Chapter 69

069. Briner (4)

It was an old memory.

A history that has been recorded to this day.

The tragedy of those caught in that turmoil was heartbreaking.

The once-great Holy Roman Empire, which was called an 'Empire,' fell helplessly, and countless people died.

The bullets fired by the revolutionaries did not discriminate by class.

Even Austria and Prussia, which dominated the region, collapsed, and Britain, sensing the severity, sealed off the sea routes. Naturally, any news of my parents became impossible to hear.

Only after the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved could I finally set foot on my hometown soil.

My mother ran out to greet me when I finally returned home.

That day.

For the first time in a long while,

I felt a pain that even music couldn't soothe.

...

I vomited out the memories that filled my mind.

But the emotions still lingered, rippling within me.

“Sigh...”

A sigh naturally escaped my lips.

I looked down at the sheet music that had been swept by the pencil. The melody had been refined, and the arrangement had become cleaner.

Usually, after refining the melody, the branches of thought would diverge like brainstorming, and the places where various instruments could join in would come to mind.

That's how I filled the density of the piece.

Actually, that was the arrangement.

But today, it didn't seem necessary at all.

I was worried that other instruments might cover up this longing, or that other melodies might distort this sadness.

Would this be enough?

One melody, one instrument—would it be enough?

At least, that's what I thought about this piece.

But whether the audience would agree was another matter.

#

“Is it okay to go to the concert together the day after tomorrow?”

In response to my mother's question, I turned my head after looking at the beef display and swallowing my saliva while pushing the cart.

“It’s just for a short while, what’s the big deal.”

It would be a waste to say that the time spent shopping is precious, and I wouldn't be able to practice in peace. Especially these days.

My mother, who had been smiling, put down the pork she had been examining and said,

“I’m looking forward to the day after tomorrow.”

“Mom, you’ve already heard all the pieces in Moscow.”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m even more excited. It’s good to hear them again, and it will be fun to see the reactions of the people listening to your performance. Most importantly, it’s a recital by Han Seho, one of the most famous classical musicians in Korea.”

My mother’s shoulders were raised high. It seemed to be because a few people recognized me on the way to the mart.

“Whose son is he?”

“Yeah, who gave birth to him?”

I chuckled slyly, and my mother also laughed playfully.

Seeing her, I thought,

The mother I see now can't possibly be the countess from back then.

So, I can't undo the mistakes from back then.

But I can avoid repeating them.

“Mom.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for giving birth to me.”

This was something I often said in this life.

But this time, I didn’t add the condition “healthy.” For the other mother, the countess.

My mother looked at me intently.

“You...”

Her lips curled up, drawing out the words.

“Pick up the beef.”

My mother laughed happily.

I felt good too.

And I was grateful.

To another mother.

To Anna von Baden.

#

Seoul Arts Center, Concert Hall.

A ticket booth employee, who had worked here for quite a while, skillfully handed tickets to the audience.

To her, who dreamed of becoming a classical curator someday, today's performance was quite symbolic.

The first Korean to win the Tchaikovsky Competition.

The only performer in the history of international competitions to win both first and second place in different instruments.

It was Han Seho's first solo recital.

Knowing that she might have to explain this day someday, the employee had even written a short script during her break. Of course, the moment to read it was still uncertain.

“Here’s your ticket. Thank you~.”

Another audience member turned with their ticket.

And the next person.

“...?”

In this hot weather, wearing long sleeves could be because the concert hall is cool, but with a mask and a hat, the man had his face tightly covered.

The employee naturally became curious about his identity.

‘Is he a celebrity?’

It wasn’t strange to think so.

In fact, Han Seokyoung’s manager had come early and taken her ticket.

“What’s your name?”

“Kim... Kim Sejin.”

The employee, who had been typing on the keyboard, paused. But she continued naturally.

“Can you tell me the last four digits of your phone number?”

...The verification was quickly completed. I found the ticket and handed it to the audience member, who then quickly disappeared into the crowd.

‘Wow, Kim Sejin...’

It’s a common name, but the way he covered his face made it seem certain.

Still, the employee felt proud that she handled it professionally without showing surprise.

Of course, there was a lingering sense of regret.

‘I’m a huge fan...’

If she weren’t an employee, she would have run to get an autograph right away.

Anyway.

The audience kept coming in a steady stream.

In the midst of the busy work, she was suddenly faced with another shocking audience member.

This time, one foreigner and one Korean.

They didn’t cover their faces, so there had already been a commotion once.

“Im Jin-gyu.”

“...Ah, yes.”

Her gaze shifted to the foreigner right behind him. Honestly, I couldn’t recognize him from a distance, but up close, it was definitely Pavel, the conductor.

‘This is insane...’

As a classical music lover, it was a truly ecstatic moment.

But she was a professional.

Despite the Russian maestro and the pride of Korea standing right in front of her, she remained composed.

She greeted them with a gentle smile and handed them their tickets.

‘...Perfect.’

She managed to hide her surprise well.

Of course, inside, she was almost fainting.

Such a big name.

It made her realize once again how great Han Seho was in the classical music world.

Now, it seemed like she wouldn’t be surprised by anyone else.

...And a little while later.

‘What language is that? It sounds like French...’

Two suspicious people. No, three. Two of them were tall and clearly foreigners, even with their faces half-covered by hats.

The other one was Korean, seemingly acting as an interpreter, relaying messages to the foreigners.

When asked for their names, the man who looked like an interpreter hesitated.

Then, the foreigner with a wide-brimmed hat covering his face approached.

The employee’s expression couldn’t help but waver at the glimpse of his face.

What, who is this person? Could it be...?

The foreign man said to the stunned employee,

“Jean Oslo.”

“...”

#

[Han Seho Recital]

Eun-jae looked at the banner above the ticket booth and tapped her foot.

“Sis, usually it’s a piano recital or a violin recital, but here it’s just a recital. Isn’t that amazing?”

“...”

“Wow, there are so many people. It sold out in just 5 minutes after ticketing started. Isn’t that amazing, even though he’s not an idol?”

“...”

“I heard that pianist Im Jin-gyu also came? Sis, you know pianist Im Jin-gyu, right? I heard they met through the Beethoven Symphony. Isn’t that amazing?”

Eun-jae’s sister, who had been listening silently, picked up the program. She rolled it up like a baton and pointed to the back entrance.

“Let’s go strategically.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Let’s see where Han Seho will go after the performance and talk to him there. Do you remember me?”

“Suddenly?”

“Go and talk to him directly. Tell him how amazing he is and how much you enjoyed the performance.”

“What are you talking about? I... How can I do that?”

“You said he came and told you how much he enjoyed your competition performance when you won.”

“That’s different! This is Han Seho, the winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition!”

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Eun-jae, who shouted “Of course!” was scolded by her sister.

“Tsk. Then you should find out which university he’s going to and follow him there.”

“Why are you jumping to that?”

“You said before that you wanted to enter the same university as him since you’re the same age. You were curious about where he would go.”

“That was just out of curiosity! And he’s going to the best university overseas, not me. I’d be happy just to get into the Korean National University of Arts.”

“Do you want to talk to him?”

“Ah, that...”

As Eun-jae mumbled, someone passing by caught her eye. Her gaze naturally followed.

“Huh? I know that person. I haven’t seen them in a long time...”

“Who?”

“The woman in the dress at the ticket booth. Wow, that senior is still incredibly cool.”

Her sister, who was amazed, looked at the woman with a ponytail and a chiffon dress standing in line. She was quite tall, with a model-like appearance.

“Who is she?”

“Senior Shin Su-ah. She was my senior at the art high school. She was famous for her amazing performances.”

“She must have been popular with guys, right?”

“Of course... No, that’s not the point. She’s an amazing violinist. She must have come with her friends.”

“Oh, the guy next to her is handsome. Is he also your senior?”

“Sigh. Sis, you really... Yeah, he seems to be. Senior Kang Jun-seo. He was known for being sly.”

“Humorous too?”

“...”

Eun-jae, shaking her head, took the program and started flipping through it.

The list of pieces to be performed today, along with brief descriptions, was included.

Her head tilted slightly as she flipped through.

“Hasn’t the encore piece been decided yet?”

It wasn’t unusual. Encore pieces are sometimes decided on the day based on the performer’s condition. In such cases, they are usually posted in the lobby. But there was no such announcement in the lobby yet.

...How long had it been?

While chatting with her sister, an employee appeared with a piece of paper and stuck it to the wall. As the employee left, people naturally gathered around.

“The encore piece is out!”

Eun-jae jumped up and pulled her sister.

Sure enough, a notice titled “Today’s Encore” was posted.

There were two encore pieces listed.

One was Han Seho’s original composition, “Streets of Moscow,” which had become famous for closing the White Night Festival.

‘I can hear this live!’

Eun-jae cheered and looked down.

Then, like many others, she tilted her head.

“Familie? I’ve never heard of this piece before.”

#

...I was waiting in the green room for the performance to start.

By now, the encore pieces I chose must have been posted in the lobby.

Among them, “Familie” was definitely a piece I wanted to share with people.

If Briner had been able to make music back then, he would have composed something like this.

However, whether the public would want to hear it was a completely different story.

A piece filled with personal stories and emotions.

As such, I wondered if it would delight people’s ears or touch their hearts.

That’s why I included it as an encore piece.

I wanted to perform it properly on stage and gauge the audience’s reaction.

‘After today’s performance, I’ll have a better idea.’

Feeling a subtle sense of anticipation, I prepared myself for the performance. Then, a staff member knocked on the door and appeared.

“The performance starts in 10 minutes. Are you ready?”

I immediately stood up and headed to the backstage, carrying the Guarneri violin borrowed from the SJ Cultural Foundation.

Arriving at the dimly lit backstage, I calmed my racing emotions and looked at the stage.

The stage, illuminated by the lights from the audience, had a concert Steinway grand piano waiting for me.

“...”

I alternated my gaze between the stage and my hands.

This must be a strange sight, even to me.

Sitting at the piano and holding a violin...

I chuckled and waited for the signal.

And finally.

The lights for my first recital stage shone brightly.