Chapter 8

At first, I thought it would be a foregone conclusion, but to my surprise, it was clear to everyone. I don't know where he suddenly came from, but Han Sejin did an overwhelmingly good job.

"Although I feel bad for Park Joo-won, the school also has to consider the results..."

She said this and glanced at the principal and vice-principal to gauge their reactions. She spoke this way because, given that Park Joo-won had been the initial choice, she wanted to understand the higher-ups' intentions.

However, the principal avoided answering. He didn't want to be the one to end this uncomfortable discussion just because he was the top person. After all, shouldn't decisions be made democratically, after sufficient discussion?

"Hmm. Well, I think our vice-principal knows better about this, don't you?"

The principal passed the buck to the vice-principal, who then subtly passed the speaking turn to the music teacher.

"Um, I think Mr. Kim knows better. So, does Ms. Kim Hyun-jung think Sejin did better?"

"Me? No, not really... Well, yes, but the truth is, I'm not very familiar with classical music..."

In fact, she knew nothing about it. She had only ended up teaching music by chance and had no real knowledge of the subject.

For a moment, she felt a bit embarrassed, but it was actually a relief to be able to play it off.

"But didn't you recommend Joo-won originally?"

"Ah, well..."

Ms. Kim Hyun-jung couldn't answer immediately. At the time, she hadn't really thought about it. She just didn't want things to get complicated because of a sudden student's intervention.

"At that time, I didn't know much about Sejin. Now, looking back, if we hadn't given him this opportunity..."

"So, Hyun-jung, you're for Sejin?"

"...Ah. If you're asking for my opinion... I think so."

Strangely, everyone spoke ambiguously, leaving their statements open-ended.

If the decision was to choose Han Sejin over Park Joo-won, they would have to explain to Park Joo-won's parents, who had already been promised the recommendation in a verbal agreement, which would be very difficult.

Thus, they all avoided making the decisive statement, not wanting to take on the responsibility.

Still, it seemed a conclusion had been reached, albeit a disappointing one for Park Joo-won's mother.

The principal was very uncomfortable. Knowing that Park Joo-won's parents had been very helpful to the school as part of the school council, it felt like a betrayal...

He had hoped that the teachers would conclude with Park Joo-won without him having to intervene, but they were really clueless.

Of course, even if Park Joo-won's mother was influential in the school council, she couldn't arbitrarily control such matters... But if things went wrong and she became consistently difficult, it would be a headache.

"Ha ha. Both of them did so well... This is really... Well, this is a very important opportunity for the students, and... Of course, it would be great if Sejin did well, but Joo-won has been preparing for a long time, and his parents are very eager..."

There it was. The principal's endless rambling.

"Of course, it would be great if both did well, Principal."

Fortunately, the art department head, known for his straightforwardness, quickly cut in.

"But since that's not possible, we have to choose one."

"Hmm, hmm... Well, the art department head..."

"I think Han Sejin..."

"Ah, it's getting late today. Everyone should go home."

"..."

The head, who was about to push for Han Sejin, closed his mouth at the principal's words.

"Alright, we still have time to decide, so let's have another meeting. We need to hear both sides. If we're going to write a recommendation, we need to meet with the student and have a discussion, hmm. Alright, everyone, go home."

The principal's decision was ultimately to "defer." He wanted to delay the situation and see how it played out.

It didn't seem like public opinion would change at the next meeting, but for now, his head was aching.

* * *

Seo Ji-yeon was not the type to watch Nertube videos.

She preferred text, which allowed her to quickly select and digest the necessary information, thinking that watching videos where the information could appear at any time was a waste of time.

The only Nertube videos she watched were performances by great masters.

Of course, the sound quality of high-definition recorded original DVDs was much better, but Nertube videos had the advantage of showing the actual performance.

So, as usual, she meticulously analyzed the performance of a master she liked, and just as she was about to turn off her computer, she noticed a video that caught her eye.

"5th grade?"

Maybe because it was the same grade as her, it caught her attention for no particular reason.

Come to think of it, there was a rumor circulating among the students.

There was a 5th grader who was incredibly good at the violin. He had only been playing for a short time, but he was so good that he completely dominated the last performance. He was even better than a 6th grader who was preparing for a specialized middle school.

Yes, she remembered. That 5th grader was competing with someone else for a recommendation to a gifted school.

Seo Ji-yeon had no interest in that gifted school.

As the granddaughter of a famous group, she was naturally affiliated with the Lee Sung Foundation's gifted school. There was no reason for her to go to an unknown institution like that.

But the topic was quite famous in the school. Seo Ji-yeon had heard about it, and she had even heard the Bruch played by a 6th grader a few times while passing by the audio-visual room.

And her impression was just, "It's Bruch."

"Playing Bruch in the upper elementary grades isn't really something to brag about..."

So, she hadn't really paid attention to the 5th grader, but since it caught her eye, she became curious and clicked on the video.

"This must be that kid."

She didn't know why this video was on Nertube, but it was probably someone who had uploaded it from the school website without permission. It was likely the work of someone who didn't understand concepts like copyright or portrait rights.

At first, she just thought, "This is really our school?"

But as the performance began, she widened her eyes and sat up straight.

"..."

A few stormy minutes passed.

...What, what did I just see?

All this time, she had been a frog in a well, secretly proud of her unmatched skills among her peers...

Just because they played the same piece, it didn't mean it was the same. Anyone could play a piece to some extent with practice, but not everyone could produce the sound of Sara Chang.

Moreover,

Is this just two months of practice?

"Lie."

It's unbelievable.

This was really an impossible situation.

If he had started at 3 or 4 and played at 7 or 8, it might have been understandable.

It was completely irrational.

Seo Ji-yeon, with her unique personality, could not tolerate the existence of something she didn't understand. She had to satisfy her curiosity.

For the first time, she became deeply interested in "Han Sejin," a person she had never paid attention to before.

She wanted to know more about Han Sejin and hear more of his music.

* * *

Meanwhile, the video's protagonist, Sejin, was also watching the same video.

"What is this...?"

He learned about the video from a classmate. He knew the teacher had posted it on the school website, but he didn't expect it to end up on Nertube.

Shocked, Sejin repeatedly watched the video of his performance, which was vividly captured.

"Embarrassing."

No matter how good the reaction was that day, and even though his special ability had kicked in, it was still a hastily prepared piece.

It had been years since he last played, and after the regression, he had only practiced for a few days.

So, the performance couldn't satisfy him.

Sejin felt like he was being sentenced to death as he scrolled through the comments. He knew they would be negative, but he couldn't help but be curious.

The video had a high number of views, probably due to being recommended in various places, and the comments were numerous.

- This kid is our school's crazy 5th grader.

- Wow, can a middle schooler do this? I'm in middle school and I struggle.

- A lot of middle schoolers play this, right?

- Real crazy. It's not about age, but how he played. Insane. This is real recognition.

- What's the name of this piece?

- Bruch.

- Bruch? Is Bruch the title?

- No, people just call it Bruch.

- It's the third movement of Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1.

- What, this is fake. It's edited.

- Really. The sound is dubbed. How can a middle schooler make that sound?

- Don't underestimate middle schoolers.

- Can't you tell from the background noise? How was this edited?

- Double stops, for real? Insane. Not a single note off.

- His expression is so serious. The kid is serious, which is cute.

- Looks like his parents make him practice 12 hours a day. Child abuse.

- Damn, that's over the top.

- He's good, but not that over. There are a truckload of gifted kids like this.

- Show me a truckload. Bring them here.

"...Hmm."

The reactions weren't bad. The problem was that her face was burning.

But how do I take this video down?

I want to delete it because it's embarrassing, but to request a deletion, I'd have to prove that I'm the person in the video...

If that's the case, the process would be more complicated. Since the angle doesn't show my face clearly, it might be better to just leave it.

Sejin decided to do just that. There were more important things to worry about than the video.

'When will the recommendation result come out?'

It's been a while, and there's still no news. They're just making things complicated with unnecessary interviews and stuff.

'Well, they'll make a decision by the deadline.'

Thinking this, Sejin decided to wait patiently. While waiting, he could watch the performance video and give himself feedback.

He didn't realize that this video would create a new situation.

* * *

It really took a long time.

It was a situation where anyone could see that Sejin should be chosen. So, it was unfair that the announcement was delayed, but the one who protested fiercely was Park Joo-won's parents.

Finally, the school couldn't delay the decision any longer.

"...So, we've decided on Sejin."

"Yes, I see."

Sejin's reaction was calm, even though the head teacher came to deliver the news with a very happy expression.

"Really, that's great, right!?"

"Yes, but I don't want to do it."

"...What?"

The head teacher, who was in charge of arts education, was quite taken aback by Sejin's declaration.

"I'll let it go to Park Joo-won."

"What? Why?"

Sejin just smiled without answering.

In fact, he could have told the school earlier, but he deliberately didn't. The situation was so pitiful.

If he had conveniently stepped aside while they were dragging their feet, they would have been relieved.

So, he wanted to wait until they made a difficult decision and then reject it in their faces.

"Really not doing it? Why suddenly?"

Just then, the phone rang.

Someone in the office answered it.

"Hello, this is XX Elementary School. ...What? Han-yeseong?"

The prodigy violinist had returned.