The Genius Composer Starts Again - Chapter 29

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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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“How do you do that?”

When Cho Yun-je heard this question as a child, he would ask back instead.

“Why can’t you do this?”

Then the child who asked would turn away with a sulky expression. Cho Yun-je would just be bewildered, not knowing which part of his answer had upset that kid.

Because Cho Yun-je really thought that way.

It’s so easy for me. Why is everyone struggling so much with this?

“How silly.”

When he said that out loud, his mother smiled proudly and said this.

“Our Yun-je is a genius, that’s why.”

“A genius?”

“Yes. You’re different from those other kids.”

I see. I couldn’t understand those kids because I’m a genius.

Finding the answer made him feel much more at ease.

Competitions, gifted programs, and a couple of TV shows looking for prodigies. Wherever he went, all the adults he met adored Cho Yun-je.

People said he had talent, and they exclaimed in admiration every time they heard Cho Yun-je perform.

At some point, that reaction began to feel natural.

It wasn’t difficult to perfectly follow predetermined music. He had won so many competitions that he couldn’t even count them.

But when did it start?

It began to feel suffocating.

When writing his application to Korea University Music Department, he secretly applied to the Composition Department instead of Piano. It was Cho Yun-je’s first rebellion in life.

Only after the acceptance announcement did Cho Yun-je’s mother realize this fact. At first she was furious, but soon congratulatory calls about his admission to Korea University Music Department poured in, and she seemed to forget all about it.

That’s how Cho Yun-je entered composition.

The freedom, different from before, was appealing. However, at some point, harsh criticism began to follow him.

-Perfectionist.

-No fun.

-Lacks creativity.

There was no path in creative work.

Until now, he had always just needed to follow what others had set for him. But in the Composition Department, they kept telling him to express himself.

‘What the hell is that supposed to mean.’

Cho Yun-je grumbled inwardly while smiling brightly on the outside.

He brought music that sounded perfect to his ears, but he couldn’t understand what the problem was.

Full of such doubts, he became a sophomore. Professor Jeong Tae-seong mentioned in a casual tone.

“A transfer student joined us this time. She seems to have ears as good as yours, Yun-je.”

His exceptional hearing was one of his prides. Even if he didn’t know composition, no one could match him in ear training.

Cho Yun-je suppressed the emotions boiling up inside and replied as if it was nothing.

“Oh, really? I’m looking forward to it.”

It wasn’t long before he could meet that kid.

Seol.

A girl with an unforgettable single-character name who wore an indifferent expression to everything.

Mun Ah-rin was always stuck right next to her, keeping close watch. Seeing her hanging around with that black-hearted girl, he could guess what kind of person she was without even looking.

“Yun-je! Come out and show us a demonstration.”

At Jeong Tae-seong’s call, he walked to the front of the lecture hall. After showing all of his arranged pieces, everyone sent him looks filled with admiration and awe.

‘How’s that. The walls of the Composition Department are high.’

Feeling smug inside, he looked toward Seol.

‘…What’s with that.’

That look in her eyes.

Her pupils barely wavered, and she had an indifferent face as if she felt no particular impression. His pride was instantly shattered.

‘Right. You’re a genius too, is that it?’

Sure enough, Jeong Tae-seong called on Seol. He was inwardly determined to see just how well she could do.

-♩♪♩♬

The musical phrase that came had to be acknowledged.

‘She’s a genius.’

Suddenly anxiety surged up. What if this kid was the real genius, and he was just a mediocre person pretending to be one?

That couldn’t be.

‘Then what makes me different from the other kids?’

He had always thought it was because he was a genius. If he wasn’t a genius, was he just a weirdo?

He couldn’t accept that.

He didn’t want to accept it.

Pretending not to notice the hostility welling up inside, Cho Yun-je smiled gently as always.

“I’m Cho Yun-je. Looks like we’ll be seeing each other often. I thought I’d introduce myself in advance.”

That was his petty pride.

At least acting relaxed on the surface. Seol looked puzzled, but Cho Yun-je had a hunch.

He would see this kid again at the scholarship meeting.

Sure enough.

When he entered the professor’s office and immediately faced Seol, Cho Yun-je thought, ‘Of course.’

When the opinion gathered to present original compositions in a trilogy format, it felt like sparks flew inside him.

The thought that he absolutely had to do well this time dominated his mind.

Whether she knew of his desperate state or not, Seol was carefree as could be.

“What do you want to do? I don’t mind anything.”

“Death.”

She even readily chose ‘death,’ the most difficult theme.

Is this girl an idiot?

If she chose such a disadvantageous theme and messed it up, she’d fall completely behind in the scholarship meeting. Somehow she needed to catch the sponsors’ attention to have a path after graduation.

‘Well, lucky me though.’

Even while thinking that inwardly, his doubts wouldn’t disappear, so as soon as they left the professor’s office, he subtly probed.

“By the way, that was unexpected. Choosing death, I mean.”

When he explained why death was difficult, Seol burst into quiet laughter.

Her impression was completely different from when she was expressionless, and he unconsciously widened his eyes.

Thinking something about that reaction, Seol continued.

“Oh, sorry. It’s not that what you said was funny or anything. It’s just…”

Seol paused for a moment.

“In that sense, I think I chose well.”

Death.

She chose well.

That one sentence gave him chills.

There was certainty in Seol’s voice. Her voice was low, her tone composed. Her eyes showed no wavering either.

Like a solid fortress wall, yet he glimpsed the emptiness beyond it.

What could it be? What kind of experiences must she have gone through to be able to assert with certainty that she knows death well at this age?

He couldn’t fathom it at all.

Cho Yun-je had good eyes as well as ears, so he was good at reading people’s nature. In that sense, Seol was a type of human he had never encountered before.

“I’ll head out first. See you.”

While he was lost in thought, Seol casually said goodbye and swept past him.

Watching her retreating figure, various emotions boiled up.

Curiosity, wariness, and even a bit of jealousy.

Rich experiences sometimes become nourishment for music.

Cho Yun-je had long imitated ‘knowledge’ through books, analysis, and citations. But Seol knew silently.

How great an asset that itself was. Even knowing the pain that accompanies it, envious feelings suddenly welled up.

He curled up the corners of his mouth again to hide such inner thoughts.

‘Still, I’m looking forward to it.’

What kind of form the death that Seol would portray would take.

***

Knock knock.

Jeong Tae-seong suddenly turned his head at the sound of knocking again.

“Who is it?”

There was no answer.

‘Ah, could it be the scholarship students?’

Since they had just left, he thought they might have come back because they forgot something or had something they wanted to talk about.

Jeong Tae-seong strode toward the door.

Swoosh, he opened the door and naturally began to speak.

“Did you forget something… Huh?”

Jeong Tae-seong couldn’t help but show a flustered expression when he encountered an unexpected person.

“Ah-rin, what brings you here?”

Mun Ah-rin looked up at him with pitiful eyes.

“Professor. I’m sorry for coming so suddenly. Did Seol leave already?”

“Huh? If you mean student Seol, she left a while ago.”

“Really?”

Mun Ah-rin made an expression as if she was about to burst into tears.

“I told her I would wait… but she left without saying anything…”

Her tone made it sound as if Seol had deliberately abandoned Mun Ah-rin and left alone.

‘Student Seol doesn’t seem like the type to do that.’

Jeong Tae-seong tilted his head in confusion, but consoled Mun Ah-rin for now.

“Oh my. Really? Maybe you two just missed each other? How about giving her a call?”

“No. She’s probably already left school.”

Mun Ah-rin muttered dejectedly. Her eyes were red, making her look so pitiful that anyone would want to comfort her.

“Um, Professor.”

Just when Jeong Tae-seong was at a loss about what to do out of sympathy, Mun Ah-rin suddenly raised her head and asked in a subtle tone.

“Was the reason you called Seol today about the scholarship?”

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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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