A Musical Genius Who Plays Memories - Chapter 50

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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 50. Married Life (1)

 

The happy weekend passed and ordinary daily life returned once again.

 

The events that happened over the weekend were as hazy as if they had occurred in a dream.

 

But only the sound ringing in my ears remained vivid, allowing me to recall the fact that I had worked together with Aunt.

 

“Son, have a good day!”

 

Today too, I entered Hanseol Preschool with Father’s send-off.

 

After receiving welcomes from other class teachers and entering Moran Class, Cha Yu-ra greeted me warmly.

 

“Heeseong, welcome! Did you have a good weekend?”

 

“I had a good time. How about you, teacher?”

 

“Teacher had a good time too. Are you going to play piano today as well?”

 

“Yes, hehe.”

 

I smiled lightly as I spoke and put my bag in the locker.

 

There were children who had arrived earlier, so it was a bit noisy.

 

I quickly finished greeting the children and sat in front of the familiar small piano.

 

‘Hmm, shall I do some review?’

 

When I thought about it, most of what I learned in the special class was nothing more than review.

 

Since they were things I already knew.

 

So what I was doing now could be called a review of reviews.

 

So would that be re-review?

 

Ding-♪

 

What I learned last week was simple but could greatly change the flow of a song.

 

Staccato.

 

When playing a piece, whether to connect the breath or cut it off as you go.

 

It would be quite interesting for the children.

 

For me too.

 

Ding ding ding

 

As I was reviewing what I had learned last week, I had this thought.

 

‘Hmm… shall I try playing Blue Night?’

 

There was no one around anyway, and if asked what song it was, I could just say it was a song Aunt made.

 

Since it was a piece that had room for improvement, it was also work to find places to fix.

 

Ding-♩

 

I transferred the scenery that came to mind while composing to my hands.

 

That scenery I had thought about so many times…

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“Eek! I-I’m startled.”

 

Aeyeon was standing there with her bag on, wearing a pink headband, as if she had just arrived.

 

As always, Aeyeon had a chocolate bar in her hand.

 

As usual, her slightly drooping eyes with the sharpness somewhat gone looked mysterious.

 

The child spoke while chewing.

 

“Are you practicing piano?”

 

“That’s right. Want to do it together?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Aeyeon practically threw her bag down on the floor and sat right next to me.

 

She ate the remaining chocolate bar in one bite.

 

It was an amazing sight every time I saw it.

 

“Mmph mmph!!”

 

“…You want me to go first?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Sure, whatever.”

 

I loosened my hands by clenching and opening my fists.

 

At the same time, I thought about what song would be good to play.

 

‘Well, shall I do what I usually do?’

 

As always, I slowly recalled the songs I had always played.

 

Sometimes I would play the simple Twinkle Little Star, and other times I would play the slightly difficult song from the Unknown Country.

 

Even though Aeyeon clearly found playing difficult, she slowly followed along with me.

 

It was the same now.

 

Other children were entering Moran Class one by one.

 

But Aeyeon just sat quietly and moved her fingers.

 

“Oh! You two are playing piano again!”

 

“Hello…!”

 

As we continued playing like that, Garam and Ajin also entered the classroom.

 

Whether he had fun over the weekend, Garam kept talking while still wearing his bag.

 

Of course, he was stopped by Park Jeong-a who entered the classroom with the child.

 

“Oh, right! Did you hear about that?”

 

As soon as Garam sat down after putting his bag in the locker, he reacted as if he remembered something.

 

The other children seemed curious about the child’s question and nodded their heads.

 

Me too.

 

Ajin spoke carefully.

 

“What…?”

 

“We’re watching a movie today!”

 

“I already knew that.”

 

“Oh…”

 

“Huh? R-really? Heeseong, did you know too?”

 

“Yeah. It’s written on the blackboard over there too.”

 

At my words, Garam looked at the blackboard.

 

In small letters at the bottom right, it said ‘Movie Day.’

 

As soon as Garam saw it, he buried his face in the round table.

 

“I wanted to surprise everyone by hearing the teachers talk about it… I failed!”

 

“It’s okay. Try challenging it next time.”

 

“I should, hehe.”

 

Garam was always positive.

 

He was a child who could overcome disappointment this quickly.

 

It was always nice to see.

 

Like the sun… no, his warm light made Ajin next to him bright too.

 

‘By the way, what movie are we going to watch?’

 

I stared intently at the text in the corner of the blackboard.

 

I remembered watching movies with Mother and Father on weekends when I was young.

 

I had memories of enjoying them quite a bit.

 

Watching a movie at preschool seemed like it would have a different kind of fun.

 

***

 

We were now in a different place, not Moran Class.

 

The large auditorium where we would normally do physical activities had transformed into a small movie theater today.

 

Where the small stage used to be, there was now a large white wall.

 

Folding chairs were neatly arranged in rows, and the children and I went to find our seats.

 

Meanwhile, the teachers closed the auditorium windows with curtains.

 

The inside of the auditorium became a bit dark.

 

“Everyone, please take your seats.”

 

Looking ahead, I saw the principal holding a microphone and focusing the children’s attention.

 

With all the children from Hanseol Preschool gathered in one place, it was as noisy as a marketplace.

 

In the midst of this, the two children sitting to my right were chatting in small voices with smiles, seemingly excited.

 

“Hehe, I’m excited!”

 

“Me too.”

 

Ajin was wiggling his hands on the left side while looking ahead.

 

Looking at his reddened chubby cheeks, his face was full of anticipation.

 

“Alright, everyone, I’m turning off the lights! Don’t be surprised!”

 

With the principal’s voice, the auditorium lights went out.

 

Click.

 

Some children were startled, but fortunately no child showed tears.

 

Ding-♪

 

As soon as the lights went out, a video began playing on the large screen at the front of the auditorium.

 

I saw a scene that briefly flashed by when the movie started.

 

It was a scene with countless balloons tied to a house.

 

From what I could see, the movie we were about to watch seemed to be an animation.

 

-Let’s go! To the world of adventure!

 

A male adventurer wearing large goggles gave a thumbs up as he spoke.

 

And so the movie began.

 

It seemed to be a movie about a boy and girl who yearned for adventure.

 

The girl with a four-dimensional personality looked like the opposite version of Aeyeon.

 

The two children wore helmets and goggles, seemingly admiring adventurers.

 

“Hahaha! Look at her hair!”

 

When the girl took off her helmet, the other children burst into laughter.

 

I did the same.

 

Starting with humor, my expectations began to rise.

 

-There are your balloons over there. Go get them!

 

The balloon the boy had been carrying got caught on the roof of the girl’s hideout.

 

The boy mustered his courage and tried to cross a plank, but.

 

Thud!

 

He fell to the ground and broke his arm.

 

‘Breaking an arm is really inconvenient.’

 

Having injured my wrist before, I could say that from experience.

 

Especially for people who use their hands frequently, they must protect their hands at all costs.

 

I didn’t do that, so mine got damaged.

 

-You’re a quiet kid, aren’t you? I like that! See you tomorrow!

 

-Wow…

 

The girl who showed the boy her book filled with secrets and dreams left with just those words.

 

The boy watched her with an enchanted expression, as if he had fallen for her at first sight.

 

It reminded me of my friend’s appearance.

 

When he fell for Lucie at first sight and kept talking to me about this and that, I got really angry and punched him in the head.

 

While I chuckled briefly at the past memory, the movie’s flow changed.

 

-Click!

 

With the camera shutter sound, the boy and girl were shown having their wedding.

 

It showed the happy married life of the two.

 

They repaired the old house that used to be their hideout, decorated the mailbox, and climbed the hill.

 

‘They look really happy.’

 

Seeing the two people whose faces never lost their smiles, I found myself smiling too.

 

They enjoyed picnics on the hill and trained animals at the amusement park.

 

They continued to maintain their dream of adventure through reading.

 

‘Ah…’

 

But sadness came to the two of them.

 

With hopes for a baby, they painted a mural of a stork carrying heavy cloth.

 

There was an airship-shaped mobile and a cradle, but.

 

‘She can’t have children.’

 

A woman crying in a dark hospital, and a doctor and man looking at her with pity.

 

“That person seems sick.”

 

A child in front whispered.

 

Other children nodded at those words.

 

That scene with no dialogue, only background music, remained so strongly in my mind.

 

‘Right, he should help her.’

 

To comfort the sad woman, the man brought her childhood memories.

 

The book filled with the girl’s secrets and dreams.

 

Seeing that book, the woman regained her spirits once more.

 

Even if she couldn’t have her own child, she had someone precious beside her to share memories with.

 

The scene changed rapidly.

 

Wrinkles gradually appeared on the woman’s hands as she tied a necktie for the man.

 

The faces of the two people looking in the mirror gradually sagged and their white hair increased.

 

‘Oh no.’

 

In the end, only one person remained.

 

The woman who had lived for her dreams couldn’t overcome her illness, and only the grandfather remained alone in the dreary room.

 

“Huh? Where did grandma go? Is she in the hospital?”

 

The other children didn’t seem to understand that scene.

 

Her last appearance was lying in the hospital.

 

The children seemed to only see what was visible.

 

I could understand.

 

There was only one plate on the table for two, and only one person getting up from the bed for two.

 

Those short scenes that had just occurred were so sad that I almost shed tears.

 

“Grandfather…?”

 

I heard Garam’s murmur from beside me.

 

Garam’s voice trembled.

 

It was precarious like a dam about to burst at any moment.

 

***

 

“How was the movie, everyone?”

 

After watching the movie, we returned to Moran Class.

 

While eating snacks, Cha Yu-ra asked the children.

 

The children showed various reactions to that question.

 

“It was super fun!”

 

“The talking dog was cute!!”

 

“The big bird was cool too!”

 

The children each shared the scenes that remained in their minds.

 

Childlike answers continued.

 

But Garam was somehow quiet the whole time.

 

‘Does he have something on his mind…?’

 

Well, Garam probably has his own concerns.

 

I sipped my yogurt little by little while focusing on Cha Yu-ra’s voice.

 

“Now we’re going to draw scenes we saw in the movie! Everyone will enjoy this, right?”

 

“Yes!”

 

There was something I had been thinking about while attending kindergarten.

 

Maybe Hansul Preschool was actually raising children who do art?

 

Though not as much as music classes, by now in mid-April, we had quite a few drawing classes.

 

Is it because the children like drawing?

 

‘Drawing is fun though.’

 

It seemed the other children felt the same way, as snack time ended quickly.

 

Then we sat four to a round table, and at my table sat the same children as usual.

 

“Now, shall we begin?”

 

Cha Yu-ra’s voice served as the signal, and the children began discussing what each would draw.

 

We did the same.

 

“Heeseong, what are you going to draw?”

 

“I’m still thinking. Aeyeon, have you decided?”

 

“Yeah, I’m going to draw a balloon house flying above the clouds.”

 

“Oh wow, what about you, Ajin?”

 

“Um…, I want to draw a big bird.”

 

“That sounds cool too. Then…”

 

Aeyeon’s, Ajin’s, and my heads all turned to focus on one spot.

 

There was Garam, already absorbed in drawing on his sketchbook.

 

His eyes had an intensity I’d never seen from him before.

 

‘What is he drawing?’

 

I was curious.

 

So, though I felt a bit sorry, I broke Garam’s concentration.

 

“Garam.”

 

“Huh, huh? What is it, Heeseong?”

 

“What were you drawing?”

 

“Um…”

 

Garam began pondering my question.

 

His head was bowed so low that I couldn’t see the child’s expression.

 

After a very brief moment, Garam lifted his head and was smiling as usual.

 

“I was drawing my grandfather!”

 

“Grandfather sounds cool too.”

 

“Right… He was so cool when he defeated the bad guys!”

 

The other children said this and began drawing their own pictures on their sketchbooks.

 

I kept staring at the picture Garam was drawing.

 

Unlike the child’s bright response, the drawing was dark.

 

It seemed to depict a scene of a boy who had become an old man, sitting up alone in bed.

 

‘Why is he drawing that scene?’

 

I suddenly became curious.

 

About the reason Garam was drawing that picture.

 

I became curious about why he had called out “Grandfather.”

 

“What is Heeseong going to draw?”

 

“Me? I’m…”

 

While looking at Garam’s drawing, our eyes met.

 

Garam asked with his usual bright smile.

 

A scene to draw.

 

Just from looking at Garam’s picture, one scene had come to mind.

 

That scene that had become stuck firmly in my head.

—————
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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