Chapter 37

037. It'll be fine

"Both of them?"

Pavel, who was on a speakerphone while enjoying the view of Moscow, let out a bewildered voice.

But Jin-gyu, who brought up the topic, also only let out a hollow laugh, as if it wasn't a joke.

"I've heard of cases where someone's competition results improved after changing their instrument, but this is the first time I've heard of someone entering with two different instruments."

- Me too. Actually, is that even possible?

"I don't know. But as far as I know, there are no specific restrictions. Well, it's only natural that there aren't any. The organizers probably never thought such a bold participant would appear in an international competition."

Pavel's laughter grew louder as he mulled over the absurd story. Soon, his head, which had been swaying from side to side, nodded up and down.

"But, that guy can do it. He can!"

- Was Seo-ho's violin performance that good?

"At least, I can't say his tone was at a certain level. It was just unique."

- Haha... I can't even imagine it, I'm so curious. Should I go to Korea? Oh, but don't the schedules for the two instruments overlap?

"The periods are the same. If such a situation arises, he'll have to choose one, but... it's unlikely that the time slots will overlap in a competition that spans several days."

- So, it's possible?

"That's the idea. But, the organizers might reject him for being too cocky."

It was a plausible story.

There would probably be more people who viewed the unprecedented participant unfavorably than those who saw it positively.

"But I don't want to advise him to choose just one."

- I feel the same way. That's why I called you, Maestro. If it's possible, I want to see such a participant.

Pavel, nodding in agreement, turned his gaze away from the window.

He then spun his chair around and picked up his phone.

"You were going to write the recommendation letter, right?"

- Yes.

"I'll write it instead."

And he said with a cheerful laugh,

"Then at least, they won't reject him just because he applied for both categories."

#

Jin-gyu was puzzled for a moment upon hearing that Pavel would write the recommendation letter,

but then he was enveloped by a strange sense of anticipation upon hearing that it might be possible to apply for both.

I didn't think it would be possible, but it is.

After the 'Night of Sponsorship' event by the SJ Cultural Foundation, my enthusiasm for music began to boil again after a long time.

Before starting serious practice, I checked my current status.

I wanted to see how my piano and violin skills were.

For the piano, I needed to restart the neglected piece practice due to my obsession with composition.

I decided to go over etudes and sonatas until the competition schedule was announced and the pieces were chosen.

It wouldn't take long to get back to the level I was at when I was learning from Professor Yun.

The challenge would be to surpass that.

For the violin, it was equally urgent.

Since I had already brought my tone to the desired level, I decided to focus more on technique.

Should I practice the Caprices (Paganini's collection of violin techniques)?

Still, it was vacation, so I could increase my practice time without breaking my routine.

Except for the occasional visits to Professor Yun, I would go to work with my father in the morning and return home with him, spending over 12 hours a day in the studio.

And so, the days passed one by one.

Prestissimo──!

(Very fast)

...My fingers raced across the keys.

I started with a Scarbo performance to warm up before practice.

Scarbo, a piece by Ravel, is one of the three most difficult piano pieces, depicting a small goblin solely through the piano.

The relentless tremolos that followed!

Repeating the tense melody to portray the goblin spinning around,

and expressing the moment it suddenly disappears and reappears.

My fingers moved bizarrely, defying the laws of inertia, like the goblin, racing towards the end of the night.

And.

──.

Finally, Scarbo disappeared with the night.

After the performance, I lifted my hands from the keys and picked up my phone, which had become lighter.

The phone had been vibrating throughout the performance, and sure enough, it was filled with New Year's greetings.

“...”

And.

A creepy feeling, as if the Scarbo that had been dancing on the keys was now attached to my back.

18 years old.

The New Year dawned, bringing the greatest trial to our family.

#

- The competition schedule is out.

I was slightly surprised by Jin-gyu's call.

"Already?"

- For major competitions, the announcements are made months in advance. The preliminary round starts in March with video auditions, and the video length must not exceed 30 minutes. If you pass, the main event will be held in Moscow in June, as you know.

"It feels like there's not much time left when you put it that way."

- That's true. Others prepare for years, but you have to do it in a few months.

Then he assigned me homework.

- From now on, practice pieces that fit the required length and send me videos occasionally. Your expressiveness and originality are so good that it's funny, but the Russians like certain techniques and emotions. I'll check those for you...

I thought he might come to Korea to see me, so I persuaded him to spend his remaining vacation with his family. In the end, we agreed that I would send him videos occasionally.

Actually, it's not just Jin-gyu.

Professor Yun also frequently calls me to the Arts Center for check-ups. Today, I went and played five Chopin etudes in a row.

After getting off the bus and heading to the company, I marked the schedule on my phone calendar.

Then, as part of my daily routine, I naturally checked SoundCloud.

The total views had jumped to the hundreds.

Of course, with over 20 tracks, it wasn't a great achievement, as each track had only 20-30 views. But since I knew classical music wasn't widely listened to, I wasn't too disappointed.

What made me feel good was that the number of likes, represented by hearts, almost matched the views.

Most people who listened must have liked it.

With a smile, I entered the company.

But it didn't take long for my smile to fade.

You know those days. The moment you step into your house, you instinctively know, "Oh, the exam results are here."

That's exactly how I feel now.

As soon as I passed through the automatic doors, I saw the office.

The employees were sitting with unusually calm expressions.

Especially, Team Leader Park Jae-hoon and Director Kim Yun-ju looked like they were about to sink.

And the sighs that seemed to penetrate the walls,

"Haahhh...!"

"How can you use your own money as collateral so recklessly...!"

A sharp voice.

I quickly opened the office door.

"I'm here."

Director Kim Yun-ju, who had paused, tried to manage her expression.

"Oh, Seo-ho, you're here?"

But it didn't work. Her face, which looked like steam was about to come out of her head, remained the same.

I glanced at my father's desk and asked Team Leader Park Jae-hoon.

"Where's Dad?"

"Huh? Oh, the CEO is talking to a client in the main recording studio."

At the mention of a client, some employees let out a sigh.

I asked,

"Who's the client?"

"Who...? Oh, you asked about it before. Why are there two CEOs in the company? The Kim CEO... sir. He's here."

"Why?"

"Why? Well, I don't know."

His eyes wandered, and he scratched his cheek.

Pretending not to know made him look even more suspicious.

Considering what I heard on the way in and his reaction now,

It's clear.

I turned my head to look at the recording studio.

I thought it would happen soon, but...

It's...

Today.

#

...Since the company set up a studio, I've been talking to employees whenever I had the chance to gather information.

One of the reasons I welcomed the studio was to get this information.

As a high school student, I had no idea why the company went bankrupt before the regression.

But being inside the company, finding out the reason wasn't as hard as I thought.

There was only one strange thing about the otherwise smoothly running company.

Having two CEOs.

But one of them, whom I saw every day after school, I had never seen before.

At this point, it seemed he wasn't just an investor.

After confirming that most of the company's money belonged to Kim CEO, I was certain.

Kim CEO was the problem!

He was going around trying to get investments for a movie, but whether he was scammed or the movie failed, it would drag the company down.

So, with the funeral-like atmosphere and the appearance of Kim CEO,

It was inevitable that things would come to a head.

I paced the break room for a long time, unable to enter the studio.

I had anticipated this, and I had a plan, but now that it was happening, my lips were dry.

What are they talking about right now?

Even if Team Leader Park Jae-hoon and Director Kim Yun-ju are like this, if the employees are also showing such expressions, it must be a serious problem...

'Is Dad okay?'

I was thinking about going in to greet Kim CEO, pretending I didn't know, when the door finally opened.

Only one person came out.

He bowed his head deeply, looking haggard, and stared at the floor.

He glanced at me, then resumed his dazed expression and shuffled down the hallway.

Instantly, I remembered the expressions of my father and mother from the past, and a surge of anger rose in me. I wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him.

At that moment, I heard Team Leader Park Jae-hoon's angry voice.

"What have you been doing?"

"That... I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

"No, it's not about being sorry. The money is all gone. How can this be...!"

Ignoring the rising voices, I went straight into the recording studio.

Father, who was sitting in front of the mixer, was about to sigh deeply when...

He saw me and let out a forced laugh.

"You're here."

"Yes."

Father, who was pretending to be busy, asked,

"Have you eaten?"

"I ate with Professor Yun."

"Good."

I pulled a chair and sat down, looking at Father, who was fidgeting.

His forced smile was exactly the same as before the regression, at this time.

His eyes, trying to act as if nothing was wrong, were awkward and sad.

So, I didn't ask what happened.

I didn't ask if he was okay.

Instead, I looked at Father and said one thing before leaving the recording studio.

"Dad, it'll be fine."

#

I went straight to the studio.

Feeling a mix of emotions—frustration, anger, and sadness—I picked up my backpack.

I unzipped it and approached the piano chair.

Then, I pulled out all the sheet music stacked inside the chair.

Not for SoundCloud,

but for pieces that met my standards.

Pieces that could be refined and transformed into something better.

There were more than I could hold in one hand.

...I looked down for a moment,

then pushed them all into the bag.