The Healing Life of a Music Genius - Chapter 98



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98 now

* * *

Finn Ross.

This is someone I kept exchanging emails with regarding the Ettlingen Competition.

I knew that he was working as a teacher at a gifted center in Germany, but I couldn’t talk about it in more detail than that.

The vehicle in front of the airport just started moving.

At that time, Mr. Ross quietly opened his mouth.

“You speak German pretty well. I’ve never seen a foreign participant speak German as fluently as you. I was really surprised.”

Professor Kang Yu-han just grins next to me.

I have slightly corrected what Mr. Ross said.

“I can only do basic conversation. “It’s hard to say difficult sentences.”

“How are you doing this well now?”

“I just studied pronunciation and intonation. “Here’s the trick.”

“Hmm. so?”

It was rewarding to work hard at the language school while attending Seolhwa Yejung.

‘It hasn’t been long since I entered the advanced class.’

Daily communication seemed to be sufficient.

We soon arrived at the hotel.

The competition orientation was scheduled to be held here tomorrow.

There was nothing special about the orientation. I heard that there will be an introduction to the schedule, guidance on precautions, and time for questions and answers.

‘We’ll meet other participants then too.’

Anyway, the real schedule started tomorrow.

Today, I can call it a success as long as I can successfully adapt to the time difference.

“Hwaaaam.”

Of course, there was one cute kid who had a very difficult time with it.

“Suyeon, are you sleepy? “It’s a big deal.”

“Oh, no. “I’m at ease…”

The opinion of my younger brother, who answered with his eyes half open, was unreliable.

My family unpacked and went out to the garden in front of the hotel to wake up.

Anyway, I had to adjust to the time difference.

The summer in Germany was as hot as in Korea, but the low humidity made it bearable in the shade.

Gorgeous statues and fountains on the green lawn.

Flowers in a carefully tended garden sway in the wind.

The delicate scent could be felt to the fullest even from this spot.

I sat down at a table under the shade of a tree and ordered a drink. I myself. In German. My mother smiled when she saw me.

“I guess I gave birth to a genius. “Mom, I’m full these days even without eating.”

“But you still enjoy iced Americano.”

My mother said, resting her chin on my joke.

“Because this is a drink. Maybe you don’t know. What a great happiness it makes me to see my children growing up so well and beautifully. Sooyeon is also so dignified. yes?”

“······?”

Suyeon was dozing off while biting on the straw in her cup. When I stare at him, his cheeks blush slightly.

“Oppa… I didn’t sleep.”

“It’s okay to doze off. “It’s because I don’t sleep well on airplanes.”

“······ huh. Sorry. “Then I’ll just wait a minute.”

And then he leans next to me. I use my arm as a pillow and rub my face. The goal is to create a comfortable posture. When I saw my younger brother’s face, he was so happy.

Mother looked at us happily.

“I wonder if my brother is that good.”

Even in my sleep, I said, “Yes… Soo-yeon answers, “Of course.”

I also gave a similar answer.

“I think I have more strength because I have Sooyeon. “Even if I’m a little tired, I feel relieved quickly when I play with Suyeon.”

“But you can’t just ask too much. “If he grows up like this, what are we going to do later?”

“It was like this back then, too.”

At that time, Su-yeon said in her sleep, “I hope so…” and my mother and I burst out laughing at the same time.

Mother and Suyeon went up to the hotel room first.

I stayed alone in the lobby and spent some time alone.

I took out the sheet music for the songs I had to play in the future and looked through it slowly.

Countless notes displayed.

As I looked at the traces of the pencil that had been retouched several times, I immediately remembered the time when I was practicing.

‘When I received my first feedback from a professor at Korea University.’

‘Today was the day I played the concerto all the way through for the first time.’

‘I wanted to change the interpretation in a different direction, so I persuaded the professor. In the end, I did what I wanted…’

‘I received praise this time. The professor held my shoulder.’

The more I looked at the score, the clearer the melody in my head became, as if I was actually playing it.

I lightly twitched my fingers on the table.

If I closed my eyes like this, I felt like I could see the piano keys.

‘We practiced like this on a deserted island. Countless times. Too many to count.’

I read the score several times like that.

Not quickly.

As if sight-reading.

Suddenly, memories of a deserted island came to mind and made me smile.

‘I used to practice like this with Uncle Miller.’

When I came to my senses, the scenery outside was already getting dark.

Only then did I start organizing the sheet music.

As I was getting up from the chair, I made eye contact with the woman at the table across from me.

A Western woman in her early 40s.

She waved at me.

Here, it was polite to say hello even if you just made eye contact.

So I also waved lightly.

But that was the starting point and we talked for a while.

She spoke English with a slightly unusual accent, and even asked me if I was participating in Ettlingen.

“How did you know that?”

“I was looking at the sheet music, so I asked just in case. “I heard that there is a meeting of Ettlingen participants here tomorrow.”

After hearing the answer, I looked at her face closely. He must have sensed my gaze, and smiled slightly.

About a few seconds passed like that.

I finally knew who she was.

‘Pianist from Queen Elizabeth. Young French master…’

Chloe Laurent.

Queen Elizabeth is one of the world’s top three competitions held in Belgium.

The person who won the prize in that contest.

It took me a while to remember because I had only seen the video two or three times on NewTube.

‘Are you here for competition-related matters?’

While I was thinking that, she asked me something strange.

“You must have worked hard to participate in the competition. This is my personal curiosity, but what kind of mindset do you usually have when playing?”

A really random question.

After thinking about it for a while, I gave the only answer I could.

He seemed to like the answer and smiled even wider.

“Fun and enjoyment. Happiness and wind. And lean in… okay. “That’s the foundation of music.”

“But I still don’t know.”

“I think that’s a great answer. this! Have I held on to you too long? “You must be busy too.”

Just before we broke up like that.

I gave a brief greeting.

“I really liked Rachmaninoff’s collaboration with the London Philharmonic. I think I want to play like that someday. “Thank you for speaking to me today.”

“······.”

And I took a long stride.

* * *

“teacher!”

France’s young master, Chloe Laurent, welcomes someone.

Kai Hoffman, an elderly German conductor, greets her warmly.

“It must have taken a lot of effort to come all the way.”

“No. “My hobby is watching this competition.”

“But now, shouldn’t we be judging rather than watching?”

“no way. “I still have a long way to go.”

Hoffman smiles kindly.

“Is your schedule okay? “Aren’t you busy?”

“I have to go to LA right after this Ettlingen, but that’s okay. Until then, you are free.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to see a lot of faces in the meantime.”

“Of course I should.”

After a brief greeting was exchanged, Chloe Laurent asked what she was most curious about.

“I heard there was a child whose teacher wrote a letter of recommendation.”

“Thanks to my friend, I was lucky enough to meet him. “You’ll probably be surprised when you hear it played later.”

“But you said you were an Asian child? “I’m getting older this year…”

“I’m 13 years old. “If the child had been born after the fall, she would have been 12 years old, so it was a bit of a shame.”

Chloe Laurent heard those words and was lost in thought for a moment.

“Then I guess I’ve already met that kid. He is a calm and smart kid. He was a little cute and handsome too. Above all, the way he looked at the sheet music was unusual. Even without hearing him play, he seemed to know what he was going to play.”

“······ We’ve already met?”

“I think that’s probably right. He recognized me right away. Thanks to you, I was surprised. Of course, whether she is the one or not remains to be seen.”

“haha. “I don’t know if this is going to be another relationship.”

“That’s how the world works. “It’s like me and the teacher met.”

at that time.

A man with a good physique came into the venue.

A person who serves as the director of a famous musical gifted center in Berlin.

It was Jonas Brandt, the teacher of Anna Becker, who is now called the genius of Munich.

When Chloe Laurent greets him, he only nods very lightly.

“Mr. Brandt is still the same.”

“Because bluntness doesn’t mean you can suddenly run away. “It would be nice if it was a little softer.”

Jonas Brandt must have heard Hoffmann’s words and quickly turned his head.

“More than that, why did Mr. Hoffmann quit his job as an Ettlingen judge? That got the word out for a while.”

“Didn’t I tell you last time? “It’s because the child I recommended made it to the finals.”

“You know very well that it doesn’t matter even if the judge’s student gets on the competition stage. “You only need to stop grading when the participant is playing.”

“But everyone will be watching me. For your information, this kid doesn’t need that. “You will see for yourself.”

“······.”

In some ways, it’s an expression of great confidence.

For reference, Jonas Brandt was also one of the judges at Ettlingen.

However, even though his student Anna Becker entered the finals, he did not quit his job as a judge.

Usually it goes by like that.

It wasn’t a big problem.

Even more so.

“I also watched the preliminary trial video of participant Seojin Han. He did well. But there was nothing overwhelming about it. “You know that well, Mr. Hoffman.”

“However, wasn’t that video filmed quite a while ago? In the meantime, the child’s playing changed again.”

“At least it’s only three months. Are you saying that your playing skills improved in that split second?”

“Didn’t I tell you? “You will know when you see it for yourself.”

“······.”

‘An unbelievable sound again…’

In fact, Jonas Brandt had some complaints about Hoffmann.

A prodigy who came out from Germany after a long time.

Just three years after starting to play the piano, I left behind Anna Becker, who began to be called the next Mozart.

Kai Hoffman wrote a letter of recommendation to the Asian child.

Kai Hoffmann, currently conducting the Berlin Orchestra, is more recognized than Jonas Brandt, who served as a professor at the Hans Eisler School of Music in Berlin and serves as the director of a gifted center.

So Brandt secretly hoped that Hoffman would write a letter of recommendation for Anna.

‘Anna wanted that too.’

However, Hoffman wrote a letter of recommendation to a child from another country.

‘You even resigned from your review position for the sake of fairness…’

A situation I don’t understand.

That was why Brandt was complaining to Hoffman.

As the conversation continued for a while, an elderly gentleman came into the venue.

He seemed to have overheard a bit of the conversation as he came in.

“Brand, shouldn’t you just listen to it yourself like my friend said? “There is no need to worry.”

“You said that that Asian kid was pianist Kang Yu-han’s student, right?”

This time, Chloe Laurent also showed interest.

“Were you a student of pianist Kang Yu-han?”

“That’s it. But he is already out of my hands.”

“yes? “The words are…”

Kang Yu-han sat down at the table and spoke calmly.

“That child grew up on his own. I’m running out of things to teach. Just as a child and an old man get along surprisingly well, I and Seojin are just friends. And that’s a lot of fun.”

“······.”

“······.”

Chloe Laurent and Jonas Brandt remained silent.

A strong pianist who has been performing in Europe for a long time.

His words had weight.

More and more musicians began to enter the venue.

Chloe Laurent, who had been watching them for a moment, smiled broadly.

“If so, it would mean that there are many outstanding new talents in Ettlingen this year. I think it was a good idea to stop by Germany. “It will be fun.”

* * *

The next evening.

I headed to the hotel banquet hall to participate in the competition orientation.

Not only was I able to go with my professor, but I was also able to go with my family.

Because it was a youth competition, the atmosphere did not seem that solemn.

However, the luxurious atmosphere of the hotel itself was amazing.

Several dazzling chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, and the marble floor sparkled like a mirror.

“Oppa, look at me for a second.”

“huh?”

“If you are thirsty, should I give you something to drink? I also brought a water bottle. Or do you not need a handkerchief? “I also have candy.”

Soo-yeon, dressed in a knick-knack outfit, keeps asking me what I need. There seems to be a lot in that small bag. I’m really doing support work. It’s so cute that when I lightly pinch its cheeks, it smiles.

“My brother is okay. “Isn’t there anything more uncomfortable for Suyeon?”

“huh. But maybe it’s my first time coming to a place like this, so my heart is pounding. It’s so big. And the people are all nice too. ah! Of course, my brother is the coolest. Because that hasn’t changed.”

“Suyeon is so pretty too. “Then we are the best?”

“Uhm. “I guess that’s the case.”

As we chatted, we soon arrived at the entrance to the banquet hall.

My mother held Sooyeon’s hand tightly and told her that I could now move comfortably on my own.

The hotel staff opened the banquet hall door for me.

Soon, a huge hall came into view.

The eyes of the people in the banquet hall all turn towards me.

Most of them were Westerners, but there were also a few Asians.

However, what is clear is…

“You are the youngest here, Seojin. 13 years old. The youngest to advance to the finals. Also Asian. “You will look quite special to them.”

As Professor Yuhan Kang said, I felt like I was the youngest.

Even as I trudged into the banquet hall, those eyes continued to follow me.

Since it was a youth competition and it was in Europe, the home of classical music, I thought it wouldn’t be such a solemn atmosphere…

The competition’s unique sharp feel filled the banquet hall.

‘It’s not much different from Korea.’

Breathtaking silence.

Thanks to this, it even felt a little familiar.

The professor took a seat at the back table, and I took a seat at the front table where the participants’ names were written.

There were four people sitting at each table.

At the table I was sitting at, there was one Asian and one Westerner of high school age.

Directly across from me was a blonde girl who seemed to be around my age.

My eyes naturally fell on the girl’s name tag on the table.

14 years old. germany. Anna Becker.

The girl also seemed to confirm my name. She mutters in a low voice.

“13 years old. korea. Han Seo-jin…”

The girl said something to me.

“You are that…”

But I didn’t hear it properly.

This is because a contest official standing in front of the banquet hall made a loud noise into the microphone.

“We sincerely welcome you to the final stage of the 72nd Ettlingen Competition! This competition gives the winner the opportunity to collaborate with an orchestra with a long history…”

720 preliminary participants.

Among them, 40 people remained.

It was just the beginning.