Chapter 67

067. Briner (2)

It was the lunch hour at the monthly magazine office.

As befitting a classical music magazine, music was playing.

Reporter Choi Sung-ryeong, who had returned to her seat after eating, looked puzzled at her colleague.

“What, SoundCloud?”

Her colleague shrugged and said,

“There was a piece of music briefly introduced in Etude (a US classical music magazine), so I searched to see what it was. The composer only posted it here.”

“Huh? What classical piece did they post on SoundCloud? Does anyone even listen to it?”

Reporter Choi Sung-ryeong, who was curious, looked at her colleague's screen and was slightly surprised.

“Oh... quite a few views, huh?”

About 140,000 views.

Compared to other famous tracks on SoundCloud, it wasn't a huge number.

But given the nature of the classical genre, it was certainly not a small number.

“'Reflections on 88 Keys'... the composer is... Briner? If it's Briner...”

“Huh? Do you know who it is?”

After a long moment of contemplation, she smiled.

“I know the 18th-century figure. He was a German count.”

“...Do you want to give me a similar look?”

“Hmm. I don't know. It could be named after that person.”

“To use the name of an obscure 18th-century count?”

She sat back at her desk, looking at her colleague who was shaking her head, and continued,

“But if it was introduced in Etude, the piece must be good, right? Or did they just find it interesting because it was posted on SoundCloud?”

“It's not just good; they praised it highly. Highly.”

“Really? It sounds good even with a quick listen... I wonder what kind of high praise they gave. Can you send me the article link?”

She followed the link her colleague sent and read the article on the Etude magazine website.

[We often yearn for new classical music. Just as a vintage wine can sometimes feel heavy, and a refreshing champagne is desired.

However, creating new classical music is no easy task. Not only are composers few, but the cost of recording a single piece is often too high to be covered by album sales.

Therefore, many journalists at Etude are thirsty for new pieces. And we discovered an unexpected piece in an unexpected place, much like music scholars finding old masters' scores in ancient libraries.

This piece boldly reveals the theme of the piano's 'keys' from the very beginning.

Even the beautiful melodies are just one way to explain the theme. But even I didn't realize until now that the theme of this piece is the 'entire keyboard'...]

As she read the article and listened to the piece, Reporter Choi Sung-ryeong softly marveled.

Indeed, it seemed that the US Etude had a good reason to feature a piece from just SoundCloud.

“The piece is really good.”

“Right? It's not something we'd write an article about, but it feels good to discover so many good pieces.”

“So many?”

“The composer with the nickname Briner has posted over 60 pieces.”

With her mouth open, Reporter Choi Sung-ryeong quickly accessed SoundCloud on her laptop.

“Are the other pieces of the same quality?”

“From what I've heard, they all seem to be of that quality.”

“This person is crazy...”

As she scrolled down with her mouse wheel, her phone rang on her desk.

The screen displayed a familiar name.

“Hello? It's been a long time!”

-Indeed. How are you?

“I'm great! I'm a true journalist who recognized a genius and made a significant contribution to the magazine! Nothing has changed...”

She looked towards the editor's office and shouted as if for them to hear, but her voice trailed off.

“So, how's the movie soundtrack going?”

“I recently finished it.”

“Already? Time really flies... So, what are you up to these days?”

“I've been resting. I've been traveling with my mom, preparing for a recital, and doing interviews.”

“Really, you've been resting?”

-Haha...

This time, both of them let out a sigh of relief.

“And? Haven't you gotten a new movie project? I thought you'd get a lot of offers.”

-I'm getting a lot of offers, but I can't take them.

“Why?”

-I think I'll be preparing an album.

“Already? Hold on, hold on. Can you even tell me this?”

Reporter Choi Sung-ryeong, startled, asked.

Han Se-ho was calm.

-Yes. You can write an article about it.

“What kind of album? A Tchaikovsky album?”

Reporter Choi Sung-ryeong's guess was natural.

Thanks to the competition, Han Se-ho's representative pieces were Tchaikovsky's works.

So, it was natural to think that the record company would make an album of Tchaikovsky's pieces. In fact, many competition winners release their first albums this way.

But an unexpected answer came.

-No. My pieces.

“Huh? Your pieces?”

With a blank expression, trying to understand the situation, Reporter Choi Sung-ryeong suddenly exclaimed.

“...Your own compositions?!”

#

“I wanted to tell you first, as a close journalist.”

After hanging up, President Baek Han-gil chuckled.

“You mean the journalist who wrote your first article? The one who understands music well?”

“Yes, that's right.”

“Good. Telling you first won't affect the trend, but it will make the person who heard it feel good.”

He pulled his wheelchair closer and asked me,

“Are you selecting the pieces for the album well?”

“Yes, I've selected some, and I plan to go through them again with my father today.”

“Good thinking. I trust your composing skills, but the elements of an album are not just the pieces. Your father, who has been in the industry for a long time, will be a great help.”

That's why I asked my father to look through the pieces with me after work.

I sipped the remaining tea.

As I put down the empty cup, President Baek Han-gil, who had been looking out the window at the rain, said softly,

“Today, I feel like listening to Haydn's music.”

I also looked out the window.

The raindrops, not heavy enough to be a downpour but strong enough to be more than a drizzle, moved like nimble fingers.

“Shall I play a sonata?”

“Sure. How about No. 4? It's a piece that Haydn's younger brother often played in memory of his older brother. People don't know, but Haydn's younger brother was also an excellent musician.”

“Yes, he was a devout Catholic and composed many hymns.”

“Hmm, I tried to show off a bit by reading a book in this state, but I don't know anything. Anyway, I feel like listening to that today. Is it possible?”

“I'll try.”

I nodded casually and sat at the piano.

Wait. What was that feeling...?

President Baek Han-gil looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Do you have the score memorized?”

“No? I've never even seen the score.”

“Then, how do you plan to play it?”

To President Baek Han-gil's incredulous question, I recalled and answered lightly,

“Instead, I've heard it a lot.”

From his younger brother, Michael Haydn.

#

Late at night.

Listening to the rain still falling,

I entered my father's study and laid out the scores.

I plugged the USB, where I had stored the audio files, into my laptop and slowly went through the scores again.

‘Which pieces should I include in the album from these?’

At that moment, the door opened slightly.

My father, who had just finished showering, quietly entered and closed the door, careful not to wake my sleeping mother.

“Phew. Did you move everything?”

“Yes, here it is.”

I handed the headphones to my father, who approached.

He took them with a nostalgic expression.

“It's been a while. Do you remember? When we came back from our trip to Europe and played here with Dad?”

“The day I completed your piece?”

“Yes. That day. I often think that it was a good decision to leave my laptop with you and go out. It was the first time I recognized your musical talent.”

That day was special to me too.

It was the day I fully accepted Briner's existence and began to respond to his musical aspirations.

Seeing my father's satisfied expression, I smiled.

“Me too. That's when I first thought I wanted to make music.”

“At 12?”

“Yes.”

“Indeed, you are a prodigy.”

He chuckled and adjusted his posture.

He pulled up the headphones around his neck and said to me,

“Okay, let's listen.”

Anticipation filled my father's eyes as he looked at the laptop screen.

I placed the score of the first piece on the desk and played the music.

“...”

Naturally, I observed my father's expression.

It wasn't because I lacked confidence in the piece.

I was curious. I wanted to know what impression my carefully selected pieces would make on my father.

...The piece continued.

His lips slowly curved upward.

Finally, the first piece ended, and my father took off the headphones for a moment.

“I was speechless when you said the pieces on SoundCloud were B-level...”

He slowly read through the score and said,

“Now I understand. This is much better. Even though it's just a sketch without orchestration.”

“Really?”

I smiled, and my father shook his head, calling me a sly one.

He quickly picked up the next score.

“The music can't be interrupted. Let's listen to the next piece. The next one is...”

As he trailed off, he paused and stared at the title in the score.

Then, he smiled.

[Family]

...I think I had played about half of the pieces I had selected.

Even though they were just sketch versions without orchestration, the length of each piece was considerable, so a lot of time had passed.

My father, rubbing his chin in thought.

The rain had stopped, and the study was quiet as he took off the headphones.

“Let me give you my impression of the first half... The pieces are incredible. If a piece without proper orchestration can be this good, I can't even imagine what it would be like with all the instruments.”

He chuckled and shook his head, then continued in a business-like tone,

“But we can't put all these pieces on the album. How about this? There are a few pieces based on people around you. So, why not make that the concept of the album?”

“The concept of the album?”

“Yes. For example, selecting pieces under the category of 'Inspiration from People.'”

I slowly nodded.

Indeed, the pieces I had collected were a mixed bag. Each had a different theme, and listening to them all at once made it hard to focus.

So, as my father suggested, it would be easier to select pieces and the album's identity would be clearer.

“Good. Then, let's focus on such pieces for the rest of the selection.”

I spread out the remaining scores and picked out the ones that fit the criteria.

I handed the stack of selected scores to my father and picked out the corresponding pieces from the audio files.

As we organized the pieces in the right order for the category, my father asked curiously,

“Familie? Isn't that German for 'family' too?”

“...Yes, that's right.”

“But it's a completely different piece from the one titled 'Family'?”

I nodded slightly.

My father, looking at the score with curiosity, put on the headphones and said he would listen to it.

As the music played, a wry smile spread across his face.

If 'Family' represented Han Se-ho's happiness,

‘Familie’ represented Briner's longing.

The headphones dropped the melody into his ears.

And that small melody,

───.

Spread like a wave.