Chapter 43 of 100

Chapter 43

9 min read2,159 words

043. Spotlight

...

The metronome stopped.

I lifted my fingers from the deeply pressed keys.

I took off the headphones and turned my head to look at the musicians.

The musicians also let out a deep breath.

And as if the lingering resonance was still attached to the strings, they very slowly lifted their bows.

It was the first time we had played this concerto together.

As soon as the recording ended, cellist Kim Young-tae took off his headphones and rotated his wrists.

"Wow, I haven't played like this, so absorbed in the accompaniment without the melody, in a long time."

Violist Lee So-hyun laughed and chimed in.

"It could pass as a standalone piece. No, it's not just passable; it's amazing!"

Kang Joon-seo silently gave a thumbs up.

Various reactions.

Behind them, the excitement of musicians was palpable,

and such reactions always felt good.

It meant my piece had made a strong impression.

At that moment, Shin Su-ah, who had nodded quietly instead of reacting intensely, looked at me and asked.

"But wouldn't it be too much for the vocalist to handle with such a grand arrangement?"

A smile formed on my face.

Indeed, Shin Su-ah.

There's a reason why it feels good when someone else ponders the same things I do.

Fortunately, I could answer because the casting confirmation news was being released to the media.

"Actor Han Se-kyung's vocal ability is more than enough to pull it off."

Her lips parted in surprise.

Seeing her startled expression, I suddenly wondered again why she had looked at me with such surprise earlier.

I was about to ask, but the timing was lost due to the arrival of a delivery.

Anyway.

"Han Se-kyung!?"

The recording booth was once again filled with intense reactions.

Especially Lee So-hyun was moved, saying, "To think Han Se-kyung's voice will be added to this piece!" She had seen her musicals several times.

"I have to brag a bit."

Kim Young-tae, who had worked on small-scale musical sessions, also added with a new sense of emotion.

This was a glimpse into the status of Han Se-kyung among musicians.

Then, my father pressed the talkback button and said,

-Now, let's have the composer give feedback.

I turned to look at my father.

He smiled when our eyes met.

'How did you know I had something to say?'

Usually, we would play the music along with the video, observe the overall flow, and give feedback, but it wasn't necessary this time.

Since the film was still in pre-production, there was no video, and we planned to play the recorded pieces on set for the actors to sing.

Like in the musical film *Les Misérables*.

I smiled awkwardly and looked at the musicians again.

Thanks to my father setting the stage, everyone was looking at me.

"Hmm. First of all, you played exactly as I envisioned. If I may add a bit more... "

I asked the violist to be careful of the slight scratches caused by holding the bow too wide, and told the cellist to make the sound more intimate.

And finally, to the first violinist, Shin Su-ah...

"Su-ah, from measure 26, can you play with a thin and delicate sound, and from measure 27, can you make it more damped, like the heavy and rough sound in 'The Boy Who Became a Wolf'?"

A request I could make because she could produce a variety of tones like different colors.

Shin Su-ah nodded.

Not coldly.

"Uh, I remember. It's possible."

Ha ha.

To be able to recall and play a memory from over half a year ago.

It was like when Mozart remembered the entire sound of 'Miserere' after hearing it once.

So, even I couldn't help but be slightly impressed.

I nodded and turned my head.

I gave a signal to my father through the glass and said,

"Then, let's try it again as we just discussed."

I looked at the score and prepared to play.

Allegro. A minor. Measure...

I put on the headphones and listened to the metronome.

Waiting for time to slow down.

Tick.

Tick... tick... tick...

...

Tick...

──!

The recording of the agreed-upon amount was complete.

We would need a few more days of recording, but everyone left the company with a satisfied look.

I followed them out to see them off, saying goodbye and promising to see them tomorrow. As Shin Su-ah was about to leave, she paused and turned around.

"I have one question."

"Yes."

Nodding readily, Shin Su-ah hesitated for a moment before asking.

"About... the competition. Is it okay now?"

I tilted my head in confusion.

But then I recalled what I had said.

"Oh, you mean when I said the atmosphere was tough?"

"Uh, yeah. That."

I had mentioned it casually as a personal matter, but she remembered it. She must have been worried about me... but of course not.

Was it just that she had a good memory?

...Anyway, since she asked, I had to answer.

"I'm not sure."

"Really?"

Responding to her question, I said calmly.

"I'm not sure if it's okay."

Then, I thought of the performer who had changed my mind and smiled faintly. She had looked incredibly happy on stage.

"Instead, I became curious about that stage. So, I want to give it a try. I'll know once I get up there."

To see if there's something more than just competition.

"You won't know until you try."

Adding this, Shin Su-ah looked at me intently with her brown eyes.

This time, I didn't look away, and I saw it.

Her pupils were trembling.

Then, Shin Su-ah quickly averted her gaze and nodded slightly.

"Okay. Do your best."

Then, she turned and left.

That last look was quite familiar.

I'm not a psychic who can read emotions just by looking at people's eyes, but I recognized it because I had made the same expression.

The feeling I had when I saw healthy, moving people.

The feeling I had when I saw people making music freely.

'Envy.'

"..."

I stood there for a moment, watching her leave, then turned and went back into the company.

Anyway...

Am I one of the few people in the world who has received Shin Su-ah's encouragement?

A silly thought came to mind, and I smiled as I re-entered the company.

Meanwhile, in Moscow.

At the Rosconcert office.

An employee who had sent the normal application forms and videos to the preliminary judges a few weeks ago was clicking a pen and staring at the monitor screen.

How long had he been waiting?

A chime sounded, and a reply arrived.

It was the list of finalists selected by the judges.

He opened it quickly, as if welcoming a long-awaited guest, and read the names one by one, hoping to see the name he was waiting for.

[Yuri Ivanova]

[Sophia Bonade]

[Liu Yang]

[Samal Yesslamova]

...

After pressing the keys for a long time, the employee let out a short exclamation at the name he had been waiting for.

[Han Se-ho]

'He made it!'

He was also a musician who had graduated from the Glinka National Conservatory.

He had secretly checked the video and was amazed. The vague hope that the competition might see its first-ever dual-category applicant had turned into a real possibility.

"Ha ha..."

He smiled and felt his anticipation grow.

How surprised people would be if a participant who played two instruments made it to the finals in a competition where two-thirds of the participants fail to make it past the preliminary round, even after a lifetime of focusing on one instrument.

Like a journalist who had gotten a scoop on a celebrity scandal, the employee smiled slyly.

At that moment, a cold shadow appeared behind him.

"Hmm."

"Seems like you're shivering."

The shadow, motionless like a statue, was undoubtedly an official.

"Ah, it's a bit chilly, so I caught a cold."

"Chilly? I haven't heard that word in a long time. In this place, Moscow, where this level of cold is the norm."

"Ha ha..."

The employee laughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject.

"Ah! The list of finalists has arrived."

"Then you should compile it quickly."

"Y-Yes..."

The employee, at a loss for words, turned to the keyboard.

The official, standing like a specter in the back, slowly moved.

...Then, he suddenly stopped and asked.

"By the way."

"Y-Yes!"

"What happened to the applicant who received Pavel's recommendation?"

The employee, who had been frozen, finally relaxed and said.

"He's on the list."

"......Hmm."

A short laugh.

The emotions in it were very complex.

After over 20 years of overseeing the Tchaikovsky Competition in this department.

This situation must be both strange and familiar, complex and fresh.

Understanding this, the employee was asked another question as the official was about to leave.

"So, what's his name?"

The MRs for the five vocal pieces in the film *Soprano* were all recorded, and the remaining BGMs were scheduled to be completed by August, when the film shooting was expected to end.

Now, I had more time to focus solely on preparing for the competition.

I immediately returned to selecting pieces.

With three rounds, I chose music for each round and broke down the scores into very small parts for practice.

While everything was progressing smoothly, there was one thing that remained stagnant.

Sound Cloud.

The views on the tracks I uploaded stayed around 4,000 to 5,000. While the number of likes was similar to the views, it was disappointing that there were no new listeners.

'When you start, you get greedy.'

I sighed and entered the company.

In the studio, someone was already there.

"Brother, you came early?"

Kang Joon-seo looked at me and waved.

"Yeah. I had to talk to the CEO."

"About work?"

"More like a parent consultation."

"Eh?"

Kang Joon-seo, with a mischievous smile, teased.

"You passed the violin too?"

"Ah, yes."

"Such good news should have been shared immediately. I never imagined it was possible, so I thought you'd definitely fail... Ahem!"

"I'm sorry. I was so busy choosing the final pieces."

Feeling genuinely apologetic, I said, and Kang Joon-seo laughed, saying it was a joke.

"Anyway, you're amazing."

Kang Joon-seo whistled.

I laughed, used to his usual comments during lessons, but was taken aback by his sudden declaration.

"So, that's it. Lessons are over!"

"Huh? We're not doing anything today?"

"Yeah. Not just today, but from now on."

Kang Joon-seo was still smiling.

He continued cheerfully.

"There's nothing more to teach. I might just get in the way of your competition. How can I, who didn't even make it to the prelims, teach someone who's in the finals? Right? Focus on your practice. I'll support you. We'll all gather here for your first finals and crack open some cold beers."

Seeing Kang Joon-seo mimicking the act of opening a can, I was speechless.

Finally, the question that had been on my mind came out.

"Brother, have you never thought about a competition?"

Kang Joon-seo hesitated for a moment and said.

"I did! Competitions are... competitions! The dream stage for performers!"

Still with a smile on his face.

More animated than ever.

"But you know how hard it is to participate. You need a recommendation, the application fee is high, and if you go abroad, everything from accommodation to food costs money. You can't work during that time, and you need a lot of time to practice. Most importantly... can you achieve meaningful results that way?"

"..."

If he had simply said he wasn't interested.

If he had said it wasn't his kind of stage.

I wouldn't have felt anything.

But hearing those words, something in me, as Brinner, kicked in.

My chest felt tight. Quite severely.

Unaware of this.

"But, what can I do."

Kang Joon-seo chuckled and said sarcastically.

"Maybe Su-ah could."

...Is there anything I can do to help?

This thought suddenly took root.

Especially, I often thought about Kang Joon-seo and Shin Su-ah.

It might seem like meddling. And it might be.

But wasn't I originally that kind of person in my past life?

Feeling moved to help at a piano shop I had stopped by to avoid the rain.

Even now, with my musical aspirations being fulfilled, that tendency hasn't changed.

So, I kept thinking.

Is there anything I can do to help?

Time, however, passed relentlessly.

How ironic.

At crucial moments of performance, time moves slowly, yet each day passes so quickly.

Cherry blossoms bloomed and fell.

A carnation was hung in the living room.

The sky became increasingly overcast, and rainy days became more frequent.

Before I knew it,

the Tchaikovsky Competition finals were just around the corner.

Receiving unprecedented spotlight.