The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 222



Only Noblemtl

* * *

“My family?”

“Yes. I think I’ve been talking about myself too much. And I suddenly became curious about your family.”

“······.”

“Of course, if it’s difficult for you to tell me, you don’t have to. I just thought that… I wondered if you, too, would miss your family just like I do.”

Mr. Miller, who was sitting on the sandy beach cleaning fish, looked at me quietly and then burst into laughter.

“You’ve grown so much in a year. You even worry about me.”

“I heard that teenagers grow up very quickly, right? And I was the only one on the island, so I was a bit nervous.”

“You speak incredibly well.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“okay.”

“thank you.”

“······.”

I sat next to Mr. Miller and started to organize the fish that had been cleaned, while Mr. Miller told me a story while looking out at the distant sea.

“My father passed away in an accident a while ago, and my mother lives alone, but I visit her often. And······.”

Mr. Miller smiled.

“I have an older sister who is four years older than me. She is a cellist who continues to perform in an orchestra in the United States. She is the most affectionate older sister to me.”

When Mr. Miller was very young.

When Mr. Miller, born in a quiet rural town in America, was bored at home.

My uncle’s older sister used to sit him down and play the cello for him.

A melody that felt very warm.

They say that the man followed his older sister well, and that the man’s older sister also took good care of the man.

He said that the reason he started playing the piano was thanks to his older sister.

“When I listened to her playing the cello, there were times when I would fall asleep without realizing it. My sister’s playing was so relaxing. Every time that happened, she would cover me with a blanket and sing me a lullaby. And when she thought I was completely asleep, she would start playing again. She would mainly play songs that I liked. I still think about those times sometimes.”

“He was a very warm person.”

“Yes. And it’s still the same now. She must be very worried. How much more so, when her younger brother had an accident that was worthy of being on the front page of the newspaper. And too much time has passed. Usually, the people left behind are more concerned than the people involved in the accident. Of course, her mother is worried, too.”

Mr. Miller with a bitter expression.

I tried hard to offer words of comfort.

“Looking back later, this moment will actually be a funny episode. Haha, you’ll laugh it off. We’re supposed to escape this place, right? If you tell your older sister about today, she’ll definitely laugh. So don’t worry too much.”

“······ Yes. It will definitely happen. That day will definitely come. Thank you, Seo Jin-ah. I will receive all the comfort from you.”

“This is a deserted island where we have to help each other to survive. It’s natural to talk like this. Regardless of the age difference.”

“······.”

The old man stared at me for a long time and then splashed sea water on me for no reason.

Something Mr. Miller often does when he gets flustered.

So this time I didn’t give in either.

“Hey! Your clothes are all wet!”

“You can stop it later, right? And you started it first, right?”

“Oh my. This is the big one, huh?”

“Wow!”

After playing in the water for a while at the beach, we returned home completely soaked.

That evening.

As I sat in front of the crackling campfire, roasting fish, I asked the old man something I had to ask.

“By the way, sir, what is your sister’s name?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you?”

“I couldn’t finish the story properly because I was playing in the water.”

Mr. Miller answered, handing me the biggest fish he had.

“My sister’s name is······.”

.

.

.

“Sophia Miller. She has been in charge of the cello section of the Vienna Philharmonic for over ten years.”

“······ Ten years?”

“Yes. As the second principal cellist, he is also the one who created the cello tone that the Vienna Philharmonic should produce.”

“······.”

“In particular, he was a performer with an impressive warm tone.”

“······.”

“Pianist?”

Only then was I able to come to my senses.

“······ He was truly an amazing person.”

“Yes. But even so, who would have thought that they would notice that one of the players was missing from the orchestra······. I was truly impressed.”

As soon as Conductor Askin finished speaking, the principal players of the Vienna Philharmonic also spoke up one by one.

“Haha. He really is a genius. How did he figure that out······.”

“Rather, it seems like there is a lack of rumors. The talk of reincarnation of Beethoven and Mozart no longer sounds like a joke.”

“If he’s like this at 14 years old······. I can’t even imagine what kind of performance he’ll show as time goes by.”

“Actually, even in your current performance, you can see a lot of virtuoso aspects. Maybe in the future, you will be remembered as the pianist of the century.”

“It is a great honor for us at Vienna Philharmonic to be able to perform with the best pianist of the year.”

“More than that, there is a child who knows Miller’s tone of voice······. If you tell her this story, she will be very happy.”

“I see. I’ll have to contact Miller next time.”

“Are you in America now?”

“Probably not. I said the flight was tomorrow night.”

“Then it would have been better if I had just performed with this child and left the empty field. It was a bit of a shame.”

“But there’s nothing I can do about it. Partings always leave behind regrets. Still, I’m truly grateful that this child recognized Miller’s cello.”

“······.”

A lot of information came into my head in a short period of time.

In particular, the name ‘Miller’ struck me more strongly than anything else.

The principal players of the Vienna Philharmonic gave me their utmost praise and then returned to their seats.

The conductor went up to the podium and began preparing for the rest of the rehearsal, and I asked for just two or three minutes.

I took out Tchaikovsky’s score with great difficulty from the bag I had brought.

I already had the ambo completely finished so I didn’t need to watch it anymore, but I really needed some time.

‘Even if we were to meet······. I thought we would meet at the American orchestra that Mr. Miller had mentioned······.’

What Mr. Miller told me happened 12 years ago.

12 years.

Enough time for many things to change.

Because of the dislocated shackles of time, it was natural that Mr. Miller did not know about the ‘time after’.

My thoughts become deeper.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra’s performances that I have listened to since I was a child were performances that included the cello melody of Miller’s older sister.

When I first met Mr. Miller on the deserted island, I already had the cello melody of Mr. Miller’s older sister somewhere in my heart.

and.

Today I am collaborating with them in the empty field.

I took a deep breath and exhaled.

Now I had something to do.

A time when even a fleeting moment of thinking may be a luxury.

I closed my eyes, calmed my mind, and then opened them again.

And then I gave a signal to Conductor Askin.

Even before the conductor’s baton is lifted, the orchestra’s instruments are ready to play.

The violin was resting on the violinist’s shoulder, the flute was touching the flautist’s lips, and the cello was held tightly in the cellist’s arms.

In an instant, the baton shakes.

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra was even more brilliant and fierce than before the intermission.

Their melodies pass right through my body.

I had work to do.

I had to do this first.

The fate of a musician.

The scheduled performance must begin.

The performance that had begun had to end.

A performance once finished can never be repeated.

In such a process, the performer sacrifices himself to some extent.

The process of creating a single performance is never easy.

Right now, my thoughts and worries had to be put on hold for a while.

Just as I had told Conductor Askin, the baton was pointed at me half a beat faster.

Of course, even before that, my hands were floating in the air above the piano keys.

As the baton comes down, my hands land on the piano keys.

Timing without a single inch of error.

The piano’s splendid cadenza willingly and powerfully creates the introduction to the concerto.

A melody created with the world’s best orchestra.

The melody, which had grown huge in the meantime, began to fill the empty spaces in the concert hall little by little.

* * *

The first day’s rehearsals are all over.

Conductor Askin was kind enough to invite our family to dinner.

We talked about classical music, shared thoughts about today’s rehearsal, and slowly savored the course meal served at the restaurant.

After a rather long meal, our family was able to return to the hotel.

I don’t even know how today went by.

Empty Central Cemetery.

Rehearsal with empty phil.

Dinner with Conductor Askin.

As I was quietly reflecting on the day, something that happened this morning particularly stood out.

A certain teacher with blue eyes close to the color of the sky.

I searched through the empty-pil performance videos one by one on Newtube with my smartphone, and soon after, I was able to find the teacher there.

Sophia Miller.

Mr. Miller’s older sister.

I am······.

I passed her by today.

‘I wish we could have talked a little more.’

With that thought in mind, I went out to the balcony attached to my hotel room.

Unlike the air-conditioned room, the balcony was stuffy, but the air felt fresher.

I put both arms on the railing and looked at the night view of Vienna.

Numerous lights illuminating the darkness.

The lights were beautifully reflected on the Danube River.

‘I wonder what kind of conversation we’ll have next time I meet Teacher Sophia······.’

I don’t know.

I still don’t have a good idea what to say first.

but.

If I meet Teacher Sophia again today, tomorrow, or the day after······.

I wasn’t confident that I wouldn’t be affected by it.

‘The performance will definitely be shaky.’

I have a collaboration with Bin Phil coming up soon.

And it wasn’t just my show.

The audience will also be looking forward to this performance.

‘If I were to talk to Teacher Sophia again, it would be better to do so after this performance.’

A conclusion that was barely reached.

I took a napkin out of my pocket.

I asked Conductor Askin to get Ms. Sophia’s contact information.

Mobile phone number and email.

There was always an opportunity to contact him.

I was no longer a child.

I know that being patient, being patient, and waiting is more likely to be the ‘right choice’.

Even if the opportunity arises and Ms. Sophia gets to board a plane to America······.

I can’t say that my choice was wrong.

At that moment, the sound of the balcony door carefully opening was heard behind me.

Do. Dodo. Do.

You can barely hear the sound of slippers dragging as if they are being kicked.

I put the napkin in my pocket and spoke without looking back.

“The night view of Vienna is beautiful. So I was debating whether I should go and call Suyeon or not.”

“Was it so?”

“huh.”

“Then, oppa. Can you help me out a little? I want to see the night view with you too.”

Suyeon reaches out to me.

I checked the balcony situation to see what was going on······.

‘Suyeon won’t be able to see the night view from here. The railing is quite high compared to her height.’

I gave my back to Suyeon without hesitation, and Suyeon quickly got on my back.

Suyeon laughs heartily.

Soon he thanked me for the beautiful night view.

“It’s not that great, what is it?”

“No. After all, there is no one better than you. Thank you. For showing me such a wonderful view.”

Me and Suyeon.

Mr. Miller and Miss Sophia.

In my mind, this contrast felt like a mirror.

So I spoke quietly to Suyeon.

“In the past, my brother used to carry Suyeon on his back like this often. Do you remember?”

“Yeah! Whenever I cried, you always carried me on your back. It was so warm.”

“Our Suyeon has a good memory too?”

“Hehehe. But you know what? Actually······.”

It still whispers that it is warm and cozy.

Suyeon sticks close to me.

A small thumping sound is felt right behind my back.

Not long after, Suyeon asked to be put down.

You said I was going to have a hard time.

And then he says something unexpected.

I thought I looked like I had a lot on my mind today.

I hope you can shake off all those worries.

He looks at me and smiles brightly.

Now that I look at it, it seems like Sooyeon came out onto the balcony with me to comfort me.

I hugged Suyeon tightly again.

“Thank you, Sooyeon.”

“Hey~ What’s so great about that~ This is nothing between us siblings.”

“······ Yes. This is nothing between us siblings.”

“So, if you have any worries, you can tell me anytime. Okay?”

“······Okay. I understand.”

A person who knows how a person feels just by feeling, without having to say anything.

Family.

I had to hold the little, cute youngest in our family for a while.

Time passed quickly.

Following the first rehearsal, the second rehearsal also ended successfully.

The final performance satisfied both conductor Askin, concertmaster Hoven, and the orchestra members.

After a total of 6 hours of rehearsal, we completed a concerto that was of a higher level than we could have imagined.

The morning of the performance.

Escorted by Suyeon, who was dressed in a pretty dress, I entered the empty Musikverein lobby.

Holding my brother’s hand tightly.

Thinking of Mr. Miller and Miss Sophia.

As a pianist, as a musician, I have taken steps here that were by no means light.

* * *

The man who had been standing anxiously with his cell phone pressed to his ear soon shook his head.

‘I guess that means you’re not coming after all······. Time is running out······.’

A phone call that won’t connect no matter how many times you call.

Max Richter stared absentmindedly at the word ‘Sophia’ floating on his smartphone screen and then pressed the end button.

‘Perhaps I was the one who tormented her too much. Sophia must have had her own thoughts.’

‘I guess I’ll have to apologize formally next time.’

Richter entered the Musikverein with a slightly bitter expression on his face.

The lobby of the concert hall is impressive with its crystal chandelier and red velvet carpet.

The place was full of people who had come to see the boy play.

“They said that in Brussels, Queen Elisabeth gave the greatest performance in history. Even her interpretation of ⌜Immortal⌟ was unrivaled.”

“You could call it the birth of a genius. You got a near-perfect score from those stellar judges.”

“But when I asked my friend, he said that there is a big difference between the live performance and the recorded performance. He said that the live performance is much better.”

“That means the expression of the nuances is excellent. In an actual performance, all of those details are expressed through the piano, but there are limits to recording.”

“That’s right. That’s why I’m looking forward to it even more. I’m also curious to see how Conductor Askin will express the empty philharmonic.”

“A 14-year-old genius pianist. Perhaps the genius of the century has emerged in the classical music world.”

“According to ⌜Gramophone⌟, he is a genius who appears only once in a hundred years.”

“That ⌜Gramophone⌟ said that?”

“That’s great. That’s why I’m looking forward to today’s performance even more.”

Everyone is looking forward to the boy’s performance.

Max Richter walked towards the collaborators’ waiting room, listening to their conversation that came naturally to him.

To give the boy some encouragement.

To celebrate the boy’s empty debut.

.

.

.

Same time.

An elderly woman, carrying a huge instrument case, gets into a van taxi and announces her destination.

“Please take me to Vienna International Airport.”

“all right.”

A taxi leaving within this time.

Sophia Miller looked calmly out the window.

To remember the last sight of Bin, she took in everything in the city.

Deep green street trees and colorful flower pots.

A quaint cathedral and a palace of enormous scale.

The beautiful scenery was reflected and shimmered in her blue eyes.

The taxi driver glanced at her through the rearview mirror and opened his mouth.

“You’re a musician, aren’t you? You even have an instrument case.”

Sophia shook her head forcefully after hearing his words.

“Not anymore. I’m finishing my career as a performer and returning to my hometown.”

“Hometown?”

“Yes. To America.”

“Ah~ Is that so? That sounds good. Retirement······. I also want to finish this work someday and return to my hometown.”

“Sir, where is your hometown?”

“I am from southern Austria. I come from a small town called Friesach.”

“Friesach. I haven’t had the chance to go there.”

“It’s a really nice city. The fall scenery is especially amazing. If you’re thinking of traveling, definitely go in the fall······.”

Sophia loved talking to people.

I especially enjoyed meeting people I hadn’t seen in a long time and having a cup of tea with them while catching up on things that had happened over the years.

I used to be like that with my younger sibling too.

Mark worked as a producer between LA and New York.

If we met once or twice a month and chatted, there was nothing to be jealous of.

‘Now······. It’s all in the past.’

Sophia smiled bitterly to herself.

Before we knew it, the taxi had entered the highway connected to the airport.

The taxi driver asked Sophia if he could turn on the radio.

Since there was no particular reason to refuse, Sophia accepted, and soon classical music began to play in the taxi.

Piano piece.

When I listened closely, it seemed to be a performance by the Russian maestro Basyanov.

Soon the taxi stopped at the airport entrance.

Sophia paid the fare and got out of the taxi and trudged into the airport.

There were many placards posted at Vienna International Airport.

Mainly promotional materials for summer music festivals and concerts.

Among them was a placard about the child’s performance.

Winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition performing with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Rather, it might be strange if there were no such promotional materials.

Sophia first went into a cafe at the airport.

Since I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, I had some time to relax.

It was already a little past 5pm.

The child’s performance must have just begun by now.

‘I guess I’ll be playing the first song in a while.’

Today’s performance by the Musikverein is divided into two parts.

As it was the Queen Elizabeth Gala Concert, all the pieces that the performer had performed in the competition were included in the repertoire.

Part 1 consisted of a piano solo, and Part 2 consisted of a collaboration with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Sophia sat at a cafe table and drank the tea she had ordered.

At that time, when I was trying so hard to find peace.

“······.”

A rerun of ⌜Queen Elizabeth⌟ began playing on the TV installed in the cafe.

People were watching TV and exchanging a word or two.

“That’s him. The youngest genius pianist.”

“That’s right. I tried to reserve a spot for an empty concert this time, but it sold out in 5 minutes, so I failed.”

“That performance with Bin Phil?”

“huh.”

“The rumors were quite widespread. My friend who saw the child perform in Brussels said he cried a lot.”

“Because it’s touching?”

“Well, I couldn’t say exactly. I just started crying.”

“That’s amazing.”

The man stopped talking and started watching TV, letting out an exclamation.

“Wow······. But it’s really amazing. Is it even possible to play like that?”

“That’s why he’s called a genius in the world. They say there’s no one to compare him to at the moment.”

Meanwhile, Sophia, who was sitting at the table right behind them, couldn’t take her eyes off the TV.

The child in the video continues to play the piano skillfully.

The performer’s emotions contained in each note began to dig into my heart.

Very loudly.

Sometimes softer than a feather.

He speaks quietly, holding the listener’s heart tightly in his hands.

‘Even in recorded performances it’s like this······.’

Sophia got up from her seat.

I couldn’t even drink half a cup of tea, but I couldn’t listen to the performance any longer.

Even while walking to the departure lounge, the music kept ringing in my ears.

In that child’s music······.

‘Why······. Mark’s performance comes to mind······.’

Sophia squeezed her eyes shut.

“Excuse me, but could you show me your passport and ticket first?”

The staff member standing at the entrance to the departure hall urged Sophia, who was standing still, once again.

“hey?”

But Sophia couldn’t answer his question right away.

She stood there for a while, then bowed her head slightly.

“sorry.”

“yes?”

“I think I need to go back for a bit.”

“······.”

Sophia turned around and walked away with brisk strides.

‘I have no intention of coming here now and collaborating with that kid.’

‘That’s a nuisance to Bin Phil and the child.’

‘I just······.’

She took a deep breath as she exited the airport and got into a van taxi.

and.

Sophia Miller said the destination.

“Sir, could you please go to the empty Musikverein? A little faster.”