Chapter 89

089. A Certain Artist's Inspiration (3)

"…You're here?"

The door opened, and as Shin Soo-a appeared from inside, I couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

What was so surprising about her coming out of her practice room?

"Sister, you're sweating…"

"Ah, I forgot to turn on the air conditioner."

In the middle of winter, the air conditioner?

I entered the practice room, puzzled by the beads of sweat on her forehead, as if she had just finished exercising.

As expected of Shin Soo-a, I guess. Seeing her neatly organized practice room made me feel a bit guilty about my own studio, where sheet music is scattered on the floor like flyers.

"This isn't your first time coming here… right?"

"Yes. When I was preparing for the soprano OST, Jun-seo hyung asked me to come by for a bit."

"That's right. He's not even the one with the practice room."

Muttering, Shin Soo-a dragged a chair over and placed it in front of me.

"Sit here. Would you like a drink?"

"That would be great, thank you."

Smiling, Shin Soo-a rummaged through the mini fridge while I looked around.

The last time I came, it was just a quick visit, so I didn't have a chance to look around.

Inside were practice violins, violin bows, and an old upright piano that could pass for a spinet. Sheet music was neatly stacked on one side.

…It's a small practice room. It used to be a rehearsal room that was divided into smaller spaces for rent.

It's so small that just turning my head once was enough to see everything.

Finally, my gaze landed on the music stand. Three stands were taped together to look like one.

On top were sheets of music for a ballad that seemed to be in preparation.

'She's famous for ballads, too, right?'

As I thought this, I noticed a piece of music tucked between the others and felt a sense of familiarity.

"Brahms? Violin Sonata No. 1… It's a really good piece."

"Hmm? Oh, just for fun. I was listening to the piece and liked it, so I use it for warm-up practice. Here."

"Thank you—"

Holding the can of drink, I imagined Shin Soo-a playing this piece. It would be quite a colorful violin sonata, I thought.

Shin Soo-a returned to her seat with a notebook in hand, the logo of Korea University of Arts shining on it.

Seeing this, I suddenly became curious and asked,

"Sister, aren't you going to return to school?"

"Return to school?"

Shin Soo-a's expression slowly darkened as she repeated the question.

"I don't know…"

That was her entire answer. It seemed she didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't press further.

Trying to lighten the awkward atmosphere, Shin Soo-a changed the subject and asked me,

"So, what brings you here suddenly?"

"Ah, could you take a look at this?"

I quickly pulled out the sheet music from my bag. Taking the thick stack, Shin Soo-a flipped through it page by page and said,

"New OST?"

"No. It's a piece for an art exhibition."

"This isn't just one piece…"

"It's a total of four pieces, all with one theme."

"You chose a main melody and created variations, right?"

"Yes. The exhibition is divided into four sections."

With that, Shin Soo-a fell silent. Instead, she quickly scanned through all the sheet music with her large, monolid eyes.

Then, she started asking questions again.

"But this has a tight deadline, right? You could have sent it through the director, you know?"

"No, I have plenty of time, but I wanted to get it checked quickly."

"What for?"

I looked at Shin Soo-a.

"To see the picture I drew."

…The first sight (初見) was over.

After playing all four pieces, I glanced at Han Seo-ho. He was still sitting at the keyboard, deep in thought.

Seeing this, Shin Soo-a, who had been biting her lip slightly, put down her violin and said,

"…The pieces are good."

She was being sincere.

It was a feeling that only comes when playing classical masterpieces, not when playing ballads. The emotion was hanging at the edge of her feelings.

The pieces themselves weren't difficult.

They weren't particularly complex, as they were meant to express art pieces, and were rather simple.

And the feelings that came from this simplicity were ironically diverse.

Often, pieces that are difficult for performers but easy and clear for listeners give this kind of feeling, and all the pieces that come to mind are called masterpieces.

'What is he…'

I looked at Han Seo-ho. Or rather, I had been looking at him the whole time.

He seemed to have finished his thoughts and was looking at me. His eyes were shining, almost to the point of being overwhelming. They seemed to be asking how I thought of the pieces he created and wanting me to tell him more.

"It has a bright feeling. But it's not overly cheerful. The violin and piano create opposite feelings while harmonizing."

"The violin is drawing light."

"Light?"

Repeating it briefly, Han Seo-ho finally explained the theme.

Artworks created with light and darkness as the subject. And four pieces based on this theme.

Listening silently to Han Seo-ho, she asked,

"So, is the artist trying to convey hope?"

"I thought so, but it seems to depend on the person. Someone might feel differently."

"Still, I hope it's hope."

"…?"

"Ahem! I, just. Hope is good, right?"

Trying to brush off the words that slipped out, Han Seo-ho shrugged.

"Jun-seo hyung would have said something like that. It doesn't really suit you."

"You're subtly saying your opinion, aren't you?"

Han Seo-ho smiled. In response, Shin Soo-a looked down a beat later. She saw the sheet music and remembered her performance just now. And Han Seo-ho after the performance.

"…But, why me?"

Not getting an answer, she lifted her head again. Han Seo-ho, looking puzzled, asked,

"What do you mean?"

"Well, there's Jun-seo hyung."

"Hyung would have fit this piece too, of course. But for this piece, it had to be more than just fitting."

"There are many violinists I met while working on the album."

And they were professionals.

More experienced and skilled than her.

Thinking this, Han Seo-ho said casually,

"After finishing the pieces, no one came to mind but you."

Instantly, frustration overshadowed her confidence.

Like darkness swallowing light.

So, why?

—Just as she was about to ask, Han Seo-ho's next words left her speechless.

"Because your performance is like paint."

#

"The paint is running out."

Neil Hauser, putting down his large brush, told his assistant.

While his assistant bustled about to prepare more, he slowly descended the circular staircase and only then noticed the guest.

"You're here?"

"A while ago."

"But why didn't you come up?"

"I didn't want to disturb you. And it's good enough to see from here."

The guest, a middle-aged woman with short hair, looked up at the second floor.

Beyond the glass railing, a canvas that took up an entire wall came into view.

"It looks like it will be your masterpiece."

"Just from looking at that?"

"Yes. It's overwhelming. Already…"

A deep darkness was spreading.

Unlike other works that had subjects like the sky, sea, or clouds, this was pure darkness.

It was already exciting to imagine how brilliantly the light would shine from there.

And she suddenly wondered,

"What is light to you?"

"I don't know."

"Is there a right answer?"

"My answer is with me. Don't you have your own answer, Director?"

"…Hmm. Money?"

"If that's what you think, then that's it."

The middle-aged woman, the director of Neil Hauser's agency, nodded and smiled contentedly while sipping on the water on the table.

"I was worried about the contract because SJ Entertainment, while being the top in Korea, isn't well-known internationally. But it seems to be a good decision. Han Seo-ho's pieces, you know. That guy is hot, even beyond classical music. He even played undercover with Undercover, and there are rumors that it was planned marketing. Anyway, it seems like it will be a good exhibition in many ways."

"The name is less important than whether my paintings and the music fit well."

"True. You'll be able to hear it soon. It's almost finished. If the music is good, we can buy or lease the copyright and do a world tour."

"Do as you please."

Just then, a voice from above said the paint was ready.

The director looked up at the second floor again.

"By the way, your assistant said you plan to bring this to the next exhibition. Is that true?"

"That's the plan."

"Korea is lucky. But can you finish it by then? There's still a lot left, right?"

"Maybe with some coffee, it's possible."

"Caffeine isn't good for you. You should take care of your body while painting."

Finishing the water bottle, she stood up.

"I'll stop bothering you and go. I need to check if the venue SJ booked can display this."

#

"Because of the size, it should be hung on this side."

An SJ employee pointed to one side of the exhibition hall map.

Vice President Baek Sun-hwa, with her arms crossed, nodded, and I looked at the map, puzzled.

"Is there such a painting? I haven't seen it."

"It wasn't displayed at the Guggenheim. It's still incomplete."

"Oh."

Scratching my head in confusion, Vice President Baek Sun-hwa clicked her tongue.

"Getting to see a new work for the first time is great for us, but this makes the music part difficult, doesn't it?"

"When will it be finished?"

"It seems they don't know."

True. Predicting when a painting of that size will be finished is difficult.

"There are several ways to approach this. We could create a piece of music in advance without the painting."

"Creating music without seeing the painting is meaningless."

Firmly rejecting, Vice President Baek Sun-hwa chuckled.

"I expected you to say that. Or we could play nothing in this section. It's all about how you frame it. We could say the artist wanted the audience to appreciate it in silence."

"Hmm. What do they think about that?"

"They're willing to follow our thoughts on the music. And I'm willing to follow yours."

"Ha… I'll think about it. Please let me know as soon as it's finished."

"Got it."

After finishing the meeting with Vice President Baek Sun-hwa at SJ Entertainment headquarters, I headed straight to Shin Soo-a's practice room.

I was going to help her practice today.

I'm not sure how this happened.

That day.

"Because your performance is like paint."

…Shin Soo-a asked in response.

"Paint?"

"When I first saw your performance, it reminded me of paint. It can change into any color."

"Oh…"

After a long pause, she smiled.

"Embarrassing."

"What? What's embarrassing?"

"When I first heard your performance… No, I'll tell you later."

Shaking her head, she seemed to have made a decision.

"Teach me."

"…?"

"The painting you drew. I didn't play it perfectly, right?"

I couldn't argue with that.

She calmly asked,

"I'll learn. Teach me."

…Shin Soo-a's expression at that moment is vividly etched in my mind. It was a look that was impossible to refuse.

Getting out of the taxi and entering the alley, I followed the directions to the third floor of an old building. Opening the fire hydrant as she instructed, I found only a spider web and no key.

She said she had a recording session, but maybe it was already over?

Thinking this, I approached the last practice room and grabbed the doorknob. Inside, it became noisy.

"Sister!"

"Sister is here? Ho-chan has been wanting to see you… Who are you?"

A girl and a child, who looked to be in elementary school, tilted their heads at me.

Um… I was about to ask the same thing.

"Ah! I know, I know!"

"You know?"

"Yes!"

In the standoff, the child smiled at me.

"You're the one who plays the violin really well!"