A Musical Genius Who Plays Memories - Chapter 60
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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 60. Warmth (7)
To be honest, I didn’t know Grandfather Manbok could play the violin.
I thought his heart was that firmly closed.
“Hehe, Grandfather! Ah!”
“Thank you.”
Looking at it now, that wasn’t the case.
His heart was always ready to open.
The reason he had picked up the violin countless times was preparation to play once more.
Probably even after I gave him the sheet music, Grandfather Manbok must have constantly looked over my score.
The performance with Garam was as comfortable to listen to as a performance by people who had been in sync for a long time.
“Heeseong, the jjajangmyeon is delicious, right? Eat up plenty. That’s how you’ll grow tall.”
“Yes!”
After the performance ended, Grandfather ordered jjajangmyeon for us.
Garam seemed to love jjajangmyeon, eating it while getting it all over his mouth.
The way he smiled showing his teeth while doing so was so funny.
I also carefully ate my jjajangmyeon while thinking.
‘When should I learn violin?’
Actually, just because I wanted to learn didn’t mean I could.
I needed my parents’ permission, and there were realistic problems like having to buy a violin.
But I didn’t worry about such things.
Even if I couldn’t learn right away, I wasn’t disappointed.
‘Because I’m happy with just this right now.’
That was enough.
Just making music I loved and being with people I cared about was enough.
“But Heeseong, did you compose that piece we just played?”
“Yes. I did it. Father helped me.”
“Huh… Is that really true?”
He froze in the position of holding a fried dumpling.
Then he muttered something.
“…As expected.”
I didn’t know what he was pondering, but his face looked quite serious.
I could see him hesitating as if he wanted to say something.
“Grandfather, do you have something you want to say?”
“Huh? No, eat lots of food.”
What?
It seemed like he had something he wanted to say.
I watched the pondering Grandfather Manbok for a moment, then put a piece of sweet and sour pork in my mouth.
“Mmm!”
What’s this.
This is incredibly delicious!
***
“Excuse me…”
“Ah! Sir. My son has been in your care. Thank you.”
“No, no. I’m the one who’s grateful. I got to hold a violin after a long time.”
“Where are the children…”
“Ah, they’re sleeping in the principal’s office. They’re so active, they must have gotten very tired.”
“I see. Then, I’ll be careful…”
“They just fell asleep, so let’s let them sleep. Would you keep me company until then?”
Choi Man-bok’s request for company wasn’t anything big.
He just meant to have a conversation while drinking a cup of sweet instant coffee.
The lobby, which would normally be bustling, was quiet today.
The two men continued their conversation while enjoying that quietness.
“He’s a bright child.”
“Pardon?”
“Heeseong, I mean. He was truly smart.”
“Thank you for saying such kind things.”
“You know his talent isn’t ordinary, right?”
Yoon Young-hoon nodded.
Having watched from the side continuously, he knew the child’s talent well.
That’s why he wanted to nurture it too.
“He told me he wanted to learn violin from me.”
“Heeseong did?”
Choi Man-bok nodded.
Then he carefully told him about what happened in the morning.
The hot coffee gradually cooled as time passed.
For the two men who liked cold coffee, it was the perfect temperature.
“I thought I’d like to nurture him.”
“I see… I’ll have to think about it.”
The reason his son had been composing for several weeks was because of the old man in front of him.
He was proud of his son who had given the gift of musical joy once again to someone who couldn’t play violin.
Music that moves people’s hearts.
That seemed easy but was actually difficult in some ways.
‘Moving people’s hearts isn’t easy.’
Music wasn’t about money.
It was just meant to make people happy.
“I’d like to hear it too.”
“Didn’t you help with it? Heeseong said you helped.”
“No. I just printed out the sheet music and taught him the program functions.”
“I see. Your son really takes after his father.”
Choi Man-bok’s smile as he said this made one feel good.
There was only a pure smile with no trace of worry left.
The guilt that had tormented him until now hadn’t completely disappeared.
But now he would try to think of gratitude rather than recall guilt.
“Originally I was thinking of teaching him myself, but I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”
He said this with a grin.
But he was endlessly serious.
Like an old tree that wouldn’t tolerate any wavering, his decision also showed no signs of shaking.
Choi Man-bok seriously shared his thoughts.
“Has Heeseong ever learned composition from anyone?”
“He has learned from me, but that was how to use the program, he didn’t learn harmony or theory.”
“Then, composition is Heeseong’s talent…”
“That’s right.”
“So that’s why.”
His voice was grave.
Heeseong was a genius.
So if he rashly taught his own methods, it might actually be harmful.
It wouldn’t matter for a performer, but Heeseong was a composer.
He was one who creates, not one who performs.
So Choi Man-bok thought that listening to good performances would actually be better study for the child.
“But wouldn’t knowing how to play instruments help with composition?”
“That’s right too. But not for Heeseong. He can do it alone.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I’ve seen it.”
“What…?”
“I’ve seen a genius. The genius who hired me.”
A genius who could immediately understand the characteristics just by listening to a performance.
And the genius who took him abroad.
And the person who tried to steal his violin.
Choi Man-bok slowly spoke about what had happened in the past.
“That was temptation. The snake’s temptation. I thought I could go overseas and bring my family.”
“But that was a good opportunity for you, sir.”
“No. I had no choice but to listen to him because I had signed a contract.”
“A contract?”
“Yes, a contract that stole my life.”
The fact that he could go out into the world was, in any case, thanks to that snake-like young man.
He chose to go overseas.
It didn’t matter because he could live happily if he brought his family over.
However, the snake didn’t easily let him go.
– Mr. Man-bok, you’ve broken your promise to us. All our support will be cut off too. But don’t worry. We won’t ask for money.
The snake was kind.
But his forked tongue behind the mask was not at all like that.
– The reason we brought Mr. Man-bok was because we didn’t want to put you on other stages.
The snake-like young man kept flicking his tongue.
Little by little, he chipped away at Choi Man-bok’s heart.
– But if Mr. Man-bok leaves, our investment becomes worthless, doesn’t it?
– What, what do you want from me?
– It’s not that difficult. Just don’t perform on stage anymore.
– What, what? Then what am I supposed to live on!
– That’s something Mr. Man-bok will have to think about. We gave you an opportunity, and Mr. Man-bok threw that opportunity away.
– This is…
– Still, since your wife is sick, we’ll at least give you plane tickets. We wish for your wife’s speedy recovery.
That’s how the conversation with the snake-like young man ended.
The snake-like young man who stole his life disappeared before his eyes.
“No way, there’s such a music group? Where is it? I’ll report them right now…!”
“You can’t find them.”
“…What?”
“They disappeared. That music group.”
“What… Then, can’t you perform now?”
Choi Man-bok shook his head.
And let out a heavy sigh.
“Some time after that music group disappeared, I got a letter. A letter from that young man.”
“What kind of letter was it?”
“The music group had disappeared, but he himself hadn’t disappeared. Something like that.”
“Huh…”
“Actually, I didn’t want to perform anyway, so I thought it worked out well.”
That’s what Choi Man-bok thought.
He was already in no condition to even think about performing.
So that contract was practically nonexistent, but he couldn’t ignore it.
Choi Man-bok learned from that.
That there are many crazy people in the world, and getting caught by such people leads to big trouble.
“Heeseong will make music his profession. Right?”
“Yes. I think Heeseong will. He could do other work, but he’ll definitely do music.”
“Music is about experience. Rather than practice, seeing and hearing many things will improve his skills more.”
“I see…”
“And he needs to have power.”
“Power?”
“People who will protect me when I’m in danger. I didn’t have any, but Heeseong should be able to build that well.”
Choi Man-bok’s intention was really simple.
Let Heeseong hear many things.
That would become the child’s strength.
But he didn’t seem to have power.
No one would easily think that he, who had nothing until recently, would have power.
Yoon Young-hoon had such thoughts too, but couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Right now, he was grateful just for him saying such things.
“Thank you, sir.”
“No. I’m the one who’s grateful.”
“I’d like to have Heeseong attend your academy. How much would it cost?”
“Huh? There’s no need to attend the academy. Just tell him to come play often. Our Garam gets bored, so it would be good if friends came over.”
“Still…”
Just then, a sound interrupting the two adults’ conversation was heard.
Heeseong, with his hair all disheveled, was standing in front of the principal’s office door.
Heeseong opened his sleepy eyes and said.
“Father… are we going home…?”
The sight of Heeseong speaking with drowsy eyes was so funny that both men burst out laughing.
Yoon Young-hoon got up from his seat and lifted up his sleepy son, saying.
“No, we’ll leave in a little while.”
Reassured by the very simple answer, Heeseong buried his face in his father’s chest.
Choi Man-bok, watching that scene warmly, said.
“Even a genius is still a child.”
His words weren’t wrong.
No matter how much of a genius, a child was still a child.
“Zzz… mmm… n.”
“Hahaha!!”
***
A languid weekend afternoon.
The time when Heeseong and Garam would be deep in their afternoon naps.
At a cafe near the preschool, two women were having a conversation.
“There’s a competition at the end of June, right?”
The principal, who usually gave off a dignified atmosphere, was now dressed very casually.
In black sweatpants, she looked like someone who had just finished exercising.
“That’s right. I’m going to start asking the parents and children soon.”
And sitting in front of her was Jeong Mi-rae wearing very pink sweatpants.
It was a contrasting look from her usual black semi-formal attire.
Every weekend morning, the two would lightly jog around the preschool area.
After that, filling their stomachs simply at a cafe was their routine.
They didn’t forget to talk to each other about the children either.
“Heeseong will participate, right?”
“I think so. He’s a child with outstanding talent.”
“Aeyeon will probably do it too, and Garam as well. Hmm, what about the other children?”
“I think Ajin will be fine too if she practices. She’s working hard.”
“They’re children who are close with Heeseong. Did Heeseong have a lot of influence on them?”
“I think so. Every time I see him, he’s always teaching other children. Last time he was practicing with Garam.”
Jeong Mi-rae remembered Heeseong’s appearance when he had asked her for a favor.
He looked quite cute, like a puppy caught in the rain.
But the piece the child played was not cute at all.
Without realizing it, she had become so absorbed that she couldn’t hear the other children’s performances.
The piece that Heeseong and Garam played had that much power to move people’s hearts.
‘Ha, I’d like to hear it properly sometime.’
Jeong Mi-rae sipped her coffee while having such thoughts.
“But what’s the name of that competition?”
“The Baek Music Competition.”
“Baek, Baek?”
“Yes. What’s wrong?”
“Oh, no. Baek, Baek…”
Jeong Mi-rae looked at the principal with a strange expression.
Her startled heart hadn’t calmed down yet, so she couldn’t manage her expression.
‘Hmm, she must have some personal circumstances.’
She didn’t pay any more attention to it.
She was a little worried about having to prepare for the competition with the children.
But her worries quickly disappeared.
She had no doubt that Heeseong would lead the children well.
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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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