Chapter 34

034. The Next Step (1)

Pavel's amazement did not end there.

As the main performance began, his mind became even more cluttered.

'What piece is this?'

He focused all his attention on his ears, but he concluded that it was neither a famous piece nor an arrangement.

Then, could it be an unknown piece that he himself did not know?

While he could not rule out the possibility that there were pieces in the world of classical music that he did not know, it was still hard to believe.

'How could such a piece not be known?'

It was not just a matter of the piece being good, leading to irresponsible remarks like, "Why isn't a piece of this caliber known?"

The composition was intricate. At the same time, the melody was beautiful, and it showcased a great deal of technique.

In other words, it was not just a good piece but also educational, much like Chopin's Études and Paganini's Caprices.

It was as if the composer had created the piece for their own practice.

Such a piece could show many things, from expression to technique, making it perfect for competitions.

Thus, it was all the more strange that it was not known.

'Whose piece could this be? Giuseppe Cambini? George Enescu?'

Thinking of musicians who, while not particularly famous to the public, were no less than masters in violin and composition, Pavel kept asking himself.

...Meanwhile, the performer's technique was outstanding, and the tone was unique.

'Unbelievable!'

The piece, armed with all kinds of expressions and techniques, raced toward its end.

The form was so clean that it was easy to notice.

Pavel was prepared and stood up as soon as the piece ended.

He did not even notice the bewildered looks of the manager and interpreter as he stepped out through the side door.

Thud.

The hall, momentarily enveloped in silence due to the shock of the performance, was now filled with applause.

Regardless, Pavel had found his path.

'Where to from here...?'

The child must have gone to the green room, having entered the backstage.

He hurried along, barely making sense of the unfamiliar characters.

At the end of the strange corridor, he could see the familiar silhouette of the child.

"Th... That!"

Pavel called out to the child.

The face of the child who turned around was definitely the one who had performed on stage, but he was at a loss for words.

'He doesn't know Russian!'

Pavel, seeing the child's lips curl up as if recognizing him, finally spoke. Maybe the child knew English?

"Do you know English?"

The child tilted his head and stared at him intently.

Oh, maybe he doesn't know English either?

Feeling sorry, he was about to call the manager when the child spoke.

"Do you know German?"

Pavel's head snapped up.

#

The German that came out of my mouth surprised Pavel for a moment.

Since we couldn't continue the conversation in the corridor, we moved to the green room.

He looked to be in his late forties, with blonde hair and eyes as bright and blue as the sky.

He was the complete opposite of the burly Russian men one might imagine, and he was looking at me with great interest.

"How did you know I can speak German?"

To his question, I answered honestly.

"I heard a German accent in your English, so I thought I'd give it a try."

I asked because I was more comfortable with German, even though I could speak English. It turned out to be the right guess.

Pavel nodded in understanding, muttering, "I learned German and English together during my studies in Germany..."

"That's a bit surprising."

According to Professor Yun, Russians have a great pride in classical music and rarely go to Europe for studies.

I looked at Pavel with interest, and he asked me.

"But your pronunciation... Have you studied in Germany?"

"No, I learned it here."

"But it's very natural. It sounds like you're talking to a German friend."

Amused, I laughed. There wasn't much to say to that. Haha.

Then, Pavel, with a serious face, said,

"Today, it was truly the best performance I've ever heard."

His German was full of emphasis, as if he wanted to convey how sincere he was.

"Thank you."

"It's not just flattery. I might even tell my grandson about today's performance someday."

"I'd rather you didn't. You should consider his feelings too."

Pavel burst out laughing.

Still, I was glad to hear that.

My piece and performance had been recognized by Pavel, a young maestro.

I still opposed telling his grandson, though.

"Anyway, I have a lot of questions for you. Do you have a moment?"

"Of course. But, the conductor's time..."

"If I say I have constipation, who would say anything?"

Pavel chuckled and immediately added a question.

"Today's performance. How did you produce that incredible tone? The rough and rugged tone throughout the performance was clearly the sound of the Guarneri, but..."

His gaze swept around me, as if looking for the violin. Unfortunately, it wasn't here. A staff member had taken it as soon as I returned to the backstage, wrapping it up like a precious treasure. Tsk.

"That tone, which even chilled my body, was something I had never heard before in my life."

It reminded me of how I felt when I first heard Paganini's perfected tone.

That realization made my heart race.

I, who had only listened quietly, had played that tone for someone!

"I had help."

"Was it your teacher?"

"Something like that."

And also a close friend.

Swallowing the last words, Pavel asked,

"Then, did you also compose the violin solo piece...?"

"Ah, I composed it."

Shaking my head, I answered, and Pavel looked incredulous.

"......A violinist, and already composing?"

Actually, it was the other way around.

I started the violin to compose.

"Today, I was a violinist, but usually, I try to do as many things as possible."

Smiling, I said, and Pavel's interest deepened.

For a moment, his words stopped.

I had a question too, so I spoke up.

"I have a question too."

"Yes, go ahead."

"Im Jin-gyu, the pianist, said he would give me a date, but I haven't heard from him yet. I heard he's busy, but I have something to do this Saturday. How about Sunday?"

"What...?"

Time seemed to stop for a moment. If his sky-blue eyes hadn't remained steady, I might have doubted it.

Then, his expression suddenly changed.

At that moment, I realized.

He doesn't know me.

'I thought he knew and came looking for me...'

Meanwhile, Pavel was rummaging through his phone.

Finally, he looked up and asked me.

"Are you Han Seo-ho? The one who played an unknown but amazing piece, Chopin's Waltz, and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto in the movie?"

"If you're talking about Yunzart, that's me."

"......"

Pavel closed his mouth, which had been open.

He stared at me for a long time without moving.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable under his gaze, I laughed awkwardly, and he finally spoke.

And what came out of his mouth was...

completely unexpected.

"Seo-ho. Do you have any plans to come to Russia?"

...Suddenly?

#

-You can play the violin too? How did you play it...!

Im Jin-gyu's voice was so dramatic that I could almost picture his expression through the phone.

"Yes, I just wanted to help with the composition a little..."

-A little? The conductor was in a frenzy, and you call that a little?

"......A lot. Haha."

-What do you mean? And you can speak German too. What can't you do?

"Ah, I really can't speak Russian."

I said it playfully, but it was true.

Even with all the cultural education, it didn't help.

There must be a significant difference in the pronunciation organs, as not only I but most Germans struggle with Russian.

Im Jin-gyu, who found it absurd that I couldn't do something, rolled his eyes a few more times before changing the subject.

-So, you set up a meeting with the conductor?

"Yes, he said he would adjust his schedule and come on Sunday."

-That's shocking too. I've never seen the conductor adjust his schedule for anyone except his brother. How did you play...?

We were back to square one.

Feeling the conversation might go in circles, I laughed and asked,

"Is the pianist resting well?"

-Of course! Thanks to you, I'm on vacation, but my boss keeps calling. What do you think?

"Terrible."

-Pfft, what do you know.

"Still, now that we've exchanged contact information, you can rest well."

-Yeah, you should... Oh, by the way, since we're on the topic, I have one more question.

Im Jin-gyu, who seemed to have thought of something, suddenly muttered some numbers. December, January, February... It sounded like he was counting dates.

I waited silently, and he said to himself, "It should be enough," before asking me,

-Do you have any plans to enter a competition?

#

Someone asked if I had any plans to go to Russia.

'You'll practice symphonies with the Beinoff Orchestra. If internal issues are resolved, you might even get to perform on stage. I'll take care of all the expenses.'

And someone else asked if I had any plans to enter a competition.

'The International Tchaikovsky Competition is next year, which happens every four years. I understand why you didn't participate in the Korean competition, but the international one is a different world. I'm sure it will inspire you a lot.'

...It was a question that was hard to answer immediately, and the other person knew it, so they let me think about it slowly.

But my mind was already a mess.

Even when I received a congratulatory call from Chairman Baek Han-gil at home,

And when I attended school the next day and listened to classes,

I kept thinking about those conversations.

I felt I could diagnose my state to some extent.

'I'm intrigued. Me.'

It felt like I had received a suggestion for a new direction among the many next steps I could take.

Just as I was about to delve deeper into my thoughts, I headed to a place other than my studio as soon as school ended.

There's one person I can trust and consult with.

"......Oh, you've been reading this for quite a while, haven't you?"

Entering the room and exchanging greetings, I pointed to one of the stacks of books on the desk.

Professor Yun turned his head to see what I was talking about and raised one corner of his mouth.

"Classical Music is Dead"

He said with a disapproving look.

"I was curious about what it said, but it's not easy to read."

"Isn't the cover enough to say you've read it?"

"If that's true, then I've read it all."

Professor Yun chuckled and asked me, as I naturally pulled a chair and sat down,

"So, what do you want to consult about?"

I told him in detail about receiving the request for the event stage from Chairman Baek Han-gil and meeting Maestro Pavel.

Professor Yun, who knew most of what had happened, sometimes showed a surprised expression and sometimes chuckled.

When I finished, Professor Yun's face seemed to brighten.

"You did well to accept the request from Vice President Baek Sun-hwa."

His sudden return to the past made me tilt my head.

He then said,

"Before you knew it, you've been doing a bit of classical music, haven't you?"

"Was this all part of your plan, Professor?"

I said with a pained expression, and Professor Yun chuckled softly.

I laughed along. Thanks to his plan, many musical things happened to me, and I changed a lot, and most importantly, I enjoyed it.

During this time, Professor Yun, with a seemingly thoughtful face, continued to ponder and then spoke.

"The Beinoff Orchestra is one of the best in Russia and the world. For the conductor to offer to practice with you is surely an incredible experience for you."

...It was about Pavel's offer.

"And I agree with Im Jin-gyu's opinion about the international competition. It's different from the junior competition I wanted you to enter. Look up some videos sometime. You'll feel something. It's not just a simple ranking competition."

...And it was about Im Jin-gyu's suggestion.

After giving his opinions on both, Professor Yun added one more thing.

"Most importantly, both are in Russia."

...There were many more conversations.

As if talking about music, we freely shared our thoughts, and I received advice to help me solidify my own thoughts rather than a conclusion.

When the large coffee I had brought was empty, and even the ice had melted,

Professor Yun asked me,

"How about it, have you sorted out your thoughts a bit?"

"Yes, to some extent. I need to think more before making a decision, though."

"Right. That's up to you. By the way..."

Smiling and nodding, I saw Professor Yun tapping his desk with his fingers.

"Let's see the performance that captivated Maestro Pavel."

"I don't have my violin right now."

Professor Yun snorted.

"This is the Arts Center. Come on."

#

After the performance with the borrowed violin,

In the office after the performer had left,

Professor Yun laughed hollowly at the lingering cold in the room.

"What an unbelievable kid."

He also sorted out his thoughts.

He decided not to make any judgments.

This kid was not the type for that.

Thinking he should have done this long ago, Professor Yun stood up.

Putting on the coat he had hung behind his chair, he suddenly looked at the stack of books on his desk.

He thought it would be nice to show Han Seo-ho's performance to the author of that book, a master of modern music.

Because the author would surely be ashamed of writing that book.

"......Nonsense."

Classical music was coming back to life more strongly than ever.

It was just that the world didn't know yet.

#

At the same time.

In the office of 'Monthly Audience' in Jung District, Seoul.

Journalist Choi Sung-ryeong, carrying something in her arms, quietly called out to the room's owner.

"Editor-in-chief~."

The editor-in-chief of Monthly Audience, who was opening the third bottle of a health tonic, greeted her with a dark look.

"Ah, Choi journalist. Did you finish organizing the Pavel interview?"

"Yes, I'm done. I sent it to the interpreter just in case."

Choi Sung-ryeong took out a stack of papers from her arms and placed them on the desk.

The editor-in-chief nodded and said,

"I'll check this and then look at it. Go ahead."

But Choi Sung-ryeong remained standing, and the editor-in-chief looked up again.

"What are you trying to say now?"

"Mom, I want to do some investigative reporting."

"Hey, you have work to do, and suddenly you want to do investigative reporting? No way. We're short-staffed."

"When have you ever seen me not do my work? And I found something interesting... Look at this."

Approaching the editor-in-chief, she took out a piece of paper from her arms.

Number 1 to 11. A list of song titles, composers, and arrangers.

The editor-in-chief, with a displeased look, lowered his sleepy gaze and tilted his head.

"Soundtrack?"

"Yes, the soundtrack for 'A Thousand Promises,' which was released about five years ago."

"Why this?"

"At that time, Soundfilm Studio handled the entire soundtrack for this movie, and I got this from their website. Look at track 5. The composers are Han Gi-jun and Han Seo-ho."

"Joint composition."

The editor-in-chief, who said this nonchalantly, received the next paper from Choi Sung-ryeong.

"And look at this. I got this information from someone I know. This Han Seo-ho kid apparently attended the Arts Center's gifted education program for about four years. And his name appears again in the soundtrack for 'The Boy Who Became a Wolf' this year."

The editor-in-chief slightly adjusted his posture. His indifferent expression had somewhat faded.

It was understandable, as the four pieces composed by this Han Seo-ho...

"Caused the biggest stir."

They were highly praised by the public for evoking scenes from the movie and received even better reviews in the music industry.

Of course, as is typical with film music, the composer did not become widely known.

Choi Sung-ryeong nodded.

"Right. And this."

"What's this? Ending credits?"

This time, she showed two photos of the movie's ending credits.

"The ending credits for Yunzart. The name Han Seo-ho appears twice here. Once for a stand-in and once for composition."

"Yunzart...?"

It was probably the most successful music film in Korean cinema.

It was also a given that it would win awards at the beginning of the year.

The music was obviously a crucial factor in the film's success.

Most people might have just thought the actors were great, but those in the music industry were amazed by the stand-ins.

There were many rumors that the student was from a university in Korea. Was that not the case?

The editor-in-chief looked at the photos alternately.

Then, he scanned the messy documents on his desk again.

It was an interesting story.

Until Choi Sung-ryeong's next words.

"But when I did the math, this kid... is 17 years old this year."

...It definitely became an interesting story.