The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 138



Only Noblemtl

138 footsteps

* * *

Carnegie Hall located in Manhattan, New York, USA.

Kang Yu-han was looking down at the stage from the second floor of the Isaac Stern Auditorium, the largest performance hall there.

A soft melody fills the concert hall.

The audience exhales as the pianist’s emotions change.

A young pianist from Argentina.

It was a performance by a pianist who was mentioned as a next-generation virtuoso and was making his name known.

‘Excellent performers are constantly emerging.’

Kang Yu-han arrived in the United States a little earlier than Han Seo-jin in order to check the stage his student would be on at least a day early.

He quietly watched the performer that his student would have to compete with in the future, knowingly or unknowingly.

After finishing playing, the pianist stood up immediately.

He looks at the audience with a bright smile.

The pianist on stage shined very brightly.

Kang Yu-han suddenly thought about old times.

The first time I went on stage here.

The first time I went on a performance tour in the United States.

I briefly recalled myself in my younger days.

At that time, the audience began to applaud the performer.

Kang Yu-han also heartily applauded the pianist for his wonderful performance.

After the performance was over, Kang Yu-han moved to a nearby restaurant.

There, former fellow musicians welcomed Kang Yu-han.

“It’s been so long! “How have you been?”

“I’m always the same.”

“I think the teacher is really the same. “I thought the last time I saw you was three years ago, but you’ve gotten younger, haven’t you?”

“haha. People joke.”

A pianist from Poland and an oboist from Canada.

They were professional performers who were active at the same time as Kang Yu-han.

They exchanged stories about their current situation.

And their topic immediately changed to ‘Han Seo-jin’.

“Actually, I came to America because I missed that child. He was active in Europe not long ago, but aren’t his colleagues quite noisy? He was surprised to see the kid in Ettlingen or something. “Thanks to you, he couldn’t help but be curious.”

“I made a big decision. But did you just come to see this performance without any plans?”

“Hmm! The agency arranged one or two performances, but the main reason was that I didn’t want to miss the kid’s performance at Carnegie Hall. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Michał Payans, a Polish pianist, was a figure who had long ago ascended to the ranks of virtuosos.

Winner of the Chopin Competition.

He has been an internationally active pianist with more than 10 performance albums to date.

“I think that child will fully meet your expectations. “Even among the gifted children I’ve seen so far, that kid is special.”

“her! Is it that much?”

“It’s just not widely known to the public yet. “Maybe this Carnegie Hall will be a pretty good starting point.”

“If you, Kang Yoo-han, would say something like that… “It really seems like the genius of the century has emerged.”

The oboist who was listening to the conversation also added a word.

“But that kid already had a unique ethos, didn’t he? I could feel that even in that short CNN NewTube video. “He was really surprised.”

“He’s a kid who already knows which way to go. “He was a born performer even before he met me.”

“So, did he have a natural talent?”

“well. “He’s such a mysterious child, so I don’t know much about him.”

“A mysterious child?”

“That child’s inner self is very deep, ‘inappropriate for his age.’ “If it’s a talent, it may be a talent, but it’s also because he’s a child who puts in just as much effort.”

“······.”

Kang Yu-han only smiled kindly and did not add anything more.

Pianist Payance asked Kang Yu-han about something that suddenly occurred to him.

“By the way, when was the time you said you were the youngest person in Korea to perform at Carnegie Hall?”

“Hehehe. “Are you talking about something that happened several years ago?”

“Let’s just stay still. As I recall, wasn’t it when you were 22? “You said there was chaos in Korea at that time.”

Kang Yu-han burst out laughing.

“Because I was young back then. “I used to say things like that.”

“And now, is your student once again becoming the ‘youngest performer in Korea’ at Carnegie Hall?”

“There was one more person before that. 19 years old. At that time, a pretty good violinist came out of Korea. “Only after that did this child change the record for being the youngest person in Korea.”

“haha. That’s amazing. “You said that child is 13 years old this year, right?”

“That’s right. “He’s very young.”

“How can you not have expectations like this! A star may appear in the classical music world after a long time. I’m looking forward to it. “I’m looking forward to it.”

Classical musicians in New York.

Among them, all the masters who knew Kang Yu-han were eagerly awaiting his performance.

* * *

John F. Kennedy International Airport.

There, a girl wearing stylish sunglasses takes a big step forward.

The appearance of a confident child.

“My brother is now advancing to the United States. “I can’t stay still.”

Suyeon looked at the reporters and smiled brightly.

And I try to say the English sentences I learned while flying.

“hello! “I guess you came out to film my brother?”

However, Su-yeon was startled by the numerous questions from the reporters who returned soon after and hid behind me.

“Oh, brother. These are unexpected questions? Our plan went awry! “It’s a big deal!”

“It’s not a big deal. They say you’re cute. “And they ask me if I’m my sister and if I play music.”

“ah! I see. Huh?”

While Su-yeon was somehow captured by her mother, Director Rogers of ⌜Schmid⌟ welcomed us.

They said the interviews held here were formal.

To get the right picture.

He said the formal interview would be held again at Carnegie Hall.

After talking with reporters for about 10 minutes, we headed straight to a hotel near Carnegie Hall.

The official schedule starts tomorrow.

Thanks to you, today was a rest.

“and! “Oppa, look at this!”

Suyeon, who was writhing inside the curtain, shouts.

When I lifted the curtain that was hiding Sooyeon, a wide open view came into view.

‘They said they would give me a place to stay in a place with a view of Central Park.’

A huge park boasting an area of ​​3.41km².

The symbol of Manhattan, New York came into view at a glance.

Suyeon’s eyes lit up.

“Even if we collected all the parks in Saebom-dong, it wouldn’t be like this.”

“Maybe so.”

“Are there squirrels living there like the mountains behind our neighborhood?”

My mother gave this answer for me.

“I heard there are squirrels living there. “They say if you’re lucky, you might meet them?”

“and! oh my god! “Let’s go quickly…”

“But Suyeon, we have to go to bed early today. Oppa, adjusting to the time difference comes first. yes?”

“I don’t want to. Brother, we should go to sleep quickly. yes?”

Suyeon always put her older brother first.

Thanks to this, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“okay. Let’s get some rest today. “It’s not too late to move starting tomorrow.”

“that’s right. And I actually had work to do, too.”

“A thing to do?”

“huh!”

Our family took a shower in order and even changed clothes.

Suyeon lay face down on the bed and looked at her mother’s smartphone for a long time.

As I said, you are looking through my articles diligently.

“Hehehe. Brother, look at this. “They say we’re cute siblings?”

There was a photo in the article of Sooyeon and I wearing the same sunglasses at Incheon Airport.

“You did a great job taking these pictures.”

“They say we’re more alike than that! There’s something like that in the comments too. really. I guess we couldn’t hide the fact that we were brother and sister. Huh! It can’t be helped. “Because I’m with you.”

The smartphone that Sooyeon showed actually had such comments.

Wow! What are these people? What kind of child actors are these?

ㅋㅋㅋㅋ How cute are you wearing matching sunglasses? You’re crazy lol

ㄴ Haha! My brother is already performing at Carnegie Hall. Don’t you know what your brother is doing later?

ㄴ It’s really crazy cute ㅠㅠ

ㄴ Hahaha, how similar are the siblings?

My family and I have been looking for such articles for a while.

And I saved those photos one by one on my smartphone.

After a quick dinner at the hotel restaurant, we went straight to sleep.

Mother and father in the same bed.

Me and Suyeon in the same bed.

It felt like I was on a happy family trip.

The first day in America went by quickly.

* * *

next day.

Late morning hours.

Director Rogers and Carnegie Hall officials came to the hotel lobby.

“We are planning to have the first rehearsal today. “There is no need to worry because the practice room has been prepared separately by ⌜Schmid⌟, but due to space constraints, rehearsals will only be able to be performed three times.”

This is something I heard before when I was in Korea.

This was natural since I was not the only one using the concert hall.

“Three times is enough. However, I think it would be a good idea to focus on piano tuning during the final rehearsal.”

An elderly Carnegie Hall official.

Director John Gray nodded.

“If you want anything, you can always tell me. “If the circumstances arise, I can replace the piano.”

We went straight to Carnegie Hall.

It was less than a 10-minute walk away, so I arrived quickly by car.

Director Rogers decided to guide our family, and I followed Director John Gray separately.

Carnegie Hall was very fancy.

Stylish decor in a spacious lobby.

The vaulted ceiling is visible as you walk along the cream-colored marble floor.

This part definitely caught my attention.

More than anything.

“······ Beethoven?”

“okay. This is his handwritten letter. It was auctioned off at Sotheby’s 30 years ago. “He gave me quite a bit of money.”

“······.”

“haha. “It’s still too early to be surprised.”

Director Gray explained each and every picture frame on the wall.

Handwritten scores by Dvořák, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, and Mozart.

Autographs and photos of numerous masters who studied and performed their music.

And items belonging to famous pop stars were also on display.

“There are also items donated by those who performed at Carnegie Hall. By the way, you will soon be playing here too, so you will be rubbing shoulders with them.”

“······.”

When I couldn’t answer right away, Director Gray laughed.

“I think that’s enough, let’s go right away. “I have something to show you.”

“For me?”

“okay. “Everyone who plays here has something to do.”

“······?”

‘Something to show me? A thing to do?’

While listening to the director’s slightly off-kilter words, we ended up going to a corner a little bit away from Carnegie Hall.

A place where there is no one.

It was like a warehouse, without any fancy decorations like the lobby entrance.

Director Gray opened the lock on the door with a key and let me in first.

A small room lined with luxurious bookshelves.

There was a desk in the middle.

‘no way······. ‘You’re not going to get kidnapped in the middle of Manhattan, are you?’

For a moment, I thought something similar to a joke.

Director Gray continued speaking.

“It’s not a place open to outsiders. “This place is a collection of the history of Carnegie Hall.”

“thank god. “I was wondering if I was being taken somewhere.”

“ha ha ha. “Then we need to quickly resolve the misunderstanding.”

Director Gray took out a thick book from the bookshelf and placed it on the desk.

My eyes naturally fell on the letters written on the cover.

Thanks to this, I was able to quickly find out where this place was.

“Is this a guestbook by any chance? “Is this the room where the guest book is kept?”

“You got it right. This is a guestbook written by artists who performed at ‘Isaac Stern Auditorium.’ “Now that you are performing here, I guess you can say that you have become a part of Carnegie Hall’s history.”

Director Gray showed us the last part of the guestbook.

There was a quote written on it by an Argentinian pianist who had recently performed at the ‘Isaac Stern Auditorium.’

– It is an honor to perform at Carnegie Hall. Being able to perform in this historic space was a big turning point in my life. I was happy to be able to work with the audience here. –

Even before that.

Even before that.

Records of numerous people were left behind.

As the director said, this booklet was the history of Carnegie Hall.

“But I haven’t performed yet, right? Are you writing a guestbook already?”

“I write it right after the performance is over. Today I’m just introducing you. “It would be nice if you could see this as giving me time to think of something useful to say.”

“I didn’t even know something like this existed. “Director Rogers didn’t say anything.”

“It is customary to explain this directly at Carnegie Hall. And it is not something that has been disclosed to the public. “I will reveal it someday, but now is not the time.”

“How amazing.”

“I hope you keep this secret too. Well, now everyone who needs to know knows.”

I nodded silently.

Then, an idea occurred to me and I asked Director Gray a question.

“By the way, if it’s okay, can I look into the guestbook written by other people?”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s in front of me. It would be good if the next generation of musicians could gain something from the guest books of past musicians. “That’s why we created this place.”

“then······.”

“Are you curious about pianist Kang Yoo-han’s records?”

“uh······.”

Director Gray smiled at me.

“Because I learned that your teacher is him. Let’s see. I can’t find them all. “If it was his first performance, it would have been almost 50 years ago…”

After rummaging through the bookshelf for a while, Director Gray placed a booklet that looked a bit old on the desk.

He flips through a few pages and hands them to me.

Somewhere in the middle.

I was able to find a familiar name.

Kang Yoo-han, a pianist.

I also knew that the professor played at Carnegie Hall for the first time when he was 22 years old.

It was a rumor I naturally heard while taking lessons at Korea University.

The professor at that time left records in quite strong handwriting.

– Carnegie Hall is a sacred place for music. Playing here gave me another meaning to my musical journey. Currently, Korea is a wasteland of classical music. But I took the first step. In the future, many musicians will appear in Korea, and I will support them. Until I die. I won’t stop. You will become more mature musically. The 22-year-old pianist declares. I will come here again. Again and again. Again and again. –

I smiled involuntarily because I thought I knew what kind of person the professor was when he was young.

“I remember it clearly because it happened shortly after I got a job at Carnegie Hall. Lion of the East. “Pianist Kang Yu-han was a remarkable person, befitting his nickname.”

“So, Director, you have been working here ever since?”

“I didn’t plan on doing it that way, but it turned out to be my lifelong job. “That’s what makes life fun.”

“······ Yes.”

I was worried.

Actually, there was something else I was just about to ask Director Gray.

To ask that question, I asked a question that I would like to see the guest books of several other pianists.

My own smokescreen operation.

Director Gray, who was checking the guest books of several performers, handed me a completely new booklet.

“This is the table of contents. “I’ve organized it by year and name, so you can find it too.”

“ah! thank you!”

“It’s not that big of a deal. “There are artists who spend a long time here, so please take your time.”

There were people trying to record the history of Carnegie Hall, so I was able to find something I wanted to check.

After looking through the table of contents for a while, I took out an old booklet from the bookshelf.

I calmly turned over the papers one by one.

One piece at a time.

One piece at a time.

The same action was repeated countless times.

Currently, the names of performers who are called virtuosos were filled with names in the guestbook.

I read every word written on the old, faded paper.

And finally.

I was able to confirm the name I wanted.

‘Mark Miller… pianist······.’

Uncle Miller didn’t tell me much about piano performances.

The story of when he was playing a lot before he quit playing the piano due to tenosynovitis was always vague.

Now that I think about it, I realized that maybe that was his trauma.

I am a 17 year old man.

I read the guestbook written after the performance at Carnegie Hall.

–

music. I found all the answers in it.

The sound of birds, the sound of a stream, the sound of the wind.

Even the sounds hidden in human emotions were contained in music.

I tell stories.

He asks if you are calm.

He asks if you are happy.

I want you to be comforted.

I hope everyone gets joy.

I hope that the many audiences who come here will smile.

Even if it’s not necessarily my performance.

Through music made by numerous musicians.

I hope you find healing.

Many audiences came here to see my performance today.

I’m still thinking of them as I write this guestbook.

If you have any sadness, I hope you can shake it off after listening to my performance today.

Because that’s what I have to do.

wherever you are.

I hope my message got through to you.

I am that kind of musician.

Knowing nothing about the world.

I am a 17-year-old immature pianist.

–

“······.”

I took a deep breath.

The breath was immediately exhaled loudly.

I ran my hand over the words the man had written.

Hardened old ink gets stuck on my fingertips.

There may be some ink powder on your hands.

The way I had to go still seemed long.

I am as usual.

I was once again inspired by Uncle Miller.

I lightly grabbed the hand that was quietly sweeping the guestbook.

Mine.

Now this is mine.

I expressed my gratitude to Director Gray.

We headed to the concert hall for rehearsal.

Isaac Stern Auditorium.

Despite its grand scale, I was not daunted.

Sitting in the audience were numerous officials from ⌜Schmid⌟, Professor Yuhan Kang, and people from Carnegie Hall.

People gathered to check out my performance.

These were the people who came to see my first rehearsal.

Among them, I saw my father, mother, and Suyeon.

I made them my audience.

I sat in front of the piano.

I managed to calm down the inspiration that was welling up inside me.

It only took a moment.

and.

He opened his fists, which were still clenched, on the keyboard.

Emotions pour out in an instant.

The melody that flows from within me passes through the piano and reaches them.

The story is told.

It plays serenity, happiness, and comfort.

As a pianist.

You will be standing on the Carnegie Hall stage.

Like Uncle Miller.