The Genius Composer Starts Again - Chapter 101

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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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I thought it was over.

To make such a fatal mistake in an already disadvantageous situation.

That one small mistake could shatter the entire flow.

But then,

the second note, the third note continued.

‘…Huh?’

Once again, they were notes that completely deviated from my expectations. Yet they flowed smoothly.

‘As if this wasn’t a mistake, but the piece was originally meant to be like this from the beginning.’

Looking around, I saw the audience was quietly focused on the piece. They showed no sign of noticing anything was wrong.

‘The harmony fits together perfectly. Was this prepared in advance?’

But I had never heard a piece like this before.

If it had been practiced beforehand, there’s no way Cho Yun-je wouldn’t have known. During the competition preparation period, he had been watching the practice almost every day, practically glued to my side.

‘Then what’s happening right now is….’

My body reacted first.

Goosebumps rose densely along my spine.

‘You’re playing improvisationally? Really?’

Improvised arrangement.

No, it was a reconstruction close to improvised composition.

While maintaining the basic framework, it had transformed into a completely new piece.

‘This is impossible.’

Cho Yun-je swallowed hard.

His heart began pounding again. A different kind of thrill boiled within his body.

‘This is absolutely impossible!’

He stared intently at Seol, who was striking the piano keys with a calm expression.

Her face was so peaceful that it was hard to believe she was committing such a bold act.

‘Seol, what exactly are you….’

The music filling the hall was so beautiful that it was hard to believe it had just been improvised.

Cho Yun-je turned his head.

The audience members, who had been bustling about discussing Mun Ah-rin just moments before, had closed their mouths and were concentrating on Seol’s music.

From somewhere came the sound of someone gasping ‘Wow.’

‘It’s definitely different from the piece I know, but the completeness isn’t lacking.’

Cho Yun-je listened carefully.

The tonal axis twisted slightly, shaking the foundation leading to the climax they had refined to its roots.

But then,

a new sprout emerged from that very spot.

The left hand descended far down to the bass notes, then leaped upward once more. The right hand created harmonies close to dissonance.

Suddenly the air in the hall became taut.

A new climax came through clearly.

‘Ah!’

If Mun Ah-rin’s piece was like a neatly carved crystal, Seol’s piece felt like it grabbed hold of people’s hearts and shook them at will.

A student in the front row pulled their body close to the edge of their chair and gripped their trouser hem tightly. Another student unconsciously wrapped their arms around themselves.

One of the judges put down their pen and began enjoying the music. They closed their eyes gently, turning away from the score sheet.

The pressing pianissimo, and the melody floating thinly above it.

The melody seemed to sweep along the spine.

An exquisiteness that seemed to scrape away at bone lurked within it. Exclamations got stuck in throats, unable to come out and just circling around.

Then, at the moment when the piece bloomed most brilliantly,

the sounds began to fade away one by one.

The high notes disappeared first, then the middle notes. Finally, even the bass notes.

The sudden, massive void was more overwhelming than any other melody.

The hall’s perfect soundproofing created the illusion that even the audience had been temporarily robbed of their hearing.

Ominous,

eerie,

a silence that was noisy precisely because it was quiet.

Cho Yun-je unconsciously clenched his teeth.

Seol was capturing life’s most terrible moment entirely within a single movement.

While everyone was unable to escape from that terrible experience, Seol placed her hands on the piano again.

A very fragile melody flowed.

It was so faint that you couldn’t hear it properly without straining your ears.

A small sprout of hope growing on barren ground. People listened even more intently to escape from the silence.

With the will to start again from the collapsed ruins, she gradually built up the harmony.

Eventually, she whispered a melody that wasn’t flashy but contained sincere feelings.

As the last note left a long resonance and gradually faded away,

no one dared to breathe deeply first.

***

‘I did it.’

I tried to hide my trembling fingertips.

Hair-raising thrills were still flowing down along my neck. The audience was barely visible due to the strong lighting.

[ SYSTEM – V1.0 ]

> Congratulations!

> You have successfully completed the demonstration.

> Audience Immersion: S+

> Completeness: S

> Overall Assessment: You have given the audience an unforgettable moment. They will live in fear of silence from now on.

The system window informed me that it had been a successful performance.

[ SYSTEM – V1.0 ]

> Song Title: I Will Remember You (2)

> Completeness: 94%

> Commercial Value: S+

> Trend Compatibility: S

> Evaluation: It peers into the listener’s deepest wounds. Recommended only for those prepared to face their pain directly.

> Improvement: It would be better not to play this for the faint-hearted.

‘The score went up.’

Not only the completeness, but also the commercial value and trend compatibility had risen vertically.

I staggered as I stood up from my seat.

The system window flickered at the edge of my vision.

[ Duration: 00 : 00 : 05 ]

[ Duration: 00 : 00 : 04 ]

The moment I bowed deeply in greeting,

[ SYSTEM – V1.0 ]

> Status abnormality ‘Sensory Loss – Hearing (I)’ will be released.

Like lifting a curtain that had been blocking my ears, the sounds of the world came rushing in all at once.

Clap clap clap clap clap clap!

“Waaaaaaah!”

It felt like waves crashing in.

Not just my ears, but my entire body resonated with a thudding beat.

The sound of hands clapping together, someone’s burst of exclamation. And even the sniffling sounds wet with tears.

I could hear it all crystal clear.

My ears seemed to have become more sensitive than before. They felt numb from the excessive stimulation.

But in that moment, something bloomed more vividly than anything else in my chest.

‘I’m alive.’

The lights before my eyes appeared to blur and spread.

My heart pounded like crazy. I was breathless as if I’d been running at full speed, yet laughter spilled out.

Perhaps this scene

might be etched even more clearly than the memory of that day when I lost my hearing.

It was the moment when a new ‘unforgettable scene’ was being born.

***

“Damn. This is seriously driving me crazy.”

Cho Yun-je ran his hands through his hair and muttered bluntly. Seeing Seol receiving praise from thousands on stage made such words naturally slip out.

What on earth was he supposed to call this?

In a state where he couldn’t even hear, to completely tear apart a practiced piece and rebuild it anew.

If it were an improvised piece, he too could play it easily enough, but if asked whether he could do the same in that situation. Well?

‘I don’t think I could.’

It wasn’t just about the quality of the music.

Cho Yun-je didn’t have that kind of boldness.

‘Should I call that reckless, or should I say he’s got nerves of steel?’

If it had been anyone else, they would have been criticized for foolish behavior. But since he pulled it off perfectly, this side had nothing to say.

‘Tch. I helped him practice for nothing.’

Cho Yun-je grumbled inwardly for no reason. He wondered if he’d been unnecessarily meddlesome when he had his own problems to worry about.

Thinking that and smiling wryly, he suddenly turned his head toward Park Hee-jae sitting beside him.

“Huh?”

And he paused.

During Mun Ah-rin’s stage, he had just been watching with a happy expression. It felt similar to a fan looking at their favorite idol.

Now it was different.

His face had turned pale, and his lips were trembling finely. He was just staring at the stage with dilated pupils as if his soul had left his body.

‘Is he in shock?’

Cho Yun-je leaned over carefully.

“Are you okay?”

When he whispered quietly, Park Hee-jae finally looked to the side. His dazed eyes belatedly regained focus.

“Huh? Oh, yes.”

His parched lips twitched. He seemed to try to say something then swallow it back down.

Just as he was about to say his complexion looked bad, Park Hee-jae suddenly stood up.

“I, I’ll be going first.”

Before Cho Yun-je could even respond, he bowed and hurriedly gathered his bag.

And then didn’t he immediately disappear with quick steps.

“What the hell?”

Making a person feel awkward for no reason.

After muttering in bewilderment, he shrugged his shoulders once.

He turned his gaze to Seol, who was still standing in the spotlight. Applause and cheers were still pouring down endlessly.

Cho Yun-je quietly exhaled.

Because one person hidden in those shadows came to mind.

Mun Ah-rin, she too would probably be watching Seol’s brilliant figure from backstage.

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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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