"How did you know?"
The grandfather asked with a surprised look. There was no name written on the album jacket, and the recorded LP had no voices other than the sound of the instrument. How on earth did the young grandson know that this performer was his mother?
What should I say in response?
As soon as Kang Hyun heard the melody of the violin and the piano keys, he felt as if the melody was dancing before his eyes. From whether the performer understood the composer's intentions to the balance of the violin and piano, and even the performer's slight habits. It felt like he was watching the other person's performance right in front of his eyes.
"I saw a picture of my mother on the desk."
It was only then that the grandfather realized that there was a photo of his youngest daughter playing the violin on his desk. However, the violin sonata that had just been played was a piece that his youngest daughter had recorded with great care. Even he, who often listens to classical music, praised the performance. This was the surprising point. Didn't his grandson see through the difference between an amateur and a professional after hearing the performance just once?
Could this be a coincidence?
"Then listen to this too."
Grandpa picked up a record from his LP catalog.
Bam.
The sight of the turntable's tone arm reading the LP's age was still eye-catching. After the analog silence, the violin melody and piano keys sounded again.
"Hyun-ah, this is the first movement of Beethoven's Violin Sonata from Spring."
It was the same song as before, just like my grandfather said. But.
'different.'
From the first melody, it was a series of sweet melodies filled with the scent of spring flowers. I could feel how much the performer understood the score. It was a perfect performance, with not even a single common mistake to be found. The violin was constantly matching the piano keys. But even that was not awkward.
Just now, my mother's performance had the violin and piano playing in unison, as if they were a triangle, but the melody now is clearly different. It's almost as if they're whispering love to each other, to the point of being sorrowful.
After the performance.
My grandfather looked at me as if he was curious about my impressions.
"What a great violinist."
My grandfather seemed to want more of a review, but he had nothing to say. The musical balance and proportion were perfect. Furthermore, just as Beethoven intended when he composed the piece, the harmony of the violin and piano was literally beautiful love itself. Whoever played it, it must have been a great performer.
"Grandpa, but you didn't enjoy listening to this LP, did you?"
Originally, it was a song that the youngest daughter often listened to. She listened to it so much that the tone arm of the turntable was almost gone, saying that she would play it for her father. After the youngest daughter recorded the violin sonata for herself, she never touched it again. But why am I asking about that?
"The pitch is going down little by little."
It wasn't that the violinist's fingering was wrong. It was a very subtle difference that an ordinary person wouldn't notice. It was an LP that hadn't been played for a long time. It was on the news every day, saying it was the hottest summer in decades. No matter how well I managed it, I couldn't help it because of the humidity.
"what?"
The grandfather was speechless. He had also listened to the performance with his grandson, but he could not tell the difference. How could the human ear tell the difference?
* * *
"Chairman, wouldn't it be better to send Hyun-i home now?"
The little uncle who had come to the chairman's office cautiously opened his mouth. It was bothering him that he had brought an eyesore with him on his way to work, and it seemed he had never imagined that Kang Hyun would be staying in the chairman's office. The grandfather's expression turned sour as he checked the approval documents.
"Hyun-i has a place to go with me today."
My uncle swallowed hard at his grandfather's firm voice. But soon he opened his eyes wide.
"Is Hyun-i going to the banquet?"
My uncle, who is usually oblivious, is quick-witted in this situation. My grandfather took his eyes off the documents and looked straight at my uncle. Only then did my uncle seem to realize that his voice was too loud, but it was already too late.
"Why do you want to know that?"
Under the gaze of his grandfather, not only his little uncle but also the executive standing behind him became tense. His little uncle lowered his head and seemed to be wiping away his angry expression. He was a little uncle who had never been able to properly participate in golf meetings. But he never thought he would feel a sense of crisis towards his nephew.
"Father, isn't that a place where not just anyone can attend?"
of course.
A place where only the successors to the real conglomerates gather.
The illegitimate children couldn't even cross that threshold. My uncle, like my aunt, seemed to be feeling wronged. But did this gentleman really think he would be the third generation chaebol? Why is he so obsessed?
"I understand up to the eldest brother. He's the eldest son in the family. But isn't that not true for Hyun? After Hyun ran away from home, did he come to see his father even once? What did he do? You haven't contacted him for over ten years, and now you're trying to get your child into the company because you want him?"
Oh my.
My aunt, and even my uncle, tend to say ridiculous things as if they were the truth. I wanted to get up and say something, but this was not the place for me to speak up. My grandfather's eyes were not ordinary.
"Where on earth are those guys who can't even answer simple questions going to interfere with the company now!"
As the tiger-like eyes flashed fiercely, my little uncle immediately lowered his head. His face was covered in cold sweat. So, I should stretch my legs while looking for a place to lie down. What a foolish thing to do. I wondered if my little uncle had the ability to learn. But.
'It looks familiar.'
I kept noticing an executive standing behind my uncle. He was the one I had seen on my way to work in the morning. Now that I looked at him, he was probably my uncle's confidant, and he was with me when I was submitting simple approval documents. It was definitely from decades ago, so even if I knew him, there was a high chance that I wouldn't recognize him.
"Mr. Chairman, I have committed a truly mortal sin by disturbing your mind."
The little uncle again bowed to his grandfather as if he were in a public place, calling him chairman. The look in his grandfather's eyes was not ordinary, and now he had to feel even more nervous even towards his nephew, who was not even his eldest brother. A cold sweat of humiliation kept running down the little uncle's face.
"Director Jeon, why did you come with me?"
The grandfather didn't even look at his uncle and asked the executive standing right behind him.
"Mr. Chairman, I am in charge of the development research of new chemical materials. I came here with Yoo Jin-mu in person in case you need the approval documents related to this development research."
He was an executive with a shiny appearance like a snake. He looked to be about the same age as my uncle. I could vaguely recall things that were crawling on my mind, like ants crawling on the floor.
"Okay, just get out."
My uncle hurried out of the chairman's office as if he had been given a summons. The dampness of the shirt on his back showed how nervous he was.
* * *
"Hyun-ah, I'm sorry. I saw a lot of things I shouldn't have seen at work today."
My grandfather, I, and my eldest uncle were riding in the luxury sedan. My eldest uncle seemed to have heard that my grandfather had been scolding my younger uncle, so he was very reserved with his words. If I said something wrong here, I knew that my grandfather's fiery temper would make it obvious that I wouldn't be able to attend the banquet.
"No, Grandpa. It was like a field trip, so I had fun."
"Was it fun?"
Oh, my grandfather's eyes became strange again when he said it was fun. The other day, when my grandfather said that it would have been better if Kang-hyun was older, I felt sincere. If anything, it would have been fortunate.
'The patriarchal tendencies have been largely erased.'
It was only a short period of time, but I could feel that my grandfather's disposition was gradually changing. Of course, my uncles and aunts' foolish actions played a part behind it. My grandfather had been leading Dongju in the front lines of management for a long time. It must have been obvious to him that his children, who were in their 40s, were conscious of his young nephew. How pitiful must he have felt for his children.
"Beomjin, do you know what position you are in today?"
Perhaps because it was outside the company, my grandfather called my uncle's name softly. My uncle straightened his back like a student who was being scolded. He was very tense because he had been scolded for not answering the questions properly in the morning.
"Yes, father."
"Okay, behave yourself."
My uncle's throat was shaking violently. That means he was very nervous.
"Mr. Chairman, we have arrived."
At the gentleman's words, I raised my head and looked out the window. I hadn't noticed this place since I was talking to my grandfather.
'Isn't this the Silly Hotel?'
It was the Sili Hotel that I had visited the other day to drop off a middle-aged foreigner. As soon as the old man's car arrived, the hotel staff opened the car door for him as if they had been waiting for him. They were not just bellboys in their attire and appearance, but they were clearly the hotel manager.
This was no ordinary banquet. It was a gathering of the three generations of a conglomerate.
The staff at the Sili Hotel were already busy as if they were on high alert. There wasn't a single ant in the hallway leading to the banquet hall. It must be for the tycoons who value privacy.
'at las.'
My body naturally became tense. Wasn't this the legendary gathering I'd only heard about at the group visa in my past life? What's more, I was officially invited as a third-generation chaebol, not a third party. It's something you never know even if you know the world. In my past life, when I was so obsessed with vanity, I never thought I'd be able to go to a place I couldn't even step foot on.
Thump.
While Grandfather was calm, Uncle's face was clearly tense. He must have been afraid that he might make a mistake here and Grandfather would punish him.
As the hotel managers personally opened the door to the banquet hall, the legendary gathering revealed its true nature.
"Chairman Yoo!"
After seeing the grandfather, Chairman Wang of Jeil Group hurriedly approached him. His face was filled with a smile, as if he had met his childhood friend. Son Il-seon followed behind him, and as soon as he saw the grandfather, he bowed deeply.
Gulp.
I have met Son Il-seon in the past, but this is the first time I have seen Son Il-seon this young. Furthermore, I could not even imagine Son Il-seon bowing his head so deeply to someone. At that time, someone was standing behind Son Il-seon.
'uh?'
He wasn't an Oriental. He was a Westerner with a colored face.
I didn't understand why they were standing together as if they were the same group as Chairman Wang of Jeil Group. Why would a foreigner be present at a gathering of the three generations of a conglomerate?
But it feels familiar somehow.
The moment when Son Il-seon was about to personally introduce a Westerner.
"Young gentleman?"
A middle-aged Westerner saw me and pretended to know me.