn't sleeping, so they had a chance to show it. When Park Seojin smiled, the other members grinned back.
*What's this now?* Thanks to the unusually noisy and bustling day, Seojun couldn't fall asleep easily.
*I'm trying my best to sleep, but hmm... I can't get the image of the hyungs' funny faces out of my head. Heeheehee.*
But now, those same hyungs were looking at him with calm expressions, making eye contact.
[The bond with the subject is increasing.]
Hmmmm—
Kevin and Choi Siyoon were the first to open their mouths. A low, gentle humming sound flowed into Seojun's ears.
[Orchestra Conductor's Connection - Lowest Grade - has been activated.]
The skill activated through the connectors' music, regardless of the conductor Seojun's will. On top of the humming, Hwang Yejun's and Park Seojin's voices joined in.
"When mama, in the island's shade—"
"Goes to gather oysters—"
As Brown Black sang in harmony, a light shone above their heads. Two numbers sparkled.
*Huh? This is...*
Park Seojin, who was singing, flinched, his own voice sounding so different from how it did during practice.
He was singing the same way he always did. He had practiced this song dozens of times.
It was different from usual.
Somehow, he could feel the emotions, the senses, the hearts of the other Brown Black members singing with him. And it seemed they could all feel his heart, too.
Seojun stared blankly at the beautiful melody and the number for 'Connector's Bond,' which was steadily climbing. The number sparkled as it rose.
Before registering the skill, Seojun had been shocked to find the book for [Spirit of the Conductor's Baton] in the library. Because it shouldn't have been there.
It was a skill that had nearly ruined a world. Even if it was originally of the good (light) alignment, it should have been corrupted and turned into a skill of the evil (dark) alignment.
In that case, Seojun, who had a good alignment, wouldn't have been able to learn [Orchestra Conductor's Connection].
But that book was here, in this good-aligned library filled only with books Seojun could learn. He looked into the backstory.
The backstory was written like a side story.
The moment [Orchestra Conductor's Connection] was about to be corrupted into an evil alignment, the Spirit Tree, which had been barely breathing, squeezed out all its power.
*Hate the sinner, but love the sinner's talent for 'music'.*
The Spirit Tree must have despised the traitorous Spirit of the Conductor's Baton, but it would have ground its teeth at the thought of simply discarding such a tremendous skill that could advance the music it loved.
*'It probably cursed up a storm.'*
In the end, the Spirit Tree, the biggest victim, used every last bit of its strength to prevent the corruption of the culprit skill. However, even the tree couldn't stop the skill's rank from dropping.
The tree could only weep as it watched the skill's rank fall.
[Orchestra Conductor's Connection] dropped from the highest grade to the lowest.
The 10x boost became a 1.3x boost, and the number of connectors was reduced from 30 to 4.
Furthermore, the simple activation condition of holding hands was changed to the difficult condition of having to slap the target's cheeks with both hands.
Thanks to the tree's terrifying love for music, the skill managed to survive with a good alignment.
*'The tree's obsession with music... It's scary.'*
And that was the [Orchestra Conductor's Connection] that had survived, now activated here.
The tree's obsession with music, so great that it even treasured a traitor's skill, was incredible, but Brown Black's yearning was just as formidable.
Brown Black sang the nursery rhyme without being surprised by their sudden improvement in skill. The number sparkled even brighter.
*'Scary hyungs.'*
But the song was beautiful. Seojun closed his eyes in his warm blanket and appreciated the music.
[Orchestra Conductor's Connection] wasn't a skill that improved a subject's musical ability based on simple friendship.
It was based on the bond between the connectors and the conductor, encompassing their thoughts, their perspectives on music, and even the ideals they pursued through it.
Only when all of these elements harmonized would their musical skills improve.
*'But lowering it is incredibly easy. If your thoughts and perspectives on music are different, it's a piece of cake. Back then, I was the only one who changed my mind, and the bond went into the negatives. But... raising it is incredibly difficult.'*
[Orchestra Conductor's Connection] was a double-edged sword. The reason Seojun gave it to Brown Black upon first meeting them was because, depending on their efforts, the skill could be used for good or for ill.
*'Even for the hyungs, I can't just give it away for free!'*
Even if they were good people now, the future was unknown. He had given it to them with the thought that if they harbored ill intentions, they would be ruined even without Seojun having to go and retrieve the skill.
*I thought it would take them months to understand and trust each other's thoughts!*
But Brown Black must have had countless conversations about their musical worldviews, because they managed to activate [Orchestra Conductor's Connection] with just one song—and a nursery rhyme at that!
*'Amazing... Yawn...'*
Lost in thought, Seojun slowly drifted off to sleep.
Brown Black had forgotten they were even singing a lullaby.
When the nursery rhyme ended, Park Seojin unconsciously started singing one of their new songs.
Hwang Yejun, Kevin, and Choi Siyoon all sang their parts with passion.
It was really, truly different.
Seo Eunchan could barely hold onto the camera. Something had felt different ever since they started singing the lullaby they had prepared.
It was the same nursery rhyme they had practiced diligently in the practice room, at the dorm, and in the car, saying it was for Seojun. Seo Eunchan had heard it so much he was sick of it.
*'Back then, it was just an ordinary nursery rhyme...'*
It had completely transformed. He didn't know what had changed. The voices, the rhythm, the singing style—they all seemed the same. Yet Brown Black's song made the heart of Seo Eunchan, who couldn't even read music, pound.
"Whoa..."
As Brown Black began to sing their own song, Seo Eunchan shuddered as if he had been struck by lightning.
This was it. This was what he had felt was missing, the part that had left him feeling a bit disappointed.
He clenched his fist without realizing it. He felt something hard.
It was the camera. Startled to find he'd been filming the floor the whole time, Seo Eunchan quickly raised the camera and filmed the four men singing with bright smiles on their faces.
He prayed that this beautiful song would be recorded well by the camera.
The members of Brown Black looked at each other. Seeing the others singing with silly grins on their faces, they all thought, *They feel the same way I do.*
They were thrilled.
It was fun.
It was bliss.
They could feel each other's music and their own. It felt as if all the things they had been struggling with had been completely resolved.
Their hearts pounded relentlessly and they grew short of breath, but they couldn't stop. The passing time felt so precious it made them anxious.
"Hah— Hah—!"
Only after singing all six songs from their upcoming album did the small, midnight concert come to an end.
Having sung with all their might, the exhausted members of Brown Black collapsed onto the living room floor, panting heavily.
"Whoa, damn. That was insane."
Hwang Yejun, spread-eagled on the floor, was the first to speak. His heart was still pounding.
It was a perfect performance, the kind you'd only have in a dream. Even though he had just sung it a few minutes ago, just thinking about it made his heart tremble.
He had become a singer because he wanted to sing songs like this. Hwang Yejun let a single tear escape.
"I got goosebumps."
Though Choi Siyoon was a dancer whose vocals were considered his weak point, in that moment, he had sung a song more overwhelming than any vocalist could.
He had always liked dancing more... Wow... To think he could sing a song like that... A surge of emotion gave him goosebumps.
"[Insane. For real.]"
Kevin gasped for breath. While singing the six songs, he had changed all of his rap parts.
They were lyrics he had spent days and nights agonizing over, but the ones he had changed in the last thirty minutes fit their songs far better.
He had always worried about his talent among the many rappers in LA, but today, he finally found his conviction. *I can do more!*
"This is our music."
As the lead vocalist, Park Seojin had the most parts and could therefore feel the members' emotions more deeply than anyone else.
He had agonized over what kind of idol group they should be. He had deliberated over countless musical genres. And now, the leader of Brown Black had reached a conclusion.
"Let's make music that lets other people feel what we're feeling right now."
"Whoa, man. You want to do this again?"
Hwang Yejun shot up into a sitting position and looked at Park Seojin's face.
"I don't think I could do that a second time, Seojin-hyung."
Choi Siyoon, whose body felt as limp as if he'd just finished a dance routine, also straightened up.
"Me neither. My heart's still racing..."
Kevin said, rubbing his hand over his trembling heart.
"We've done it once, so we can do it again."
His words were gentle, but his expression was not.
Seeing his bright smile, the members finally remembered that their leader was quite the Spartan.
Visions of the grueling practice days to come were etched into their minds.
"Oh, oh! Seojun's asleep!"
As his mind went blank, Hwang Yejun barely managed to remember Seojun.
*Oh, right. Weren't we in the middle of singing a lullaby!?*
At Hwang Yejun's words, Brown Black belatedly and quietly gathered around the crib.
"...Isn't our song a dance track?"
"It must have been really loud."
"He's sleeping so soundly."
"Seojun's so cute."
Seojun had fallen fast asleep amidst the boisterous idol music.
***
"Wow... Who is that?"
The man living downstairs from Seojun marveled. He had opened his window for some ventilation when he heard a song he'd never heard before. From the fast beat and rapping, it sounded like an idol song.
He had to be up early for work tomorrow and was already irritated, so he had been about to shout at them to be quiet.
"Should I go up and ask?"
The song was just too good. So good that he had opened his window in the dead of winter and squatted on his balcony in the biting wind for nearly thirty minutes just to listen.
"It's not showing up on my phone's song search... Are they an indie group?"
The man sneezed loudly as he stared at the search bar, which read 'No results found'.
"Achoo! Ah, I can't catch a cold!"
He left the window open for another ten minutes, hoping to hear the song again, but it seemed they were done singing.
"Ughhh! I need to get to sleep."
The man, whose body was frozen stiff, stood up awkwardly and shut the window firmly.
It wasn't just him. All the homes adjacent to Seojun's were abuzz, marveling at the song they had heard for the past thirty minutes and scrambling to find out who the artist was.
But finding Brown Black, who hadn't even debuted yet, was impossible.
#