The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 121



Only Noblemtl

121 reinforcements

* * *

“Mmm.”

Something is crawling into my arms.

For such a small topic, Suyeon’s body temperature was warm.

My brother is so good, I don’t think he’ll fall down.

Still, thanks to Suyeon, my eyes were opened.

It felt like I overslept yesterday, lying down in the living room.

Looking at the note on the bedside table, it seemed like my parents had already gone to work.

There was 30,000 won lying around with a message telling me to eat breakfast and lunch well with my younger brother.

‘I heard you’re still the same.’

Perhaps because I woke up, Suyeon started talking in her sleep.

“Wow… I just want to sleep for 10 more minutes… brother······. “Cover me with a blanket…”

‘You’re acting like a fool.’

In fact, I don’t know if I’m even awake to some degree.

“Suyeon, let’s get up now. “It’s already 9:30.”

“Then… just 5 minutes.”

“5 minutes? “Is it a promise?”

“······ huh.”

I patted Sooyeon, who had the lion’s head, for exactly 5 more minutes, and then I shamelessly took the blanket away.

Suyeon rubbed her eyes and complained to me.

“Oppa… he’s so sincere.”

“If you wake up late, the day gets shorter. Both my parents went out today. Sooyeon, don’t you want to play with your brother?”

“······!”

Only then do I open my eyes.

“Is today the day I can play with you?”

“Then~”

“oh my god!”

To put the lion to sleep, I helped Suyeon wash her hair. She even dried my hair right away.

Suyeon smiled heartily and leaned against me.

“Oppa, then what are you going to do today?”

“well. First of all, I’m thinking of going to school for a bit and seeing my friends. “Is Sooyeon okay?”

“Your school? I love it! Because all of my friends are kind. But is school still going on even though it’s vacation?”

“I heard so. “It’s open all the time because of the practice room.”

“Uhm. “I guess all artists are busy.”

“Because you always have to practice.”

“I see. “Then can you do me a favor?”

“What please?”

“I’m meeting my brother’s friends, so I think I should dress up pretty. “Mom went to work… so… um…”

Suyeon looks at me with her head tilted back.

I nodded lightly.

“okay. “Then, will you make Sooyeon’s hair as pretty as your brother can?”

“Hi-Hi. “Actually, I was waiting to hear that!”

Even though I don’t have great skills, I thought Suyeon could braid hair at least.

By crossing the three strands alternately, hair similar to the princess in the movie was created.

Finishing it off with a hair tie made it look good.

Suyeon looked in the mirror, quickly changed her clothes, and came out. She immediately begged me to take her picture.

“hurry! hurry! “It’s been a while since my brother did my hair, so I have to keep a record of it!”

Time passed quickly as I took pictures of my younger brother striking various poses in front of me.

I selected a few pieces and sent them to my mother and father.

(Shock! Heart pounding! emoticon) and (So cute! Patting! emoticon) came back with a reply within a minute.

After stopping at a snack bar and sharing kimbap and udon with Suyeon, we moved to Seolhwa Yejung.

The first person to welcome us was Lee Ha-eun.

“oh my god! “Who braided Suyeon’s hair so beautifully?”

“Ahem! My brother did it for me. “The workmanship is great, isn’t it?”

“It’s no joke. But Seojin, did you know you could do something like this?”

When I shrug my shoulders, Lee Ha-eun chuckles.

“Anyway. I heard you have a lot of abilities. “How was Germany?”

“It was fun. “I met a lot of people.”

“Was the German you studied effective?”

Suyeon gave this answer for me.

“My brother was truly the best! “I talked to German musicians like locals!”

“really?”

“yes! “Everyone was shocked!”

A story that doesn’t seem to end easily.

We continued our conversation while drinking drinks each at the convenience store on the first floor of the main building.

Lee Ha-eun successfully completed the Baekwol Competition gala show.

He said he was happy to be able to meet his father there after a long time.

Although he has now returned to Canada, he said he often received promises to come to Korea.

Lee Ha-eun said a little thank you to me so that Su-yeon couldn’t hear.

“You did a good job.”

“I heard it wouldn’t have been possible without your song. That’s why I said thank you. “This is true.”

As a result of the Baekwol Competition, Lee Ha-eun said she received several invitations to concerts run by local governments.

There are quite a few regional concert halls in Korea.

Although most of them are small performance halls, the performance itself can be said to have achieved decent results.

“It went so well.”

“I’m already at school for that practice right now.”

Lee Ha-eun told me her whole story as if she had nothing to hide, and it seemed like she was going into too much detail, so Su-yeon put headphones on her head.

“Just listen to the song for a moment. My brother and I will finish talking to you soon. Understand?”

“huh! okay!”

My younger brother was a good listener.

Lee Ha-eun was offered a total of 8 performances, but since she had to travel almost all over the country, she reduced the number to 5.

I made that choice because I thought it would be a burden for my mother, who works alone, to have to pick up Lee Ha-eun herself.

He even felt sorry for his mother because the performance guarantee only covered transportation expenses.

“This is the stark reality of the Korean classical music world.”

“But it’s okay because I got the prize money for winning the Baekwol Contest. I got quite a bit. And above all…”

Lee Ha-eun smiled brightly and continued speaking.

“I like it because I feel like I have become a real pianist when I go to performances. Should I be a little happy? I have that feeling. “It’s really fun to meet the audience.”

My friend who even seems a little innocent.

I was about to ask if there was anything I could do to help, but stopped talking.

Because of Lee Ha-eun’s personality, she wouldn’t accept my help, and I thought it would hurt her friend’s pride for no reason.

‘Well, there will be a way.’

Originally, Korea was a wasteland of classical music.

If you are not one of the top few performers, you may have to spend your own money to perform.

So most performers make a living through ‘lessons.’

It was for this reason that performers with even a little bit of skill tried to go abroad.

After listening to Lee Ha-eun’s story, I also told a little of my own story.

This friend already knows all my secrets (related to ⌜Moonlight⌟).

Having someone I could talk to so openly made me feel a little more at ease.

“⌜Schmid⌟? And three performances? There······.”

Lee Ha-eun looked around and whispered very softly.

“Carnegie Hall? “Isn’t it truly a great thing to stand on that stage at our age?”

“I was lucky.”

“That’s skill! “It went so well!”

Lee Ha-eun congratulated me, but said she would definitely keep everything about ‘Carnegie Hall’ a secret.

At this point, the ‘Carnegie Hall performance’ was under embargo.

As the performance repertoire was not clearly decided, the timing of disclosing this information to the outside world was postponed a little.

Of course, everyone in Germany knew, but it was officially kept secret.

Director Rogers said it was okay to just say that we signed a contract with ⌜Schmid⌟.

So, when I was interviewed at the airport yesterday, I kept quiet about ‘Carnegie Hall’.

Lee Ha-eun congratulates me sincerely.

I gave my friend some very little advice.

I watched Lee Ha-eun’s Baekwol Competition performance on NewTube.

And wasn’t I in Ettlingen?

With Lee Ha-eun’s current level of skill, it seemed like she could win an award at a competition equivalent to Ettlingen if she polished it just a little more.

If so, you will be able to make music under much better conditions than in Korea.

If it was someone I didn’t know well, I wouldn’t have told him this much, but since he was my friend, I told him honestly and without any hesitation.

Lee Ha-eun lightly scratched her cheek.

“Ah, Seojin, it’s you that won the international competition. “I am far away.”

“Even if it doesn’t. So try a little harder. And I don’t know if it’s harsh for first year middle school students, but I think English and German should be perfect. “You really have to work hard.”

“······.”

“got it? “Do you have to do as I say?”

“······.”

Lee Ha-eun must have sensed my serious attitude and slowly nodded, and I smiled slightly.

“Then that’s enough. Let’s go now. “Don’t you need to practice too?”

“ah···. that’s right.”

Sooyeon took the headphones off her head and stood up.

Lee Ha-eun cleaned up the drinks on the table and glanced at me for a moment.

“why?”

“Do you think you’re a little tall? Right?”

“me?”

“huh.”

Lee Ha-eun extends her hand to measure my height.

“I think 2 or 3 cm is big? “What happened in Germany?”

“All I did was eat well, jog every morning, and play hard?”

“So is that so? It was so big. “Isn’t that a foul?”

“Have I really grown up?”

“Is that so?”

I asked Suyeon once and she tilted her head. I’m not sure if it’s because he spends every day next to me.

“Uhm. But my brother has become more dependable!”

That’s the conclusion I came to.

Anyway, it was a good thing.

As I walked around the practice room that was probably used by the piano department in the story, I saw a few friendly faces.

“oh my god! It’s Seojin! “Finally, our school celebrity has arrived!”

“Winner of Ettlingen! “With your skills, it would be worth targeting Germany as well.”

“How was your collaboration with Konzerthaus? “I heard there was a great response locally.”

Friends from class A in the piano department.

Among them, Shin Ju-won’s eyes were shining.

“Then have you talked to Master Roden?”

“yes? But how could you, Master Roden…”

“I’m a huge fan! The Devil of Konzerthaus! Czech star! What is the cause of death? “Did you get an autograph?”

“sign?”

“Oh, no. Because you’re not that type of kid. “Then have you met other violinists?”

Perhaps because I originally majored in violin, I get asked a lot about violinists.

I thought about it before answering.

“I performed together with Mr. Richter at the Ettlingen Final. “Do you know anything?”

“Richter? Max Richter? Melodies of Dresden?”

“oh. “You know that too, right?”

“You’re crazy! You know that he is a legend, right? Could it be that you didn’t get his autograph? “That crossed the line.”

“······.”

“Korea… West… Jin… How can you do that! “If you get an autograph, I can at least take a picture!”

Shin Joo-won, even with tears in his eyes.

Baek So-yeon, who was next to him, shook his head.

“Leave him alone. Originally, a virtuoso violinist couldn’t use his own legs.”

“Then why did you change your major to piano?”

“Well, that’s fine. But that’s not what’s important right now. Seo Jin-ah, congratulations on winning Ettlingen. really.”

“okay. thanks.”

Baek So-yeon, who won second place at the Baekwol Competition, also said that she had quite a few performances scheduled.

There is also a performance that Lee Ha-eun and I go to together.

Regardless of the location, everyone seemed to be busier than before.

“That’s good. “This will all become a career later.”

“Of course, Seojin doesn’t have the same experience as you.”

When it was about 1 o’clock, we all went to have lunch together.

The menu is pork cutlet.

Oddly enough, I really wanted to eat Korean-style pork cutlet in Germany.

After eating, I practiced for a bit since I was at school, and then returned to Saebom-dong.

There was someone I had to meet after leaving Sooyeon at her mother’s flower shop.

A cute cafe in Saebom-dong.

⌜Wolgwang⌟ Manager Park Hoon and Assistant Manager Charina welcomed me.

“Winning in Ettlingen. “I couldn’t believe it, but you are rewriting our country’s classical history.”

“congratulations! Composer!”

The reason I met these people today was to report their survival and tell them about ⌜Schmid⌟.

I called the manager in Germany as well, but I thought it would be easier to see him and talk to him in person.

Manager Park Hoon, who was listening to my explanation, burst into laughter.

“Anyway, ⌜Moonlight⌟ is limited to Korea, so I can’t even perform your performance. I heard you received a pretty competitive offer? “It also has an embargo.”

“Yes.”

“Your boundaries are getting wider. Right now, ⌜Moolgwang⌟ is busy marketing the song you made. As you know, singer Seolha and your songs are still at the top of music sites. “I have to pay more attention to this now.”

“Yes, but…”

Still, aren’t the arms bound to bend inward?

With ⌜Wolgwang⌟, I signed a performance contract with ⌜Schmid⌟, so I brought it up, but Manager Park Hoon didn’t even care.

“It is true that ⌜Moongwang⌟ started from a classic label. However, now our company’s pop music portion is over 99%. So, the current state is enough. And what does a 14-year-old kid care about so much about? “You can just skip it.”

Manager Park Hoon, whom I haven’t seen in a while, is still the same.

The Tsarina also quietly joined the conversation.

“But you said you signed a contract with ⌜Schmid⌟? I heard it’s one of the top three classic agencies in the world? The composer is truly amazing. No, I don’t even know if I can call you composer anymore.”

“You can just call me Seojin.”

“Oh, you can’t do that. Then, I’ll sing it according to the situation, pianist!”

“······.”

The Tsarina’s playful expression was still there.

I heard from Manager Park Hoon that the prices of MJ and ⌜Unknown⌟ are continuing to rise.

Especially for MJ.

“⌜Like a mirage⌟, ⌜Sunny from today⌟ After the great success, the composition fee has almost doubled. If this momentum continues, it may hit the highest price ever in Korea.”

“that is a good news.”

“yes. by the way. “Didn’t you say you had something to show me?”

Manager Park Hoon smiles quickly.

I took out a sheet of music paper from my bag and showed it to him.

“In the meantime, you’re preparing a new song. “I heard you’re amazing too.”

“I’m still just writing the code. “It’s a long way from completion.”

“You said you composed the song on an airplane, right?”

“To some extent.”

“You’re a genius.”

“It’s not that bad.”

Manager Park Hoon glanced at the score and then answered me.

“I understand the feeling. “You said you wanted to find a different singer this time, right?”

“yes. This time it’s a male singer. “You must have a much deeper voice than me.”

“Can’t we just hand over the composition fee to the best singer?”

“I don’t do music for money. “I’m sure another owner suitable for the song will appear.”

“nice! “Other people need to hear what you have to say.”

He talks a lot of jokes.

“I will contact you when the work is completed. “I’m not sure how long it will take since I’m also busy preparing for my performance.”

“You can do it yourself. Because there is no need to rush. “Then in the meantime, I’ll be looking for a singer you might like.”

* * *

The next morning.

I received a call from an unknown number.

I thought it was spam, so I left it alone, but immediately a text message arrived from the vice principal of Sulhwa Ye Middle School.

Since the number was also on the school website, there was no need to verify it separately.

In addition to congratulating the Ettlingen Competition, I asked if I could see it briefly at school.

Thanks to you, I got to go to school two days in a row.

‘This is my first time in the vice principal’s office.’

After knocking and waiting for a while, I heard a call to come in.

“Oh my! Proud of our school! “It’s Seojin!”

“······?”

I’ve seen the vice-principal in passing, but I’ve never had a conversation with him.

and.

There was one more person next to him.

“hi. Kid. My name is Assistant Manager Heo Seong-ho from the Performing Arts Headquarters of the Seoul Arts Center. I came here because I wanted to tell you a good story. “Can you give me a moment?”

A person who has never been mentioned separately.

Assistant Manager Heo Seong-ho looked at me and smiled.

“······?”

.

.

.

Same time.

The man unconsciously nodded while talking on the phone.

“All right. Director Rogers. Of course, we have to look after that child. We will make sure that no one harasses us. yes. “Don’t worry.”

Manager Suho Kim of ⌜Schmid⌟ Korea hung up the phone.

Since ⌜Schmid⌟ is a foreign company, the rank system was a little different from Korea, but Kim Su-ho, a senior manager, could be considered to have a manager-level rank in Korea.

Age in early 30s.

He graduated from famous universities in the United States and Germany and was one of the talented individuals who was promoted very quickly at ⌜Schmid⌟.

⌜Schmid⌟ Since there was no one in Korea with a higher rank than him, it was safe to say that he was in fact the general manager of Korea.

Kim Soo-ho originally wanted to work in North America or Europe, but conditions were not available, so he ended up working in the Korean branch.

‘There has to be a reason to go there.’

The classical music scene in Korea was a little tired.

The unique old school culture still persisted, and school ties and regional backgrounds were also considered.

There were certainly some who did not, but most of those people were from those who studied abroad.

Professor Kang Yu-han of Korea University studied in Italy, Germany, and Russia since childhood.

A musician whose mindset is completely different from that of Koreans.

It’s such an obvious thing to say, but I can see that the Korean classical music world is at least being maintained because of such correct people.

‘what···. Even if it’s not necessarily those who studied abroad, Korea is changing little by little.’

There is still a long way to go.

A small opportunity came to Kim Soo-ho.

The child who is currently attracting the most attention in Europe.

A request came from the senior director to take care of the child.

Kim Su-ho checked and found that the child’s skills were incredible.

Critics and masters alike praised the child.

then.

If you take good care of that child while he or she grows up, his or her achievements may be recognized and he or she may be sent to Europe, the center of classical music.

Or, you may end up in the United States, the center of meritocracy.

‘It could actually create a pretty good opportunity.’

For Kim Su-ho, who looks after the schedules and conveniences of numerous musicians, such things were nothing.

I even talked to that kid for a short while yesterday.

‘He was polite and calm.’

A good-looking kid.

I ended the call by asking him to contact me if anything happened.

Suho Kim was very good at his job.

It allowed musicians to not worry about anything but music.

The value of the name ⌜Schmid⌟ was told to those in the classical music profession who were trying to clumsily lash out.

⌜Schmid⌟ is an agency that has numerous musicians.

To put it a little differently, it was the same as saying that without ⌜Schmid⌟, it would be difficult to find performers to perform at the concert hall.

A person who has both a foreign mind and a Korean mind.

He was Kim Su-ho.

‘I’ll try to visit that child tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.’

I had to show them around ⌜Schmid⌟’s practice room and tell them about special benefits.

It’s only been two days since the child came to Korea, so I didn’t visit him out of consideration, but there were a lot of things I needed to tell him.

With that in mind, I was organizing documents related to my child.

Rurrrrr.

“······?”

I got a call from that kid.

Suho Kim answered the phone and calmly listened to what the child said.

“······ Yes.······ So.”

Kim Su-ho took notes.

And I gave the child a definite answer.

“i get it. I’ll handle it. “You have nothing to worry about.”

Kim Su-ho hung up the phone and looked at the note.

He scoffed when he saw the post-it note that said, ‘Seoul Arts Center, Performing Arts Headquarters, Assistant Manager Heo Seong-ho.’

“They are consistent. What kind of guarantee are you giving 150,000 won to have that kid on stage? And that’s because there’s a kid who refuses because he’s busy. ha.”

Besides that, I heard a few more ridiculous things.

Kim Soo-ho picked up the phone again to solve the problem head-on.

If anything happens.

I am thinking of not having a single ⌜Schmid⌟ artist at the Seoul Arts Center in the future…

‘The Seoul Arts Center is not the only large performance venue in Korea.’

A person who has proven his/her ability will always have strong support.