A Musical Genius Who Plays Memories - Chapter 45

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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 45. Blue Night (3)

 

There’s no end to composition.

 

Seeing something and being reminded of it, then wanting to express it—that was the fate of a creator.

 

The problem was, well.

 

It comes to mind at any time without warning?

 

“What is Heeseong doing?”

 

Even during kindergarten music class, I was absorbed in composition.

 

I heard Jeong Mi-rae’s voice.

 

In the middle of an ongoing lesson, she probably heard some other sound and was quietly asking about it.

 

‘I shouldn’t disturb the class.’

 

All the children in Moran Class were working hard.

 

Of course, there were kids like Garam who were fooling around, but most were diligently doing the assignment Jeong Mi-rae had given them.

 

She usually walked around like this, helping children focus on the piano and playing together with them.

 

‘But why isn’t she leaving…?’

 

Jeong Mi-rae kept staying next to me.

 

It was about time for her to go to other children, but for some reason she didn’t leave.

 

From behind, I could only hear a questioning “Hmm?” sound.

 

“Did Heeseong compose this?”

 

Her gaze was on the notebook spread out next to the piano chair.

 

It was sheet music I had hastily written after returning from last night’s walk.

 

Crooked and crudely drawn notes were scattered here and there.

 

I spoke to her in a small voice.

 

“Yes…”

 

“Did Father help you with this one too?”

 

“Uh… Y-yes, that’s right.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

Without realizing it, I had answered yes.

 

It seemed a bit arrogant to say I had done it myself.

 

And as I always thought, it would seem funny for a little kid like this to be composing.

 

‘Or not?’

 

Now that I thought about it, it wasn’t impossible.

 

There were people like Beethoven and Mozart, so there was no reason I couldn’t do it either.

 

Still, I should be modest, mm-hmm.

 

“So that’s why you asked last time?”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You asked about light last time. The teacher gave you an answer then, do you remember?”

 

“I remember. You said it hurts the eyes.”

 

“Smart. That’s right, the teacher said that. Do you know why I said that?”

 

Her voice saying this was somehow slightly cracking.

 

Her throat was choked up and dry like a desert.

 

I looked into her eyes.

 

Now I could see there were shadows around her eyes.

 

They were so dark, like the shadows that appear when you haven’t slept properly.

 

“Did something happen?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“You seem to be having a hard time.”

 

“…Nothing happened. Could I possibly listen to it?”

 

Jeong Mi-rae said this while pointing to the notebook.

 

As she spoke, she was hesitating.

 

Her fingertips were trembling slightly, like a child afraid of being caught doing something.

 

Everyone probably has at least one secret they keep in their heart.

 

It was probably something personal to her.

 

So there was no need to pry into it.

 

I didn’t think what she was hiding was a precious jewel.

 

It seemed like the kind of ore she absolutely didn’t want to show anyone.

 

I smiled gently and said.

 

“Yes! Oh, but I only managed to do 8 measures…”

 

“That’s still fine.”

 

“Hehe, I’ll try!”

 

“Thank you. Heeseong has a pretty smile. That’s why the teacher feels good every time she sees you.”

 

Following Jeong Mi-rae’s guidance, I sat at the piano where I always sat.

 

Somehow I felt a bit more nervous than usual, but when Jeong Mi-rae slowly stroked my head with her hand, that gentle touch seemed to calm me down.

 

I took a deep breath, placed my hands on the piano keys, and slowly pressed them.

 

The piano, filled with the sound of water, began like that.

 

***

 

Jeong Mi-rae stood quietly and gently held her right wrist.

 

Even though it was an old pain, she still wasn’t used to it.

 

But strangely, when she listened to Heeseong’s performance, her wrist didn’t hurt.

 

She didn’t know since when.

 

That’s why she had expectations now too.

 

She was very curious about what kind of performance he would give.

 

‘8 measures… That’s enough to determine the mood of a piece.’

 

Whether it was a slow piece or a fast piece.

 

Whether it was a gentle piece or an explosive piece.

 

She would know by listening.

 

Ding-♪

 

It was a beginning like the calm surface of a peaceful lakeside.

 

It was also a beginning similar to Heeseong’s usual atmosphere.

 

She thought he might be expressing a child who was always kind, quirky, and somewhat absent-minded.

 

But as she continued listening to the piece, that wasn’t it.

 

There was something in the calm lake.

 

The surface was flowing somewhere, and there was also something else there.

 

It was hard to express in words.

 

In the swaying melody and rhythm, what Heeseong was trying to say was crumbling.

 

It was a performance where the intention wasn’t visible.

 

‘It’s unfinished, so that’s possible.’

 

So she excluded those things.

 

She closed her eyes and mouth and opened her ears.

 

To hear only Heeseong’s performance among the other children’s playing, she bowed her head deeply.

 

It was to hear Heeseong’s performance from closer up.

 

Dum- Ding-♬

 

The rhythm was choppy.

 

It seemed like something was flickering.

 

More than that, it was like noodle strands breaking with snaps.

 

They were pitiful sounds that should have continued long but couldn’t connect.

 

‘The rhythm needs to be supplemented. And the melody…’

 

On the other hand, the melody captivated the ears.

 

The gathering sounds were drawing a picture one by one.

 

Perhaps because her eyes were closed, it began to become more visible.

 

She could see that a stream of water was flowing.

 

Something fell onto the restless surface.

 

It soon shattered.

 

No, it was ambiguous to say it shattered.

 

‘Hmm… Maybe it’s because it merged with the rhythm. It seems like there’s a lot he wants to draw.’

 

You could tell by listening.

 

That Hee-seong had a lot he wanted to put into the song.

 

So it didn’t matter whether the current song was incomplete or not.

 

Rather, being incomplete raised expectations even more.

 

‘Does Father have a lot of stories he wants to tell?’

 

But Jeong Mi-rae thought that wasn’t it.

 

She thought this was a story Hee-seong wanted to tell.

 

She had no idea what he was thinking about though.

 

The theme of the song would probably be water.

 

At least that’s how she felt.

 

Hee-seong’s song was calm.

 

But as you listened to it, it wasn’t calm at all.

 

It continuously poured and shattered and scattered, then gathered together again.

 

All of that was contained in 8 measures.

 

In just those 8 measures, Hee-seong had expressed something Jeong Mi-rae could understand.

 

‘He really is an amazing child. What kind of song is he trying to make this time?’

 

That’s why she was curious about Hee-seong’s song.

 

Like a puzzle that aroused curiosity, she wanted to guess what meaning was contained in Hee-seong’s 8-measure performance.

 

“It’s incomplete, so it’s lacking…”

 

When you heard what Hee-seong said, it sounded like an adult speaking.

 

Should I say it was like an adult speaking through a child’s mouth?

 

“What did you look at to make this song?”

 

“I went to Cheonggyecheon yesterday and made it after seeing that!”

 

“…Yesterday?”

 

As she expected, Hee-seong’s song seemed to express the water stream of Cheonggyecheon.

 

But what was even more surprising was the fact that he had created it yesterday.

 

If you thought about it a little, you could figure it out.

 

Preschool ended at 5 o’clock.

 

Plus, Hee-seong was even doing the Special Class, so 6 o’clock.

 

Of course, Cheonggyecheon was 30 minutes from the preschool, but considering meals and other things, he would arrive home around 9 o’clock.

 

Moreover, Hee-seong was a child who slept a lot.

 

She always saw Hee-seong napping when she passed by.

 

‘So he made this in one hour?’

 

Huh.

 

As soon as Jeong Mi-rae realized this, she couldn’t help but laugh.

 

She knew he was a child with exceptional passion for piano, but she didn’t know his talent was this outstanding.

 

‘Maybe he could even challenge this year’s competition…’

 

Jeong Mi-rae shook her head.

 

That was still a distant story.

 

For now, let’s just think about what’s close at hand.

 

“How was it?”

 

“Since it’s Cheonggyecheon… you expressed water?”

 

“That’s right! And I wanted to express light too!”

 

“Light?”

 

“Yes! There was so much light at Cheonggyecheon! From cars, traffic lights, and buildings too!”

 

“Aha.”

 

Hee-seong explaining everything one by one was cute.

 

Maybe because he usually slept a lot, but when it came to music like this, his eyes changed.

 

From Hee-seong’s words telling her everything he wanted to express, Jeong Mi-rae could realize something.

 

‘Hmm, is he trying to use only piano?’

 

That’s what she was curious about.

 

To express various kinds of light, there needed to be more instruments.

 

If he did that, she felt like an amazing song would come out.

 

It was probably a method Hee-seong hadn’t thought of.

 

Jeong Mi-rae hurriedly told him about this.

 

“Hee-seong, the teacher thought about it…”

 

Jeong Mi-rae’s words continued.

 

Her voice was also clear like a water stream, comfortable to listen to.

 

However, the content contained within was so enormous that Hee-seong had never even thought of it.

 

The child’s eyes widened, and Jeong Mi-rae was smiling.

 

It was a confident smile that said she knew this would happen.

 

“How about trying to use more instruments?”

 

“More instruments…?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Hee-seong made a puzzled expression.

 

Because of his lowered head, Jeong Mi-rae couldn’t see the child’s expression properly.

 

But she could tell from the child’s posture.

 

‘He’s thinking about it.’

 

It was admirable.

 

That sight of him earnestly pondering her suggestion looked good.

 

But it would be difficult alone.

 

He wouldn’t be able to play many instruments directly.

 

But she heard that Hee-seong’s father was a composer.

 

‘Then, he’ll probably be able to do it. Even if he can’t use real instruments.’

 

There were many virtual instruments in modern times.

 

Even if it was an instrument you’d never played before, you could use the sound.

 

So Jeong Mi-rae believed that Hee-seong could do it.

 

“Try talking to Father about it. Then you’ll be able to do it.”

 

“Yes! I’ll try it once!”

 

Having finished his contemplation, Hee-seong’s face was spread with a bright smile.

 

With that smile, Jeong Mi-rae was curious about what kind of song he would make, but she resolved to hold back for now.

 

Stroking her right wrist, Jeong Mi-rae said to the other children.

 

“Alright! Has everyone finished practicing?”

 

“Yes! We’re all done!”

 

“Raise your hand if you want to present!”

 

“Me!!”

 

The class was still continuing.

 

The children wanted to show everyone their achievements.

 

Among them was Ajin too.

 

The child who had changed the most thanks to Hee-seong.

 

So she had expectations.

 

But the actual subject of those expectations was just clutching his notebook tightly.

 

***

 

“Other instruments…”

 

Hmm.

 

I knew about it because I heard from Aunt Sujin last time.

 

Digital pianos can produce sounds of other recorded instruments.

 

But after thinking about it a bit, I seemed to understand.

 

What if it’s not just in the piano?

 

What if sounds of other instruments are also recorded in computers?

 

It’s probably programmed software.

 

I could just use the music program that Father uses.

 

“Nom, Heeseong, this is yummy.”

 

“Yeah, Aeyeon. How about finishing what’s in your mouth before talking?”

 

“Okay.”

 

But home was still far away.

 

It was only 12 o’clock now.

 

It was currently lunch time.

 

In other words, there were still 5 hours left before going home.

 

How long do I have to wait?

 

I clutched my head and collapsed.

 

“Oh my, Heeseong. Are you hurt somewhere?”

 

“No… I’m just sleepy…”

 

“You can’t lie down right after feeling sleepy. You won’t digest properly. Should we sit up?”

 

“Yes…”

 

I had no choice but to sit up again.

 

Looking to the side, I saw Cha Yu-ra stopping Aeyeon who was trying to lie down following my example.

 

Ahem, I feel a bit sorry.

 

Whatever the case, I wanted to go home quickly.

 

I want to go home quickly and compose!

 

I even had to study about city pop.

 

There was so much to do.

 

But I wasn’t worried.

 

Because they were all things I loved.

 

‘When I get home, I should ask Father to teach me!’

 

I started putting the rice in front of me into my mouth.

 

Now that my worries were over, it was time to eat delicious food.

 

Hmm.

 

As I always felt, the kindergarten food was a bit bland.

 

***

 

Today, Mother, who didn’t have practice, came to pick me up.

 

As we entered the house, Father came out to greet us from the music studio.

 

“Son, how was today?”

 

“It was good! Were you working, Father?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Father said that while taking the bag Mother was carrying.

 

Mother spoke with a clearly tired expression.

 

“Teach Heeseong about city pop.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“He kept asking about city pop in the car.”

 

“Oh, right.”

 

Father seemed to have forgotten the promise he made with me.

 

That can happen when you’re busy.

 

When I asked about the genre of the song Mother sang on stage, she told me it was city pop.

 

I couldn’t hold back and kept asking questions.

 

Like an unbridled colt.

 

Looking at it now, she seemed to be exhausted because of me.

 

‘Did the curiosity of an unavoidable 5-year-old explode?’

 

I just scratched the back of my head in embarrassment.

 

After thinking for a moment, Father said to me.

 

“Will dinner take a while? I did start boiling the stew though.”

 

“About 30 minutes.”

 

“That’s enough time.”

 

Father smiled brightly.

 

His refreshing smile made me excited too.

 

“Come on, Heeseong. Let’s go study with Father.”

 

“Yes!”

 

I answered so loudly the house could have shaken.

 

When it came to music, I seemed to become a child too.

 

It was really hard to control this irrepressible feeling.

 

But a low voice stopped Father and my actions.

 

“Yoon Hee-seong, you need to wash your hands and feet.”

 

…I seemed to become a little kid in front of Mother too.

 

You need to wash your hands and feet, hmm.

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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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