Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3.
Jiying.
It's raining. The audience's eyes and ears have long been taken by her. The red dress flutters like a rose. Her bowing is so elegant and noble that it's like looking at a work of art. The moment when the Stradivarius covered in moonlight creates a sorrowful melody.
A storm is coming!
Doo-woong.
The pianist's fingers moved fiercely as if chasing the passionately rising melody. The left hand, which should have played the bass, was no longer obsessed with compulsion, and as evidence of this, the natural movement like flowing water created a melody soaked in sorrow. Considering Baek Jeong-hoon's relatively young age, his skills could only be called genius.
Jiying.
The Queen of the Hyeon was smiling. It must have been because Baek Jeong-hoon's performance moved her heart. Her instrument, the Stradivarius, cried out in response. As the fourth movement began, the violin and piano spat out words of voice as if they were jealous of each other. The audience felt their hearts beating without mercy. The reason my grandfather held my hand tightly was probably because the turbulent melody poured down roughly through the moonlight.
The audience all opened their eyes wide.
Even the sound of breathing felt like a sin. The pianist was facing the violin as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff. His eyes, soaked in sorrow, spoke for his heart, and the tense expression on the page turner's face was evident in the passionate melody. The moment when the famous Stradivarius bursts into a sorrowful melody once again.
Doo-woong.
Baek Jeong-hun's fingers begin to dance endlessly over the keyboard.
As if playing the last song in his life.
Even after the recital ended, people had a hard time shaking off the lingering emotions.
Suddenly, I remembered Baek Jeong-hun's nickname from his past life.
'He's not called the Iron-Blooded Maestro for nothing.'
I only gave him a small clue once, but Baek Jeong-hoon made it his own in a short period of time. But the highlight of this solo concert was definitely the queen of the present. The queen held Baek Jeong-hoon in her arms like a mother comforting her child.
"Hyun-ah, it's the first time I've seen someone play the violin like that."
Even my grandfather, who had been good at hiding his emotions for a long time, couldn't hide his surprise. Even though the stage was empty, it still felt like Hirose's bow was alive and moving. It was such an overwhelming stage. It wasn't for nothing that they say Hirose's melody steals the souls of the audience.
"Excuse me."
Then a mysterious man approached my grandfather and me.
"Hello. My name is Goro Hasegawa, and I am currently Hirose-san's manager."
manager?
"Mr. Hirose would like to meet with you two. If you have time, please allow me. Of course, I would like Mr. Hirose to speak directly, but the audience may be too crowded······."
He bowed deeply, almost excessively, as he asked for a favor.
*
'The kid is here.'
Hirose couldn't forget the eyes of the child sitting in the audience. Even though he saw the arrow heading towards him, he didn't feel even the slightest movement. Instead, she quickly turned away because of the deep eyes that seemed to pierce him. It was a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time. He wanted to run out and stand in front of the child right away, but he couldn't do it because of the audience waiting for him.
That was when.
"I'm really sorry, teacher."
Ilsun Baek Jeong-hun bowed his head towards Hirose.
"Why are you saying that, Jeonghoon?"
Baek Jeong-hoon raised his head at Hirose's question mixed with doubt.
"I have never spoken out about my mistakes until now. I felt bad about admitting my mistakes in front of you. Now, I sincerely apologize."
Hirose smiled and shook his head. Korean pianist Baek Jeong-hoon will surely become the next generation figure to lead Asian classical music. Just looking at today's collaboration, it was evident. Didn't his skills improve noticeably in just a few days? Especially in Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 3, the melody he created was so thrilling.
"Your interpretation of Brahms's music was excellent. I think that is enough of an apology, isn't it?"
Baek Jeong-hoon's face turned bright red at the unexpected answer. He seemed to move his lips for a moment, then licked his dry lips.
"Actually, there was a kid who helped me grow. I don't know who it was."
kid?
You got help from someone you don't know?
At that moment.
dripping.
There was a knock on the door and Goro's voice was heard.
*
Well, I expected that.
Baek Jeong-hoon's eyes were trembling as if an earthquake had occurred. Who knew that the pianist at the ramen shop was Baek Jeong-hoon? Hirose jumped up from his seat and greeted me and my grandfather.
"It's really nice to meet you, I really wanted to meet you. Kang Hyun."
"No, I really wanted to meet you. It's an honor."
Me too.
I really wanted to meet the Queen of the Present. I was a huge fan of hers in my past life. The red dress that matched her skin tone was so beautiful that it made me forget my age.
"I had no idea Hyun could speak Japanese so well. Since we watched each other's videos all the time, it felt like we really knew each other."
Hirose grabbed my hand for a moment and opened his eyes wide in surprise. It was the same reaction as Spencer the other day. He was probably surprised to see my hand without any calluses.
"It's truly amazing."
It was a strange feeling. It was meeting a master who had already passed away in his past life again while he was still alive.
"If such a performance was achieved through effort alone, it would be nonsense. I was captivated by Hyun's performance. I wanted to get on a plane to Korea several times a day, but as you know, I couldn't do it because of my solo concert schedule. But I am truly grateful that you two came to see me like this, as if it were a lie."
Hirose's personality was calm and elegant, just like her nickname, the Queen of the Castle. Even the fact that she treated me, who was still just a child, with such respect was something like that.
"Hyeon, do you have a teacher by any chance?"
The question of whether I had a teacher who had formally taught me how to play the violin. I hesitated to answer. I had taken music lessons from Park Seon-yeong, but could I really say that I had a teacher? Hirose let out a small exclamation of admiration at my appearance.
"Since you can't answer easily, can I take that to mean there is no answer?"
For a moment, Hirose's white hair rippled greatly.
"Hyeon, do you want to share music with me?"
Baek Jeong-hoon, who was listening from the side, grew wide-eyed. He had never imagined that Hirose would say something like that. Furthermore, he used the word "exchange" instead of "teaching." Baek Jeong-hoon knew the hidden meaning in it. The fact that he was acknowledging the other person as a violinist.
I couldn't answer easily.
At that moment, I saw my grandfather's wrinkled eyes. It would be a lie if I said that my heart wasn't moved when I heard her melody. My heart was beating so fast. Seeing me hesitate again, Hirose nodded briefly.
"Hyun, then wouldn't you like to play this violin?"
When Hirose handed me his violin case, Baek Jeong-hun and even Goro-san were shaken. To a violinist, a violin is like his life. Especially if it was a Stradivarius, for example, that one instrument would be worth as much as a building in downtown Seoul.
Gulp.
My wavering gaze fell on the Queen's violin.
* * *
Hot and sizzling.
The hot spring water soaked my whole body. There was no one else in the spacious hot spring except my grandfather and I. As I soaked my whole body in the warm water, I felt all the fatigue that had built up over time melt away. My grandfather looked at me with a strange look as I smiled languidly.
"Hyun-ah, do you like hot springs that much?"
"Yeah, hehe."
My grandfather patted my head once and asked me back.
"But why did you reject Mr. Hirose's offer?"
"yes?"
I lifted my palm and wiped my face, then looked at my grandfather. I hadn't explained in detail what had happened at Opera City today. Of course, my grandfather didn't bother to ask.
But how?
"Yonsuk, did you think Grandpa couldn't speak Japanese?"
Even though I was in hot water, I felt like I had goosebumps all over my body. So, what happened at the ramen shop too?
"Hal-pae-bi knows better than anyone that Hyun-i has outstanding musical talent. But I wonder why he turned down Hirose-san's offer. He must be the person Hyun-i needs more than anyone else."
Phew, what should I say?
"Grandpa, are you getting your health checkups on time?"
Grandfather laughed heartily at the unexpected question.
"Yonsuk, don't worry about Grandpa's health. He'll be fine for the next ten years."
My lips wouldn't part. It was impossible to say that my grandfather only had five years left to live. There were many problems that needed to be resolved.
"But why didn't you play Mr. Hirose's violin?"
Stradivarius.
One of the three sacred instruments that every violinist dreams of. It would be impossible not to want to see and play the Queen's violin. Of course, it has the magic to draw people in like a black hole, and it makes my heart beat faster than ever. But.
The moment I picked up the violin, I felt like I would never be able to go home.
I tried to avoid answering and lowered my body under the water. I felt my grandfather's gaze, but only a small bubble of air appeared above the water.
*
"Hello, Mr. Baek Jeong-Hoon."
Daily Q reporter Kim Saet-byeol flew all the way to Japan to interview Baek Jeong-hoon, who is considered the next generation master of Korea. Baek Jeong-hoon is a remarkable gem in Korea, which is considered a wasteland of classical music.
"I'm curious about how it was to collaborate with Mr. Hirose, a master of the Japanese music world. You are known as the youngest pianist to have collaborated with Mr. Hirose so far."
Baek Jeong-hoon answered the reporter's question without hesitation.
"It was an honor. Rather than saying that it was a collaboration, I think it would be more accurate to say that I was taught by Mr. Hirose. To me, Mr. Hirose was an insurmountable wall."
It wasn't an exaggeration. The reporter also knew about Hirose's world-wide reputation, so he just nodded and didn't ask any further questions.
"What are your plans for the future?"
"I plan to study abroad as soon as my collaboration with Mr. Hirose is over. There is no end to the path of learning."
The reporter's hand, holding the notebook, moved quickly. Most people would not have guessed that Baek Jeong-hoon would go abroad to study, thinking that he would have connections with other great masters. The reporter looked at Baek Jeong-hoon and asked the question again.
"If you look at the interview materials with Hirose and Gramophone magazine, Hirose highly evaluated Baek Jeong-hun. He said that he is a potential maestro who will take charge of Korean classical music in the future. What do you think about this?"
In Korea, interest in Baek Jeong-hoon was growing day by day. Not only did he win second place in the Chopin Competition, but even at a young age, his skills were recognized by world-class masters. In a way, it was natural that Korean classical music would be reorganized around the figure of Baek Jeong-hoon.
but.
Baek Jeong-hoon's eyebrows furrowed. It was a habit that always came up when he was worried.
He is a master who is responsible for Korean classics.
It didn't make sense. But one thing was clear.
"Korean classical music will undergo tremendous changes in the future."
A boy naturally came to Baek Jeong-hoon's mind. The boy that Mr. Hirose had looked at with longing eyes and that had filled his own eyes with admiration.