The baton fell.
Piano began.
Those same opening chords—except they weren't the same at all.
The sound bloomed outward, filling every corner of the hall.
Rich. Layered.
Alive.
Then strings entered.
Violin melody soaring above the piano's foundation.
Viola and cello weaving underneath.
The sound was huge compared to the guide track.
Seungho missed his opening slightly.
He'd been waiting for the familiar backing-track cue—the click, the breath—but the orchestra gave him something fluid instead.
He recovered fast, professionalism salvaging the entrance.
Sejin started beautifully.
His voice pure and controlled.
But after four bars, I heard him begin following the violin melody instead of the ensemble's collective breathing.
Chasing the prettiest line.
Jaehyuk instinctively increased volume.
The orchestra sounded larger, so he compensated with force.
Sunwoo got swallowed.
His airy tone disappeared beneath the strings' swell.
