The Genius Composer Starts Again - Chapter 50

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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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“The second piece is ‘Life’, based on the original composition by student Kang Se-a and arranged by student Mun Ah-rin.”

 

The announcer continued.

 

“Before the performance, we would like to introduce the original composer, student Kang Se-a, who unfortunately cannot perform on this stage today!”

 

The lighting illuminated not the main stage but the outer area.

 

Kang Se-a was already positioned on the small side stage. Kang Se-a smiled and greeted them.

 

“According to her supervising professor, she is a very talented student with excellent abilities. She will return with an even better stage next time, so please look forward to it.”

 

After the brief introduction, Kang Se-a had to leave the stage.

 

“Now, we will have student Mun Ah-rin’s arrangement performance!”

 

Soon all eyes turned to the main stage.

 

Under the bright lights, a girl stood there.

 

Her ivory dress fluttered beautifully under the illumination. Mun Ah-rin looked straight at the audience with a painted smile on her face.

 

Whispers spread throughout the audience.

 

“She’s pretty.”

 

“Who is that student?”

 

People exclaimed in admiration at her striking appearance.

 

Mun Ah-rin bowed politely, then took her place at the piano. As the audience grew quiet, a beautiful melody spread.

 

-♩♬♪♬

 

Jeong Do-hyun closed his eyes gently.

 

The strings laid down a gentle foundation, and the piano carved a path through them. It wasn’t bad.

 

It was a well-organized piece. Her touch seemed to know exactly which path the piano should take.

 

The musical expression was beautiful, delicate yet somehow possessing a power that made one listen intently.

 

‘He said there were no students that would catch my interest. It seems uncle’s standards have gotten quite high.’

 

Mun Ah-rin’s piece had a different charm from Cho Yun-je’s. What was particularly impressive was that this piece seemed to consider even its visual presentation.

 

‘Not just the music, but the way that student performs suits it so well that it brings the atmosphere to life.’

 

If this was intentional, it would be truly remarkable.

 

Soon the performance ended, and when Mun Ah-rin bowed once more.

 

People sent applause of praise.

 

“The arrangement is clean too.”

 

“I heard the original composer got injured?”

 

“I’m curious how different it is from the original.”

 

Murmurs spread through the air. People were excited from having appreciated music of such excellent quality.

 

Certainly. It was decent skill.

 

‘The overall level is high.’

 

But that was all.

 

‘This wasn’t the composer I’m looking for.’

 

He could say with certainty. If it were that composer, he would have recognized it immediately upon hearing.

 

‘The performance was definitely said to be a trilogy. Since it wasn’t the first two, only one remains.’

 

Perhaps because this was a meeting after such a long wait. Jeong Do-hyun felt his heart beating rapidly for the first time in a while.

 

It was anticipation.

 

As Mun Ah-rin left, the announcer called the final act.

 

“The end of the trilogy, finally it’s time for ‘Death’. This composition was handled by student Seol!”

 

Seol.

 

Jeong Do-hyun rolled that name around in his mouth.

 

Somehow he had that feeling.

 

A baseless premonition that he would be entangled with the owner of this name for a very long time.

 

***

 

Mun Ah-rin’s image on the monitor illuminating the stage was enchantingly beautiful. The music coming through the speakers was also of higher quality than expected.

 

The piano note that set the first beat trembled faintly then gradually became solid. Among the session composed mainly of strings, the piano held the center firmly.

 

Without realizing it, I was leaning forward as if I might fall into the monitor.

 

‘…The arrangement is good too?’

 

The sounds built up by the string instruments weren’t excessive, and the rhythm flowed sophisticatedly.

 

The breathing pauses in between felt like part of the music itself.

 

However, what was a bit puzzling was,

 

‘Does this really express life well?’

 

Regardless of the theme, I thought it was beautiful music. Of course, if one thinks of life as something beautiful, it could be expressed this way, but if it were the Mun Ah-rin I know, she would never have portrayed it with such fairy-tale-like romantic melodies.

 

Pfft.

 

Just then, I heard a deflating sound from beside me.

 

When I turned my head, Kang Se-a was also looking at the monitor.

 

Perhaps sensing my gaze, Kang Se-a looked at me and briefly apologized.

 

“Sorry, junior. That was rude during the appreciation.”

 

“No. It’s fine.”

 

“It was a bit funny, so I couldn’t help myself.”

 

Kang Se-a twisted up one corner of her mouth.

 

“She took everything. Bit by bit.”

 

“…What?”

 

When I reflexively asked back, Kang Se-a spoke once more.

 

“That piece. They said it was arranged based on my composition ‘Life’.”

 

“Yes. …It’s quite different from your piece that I heard before, senior.”

 

Of course, traces of the original remained here and there. But to this extent, so many parts had been changed that it could almost be called Mun Ah-rin’s piece.

 

Yet it blended naturally with the original. Honestly, I was a bit impressed.

 

“I mentioned that Mun Ah-rin volunteered for my session, right?”

 

“What? Oh, yes.”

 

“That session was supposed to be not just for the scholarship recital, but also for my personal recital. So we practiced three or four of my original compositions together for that performance.”

 

“…!”

 

No way.

 

Through Kang Se-a’s words, I could immediately guess what story she was trying to tell.

 

“This piece seems like a jumbled mix of three or four of my original compositions.”

 

“What? That’s…”

 

“Haha. Listen carefully, junior.”

 

Kang Se-a and I listened intently to the speakers. It was just as the chorus was about to end.

 

Kang Se-a hummed the exact notes.

 

“Do-sol-re-si, then a half-beat rest.”

 

“…!”

 

“This is a rest I use frequently. The way she slides one note afterward too. She even took the connecting bridge that follows. What comes after is taken from another piece.”

 

Kang Se-a spoke as if she could see right through the composition.

 

“She tore my pieces apart bit by bit and completely reassembled them. Should this be called a skill too?”

 

Mun Ah-rin in the monitor was pressing the piano keys with a quite serious expression.

 

‘Of course it blends together without any sense of discord.’

 

Because she used pieces composed by the same person.

 

Composition is just like writing a diary, so the composer’s personal habits inevitably show through.

 

“…Senior, this story, by any chance,”

 

“No.”

 

Kang Se-a smiled bitterly.

 

“I’m only telling this to you, junior. I have no intention of telling other people.”

 

“What?”

 

“Why, you ask. Junior, look at the screen.”

 

Kang Se-a pointed at the monitor as she spoke.

 

“People have already perceived this piece as Mun Ah-rin’s. She’s made a good impression too. If I were to insist here that those are my pieces, would that really work out in my favor?”

 

“….”

 

“People don’t care whether junior Mun Ah-rin plagiarized or whether I’m lying. They’ll just laugh and gossip about it as entertainment.”

 

I could already imagine it without even seeing it. It would become quite a provocative controversy, and that wouldn’t have a good impact on Kang Se-a either.

 

“…But there’s evidence. Since the session practiced senior’s song together. Evidence that senior composed the song first.”

 

I found myself blurting out the words without realizing it.

 

The sight of her having her song stolen by Mun Ah-rin reminded me of myself before my regression.

 

“You know, junior. It’s not easy to get ‘plagiarism’ recognized in our country.”

 

Art is always a field where imitation and creation follow one after another in an endless cycle. That’s why the legal standards for definitively concluding something as ‘plagiarism’ are extremely strict.

 

In reality, there’s a considerable gap between what’s recognized as plagiarism within the industry and what gets legally ruled as plagiarism.

 

“If it’s legally concluded that it’s not plagiarism, people will think, ‘Oh, what? So Kang Se-a was lying.'”

 

“…People in the industry will know that’s not true.”

 

“Those people won’t want to work with a controversial composer. Regardless of what the truth is.”

 

It was an undeniable reality.

 

Kang Se-a also had a lot to lose, so she couldn’t move rashly.

 

“In that case… it’s better to just laugh and smile like this and successfully finish the Scholarship Recital.”

 

Kang Se-a muttered through gritted teeth.

 

Mun Ah-rin knew this, which is why she could move so boldly. Because Kang Se-a would never ruin this stage with her own hands.

 

“I’ve made my mark with those people. That’s enough.”

 

That was a lie she told herself for comfort.

 

‘Mun Ah-rin.’

 

I looked at Mun Ah-rin smiling brightly on the monitor.

 

‘You haven’t changed one bit.’

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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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