Yesterday evening.
Kim Gun-yul, the former main vocal of Freesia and current vocal instructor, was in quite a hurry to get home after finishing his lessons.
The reason was simple.
He had to catch the original broadcast of *Fight School*, which starred Taeha.
“I wonder how entertaining it will be this time.”
Kim Gun-yul’s recent hobby was watching Taeha’s works.
Originally, Kim Gun-yul was someone who didn’t really enjoy dramas or films. Kim Gun-yul, who had started his life as a trainee several years earlier than Taeha, was only interested in music.
How could he sing better? How could he dance better?
He had no interest outside of those areas. This remained the same even after he became a vocal trainer. In fact, since he was in a position to teach someone, he couldn’t help but be even more careful. He was terrified that a great talent might wither away without blossoming at the right time because of him.
That was a life where he knew nothing but singing.
Living such a life meant he had no problems with his earnings. He had become famous enough that not only was his livelihood secure, but he was also quite successful in the industry. The fact that his work schedule was always packed with lessons until the weekend was proof that Kim Gun-yul was doing well.
However, if asked if he was purely happy because of that, the answer was no.
An unfulfilled dream.
His thirst for that dream remained. In fact, that thirst grew even larger as he watched the children who received his teaching gradually gain recognition for their singing.
And the one who quenched that thirst, even if only a little, was Taeha.
When they promoted together, Taeha was a guy who seemed like he would break because he was so kind and fragile. Yet, even in such situations, he stubbornly did his part and eventually shone brightly.
That same Taeha had risen to the position of a proper actor and become the shining star he had dreamed of. Strangely, watching Taeha’s success didn’t make him feel envious or regretful like it did when he saw the children he taught doing well.
He was just proud and incredibly happy. Rather, he hoped Taeha would fly even higher, to a place completely out of reach.
Kim Gun-yul thought of the reason as follows.
‘Because Taeha is shining as an actor, not a singer.’
It certainly made sense. Even if they both sparkled, the paths of a singer and an actor were clearly different. Recently, it felt like those boundaries had blurred a lot, but it was an undeniable fact that the two were different.
And in Taeha’s case, it felt strongly as if he was concentrating only on his projects, as if he had forgotten about his activities as a singer.
‘Since he’s an actor and a writer, it’s only natural.’
Regardless, Kim Gun-yul, who felt his thirst being quenched rather than feeling even a hint of jealousy, naturally settled into the hobby of watching Taeha’s works.
It wasn’t just a matter of watching the original broadcast once. He rewatched *Critical Point*, *Heureojeo Itdeon Saramdeul*, *Killer × Killer*, *Virus*, and *Your Brilliant Sparkle* over and over until they were worn out.
Until recently, he had watched *Virus*, which he had been relatively neglectful in binging, for the twelfth time. For reference, the reason Kim Gun-yul had been neglectful of *Virus* was that it was a work where Taeha didn’t appear as the main character.
As someone deeply immersed in the works Taeha participated in, Kim Gun-yul’s expectations for this *Fight School* were also very high. Although it was a bit disappointing that it wasn’t a work Taeha wrote himself, his expectations were bound to be high since it was the first project where he took the sole lead role.
Thus, after stopping by a chicken shop to buy a box of seasoned chicken, Kim Gun-yul sat in front of the TV and waited for *Fight School* to start.
It wasn’t just Kim Gun-yul. In the group chat where all the Freesia members were present, messages were already constantly appearing.
[It starts in 54 seconds!]
[Everyone, wake up! I said wake up!]
[I want to see it too…]
[Brother Alex, isn’t the fact that you’re returning to Korea this time actually because of Taeha’s drama?]
[LOL. It’s not that that’s not part of it. It’s starting now! Quick VOD!]
[By the way, the fact that our Taeha is the sole lead… I’m so moved (emoji)]
Of course, among these reactions, it was hard to find a message from Taeha. However, no one was disappointed or felt slighted. It was because they knew how many messages Taeha would receive on the day of a drama’s first broadcast.
While the Freesia members, excluding Taeha, were busy exchanging messages among themselves, *Fight School* finally began.
And just as Kim Gun-yul expected, the beginning of *Fight School* was impressive. The development was so interesting that he immediately resolved to binge-watch it again next time. This was true even though most of the content didn’t feature Taeha.
However, there was a part that surprised Kim Gun-yul even more, and that was—
“Huh? This voice is…?”
It was the fact that an OST sung by Taeha played during the progression of *Fight School*. Kim Gun-yul listened to *Rebel Anthem* with a startled expression. Kim Gun-yul even forgot he was in the middle of watching a drama and gently closed his eyes.
He remained in that state until the song was cut short because of the drama’s progression. And when the song finally stopped, two streams of tears flowed from between Kim Gun-yul’s closed eyes.
“Ah…”
They were tears of emotion. Tears that were not mixed with a single point of regret or jealousy. And as he shed these tears, Kim Gun-yul couldn’t help but be surprised by his own emotions.
He had thought he could support Taeha without feeling any other emotions because Taeha didn’t sing, but that wasn’t it.
Rather, it was the opposite. After hearing Taeha’s song, a sense of relief washed over him. Relief that Taeha hadn’t forgotten music even after leaving Freesia, and that he still loved music.
At the same time, he was amazed. It was because Taeha’s singing skills had improved even more than when they were promoting together. It felt as if Taeha wouldn’t lose at all even if compared to himself, the main vocal.
Even Kim Gun-yul wasn’t the only one thinking this.
[What the… why am I tearing up?]
[Me too T_T. I cried as soon as I heard Taeha’s song.]
[Was our Taeha always this good at singing? It feels like he’s gotten even better?]
[It looks like Taeha hasn’t completely given up on his dream of being a singer. Haha. He must have been working hard behind our backs. Haha.]
Kim Gun-yul felt the same. If he hadn’t been constantly working hard, such skill couldn’t have come out.
And on one hand, he felt ashamed. His own appearance, struggling to forget his dream by pushing it to one side.
‘Can I do it too if I try?’
Suddenly, such a thought popped into Kim Gun-yul’s head, and at the same time, his heart began to pound. Just like back during his idol trainee days.
But he didn’t know yet. He didn’t know that not only him, but the other Freesia members were having similar thoughts.
***
Before long, *Fight School* had aired up to Episode 4.
The viewership ratings from Episode 2 to Episode 4 were as follows:
Episode 2: 5.86%, Episode 3: 6.62%, Episode 4: 7.83%.
They were figures that slightly exceeded those of *Heureojeo Itdeon Saramdeul*. It was a surprising result for Taeha, who would have been satisfied even if the highest viewership rating only hit 8%.
It wasn’t just Taeha. Everyone involved in *Fight School* was cheering day after day at these results. It was only natural, as it was a situation where entering the top 3 all-time viewership ratings for ITBC was possible.
Even various SNS and drama communities focused on the rising trend of *Fight School*. In particular, the reaction was that the content starting from Episode 2, where Taeha began to appear in earnest, was incredibly entertaining.
Praise also poured in, stating that they were curious about how a refreshing development could be made without violence, and that this part was handled very well.
‘There’s a high possibility that *Fight School* will continue to do well without any crises. It was a work that maintained its tension until the end.’
Accordingly, the name value of Lee Hyun-seung, Park Hee-jeong, and Shin Seong-jin was also rising. It was bound to be that way. There were almost no cases where a rookie writer or a rookie director achieved this much success with their debut work.
Except for Taeha’s case over the past few years, it could be considered almost non-existent. So, the three individuals couldn’t help but receive attention, and Taeha also heard good things.
It was the story that every work Taeha was involved in achieved success. Looking at the results so far, it was certainly true. There had been no case among the works Taeha was involved in that didn’t achieve success.
However, to Taeha, such evaluations didn’t feel very meaningful. Believing that success would be eternal was too naive. Rather, it was important to work constantly with the thought that failure could come at any time.
As such, *Fight School* was a work with immense topicality and impact, not just its viewership ratings. And one clear indicator that could confirm this topicality and impact was the *Fight School* soundtrack, which consistently occupied high ranks on the charts.
In fact, the rankings continued to rise, and *Rebel Anthem* eventually took the number 1 spot on the music charts. In the case of *Blue Moon*, which rose in ranking alongside it, it was currently marking 4th place.
The songs he sang were number 1 and 4 on the music charts.
Taeha couldn’t help but be shocked upon seeing these rankings. Of course, there were several cases where the OSTs of works Taeha was involved in did well. In particular, one of the songs from the *Your Brilliant Sparkle* OST had taken the number 1 spot on the music charts just like now.
But that wasn’t a song Taeha sang. Thus, Taeha couldn’t help but be dumbfounded by the current situation. And at this level, he had to admit it.
That his singing skills were quite decent.
“I can’t not admit it. Since I’ve even checked all the messages in the Freesia group chat.”
On the other hand, it was somewhat shocking. He hadn’t thought the Freesia members would be this moved and happy after hearing his song.
Above all, this was also an opportunity to confirm the passion of the Freesia members, whom he thought had completely distanced themselves from the entertainment industry and given up on their dreams of music. If that weren’t the case, they wouldn’t have been this moved and happy.
However, the unfortunate thing was that even if they harbored passion, there was no specific way to realize it. It was because it wasn’t as if they could try becoming idols again at this point.
“Is there any way?”
It was not long ago that a good idea occurred to Taeha while he was thinking this. And today, the Freesia members gathered in one place to realize this idea.
The meeting place was set at Taeha’s studio because Taeha could no longer walk around outside as he pleased.
“Oh! Brother Alex is here!”
“How is it now that you’ve started living in Korea again, Alex?”
“Honestly, it’s chaotic. I seriously thought about whether I should go back to the United States.”
“I wonder. Do you think you’ll really be able to go back? Once you hear what Taeha has prepared today, you won’t have those thoughts.”
Thus, the Freesia members were all gathered in one spot. In that place, Taeha cleared his throat and brought up the main point.
“Do you all want to try a workplace band together?”
It was quite a shocking proposal.