A Musical Genius Who Plays Memories - Chapter 72

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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 72. Mirror Within Mirror (6)

 

“I know how to play.”

 

Aeyeon’s answer was unexpected.

 

I thought she was a child who disliked stepping forward in situations like this, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

 

Well, seeing how excited she was just a moment ago, it seemed like she knew how to enjoy herself when the time came.

 

“Really? That’s amazing. Then, can you play here for us?”

 

At Mother’s words, Aeyeon nodded her head.

 

She seemed a little nervous as beads of sweat were flowing down her face.

 

The child got down from her chair and was about to go to the stage when she turned around.

 

More precisely, she was looking at me.

 

“Heeseong, let’s do it together.”

 

“Huh? Me?”

 

“Yeah. It’s okay.”

 

“But what do you mean!”

 

Aeyeon urged me as if telling me to hurry and go play.

 

My opinion was already irrelevant.

 

Aeyeon was speaking as if the answer had already been decided.

 

There was someone who backed up Aeyeon’s words.

 

“That’s right! It would be fun if Heeseong played together too.”

 

“Huh, Mother?”

 

“I think it would be interesting?”

 

“Ah, Father?”

 

Oh no, it seemed my opinion had disappeared.

 

My grand plan of just eating delicious snacks while watching had completely vanished.

 

I had no choice but to get up from my seat and head toward the piano.

 

“Heeseong, do you remember?”

 

“I do remember. The song you played before, right?”

 

“That’s right, hehe. I played it so many times.”

 

As the child said, the song Aeyeon’s Mother wanted to hear was the piece Aeyeon had played every day.

 

I didn’t know the title, but somehow I had a feeling that was it.

 

‘When I asked for the title, she said “Don Know I” which confused me.’

 

At first I couldn’t understand what she meant with her mumbled pronunciation, but now I could tell.

 

And aside from the song title, I remembered the atmosphere when Aeyeon played it.

 

Listening quietly, it felt like I could smell the scent of trees – I liked that atmosphere.

 

I was recalling the flow of the piece she played with her small fingers.

 

“Aeyeon, please take care of us! You too, Heeseong.”

 

“Yes!”

 

Father said as he moved aside to give us space.

 

I answered energetically, and Aeyeon nodded her head small once more.

 

As I sat at the piano, I spoke to Shin Seong-jin who was watching us.

 

“Shall we start?”

 

“Yeah, start comfortably.”

 

I looked at Aeyeon and thought.

 

Aeyeon had only played the melody until now.

 

Well, her hands were small so it was difficult to play the original piece.

 

But now it was different.

 

I remembered Aeyeon’s performance.

 

And naturally, I also remembered the notes that composed that piece.

 

I said quietly to Aeyeon.

 

“Start whenever you’re ready. I’ll help you.”

 

“Okay…!”

 

At my words, Aeyeon’s tension seemed to ease a little.

 

After closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Aeyeon.

 

Ding-♩

 

Played the piano.

 

Sound rang out from the child’s hands, followed by other notes.

 

And I played the accompaniment behind her.

 

As the two of us were slowly playing like that.

 

Strum-♪

 

Shin Seong-jin played the guitar.

 

All of us, no, everyone was matching Aeyeon’s tempo.

 

As if encouraging her to take it slowly.

 

Perhaps thanks to practicing so much usually, there were no mistakes in Aeyeon’s performance.

 

Even if there were mistakes, they wouldn’t be mistakes on this stage right now.

 

-Until dawn breaks♬

 

Mother began to sing.

 

If the song before contained sorrowful feelings, now it contained wistful emotions.

 

It seemed like she was thinking of someone she had already let go.

 

‘Ah, I can smell it.’

 

Mother’s voice, Shin Seong-jin’s guitar, and our piano.

 

When all the instruments on this stage were playing one song, the piece was finally complete.

 

Everything harmonized together.

 

And at the center of it all, Aeyeon’s melody began to slowly sprout.

 

The scent from when I first heard her play began to come back vividly.

 

The refreshing and heavy scent of tree shade.

 

‘Everyone here is starting to feel it.’

 

I briefly turned my gaze to look toward where the audience was.

 

There weren’t many people, but it was enjoyable.

 

The children were still exclaiming in admiration.

 

I could see Father who had become an audience member, immersed in the atmosphere, and Grandfather Manbok who was also admiring.

 

And I could see Aeyeon’s Mother with tears welling up in her eyes.

 

‘Aeyeon… is concentrating.’

 

I looked at Aeyeon.

 

Her lips were sticking out as she concentrated.

 

It was a little funny, so the corners of my mouth went up without me realizing it.

 

-Watching the dawn break♩

 

Meanwhile, the song passed through the intro and verse.

 

Now it was time for Mother’s appeal to be needed.

 

And she was faithfully performing her duty.

 

As the chorus was added, Aeyeon’s playing also changed.

 

Ding- Ding-♬

 

Faster.

 

She began playing a little faster.

 

But that wasn’t good.

 

Right now, Aeyeon was getting excited without realizing it.

 

Fast playing makes people feel good, but it was unnecessary behavior right now.

 

We just needed to slowly enjoy the leisure.

 

‘I should help.’

 

I had been playing with only one hand until now.

 

I could accompany with just my left hand alone.

 

But now was not the time.

 

I lifted my right hand that had been resting for a moment.

 

Sorry to Aeyeon, but I was planning to briefly intrude into the child’s territory.

 

Clang!♪

 

The sound of my right hand came into the melody in sharp beats, matching the rhythm.

 

I played it so it would blend in naturally without being jarring, like parsley on top of pasta.

 

And my action was effective.

 

Aeyeon looked at my hand and paused her playing for a moment.

 

Then she continued playing again.

 

‘That’s right.’

 

She was playing slowly in time with the beat.

 

Aeyeon had talent.

 

And that talent was blooming right here, right now.

 

-So I can fly far away♩

 

My eyes met with Mother’s.

 

I smiled quietly at her, and she was smiling too.

 

And I thought very quietly.

 

‘I’m happy…’

 

I loved playing piano together with Aeyeon.

 

I also loved being on stage with Mother.

 

And I loved Father’s gaze looking at me with pride.

 

Right now I was a performer, and I felt like I was standing on a grand stage.

 

It felt like some kind of test.

 

‘This is too easy though.’

 

But it was far too crude to call it a test.

 

We weren’t prepared, and we weren’t in sync.

 

This performance that was just created on the spot was better than any performance I’d done before.

 

It wasn’t difficult.

 

I didn’t get tired and felt like I could do it all day long.

 

So I played the piano happily.

 

-I don’t know either…

 

After Mother’s final verse ended, a quiet silence fell over the cafe for a moment.

 

And then.

 

“Wowwww!”

 

“Encore!”

 

“Aeyeon and Hee-seong are so cool!!”

 

Everyone’s cheers and applause could be heard.

 

Aeyeon wasn’t doing anything in response to this reaction.

 

Since this was the child’s first time, I quietly told her.

 

“Just stand up from your seat and bow your head to greet them.”

 

“…Okay.”

 

Aeyeon said that and bowed her head.

 

The applause continued for a long time.

 

The cafe got a little warmer, but no one stopped clapping.

 

***

 

“Chicken! Chicken!”

 

“Pizza! Pizza!”

 

Before we knew it, lots of chicken and pizza were placed on the table.

 

Kim Sang-jin had ordered them for the children while the performances continued.

 

Since it was time for the adults to be hungry too, everyone gratefully began eating.

 

“Woong! Look at this!”

 

Garam said while taking a bite of pizza and stretching out the cheese.

 

Everyone laughed at the incredibly long cheese.

 

“But Aeyeon, you’re really good at playing piano, aren’t you?”

 

Mother praised Aeyeon.

 

Aeyeon must have been embarrassed because she stopped eating her drumstick and hid her face in Aeyeon’s Mother’s arms.

 

Usually she said quirky things well, but she seemed weak to this kind of praise.

 

Aeyeon’s Mother gently patted such Aeyeon and said.

 

“Hee-seong’s performance was also good. I was moved too.”

 

“Thank you! I was able to do it because Aeyeon practices a lot usually.”

 

“Aeyeon practiced usually too?”

 

“Yes! She practiced a lot!”

 

“That’s right…!”

 

Garam and Ajin, who were sitting nearby, also chimed in.

 

At the children’s words, Aeyeon’s Mother looked at Aeyeon and smiled warmly.

 

The reason Aeyeon’s Mother said she wanted to hear that song.

 

The reason Aeyeon practices a lot usually.

 

I thought it was because of the same memories that only the two of them shared.

 

They play and listen to remember.

 

That was the common point between the mother and daughter.

 

Thinking about that, I couldn’t help but smile.

 

“Hee-seong, did you think of something funny?”

 

“No, hehe.”

 

I said that and focused on the chicken once again.

 

‘I should eat the seasoned one!’

 

I picked up a drumstick covered in red seasoning.

 

But was it because of the slippery seasoning?

 

Thud.

 

I ended up dropping it.

 

“My chicken!!”

 

I was horrified and hurriedly reached out with both hands.

 

The drumstick flying through the air.

 

If I was even a little late, that delicious-looking drumstick would touch the ground crawling with greedy germs.

 

So I stretched out my arms with all my might.

 

“I caught it!!”

 

“Ooh!”

 

I bent my knees and curled my body to block any escape routes.

 

But the price was not insignificant.

 

“Ah.”

 

“Oh my, Hee-seong. It’s all over your clothes.”

 

“Hehe, I’ll go to the bathroom and wipe it off.”

 

“He becomes a little kid in front of food.”

 

Father burst into laughter, and Mother also laughed as she spoke.

 

I got up from my seat to go to the bathroom.

 

But when I thought about it, I didn’t know where the bathroom was.

 

“Ah, Hee-seong! Let’s go together with hyung. I’ll show you.”

 

“Okay!”

 

Then Kim Sang-jin, who had been watching me, spoke.

 

The bathroom was behind the stage side column.

 

“Here, I’ll help you.”

 

He was supporting his hands at the sink, washing off the sticky sauce that had gotten on my hands.

 

‘Mirror…?’

 

But I couldn’t see his actions.

 

Only the mirror entered my vision.

 

Come to think of it, the reason many people had gathered at the cafe now was because there was a story they wanted to hear from him.

 

It was to hear the end of the story he had told Ajin who had nightmares.

 

I had forgotten about that.

 

I asked carefully.

 

“Hyung, what was it that you said to Ajin?”

 

“What… Oh, you mean about the mirror?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Right. I didn’t tell you about that.”

 

He said that while picking up his phone.

 

Then he turned on the camera app and said.

 

“How’s this?”

 

In the mirror were Kim Sang-jin and me.

 

And inside the phone camera screen were also Kim Sang-jin and me.

 

It continued repeating endlessly.

 

There was a mirror within the mirror.

 

“People often say this. That the me at the end of that mirror isn’t really me.”

 

It was a common scary story.

 

Stories about not being yourself always sent a chilling shock down my spine.

 

Kim Sang-jin looked at me like that and said.

 

“But I think differently.”

 

“Differently?”

 

“Yeah. What’s over there is me. It’s definitely me.”

 

“Me…”

 

“It doesn’t matter if it’s not me. The most important thing is conveying the nightmare.”

 

Conveying the nightmare.

 

In the end, this was Kim Sang-jin’s story.

 

Tell your nightmare to the me in the mirror.

 

It was the same principle as telling your worries to another person.

 

Don’t agonize over nightmares.

 

Just tell them calmly.

 

‘What? It was such a simple story?’

 

I thought it would be some grand story, but it wasn’t.

 

It was an incredibly simple story.

 

But that’s exactly why it resonated with me more.

 

It was so good.

 

I liked it even more because it was such a simple story.

 

“That’s the end. Was it okay?”

 

He asked with a smile.

 

I also answered with a smile.

 

“Yes!”

 

My worries were resolved.

 

Thanks to Ajin, I had a good experience.

 

Coincidence upon coincidence allowed me to feel the joy of the stage once again.

 

Therefore.

 

‘Let’s start composing.’

 

I was able to compose again.

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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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