Chapter 81

081. The Unchanging, Classic (2)

I stared blankly at Professor Celine.

She didn’t urge me to answer.

Perhaps, she had already heard the answer from my expression.

'Or maybe she was certain, so an answer wasn’t necessary.'

At first, I was surprised and flustered, but I gradually adapted. After some thought, I realized it was entirely possible.

Could I not recognize Wolfgang’s handwriting among countless letters?

No, let’s approach it more musically.

If Paganini’s performance were mixed among many others, could I not recognize him?

Certainly not.

While timbre, like color in art, has no owner, it does create a unique style through its texture and combination.

Professor Celine read my style.

She must have guessed from the many pieces I posted under the name Brinner.

She must have been certain after today’s meeting.

'Xiaohu Han, you are Brinner.'

It’s hard to describe. A little...

I’m nervous.

A tingling excitement, free of any confusion, began to float around the small theater.

I had only found solace in using the name 'Brinner' on the internet, and I was happy just to type it myself.

For the first time in my life.

Someone had called me by my other name.

Meanwhile, Professor Celine had a slightly childlike look in her eyes, her face full of curiosity.

"Shall we continue this conversation in my office?"

More precisely, to Brinner.

...After the two of us moved to the office.

A flower-patterned teacup was placed on a small table.

Professor Celine smiled as she sat across from Xiaohu Han.

What was once a relationship between a participant and a judge had, in just a few months, turned into something like a fan meeting.

"If you didn’t want to reveal it, I’m sorry. I got carried away with excitement."

"No, it’s fine. I didn’t particularly want to hide it."

"Is that so? By the way, is Brinner an English name?"

"Not exactly, but it’s a good idea."

"..."

Professor Celine tilted her head in confusion and asked.

"Anyway, aren’t you curious about how I found out?"

Xiaohu Han stared at her for a moment before nodding.

"Upon reflection, it seemed possible."

His calm acceptance made Professor Celine chuckle.

Possible?

It sounded like he was saying it was possible even for him.

If it were just five years ago.

If his ears hadn’t been sensitized by listening to countless timbres in college.

'I probably wouldn’t have noticed...'

Given that she, who had dedicated half a century to music, had noticed, a 17-year-old boy had figured it out.

"How long have you been playing music?"

"Five years."

For now...

Xiaohu Han murmured softly.

But his voice was so low, and Professor Celine was already quite shocked, so she didn’t even notice.

"Five... years?"

A meager number, a mere tenth of fifty years.

But, is this even possible?

Professor Celine was flabbergasted and even doubted the truth of his words, but she soon realized that wasn’t the important part.

She asked a new question.

"Can I ask about the things I’m curious about?"

Questions she had been accumulating overflowed. There were so many that she had to carefully choose which to ask within the limited time.

"Yes, go ahead."

"All the songs on SoundCloud. Did you make all of them by yourself?"

So calmly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Xiaohu Han nodded while holding the teacup to his lips.

"All of them, over a hundred songs?"

"Yes."

"Haha, even the prolific Haydn didn’t produce that many..."

Professor Celine genuinely marveled, and Xiaohu Han firmly shook his head.

"Haydn created many pieces to complete one. If you include the ones he discarded, it would be several times, or even dozens of times more."

"True, that might be the case. But still, it’s impressive. A hundred songs at 17..."

Professor Celine trailed off and fell silent for a moment. She was more focused on coming up with the next question than pondering the answer.

Several questions came to mind, and some were pushed to the back of the line.

And...

'Of course. This is probably the most important question.'

A question that anyone who knew Brinner would have asked, not just her.

"Why SoundCloud, of all places?"

...What kind of answer would he give?

After months of curiosity, Professor Celine was inwardly tense.

And Xiaohu Han, with his calm gaze, casually replied.

"They say it’s a good place to post compositions."

"..."

She had somewhat expected an unusual answer.

If it were ordinary, he wouldn’t have posted there in the first place.

But at this moment, Professor Celine couldn’t help but doubt her own ears.

"Compositions...?"

#

"I’m here."

"I know. I could hear the tires screeching from here."

Olivia entered the small studio.

There, her friend and former studio mate, Betty, was sitting.

She was listening to music, as befitting her job as a classical music critic. Just by that, Olivia could guess who she was critiquing.

Brinner. On SoundCloud.

Olivia began to look around the studio.

"It’s been a while! This place too."

Olivia, lost in thought, wandered around and then approached Betty with a piece of paper that had just been printed out.

"Revising?"

"Yeah."

"Let’s see~."

<Discovering Classical Music in Popular Music. Why did Brinner post on SoundCloud?>

"...Everyone’s really interested these days."

"It’s only going to get more so."

"Why? Has his identity been revealed?"

"No, but Albert August mentioned him."

"...The Albert I know? From the New York Philharmonic?"

"Yeah. Big news. The guy who’s even harsher than critics gave Brinner’s songs high praise."

"People will be even more curious. Who is Brinner, really?"

"Even the Royal Classic side doesn’t know yet?"

"Seems so. There’s no talk within the company. Brinner’s real name is definitely not his actual name."

"Right. Even the team thing is just a rumor. When I searched the name, only an 18th-century baron related to classical music came up."

"Which baron?"

"Don’t know. He was a famous patron. He supported musicians from Haydn to Schubert. He seemed quite pretentious."

"At the time, patronizing musicians was often for receiving dedications or showing off wealth."

The conversation veered off track for a moment.

Olivia, looking smug, started reading the article again.

A little while later, Betty subtly asked as Olivia put the printout down on the desk.

"How is it?"

"True to form for a rising young critic. I can almost hear Brinner’s music."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Especially this part is good."

Olivia tapped the printout.

[Almost like Haydn]

Betty chuckled after reading the part her finger pointed to.

"He must have been prepared for controversy. To dare mention Papa Haydn."

"Considering how many pieces he produced, it’s not that surprising."

Olivia, pouting, crossed her arms. She thought for a moment and then asked Betty.

"But, do you really think Brinner entered SoundCloud to compete with popular music?"

"Just a thought. We can’t really know unless it’s from him. Anyway, this can be posted as is... By the way, let’s finish the conversation we were having earlier."

"Huh? What conversation?"

Olivia blinked, and Betty, as usual, brought the pen to her mouth.

"So, how was Han’s piece?"

"Oh... right."

Olivia smiled.

"Hmm. How do I put it so it really hits home..."

While waiting impatiently, Betty was about to say something when the old critic spoke.

"If Brinner is Haydn, then Han is Mozart."

#

'I wonder how people will react when they find out the two are the same. When do you plan to reveal it?'

It was the last question Professor Celine asked before leaving the office.

Who knows. It’s uncertain.

After all, I didn’t hide it in the first place.

Or did I, since I didn’t reply to the people who asked about my identity in private messages?

With a complicated mind, I left the building. Olivia’s car was already waiting at the front, as I had contacted her from the office.

"..."

I got into the car with a slightly fearful expression, and Olivia, unaware of my thoughts, asked with a smile.

"Did it go well?"

"Yes."

"Alright, let’s head to the office for the showcase meeting."

Olivia started the engine.

Feeling the car’s vibrations, I suddenly asked.

"Do you know Brinner?"

"Of course. We were just talking about him. Why? Does Han like his music?"

The car started moving, making a loud noise.

"...More than just liking it."

The roaring engine drowned out my voice,

but a smile spread across my face.

What I felt wasn’t pride in having achieved something.

It was the joy of knowing that the pieces I had been so passionate about, the ones I couldn’t bear to discard a single note of, were being recognized.

#

"Nice to meet you. I’m Emma."

Upon entering Royal Classic, I headed straight for a spacious meeting room.

A middle-aged woman, who looked to be in her 40s, was sitting there. Based on what Olivia had told me, this was likely Heather, the head of the team handling my distribution.

"I’m Xiaohu Han."

"How was your previous schedule?"

By previous schedule, she meant the meeting with Professor Celine.

"It was enjoyable."

I nodded and smiled, and Emma’s eyes widened slightly. Olivia had shown a similar reaction on the way here. My obvious joy at meeting a world-renowned performer must have seemed quite strange.

"That’s good. I’m very curious about what you two talked about, but since we’re running late, let’s get to business first."

Emma changed the mood and started discussing business.

Since SJ Entertainment was handling the complex distribution and promotion processes, I only needed to focus on the showcase, the reason I was in the U.S.

The rough plan Royal Classic had in mind was as follows:

"The showcase will take place at PB Tower the day before the album release. The order will be an opening performance, a Q&A session with journalists, and then the performance of the album’s title track. For the opening, I think it would be best to perform pieces other than those on the album to build anticipation. Since you became famous through the Tchaikovsky Competition, performing pieces from there would be good, or even a new piece would be refreshing."

I had no objections to the format. Livening up the atmosphere with other pieces before the premiere of a new one was common even in the 18th century.

The real question was which piece to perform for the opening...

"Do I have to perform pieces from the album? I have many compositions that aren’t on it."

"Hmm... wouldn’t it be better to choose a well-known piece?"

I countered Emma’s suggestion.

"Oh, a well-known piece would be fine."