Hyunsoo played the piano without hesitation.
The music resonated throughout the entire store, true to the nature of a classical piano.
-♩♪♫♪
‘Not bad.’
Samuel was secretly impressed.
Despite being a beginner’s piece, Hyunsoo’s confident performance in front of strangers was commendable.
‘He looks really happy.’
More than anything, Samuel couldn’t help but smile at Hyunsoo’s bright expression.
It was a pure attitude he hadn’t seen in a while.
“Huh?”
Suddenly, Hyunsoo’s fingers stopped.
‘No way?’
Samuel watched with a mix of doubt and hope.
Hyunsoo stopped playing and repeatedly hit a single note.
-♩♩♩
Jesse asked first.
“Is there a problem?”
“The note is slightly off. Not all of them, just the F is a bit low.”
“Really? I can’t tell.”
Jesse, who practiced the violin daily and played the piano quite well, couldn’t notice the difference.
“You have an exceptionally good ear. Embarrassingly, you are right. …Could you bring me the tuning tools?”
Samuel rolled up his sleeves as an employee handed him the equipment.
“I’m sorry to show you this despite Jesse asking me to take good care of you over the phone. It won’t take long, so please wait a moment.”
As someone who always aimed to provide the best experience for customers choosing instruments, he felt genuinely sorry.
“I didn’t mean for this to happen, I’m sorry for the trouble…”
“It’s nothing. An instrument is crucial for a musician. You should try it in its best condition.”
Hyunsoo didn’t mind, but he was grateful for Samuel’s dedication to his craft and stepped back.
Watching Samuel prepare the tuning tools, Hyunsoo cautiously asked,
“This is my first time seeing a piano being tuned, may I watch?”
“Of course. Have you ever seen the inside of a piano?”
“No!”
“If you want to learn the piano, it’s good to understand the principles. Come closer and take a look.”
Samuel easily opened the cover.
The inside, filled with numerous strings and hammers, was fully exposed.
“This here is called a hammer. It’s made of wool, and every time you press a key, this hammer strikes the strings inside.”
-♩
“See? The hammer strikes the string, and the sound spreads through the vibration of the string and the resonance of the soundboard.”
-♩♩
‘What an interesting structure.’
Hyunsoo memorized the connection and movement of all the parts that occurred simultaneously with each key press.
As he played various ranges, he noticed more principles.
“Ah… The strings are thinner and shorter for higher notes, and thicker and longer for lower notes? The volume and transmission are compensated with the number of strings.”
Hyunsoo was right.
For higher notes, the hammer strikes a single string.
For lower notes, the hammer strikes two or even three strings simultaneously to maintain a consistent volume.
“…You observed accurately. Do you have a keen eye?”
“You explained it so well, haha.”
Despite his words, Hyunsoo couldn’t take his eyes off the piano. As he examined every corner, Samuel waited patiently without rushing him.
“Ah, sorry for delaying things.”
“Don’t worry and take your time. In this age of well-established online markets, why else would people visit stores?”
With a kind smile, he picked up the tuning tools.
“You might have already realized, but pianos, being string instruments, also need regular tuning.”
The tuning method was the same as for any other string instrument.
Find the loose strings and tighten them until they are in tune.
“Wow. Sir, you’re still sharp?”
Jesse exclaimed in admiration at Samuel’s skill.
-♩
Samuel quickly finished tuning after a few keystrokes.
An employee standing nearby confirmed the tuning with a tuner.
-♩
“Ooh.”
The note fell perfectly within the tuner’s circle.
“Would you like to try it yourself?”
“Can I?”
Hyunsoo eagerly accepted the tools.
“With your good ear, it should be easy. Tuning isn’t that difficult.”
“Yes.”
-♩
As Hyunsoo played the keys, the employee held up the tuner.
The slightly off F.
Using the tools, he carefully adjusted the tuning pins to find the correct pitch.
“You did well. When you buy a piano later, you can tune it yourself, right?”
“Thanks to a good teacher, I feel confident.”
“Haha, really?”
Finishing up the remaining F keys, Hyunsoo hesitantly spoke.
“While tuning, I got curious… Can I adjust some other strings slightly?”
The employee was startled and tried to stop him.
“The rest are already tuned, so there’s no need. If you mess with them, it might cause the hassle of retuning everything, so it’s a bit difficult to allow…”
But Samuel interrupted, not letting him finish.
“It’s not a difficult task, but may I ask why?”
“Oh, it’s okay. I don’t want to trouble the staff. I just thought that if I tuned it this way, I could match the overall tone of the piano.”
The employee listening to him was astonished.
“Sorry, but this isn’t a place to practice tuning as you like. It’s a difficult task, usually handled by professional tuners…”
Samuel couldn’t stand it any longer and intervened.
“That’s enough. I’ll take care of this. You can go about your business.”
“If I was rude, I sincerely apologize.”
The employee quickly apologized under Samuel’s stern gaze and left.
“Sorry about that. As an employee, he might have been more concerned about my reaction than the customer’s.”
“It’s fine. It wasn’t offensive at all. I was out of line.”
“Not at all. It’s natural to have questions. I’ll allow it, so go ahead and tune it as you wish.”
Hyunsoo refused multiple times, but Samuel seemed to see through his true intentions.
“Why refuse when you obviously want to? I’m an old man with nothing better to do. If something goes wrong, I can fix it right away. Do as you like.”
“Yeah, you saw his skill, right? Don’t worry and do it.”
Even Jesse encouraged him with sparkling eyes.
‘He’s a likable old man.’
Hyunsoo reluctantly picked up the tools again.
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”
Jesse filled the spot left by the employee.
“Look at the tuner while you do it.”
Determined to finish quickly, Hyunsoo got to work.
-♩
He played the keys and checked the tuner.
‘As I thought.’
Repeating a few times, he confirmed his suspicion.
The F note wasn’t a single point but a range.
As long as the note fell within that range, it was considered an ‘F’ by the tuner and theoretically.
However, where it fell within that range could make the tone brighter or darker.
The challenge was applying the same standard to all 88 keys.
All the notes had to fall at the same point within their respective ranges to produce a consistent, clear sound.
While most people wouldn’t notice, even a slight discrepancy in tuning bothered Hyunsoo.
Such precise tuning was likely expected only from high-end tuners or professional tuners, as the employee had said.
‘This will be fun.’
…And the extreme difficulty only fueled Hyunsoo’s excitement.
-♩
Hyunsoo meticulously tuned each string with intense focus.
As he got used to the tools and each note, his speed increased.
Eventually, he barely looked at the tuner.
Once the reference note was set, the subsequent notes naturally followed the same intervals.
-♩
Occasionally checking the keys to confirm the tuning, he didn’t need to play them all.
“…Can I record this?”
With her hands free, Jesse started filming with her phone.
Hyunsoo, not minding, nodded once and quickly finished tuning.
“Thank you for waiting. I hope I didn’t ruin the piano with my amateur skills?”
Samuel, deep in thought, took a moment to respond.
“Oh, not at all. Would you like to play again?”
“Yes. I’m curious to see if it’s done properly.”
Hyunsoo sat down, took a deep breath, and played the piano.
-♩♪♫♪
“……!”
It was the same beginner’s piece he had played earlier.
A piece that even elementary students who had been learning the piano for a few months could easily play.
But this time, it was different.
A lively and bright tone perfectly suited the piece.
‘He really did it.’
Did he realize how difficult it was to tune even the tone?
Rather than boasting, Hyunsoo seemed genuinely satisfied and played the piano joyfully.
“I’m glad I came in person.”
After finishing his performance, his only interest was the piano.
“Can I try other pianos as well?”
“Of course.”
-♩♫♪♩♪
Like a fish in water, Hyunsoo roamed the store, playing various pianos to his heart’s content.
Each piano had its own characteristics and subtle differences, but Hyunsoo, despite being a beginner, quickly adapted.
As he played, his musical expression became more refined, and he adjusted to each piano, making it audible.
“You seem to have a lot of interest in digital pianos?”
“Yes, since the houses in my neighborhood are closely packed, the volume can be an issue. I think a digital piano would be great for playing freely at night.”
Especially when he discovered a synthesizer-type digital piano that could mimic various instruments like violin and flute with the press of a button, he couldn’t take his hands off it.
“How does it produce such rich instrument sounds? This is at least studio recording level, isn’t it?”
Jesse, who had been following Hyunsoo for two hours, was amazed.
“That’s why it’s expensive. These digital pianos use the sounds of top-level performers, so they’re also used for composition. But it’s surprising. How do you keep finding the most expensive ones?”
“Really? Haha, I didn’t notice.”
Following the better sounds, Hyunsoo eventually stood in front of the most expensive digital piano in the store.
“Is it too expensive to buy for lessons?”
“Let’s try to suggest it. There’s nothing to lose.”
Samuel, watching the two customers seriously discussing, felt a very unfamiliar emotion.
-A strong obsession and desire.
An instrument store owner ultimately recommends the most suitable instrument for the customer.
His desire for good instruments was as strong as his desire for a fitting performer for those instruments.
“……”
After much consideration, Samuel looked at Hyunsoo’s eyes burning with passion for the piano and made a decision.
“I might be able to help with the cost.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
With a meaningful smile, Samuel made a very special proposal he had only made once in his 50 years of experience.
“I happen to have a piano that’s difficult to handle. It’s called the Maestro S, released about a year ago…”
Hyunsoo was unfamiliar with the product, but Jesse wasn’t.
As soon as the product name was mentioned, she, uncharacteristically, clung to Samuel with excitement.
“Sir! You promised to sell it to me if you secured it! I told you a year ago that the price wasn’t an issue!!!”
“I haven’t forgotten. But as you know, there is still a five-year waiting list for this model. It’s produced in small quantities, and there are many buyers like you in line.”
The Maestro S is a top-tier digital piano released by Highland, a company that has maintained its position at the top for over 40 years.
It is highly regarded for its realistic instrument sounds and continuous updates with its own composition software, making it a coveted product among renowned musicians.
However, it is so rare due to its advanced technology and many handcrafted parts that its supply can’t meet the demand.
Samuel mentioned this rare product nonchalantly.
“Due to my position, I managed to secure one for personal collection. Being an instrument store owner, I have as much greed as musicians, haha.”
He spoke happily, seeing Hyunsoo’s eyes widen.
“It’s only used as decoration at home anyway, so I’d like to lend it to you for free. If you continue to use it, I might even consider donating it, but if your interest changes and it just gathers dust, I’ll take it back.”
“……What??”
Hyunsoo firmly refused. Jesse, even though it wasn’t for her, kept thanking him.
“How can I accept something so valuable? I absolutely can’t.”
“Thank you. Should we send the address? We’re busy, so we’ll leave now.”
But Samuel didn’t know compromise. In the end, he even used his age to make a semi-threatening plea.
“I don’t have much time left. I don’t plan to take it to the grave, so please accept it as an old man’s dying wish.”
“……”
Hyunsoo quietly looked at Samuel. Although he was 17 on the outside, he felt a similar sentiment from his own years of life.
‘I couldn’t enjoy it, but I hope you live happily.’
He felt that Samuel’s heart, living as an instrument store owner, was similar to his own, running a company.
So, he couldn’t ignore Samuel’s sincerity. He understood Samuel’s genuine desire to give a cherished instrument to a promising young person.
“Then I’ll take care of it for a while. I might not meet your expectations, but I’ll use it diligently to not regret it.”
“That’s enough.”
Thus, Hyunsoo acquired a digital piano far beyond his means.
“Wow. Let’s go quickly before he changes his mind. I’ll send the address via text!”
Jesse, with an excited face, pulled Hyunsoo’s hand.
Feeling both burdened and thrilled, Hyunsoo’s heart raced.
‘How good must this piano be for her to be this excited?’
He was eager to test it soon.
The next morning,
Hyunsoo found Jesse sleeping soundly beside him.
‘Where am I?’
