A Musical Genius Who Plays Memories - Chapter 79
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 79. Losstime (1)
Before the Baek Music Competition began.
People said.
-Will there actually be a winner in this competition?
It was a natural thing to say.
The Baek Music Competition.
It was a competition held by the Baek-eun Cultural Foundation.
In this annual competition, there had never been a winner.
That was because of the conductor teaching children at that cultural foundation, Yang Do-gyeong.
When she was on the judging panel, the competition hall would fill with people’s cries.
They came to perform but had to listen to pouring harsh criticism.
She showed no mercy even to children.
There were even children who quit music after hearing her harsh criticism.
“So what brings you here today?”
A woman with wrinkled face, around the same age as the principal of Hanseol Preschool, spoke.
She was Yang Do-gyeong.
She was currently breaking out in cold sweat.
Because of the one person sitting in front of her.
It was someone wearing a black suit even in June when summer was approaching.
He was supposedly in his 40s, but whether he received intensive care, he looked like he was in his 20s.
‘And why does he look like a snake…?’
He looked like a snake.
The other party leisurely sipped tea and said.
“I stopped by to check. There’s a competition coming up soon, isn’t there?”
“I’d like to know why someone who doesn’t usually visit suddenly came.”
“Are there any talents?”
“Ha… Just a moment.”
She almost got angry at his attitude of ignoring her words, but held back.
After all, the person in front of her was one of the most important people at the Baek-eun Foundation.
‘Why is he suddenly showing interest this year?’
Yang Do-gyeong had that thought as she got up from her seat.
Then she brought over a stack of papers from her desk.
It was paper with the list of participants written on it.
Rustle.
He took the papers and began scanning through the participants.
‘Huh? He’s just skipping the pages with adults?’
The list was organized in order from adults to children.
The man in front grabbed chunks of paper and skipped over them as if he had no interest in adults.
Adult division, high school division, middle school division, elementary division.
He passed through all of them quickly and began slowly looking at the preschool division.
She was curious about the reason.
“Are you not interested in the adult division?”
“Yes. I have no interest in things that have already grown.”
His words were sharp.
They stung as if pierced by a spear.
His words were so cold that she even felt a chilling sensation.
“But children are different. I’m looking for beautiful rough gems.”
“Rough gems…?”
“That’s right. And one of the rough gems we found is participating in this competition.”
“What? Who is it?”
“This child.”
He showed her a page of the papers.
There was a child there.
A child who wasn’t affiliated with anywhere.
‘The name is… Sa Hye-jun?’
It was a name that seemed unlikely to stick in memory.
The face was more impressive than the name.
It was a child who looked dark overall.
With narrow eyes and an unreadable expression.
So to put it in one word.
‘He seems to resemble that person?’
It wasn’t that their faces resembled each other.
Their atmosphere resembled each other.
At the cool atmosphere and frozen-looking face, Yang Do-gyeong unconsciously swallowed her saliva.
“What’s the reason for telling me this?”
“There’s no other intention. I’m just bragging that our company found him.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Do I look like someone who would give you money and ask you to pass him?”
At that question, Yang Do-gyeong fell into contemplation about how to answer.
The person in front of her looked like that kind of person.
It seemed like he would do anything to make that child pass.
“Such underhanded methods aren’t necessary. Rough gems must prove themselves.”
Yang Do-gyeong thought that was his principle.
That’s why she was even more curious.
“He must play piano well?”
“He does well. He’s a rough gem I’ve been searching for a long time.”
The man said while flipping through the papers.
He was clearly praising, but it didn’t sound like praise.
Whatever he said sounded sarcastic.
Thud.
A moment of silence.
The man was staring intently at one page.
As time passed, Yang Do-gyeong became curious about that page.
“Is there some problem?”
Even at her question, the man gave no answer.
The man’s eyes had widened.
And he laughed.
“Ah, ahaha! Hahahaha!!”
He laughed like crazy.
At that sight, Yang Do-gyeong began to feel fear.
Because she realized the person in front of her wasn’t normal.
So she stayed still.
She had a strong feeling that she shouldn’t provoke him.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I was rude.”
“Not at all…! Did you discover a good rough gem?”
“Did I discover a good rough gem? Isn’t that obvious?”
“Could you tell me who it…”
“I’d like to talk more, but I don’t have time, so I’ll take my leave.”
He said that and.
Screech!
He tore off one page of the paper.
Then he left the room with the paper tucked in his jacket.
Only silence filled the room after the mad typhoon had passed.
“What kind of person is that?”
Yang Do-gyeong laughed in bewilderment.
She picked up the bundle of papers the man had left on the desk and began examining them.
She was curious about the page he had torn away.
“Huh…?”
She could tell right away.
What page the man had torn away.
“Why did he tear away the Hanseol part?”
Yang Do-gyeong’s spine tingled sharply.
Hanseol Preschool was a place she knew well.
She had her own circumstances, after all.
That’s why she couldn’t help but know who was on the page the man had torn away.
‘Why the page with those young children…?’
It was the page with the 5-year-old children.
With an inexplicable feeling, she found herself unconsciously looking around.
***
I was currently in a state of great dissatisfaction.
‘Of all times, I had to catch a summer cold that wouldn’t even catch a mosquito!’
During the final stage of preparing for the Baegeun Competition, there was a time for the children to perform the pieces they had prepared.
Practice to release tension beforehand in front of everyone.
I caught a cold that day and couldn’t properly appreciate the other children’s pieces.
“Heeseong, are you feeling sick anywhere?”
That’s why the principal was asking me that.
After the other children had gone home.
I was sitting in front of the principal and Jeong Mi-rae.
Today was the day before the Baegeun Competition, and there was no special class.
It was a measure the principal had taken so everyone could rest comfortably.
But why can’t I rest?
‘Why? Well, it’s my fault for being sick.’
Sigh, I shouldn’t have opened the window wide and turned on the fan.
As the end of June was gradually approaching, I couldn’t stand Korea’s scorching heat.
“Heeseong, your cold is all better, right?”
“Yes, it’s all better.”
“I’m glad you’re not sick anymore.”
“Right. And you know why you came today, don’t you?”
“Of course! Young Teacher!”
I was in the auditorium.
Originally, this would be a place for physical activities, but not now.
Yesterday, other children would have been standing here.
But today, only five people were in this place: me, the principal, Jeong Mi-rae, and my parents standing by the door.
“Heeseong, when you’re ready, let us hear it. Your piece.”
The principal said, placing her hand on my shoulder.
She looked somewhat solemn, making me nervous without realizing it.
‘But why does the principal seem more nervous? Young Teacher too…’
Actually, I could understand with just a little thought.
The principal and Jeong Mi-rae had never heard the piece I wrote until now.
So today would be the first time I’d play my piece for other people.
To make an analogy, it was like this.
I was a composer.
I was like someone who handed over sheet music today when the deadline was tomorrow.
‘I feel a bit sorry.’
Thinking of the principal who must have been anxious all this time, I felt a little bad.
But it was okay.
I had created a piece satisfying enough for that.
“Don’t you have sheet music…?”
“Yes!”
I answered confidently, and the principal’s expression grew worse.
But it’s okay.
The piece I wrote was already in my head.
So I didn’t need to look at sheet music.
I sat down in front of the grand piano.
“Whew…”
I didn’t know how others would hear it, but I was satisfied.
That meant it didn’t matter if I lost in the competition.
‘The principal’s thoughts would be different.’
It was absolute.
She probably thought I had to win an award if I entered the competition.
Looking at her enthusiasm when she asked me to compose, I couldn’t help but think that.
Oh no, I got delayed thinking about this.
“I’ll start!”
I took a deep breath and.
Ding-♪
I struck the keys.
***
***
“He’ll do well. He will do well…”
The principal kept repeating those words.
She had suffered mentally all this time.
Because Heeseong hadn’t brought his piece.
Since he was always seriously contemplating whenever she saw him, she couldn’t rashly ask.
The thought that she shouldn’t interfere dominated her mind.
A month had passed like that.
“Still, it’s a relief. He completed it. I think I won’t care what kind of piece comes out now.”
“Really?”
“If the piece is good, I might collapse right here.”
“Should I call an ambulance?”
At those words, the principal looked at Jeong Mi-rae.
Jeong Mi-rae’s expression was firm.
She could clearly feel that she believed in Heeseong.
The principal became curious about the reason.
“Is there a reason you believe in Heeseong?”
“There’s no other reason. I believe in the child’s heart.”
“Heart?”
“The heart that loves music.”
Jeong Mi-rae could tell.
Heeseong’s music had the power to heal people.
Heeseong’s music had the power to heal people.
Comfort that slowly melted the lump in one’s heart, not physical treatment.
That was Heeseong’s music.
Jeong Mi-rae knew this better than anyone.
The moment when Heeseong played ‘From the Unknown Country’ was still unforgettable.
After listening to that music, the scenery of the hospital room in her heart began to gradually change.
The red hospital room gradually became brighter.
‘And somehow my wrist seemed to stop hurting.’
Her wrist pain had gotten progressively worse every time she played piano.
The pain shortly after being discharged was unimaginable.
She had lived apart from the piano for several years like that.
‘Because it hurt just to look at it.’
But now it wasn’t like that.
At the principal’s suggestion, she became a contract teacher at Hanseol Preschool to teach children.
Unexpectedly, she found healing.
Now she didn’t hurt even when playing piano for a long time.
“But why is he contemplating for so long?”
Worried expressions were gradually appearing on both their faces.
Some time had passed since Heeseong sat at the piano, but he hadn’t moved at all until now.
His thinking was taking quite a while.
Jeong Mi-rae watched Heeseong for a moment and then said.
“Maybe he’s preparing.”
“Preparing?”
“Mental preparation. Maybe he’s relaxing his nerves?”
Jeong Mi-rae thought so.
Because she had done the same.
Before performing a piece, she would take time to think in order to show respect for the composer and immerse herself in the piece.
But it had never been this long.
“I’ll start now!”
But contrary to what the two were thinking, Heeseong spoke up right away.
And the child, with a deep breath.
Ding-♪
Struck the piano.
As the piece progressed, the expressions of the two people changed in various ways.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
