A Musical Genius Who Plays Memories - Chapter 57

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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 57. Warmth (4)

 

“Hee-seong! I found out what Grandfather likes most!”

 

Garam said in a loud voice.

 

His eyes were sparkling brightly and his nose was flaring, showing just how much he had wanted to say this.

 

I stepped back to avoid Garam who was leaning his face close to mine and said.

 

“What, what is it?”

 

“Grandfather likes Grandmother the most!”

 

“Grandmother?”

 

Well, if there’s a grandfather, there’s bound to be a grandmother.

 

But when I thought about it a little, something seemed strange.

 

This was the first time I had heard about the child’s grandmother while being with Garam all this time.

 

An ominous thought began to settle in my head.

 

“But I’ve never seen Grandmother.”

 

Garam delivered the decisive blow.

 

It seemed the child’s grandmother was in a state where she couldn’t be with Garam anymore.

 

That’s probably why Grandfather comes to pick up Garam.

 

‘Could Grandfather Manbok’s empty gaze also be related to Grandmother?’

 

“So what Grandfather likes most is Grandmother, right?”

 

“Yeah! But how do I give Grandmother as a gift?”

 

“Don’t worry about that, Garam. I’ll help you.”

 

“Okay!”

 

Garam smiled innocently.

 

I didn’t know Garam’s grandmother.

 

Rather, I didn’t even know much about Grandfather Manbok.

 

But the child who lived with such a grandfather was right in front of me.

 

So I planned to get Garam’s help.

 

“Garam, tell me about Grandfather.”

 

“Our grandfather?”

 

“Yeah. Just tell me everything Garam knows.”

 

This task would probably continue for quite a long time.

 

Because I needed Garam’s help.

 

From now until the completion of the song, I would stay by Garam’s side and learn about Grandfather Manbok.

 

“Our grandfather can’t eat spicy food. Instead, um… Mom said he really likes bland food.”

 

Garam began talking about his grandfather.

 

He talked about trivial things like his food preferences, just like now.

 

Even so, it was good.

 

I was looking forward to the picture of Grandfather Manbok drawn through the child’s words.

 

“Oh, this is a secret, but I’ve seen Grandfather’s violin. It was shiny!”

 

It’s not easy for an instrument that’s handled by people to stay shiny.

 

The more you play, the more sweat and grime from your hands seeps into the instrument.

 

And as time passes, it’s bound to lose its original appearance.

 

Instruments lose their luster and gradually become unsightly.

 

‘But that’s only when they’re not maintained.’

 

Instruments are bound to be damaged by human grime and sweat.

 

But if you wipe off the sweat with a clean cloth, maintain the wood so it doesn’t get damaged, and dust it off.

 

The rate of deterioration would probably be slower than a snail.

 

This meant that Grandfather Manbok was treating his violin extremely preciously.

 

It was clean when I saw it before too.

 

‘Having calluses on his hands but the violin being shiny means he maintains it daily.’

 

Garam continued to tell me about Grandfather Manbok.

 

One day.

 

Two days.

 

While coming to kindergarten, Garam talked about Grandfather Manbok.

 

The weekend passed and Monday came again.

 

There were some problems while composing in between, but fortunately they were resolved well.

 

“Grandfather smiles really big when we talk about Grandmother.”

 

Garam said while waving both arms widely.

 

I couldn’t help but laugh at his childlike behavior.

 

However, the child’s words made my thoughts complicated.

 

Grandfather Manbok loved his companion.

 

‘But he can no longer see her.’

 

I could tell without being told.

 

Garam had only heard ‘stories’ about Grandmother but never said he had seen her directly.

 

And this was a story based on experience.

 

‘People who play instruments are inevitably influenced by their surroundings.’

 

Whether it’s nature, objects, or people.

 

They’re definitely influenced by something.

 

Right now, I was influenced by the dawn streets and got inspiration from the sight of people taking walks.

 

A companion would be even more so.

 

They would have received an incomparably greater influence than the scenery I had seen.

 

‘But since such a person is no longer by his side…’

 

I could vaguely guess at that incident.

 

‘…That incident probably had a huge impact on Grandfather Manbok’s heart.’

 

An incident that would force him to blame himself.

 

I couldn’t understand his state of mind.

 

Honestly, I didn’t want to understand it.

 

If I collapsed like Grandfather Manbok and became unable to make music, would I be able to remain intact then?

 

“Phew! Good.”

 

“Huh? What? Is there something good?”

 

“Yeah, now I can finish the composition.”

 

“Really?”

 

I had been writing the song bit by bit.

 

Every time I heard Garam’s stories, I gradually increased the number of measures.

 

1 measure.

 

4 measures.

 

16 measures.

 

The violin melody that kept getting longer was soon reaching its end, but I felt it was slightly lacking.

 

And now I realized what it was.

 

The clue to complete the ending of the music.

 

“Garam, I’ll bring the sheet music tomorrow. Can you practice by yourself?”

 

“Yeah! I know how to read sheet music. I studied hard. Are you giving it to Grandfather too?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Garam puffed out his chest as he spoke.

 

That sight was both cute and funny.

 

It felt like even my momentary worries had flown away.

 

‘Good, now I’m finishing it.’

 

The time had come to give the gift I had been making to its owner.

 

Tomorrow, I would give the completed sheet music to Grandfather Manbok.

 

***

 

The moment I first saw that person still hasn’t been forgotten.

 

The person standing in the middle of the grass field had their gaze stolen by leaves flying in the wind.

 

-Oh my.

 

‘We’ were able to meet each other’s eyes.

 

Perhaps that was the moment our hearts were stolen?

 

“You….”

 

I reached out my hand.

 

But it didn’t reach.

 

No matter how much I stretched, it wouldn’t reach, and it felt like tears would pour out.

 

The face I had longed to see, wanted to feel with my fingertips, appeared but I couldn’t touch it.

 

“Ah….”

 

Choi Man-bok looked at his fingertips stretched toward the ceiling.

 

His hand that had missed what it was trying to grasp was just swaying blankly.

 

A hollow laugh burst out from his dejected heart, and at the same time, the tears that had been pooling flowed down.

 

He had been having these kinds of dreams a lot lately.

 

Dreams that felt like filming a scene from memory and playing it as a movie.

 

He became the protagonist of those dreams, but always met a sad ending.

 

“I need to get up.”

 

Choi Man-bok spoke to himself like giving an order.

 

Otherwise, it felt like his body would stick to this hard bed.

 

Morning had dawned again.

 

His left hand that had gripped the violin last night was so painful.

 

He felt pathetic for foolishly clinging to the violin when he couldn’t even play it.

 

“Grandfather.”

 

Then he heard Garam’s small voice.

 

Choi Man-bok turned his head toward where the voice came from and discovered Garam peeking out just her face through the door gap.

 

That little thief had been coming to find him like this every morning for some time now.

 

He didn’t know the reason, but Choi Man-bok felt good hearing the voice calling for him and answered with a smile.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Are you hurt somewhere?”

 

The child’s question was sharp.

 

It became a pointed needle that poked at his heart like a balloon filled with water.

 

Choi Man-bok didn’t know what to answer.

 

It hurt too much to say he wasn’t in pain.

 

He didn’t want to say he was in pain because it seemed like it would worry the child.

 

Whatever he answered, they were all difficult things to say.

 

In that moment of his hesitation, Garam came running into the room.

 

“I need to apply rosin but please help me!”

 

“Huh.”

 

Choi Man-bok’s mind returned at Garam’s sudden request for help.

 

Applying rosin was an easy task.

 

Even without his help, Garam would have applied rosin to the bow once every two days without fail.

 

He was curious about the reason for suddenly asking for help like this.

 

“You can do it by yourself. Why are you doing this?”

 

Even as he said that, he took the bow and rosin from Garam’s hands.

 

‘It’s small.’

 

Looking at it now, Garam’s bow was truly small.

 

Much smaller than his own bow.

 

Seeing that cute violin brought back childhood memories vividly.

 

That first moment of touching the violin and that person who was beside him.

 

Just as he was about to fall into reminiscence, Garam answered his question.

 

“Because I want to play violin together with Grandfather.”

 

The child spoke calmly.

 

At those words, Choi Man-bok’s hand rubbing rosin on the bow stopped.

 

The child’s way of speaking resembled someone closely.

 

But aside from that, the child’s answer made his heart ache.

 

He had never played violin together with his granddaughter until now.

 

He couldn’t in the first place.

 

He was someone who couldn’t play the violin.

 

‘It wasn’t supposed to be like this at first. I just thought I should stop playing violin….’

 

How did it end up like this?

 

He could no longer play the violin.

 

His wife got sick because of him leaving for a foreign country.

 

Even if that wasn’t the case, he absolutely couldn’t forgive himself for not noticing while the illness spread throughout her body.

 

He thought it was only right that he too should receive the pain of his loved one.

 

That’s what he had thought.

 

He was someone who couldn’t be forgiven.

 

“I’m sorry….”

 

“Yes?”

 

“…It’s nothing. Here, take it.”

 

“Hehe, thank you! Grandfather!”

 

Since a week ago, after going to the cafe, Garam had been asking Choi Man-bok many questions.

 

Especially asking what he liked, and though he found it strange, he didn’t particularly ask about it.

 

It could have been homework from kindergarten.

 

Garam, who received the bow with rosin applied, laughed cheerfully.

 

That sight was so cute that the worry in Choi Man-bok’s heart disappeared a little.

 

“Oh, right! Grandfather!”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Heeseong gave me a present!”

 

“That kid? Suddenly? When?”

 

“Today! Hihi, look forward to it!”

 

Garam left those words and ran out of the room again.

 

Like a storm had passed, only quietness remained around Choi Man-bok.

 

“What.”

 

There was no one to answer his bewildered question.

 

Except for asking the person directly.

 

***

 

“Hello, Grandfather Manbok!”

 

“Oh, have you been well?”

 

“I’ve been doing well. Do you have red ginseng candy?”

 

“Plenty. Here, want to have one?”

 

“Yes!”

 

I naturally sat down next to him.

 

Then I put the red ginseng candy he gave me in my mouth.

 

A bitter yet sweet taste spread in my mouth.

 

“So you have something to give me?”

 

“Did Garam tell you?”

 

“That’s right. She told me this morning to look forward to it.”

 

“I was going to give it as a surprise present.”

 

I wasn’t very surprised since that seemed like something Garam would do.

 

I opened the zipper of the bag I was carrying.

 

Inside was the sheet music he had worked hard to create during the past period.

 

“Here it is.”

 

“…It’s sheet music.”

 

“That’s right. Sheet music.”

 

“Don’t tell me you’re saying you made this? You’re lying, aren’t you?”

 

“Father helped me.”

 

“That doesn’t make sense…”

 

He started to say something but stopped.

 

I already knew what Grandfather Manbok was going to say.

 

‘He must be thinking how a child could make this.’

 

But he wouldn’t ask that question.

 

There was a more important question than that.

 

“What’s your reason for giving this to me?”

 

His voice dropped slightly.

 

It was a voice as if he was about to scold me.

 

I wasn’t scared and met Grandfather Manbok’s eyes.

 

The scar on his left cheek came into view.

 

“You should play the violin.”

 

“Who are you to say such things? Do you even know me?”

 

“I don’t know. But Garam knows. And this is also a gift from Garam.”

 

“…What?”

 

Grandfather Manbok asked back in a deflated voice.

 

It was a voice as if he hadn’t expected this.

 

That was understandable.

 

His granddaughter, who had been afraid of him, suddenly gave him a gift.

 

I spoke before he could say anything.

 

“Grandfather! Can I go to Grandfather’s Academy on the weekend?”

 

“Why would you want to do that…?”

 

“Because Garam is going to play the violin. Look at the sheet music. There are two violins.”

 

He slowly looked at the sheet music.

 

As the child said, it was a piece that required a total of two violins.

 

In piano terms, it was like having the melody and rhythm separated.

 

“Garam has been practicing a lot. She says she wants to show Grandfather.”

 

He didn’t answer.

 

It would be more accurate to say he couldn’t.

 

Grandfather Manbok seemed to have a lot on his mind.

 

I couldn’t tell what action he would take.

 

He might tear up the sheet music right now.

 

He might scold me instead, but I didn’t say anything.

 

“Hee-seong! Let’s go!”

 

At Father’s call, I left my spot.

 

As I walked and glanced back, he was gripping the sheet music tightly.

 

I would probably be able to hear his answer on the weekend.

 

I thought it would be nice if I could hear the answer I wanted.

—————
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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