The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 182



Only Noblemtl

182 their music

* * *

Sister Seolha came to my house in Saebom-dong.

I heard over the phone that I could now get my RL-173 guitar inspected, but they said they would take me to the workshop in person.

He even left his schedule blank.

“Aren’t you overdoing it?”

“Ahem! This is my brother’s problem, so this is natural. “It’s also nice to be able to see my senior’s face one more time.”

“It’s enough for me to go alone…”

“Thanks to you, I’m getting a day off too? And isn’t it a bit too adult-like, even though you’re only in middle school? You should also know how to rely on your sister sometimes. is not it?”

And then he pats my shoulder.

really······. She was an older sister who could not be stopped.

After greeting my family warmly, I got into the van with Seolha. The manager did the driving.

It is said that the musical instrument workshop is located in Namyangju, Gyeonggi-do.

Sister Seolha told me a story about ‘that senior’ in the car.

How did you meet and what time did you spend together?

Even after hearing only a brief explanation, I could tell that the two were quite close friends.

However, the story that came out at the end of Sister Seolha’s speech was not so beautiful.

“You stopped being a guitarist?”

“huh. It’s already been several years. It seems like he’s doing well at work now. But for no reason, I felt a little like that.”

This is a fairly common story among people who make music.

That was the story.

I listened to Seolha’s story and looked out the window for a while.

Spring rain continues to fall.

This rain seemed to last a particularly long time.

Seolha talked with me for a while and then slowly closed her eyes. I must have been tired, so I dozed off quickly. So she put the neck pillow next to my chair around my neck instead.

“Umm… “You’re a good little brother.”

“Get some sleep. “I’ll wake you up when we arrive.”

“I guess so. Sorry······.”

After Seolha fell asleep, I had a conversation with the manager, and I heard that her schedule has become much busier these days.

In the meantime, he gave me some time…

It was always like that, but today I felt even more grateful.

I spent some leisurely time in the car, occasionally pinning Seolha’s forehead with my fingers to keep her head from falling off as she dozed off.

As I left Seoul, I quietly watched the changing landscape.

It takes a few tens of minutes to travel along a quiet road in Namyangju.

The car stopped at the entrance of a really small one-story building.

‘Is this workshop smaller than my house?’

It really might be so.

Sister Seolha wakes up and hurries to call.

After a while.

My older sister, who had a strong impression and long straight hair, came out to meet us.

“You are her. The professional pianist and hobby guitarist that Seolha was talking about. “You’re amazing for your age.”

Seolha and I had already agreed on what to say, so I nodded.

“hello. My name is Seojin Han. “Thank you for your time today.”

“Your words are clear. Actually, I am more grateful. They say he still uses my father’s guitar and has a lot of love for it. My father will like it very much. thanks. Seojin.”

Rahee gave me a tap on the arm.

We went straight into the musical instrument studio.

A very narrow space.

On one wall, there were a lot of tools with unknown names, such as saws, drills, grinders, etc., and in the middle, wood with various patterns was piled up.

The deep scent of wood and musty smell seemed to indicate that this was a place where musical instruments were made.

At that time, the sound of an acoustic guitar was heard.

C, Dm, G7, and again a C chord.

It was a typical country music chord progression.

Rahee’s father, who is in his mid-60s, welcomed me very much.

“You are that kid. “Do you want me to check RL-173?”

“yes. I would like to be able to repair it if possible. And this isn’t anything special, but…”

I handed over two boxes of handmade macaroons, a specialty of Saebom-dong, and teacher Lee Hyeon-hak smiled deeply at me.

“You’re polite too. “Then shall we take a look at the guitar first?”

I put down the guitar case I was carrying on my back after hearing what teacher Hyeonhak Lee said. She immediately took out her guitar and handed it to me.

The teacher looked at the RL-173 guitar carefully.

slowly.

Don’t be in a hurry.

Then he says it indifferently.

“It seems like it was stored in a dry state for too long. The difficult part is split. I think there was a time when I was really shocked. Have you ever dropped your guitar without its case?”

“I have never done that. Actually, I also bought a used guitar.”

“Uhm. I see The RL-173 was designed using moisture-resistant wood to withstand the long rainy season in Korea, but… This······.”

I thought for a moment about the time I was on a deserted island.

The guitar case that Uncle Miller rescued from the sea.

The RL-173 produced decent sound until the end even though a little bit of seawater got into the case.

It seemed like the puzzle was being solved a little bit.

Teacher Lee Hyeon-hak, who lightly plucked the guitar strings a few times, finally came to a conclusion.

“I’m sure any repair shop said they wouldn’t be able to repair it. The sound isn’t really out of sync, but the cracked top and neck need to be replaced. It must have been burdensome. He could have just used as much as he could and then been told to give up.”

The teacher was accurate.

“But the sound is clearly out of sync.”

“haha. It was difficult for me to hear it because it was such a subtle sound. Can you hear it?”

“yes. The sound I am making now is not the usual guitar sound. You can’t use it like this. So, let’s restore this guitar completely… If that doesn’t work, I guess I’ll end up having to use another guitar.”

“okay. “That makes sense.”

Teacher Hyeonhak Lee handed the guitar back to me.

“Let’s listen to it first. “Because you can tell what the problem a guitarist is talking about is through his performance.”

And then he smiles.

I sat down on the wooden chair left in the studio, holding my guitar.

My two sisters quietly look at me.

Teacher Hyeonhak Lee was looking closely at the cracks in the guitar.

As I was about to start playing, I looked out the window for a moment.

I can see rain falling outside the small window in the workshop.

One drop, two drops.

If this continues, summer may suddenly arrive.

That’s how the weather usually changes.

I looked at the guitar.

and······.

I started playing very cautiously.

.

.

.

A child’s mood changes in an instant.

In a way that is not appropriate for his age, he plucks the guitar strings one by one in an extremely calm manner.

The child’s gaze was calm, and a beautiful melody that I had never imagined flowed from the guitar.

The most famous guitar performance song in Korea recently.

The child begins to casually play the lead guitar part of ⌜Freesia⌟.

“······.”

I was surprised for a moment.

Lee Ra-hee clenched her fists, afraid that she might move her fingers unintentionally.

I looked at the sublingual area just in case…

He was smiling slightly.

Without saying anything.

As if asking him to listen to the boy’s performance, he just slightly nods his head in the boy’s direction.

Lee Ra-hee looked at the boy while trying to calm her pounding heart.

A near-perfect performance.

However, due to cracks in the acoustic guitar, a subtle dissonant sound can be heard in small amounts.

A discordant sound that cannot be heard unless you concentrate.

It was just as my father said.

however.

I watched the boy’s performance closely…

‘no way······. ‘Are you controlling that?’

The boy’s technique was slightly unique.

I continue to play by slightly shifting the fingerboard so that the dissonance is not easily heard.

Ordinary people would have overlooked it, but Lee Ra-hee, who has been playing the guitar for over 10 years, was able to recognize it right away.

‘Your talent is amazing… I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself.’

There seemed to be a reason why Seolha was directly helping that child.

Regardless of the technical aspect, the child’s performance was amazing.

It perfectly expresses the warm melody contained in ⌜Freesia⌟.

Lee Ra-hee held one of her arms tightly in her hand and looked out the window.

It has been raining continuously lately.

Rain was always annoying to Lee Ra-hee, who went to work.

I felt uncomfortable, the traffic was blocked, and the humidity rose, making my discomfort level rise as well.

however.

This boy’s performance…

I was making the sound of those raindrops into music.

The melody of ⌜Freesia⌟ is woven into the sound of falling rain.

I am once again greeted by the surprise of music that I had forgotten or tried to forget.

Lee Ra-hee tried to play along with the boy’s ⌜Freesia⌟, even if only in her heart.

As before.

Lee Hyeon-hak looked at the child closely.

Beautiful sound.

I somehow manage to create a performance with a guitar that has already reached the end of its life.

The child had a perfect understanding of acoustic guitar.

Communicating with the instrument.

The sounds made by each string are combined to create a single melody.

The melody moves people’s hearts.

This situation gives me goosebumps.

Lee Hyeon-hak felt a bit of déjà vu.

I’ve already heard ⌜Freesia⌟ dozens or hundreds of times.

A good guitar performance song that has been released in Korea for a long time.

The sound of the RL-173.

A resonance sound that sounded strange.

‘okay.’

Lee Hyeon-hak knew right away.

That kid composed and played ⌜Freesia⌟.

The fact that he is the composer…

If you weren’t the person involved, you couldn’t have played something like this.

‘It’s even better when you hear it in person…’

Hyeonhak Lee is a musical instrument maker.

I liked musical instruments and loved music since I was young.

So, when Rahee, my only daughter, came into this world, I often played the guitar.

Rahee dreamed of becoming a guitarist… Maybe it’s because of myself.

However, the path to music is difficult.

If 1,000 people take on the challenge, it’s up to one person to survive or not.

In a way, it was natural for Rahee to give up music after over 10 years of trying.

My father, who gave me a dream that I would most likely give up on.

I’ve always had that feeling of guilt throughout my life.

They said that children are the ones that don’t hurt even if you put them in your eyes.

The guitar Rahee made when she was having a hard time was the RL-173.

I wanted to make a guitar that was perfect for my daughter, so I looked for that tone and made the guitar.

The instrument was also named after the initial R from Rahee’s name.

But my daughter eventually gave up.

He said he’s done enough with this.

I tried to smile in front of my father.

Lee Hyeon-hak…

That time suddenly came to mind.

Closing the musical instrument business was also inevitable.

Although I have been running a ⌜string music company⌟ my entire life, it was very difficult to overcome the trend of the world.

People who don’t play guitar anymore.

A variety of hobbies.

A difficult game.

financial crisis.

Even when looking for a musical instrument, musicians only look for the best brands.

Although he was more passionate about the instrument than anyone else, it was inevitable.

My daughter calmly accepted the path that approached her.

so.

Hyeonhak Lee also tried the same thing, following his daughter.

It was for that reason that I started running a convenience store.

Long years.

scheduled work.

With that in mind, I came to this day…

I met that kid today.

Seojin Han.

A child with outstanding talent.

Was meeting that child a predestined event?

Lee Hyeon-hak looked at the child.

The sight of him hugging the guitar, smiling, and playing…

It was very beautiful.

Before I knew it, the child’s ⌜freesia⌟ performance had come to an end.

Listening to the guitar melody tapering off.

Lee Hyeon-hak asked the child.

“so······. What sound do you want to bring back?”

I asked about the nature of wanting to repair that guitar.

The child answered without hesitation.

I’m trying to find memories.

I wish I could hear the sound of the sea again.

Lee Hyeon-hak listened to the words of a child much younger than himself.

The child asked a question.

“then······. “Is it really repairable?”

Lee Hyeon-hak nodded.

“okay. I don’t already have the same wood that I used to make the RL-173, but I have materials that can make the sound as similar as possible, so that will do. It would take at least a week to replace the entire top and neck… Until then, I will create the sound you want myself. “Is that okay?”

The child’s eyes become round for an instant.

Then he bowed his head and said, “Thank you! “Teacher!” he shouts.

A child who loves musical instruments.

A child who loves this guitar.

Lee Hyeon-hak actually felt more grateful for that.

After about an hour, the child and her friend left the workshop.

He said he would stop by again next week, said hello several times, and left with a smile.

After seeing them off, their daughter sits down on an empty chair in the workshop.

I look out the window indifferently and open my mouth.

“······ It was a great performance.”

“okay. “It was very surprising.”

“I’m sure that kid will become a great guitarist.”

“Or maybe it already is.”

“yes?”

Lee Hyeon-hak smiled.

“There is such a thing. Rahee, you had a hard time today. Fortunately, it looks like it wasn’t busy until the weekend.”

“Our company works five days a week. “It’s a lot better than the world my father worked in.”

“okay. “Then do you have some time now?”

Lee Ra-hee immediately realized her father’s intentions.

“Did you by any chance need a hand?”

“It’s easier to work with two people than alone.”

“Hmm.”

“why. “You don’t like it?”

“No. Well, let me help you just this once. “I was the one who brought this repair case.”

“haha. okay. “It’s good to have a sense of responsibility.”

“I’m responsible for what I originally did, right?”

The father and daughter looked together at the guitar the child had left behind.

They devoted all their weekends and weekday evenings to this guitar.

When the father gives instructions, the daughter carries them out.

If he thinks his daughter will make a mistake, the father will be the first to let her know.

Just like that, in a small workshop in Namyangju filled with the smell of wood.

They created a guitar that was only one in the world.

* * *

A week later.

A small building in Namyangju that I visited again.

In front of him, my sister Seolha and I smiled at the same time.

In that workshop seen through the small window…

Because I was able to see the father and daughter smiling together.

and.

Because I could slightly overhear the ⌜Freesia⌟ they were playing together.

“good night. “I think it’s better than the music you can hear anywhere.”

“I agree. “That music would be music that is close to real music.”

My sister Seolha and I waited at the entrance of the workshop for a while so that they could fully enjoy this time.