The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 214



Only Noblemtl

* * *

“oh my god······.”

“You really won the Queen Elisabeth Competition? At the age of 14?”

“Wouldn’t this make him the youngest winner ever?”

“That’s right. The Empress was 18 when she won. I heard the classical music industry was in an uproar back then······.”

“There’s nothing to compare it to now. Just look at the judges’ scores. 9.91 points. It’s practically perfect. Perfect.”

An office near the Palais des Beaux-Arts.

Those watching TV and chatting were reporters who had not yet been able to get to the Beaux-Arts concert hall.

To avoid any potential confusion, Brussels had already limited the number of journalists allowed in, leaving some reporters to console themselves with the live broadcast of ⌜Queen Elisabeth⌟.

“Wait a minute. But these 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place scores······. Aren’t they at the same level as the last winner?”

“Maybe so? Brian Turner, who came in fourth, scored 9.25 points. The winner of the Queen Elizabeth four years ago······ Let’s see······.”

The reporter quickly looked up the relevant information on his laptop and continued talking.

“9.31 points. To be exact, if Yankowski, who came in third, had participated in the last competition, he would have won.”

“Huh. So that boy received such an overwhelming evaluation in such a fierce contest?”

“You could say that. It’s been a long time since a star appeared in the classical world. I can’t even imagine. How popular that boy will be in the future? How great music he will create? What kind of musician he will be in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years. I can’t even imagine.”

“······Unprecedented genius.”

“That might be the most appropriate word. A genius that has never existed in the world before. I guess I’m lucky to be living in the same era as him. As a classical music columnist, that is.”

“······.”

The reporter, who was talking to a colleague, checked the concours score sheet once again.

1st place Han Seo-jin 9.91 points

2nd place Sylvie Lucas 9.43 points

3rd place Oleg Yankovsky 9.42 points

4th place Brian Turner 9.25 points

5th place Lee Hyun-joo 8.97 points

‘The difference between 2nd and 3rd place was only 0.1 points. I think the reason Yankovsky ended up in 3rd place was because he was very shaken during his performance of ⌜Immortal⌟. It was a shame.’

‘But in the case of first place······.’

1st place with a clear difference in scores from 2nd place.

The highest score in the history of the Queen Elisabeth Competition.

The youngest winner in the history of the Queen Elisabeth Competition.

The judges, who would have argued about a particular contestant’s performance like in previous years, gave a virtually unanimous evaluation.

9.91 points.

It’s hard to get 99 points even when solving a problem that has a correct answer, but this boy got 99 points with music that didn’t have a correct answer.

The boy managed to convince all 17 judges, all of whom were considered masters.

‘I can’t believe it······. This will go down in history. Of course, the performance of ⌜Immortal⌟ alone was impressive enough, but I guess I should consider it confirmed today.’

‘and.’

‘The person who should be at the forefront of this work is······.’

He began to type rapidly on his laptop keyboard.

‘It must be a reporter.’

In the office, which had become extremely quiet compared to just a minute or two ago, only the sound of typing on the keyboard could be heard.

To make known the genius that has appeared in the world.

They wrote articles as if they were competing.

.

.

.

South Korea, early morning hours.

“It’s done! It’s done! Seojin is the real winner!”

“This is crazy! Our class has a Queen Elizabeth winner!”

“Honestly, from the moment I first saw Seo Jin, I knew he was extraordinary!”

“You said you were a weirdo when you were young?”

“Yeah! I guess that was hidden genius!”

“Ahahahaha!”

Two girls running around in a small room in a house.

At the shouts of Lee Ha-eun and Baek So-yeon, a middle-aged woman came into the room, rubbing her eyes.

“Guys, what time is it······.”

“Mom! It’s Seojin! I won the Queen Elizabeth Competition! The results were just announced on the Queen Elizabeth Newtube channel!”

“Huh? Really?”

“Yes! The youngest winner ever! The highest score ever! It’s already a mess. Mom, take a look.”

Lee Ha-eun hands over her smartphone to her mother.

The woman, who was looking at the numerous NewTube chats that were uploading in real time, smiled faintly.

“Seojin, you did so well. Is it safe to say that you have now become a world-class pianist?”

“Yes. Winning one of the world’s top three competitions means being recognized worldwide. Especially in the year you win, you tend to become the most notable pianist in the world. Just that popularity alone······.”

Lee Ha-eun loves it as if it were her own work.

My daughter said that she had to watch this competition live and even brought her friend to her house.

The woman continued speaking, brushing back Eunha Lee’s hair.

“But then, what will Ha-eun do if she feels upset?”

“yes?”

“When your best friend gets too busy, you don’t have time to hang out together. Seojin was always busy to begin with, so she didn’t have much free time, but now she’s not even going to school anymore, is she?”

“······.”

“Oh! Really? There’s a gala concert, right? We won’t have much time to see Seojin’s face. We might not be able to see her at all.”

Baek So-yeon spoke before Lee Ha-eun.

If you win the Queen Elisabeth Competition, there is a mandatory performance that you must perform.

Gala concert.

In the case of gala concerts at youth competitions like Ettlingen, the number of performances is relatively small, only once or twice.

For world-class competitions such as Queen Elisabeth, the story is very different.

Starting in Belgium, we have to tour Europe and perform in major countries in North and South America and Asia.

Obligations of the Queen Elisabeth Competition winner.

This was something that all participants agreed to and signed before entering the contest.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the winner will be given a reduced performance guarantee or that an unreasonable schedule will be demanded.

The winner was free to sign with any performing arts agency of his choice and negotiate with the venue for any guaranteed fee, and Belgium had no direct involvement in this.

However, under the title of ⌜Queen Elizabeth Gala Concert⌟, more than 12 performances will be held in different countries.

Belgium also always strictly complied with that condition.

It costs more money than you might think to run a competition the size of the Queen Elizabeth.

First, we had to hire 17 judges who would be worthy of being called masters, and it took them over a month.

The competition needed an advisory committee, music professors to ask for advice, and the staff needed to run it was not something that could be handled by just one or two people.

And that’s not all?

Music Chapel’s management fee and the finalists’ accommodation fee at the Chapel.

The small amount of used materials and the usage fee for the Beaux-Arts concert hall.

The cost of using the Royal Academy of Music practice rooms, which participants used for over a month.

This year, I even purchased Beethoven’s ‘unpublished sheet music’.

As it was a Queen Elizabeth competition held at a national level, there was no need for the competition itself to generate revenue······.

If you lose money every time, you can’t keep the competition going.

So, Belgium can recover some of its costs by maximizing tourism revenue through the promotion of the competition and national promotion through the ⌜Queen Elisabeth Gala Concert⌟.

The more outstanding winners emerge from Queen Elizabeth, the more this effect becomes enormous.

In fact, at the time, Chloe Laurent, who is currently called the ‘young master’, won the Queen Elisabeth.

After a year of gala concerts on the world stage, Belgium enjoys a tourism boom.

This is because the Queen Elisabeth Competition, which is held annually in the order of piano, cello, vocal and violin, has seen a significant increase in the number of people who visit Brussels the following year to enjoy the competition.

Although it was only a one-time thing, it became an issue once again after the cello competition ended because Chloe Laurent personally accompanied a cellist.

Belgium will surely be hoping to relive the atmosphere that saw Chloe Laurent win the tournament.

For this reason, the ⌜Queen Elizabeth Gala Concert⌟ will be held.

From the winner’s perspective, it will be quite a welcome surprise to perform under the name of ‘Queen Elizabeth’ at such a high-profile time.

Although she didn’t know the details, Lee Ha-eun knew the general idea.

After thinking about this and that, Lee Ha-eun answered her mother.

“I’m sure I’ll be sad if I don’t see Seojin at school, but I’m okay with it. A musician’s first goal should be to show their music to as many people as possible, right? Seojin has wanted to be a musician since she was really young. Now she’s achieved that dream. I’ll congratulate her. As someone who’s seen Seojin’s struggles even just a little bit… I’ll sincerely congratulate my best friend. I’m so, so happy that Seojin is doing well. Really.”

Lee Ha-eun smiled faintly as she watched her friend holding the trophy high on her smartphone screen.

and······.

I found myself rubbing my eyes as old memories came to mind.

Baek So-yeon, who was next to him, was startled and hurriedly looked for a tissue.

Lee Ha-eun’s mother wiped away her daughter’s tears and whispered softly.

“My daughter. She’s all grown up. When did she become so mature?”

“I don’t know. I listen to my friends’ music every day······. I think it’s because I make my own music every day. I think I should grow taller in the future.”

Lee Ha-eun tried to playfully raise her hands above her head, and her mother looked at her daughter with satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Baek So-yeon finally finds the tissue box that was in the corner.

What was so funny about this situation was that the three of them immediately burst into laughter.

The two girls, who did not have to go to school during summer vacation, spent the morning leisurely.

I watched my friend’s performance video over and over again, screamed like a child when he received the trophy from the Queen, and enjoyed the breakfast my mother prepared for me.

“Then Mom, I’ll go to work. You two can have fun all day today. Okay?”

“yes~”

“Take care on your way back.”

A woman hurriedly putting on her shoes in the hallway.

She hesitated for a moment, then gestured to her daughter.

Then he came closer and whispered in a really small voice into his daughter’s ear.

perhaps······.

Of course, it’s a small possibility······.

I thought I might be reunited with my dad.

We’ve been talking on the phone a lot lately, and I cautiously told my daughter how many times we’ve talked about this.

After hearing her mother’s story, Lee Ha-eun opened her eyes wide, and her mother burst into laughter at the sight before opening the front door.

“I’ll tell you the details later. It’s a little difficult right now. Okay?”

“Yes? Oh! Yes! Of course!”

“Then see you in the evening~”

A woman leaving the front door.

Lee Ha-eun standing blankly.

Baek So-yeon pokes Lee Ha-eun with her finger, asking why she is doing that.

Lee Ha-eun smiled brightly and hugged Baek So-yeon.

“Why is he like this?”

“Just stay still. I need to recharge.”

“······Anyway. I’m still a kid.”

Baek So-yeon patted Lee Ha-eun without even knowing why.

The two chatted about various things while listening to classical music in the living room.

Dreams for the future.

Mainly talking about music.

Lee Ha-eun explained to Baek So-yeon about the music professor she met a while ago.

“I think he liked me. He must have seen me play at a local concert hall. He asked me to come for lessons starting next week.”

“Really? So you became my disciple?”

Lee Ha-eun nodded.

“I went to the university a few times to perform in front of the professor. I think I passed just barely.”

“Wow! Why did you tell me that now? I didn’t even know!”

“Because I wasn’t sure until now. From now on······. I think I’ll have to study really hard. Piano too. English too. German too.”

While talking with the professor, Lee Ha-eun clearly set one goal.

This time next year.

It’ll be a lot later than my friend······.

I’m thinking of entering the International Youth Competition.

I told the professor that I would like to challenge Ettlingen if possible.

The professor readily accepted.

but.

‘With Ha-eun Yang’s current skills, it might be difficult for her to win an award. So she really has to practice her best. Okay?’

‘Yes, I will. I can work hard enough that I won’t be ashamed of anyone.’

‘Okay. Then let’s give it a try. A year is a period of time, and depending on how you use that time, the results can vary greatly.’

A clear goal has emerged.

A clear goal, not a vague goal of wanting to be recognized by someone.

Lee Ha-eun wanted to become a musician like her friend.

Baek So-yeon, who had been quietly listening to Lee Ha-eun, answers.

“Me too. I want to make music that can touch many people. Like Seojin. Someday, I want to play like that.”

“I’m sure you can do it. It might take a long time, but I think you can do it. Seojin said so. Through ⌜Immortal⌟. Everyone can do it.”

“Right. So now······.”

Two children who had been talking sit together on the piano bench.

They played the songs they had been practicing, and also tried to play along with their friends’ songs, albeit clumsily.

Then, while laughing and smiling, they create music.

I was worried my friend might get tired because it was midnight in Belgium.

Because it was obvious that he would be tired after playing the huge concerto.

I was barely able to hold back my urge to contact you······.

The two children whose faces were starting to become clearer and clearer,

I wanted to spend today with music too.

* * *

Brussels, Belgium.

“Whew. I’m not out of my mind.”

I couldn’t quite remember how I spent my evening.

The King and Queen invited us to dine at the Belgian palace.

So I vaguely remembered that I definitely ate something.

I couldn’t come to my senses as I continued to talk with members of the Belgian National Orchestra, numerous reporters, competition judges, and master musicians.

It wasn’t until I arrived at the house I rented through Airbnb that I vaguely recalled what had happened that evening.

“Koooooo. Koooooo. Kook.”

Suyeon was found unconscious in her mother’s arms.

Suyeon, who was wearing a pretty dress and was essentially my escort.

It seemed like it was too much for even mother to wake Sooyeon up and wash her, so she just roughly rubbed Sooyeon’s face with a wet tissue.

“Euuuuu······. Brother······. The horse that was standing in front of the palace······. It followed me and kept licking my face······. Help me······. Noeeeeee.”

“Heh heh. Suyeon, even her dreams are interesting. Isn’t she?”

“I said it’s always spectacular?”

Our family began to listen to Suyeon’s sleep talk with smiles on their faces.

Fortunately, Suyeon seemed to have stolen the horse and escaped the palace safely.

After my mother and father washed first, I took a shower too.

After finishing my shower, I went out to the living room and saw my mother asleep on the sofa, hugging Suyeon, and my father nodding off next to her.

‘You were more nervous than me.’

Our family suffered throughout the contest.

I brought a large blanket from the room and covered everyone, then checked the clock.

It’s the middle of the night in Belgium.

South Korea, on the other hand······.

‘It must be early morning.’

After thinking about it for a while, I picked up my smartphone.

And I went out into the yard.

The full moon was clearly visible in the sky.

A moon so bright that the stars around it are hard to see.

I stared at the moon and then made a phone call.

The call connection tone is heard steadily.

A moment of mixed emotions.

Within a few minutes, the other person picks up the phone.

– It’s Seojin······.

“Yes, Grandpa. How have you been?”

– Yes······. Yes······. I was fine. Seojin, are you okay? Are you healthy?

“Yes. There’s no problem. I’m in good condition.”

– What a blessing. I watched your performance all the way through today. It was truly amazing. It was such a beautiful and graceful melody. And congratulations on winning the competition. I mean it sincerely. Sincerely······.

It’s been a few years since I last heard my grandfather’s voice.

We calmly······.

The conversation continued as if our last phone call had been last week.

Like in the play ⌜Petrushka⌟ that I played in the preliminaries.

There is also something that terrifies me.

There is also a picture frame depicting the person I should fear.

Nothing existed in this world.

After talking for about 10 minutes, I went into the living room.

But when did you wake up······.

My mother got up from her seat and hugged me without saying a word.

The mother’s heartbeat is conveyed as is.

I hugged my mother tightly and patted her back several times.

The high-note clef trophy placed on the table shines in the moonlight.

The silver light reached my hand as I held my mother.

In the dark living room of a house in Brussels, with the lights off.

I closed my eyes and embraced this moment.

The little lumps inside me melt away as they touch the moonlight.

A midsummer night in Brussels.

I left my young self here.