Jae Hyun entered Acadia shooting center. Several people were present, and the shots rang out here and there. He could also smell the gunpowder penetrating his nostrils. He went to the reception desk where a man in his forties looked at him severely before speaking.
"Your first time here?"
"He's with me."
So Won interrupted him and smiled at Jae Hyun.
"Oh. A friend of yours. Why didn't you say it earlier?"
The man changed his attitude and directed them to a remote shooting-range and left them alone.
Even if Jae Hyun had said that learning something new wouldn't hurt him, he couldn't help but be excited. Part of him had always wanted to learn how to handle weapons. So Won pulled a gun out of a holster and handed it to him. By taking it in his hands, Jae Hyun could feel its weight.
"It's a black Beretta M92 FS. It weighs 950g unloaded. Considering your physique and your background in martial arts, I thought it would be a good weapon to start with. Still heavy, huh?"
Jae Hyun nodded. So Won spoke again.
"I wanted you to understand that it's not a toy. That weight you feel is the weight of life. I'm teaching you how to handle weapons, but don't misuse it."
The weight of life, huh? If everyone could see weapons in his way, how good it would be, Jae Hyun thought.
So Won start to explain to him how it worked.
First, he briefly describes the weapon to him. It was a semi-automatic weapon. It had a capacity of eight shots, and the bullets went to 390m/s. The magazine capacity was 15 rounds.
So Won then gave him some safety rules. He told him to always keep the weapon pointed at the shooting-range and to keep his weapon at an angle to his body for safety before showing him how to hold the weapon by reminding him to always keep his index finger away from the trigger.
Then So Won showed him what position to take when he had to shot. He had to spread his feet as far apart as the space between his shoulders with the opposite foot of his dominant hand one step in front of the other and bend his knees to keep good stability.
Once done, he showed him how to load his weapon and loaded it for him. So Won fired a few shots to show to Jae Hyun how to do it before passing the gun to him. Jae Hyun fired his first shot and hit the target. Even if it was far from the center, he had at least reached it and was proud of himself.
So Won was impressed. He rarely saw beginners hit the target their first time and remain so stable. After shooting a few times, Jae Hyun started to take the turn and eventually hit the target in the middle. He felt a great sense of accomplishment. Seeing that he was starting to do well, So Won pulled out his gun to train shooting-range next to him.
His weapon was an assault rifle AK-107. So Won then activated the expert mode of the shooting-range, and targets began to appear quickly at different distances and locations.
So Won fired and hit each of them with disconcerting ease. Surprised, Jae Hyun stopped training to watch it. He was mouth-breathed. According to him, even if he trained two lives, he could never reach his talent. It must have been what we called a genius.
Now that Jae Hyun thought about it, he didn't know much about himself. Even though they lived together, he still kept a certain distance from everyone. Given So Won's talent, he wondered if he wasn't part of Bliss or was a bodyguard. So Won's session ended and the result came out. He had a perfect grade.
"I can see your interrogating look. You know if you have a question, you can ask me."'
Embarrassed to have been discovered, Jae Hyun asked his question.
"I was just wondering what work you were doing. Considering your talent, you must have a job related to weapons, right?"
So Won laughs before answering to him. "Fail. I'm a cook."
Jae Hyun opened his eyes wide and despite himself, his mouth opened. Cook? Even with all the time in the world, he would never have guessed it. It was... unexpected. So Won laughed.
Finally, more comfortable, Jae Hyun began to ask him more questions about his life and learn more about him. He had learned that he, Kylian and Hye Rin had started living together when their orphanage closed. Hye Rin and Kylian were offered to be transferred to another orphanage, but since So Won was 18 years old this had not been his case. Hye Rin and Kylian didn't want to leave him behind, so they had finally started living together. So Won had taken a few jobs to pay for the other two and his own expenses while studying before he finally found a stable job in his field that would allow him a good income.
Jae Hyun felt a strong sense of empathy because he was also his family's livelihood.
Surprisingly, Hye Rin and Kylian were very sticky younger, especially Kylian who followed So Won everywhere on all occasions. Jae Hyun laughed as he imagined him sticking So Won.
It was getting dark, and their stomachs were abandoning them, so they came back home. A good lasagna dish was waiting for them. After eating, Jae Hyun hid in his room and entered the computer room. He put on his helmet and connected.
As soon as he arrived at TrueMusic, he received a message telling him that his account was validated and congratulating him for the creation of his account. His heart was pounding. He was excited and smiling.
He read a message telling him that each download of his songs would give him 30 cents. In terms of streaming, it was much cheaper, but it didn't really matter to him. They also asked him to add his city, so the comity of his city could invite him for concerts if ever. He had finally taken an important step towards his final goal.
He logged into his account and came across his interface. A notif came asking him if he wanted to create a 'Webnia' account. Since he didn't know what it was, he clicked on.
Then, he realized it was same as Weibo or Facebook of his world. By creating his account through the link provided to him, he would be Official and would have his own blog where he could post messages for his fans and no-fans.
Since it would be a great way to communicate with people, build relationships with others official singers and attract no-fans' reactions, Jae Hyun accepted.
Before thinking of a song, he went around the site to see the trends. After all, these changed from generation to generation then in another world...
He first clicked on the song at the top of the ranking. As he listened to it, something struck him. It was the song Sumire had sung. However, the singer's voice was deeper and more profound. She was also accompanied by the piano. He listened seriously to her. He couldn't help but think that the lyrics were beautiful and that it could touch the heart. It wasn't surprising to see her song at the top of the ranking.
He checked who composed it and learned that it wasn't the singer herself. It seemed that it was the winner of a composition contest made on TrueMusic called "Vision".
Then he clicked on videos of concert clips posted by admins and watched the songs of most popular singers. It had a myriad of different styles and there was no shortage of talent. He was moved. In the end, talent would always find its place. The music couldn't be stopped.
However, he had noticed two things.
First one, not many singers, composed their songs and 'hired' people on TrueMusic to write them songs via the forum, Webdia or contest on the site who was picking singers interested randomly.
Second, there was no singer dancing. Wasn't this concept popular or would it be possible that no one thought of mixing their two concepts? Didn't idols exist in this world? Suddenly, a genius idea crossed his mind. If he danced while singing, wouldn't that make him the pillar of this style? This simple thought excited him.
He opened another tab to look for information about idols or singers dancing. As expected, nothing. There really were no idols in this world! He would be crazy not to jump at the opportunity to introduce them, so he was sure he would plan songs to which he could dance in concert.
He still thought his greatest asset was his voice. In his previous life, he was in the top 10 of the best voices in the world. Kim Chun Ha had even received an award for the best voice of the year in the United States. So it was impossible that he wouldn't think of integrating ballads and songs that were difficult vocally or at least would highlight his voice.
After his research, he logged out and closed his eyes to think. Which song would be perfect as a premiere? Should he start with a ballad or an energetic song? What should he talk about?
He had written many songs in his old life. Many had stayed at the top of the rankings for a long time or received the Song of the Year award. He had no doubt in his composition skills. But he wanted to convey a message that corresponded to this world.
He then thought back to history class and how horribly the system that chose trades and people's futures had disgusted him. It was decided, he was going to sing about this world that was forcing its decisions on people. Then words came directly to his mind.
He took a paper sheet and a pencil. He was 'old school' and preferred to write on paper rather than on a tablet or something else. As if he was in a trance, in less than 5 minutes, he had completed lyrics. He then sat down in front of the piano and tried some chords that might match his song.
Considering the powerful lyrics, he thought a rock style would be perfect. He still integrated pop. He spent a good two hours on the composition before reaching a satisfactory result. He then sang the song a few times and arranged some parties.
Finally satisfied, he prepared himself, put on his mask, put his microphone in the middle of the room and connected to his account to activate the recording mode. This mode would allow him to edit afterward and publish the video directly afterward without having to transfer his file. Very practical.
He began by introducing himself.
"Good evening. I'm Rouse Fox, a new singer. Thank you for offering me your support in the future. Before I start singing, I'd like to ask you. Are you satisfied with your life? The way your destiny is chosen for you? Because... I don't. So I dedicate this song to all the people who, like me, want to have control over their lives. I hope that this song and the ones that follow will talk to you."
He then headed towards his Genos, which he had pushed to the side and activated the background sound he had recorded earlier before moving towards his microphone. The percussion started. He finally starts to sing powerfully.
"First things first
I'ma say all the words inside my head
I'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been, oh ooh
The way that things have been, oh ooh
Second thing second
Don't you tell me what you think that I can be
I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea, oh ooh
The master of my sea, oh ooh
I was broken from a young age
Taking my sulking to the masses
Write down my poems for the few
That looked at me, took to me, shook to me, feeling me
Singing from heartache from the pain
Taking my message from the veins
Speaking my lesson from the brain
Seeing the beauty through the"
His voice shouted from the heart.
"You made me a, you made me a believer, believer
(Pain, pain)
You break me down, you build me up, believer, believer
(Pain)
Oh let the bullets fly, oh let them rain
My life, my love, my drive, it came from
(Pain)
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer
Third things third
Send a prayer to the ones up above
All the hate that you've heard has turned your spirit to a dove, oh ooh
Your spirit up above, oh ooh
I was choking in the crowd
Building my rain up in the cloud
Falling like ashes to the ground
Hoping my feelings, they would drown
But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing
Inhibited, limited
'Til it broke up and it rained down
It rained down, like
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer
(Pain, pain)
You break me down, you built me up, believer, believer
(Pain)
I let the bullets fly, oh let them rain
My life, my love, my drive, it came from
(Pain)
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer
Last things last
By the grace of the fire and the flames
You're the face of the future, the blood in my veins, oh ooh
The blood in my veins, oh ooh
But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing
Inhibited, limited
'Til it broke up and it rained down
It rained down, like
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer
(Pain, pain)
You break me down, you built me up, believer, believer
(Pain)
I let the bullets fly, oh let them rain
My life, my love, my drive, it came from
(Pain)
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer (1)"
Once finished, he recorded again to do the voice-off. He arranged the video, edited it, listened to it and was delighted with the result. He finally pressed 'publish'. That's it.
Like this, the first step towards his dream had just been taken.
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* 1. The song is Imagine Dragons - Believer