The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 191



Only Noblemtl

191 Picture in a Frame

* * *

“Rain, there are sparks flying from the plane engine!!!”

A middle-aged woman’s scream was heard.

I guess that was where it started.

The plane was instantly thrown into chaos.

People started screaming and the flight attendants were very nervous and busy trying to calm the passengers down.

I am······.

I just stared at them blankly.

Screams, smoke, fire, fear, despair.

I knew in my head how dire the situation was, but my emotions wouldn’t accept it.

horror.

despair······?

My emotions weren’t working right.

The leader of the Yongshuto Music University Master Class, who was sitting next to me, was trembling.

A child my age who was sitting a row away from us also started to cry.

I looked out the window absentmindedly.

ah.

It looks like the plane is crashing.

We were literally falling into the ocean.

“Seo, Seo Jin-ah! First, put on the oxygen mask!”

The guide puts a mask on me.

I watched his actions and said a word.

“I’m sure it’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”

“······ Yes. You are calm.”

I said similar things to him to a kid my age sitting over there.

A child who just won’t listen to me.

He spoke again in a strong tone to the child who was too busy crying to come to his senses.

“We’re falling ‘over the sea’ now. It’s a much better situation than falling onto land. So we’ll land safely. I can guarantee it.”

“······ Is that really true?”

“clearly.”

He didn’t even say anything like, “It’ll be okay.”

I looked around the plane.

Most of the passengers were wearing oxygen masks.

Then suddenly I looked back.

An old woman with a sagging upper body caught my eye.

It seemed like he hadn’t even put on his coral mask yet.

‘It would be dangerous if you just stay like that.’

At that moment, a huge explosion was heard.

“Eww!!!”

“Save me!!!”

“please······.”

My gaze naturally turned in that direction.

After a while.

When I looked back at where my grandmother was, she was safely wearing her oxygen mask.

‘Thank goodness······.’

The vibration of the plane becomes more severe.

The lights flicker incessantly.

and.

An unimaginable, enormous shock was transmitted through my entire body.

The view became dark.

Consciousness fades.

Getting further and further away from reality.

I was sinking into the depths of the sea.

From up high above.

The lights rippling on the sea surface where they were were clearly visible.

It was too far for me.

I couldn’t breathe.

What happened to me?

Did he fall into the sea while transferring from the plane to the rescue ship?

Or maybe there was a hole somewhere in the plane?

I don’t know.

Not breathing was more comfortable than I thought.

The deeper you go into the sea, the more stable it becomes.

Even in the sea, the sound of water flowing could be heard.

I can hear the bubbles of air rising from my nose.

My heartbeat was gradually slowing down.

at that time.

A long hand reached out to me.

My vision was dark so I couldn’t see him.

but.

In the cold sea.

I can feel his warm hands.

He hugs me.

I can hear his heartbeat.

He calmed me down.

It comforts me.

I am······.

Only then······.

I felt like taking a breath.

More than ever.

Intensely.

I longed to breathe.

.

.

.

The Beaux-Arts Concert Hall in Brussels.

An incredible performance ensues there.

A piano sound reminiscent of thunder and storm.

Madness and terror.

Boldness and eagerness.

The most intense emotions a human being can have burst out.

An amazing sight.

The boy on stage played passionately with ⌜Petrushka⌟.

The keys are pressed without stopping.

Using tapping, which can be said to be the most primitive way for humans to play instruments.

It slowly awakens a great melody.

The pianist’s soul gives narrative to the music.

The pressure continues with a mix of whole-tone and eight-note scales.

Unresolved passages create a sense of dread.

A phrase that seems to be progressing smoothly is interrupted by a comma and deviates significantly from the composition.

New sound forms appearing constantly.

Only when the boy took a deep breath could the audience catch their breath.

‘Goosebumps······. It’s giving me goosebumps······.’

Payans could now fully understand what Kang Yuhan had said: ‘You might be a little surprised.’

‘Heh heh heh.’

‘But you know······.’

‘Isn’t this a little bit!!!’

A boy’s music that plays fear, longing and passion.

In this ⌜Petrushka⌟, the artist’s unique aspects begin to clearly emerge.

Payans endured the creepiness······.

I started to get more and more immersed in the boy’s performance.

.

.

.

Petrushka, who was brought to life by a magician, looks at a ballerina doll.

But the ballerina only looked at the other dolls and did not look back at Petrushka.

I want her love.

I want to get her.

The longing only grows stronger, but it becomes out of reach.

Then, annoyingly, the puppeteer pulls the string.

Petrushka started dancing a funny dance.

Toddling.

Then I trip over my own leg and fall.

The ballerina looks down at Petrushka, spinning gracefully.

Without any change in facial expression.

She looks at him with the only expression given to the doll.

.

.

.

“Hey. Is he out of the rankings again?”

“That’s right. From what I’ve heard, I think I came in 29th out of 30 contestants.”

“Huh? Do they announce rankings in addition to the winners in domestic contests?”

“No. One out of 30 people was absent. So of course we’ll be in last place, right?”

“Hahaha. That makes sense.”

“Seojin is the answer.”

“yes?”

“But why does he keep playing the piano when he doesn’t really have any talent?”

“Well, I’ve never asked him directly.”

“Should I ask Ha-eun instead? I think she talks to Seo-jin sometimes.”

“Fine. What’s the big deal? I guess I’m just stupid.”

“Right? Anyway. If I played at that level, I would have quit already.”

“Me too. Me too.”

.

.

.

blame.

solitude.

The loneliness that comes from locking yourself up.

and.

craving.

It was a difficult ordeal for a young child like me to endure.

The adults spoke to me indifferently.

‘Isn’t that just a hobby?’

‘You can just play the piano roughly and study hard. But Seojin is smart.’

‘I guess I just have to play until I’m in elementary school. So I have to study hard when I go to middle school?’

One step.

I never knew taking that one step would be so difficult.

I dug a hole alone.

“Honey, can you play with me a little today?”

“I’m sorry, Suyeon. I think today will be difficult because of practice.”

“Yeah. I see······. Okay, I understand.”

“Seojin, what do you want to do in the future? Do you want to keep playing the piano?”

“······I want to do that.”

“Then Mom will always support you. But if it gets too hard, you have to tell Mom.”

“I will do that.”

“Art is not easy. I don’t dare to give you any advice, but I want you to know that I am always on Seojin’s side.”

“······ Yes. I understand.”

“Seo Jin-ah. Why did you start playing the piano?”

“Because you liked the piano?”

“So why?”

“······.”

“If it’s hard to answer, you don’t have to say it. But you should think about it deeply someday. That reason will become your foundation. It’s one of the most important processes for a musician.”

“Mr. Miller, I······.”

All the illusions that were floating before my eyes disappear.

I was left alone in an empty black room.

Like Petrushka, who was enslaved by a thief.

I too was trapped in this small room.

I reached out.

I knock on the wall with my longing at my fingertips.

Repeat this action over and over again.

The black wall soon began to crack.

Light comes in through the gap.

Just a little more.

A little stronger.

I try my best to hit the invisible keys hard.

Empty, empty, empty.

I didn’t give up even to the hollow sound of the keys.

There was light outside.

The thug who locked me up here must be out there.

After escaping from this room, you just need to avoid it and get out.

At that moment, the wall of the black room splits and the outside view comes into view.

A mansion with a huge portrait hanging in it.

The picture frame that Petrushka saw and fainted from······.

There were no pictures.

There is nothing that would make me tremble in fear.

The reason why I shrink.

Even the rascals would faint from shock.

It never existed in this world.

It was I who trapped myself.

I was the one who was discouraged by the world’s cries.

Mr. Miller asks me,

“Seo Jin-ah. Why did you start music?”

When I started making music, there were a lot of things going on in my family.

A one-room apartment that I just moved into.

My maternal grandfather came to visit me and my father and mother in the one-room apartment where we lived.

My grandfather yelled at my father loudly.

Did you take your daughter away knowing that she would live an unhappy life like this?

If it’s going to be like this, you should just give up on novels and do some hard labor instead.

My grandfather grabbed my wrist and tried to take my mother and me away.

Said he would send me to a good school.

He said he would dress me in nice clothes.

I resisted.

And then he shouted to his grandfather.

Why would Grandpa want to ruin our happiness?

What qualifications do you have?

Are you mentioning misfortune to us?

I screamed that I hated you.

It was from that day on that I stopped seeing my maternal grandfather.

Time goes by.

My mother told me that I was going to have a younger sibling.

He also asked me who I thought was better, a younger brother or a younger sister.

After much thought, I answered, ‘Well, I guess it would be nice if it was just a cute girl.’

A few months later.

A very curious, squirming creature has joined our family.

My little brother grabs my finger and yawns.

Around that time, I happened to hear a pianist playing on TV.

It was late at night.

I secretly turned on the TV while my father, mother, and Suyeon were all asleep.

A pianist wearing a stylish suit appears to applause from the audience.

I didn’t realize how much time had passed while I was listening to the beautiful melodies he played.

I don’t remember who the pianist was, but he looked really cool.

The pianist was confident.

He impressed people with his wonderful music.

It created a small crack in my frozen heart.

And above all.

The pianist didn’t seem to care about anyone.

Looking back now, I guess I may have been naive.

It is possible that he did not give up the piano because he wanted to show his grandfather that he could be successful with just ‘art’.

That night, I might have fallen in love with the wonderful music of a pianist I saw on TV.

Nothing was clear.

The country is a musician······.

Because it was a very complex being.

I told this story to Mr. Miller too.

It was a little over two years later on the deserted island.

I don’t know the exact date, but it was around that time.

Mr. Miller answered, ruffling my hair.

“That’s a great motivation. And it’s also very strong. But Seo Jin-ah.”

The old man calmly explained to me as a child.

Why my music was stiff.

The reason why I suffered defeat countless times in competitions.

that.

I say it could be because of the lump in my heart.

“If you want to continue making music, you will have to face it at some point. I don’t mean forgive. Look. Face. Gaze. That alone will be enough.”

“······Is that so?”

“There’s no rush. You have plenty of time. And.”

Because I will always help you.

always.

By your side.

I opened my eyes.

Sweat was pouring down like rain from all over my body.

The hot feeling in my hands seems to be explaining to me how difficult this ⌜Petrushka⌟ is.

Quickly scan the keyboard with your eyes.

My ten fingers cover the entire keyboard.

A piece originally written for orchestra.

The trumpet and horn are replaced by the piano.

Tuba and bassoon dance in the low register.

⌜Petrushka⌟ is fundamentally a chaotic piece of music.

Music that is gorgeous, beautiful, sad, painful, bright, and dark.

Stravinsky’s music always had a double meaning.

The strong and the weak.

Beauty and ugliness.

Boldness and timidity.

Roughness and softness.

and······.

Solitude and fullness.

It’s been a long time since I kicked out the loneliness that existed inside me.

On the deserted island, Mr. Miller breathed life into me.

He worked his magic like the magician peddler in ⌜Petrushka⌟.

Inside me······.

Now it’s stronger than anyone else’s.

⌜Petrushka⌟ was confusing until the very end.

In the market place where the carnival is taking place, Petrushka is threatened with a knife by his fellow doll.

Petrushka ends up losing his life.

People watching from the surrounding area were confused, not knowing whether it was a puppet show or reality.

The puppeteer confirms that they are puppets, and it ends with one incident.

On that roof.

Petrushka’s soul was looking at them and laughing, not even realizing that it was having fun.

The curtain falls on ⌜Petrushka⌟.

What would have happened if I had never met Mr. Miller?

Could you have lived locked in a black room, thinking that was your whole world?

Or maybe he was looking closely at the gold in the black room and eventually escaped?

‘well······.’

There was nothing in the world that was as definite as my thoughts and my performance changing from day to day.

So, you can’t know what you haven’t experienced.

For now, I thought I just needed to focus more on what I could create.

⌜Petrushka⌟ is a kind of tragedy, but I will reflect my inner soul in this ⌜Petrushka⌟.

The greatest blessing given to a musician.

I changed the ending of ⌜Petrushka⌟ to my own will.

My performance is running towards the end.

A glimmer of space appears in the otherwise chaotic performance.

It relieves tension and gives you some space.

Within the limits of the musical score’s instructions.

I am new······.

He breathed life into Petrushka.

Ascending melody.

Harmony that stays in heaven.

Petrushka finally gets his freedom.

He dances energetically in St. Petersburg Square.

By my fingers that became a puppeteer.

Get a new life.

My own music.

My unique music that no one can invade is completed.

More clearly.

The finale is decorated with repetitive rhythm and harmony.

Two glissandos that follow in a splendid manner.

At the end of it.

As if to put a proud period at the end of ⌜Petrushka⌟.

He struck the bass keys with his fist to create the final chord.

“Haa······. Haa······.”

The piano’s reverberations bounce off the walls of the concert hall and disappear.

With this, my own ⌜Petrushka⌟ also came to an end.

I put all my energy into this one song.

I showed everything I could show.

I revealed my narrative without any exaggeration.

It didn’t matter what people thought of this song.

The country showed the best music that musicians can make.

There could be no regrets about this.

The beads of sweat on my forehead drip onto the floor between me and the piano.

Slowly. Slowly.

It falls slowly, as if trying to reverse the flow of time.

Sweat beads splashed finely on the wooden floor.

The time has come back properly.

That was when.

A thunderous roar erupted from the audience.

The cheering was so loud that my right ear was about to explode.

I turned my head and looked at them.

Every single one of the audience members stood up from their seats.

My music.

I realized that it had been passed on to them in its entirety.

I got up from my seat with a light heart.

One performance in the second preliminary round received a standing ovation from the entire audience.

A first in the history of the Queen Elisabeth Competition.

A 14 year old boy······.

In Brussels, a new path was being created that no one had ever walked before.

* * *

korea.

An old man looks at his computer monitor at work and smiles faintly.

He closed his eyes and recalled the melody the boy had been singing just a moment ago.

The Queen Elisabeth Competition, which was broadcast live.

The old man was satisfied with that alone.

The old man tried to reach for a picture frame on the desk, but stopped himself.

He awkwardly puts his hand away.

Time goes by.

An elderly man who was busy working at his company received a text message on his smartphone.

A text message from Song Ye-in, the old man’s daughter.

The long text my daughter sent read······.

After this contest is over.

It said that the grandson wanted to talk to his grandfather directly on the phone.

“······.”

Wishing only for my daughter’s happiness.

I hope my daughter will always live in abundance.

In the past, there was an old man who had deeply hurt their hearts······.

I closed my eyes and swallowed my tears quietly, alone.