The soft lighting towards the stage took me back to the past.
-But there is a condition.
This is what a senior professor at the Judicial Research and Training Institute said to me. It was an explanation attached to the suggestion, "Would you like to become a scholarship student at Jeil Group?"
-I can't live my life as a lawyer from now on.
A lawyer must be clean and pure, and must look at the world with a gaze that is free of sanctuary. Even when reciting the Judicial Research and Training Institute oath, don't we all have a burning sense of justice in our hearts? The old professor's words were simple. Instead of law and justice, he said to protect Jeil Group. But why hesitate? The old professor's suggestion was like a sweet fruit of good and evil, appealing to my taste.
What's more,
I never intended to pursue a career as a lawyer in the first place.
*
'earthly.'
My throat swayed violently. Was it the lights on the stage that blinded my eyes? I unconsciously closed my eyes tightly and opened them at the sight of the judges sitting in the audience. They were all people I had met before. Weren't they the ones who had been looking at me as if they were infatuated?
"Number thirty-seven, start."
The cold voice made my thoughts disappear. It felt like ants were crawling behind my back. Maybe it was because I intuitively felt that it was not a mirage but reality. It wasn't the interested gazes of the past. Their deep eyes spoke of their experience and years of experience. It could be said that their attitude toward the concours was cool.
I rested the violin on my shoulder and chin and rolled the bow. It was the same posture as usual, but an unknown pressure was squeezing my whole body. Only then did I feel the sharpness of their gaze. They wouldn't tolerate even a single mistake. Suddenly, I remembered the last time. In a way, it was like I was gritting my teeth in front of a pupa.
'after.'
I let out all the distracting thoughts inside me with one breath. And.
He lifted the bow.
As soon as the string and the bow touched, the confused emotions subsided as if it were a lie.
The maestros sitting on the judges' bench all took a step forward at the sight of me. Of course, except for one person. I showed off my bowing. The bow slowly crossed the strings. It was a series of bitterness, like walking along a quiet lakeside. The violin and piano formed an ensemble as if they didn't want to let go of each other. As the piece neared its end, the bow seemed to move more gently.
Jiying.
As if the tone gradually became shallower, the pianissimo was drawn, and in the end, the melody disappeared with sadness. The pianist who was in charge of the accompaniment had only a hazy look on his face. The sound of the keyboard was trembling as if he didn't want to let me go. However, the tip of the bow sadly slowly headed toward the floor.
At the end of a sorrowful performance.
The judges' faces clearly showed signs of worry.
"You portrayed Brahms very well."
I thought there would be no comments. I heard that there are cases where people don't listen to a song all the way through. Let alone comments, I was lucky if I didn't hear even a sigh. It's not called the stage of death among violinists for nothing. For a moment, the Chinese master looked at me with a strange gaze.
"Since when did you start playing the violin, Thirty-Seven?"
To a short question.
"It took me a little over a month to learn properly."
I was honest with myself. I wasn't trying to deceive them. I didn't know I had this kind of musical talent. I felt the judges' table start to stir. That was when I heard that.
My eyes met with the master's, who had his arms crossed.
*
Alexei smiled with satisfaction at the fact that the first performer was a cheeky kid. How great must his talent have been for Queen and London to have courted him? He couldn't forget the advice he had given himself at Beaux-Arts. Don't get caught up. The kid hit the nail on the head. He had devoted his whole life to music, so he was already caught up enough. The other masters were the same. The outstanding newcomers were heading to Brussels, but now all eyes were on one kid.
Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3, 2nd movement.
The cool maestros all gathered their attention at the thrilling melody. They wanted to appreciate the child's performance as an audience member, not as a judge. Bitterness in gentleness, how could such music be presented without experience? It was hard to believe that the melody resonated from his small body, but he expressed Brahms so well. Moreover, at the end, he even shook the sound into the air with a faint trembling melody. I could imagine the expression of the pianist who was in charge of the accompaniment without even looking.
But.
It was strange.
The dissonance hidden in the melody continued to tickle Alexei's forehead. It seemed that some of the masters were also irritated. But that wasn't all.
If it were a normal day, they would have called the next performer on stage without any comment, but today, the questions continued without pause. Alexei had his eyes closed and his arms crossed. The melody that the little boy had just performed kept replaying in his head.
At that moment.
"Cheeky little brat."
A cold Russian fell upon the stage.
Of course, only two people understood. The masters sitting on the judges' table kept their mouths shut as if they had made a promise. Alexei looked down at the boy. The boy did not avoid his cold eyes, which seemed to express the cold of Siberia. At that sight, Alexei uncrossed his arms and moved forward.
"Why do you do music?"
Kang Hyun opened his eyes wide. It was a cold knife that he had not expected.
* * *
"Inspiration, why do you look so worried?"
Chairman Wang glanced at Chairman Yoo, who was sitting across from him.
"Is it because of Hyun?"
Although he was sent to the contest, he seemed worried that he might just win a prize. He thought that he should pursue music, but when he thought about Dong-ju's future, he didn't have the talent to do that.
"Then, wouldn't it be okay to do it this way?"
At that moment, Chairman Wang nods as if he had come up with a brilliant idea. Chairman Yoo's gaze naturally turned to Chairman Wang's mouth. Chairman Wang moistens his lips and then raises the corners of his mouth, and his smile looks quite meaningful.
"Wouldn't this be solved if Yuha took over the management?"
This inspiration?
"Son-ga, stop with that nonsense."
"You still can't seem to let go of that patriarchal mindset? You haven't come to your senses yet after putting your children through all that. Tsk."
Chairman Yoo shook his head as if he did not want to talk about that story anymore.
"Son-ga, by the way, is it quiet inside the mansion?"
If it were a normal day, the Pyeongchang-dong mansion would be bustling with Son Yu-ha's voice. The young child was so active that the secretary who was in charge of babysitting him seemed pitiful. Chairman Wang snickered at Chairman Yoo's question.
"You must be sleeping after crying all day. Why didn't you say hello to the wise man at the airport earlier?"
"Isn't that so?"
"I heard that the wise husband's expression was not good at that time. He must have been flustered because he was seeing the little girl for the first time and I was there too. But Yuha seemed to be concerned about that. If he found out that the violin was being sent to Belgium tomorrow, he would throw a tantrum and say that he would go with me."
It took a lot of hands to transport the Stradivarius. It was an instrument that was more than worth its weight in gold and was sensitive to temperature and humidity, so it took quite a while just to go through the process. Fortunately, it should arrive before the actual competition begins.
"grandfather?"
At that moment, Son Yu-ha opened the door to the reception room and came in. Chairman Wang almost dropped the teacup he was holding without realizing it.
*
"What, that kid got caught?"
William from England accepted the first round of the competition results with his eyes wide open. It was a judging process to select 24 out of 60 people. At first glance, it may seem easy, but each and every one of them was a famous newcomer from their respective countries. People said that this competition would be the most splendid and intense. But how could such a young child get in so easily?
"I have to go and meet that kid."
William felt a rage stirring inside him. He thought that the rumor that he had a letter of recommendation from Spencer, the principal conductor of the London Symphony, might be true. He thought that no one would catch his eye. What on earth was this feeling? He couldn't believe it, but he was probably jealous of the little boy.
"I think he's staying at the Lincoln Hotel."
William jumped up from his seat after hearing the manager's answer. Judging from his expression, it looked like he was going to run at any moment.
*
-Why do you do music?
The words of Russian master Alexei kept lingering in my head. I was not happy at all even though I was in the top 24. Rather, I felt a sense of discomfort all over my body, as if I was stuck in mud. The reason I do music was because I had never thought about it before. No matter what, I applied because I was exempted from military service. It was something I couldn't do.
The breathing and gaze of the violinist sitting in the waiting room flashed through my mind. I couldn't even imagine how much effort they had put into playing the violin in Brussels. Compared to them, I was really desperate.
I asked myself, but of course I couldn't get an answer.
What is clear is that whenever I play the violin, my heart beats without mercy. It felt as if the strings and bow were leading my heart. I looked down at my small palm. It didn't look so bad, as my fingertips were becoming blunt and calluses were gradually forming.
That's why I do music.
Suddenly, I remembered my past life. I only looked at the immediate benefits.
Damn!
In this way, it was no different from my past life.
"Violinist Hyun."
At that moment, Chinese master Deng Lun walked toward me. He must have seen me sitting alone on a park bench in front of the hotel. I stood up politely and greeted him.
"You look like you have a lot on your mind?"
"Maestro. I'm sorry about that time, I was rude."
"No. It was our first time meeting, and we seemed to be showing too much interest. I completely understand."
Deng Lun smiled like a kind grandfather. We looked at the bushes in silence. The swaying wind made our hearts feel at peace. Deng Lun was the first to speak.
"I guess I won't be able to have a long conversation with Hyun since this is my seat. But don't worry too much. Like all musicians, violinists can express everything through melody."
Say everything in melody.
"by the way."
Deng Lun pretended to be quiet, looked around briefly, and then looked at me.
"Where are you going to go after the contest is over?"
What happens when the contest is over?
There was a time when I couldn't answer rashly a question I hadn't thought about.
Iron Fist.
Someone fell down in front of me. It seems like he didn't see the broken ground. Deng Lun and I turned our gazes to the man in front of us. It must have been quite painful because the sound he made when he fell was loud. The man covered his face with one hand in embarrassment and got up from his seat.
'That gentleman back then?'
It was a British gentleman who appeared with a double nosebleed.