The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 110



Only Noblemtl

110 To these people

* * *

A music school in Berlin.

“Did you hear about this Ettlingen story? “They said the winner was an Asian child.”

“what? an Asian?”

“He’s also the youngest. 13 years old. “I heard there’s an uproar in Ettlingen right now?”

“······.”

A story that is not easy to believe.

In Ettlingen’s history, it was a rare occurrence for an Asian child to win the championship.

There were quite a few cases where they made it to the finals and won awards, but winning was another story.

Classical music is European music.

In order to accurately understand the music, you must understand European sentiment and their language.

For a young performer, that is a very difficult thing.

If people studied for the same period and studied the same way, it is likely that a performer from Europe would win.

Therefore, most of Ettlingen’s few Asian winners were students who studied abroad.

Children who came to Europe at a very young age and studied there.

But this time, he said no.

“A child who studied in Korea?”

“It’s awesome, right? Besides, he had never even participated in a competition before. “I heard that Ettlingen is the first competition?”

The European media did not even acknowledge the ‘Korea’s Small Contest’, in which Han Seo-jin took third place.

This was unavoidable since it was a competition that did not have much public trust in the eyes of the world.

As a result, the small child in Korea became the child discovered by Ettlingen.

As the man listened to his friend’s explanation, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

“Then what about Anna? Last year, you performed with our school orchestra. “Didn’t he go to Ettlingen this time too?”

“They said Anna Becker was pushed out by that kid and came in second place.”

“That Munich genius?”

“A catastrophe occurred. “It seems quiet for now since the announcement was made a while ago, but it will get noisy soon.”

“and······. I thought Anna was the top among teenagers. “I can’t believe it.”

“I agree too. So, I’m definitely going to go to the Ettlingen gala show.”

“I should do the same. “Do you still have the tickets?”

“All the good seats have already been taken out. “You have to make a reservation quickly.”

“hey! “You should have told me that first!”

“Is it because you had a lot of questions?”

“······.”

“······.”

The two music students, who had been talking for a while, looked at their smartphones in silence.

Go to the reservation site to make a reservation for the gala show.

Fortunately, they succeeded in reserving two S seats.

I couldn’t get an R seat, but it was a pretty good seat.

Ettlingen Competition Gala.

A special performance performed by the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

The 2nd and 3rd place winners will perform a piano solo in the first part of the performance.

The winner who takes first place will perform a piano concerto with a famous German orchestra in the second part.

The music student, who had been looking through the performance information after making a reservation in a hurry, checked the orchestra and conductor and looked blankly at his friend again.

“Konzerthaus Berlin. Conductor… Kai Hoffman?”

“This is also the best ever. In particular, that child had the opportunity to collaborate with the maestro. “It’s also our debut stage in Europe.”

“······.”

Two college students attending a prestigious music school in Germany, the center of classical music.

Even these students, who are commonly referred to as elites, were able to obtain an opportunity that they had never had in their entire lives as a ’13-year-old child’.

European media also reported these details intensively.

The emergence of a new genius.

A gala show presented by a genius and a maestro.

In a way, it was natural that tickets for the performance sold out instantly.

* * *

The next morning.

I still feel a little dazed.

Reporter Choi Seon-young of ⌜Monthly Ensemble⌟ came to our lodgings.

After the awards ceremony yesterday, I had a flurry of interviews with various media outlets.

It took over an hour just to get out of Ettlingen Palace…

I could immediately see how popular the Ettlingen Competition was locally.

However, because there was not enough time to interview with ⌜Monthly Ensemble⌟, a separate appointment was made.

The interview was definitely much longer than the ‘last time’.

He asked in-depth questions about my music, and in particular, he asked me thoroughly about how I prepared ⌜Emperor⌟.

I thought slowly and gave all the answers I could.

“So in reality… Ettlingen was prepared for about 6 months?”

“Yes. “I started practicing in earnest last winter.”

“Hey. Are you really amazing? He showed that level of performance, but he only prepared for 6 months? “You didn’t have any experience playing in an orchestra before?”

“yes. Still, I received help from many people. Professor Yuhan Kang. Teacher Park Ha-seon. and······.”

“Your friend?”

“yes.”

“But you’re not going to tell me his name?”

“I thought it might be fun.”

I just passed it off as a joke, and reporter Choi Seon-young didn’t ask such detailed questions either.

but.

“But if it’s your friend, he’s probably from Seolhwa Ye Middle School. In first grade. “If you are a friend who can influence you…”

Reporter Choi Seon-young grins.

“I feel like I know somehow. It seems like you get along well as friends. i envy you. “I think it’s the best time.”

“You almost sound like a detective.”

“Because that’s my job. But that’s not what’s important right now.”

The following questions were related to Conductor Hoffman and Professor Yuhan Kang.

A story about my first meeting with them.

About an hour passed like that.

The interview is almost finished.

“The Internet article will be posted today, and this content will be published in ⌜Monthly Ensemble⌟ next month. “I think the contents of the gala will also be mentioned.”

“So, I guess you’ll stay in Germany until the gala ends?”

“Thanks to you, I ended up staying in Germany longer. “I’ll be looking forward to your gala show as well.”

at that time.

My manager(?), who was watching me from afar, walked over carrying two drinks.

I look at Reporter Choi Seon-young’s cup, which just happened to fall, and ask him about his intentions.

“Reporter, do you need a drink? There are two types of orange juice and apple juice available. If you need anything, just let me know. By the way, we also have snacks ready.”

“······.”

Reporter Choi Seon-young, who was twitching his lips when he saw Sooyeon, burst into laughter.

Soo-yeon tilts her head, not knowing why.

The reporter made eye contact with Suyeon.

“How are you so pretty! Did you follow your brother to Germany? “You’ve worked hard~”

“Well, it’s not a problem! My brother gave me permission to follow him here first. And again… I just… just…”

Su-yeon slightly lowered her head and muttered, “Because I like my brother… and I didn’t want to be away from him…” Reporter Choi Sun-young laughed and asked Su-yeon for a glass of orange juice. .

After completing her mission, Suyeon bowed and Dodo returned to her mother’s arms. She nods her head and doesn’t even think about looking in this direction because she’s so embarrassed.

The mother was busy comforting Sooyeon, and the reporter continued talking with a smile.

“If I had a younger brother like that, I would gain strength that I didn’t have before.”

“There is that aspect to it.”

“The family seems to be in harmony. “I think I have a vague idea of ​​how your performance was created.”

A subtle question.

I nodded.

“I actually play while thinking of Suyeon. “When I express brightness or warmth, I think of my younger brother.”

“I see. “The brotherhood seems very good.”

“Because he’s a really good kid. “As your older brother, I have to do better.”

“Tsk tsk. You look great. By the way, doesn’t Suyeon learn music on her own? “If my brother is like this, my parents might get greedy.”

“My parents aren’t like that. And it’s too early to even start.”

“okay?”

I, too, started playing the piano when I was 9 years old and in the second grade of elementary school.

Still, I think it was enough.

‘Of course, I had a hard time before I met Uncle Miller.’

Actually, Suyeon didn’t seem to really want to do music.

I just wanted it to grow up like this.

Reporter Choi Seon-young left the hotel after saying goodbye and saying he would see her later in Berlin.

It was only then that Suyeon noticed me and came to my side.

“Ugh. His brother became famous and he was in big trouble. “I will be busy in the future.”

“But it’s okay because I have a reliable manager. “Suyeon gave you a great answer just now.”

“······ huh?”

“You know Su-yeon said she likes you. “I thought there would be two articles about that content?”

“······!”

Surprised rabbit eyes.

Suyeon, who was sitting next to me, blushed and wiggled her fingers in silence.

And I stroked Sooyeon’s head several times.

After a while.

After eating breakfast, some time has passed.

Phone calls started coming in from Korea.

It seems that news from Ettlingen has slowly begun to reach Korea.

The person who opened the gun was Seolha’s older sister.

– Am I flying to Germany now? My younger brother won first place. How can I just stay still? First of all, I have to buy a ticket!

“calm down. “You said there was filming today as well.”

– How can you calm down when you won first place! So, are you going to become a professional performer now? Is that it?

“Not to that extent. There is a performance in Berlin, but…”

– That’s right! show! You are debuting, right? Seojin, you are just waiting for your sister. I’ll prepare everything!

“······.”

What on earth are you planning to prepare?

I was busy calming down Seolha, who was very excited.

The next person to call was Lee Ha-eun.

Video call this time.

I held back from wanting to call until it was morning time by German standards.

– Wow! Ettlingen first place? How to! It worked so well! Honestly, your performance was worth it!

“thank you.”

– I also saw you practicing for ⌜Emperor⌟, right? It was truly the best! If possible, I would definitely go to Germany. To congratulate you.

Of course, I knew Lee Ha-eun couldn’t do that.

Because he also had to prepare for the gala concert.

“Congratulations on winning first place in the Baekwol Youth Competition. I only found out after the finals ended yesterday. “I’m out of my mind.”

– oh. how did you know?

“I heard the results were posted on the Internet? “I searched.”

Evening time in Germany was dawn in Korean standards.

It’s impossible to wake up a sleeping child at dawn just to call to congratulate him.

Since Lee Ha-eun’s results were good, I also postponed calling her for a while.

– Hehehe. They even looked for things like that. It’s not that big of a deal~

Lee Ha-eun is slightly sassy.

But then.

– Isn’t that great? I cried so hard during the awards ceremony! And you were just looking at your phone, wondering when Seojin would call you.

– So, Soyeon. Where did you come from?

Baek So-yeon appeared on the screen, putting her arm around Lee Ha-eun’s shoulder.

– Is this the school? As I was passing through the hallway, I heard a familiar sound and came back. Ugh. If you were going to make a video call to Seojin, couldn’t you have called me?

– Hey… I was going to call you.

– Did you do it?

– First, I checked to see if I could make a call. check···.

– Is this the 21st century? What phone doesn’t work? Does he check everything?

– ······.

Lee Ha-eun is very embarrassed.

I burst out laughing in the noisy atmosphere.

Baek So-yeon congratulated him on winning first place at the Ettlingen Competition.

And I also congratulated Baek So-yeon on her second place in the Baekwol Contest.

The two said they came to school early to prepare for the Baekwol Gala Concert.

Even though it is vacation, the door to the Sulwha Ye Middle School practice room is always open.

“So you two are also debuting at the Yedang?”

– yes. I’m especially looking forward to Ha-eun. These days, he has a habit of saying, ‘This isn’t enough to keep up with Seojin! I want to do better. That way I can stand next to him.’ No, it’s not a joke. really. And do you know how pretty she looked in that dress in the finals? I can at least send you a picture…

– excuse me!!! Soyeon? You seem strange today! Could you please step aside for a moment?

– Huh? Lee Ha-eun! Where are you stabbing now?

– You don’t like being stabbed in the side, right? Did you think I didn’t know? uh? Did you think I was the only one getting attacked?

– Wow!

– Baek So-yeon! Where are you running away?

Bickering.

Even though I was just on the phone, I felt like I was in a folktale.

Fortunately, it ended in Lee Ha-eun’s victory, and we were able to continue the conversation with some ease.

Ha-eun also reported news about Shin Joo-won.

He won second place in a contest hosted by the Gyeonggi Provincial Office.

With this, our Class A members seemed to have each achieved their desired goal.

– Of course, you gave us the best grades in our class. It’s Ettlingen… I also want to go if I get the chance.

“If it were you, Ha-eun, you would just have to try a little harder. “I think if you are the way you are now, you’ll be able to make it to the final stage.”

– Hey, there’s no need to lift me up.

“It’s not a lie. So try a little harder. Do you know anything? “I wonder if you will really come to Ettlingen next year.”

– ······.

Lee Ha-eun, who was scratching her cheek for no reason, cleared her throat once and said hello.

– Then, have a good gala show! European debut. You can do it really well.

“you also. “I’m sure I’ll be able to make a great debut at Yedang.”

– huh!

Lee Ha-eun smiles brightly.

Lee Ha-eun, who also said hello to Su-yeon, hung up on the phone.

After that, I received congratulatory calls from many people.

There was no particular schedule today.

The interview was somewhat completed, and departure for Berlin was tomorrow morning.

Today was a vacation-like day for the winners who had worked tirelessly to reach the finals.

From lunch, I spent time in downtown Ettlingen with my family.

I bought a delicious lunch and did some shopping.

The souvenir shop was well equipped, so there were quite a few things to buy, and I also found a teddy bear to give as a gift to Suyeon, who had worked hard.

“Hmm. From now on, his name is Kur. “My last name is Kong.”

“She’s not from the Han family.”

“He’s a court musician from Ettlingen. “This can’t be the Han clan.”

“That’s strict.”

“Okay~ But I will make you happy. “Kur is a child who has clearly achieved results.”

Su-yeon loves the doll and hugs it while talking.

It was truly a peaceful time.

Around evening we had to get ready at the hotel.

It wasn’t an official event, but there was a place to go.

My mother wore a neat suit, and Suyeon also wore a cute dress.

I walked through the city of Ettlingen holding Suyeon’s hand.

In the city that was gradually getting darker, street lights began to turn on one by one.

A soft light came on at Ettlingen Palace in the distance.

Smiles were prevalent on the faces of people walking down the street.

The store was full of customers, and the laughter never stopped.

The sound of the quietly flowing river tickled my ears.

Suyeon looked at all of that and spoke carefully to me.

“I think this is a very pretty city. “It will probably be remembered for a long time.”

“I know. “It’s such a nice place.”

“Thank you, brother.”

Suyeon suddenly thanked me and blinked a couple of times while looking at me.

After thinking about it for a while, I tried to copy something Suyeon often used.

“You’re saying all kinds of things. “Shouldn’t siblings help each other?”

Suyeon listened to me and giggled for a while.

The meeting place was not that far from my accommodation.

A restaurant about 15 minutes away on foot.

The waiter standing at the entrance recognized me right away.

“Han Seo-jin was a pianist. It was a wonderful Ettlingen stage. “It is an honor to meet you like this.”

“thank you. Are the others already here?”

“Some people came, some didn’t. “Is there anyone you are looking for?”

“no. It’s not like that. “I just asked because I was curious.”

“is that so. Then I will guide you personally.”

Today, this was a small after-party for the Ettlingen Competition.

Winners and their families.

Ettlingen Orchestra members and competition officials.

It was a place where people who created the competition gathered together and had a meal.

The restaurant was very old-fashioned.

I heard that it was a Michelin-starred restaurant, but regardless, it felt like its age was the same.

Old-fashioned decorations and huge chandeliers.

The antique furniture, which I don’t know how old it was, made me think, ‘This is really Europe.’

We were guided to the second floor.

As I climbed the marble stairs, a fairly spacious space appeared.

When I arrived on the second floor, the loudest kid was the first to greet me.

“Seojin! Why are you so late! “Everyone has been waiting!”

A blonde girl wearing the dress she wore during the finals.

It was Anna Becker.

I glanced at my watch and then answered.

“It’s still 20 minutes before the appointment time?”

“Normally, you can come an hour early to a party like this! “Come here!”

“······.”

Anna snatches my wrist.

Mother burst out laughing and waved with Suyeon.

There were already many musicians inside the hall on the second floor.

They all look at me.

Anna’s brave appearance seemed to naturally draw attention to us.

At first glance, it felt similar to what it felt like during orientation.

Breathtaking silence.

A sharp feeling unique to competitions.

but······.

That was my mistake.

All the musicians welcomed me.

He smiles at me.

Professor Yuhan Kang.

Chloe Laurent, pianist.

Conductor Kai Hoffman.

Conductor Leon Hauser.

Director Jonas Brandt.

“Welcome. Seojin.”

Even Professor Max Richter.

Musicians I wouldn’t dare talk to are gesturing to me.

This feeling was very strange.

It came across a little bit uniquely.

and.

It was very warm.

I stepped between them.

Without any hesitation.

A little confidently.

I took a step closer to them.