Chapter 7

7. Accelerando (Accelerating) -2

I was genuinely surprised to see two geniuses and one fool gathered in one place, but I was even more astonished by the person that Senior Jungseok, who had stepped out, brought back.

Ma Joo-hyuk, the Maestro

The current director of M Studio, who can play almost any instrument from the piano to the violin, cello, and flute, personally invited me to join M Studio.

I didn't want to miss this incredible opportunity, but my parents still didn't know that I wanted to play the piano.

When I confessed this fact in the director's office, where only Conductor Ma Joo-hyuk and Senior Jungseok were present, he said,

"Then, why don't you come here lightly, as if you're just visiting the practice room, until Student Seonghyun resolves the issue? And don't worry about the money; I'll take care of it."

To think that I could treat M Studio like a practice room...

Given the convenience he offered, it seemed wrong to refuse, so I nodded.

The next day, I immediately told my parents, who were gathered for dinner, everything.

That I had been preparing for the arts high school entrance exam on my own.

That I had visited M Studio.

And that I had even discussed the tuition with the principal.

At first, my parents' expressions were subtle, but they soon turned to surprise.

That night,

I finally managed to submit my application to Mihyang Arts High School officially.

***

Ding, ding!-

After effortlessly completing Chopin's 'Black Key,' I looked around the quiet practice room and smiled with joy.

It had been ten days since my first visit to M Studio, and the weather had turned cold.

The 'Black Key,' which required me to play at the fastest speed, pushing my fingers to the point of numbness, had become a warm-up piece as the blisters on my fingers had turned into thin calluses.

For ten whole days,

I had come to M Studio every day to practice the piano.

My body and arm muscles were gradually getting back into shape.

Although it was still far from my prime, it was starting to resemble the form of someone who had been playing the piano since childhood.

The experience of living in the practice room for four years while attending the arts college had helped me rebuild my body.

Knock, knock,

As I was enthusiastically massaging my arms to check my progress, the door to my individual practice room opened with a short knock.

"Are you not practicing? What are you doing?"

The person who peeked in with those words was Jeeun.

"Uh, my arms were a bit stiff, so I was massaging them."

When I received a look from the middle school girl as if I were a strange uncle, I flinched and blurted out an excuse.

I had received a cold stare after making a joke that wasn't really a joke two days ago, so I was more cautious.

It was a real trend in 2030, but...

"Don't do anything weird and come out now. You have a lesson with the director in 30 minutes."

"Already that much time has passed?"

I checked my smartphone in my pocket at Jeeun's words and quickly gathered my bag to leave the practice room.

My destination was the lesson room on the first floor.

The spacious room had rows of lecture-style chairs, and beyond the raised platform, seats for playing the piano and other instruments were prepared.

"Sit here."

"Where are you going?"

"It doesn't matter."

Jeeun, who seemed familiar with the place, put her bag on a chair and left through the front door.

She must have been familiar with the place because she received regular lessons from other professors at M Studio.

Besides her, Kim Minho and Park Eunho also received lessons from their respective professors.

I only received short guidance from Senior Jungseok, who occasionally showed up, and had no assigned teacher.

Well, with the 21 years of experience I had, it wasn't a big issue.

"Since we have over 20 minutes left, why don't you apply some heat?"

A voice suddenly came from behind.

Jeeun said this while handing me a towel wrapped around an ice pack.

"Did you go out to make this?"

"No, I just brought it along while coming and going."

Jeeun, who was taken aback by my sudden kindness, tried to play it cool.

Although she had been pouting every time we met since our first encounter, she still seemed to care for others.

"Didn't you take the last train home yesterday?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's so cold."

I applied the cold compress to various parts of my body with the towel she had prepared.

"When did you come to the studio?"

"Around 8 in the morning? The principal has been allowing me to skip school since the day before yesterday because the entrance exam is approaching."

"Then, you've been practicing until 11 PM for the past two days? You haven't been eating properly, have you?"

I had been solving the problem of bus fares and time by having only two meals a day, consisting of triangle rice cakes.

But how did she know?

Wasn't she jealous because I was close to Senior Jungseok?

"If you keep pushing yourself like this, you'll regret it on the day of the practical exam."

Jeeun said this with a serious expression, as if she were delivering a terrifying warning.

Although her young face didn't make her look particularly scary.

"Thanks for worrying about me."

"I'm not worried."

So, I smiled and said, and Jeeun made her face even more wrinkled in response.

Creak,

At that moment, the back door opened again, and Park Eunho entered.

He looked at Jeeun and me, who were sitting one seat apart, and then, meeting my eyes, he sat down on the opposite chair.

Soon, Maestro Ma Joo-hyuk and his student, Kim Minho, entered the lecture room, and today's entrance exam lesson began.

"At Mihyang Arts High School, which values the independence of students, not only feedback from teachers but also feedback among students is evaluated."

The director started by highlighting the most distinctive feature of Mihyang Arts High School.

At Mihyang Arts High School, it's not enough to just play well. You must also be able to listen to others' performances and provide appropriate feedback.

Actively reflecting peer feedback and senior-junior feedback in scores is one of the traditions of Mihyang Arts High School.

And the biggest reason I had been eliminated from Mihyang Arts High School was precisely this feedback.

How could someone who played the piano as a hobby analyze techniques and sheet music?

After that, Maestro Ma Joo-hyuk pointed out the characteristics of Mihyang Arts High School one by one.

Was he giving us the answer key?

The points he highlighted were more accurate and detailed than my own memories of Mihyang Arts High School. Although it was a very short hour, I had a very beneficial time.

The director and Kim Minho finished the lecture and left the room.

I was taking notes diligently to remember what I had just heard.

"Hey, the posture of the top student has become quite neat?"

"Huh? Senior Jungseok, sir!"

Senior Jungseok, who had apparently left, found me alone in the lecture room.

I was just finishing my notes.

The senior took me out to eat and, while having a conversation, suddenly said,

"Shall we try a different kind of lesson today?"

"A different kind of lesson?"

"Right. I heard you've been practicing in the practice room for over 12 hours every day recently."

"Well, actually, I've just been having fun."

I smiled and replied.

Yes, to be completely honest, I wasn't concerned about the entrance exam at all; I was just enjoying playing the piano.

"Right. I thought you would be like that. Hmm. But, Seonghyun, while practicing is good, don't you want to see how your rival practices?"

Senior Jungseok made a surprising suggestion.

"Really? Is that okay?"

Watching someone practice without permission is quite rude.

Let alone watching a rival practice.

Seeing my worried expression, Senior Jungseok got into the car in the parking lot and said,

"Yes, it's fine. Minho said he doesn't mind."

Kim Minho, who was mentioned right away.

I immediately understood.

'Right, someone like Minho wouldn't even care about someone like me.'

I nodded and got into the passenger seat of the senior's car.

"So, what do you want to eat?"

"Kimchi stew."

I answered almost simultaneously with the senior's question, and he laughed, saying, "Again?"

***

Jungseok was nodding his head to the dynamic rhythm as he watched Minho's lesson from the side.

Seonghyun, who had just finished dinner, was now watching Minho's night lesson.

The boy quietly entered the lesson room, closed his mouth, and sat far away so as not to disturb the performance.

He then looked at Kim Minho with bright eyes, which made him look like a fan watching a celebrity, which was quite amusing.

"Teacher Kim Jungseok, why are you observing the lesson today?"

A female teacher approached Jungseok and asked.

She was the lesson teacher who took over Minho's lessons when the director was absent.

"I'm curious to see how Seonghyun will react to Minho's performance."

"Oh, that boy? But, he really hasn't had any lessons before, right? Everyone was surprised. They said he plays like someone who has played the piano for a long time."

"I'm also curious about that. How can someone who only played as a hobby play like that?"

"Really."

The female teacher nodded in agreement with Jungseok and then sighed deeply while focusing on Minho's performance.

"By the way, I'm worried about our Minho."

"Huh? Worried about Minho?"

"Yes, he has a bad habit."

A bad habit, Jungseok tilted his head in confusion at the teacher's words.

But even after listening carefully, the performance was so perfect that he couldn't help but say, "Indeed, Kim Minho."

"The piano playing is clean, right?"

"No, teacher, look closely. Now, see?"

"Huh?"

Jungseok, though surprised, looked at Minho as the teacher suggested,

Then, a subtle but fatal flaw caught his eye.

"Because the boy has such long fingers, he tends to play using only his fingers even when he should be using his wrist."

The wrist snap is a kind of weapon for pianists.

The performance itself was so perfect that there was nothing to criticize, but relying on his naturally long fingers to cover for the lack of wrist snap could slow his reaction when he encounters a piece that requires it in the future.

"I only noticed after watching him for two years, and he said the director has pointed it out a few times, but when he gets absorbed in the performance, the habit comes out."

"Hmm, that's true. It's a loss to insist on using only one weapon when you can use many."

"Right? What should we do?"

The female teacher and Jungseok pondered for a moment but couldn't come up with an immediate solution.

At that moment, Seonghyun, who had been silently observing Minho since entering the lesson room, caught their attention.

So, to refresh their thoughts, the female teacher and Jungseok turned to Seonghyun.

"So, Seonghyun, what do you think of Minho's lesson?"

"Hmm."

Since this was the first time Seonghyun was talking about a performance, Jungseok asked the question without much expectation.

However, Seonghyun's face showed deep contemplation.

"It was perfect. The performance was perfect, but... the way he moved his body seemed a bit static. If he moved his wrist more, the performance might have been more comfortable, I think."

Seonghyun, with a very serious face, accurately pointed out the 'bad habit' of Minho that he and the female teacher had been discussing.

"Why? Why are you both so quiet?"

Seonghyun was visibly flustered by the shock on Jungseok and the female teacher's faces.

Ding-

Even Kim Minho, who had readily allowed Seonghyun to observe his lesson, stopped playing and looked at his hands and Seonghyun with surprise.

From the next day, Minho refused to let Seonghyun watch his lessons.

Time passed quickly, and finally, the day of the entrance exam in November arrived.

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