A Musical Genius Who Plays Memories - Chapter 85

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 85. Butterfly (5)

“Who’s next?”

“I think Heeseong will come out soon, right?”

Shin Ji-eun and Yoon Young-hoon said while looking at the pamphlet.

Although there wasn’t exactly an order showing which child would come out, they could roughly guess.

Most of the children from Hanseol Preschool had already finished their performances.

Since Hee-seong hadn’t performed yet, it seemed like he would come out soon.

A brief break time.

The adults began talking about the children’s performances.

“Garam seemed very nervous.”

“Really? I thought he did well.”

“No. He did better during practice.”

“That must have been disappointing.”

“It’s always like that the first time.”

Choi Man-bok and Yoon Young-hoon were having a conversation.

Garam’s performance was excellent, but the tempo kept slowing down and speeding up throughout.

Anyone could see he looked like a nervous child.

“I think Ajin was like that too.”

Kim Sang-jin, who had even closed his cafe for today, said.

He was also someone who did music.

Even if he wasn’t skilled enough to make it his main profession, he could be said to have deep knowledge of music among ordinary people.

“He practiced piano so hard, but it seems disappointing that he couldn’t show it properly.”

“Ajin’s performance was really good too! Is it true he just started learning this year? His skills seemed extraordinary.”

“Thank you. It’s because Ajin worked hard. Speaking of which…”

Kim Sang-jin slowly turned his head to look to the side.

Aeyeon’s Mother with her cold expression was staring intently at her phone.

She had filmed Aeyeon’s performance from start to finish and was replaying it, unable to hear other people’s conversations.

The four of them chuckled at her daughter-obsessed behavior.

“Ye-eun, it seems like Aeyeon practiced a lot.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Practice… she did practice a lot. She even practiced on weekends.”

“Really?”

“Yes… I told her to rest on weekends, but she was stubborn about it.”

“Everyone worked hard.”

“As Ji-eun said, everyone worked hard, but they probably won’t be satisfied. It was their first time, so they were nervous.”

“Everyone’s like that the first time.”

The parents just hoped their children had enjoyed performing.

Then Shin Ji-eun, who had thought of something, said to everyone.

“Oh, what is everyone planning to do after this ends?”

“After it ends? We’ll probably go eat.”

“I’m planning to eat with Ajin too.”

“Me too. I’m going to eat with Garam.”

“Then, how about we all gather together for a meal like last time? I was planning to eat chicken with Heeseong today, but I think it would be better if we all ate together!”

At those words, the remaining people began to consider it.

Yoon Young-hoon’s opinion was the same as Shin Ji-eun’s, so he maintained his silence.

Aeyeon’s Mother, who finished considering first, spoke.

“I think it’s good. Aeyeon likes being with the children, so she’ll agree.”

“Ajin will like it too.”

“Garam would be sad if he’s left out.”

“The children will be happy.”

Thinking of the children having fun together brought smiles to the adults’ faces.

While having various conversations, the break time was coming to an end.

“We will begin again.”

Just then, an announcement was telling them that the competition would resume.

“It’s almost Heeseong’s turn now.”

“He probably composed again, right? I’m looking forward to it.”

“Heeseong composes too?”

“Oh, Sang-jin doesn’t know? Listen to this. Your jaw will drop.”

Kim Sang-jin made an interested expression.

A 5-year-old child who composes.

Honestly speaking, it was hard to believe.

But Choi Man-bok sitting next to him, and Shin Ji-eun and Yoon Young-hoon, who were Heeseong’s parents, had belief in their expressions.

‘Just how well does he perform for them to act like this?’

He was looking forward to it.

The somewhat chaotic atmosphere of the competition venue was gradually becoming quiet.

“Yoon Hee-seong, please come in.”

Heeseong was entering the stage.

The child was walking confidently as if he wasn’t nervous at all.

He was even smiling.

They became increasingly curious about what performance he would show them.

“Heeseong, fighting.”

Shin Ji-eun muttered quietly.

Even though everyone didn’t say it, they all felt the same way as her.

As if sensing everyone’s feelings.

Heeseong, who sat in front of the piano, took a deep breath.

Ding-!

He struck the piano.

It was a first note that made hearts tremble.

***

‘What kind of performance will he show?’

Yang Do-gyeong thought.

Honestly speaking, she was surprised by Hanseol Preschool’s level.

Although she didn’t want to admit it, the children’s performances were pleasant to listen to.

They showed promise to the extent that she wanted to nurture them herself.

‘But they’re still lacking compared to Hye-jun.’

The other children were like flawed pottery.

They had dust on them and slight cracks, but would look good with just some repair.

But Sa Hye-jun was different.

He was at a level that was complete from the beginning.

Yang Do-gyeong felt like she had discovered a one-of-a-kind piece of pottery in the world.

‘A winner will emerge after a long time.’

If there were no surprises, Yang Do-gyeong thought Sa Hye-jun would win.

The judges sitting next to her also seemed to like Sa Hye-jun.

Yang Do-gyeong herself felt the same way.

Just then, Heeseong came up on stage.

‘He looks cute.’

He was a child with charming bright eyes.

She fell into thought about what kind of piece that child would show.

She hoped he would present a different piece rather than the one designated by the competition organizers.

Most of the children who had performed on stage so far played the designated pieces.

Only Sa Hye-jun and Aeyeon had performed pieces they had chosen themselves.

That made judging all the more enjoyable.

‘Rather than enjoyable, interesting would be more accurate?’

The period she had spent listening to children’s performances as a judge was by no means short.

Since the repertoire had hardly changed during that time, Yang Do-gyeong couldn’t help but get bored.

That’s why she couldn’t help but be interested in children who performed unexpectedly.

‘Now, what kind of performance will you show me?’

Hee-seong bowed his head in greeting and then sat in front of the piano.

After taking a brief breath.

Ding-!

He struck the piano.

It was an intense force.

Right from the start, it was enough to instantly capture the attention of everyone in the competition venue.

‘Oh?’

It was enough to capture Yang Do-gyeong’s attention as well.

She quickly racked her brain.

She tried to find something similar to the piece the child was playing among the songs she knew in her head.

‘It’s a piece I’m hearing for the first time. But…’

It was so heavy.

At the same time, it was profound.

The keys slowly striking low notes forcibly stole her breath away.

It was a performance that made her breathe in a suffocating way.

The large competition venue was being filled with the small child’s presence.

‘Huh…?’

Why was this happening?

Why was that memory surfacing now?

Yang Do-gyeong couldn’t understand.

Memories from the past were becoming vivid.

Remnants of the past that she thought she had surely forgotten were appearing before her eyes.

– Stop it!

Some girl had screamed.

She had definitely thought they were close, but that wasn’t the case.

That relationship had crumbled due to her own mistake.

‘Ah, I see.’

The child was playing regret right now.

She didn’t know who had composed it, but she immediately realized it was magnificent.

It had been truly a long time since she’d felt such pressure from a slow tempo performance.

Yang Do-gyeong thought that if given the chance, she would want to conduct it herself.

Ding da-ahn-♬

A massive whirlwind of emotions was arising.

It wasn’t just regret.

Unknown forms of pain, wounds, and despair were mixed in.

It was absolutely, absolutely a performance she didn’t want to hear.

If she kept listening, it seemed like negative thoughts would keep surfacing.

– Your petty greed ruined everything.

Just like now.

The wounds hidden deep in her heart were opening up again.

Yang Do-gyeong regretted that choice.

The stupid and foolish choice that had distanced her from her closest friend and made it impossible to be with someone.

It felt like tears would burst out if someone just touched her.

Nevertheless, despite that.

Thung-♩

She had no choice but to keep listening to the performance.

Even if it was a performance that made tears burst and breathing difficult.

She wanted to listen intently to each and every note.

That was the charm of the notes the child was playing.

At the same time, she thought it contained the composer’s intention.

‘It’s a magnificent piece…’

Yang Do-gyeong judged it as such.

She thought it was on the same level as the performance Sa Hye-jun had shown.

Yang Do-gyeong thought that for the first time in the competition’s history, there might be a tie for first place.

Da-ahn-♪

The child stretched out his legs and pressed the pedal.

His posture collapsed because of it, but the sound didn’t collapse.

Hee-seong played while standing up from his seat entirely.

His right foot was on the pedal, his left foot stretched back to support his body.

Throughout this process, the sound didn’t waver at all.

Rather, it showed that it was slowly changing.

‘…It’s getting brighter, huh?’

The sound was gradually becoming brighter.

Her suffocated chest felt refreshed.

The atmosphere of the piece being played now was definitely different from the beginning.

The changing process was so natural that it was hard to notice.

It was as if she was being dragged around while caught in the child’s hands.

‘Or maybe… he saved me.’

It was a performance that seemed to rescue her from suffocating memories.

Tang-!♬

The child’s right and left hands struck the keys simultaneously.

It was a sound that would strike the ears of everyone listening to the performance.

‘Is it overwhelming?’

Yang Do-gyeong felt that way.

What could be so joyful that he was striking the keys like that?

Though it was now nothing more than a faded memory.

She too had once had overwhelming times.

– Ahahaha!

Everyone had laughed joyfully.

She still couldn’t forget the joy of playing one piece through to the end multiple times.

‘Ah, that’s what it is. That’s what it was.’

Yang Do-gyeong finally felt like she understood what piece the child had played.

Comfort.

It was a piece that soothed pain and showed joyful and happy memories once again.

Ding da-ahn-!♬

The child’s piece was doing just that.

The rhythm of his right hand was irregular, but impressive.

Each note was so clear it hammered into her ears.

An absolutely unforgettable performance.

It was a performance that made her heart happy.

‘You’re happy too.’

Hee-seong was playing with a smile.

He looked like he didn’t care about the competition or anything else.

As if the very act of playing was joyful.

The child’s fingers were dancing on the keys.

But the piece couldn’t continue forever.

Ding-♩

The child’s performance came to an end like that.

And at the same time.

“Wooooaaah!!”

A more passionate cheer than ever before erupted.

***

“Ha, haha…!”

The Snake was laughing.

He had been searching for a gem for a long time.

There was a child he found at an orphanage.

The only child he gave his surname to.

But he wasn’t satisfied with just that.

He was looking for a gem that could express what he had discovered.

Adults already had their own colors.

It was something only a young child could express.

“Yes, it’s you…!”

The gem the Snake had been searching for.

He could confidently say he had found a more beautiful gem than anyone else’s.

But no, that wasn’t it.

On the stage was a gem that no one could possess, that no one could surpass.

The Snake licked his lips with his tongue while picking up his phone.

Click.

He took a picture of the brightly smiling child.

He had heard a performance he could never forget.

“I found the performer… I wonder who did the composition?”

The Snake smiled like that and stood up from his seat.

His gaze was still fixed on the child on the stage.

“I need to… have a conversation.”

He moved leisurely.

Step.

People didn’t even notice him brushing past them.

Having left the Competition Venue like that, he slowly moved his steps.

Creak.

And he began entering the corridor that only staff members could access.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————