"You want us to start filming already?"
Queen Elisabeth is a competition with a long history. The schedule at the Chapelle, known as the dawn of melody, is being produced as a documentary by the national broadcaster. However, the final list has not yet been selected.
"Reporters from overseas have also started arriving. The fishermen are flocking here because the bait is good."
The director frowned and tapped the list of contestants with his finger. Belgium, known as the heart of Europe, is a small country with a total population of 10 million. The Queen Elisabeth Concours is an important national event and one of the main sources of tourism revenue. The documentary produced is exported to each country, and it is likely to be eaten up in my living room. The reason the reporters smelled it was simple. The outstanding new talents from each country were heading to Brussels without exception. Moreover.
"Is there anyone who received a letter of recommendation from Hirose and Spencer?"
That was the rumor I heard. A person who had received letters of recommendation from both the Queen of the Palace and the London Symphony Orchestra had arrived in Brussels. When I pieced together the rumors one by one, an unbelievable person was born.
"What do you mean, Mozart was reincarnated?"
A boy of 14 years old in Korean age. Of course, there are many prodigies who have learned the violin since they were very young. However, the point to note here is that this boy has only been playing the violin for a month. A boy who has only been learning the violin for a month is selected as one of the 24 new violinists in the world? It's a story that only appears in a novel. However.
The director felt his nose tingle. His deep eyes were still focused on the boy's name. Not William from England, Jiang Yan from China, or Eric from Northern Europe, but an unknown oriental boy. The intuition that had been cultivated over many years in the broadcasting station was fiercely pointing to this child.
"Leah, take pictures of this Asian boy yourself. Get the most interviews with him."
Clearly, this boy will be the highlight of this year's Queen Elizabeth.
*
Achoo!
I can see someone talking about me because I'm coughing again. By the way, I'm nervous about the British gentleman who's following me around. Not only did he suddenly appear, but he's glaring at me.
sudden.
I was going to grab his hair and give him a beating, but I shook my head when I saw him roughly wiping his nosebleed. I knew that kind of person very well. I saw them often in my past life at the Judicial Research and Training Institute. A genius who had been on an elite course since birth.
"How far will you follow me?"
As I stopped in my spot, Sannim also stopped. He seemed to have something he wanted to ask, but he couldn't speak hastily because of his pride. I shook my head and walked on. At this point, he was just as persistent as that kid, to the point where I thought of someone.
"Are you going to play the violin?"
I nodded briefly. It was a practice room that the competition had prepared separately for the Queen Elizabeth contestants. It was connected to the hotel, so they could practice whenever they wanted without being restricted by time. The British gentleman looked at me as if he was thinking about it.
"Can I take a look?"
"As you wish."
The second round of judging was to play a free piece that each of them had prepared. Since it was impossible to change the piece now, I thought it wouldn't be a big deal to show them how to practice. Of course, most sensitive violinists were reluctant to show their practice to anyone. The British gentleman must have known that fact, too, so he sat quietly, holding back his words.
*
At that moment.
Jiying.
The bow touched the strings carefully. The melody played with the down bow seemed like walking precariously. It made a dreary sound, as if wandering in the darkness where one could not see even an inch ahead. At that moment, the bow covered in rosin pressed hard against the strings. William unconsciously grabbed the handkerchief in his hand.
I wanted to check.
I wonder if that kid really deserves Spencer's letter of recommendation.
But as the performance continued, I felt myself becoming fascinated. How can he express such melodies? What about his posture and fundamentals? I felt a suffocating tension, as if a master who had been playing the violin for a long time was taking a stance. That kind of thing requires a lot of experience and years of experience. But that child was doing it as if it was nothing.
It is no exaggeration to say that William, who studied at the Royal Academy of Music, encountered many talented violinists. He always believed without a doubt that he was the best, no matter where he was. No matter how great the talented violinists were, they were just ordinary violinists in front of him. But what is this feeling now?
Could this be what Salieri felt when he encountered Mozart?
Thump thump thump.
I felt my cold heart tremble without mercy. I was unconsciously immersed in the thrilling melody. I forgot how inexplicable the anger I felt at the sight of the child playing the violin with such a dignified look had been rising, and sweat poured down from my entire body like a heavy rain. The performance had already ended, but William still couldn't let go of the last melody.
dripping.
It was then that Eva entered the practice room.
"William?"
Eva was surprised to see me, but I didn't have time to pay attention to her. When I didn't answer, she averted her questioning gaze and looked straight at the boy.
"Hyun, we have a guest right now."
* * *
The Pyeongchang-dong mansion is noisy from the morning breeze. The carp swimming in the pond disappeared in the noise. While Chairman Wang smiled happily, Son Il-seon felt a headache.
"Secretary Kim, how many hours has Yuha been doing that?"
Secretary Kim couldn't answer Son Il-seon's question properly.
"Isn't it nice to see you, Ilseon?"
"father?"
Son Il-seon looked at the luggage his daughter had packed. All she had to do was simply deliver the violin. However, if someone saw her with her belly bigger than her stomach, they would think she was going to emigrate overseas. Isn't she packing without sleeping because she said she was going to Belgium where Kang-hyun was? If it were normal, she would sleep until the sun rose.
"Don't worry too much, I'm not sending you alone. By the way, what happened to Tianjin?"
Son Il-seon straightened his posture at Chairman Wang's question. He no longer had time to worry about his daughter.
"It appears that the permitting process will be completed within this year. However, aggressive investment seems difficult as the Chinese government is not taking an active stance on attracting foreign capital."
"That's enough. The goal was to get the first water out of the way. Attracting foreign capital is a problem that will be solved on its own before long. And are there any thieves in the company these days?"
Son Il-seon understood Chairman Wang's question right away. It was not a term referring to simple thieves. It was not only about stealing materials, but also embezzlement and leaking industrial technology overseas. Didn't Hyunseong Group suffer greatly because of this? The bigger the company, the more things it can eat.
"Ilseon-ah, if you do it often enough, this theft becomes as easy as changing a bookmark. That's why it's most important to cut off the bud and block the hole in the beginning. Don't be suspicious just because they're blood relatives, and always keep an eye on them. You know better than I do what I mean."
Son Il-seon felt cold sweat forming on his back. This was because he had once taken care of his third son, who had been living his entire life as an unemployed man, out of favor with Chairman Wang. He had momentarily forgotten that Chairman Wang's eyes and ears were everywhere in Jeil Group.
"Seeing things like this makes me want that kid even more."
At that moment, Chairman Wang smiled as if he was thinking of someone. Son Il-seon did not know the hidden meaning behind that smile. It was the expression that his father, who had everything, made when he strongly wanted something.
*
"Are you filming me?"
I remembered the documentary filming for 5 days at the Judicial Research and Training Institute in my past life. How much I suffered, even if it is a documentary, it is not without dramatization. I did not feel very good because I had experienced the broadcasting station people once. However, according to Park Seon-yeong, it is clear.
"Didn't you originally start filming from Chapel?"
"It was like that until the last contest, but the rules have changed."
Like Eva, she was a typical Eastern European beauty. She had a face that seemed more like a celebrity than a PD. She even looked cute because she spoke in English instead of her native French. Next to her was an old man who reminded me of Hagrid holding a camera, and it was so similar that I even thought he might have been the role model for the Hagrid character later on.
"Don't worry, I won't ask you anything else except for the interview."
When I made a worried expression, the PD quickly added. Of course, it was a competition designated as a national event. Since it was a matter of filming sensitive musicians, the directing demands wouldn't be too harsh.
"Should I be the only one taking the photo first?"
There were 24 people left. It wouldn't have been strange if they had just sent a cameraman. The PD came to me in person. Of course, the PD wasn't just one person, but I heard that they haven't even looked for the other participants yet.
"Surely it's not because of the letter of recommendation?"
The PD seemed embarrassed, but did not deny it. Then yes, the Queen of the Strings and the London Symphony are renowned in the music world. It was natural for an unknown oriental kid to be interested in receiving letters of recommendation from both of them. Moreover, she was on the list of 24 people.
"Okay, but please don't disturb me while I practice."
The PD nodded his head as if it was obvious. He had a brighter smile than anyone else, and no matter how you looked at him, he looked more like a celebrity. He was about to shake hands and get up from his seat.
"Brother―!"
Brother?
I turned my head without realizing it at the unexpected Korean. Wasn't there a familiar silhouette walking toward me from the hotel's main entrance? I closed my eyes tightly and opened them, but the silhouette didn't disappear. However, my head was filled with questions.
'If it were Yuha, she wouldn't have said something like that?'
Son Yu-ha, who would have run to me as soon as she saw me, saying, "Hey, brother!" But now, isn't she walking cautiously like a young lady? If someone saw her, they would think she was a daughter of a noble family. Of course, in reality, she was the successor to a wealthy family. Soon, my eyes widened at the figure walking behind Son Yu-ha.
"mother?"
Only then did I understand why Son Yu-ha was acting like that.
"Brother, I missed you so much."
It was the moment when Son Yu-ha came up to me and greeted me. Wasn't she suddenly embracing me? Hagrid picked up his camera at that sight.