A Musical Genius Who Plays Memories - Chapter 99
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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 99. Please (3)
“Ha, what is this….”
Hwang Su-yeol muttered quietly.
“Wow….”
Hwang Su-jin showed the same reaction.
The two didn’t know how to react as they listened to the song Yoon Young-hoon had sent.
“Heeseong has done something amazing again.”
“I really didn’t think he’d complete a song in just one week….”
“Right.”
“I was thinking I might have made things difficult for the child…. Heeseong was more amazing than we thought.”
The two were once again amazed by Hee-seong’s talent.
They were also proud that he had quickly completed such a wonderful song.
“But isn’t this different from his previous songs?”
Hwang Su-yeol said.
Hwang Su-jin also agreed with his words.
Most of Hee-seong’s songs were pieces where the piano was the protagonist.
In “Blue Night,” he had specially used other instruments with help from Yoon Young-hoon and Hwang Su-jin.
But usually, he was a child who only used the piano.
“That’s what makes it good, I think. With just cello and violin, it became this rich.”
The cello took on the bass, and the violin was the melody.
The way they complemented each other in expression was a major characteristic of this song.
Hwang Su-jin fell into thought.
‘But strangely, it seems to fit yet doesn’t quite fit.’
She played the song once more.
The cello was the issue.
Normally the violin would be the main focus, but strangely, she was more drawn to the cello.
The heavily weeping melody of the cello was strangely bothersome.
Not bothersome in a bad way, but bothersome in a good way.
In other words, she wanted to keep listening to it.
Even though the changes in notes weren’t that dramatic, it contained the power to draw people’s hearts.
The violin also played its part there.
‘The violin keeps drawing attention.’
When the cello was telling its story, the violin seemed to be dancing beside it.
It was an existence that kept capturing attention, making it possible to focus on the story the cello was telling.
Perhaps that’s why.
“It’s a song I don’t want to stop. My heart keeps aching.”
That was Hwang Su-jin’s evaluation.
A song she didn’t want to stop.
A song she could keep listening to while slowly savoring it.
When listening to the song, her heart felt cold for unknown reasons, but it was still a song she had to listen to with concentration.
“I think the person who sent this story would like it.”
That’s how it felt.
She had a strong feeling that this song would be the best gift for someone who had continuously experienced hardships.
“I have the same thought. I was thinking it would be nice if we could write lyrics too, but there’s no need for that with this.”
This song completed with only two instruments didn’t need any other instruments.
Music that could only be felt slowly.
It was the completion of music that would find even the sadness hidden deep in one’s heart and embrace it warmly.
– White~ White!!
Just then, Hwang Su-yeol’s phone rang.
The somewhat serious atmosphere in the music studio lightened a bit with his ringtone.
“It’s Young-hoon.”
“What are you doing, not answering quickly.”
“I was going to answer, ahem. Oh, Young-hoon.”
– Did you listen to the song?
“Of course it’s the best.”
It went without saying.
Hwang Su-yeol didn’t spare his praise.
He poured out every compliment he could give.
“Right, it was incredibly good. But this song’s style was different – did you say something to Heeseong?”
Hwang Su-jin asked.
As a composer, she was secretly curious.
She was also a composer who had made various songs, but she was someone who only did a few things she was good at.
She liked other music too, of course.
But being good at something and liking something were worlds apart.
– No? That’s why I was really surprised when I first heard it too.
“I thought that might be the case. Heeseong is really amazing. Can’t I raise him?”
-Do you think that would work?
“Tch.”
A childish conversation between people in their late thirties and forties continued.
Hwang Su-yeol left the two behind and began to fall into contemplation.
The song was completed, and now all they had to do was upload it to NewTube.
But he didn’t want to do that.
So, he carefully expressed his thoughts.
“Since the song is completed, I’d like to talk with the person who sent the story before uploading it to NewTube…. What do you think?”
“Talk? Meet in person?”
“Yeah.”
– Do we really need to do that? We could just exchange emails.
“I just want to talk with them. And if we discuss various things, it’ll probably take a long time.”
Hwang Su-yeol liked people to begin with.
That’s why he wanted to meet in person and understand the pain of the person who sent the story.
He also felt grateful that they had sent a story when no one else had.
Various emotions working together led Hwang Su-yeol to reach that conclusion.
“Of course, this is just my opinion.”
– Hmm, first my opin…?
Yoon Young-hoon’s words were cut off.
It became quiet, as if something had happened.
Just as Hwang Su-yeol, sensing something strange, was about to speak.
– Hello?
Hee-seong’s voice was heard.
Hearing her beloved nephew’s voice for the first time in a week, Hwang Su-jin spoke joyfully.
“Heeseong! What were you doing? Did you eat?”
– Hello, Aunt! I was just about to eat.
“Aunt needs to eat too, should I come over now? Huh? You want to eat with Aunt, right? Right?”
“Are you a child? Why are you acting like this? Ahem, Heeseong, it’s Uncle. Should we video call?”
But Hwang Su-yeol, who said such things, was the same way.
The two smiled foolishly while looking at Hee-seong’s face visible through the screen.
Such trivial conversation continued for about 5 minutes.
When Hee-seong’s voice began to show signs of growing tired, Hwang Su-yeol said.
“Heeseong, you did well with the composition.”
“Right. Can you tell us what you were thinking when you composed it?”
– Hmm….
At Heeseong’s contemplative expression, the two adults made faces as if they were dying from cuteness.
The atmosphere of Heeseong, who was 5 years old—no, now 6 years old—was serious.
– I, well.
Having finished his contemplation, Heeseong spoke.
– I played it that way because I thought they’d be lonely!
The child’s answer was always like that.
An answer that was childlike yet not childlike.
At the completely unexpected answer, the two adults couldn’t help but laugh.
“Haha! I see, so that’s how it was.”
Hwang Su-jin said this while nodding her head.
Heeseong’s answer was truly like Heeseong.
She could feel the loving heart that composed music while thinking of people.
If she listened to the piece again, she felt she would have different thoughts.
It was such an excellent piece.
– And I think they’d be in pain. So I told them not to hurt.
“Ah…. I see, thank you for telling us.”
Pain.
The more she listened to Heeseong’s music, the more her heart ached.
She wasn’t sure if it was pain or aching, but Heeseong’s music definitely contained suffering.
There was also discomfort.
‘Right, it felt like things didn’t quite fit together.’
She wanted to know the reason in detail.
As a composer, there might be something to learn from such a small child.
Just as she was about to ask about it.
– I want to talk with them.
“Huh? With who?”
– With the person who sent this story!
At the child’s answer, the three adults stopped dead.
And Hwang Su-yeol was the first to move.
“Alright, uncle will ask.”
– Yes!
The child was smiling happily.
Seeing that sight, Hwang Su-jin thought.
‘I need to prepare.’
To prepare for meeting Heeseong.
And to prepare to get the story sender’s consent.
And as time passed, late at night.
Hwang Su-yeol sent an email along with the completed piece.
***
Jeong Yeong-ho fell into contemplation.
– Hello, this is Argo Music Works. We have completed the piece.
He kept staring at the email’s subject line.
He never dreamed they would actually send it.
It was just a story he had sent to lament his circumstances.
He hadn’t really believed the part about making music.
“It really came….”
He was simply grateful that someone had read his story.
“Come to think of it, all their music was good, I wonder if they made it well?”
He had been wandering around here and there during this time.
He had tried to find work somehow for his future, but it wasn’t easy.
Listening to music in that state, how should he put it, it felt like dormant sensitivity was surging up.
“Let’s listen to it, for now.”
He said this as he opened the email.
– Hello, this is Argo Music Works. First, we apologize for making you wait over a week. The piece is….
The explanation about the piece continued on and on.
Among it, there was a sentence that caught Jeong Yeong-ho’s attention.
– We are grateful that you are the only one who sent us a story. Therefore, we would like to have a conversation together. About the piece as well.
As soon as he saw that sentence, he felt hesitant.
He was afraid of people.
So as soon as he saw the sentence about wanting to have a direct conversation, he thought about closing the email window.
But his desire to hear the piece was stronger than that thought.
He was more curious about what kind of feeling the piece made from his story would have.
Click.
He downloaded the music file and played it.
♩-♩
The solemn melody of the cello continued.
It moved unsteadily and continuously.
In the empty house with nothing, there was only the sound of the violin.
The noisy sound of motorcycles heard from outside.
The irritating sound of the refrigerator operating.
Everything was quiet.
Now there was only the sound of the cello coming from the old laptop and the sound of one man’s heart beating increasingly violently.
‘Why…. Why is it so heavy…?’
That was the first emotion he felt when listening to the piece.
Heavy.
It was terribly heavy.
As if drowning in water, his whole body became heavy and his strength drained away.
He had no choice but to focus on the music.
And at the same time.
– I’m sorry.
Memories from the past were surfacing one by one.
The bitter memories from the past that he had remembered while writing his story.
He remembered a voice he had forgotten even while writing his story.
♪-♪
The cello spoke.
No, the voice from the past spoke.
– I’m sorry I can only do this much for you.
The voice said.
It was always a foolish person who could only say sorry.
A foolish person who always revealed their pain to those around them.
A person who asked for help only from people they shouldn’t ask for help.
– Don’t ask for help like I did. Just endure it.
A person who endlessly repeated words close to a curse to Jeong Yeong-ho.
But Jeong Yeong-ho now realized that the foolish one was himself.
It was a person who was no longer in this world.
But the voice from the past always repeated the same words.
– Don’t show what’s inside you. Hide it.
Those words stuck to Jeong Yeong-ho like gum.
They tormented him by sticking to him continuously without stopping.
Without stopping, endlessly.
But he couldn’t overcome time.
– Hey, Yeong-ho. Let’s eat.
He had gained a friend who truly cared for him.
A friend who showed himself without hiding anything.
Perhaps that was why.
Jeong Yeong-ho gradually changed without realizing it.
If he hadn’t met Kim Eon-seung, he wouldn’t have sent his story.
Jing-♩
The melody of the violin began to play.
At the same time, the voices from the past were gradually fading.
– Son.
A voice from the past spoke.
It was a story from when Jeong Yeong-ho was still cutting his female classmates’ rubber bands.
– If there’s a good person around you, try talking to them. About your worries and thoughts.
He had asked who a good person was.
– Someone who confides their worries to you. And someone who nags you to share your troubles.
Jeong Yeong-ho realized belatedly that such a person had been around him.
…♪
The song had already ended long ago.
But like a dam bursting, the flood of thoughts made it impossible for him to calm down.
His face was already damp with tears and runny nose.
Jeong Yeong-ho, just like his father from the past.
Cried while covering his face with one hand.
After a long time passed and Jeong Yeong-ho had calmed down, he looked at the email.
He kept staring at the sentence saying they wanted to share stories with him.
– Thank you.
He began typing on his laptop.
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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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