A Musical Genius Who Plays Memories - Chapter 44

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 44. Blue Night (2)

 

After leaving the restaurant, Aeyeon’s Mother led us somewhere.

 

The April breeze, carrying the cool yet warm scent of spring, tousled our hair as it passed by.

 

Now I could see the cherry blossoms just beginning to bloom.

 

‘Nice weather.’

 

When she said we were going for a walk, I definitely thought it was a good idea.

 

But we’d been walking for 10 minutes now.

 

It felt like we were being dragged to some unknown place.

 

It was just a quiet neighborhood alley lined with streetlights.

 

“Kids, are you tired? We just need to go a little further.”

 

Aeyeon’s Mother said.

 

It seemed my expression had given me away, making me feel a bit sorry.

 

Looking to the side, I saw Aeyeon also looked tired.

 

“Aeyeon, are you tired?”

 

“Oh, I-I’m fine!”

 

“If you’re tired, I’ll carry you on my back.”

 

“Our dad is strong, so it’s okay.”

 

“Really…?”

 

Father was strong even though he didn’t exercise separately.

 

He could lift heavy sofas all by himself.

 

When he exerted strength, the veins bulging in his forearms looked impressive even to me as a man.

 

‘Hmm, could I do that too?’

 

Since it’s Father’s bloodline, I might be strong too.

 

Or maybe I take after Grandfather.

 

‘When I saw him last New Year’s, his muscles were just… wow…’

 

I’ll think about Grandfather later.

 

The muscles kept clouding my thoughts.

 

I looked around to clear my head.

 

Streetlight, car, streetlight again.

 

It was a continuous cycle.

 

In between, I saw trash and cats that looked dejected, as if they’d failed at hunting.

 

It was such a familiar scene.

 

If I closed my eyes and opened them again, it felt like I’d see scenes from the past.

 

It was a landscape I’d often seen in corners where gaslight couldn’t reach.

 

It was so familiar I felt I could walk with my eyes closed.

 

“What are you thinking about, Hee-seong?”

 

Father’s voice scattered the remnants of the past.

 

Without realizing it, I’d almost gotten caught up and floundered in the black shadows of the past.

 

“Yeah. You had an expression like you were thinking about something incredible.”

 

“Hehe, I was looking at a cat.”

 

“A cat? Where!”

 

Aeyeon reacted intensely to my words.

 

It was the same expression she had when asking me to play piano.

 

‘She likes cats.’

 

Aeyeon was a normal kid after all.

 

Cats are cute, so anyone would like them.

 

“It must have already run away.”

 

“Aww. I wanted to see it…”

 

“It’s okay, you can see one later.”

 

Where the cat had been, there was nothing left.

 

Only leaves rustling in the wind remained.

 

So we walked the path once more.

 

After the brief rest, Aeyeon seemed to have regained her energy and was walking vigorously.

 

Several minutes passed as we walked looking only ahead.

 

“Kids, we’re here!”

 

I heard Mother’s voice.

 

The end of the hill that had blocked our view gradually lowered, and finally I began to see the scene Aeyeon’s Mother had wanted to show us.

 

“Wow!!”

 

Aeyeon’s cheer carried the sound of water.

 

Between the towering buildings, a stream was flowing.

 

It was a stream holding gentle light.

 

People were gathered in small groups, dipping their feet in the water.

 

Everyone’s faces held smiles, giving off a warm feeling.

 

Aeyeon and my parents went down the stairs to where the water flowed.

 

I was about to follow, but Aeyeon’s Mother’s voice stopped me.

 

“Hee-seong, how do you like Cheonggyecheon?”

 

“This is Cheonggyecheon?”

 

“Yes. I work near here. That’s why I wanted to show it to you and Aeyeon.”

 

“Me…?”

 

“Yes. I heard from Aeyeon. Thank you so much.”

 

I was the one who was flustered by her words.

 

I hadn’t expected to hear such words from her here.

 

What she was thanking me for was probably about listening to Aeyeon’s worries last time.

 

There couldn’t be anything else.

 

But I hadn’t really done anything.

 

It was all resolved through Aeyeon’s Mother and Aeyeon’s own will.

 

“It’s nice here, isn’t it?”

 

“It’s really nice.”

 

“You’re pretty calm for someone who thinks it’s that nice.”

 

“Hehe.”

 

I kept my words brief.

 

My thoughts were growing complex.

 

I thought it would be nice if time stopped just like this.

 

The lights viewed from the darkness were truly beautiful.

 

That was the limit of my expression.

 

I could express endlessly with music, but not now.

 

I could only look.

 

‘This is it.’

 

There was light.

 

Light of various colors.

 

There was light from the electronic billboards on buildings, but that wasn’t the only light.

 

Light from people’s phones, headlights of cars on the road, traffic lights guiding the way.

 

But everything was gentle.

 

Like Aeyeon’s Mother’s voice, it was a continuation of gentleness.

 

It was simply gentle, like the flowing stream.

 

“This is it…”

 

This was light.

 

The city’s light.

 

The scene I was looking at now.

 

Aeyeon putting her hand in the stream and Mother sitting beside her.

 

Father holding his phone and Aeyeon’s Mother slowly approaching.

 

This was the scene.

 

The light I had longed for, the light I had wanted to see in the past.

 

It was certainly dark.

 

The small lights scattered here and there were all there was.

 

But even so, it wasn’t cold.

 

The light I gazed upon wasn’t blue at all.

 

Nor was it red.

 

It was simply light that connected bit by bit.

 

It was a place where blue and red merged together.

 

“Hee-seong, hurry up! The water’s cool!”

 

Aeyeon was calling me.

 

Flowers seemed to bloom on her face as if she was having fun.

 

Right, at times like this, I should enjoy myself.

 

Because.

 

‘I feel like I’ll never forget this scene.’

 

The scene was so vivid, as if a photograph had been taken.

 

That’s why even with my eyes closed, I could tell what I had seen.

 

So, let’s do the composing when I get home.

 

“I’m coming!”

 

Now, let’s go have fun.

 

***

 

“Phew, let’s do this.”

 

As soon as I got home, I sat in front of the piano.

 

Of course, I washed my hands and feet.

 

Otherwise I’d get in trouble.

 

‘Gentleness is important.’

 

That was what I considered most important for this piece.

 

The genre was city pop.

 

The theme was gentle light.

 

With just these, I wouldn’t lose my way.

 

I carefully pressed the piano keys.

 

It would be nice to have many instruments, but for now, just the piano would do.

 

So let’s create a melody.

 

The first melody I create will determine the mood of the piece.

 

8 measures.

 

Just 8 measures would be enough.

 

Ta-ran-♪

 

The piano keys rang out gently.

 

Low C resonated slowly.

 

I closed my eyes and slowly savored what this expressed.

 

Many things came to mind.

 

The smiles of people I had just seen, or the tall buildings with lights on.

 

Cars driving on the road, or the blinking lights of passing bicycles.

 

It was truly an everyday scene.

 

I wanted to express such things.

 

So I struck the keys.

 

There was so much gentleness.

 

That’s why it was rather difficult to choose.

 

‘No. Let me think about this.’

 

I thought about the lights of buildings connecting bit by bit and the stream of water beneath them.

 

And I transferred that to my fingers.

 

The gently flowing stream of water.

 

Tan-tan-♬

 

My left hand played the rhythm.

 

Slowly but steadily.

 

However, I put meaning into each and every note with certainty.

 

Someone’s smile in one note.

 

Someone’s voice in one note.

 

The rhythm was building up like that.

 

A 4-measure rhythm was created, and now it was time to create the melody.

 

‘Melody, melody…’

 

The melody had to express light.

 

But it was easier than I thought.

 

Light.

 

The light from buildings reflected on the stream of water.

 

I expressed that.

 

The water contained countless lights, and as I traced them one by one, the melody somehow contained those lights.

 

When I pressed C, there was the yellow light of a traffic signal.

 

When I pressed E, there was the light from an electronic billboard hanging on a building.

 

When I pressed high F, there was the light from a passerby’s phone.

 

Another 4-measure melody was completed like that.

 

I continued composing in that manner.

 

The city lights I had seen while walking were embedded in the song.

 

When I closed my eyes, it felt like I was standing there.

 

But no sounds could be heard.

 

Only the scenery was contained within.

 

‘It’s okay. This is just a sketch.’

 

It was still incomplete.

 

Even so, I wasn’t disappointed.

 

Because I could imagine what this piece would look like when completed.

 

So now, even if it was disappointing, it was time to record.

 

I opened my notebook and carved in each note one by one.

 

My hand strength was weak so the notes were crooked and distorted, but I didn’t mind.

 

Afraid I might forget, I was busy writing hastily.

 

‘Ugh, my eyes are closing…’

 

Looking at the clock hanging in my room, it was already pointing to 9 o’clock.

 

Of all times, sleepiness was creeping in.

 

Being sleepy a lot wasn’t good at times like this.

 

Good ideas always poured out right before bedtime.

 

At such times, it was a battle against drowsiness.

 

But I was a human who lost to sleepiness.

 

Always.

 

‘No! Just a little more…!’

 

I moved my fingers as much as possible until just before falling asleep.

 

My eyelids gradually drooped, and my fingers gradually slowed down.

 

Even so, my mind was clear.

 

I knew exactly what notes I needed to play right now.

 

I expressed streetlights as melody, and captured a stray cat’s movements in rhythm.

 

I expressed the shadows I saw while walking and the things that came to mind through the piano.

 

And so, 8 measures were completed.

 

Thud-

 

I leaned my head against the piano.

 

The simultaneous notes that rang out hit my ears, but it didn’t hurt.

 

Drowsiness made me numb even to pain.

 

Now it was time to sleep.

 

‘Ah, I need to brush my teeth…’

 

My parents would understand.

 

Whatever the case.

 

I was able to fall asleep very contentedly.

 

***

 

“He’s at it again today.”

 

“At least he washed his hands and feet as soon as he got home. He’ll probably brush his teeth after finishing his composition.”

 

Shin Ji-eun and Yoon Young-hoon peeked at Hee-seong’s work through the crack in the door.

 

Somehow, it felt like they were always secretly watching, which made their hearts ache a little, but perhaps a parent’s heart couldn’t help it.

 

They worried he might stay up too late, but as it approached 9 o’clock, Hee-seong’s head was gradually drooping lower.

 

The way he was widening his eyes and moving his fingers quickly seemed like he was desperately trying to escape from drowsiness.

 

“He’s getting sleepy, isn’t he? Ji-eun, do you want to put him to bed?”

 

“Wait a moment. Let’s just watch for now.”

 

The two whispered, worried they might disturb Hee-seong.

 

Shin Ji-eun spoke quietly.

 

In her heart, she wanted to run over right now and stop his playing.

 

As a mother, she didn’t want her son to fight off sleep like that while creating something.

 

But since she too knew that feeling as a creator, she couldn’t bring herself to stop him.

 

And she didn’t want to ruin her son’s concentration.

 

The performance they were hearing now was extraordinary, and it seemed like something amazing was about to emerge.

 

‘What is he trying to express…?’

 

Listening quietly, it was gentle.

 

Like a stream of water.

 

But it wasn’t peaceful either.

 

It was like watching a bean that couldn’t stay still.

 

Like a bean fallen on the floor being constantly tapped by its surroundings.

 

Hee-seong’s performance wouldn’t stay still.

 

A gentle rhythm and a melody that couldn’t be gentle.

 

Shin Ji-eun was curious about it.

 

“How’s Hee-seong’s performance?”

 

“Hm? What do you mean how? It’s excellent.”

 

“No, I mean from a professional’s perspective.”

 

“Well…”

 

Yoon Young-hoon closed his mouth and quietly listened to Hee-seong’s performance.

 

The scattered fragments of sound gathered and gathered.

 

Yoon Young-hoon began to pick them up little by little.

 

He wanted to feel his son’s intention.

 

“Well…”

 

But it was puzzling.

 

So, there was a lot contained in it.

 

Calm yet violently shaking.

 

And yet a performance that was neither good nor bad.

 

So, to put it in one word.

 

“It’s incomplete.”

 

“Eh? That’s it?”

 

“But it’s not an ordinary incompleteness.”

 

Having been active as a composer for nearly 20 years, he knew.

 

Hee-seong’s performance was one that absolutely couldn’t be evaluated as it was now.

 

But if it were completed, it would contain everything Hee-seong wanted to express.

 

It would be an even greater masterpiece than any large painting displayed in an art museum.

 

He was certain that everyone would be amazed.

 

“We just need to wait.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. But now he should sleep.”

 

As soon as his words ended.

 

Thud-

 

A sound was heard.

 

It was the sound made by the little one who had been defeated by sleep.

 

Seeing Hee-seong with his face buried in the piano keys, the two couldn’t help but chuckle.

 

The son who had just finished that puzzling performance was now snoring, having lost to sleep.

 

He would surely create a wonderful piece, but right now, he was just a child.

 

So now it was time for him to sleep.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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