Chapter 1

The musical prodigy became a middle school student.

Chapter 1, Back to the Days I Missed (1)

The vast size of the grand theater, which could not be described simply as large, was filled with a hot competition.

– Clap, clap, clap

Each piece, each participant who came up was different, but the audience was not restless; instead, they were overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

Applause and cheers poured out with the final note of each piece.

Occasionally, someone would be so moved that they would touch their handkerchief.

And finally.

The moment the person who was most anticipated by everyone stepped up, the venue was enveloped in silence.

The man in the sophisticated tuxedo.

Despite the stage being incomparably large, he was not overwhelmed but instead exuded an even deeper aura.

He was, in himself, a small giant.

Swallow.

The sound of someone swallowing their saliva faintly echoed.

The giant who had taken a seat at the piano moved.

Fingers settled on the cold keys.

– ♬

The prelude flowed.

‘Wait a moment.’

‘This piece is...’

The faces of the audience, who had been immersed in anticipation, slowly turned to shock.

Only the judges managed to maintain their stern expressions.

‘Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3.’

A piece so difficult that it is notorious as the pianist's grave.

Even the judges, who had seen the promising young talent, all judged the choice of piece as a mistake.

They had guessed it would be too much.

‘Oh my God.’

As the performance continued, their thoughts changed.

Fingers leaped passionately and moved busily.

Like waves in a typhoon, yet not missing a single note, delicately.

The intensely rising emotions were so powerful that they left the audience spellbound.

A flawless performance, lacking nothing.

And at that moment.

– ♬-!

An inharmonious sound, impossible to be called music, accompanied the pianist clutching his wrist.

‘That day, my world collapsed.’

* * *

Two men asked their long-lost classmate, their eyes full of resentment.

“...What have you been doing?”

“Really, you rotten kid.”

It had been a really long time.

Lee Hyun-woo, the once-promising pianist, had disappeared suddenly after a serious wrist injury forced him to retire, and it had been 8 years since then.

He had vanished.

Including the two who were famous as a trio in the conservatory, no one was an exception.

“Hey, don’t glare at me like that.”

Hyun-woo, sipping from his cup, avoided their gaze. He knew it was wrong to have disappeared like that.

His expression, filled with regret, made his old friend sigh in resignation.

“Just asking how you’ve been.”

Despite the passage of time, which could have changed the landscape, the two friends immediately gathered when they found Hyun-woo.

One grabbed him, saying he wouldn’t let him escape. The other insisted on keeping him there, saying he would leave soon.

They were truly grateful friends.

“My mother passed away two years ago.”

Unlike Hyun-woo, who spoke casually, the two men's faces hardened.

They had known each other's mothers since the conservatory.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Hyun-woo tried to lighten the mood.

“Why so serious? You asked how I’ve been, and I answered. I’ve adapted now. I’ve been working as a music teacher.”

Only then did his friend's expression gradually relax.

“What kind of school?”

“Who else could I teach besides music?”

The two nodded in agreement, and the conversation flowed naturally.

“After all, Lee Hyun-woo is practically a corpse without music.”

“Then you must be a zombie now that you’ve retired.”

“...Did you two drag me here just to make me feel bad?”

Hyun-woo’s words made his friend, Jung-woo, react harshly.

“Shut up, dragging you here! After hiding for so long, you got caught by us.”

“You even said you’d kill me ten times while I was coming here. You know that?”

“Really, you might...”

The awkwardness lingered for a moment,

But soon, the three of them began to chatter as they always did.

Yes, just like 8 years ago.

They talked about the dark history they experienced in the conservatory and the ridiculous recent news about their fierce teacher, and the atmosphere grew warmer.

They had always been close.

Suddenly, a brief silence fell over the table.

Not a significant silence.

In that silence, Sang-woo, who had become agitated, drank his glass in one go, his voice filled with empathy.

“Man, if only they had taken better care of you from the beginning, you would have done better than us.”

Hyun-woo’s expression hardened at the end of the sentence. Jung-woo pinched his friend’s leg.

“Ouch! Why did you pinch me!”

“Sigh, clueless guy. That’s why you’ve been single for 10 years after graduation.”

“Why is that coming up again!”

“Hyun-woo probably dated a few times. You were popular, unlike him.”

“Huh.”

Hyun-woo, trying to smile at the comedy of his old friends, replied.

“No, I’ve been single too.”

But inside, he couldn’t help but dwell on the bitter words.

‘If only they had taken better care of me from the beginning...’

For a pianist, the wrist is life.

So, he had lost his life. His life as a pianist.

“Still, it’s a relief that you’re doing well as a music teacher. We were worried, you know!”

Compared to his glorious past, he was now a small presence.

A music teacher.

He should be grateful that he had found a way to make a living, right?

The atmosphere became solemn, and Jung-woo and Sang-woo exchanged glances, continuing the conversation.

“Hey, teaching kids is more stable and better. Classical music is even more niche these days. Who listens to classical music anymore? It’s all pop, K-pop, and hip-hop.”

“Now there’s even a trot boom. It’s crazy.”

“Maybe a classical boom will come, who knows.”

Listening to their consoling words, Hyun-woo felt even more downcast.

It was a predictable ending.

Feeling intense jealousy towards these two, who had what he could never have, was a miserable state.

This was why he couldn’t easily keep in touch.

No, he had deliberately kept his distance.

Even though they still shone brightly in the music world, he was a dropout.

If he hadn’t been caught and dragged here, there would have been no such gathering.

“Hey, that’s enough. Let’s drink!”

“Yeah, let’s drink! I canceled all my schedules for tomorrow. I’m really going to take responsibility today!”

Meeting old friends who shared memories was not a bad thing.

But pushing away the feeling rising from deep within was truly difficult.

* * *

“Hyun-woo, if you disappear again, I’ll really lock you up.”

“Stop it! This guy will run away again! He might run away again?”

Hyun-woo waved his hand at his two drunk friends.

A friend with a buzz cut waved from the taxi window.

“Get home safely! Don’t fall!”

“It’s just a short distance. You be careful too.”

Watching the taxi drive away, a smile escaped his lips,

But it didn’t last long.

‘Yeah, that’s why I avoided this.’

As soon as his two friends left in the taxi, the feeling he had been trying to suppress for 8 years rose up again.

“Sigh...”

Friends walking the path he could no longer tread.

He shouldn’t envy them or hate them.

They weren’t bad.

His situation was just bad.

“Damn.”

As the alcohol took effect, deeper emotions he had buried resurfaced.

The sense of injustice that lay beneath the jealousy and self-loathing rose to the surface.

He started playing music in middle school.

Although it was a late start compared to those who began early, he could take pride in using his time meaningfully.

Every day was practice, and more practice.

It was a grueling time.

Aching hands and muscle pain. His back ached from sitting for hours, but he often smiled to himself, reflecting on his progress.

Yes, it was enjoyable.

It was enjoyable, but...

Why him?

Why him?

He could have shone more brilliantly than anyone.

He loved music more than anyone.

‘Why...’

Raindrops fell as he trudged along. The raindrops quickly grew heavier.

‘Damn, it’s like a drama.’

He couldn’t take a taxi with only about 5 minutes left to his home, and he had no desire to run.

As the rain cooled his head, regret began to surface.

‘If only they had taken better care of me from the beginning.’

Even as a promising young talent, he was too young and lacked a proper background. If he had a proper sponsor, it might have been different.

Struggling with only his mother’s support and insane amounts of practice, without a solid network.

It was natural for his body to break down.

『Do you really have to do this? Hyun-woo, it’s not too late. If you follow the doctor’s advice and rest, taking care of your wrist...』

『No, I can’t.』

No, if he hadn’t stubbornly ignored others’ advice, would it have been okay?

『You know how much I’ve been waiting for this stage, how much I’ve practiced.』

It was a debut stage he had longed for. The first step to making his name known around the world.

He wanted to do it excellently.

He wanted to rest, but not then.

Stopping now, taking a break now.

He didn’t want to waste the months, the years of practice.

He wanted to show results quickly.

So desperately.

‘Yes, it’s all because of my greed...’

He knew he had no right to say anything now...

But the regrets kept piling up. There were too many.

He should have taken better care of his body and surroundings.

He should have done more for his mother.

The continuous regrets were pushing him further.

Yes.

He knew it was too late to regret. He knew he was already broken.

He knew this was the reality he had to overcome.

But—

Still, really.

If only.

‘If I could have just one more chance...’

As tears mixed with rainwater streamed down his reddened eyes.

···♬···

The brilliant symphony he had longed for all his life vibrated in his ears.

‘What is this, where...?’

Flash.

A bolt of lightning struck.