A Musical Genius Who Plays Memories - Chapter 52

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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 52. Married Life (3)

 

Choi Man-bok’s morning started early.

 

It was still time for Garam to be sleeping.

 

In the old man’s sight was an old violin.

 

It was an ordinary violin, but the moment Choi Man-bok saw it, both his eyes began to ache.

 

As he rubbed his eyes frantically to get rid of the pain, he soon heard a small sound.

 

Through the narrow gap in the door, his young granddaughter was poking her head out shyly.

 

As the saying goes about not hurting even if put in one’s eyes, she was a lovable granddaughter.

 

Even among other children, she could be said to be exceptionally pretty.

 

‘Was it Aeyeon? That child was pretty too.’

 

But contrary to his heart, his actions didn’t show it well.

 

He was always like that.

 

Until he lost something from his hands, he didn’t know how to express himself.

 

“Hey! If you’re awake, you need to go brush your teeth!”

 

“Hmph… I don’t want to brush my teeth.”

 

“Aren’t you going quickly?”

 

“I, I will!”

 

Garam said that and rushed to the bathroom.

 

At that sight, the old man let out a chuckle.

 

The way she ran as if her feet were on fire was quite cute.

 

‘… I should get up too.’

 

When he went to the bathroom, he saw Garam standing on a step stool brushing her teeth alone.

 

Choi Man-bok approached the child and tried to help Garam who was clumsily brushing her teeth.

 

“Grandpa will help you.”

 

“I, I can do it by myself!”

 

“…Alright.”

 

Choi Man-bok’s response was delayed at the child’s firm words spoken with a toothbrush in her mouth.

 

He wanted to get closer, but some words he had heard long ago painfully stirred in his heart.

 

‘Waaah! That grandpa is scary!’

 

He had tried to be kind to children, but because of the scar on his face, he couldn’t even get close.

 

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do.

 

“Grandpa.”

 

“Huh, huh? What is it?”

 

“It’s time for the bus to come now.”

 

“Alright, Grandpa will take you there.”

 

Saying that, he hurriedly helped his granddaughter get dressed and tied her hair.

 

He who could only gather her hair and tie it up felt inwardly disappointed.

 

Choi Man-bok was inwardly thinking that he wanted to do prettier hairstyles for her.

 

After finishing various preparations and going down from the apartment, the kindergarten bus had arrived right on time.

 

Several other children were already there, and a kind teacher came down to greet them.

 

Bright Garam saw the teacher and ran over happily to hug her tightly.

 

Then she bowed to Choi Man-bok in greeting before getting on the bus.

 

The old man who quietly watched that scene let out a heavy sigh.

 

“…It’s not easy.”

 

Saying that, Choi Man-bok headed to his workplace today as well.

 

His own battlefield would probably be noisy today too.

 

Choi Man-bok’s workplace was simple.

 

An academy that taught violin to children was his workplace.

 

Actually, it was embarrassing to even call it a workplace.

 

That academy wasn’t Choi Man-bok’s.

 

“Principal, you’re here?”

 

“Please don’t call me principal. Well, was there anything unusual?”

 

“It’s still morning, how could there be anything? You’re going to clean the violins today too, right? Should I help you?”

 

“It’s fine. I’ll do it alone.”

 

Cleaning the precious violins thoroughly was his daily routine.

 

When he cleaned the violins that children would play, his own heart would also calm down.

 

But when he held the violin and took a posture to play.

 

“Huff, huff…!”

 

His breathing would inevitably become rough.

 

This was an unavoidable illness and curse.

 

And it was the punishment given to him.

 

“Oh my, I need to clean Garam’s too.”

 

Momentarily dazed, he quickly came to his senses by cleaning his granddaughter’s violin.

 

Right now, it seemed better to quietly clean the violin.

 

***

 

“Son, have a good day!”

 

I went to kindergarten today as well.

 

However, today’s atmosphere was different from usual.

 

“…Jun’s mom. Did you hear about that?”

 

“Huh? About what?”

 

“They say there’s a suspicious person in the neighborhood lately.”

 

“What? There’s such a person?”

 

“That’s right… It seems like an unbelievable rumor though…”

 

“Our child also said they saw a scary person yesterday. Could it be…”

 

The adults’ chatter was not ordinary.

 

A scary rumor about someone who randomly assaults passersby.

 

‘Could there really be such a person.’

 

Thinking such thoughts, I entered the Moran Class.

 

“Hee-seong is here!”

 

As I entered the Moran Class, I was surrounded by children.

 

The other children continued their chatter, and I was suffering caught in between them.

 

On the left, they were talking about an animation they saw yesterday.

 

“No, I’m the grandpa, you’re the villain!”

 

My left ear started hurting.

 

The right side was the same.

 

“Hee-seong, piano.”

 

There was a thought I had at times like this.

 

‘Ah, I want to lower my intelligence to 5 years old.’

 

Then wouldn’t I be able to play enjoyably?

 

Since I couldn’t do anything about the age I had already consumed, I decided to just give up.

 

“I saw a really scary person yesterday!”

 

Those words pierced through other sounds and stuck in my ears.

 

It wasn’t just me.

 

As if drawn to interesting material, the children were attracted to the keyword ‘scary.’

 

“Who?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

Aeyeon also seemed interested as she raised her eyebrows.

 

The children naturally gathered around the child who had spoken.

 

“It was yesterday on my way home. But there was a really scary-looking person in front of the kindergarten.”

 

At the child’s quiet speaking atmosphere, the other children were breaking out in cold sweat.

 

The children seemed to be gathering together telling scary stories.

 

I had to hold back my laughter at their adorable and funny appearance.

 

I couldn’t ruin the atmosphere.

 

“There was some grandfather sitting on the chair. But…!”

 

Huh?

 

Somehow this sounds familiar?

 

“He had a scar on his face!”

 

What?

 

“And he spoke really scary…!”

 

“What did he do!”

 

“I couldn’t understand a single thing he was saying.”

 

Huh?

 

That was exactly what I had experienced yesterday.

 

It seemed like they were talking about Grandfather Manbok.

 

No, it was just his story.

 

But do these children know?

 

That the child sitting next to Aeyeon is Choi Man-bok’s granddaughter.

 

‘No, wait a minute. But yesterday Garam gave a presentation about his grandfather, right? Then they should know?’

 

It seemed like he wasn’t paying attention yesterday.

 

Occasionally there were children who got scolded for not concentrating.

 

The child who was speaking right now was exactly that type of child.

 

“Ik! You be quiet!”

 

Then Garam suddenly shouted.

 

I could understand the child’s behavior.

 

But could the other children understand it too.

 

“What, what!”

 

They couldn’t.

 

That child had no reason to look favorably upon someone who interrupted his words and shouted.

 

A perfect situation for hostility.

 

It could even escalate into a fight.

 

“Everyone, what are you doing! Garam, what’s wrong?”

 

Then Cha Yu-ra intervened at just the right timing.

 

She stopped it before it could turn into a fight, but the emotional rift that had already emerged couldn’t be helped.

 

Garam’s face, which had always maintained a smile, was contorted.

 

Everyone was flustered seeing this for the first time.

 

In times like this, it’s better for someone else to step in and calm things down.

 

Pat pat.

 

“Garam, calm down.”

 

I patted the child’s shoulder to calm him down.

 

Garam’s heavy breathing became peaceful.

 

Soon Cha Yu-ra took the two children away.

 

She was probably going to ask what happened and try to make them reconcile.

 

‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’

 

Garam’s back as he walked away holding Cha Yu-ra’s hand somehow looked pitiful.

 

***

 

“I got angry because they were talking about grandfather! Even though grandfather is scary, he’s not a bad person…”

 

When I was playing with the children after class ended.

 

Garam told me the reason why he got angry.

 

Anyone would understand.

 

He couldn’t stand hearing his family being badmouthed.

 

Of course, there might be people who wouldn’t feel that way, but at least I thought so.

 

Even if scary, family was still family.

 

“That’s understandable.”

 

“Right… Even if scary, if someone said that about my family, I’d get angry too…!”

 

“Ajin probably wouldn’t be scary even when angry.”

 

“No… Look.”

 

Ajin extended her index finger and pressed it firmly against her forehead, as if trying to express that she was angry.

 

It seemed like she was saying ‘Scary, right?’ and I thought about how I should react.

 

It was more cute than scary.

 

But I should still give her a reaction.

 

“Ahhh! Scary!”

 

“Oh, Hee-seong is teasing Ajin.”

 

“Kyahahaha!”

 

“Ugh… don’t tease me…”

 

“Ah, no! I wasn’t teasing!”

 

Right, it’s better to laugh together like this than to cry and get angry.

 

It was better for the children to laugh together like this than to have shadows on their faces.

 

“Garam, let’s go home now!”

 

“Yes~! Everyone, see you tomorrow!”

 

“Take care.”

 

“Bye…!”

 

“See you tomorrow.”

 

Garam quickly finished preparing and left the Moran Class.

 

Thud.

 

Then I saw something fall from Garam’s bag.

 

‘Isn’t that something Garam likes? He said it was his new soulmate after abandoning Chuchoo.’

 

Was its name Pitini?

 

It was a small doll that looked like a hamster.

 

I picked it up and looked outside the Moran Class.

 

But Garam had already disappeared.

 

Since he was such a fast child, he must have run off in that short time.

 

‘Hmm, it’s a bit awkward to sneak out.’

 

Looking inside the Moran Class, I could see Park Jeong-a surrounded by children and looking distressed.

 

I had to follow the rules, but I also had to give Garam his precious doll.

 

But as a child, I had to worry between the two.

 

‘Huh?’

 

Then someone came to help me.

 

“Young Teacher!”

 

“Oh? Hee-seong, what are you doing?”

 

“Garam dropped his doll and I was wondering if I should bring it to him.”

 

“I see. Should we go together with teacher?”

 

“What?”

 

Oh, that wasn’t my intention.

 

While I was flustered, Jeong Mi-rae spoke to Park Jeong-a.

 

Even in that busy moment, I felt a bit sorry for Park Jeong-a who was earnestly responding.

 

With permission granted, I took her hand and headed toward the entrance.

 

“Hee-seong, how is that composition you made last time coming along?”

 

“Aunt said she’s refining it. I think something amazing will come out!”

 

“Really? I’d love to hear it.”

 

“I’ll let you listen to it! Huh? I don’t see Garam.”

 

It seemed he had already gone outside.

 

I put on the children’s slippers from the shoe rack and went outside.

 

“What are you doing! Don’t touch my child!”

 

“Waaahhh!”

 

Then I heard a sharp voice.

 

I also heard some child crying along with it.

 

The voice was as prickly as a sea urchin and quite irritating.

 

Just listening to it made me frown automatically.

 

“What did you do! My child is crying!”

 

As I stepped out to the entrance, the voice became clearer.

 

A voice blaming others.

 

When I took a few more steps, the voice turned into a face.

 

There was some ajumma there.

 

And Grandfather Choi Man-bok was there too.

 

‘What’s going on?’

 

The child who had called Grandfather Manbok scary in the morning was sitting on the ground, apparently having fallen.

 

Garam, standing in front of him, looked at a loss for what to do.

 

“A-are you okay…?”

 

“Wah, wahhh!!”

 

“Get your face away! Hey, Min-jun. Don’t look at that grandfather. What exactly is this preschool doing, just standing by while someone like that is here?”

 

It was becoming a complete mess.

 

Most absurd of all was that ajumma’s remarks.

 

Judging from the situation, her comments were directed at Grandfather Manbok.

 

Whatever it was, I thought I needed to stop it.

 

“Apologize!!”

 

Garam’s voice stopped everyone’s movements.

 

Even the wind that had been blowing seemed to disappear for a moment.

 

Everyone was focused on Garam’s mouth.

 

“Our grandfather never hit anyone! Apologize for lying!”

 

I could understand the situation.

 

It seemed he couldn’t forgive Min-jun for speaking rudely about his grandfather.

 

“What is this kid saying right now! You pushed our child first!”

 

Thud!

 

While saying that, the ajumma pushed Garam.

 

Due to the difference in height and strength, Garam ended up falling.

 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!”

 

Then Choi Man-bok, unable to hold back any longer, spoke up.

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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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