Chapter 32

032. Each One's (4)

─!

The string instruments, which had announced the climax of the piece with a collective sound, abruptly stopped with the most intense accent.

At that moment, Im Jin-gyu, who was playing right next to the conductor, lifted his right hand off the keys.

His left hand, now alone, slowly moved from a lower position.

The piano's arpeggios continued secretly.

The melody, like ripples, washed over the audience's feet. Gradually, the surface deepened, slowly filling the auditorium.

Like a huge wave of nostalgia, it did not overwhelm the listeners, but the audience was overwhelmed by the rising nostalgia.

And finally, the majestic orchestra rejoined.

──!

At the last moment of the piece,

the audience, drenched in the nostalgia created by Im Jin-gyu, stood up.

On a day approaching winter,

the last piano concerto of the Beinoff Symphony for the year came to a close.

······And, the next day.

Im Jin-gyu zipped up his luggage, which was about to burst.

Since the moment he started preparing for this regular concert, he had spent most of his time in Moscow, filling two large suitcases.

“Seems like I’ve got everything...”

He shook his hands, a slightly excited expression on his face.

With the endless performances finally over, he planned to spend some quality time with his family, who had settled in St. Petersburg.

He turned off the light in his room and stepped into the hallway.

His steps were light and relieved.

It had been a long time since he felt no regret at the end of a performance.

After many trials and errors, he finally managed to create his own cadenza.

Of course, even so, there was no way to bring back and achieve the unfulfilled dreams.

However, he could now focus on the present.

The competition is the dream stage for all performers, but it is not the only stage.

The path he must take as a performer is still endless and far from over.

*snort*.

Perhaps because of the most moving final performance, or maybe because he was about to take a long break, these sentimental thoughts were definitely making him feel excited.

He smiled slightly and headed to the practice room. Thanks to the foundation's consideration, it was just a stone's throw away.

*roll, roll* He dragged his suitcase, taking in the atmosphere of Moscow.

And he thought.

About the competition.

He had no lingering regrets, but he felt a sense of loss.

Not for himself, but for Han Se-ho.

As an acquaintance he met through a friend.

Or, as a fellow Korean.

He wanted to see the boy who created a wave with the keys perform on a world-class competition stage.

“I should have a serious talk with him someday.”

The boy is still young, and there is plenty of time.

······For now, let’s take a break.

Im Jin-gyu stopped by the practice room and knocked on Pavel's office.

When he heard the voice and opened the door, Pavel was there.

But...

‘Can this guy make such an expression?’

The man who always seemed playful and sometimes loose like a stretched rubber band was now wearing a rather strange face.

What, did he see something strange?

While harboring this rational suspicion, Pavel, who had been staring at Im Jin-gyu, said:

“I was just about to contact you.”

“What for?”

“I have a question.”

Pavel, scratching his head for a moment, asked:

“Are you still in touch with that kid?”

“Which kid? Who?”

“The kid you saw in Korea, who played the piano concerto as a movie stand-in.”

Only then did Im Jin-gyu realize it was about Han Se-ho and nodded.

When he looked at Pavel with a questioning gaze, Pavel said:

“I saw the movie you told me about.”

“Yuncharter?”

“Yun... Is that how you pronounce it? Anyway.”

Pavel continued as if it didn’t matter.

“...To be honest, when I first heard about it from you, it was interesting but not memorable. But after that, your performances started to change dramatically. And eventually, you created a very successful performance. So, my interest was rekindled.”

“So that’s why you asked me last time?”

Im Jin-gyu remembered when Pavel suddenly asked what movie he had appeared in.

Pavel chuckled.

“Now that the long performance is over, I usually don’t like music movies because I can’t get into them, but I watched it out of curiosity.”

“What did you think?”

“...”

Pavel closed his mouth. After a long moment of contemplation, he spoke again.

“My brother is going to Korea for a while for an event organized by the cooperative foundation...”

Im Jin-gyu was taken aback by the sudden and irrelevant question, but Pavel continued:

“If I go instead, can I see this kid?”

“...”

Faced with Pavel’s intense gaze, Im Jin-gyu was momentarily flustered but soon decided to ask the kid’s opinion. He took out his phone and headed to the practice room.

“What time is it there...”

Thinking it was probably okay, he made the call.

While listening to the ringing, Im Jin-gyu was inwardly amazed.

Is it that impressive?

He knew it was indeed impressive and that it would be interesting for anyone, not just Pavel, as a musician.

But to ask to meet right away, and from no one other than Maestro Pavel!

At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind.

People see what they know.

So, he saw what he knew, feeling the wave in Han Se-ho’s performance.

“...”

He suddenly wondered.

Then, what did Pavel see?

The prodigy who is building an astonishing career as the youngest symphony conductor.

What did he see in Han Se-ho?

#

*Huff*.

Before he knew it, his breath was visible.

The dried, twisted leaves crunched underfoot, and the air was so cool it could penetrate even a decent coat.

It would probably snow soon.

-...So, he said he really wants to see you. What do you think?

He nodded in response to the proposal coming from the other end of the phone.

“I’m fine with it.”

Though he is still young and not yet called a master, the Russian prodigy conductor is already at the level of a master in terms of skill.

There was no reason to refuse the opportunity to meet a world-renowned conductor, even in the classical music desert of Korea.

...Suddenly deciding to come and meet, it reminds me of Haydn. Will we be able to have many conversations like we did back then?

-Haha, you really are something. If it were me, I’d be nervous, but you answered without any hesitation.

“I don’t think he wants to see me to scold me.”

-Right, not at all. Probably the opposite.

Im Jin-gyu chuckled and quickened his pace.

-I’ll pass that on. The conductor will probably have a tight schedule when he arrives in Korea, so we’ll need to coordinate the time. I’ll contact you as soon as it’s set.

“Sure, have a good time with your family.”

*Chuckle* *Chuckle*, mature kid. Thanks.

He ended the call and headed to the studio. Light was already seeping out, indicating that Kang Jun-seo was already inside.

“Bro, I’m a bit late...”

*Click*.

“...Is that so?”

It would have been fine even if he had been later.

Kang Jun-seo was currently busy taking photos with a Steinway piano.

“You’re here?”

A strained voice came from him.

He was bending over, trying to figure out how to get his face and the piano in the same shot.

“...Do you want me to take the photos?”

“Oh, would you?”

Im Jin-gyu chuckled and took the phone, taking a few shots.

He was worried the photos wouldn’t be good because his aesthetic sense wasn’t great.

“Hey, they’re not bad.”

Really? I don’t think they’re that good.

...I underestimated him. His aesthetic sense might be even worse than mine.

It seems he just wanted both to be in the photo.

Kang Jun-seo sat down, satisfied.

“Alright, let’s start the lesson. First, let’s check the homework.”

I took out my violin.

Kang Jun-seo, who only took out the bow from his violin case, held it like a baton and started counting the beats.

“...”

I watched the bow end spinning, and when I was fully in sync with the beat, I started playing.

*Zing*.

A beautiful melody resonated, with only one string vibrating finely, resonating with the body of the violin.

The Aria on the G string, more famous as a violin solo than the original orchestral piece.

Since the technique isn’t particularly difficult, I focused on the tone.

This piece was suitable for that.

Although it was created in the Baroque era, it has a strong Romantic tendency rather than speaking about the era’s twists and turns.

While playing the beautiful melody, I recalled the goal I had set for myself.

With a clear goal, I could clearly see where my skills stood.

Not bad, but still lacking.

‘Especially the tone...’

When the regretful performance ended,

Kang Jun-seo, who had been counting the beats with his bow and enjoying the performance, opened his eyes and looked at me.

He alternated his gaze between his violin and mine, then chuckled.

“This makes me feel bad for my violin.”

Kang Jun-seo laughed openly.

Whether it was because he had nothing more to teach or because he still felt regretful seeing my expression, which seemed to still be unsatisfied despite all his teachings.

Anyway, it left a bitter taste.

...What was clear was that the lesson was coming to an end.

#

After the lesson with Kang Jun-seo ended,

I returned to the studio and took out the solo piece score.

I placed the violin on my shoulder, resting it on the piano stand.

I lifted the bow and made a sound.

The first note, A-flat.

I focused on the sound, the pressure on the string, the angle of the bow, and the subtle changes in my posture and height.

At this angle, with this bowing, what kind of sound would come out?

With this experience, I gradually approached a good sound.

I persistently played one note, trying to achieve the tone I wanted.

When I felt “This is not bad,” I moved on to the next note.

It took about 30 minutes to play four measures.

I went back to the beginning and played the four measures in one go, then moved on to the next measure.

Endlessly repeating until I achieved the desired sound,

a practice method that might seem obsessive.

But with a clear goal, the only way to reach it was through practice.

My fingers were numb from the long practice, but I didn’t mind.

Compared to the pain I remembered, this was nothing.

Besides, instead of a scream, I was producing a decent sound.

A sense of satisfaction welled up, separate from the desire to do better.

To me, this felt like a dream.

But, that’s a different matter.

On stage, just producing a sound is not enough.

I wanted to present my compositions in the best performance to the audience.

And for me, the best was,

Niccolò Paganini.

#

As President Baek Han-gil entered the building lobby, the representative of the SJ Cultural Foundation approached with quick steps.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Is the event preparation going well?”

“Of course.”

President Baek Han-gil, smiling, asked the Park Director, who was standing behind him.

“By the way, where is Se-ho?”

“He said he went in for a rehearsal a while ago.”

“I should go see.”

President Baek Han-gil moved his wheelchair.

Park Director and the foundation representative followed behind.

“By the way, President, didn’t you say that Han Se-ho originally played the piano?”

“That’s right.”

“But, why the violin...”

“He said he wants to play the violin today.”

“...What?”

The foundation representative, taken aback, made President Baek Han-gil chuckle.

Piano and violin.

They are probably the two most commonly learned instruments in childhood.

And many children learn both. Especially those in gifted education.

But eventually, they focus on one within a few years. It’s hard to master even one instrument, and trying to catch two rabbits often results in losing both.

‘But suddenly wanting to play the violin instead of the piano...’

President Baek Han-gil chuckled.

He would let him perform on stage if his piano skills were even half decent.

But if it was a mess, he would tell him to stop talking nonsense and sit at the piano.

Meanwhile, they arrived at the concert hall in the foundation building. Park Director quickly opened the door.

The violin sound that slipped through the gap made President Baek Han-gil flinch, and he quickly moved his fingers.

The large wheels of the wheelchair rolled into the hall.

On stage.

Han Se-ho, holding the violin, came into view.

The bow in his hand slowly dragged across the strings.

At the same time.

...A sound that chilled to the bone began to resonate.