The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 88



Only Noblemtl

88 A Friend’s Story

* * *

After the midterm exam, Seolhwa Yejung’s mood became a little calmer.

It seemed safe to say that things had become a little lax.

“I won’t practice for today. “Of course, I can’t rest completely, so I’ll just mess around for an hour.”

“An hour? “That’s pretty bold, isn’t it?”

“Do you know that I only hit scale number 2 yesterday? Originally, you had to hit it 5 times. Hehehe. “Lesson Sam can’t even tell the difference, right?”

“Is that really the case?”

“Oh.”

As if in tune with the atmosphere, Shin Joo-won became one with the desk. He flops down on his desk, looks at me, and boasts.

“Do you know what I did yesterday?”

“well.”

“I didn’t do anything. I just slept. “For 16 hours.”

“It’s almost like a sloth.”

“For reference, it is known that sloths living in the wild usually sleep for 10 hours a day.”

“It’s worse than a sloth.”

“You could say so.”

While we were chatting briefly with the sloth, Baek So-yeon approached us. Then she holds out her smartphone to me.

“There is less reaction than I expected. “This is it.”

“What is this?”

“Results of a search under your name on a portal site. There are only a few comments containing ‘Han Seo-jin’ in news related to the public service advertising contest, and that’s just okay. “Me and Shin Joo-won don’t even have names.”

“Why on earth were you looking for that?”

“Just out of curiosity. The reaction to the ad was pretty good, but there was no mention of us. “I felt a little disappointed.”

“Didn’t you say that things like interviews are burdensome? “Then isn’t the right response now?”

“That’s true, but…! I didn’t know it would be this bad though! We’re in middle school now! Isn’t it okay to get some praise? Especially Seojin, I knew you would be a star!”

“no way. no way.”

“So I’m a little… upset…”

Baek So-yeon suddenly became sullen.

Shin Joo-won chuckles as he sees that.

“Honestly, who on earth cares about the winners of public service announcement contests? Baek So-yeon, do you know the winner of the music category last year?”

“that······.”

“look. Fortunately, since we are attending a folktale show, there are at least this many comments and articles on the Internet. I guess this is enough. It’s not like we composed ⌜Somehow, Spring⌟ like MJ. is not it?”

“but. “It’s not like it topped the music charts.”

“I know yeah.”

“······.”

Is the blackboard… a little less erased? I’m not on duty, but if we’re in the same class, we have to help each other. That was the attitude of an adult.

When I used my wits to avoid a crisis.

Lee Ha-eun came into the classroom holding a sheaf of paper. She immediately asks her vice-captain, Baek So-yeon, for help.

One printout distributed to each seat.

There, one practical evaluation task was written in detail.

“concert?”

Playing with two or more instruments simultaneously.

For example, a violin sonata or a cello sonata played with piano accompaniment would be representative examples.

Or, you could form a unique trio, or you could form something like a ‘string quartet’ using only string instruments.

There seemed to be no restrictions on the composition of ensemble instruments.

“no! Even though it’s been a few days since the midterm exams, are you ready to take the practical exam? “Isn’t this too much?”

Lee Ha-eun speaks calmly in response to Shin Joo-won’s dissatisfaction.

“But it’s better to let me know in advance like this. They say that this time, the students should form a team among themselves, but they also need time to form a team. “I think this is right.”

“Then what about leisure in our lives?”

“Try to find it in the next life. “We are students at a middle school.”

“······.”

Lee Ha-eun was calm. Even when he sees Shin Joo-won in despair, he doesn’t even blink. Then he secretly asks me.

“Seojin, is there a song you’ve always wanted to collaborate on?”

“I haven’t really thought about it. Competitions usually involve playing solo piano pieces. As it turns out.”

Lee Ha-eun laughed and said, “As expected, it’s just like you.”

At that time, Shin Joo-won joined the conversation again.

“You played Beethoven’s violin sonata with me last time. “That wasn’t something you wanted to try?”

“At that time, I was curious about your violin. And strictly speaking, it couldn’t be considered an ensemble. “Don’t you remember that it was such a mess?”

“joy. “I played it for the most part.”

“But, your violin was pretty good. I was impressed by the two tones, both sharp and friendly. “I thought I could continue with the violin.”

Shin Joo-won looks awkward at my compliment, saying, “Well… I didn’t mean to give up even if I didn’t say that.” To be naive. Since they were all kids in the first year of middle school, they must have had a cute side to them.

Soon after, Teacher Yang Woo-joo entered the classroom.

The class leader gives a brief explanation about the printed materials handed out a little while ago.

“······ That way, if there is someone who cannot find a team, they can come to the teacher. Of course, that won’t happen in our ‘piano department’. got it?”

Students in Class A of the Piano Department at Seolwha Arts Middle School were able to understand teacher Yang Woo-joo’s words right away.

After school, when all classes are over.

Excluding the piano department, many students from the classical instrumental music department came to Class A.

Finding a pianist to play the sonata with.

A piano is required to play not only string instruments but also most other instruments, such as oboes, clarinets, and flutes.

Also, in the case of sonatas, only two people can play together, so how simple is it to form a team?

Moreover, what stands out in such sonata form is the instrument rather than the piano.

If it’s an oboe sonata, the oboe gets the attention, and if it’s a flute sonata, the flute gets the attention.

In a word, the students gathered at the entrance of Class A could be considered soloists who had come to look for a piano accompanist.

Proportionally, the number of students in the piano department is smaller than the total number of students in other instrumental music departments.

Thanks to this, I didn’t have to worry about not being able to make the team in the piano department.

‘Because pianos are more valuable.’

However, something is a little surprising.

“Seojin! I’ll do my best! “I’ll sing all the songs to you!”

“Han Seo-jin! I’m a senior in the cello department? “Let’s get our seniors together!”

“Han Seo-jin! Wouldn’t you like to become a duo of our folk tales? “I play the flute!”

“letterweight. Do you know the warm sound of the oboe?”

There are quite a few kids who know my name.

Since there were kids there who had a strange mix of middle school sensibilities, it felt burdensome to leave the classroom.

Lee Ha-eun adds an explanation to me about this.

“In the last composition test, your team got a perfect score, right? “I even won an award in a contest.”

“It did.”

“By the way, your harmony writing score was 100 points, Baek So-yeon’s was 90 points, and Shin Ju-won’s was 85 points, right? As a result, the rumor that ‘Ah, most of the composition must have been done by the chief’ seemed to be spreading. If I team up with you, 100 points are guaranteed. “It felt like this.”

“There are all kinds of rumors going around.”

“Rumors spread quickly about things related to the chief minister.”

“I won’t be able to eat properly from now on.”

“be careful. “This floor is quite narrow.”

I nodded quietly.

Thanks to this, people who want to see ‘my virtue’ have gathered there. Among them, there were quite a few children who strategically looked for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th place.

Most of the piano students have become prey(?) and are unable to leave the classroom.

However, when I was attending Saebom Elementary School, I had the experience of being known as the ‘Saebom-dong Immortal’, so I felt like I could solve this situation well.

‘At that time, Jetty was the power, but now it can be solved more simply.’

When I opened the classroom door wide, the children’s reactions began to get stronger.

There was even a kid who offered to give us free ice cream every day if we played on the same team.

It was a tough moment, but now I had to do what I had to do.

“Our Piano Department A students say they will never provide accompaniment to those who are blocking the road. An ensemble? “After all, we can find other people.”

“oh!”

“Well, that is!”

“too bad! “We waited for over 10 minutes!”

“I’m going to save other kids…”

I made a gesture for them to be quiet, and they actually became quiet in an instant.

Then, after lining up the children, we let them enter Class A one by one.

Go to the accompanist you want, give them contact information and the song you want to play, and then return.

Perhaps thanks to my initial threat(?), the children showed some order, and Lee Ha-eun, who was watching the whole situation, came up to me and whispered.

“Are you good at handling children?”

“I don’t have any bad intentions, they are all cute kids. So I guess you listened to what I said.”

“Tsk tsk. look. “You said you could have been class president?”

“never.”

“How about trusting your friend’s eyes a little more?”

“I’ll decline that.”

“tooth.”

After about 10 minutes, things were sorted out to some extent.

Something like a pseudo-popularity vote was carried out.

Happiness may not be in the order of grades, but the ensemble was actually in the order of grades.

Shin Joo-won mutters after seeing this.

“People are so cold.”

“You actually received love calls from two people. “Then that’s it.”

“There were almost 20 of you.”

“23 people.”

“Tsk. “There’s no need to tell me exactly.”

Shin Joo-won and I stopped at a convenience store and bought ice cream sticks.

I decided to refrain from eating beaded ice cream for a while after my extravagant splurge last time.

People need self-control.

This ice cream stick was the best value for money.

After a while, I returned to Saebom-dong with Lee Ha-eun.

Today was the day we went to piano lessons together, so our travel route was the same.

Although I was receiving weekly lessons from Professor Yuhan Kang, I was also receiving constant guidance from Professor Ha-seon Park.

About twice a week.

“Now, if Seojin were as skilled as you, you wouldn’t have to come here. “Would you like me to find another teacher?”

Often, when teacher Ha-seon Park said something like that, I refused.

First of all, I liked this routine itself.

All of my basic skills were the same as what I learned from teacher Ha-sun Park, so no matter how difficult the song was, it was better to be taught the ‘basics’ by teacher Ha-sun Park.

Pianists have to practice the basics until they die anyway. He then interprets the song, and only then does he perform it.

When I gave this answer, Teacher Park Ha-seon gave me a gentle smile.

“so······. okay. “Then let’s work hard today too.”

When the lesson ended and I went outside the academy, Lee Ha-eun was waiting for me. This was gradually becoming a routine.

“Did you wait long?”

“Five minutes?”

“You can go first.”

“Well, that’s great. “It’s like this.”

When we arrived at the three-way intersection where the stationery store was located, Lee Ha-eun suddenly stopped. As he looks at the lottery machine in front of the stationery store, he secretly brings up an old story.

“Do you remember what happened last year? When you returned to Korea from Singapore. “The day we met again at the academy.”

“At that time… did you say that it would be good if we passed Seolhwa and Yejung together?”

“You remember?”

“Roughly.”

“What’s the next story?”

“What else was there?”

After thinking about it, Lee Ha-eun put a 500 won bill into the lottery machine. Then he immediately starts crying.

“Another ugly puppy.”

“also?”

“This is my third time. “I want to pick a white cat, but it doesn’t work out.”

“If you become addicted to gambling from that age, you could end up in big trouble.”

“Tsk tsk. “It’s not that bad?”

Then he tells his story.

The teacher I wanted to meet when I entered Seolhwa Yejung.

A story about wanting to be recognized by the teacher.

However, the teacher said that he would not return to Seolhwa until next semester or next year.

Lee Ha-eun continued speaking very calmly.

“I heard you went on a performance trip. towards America. “I thought you were a piano teacher on the Sulwha Yejung website, but I guess that wasn’t the case.”

“You must be a little disappointed.”

“I took second place in the piano department. “Something has become vain.”

Lee Ha-eun handed me an ugly dog ​​figure. He says he already has two, so give him Suyeon.

“I would like it.”

“I hope so.”

Lee Ha-eun, who was looking at the lottery machine again, continued her story a little more calmly.

A slump that came unexpectedly during my childhood.

At the center of it all was something related to family.

My father, whom I followed very well since I was young.

I thought I had a good relationship with my mother, but suddenly.

“You got divorced.”

Lee Ha-eun’s paternal grandmother passed away, and the two divorced shortly after.

My father went straight to Canada to find a job.

He said he still keeps in touch with him often, but it’s been a while since he’s seen him face to face.

“After what happened with my grandmother and father, even that teacher left me. So I wanted to fix this right away. “It seemed like if I got my teacher back and I became good at playing the piano, my dad would come back to Korea.”

Once a child becomes famous, the parents who left will return to the child’s side.

He said he saw it on the news when he was young.

“Do you look like a child? “I just don’t like music like you do.”

“Why is that so childish? “In fact, he thought more deeply than ordinary kids of that age.”

“is it? “You could look at it that way.”

What happened next was something I knew well.

After meeting me after returning from Singapore, he felt calmer little by little.

He said he was very happy because he felt like he had made a real friend, not someone who was just being pretentious.

He said he was sorry that he always received help from me, but he was grateful.

That’s what he said.

We moved to a new location and sat on a park bench near the stationery store.

And we chatted for a while.

Lee Ha-eun, like me, said she was preparing for a competition to be held this summer.

The largest youth competition in the country.

I didn’t know how it would turn out because it was a famous competition sponsored by a large company, but I passed the preliminaries without any screening as there were many past competition winners.

“I was lucky.”

“That’s skill.”

“It feels good to be praised so openly.”

“And even if you hadn’t won any awards, you would have easily passed with your current skills.”

“thank you.”

“Because it’s real.”

Lee Ha-eun said that this was the first time she had brought up such a story.

Although I was very grateful for that, my heart became a little heavy when I thought about Lee Ha-eun’s childhood, which she must have kept to herself.

I supported Lee Ha-eun.

I hoped to achieve good results in the summer competition and become a great pianist in the future.

sincerely.

Without clumsy pity or clumsy pity,

I just sincerely wanted my friend to do well.

Lee Ha-eun stood up first. He trudges down the street at the three-way intersection, then turns around and gives me a wave of greeting. I also waved goodbye.

I approached the lottery machine in front of the stationery store. Then I took out a 500 won bill from my pocket and played the lottery. Drurr. A capsule made of transparent plastic comes out.

Without opening the capsule, I looked closely inside.

white cat.

The figure that Lee Ha-eun wanted to pick.

There was only one difference.

* * *

I returned home and lay down in bed.

Many thoughts were mixed in my head.

While I was wondering what to do with this, I made a note on the staff.

This was clearly Lee Ha-eun’s song.

What was in my head was my friend’s story.

If this were my story or my song, I would do whatever I wanted, but I couldn’t do that with this.

I had no intention of releasing this song to the public.

Even if you gave me ten billion, I wouldn’t do it.

I just had a song that I wanted to share with my friends.

‘But for now… I think it would be right to complete it and show it.’

I lay down in bed and continued to scribble with a pencil.

No laptop or instrument, just hands.

That time got a little longer.