“How did you know?”
Grandfather asked with a surprised expression. There wasn’t a single name written on the album jacket, and there were no voices other than the instrument sounds on the recorded LP.
How on earth did the young grandchild know that this performer was his mother?
What should he say?
Kang Hyun felt as if the melody of the violin and the piano keys were dancing in front of his eyes as soon as he heard them.
From whether the performer understood the composer’s intention, to the balance between the violin and the piano, and even the performer’s minor habits. It felt as if he had seen the performance in front of him.
“I saw a picture of my mother on the desk.”
Only then did Grandfather realize that there was a picture of his youngest daughter playing the violin on his desk.
But the violin sonata that had just been played was a piece that the youngest daughter had recorded with great effort.
Even he, who often listened to classical music, couldn’t help but praise the performance. This was the surprising part. The grandson had discerned the difference between an amateur and a professional after just one listen.
Was it a coincidence?
“Then try listening to this as well.”
Grandfather picked up another record from the LP collection.
Thud.
The sight of the tonearm reading the rings of the LP record was captivating as ever.
After the analog silence, the sound of the violin melody and piano keys resonated again.
“Hyun, this is Beethoven’s Violin Sonata Spring, 1st movement.”
As Grandfather said, it was the same piece as before. But.
‘It’s different.’
From the first melody, the sweet melody full of the scent of spring flowers continued.
He could feel how well the performer understood the sheet music. It was a perfect performance without any common mistakes.
The violin constantly matched the piano keys. But even that didn’t feel awkward.
If his mother’s performance earlier was in sync as if the violin and piano were running a three-legged race, the current melody was distinctly different. It was as if they were whispering love to each other, even to the point of being poignant.
After the performance ended.
Grandfather looked at him as if curious about his review.
“An amazing violinist.”
Grandfather seemed to want more of a review, but he had nothing more to say. The musical balance and proportion were almost perfect.
Moreover, the harmony of the violin and piano, just as Beethoven intended, was literally beautiful love itself.
Though he didn’t know who performed it, it was clear they were highly skilled.
“Grandfather, you don’t listen to this LP often, do you?”
It was originally a piece the youngest daughter often listened to. She used to listen to it so much that the tonearm of the turntable barely survived, saying she would play it for her father.
After she recorded the violin sonata for him, he didn’t touch it. But why is he asking about it now?
“The pitch is slightly lowering.”
It wasn’t that the violinist’s fingering was wrong. It was a very subtle difference that an ordinary person wouldn’t notice.
An LP that hadn’t been played for a long time. The news had been reporting about the unprecedented heatwave for days. No matter how well it was maintained, there was nothing he could do about the humidity.
“What?”
Grandfather was speechless. He had listened to the performance with his grandson but couldn’t tell the difference. Could it really be distinguished by the human ear?
“Chairman, wouldn’t it be better to send Hyun home now?”
The younger uncle, who visited the chairman’s office, carefully broached the subject. It bothered him that he had brought the thorn in his side on his way to work, and he couldn’t imagine that such a Kang Hyun would be staying in the chairman’s office.
Grandfather’s expression soured as he checked the documents.
“Hyun and I have somewhere to go today.”
At Grandfather’s firm voice, the younger uncle swallowed hard. But soon, he glared.
“Are you taking Hyun to the banquet?”
Usually, the uncle who lacked tact was quick-witted in situations like this. Grandfather lifted his eyes from the documents and stared straight at the younger uncle. Only then did the younger uncle realize he had raised his voice, but it was too late.
“Why do you want to know that?”
Under Grandfather’s gaze, not only the younger uncle but even the executives standing behind him tensed up.
The younger uncle seemed to be trying to erase the resentful expression from his face with his head bowed. Usually, he couldn’t even participate properly in golf meetings. Who knew he would feel threatened by his nephew?
“Father, that’s not a place just anyone can attend, is it?”
Of course.
It was a gathering of the actual successors of the chaebol groups.
The younger uncle, like the aunt, looked resentful.
Did this man really think he would fit into the chaebol third-generation seat? Why was he so obsessed?
“I understood the eldest brother because he is the head of the family. But Hyun is not, is he? To be blunt, did Hyun ever come to visit you after running away from home? Did he ever do anything? He didn’t even contact you for over ten years, and now he’s pushing his child on you because he wants the company.”
Oh my.
The aunt and younger uncle both tended to speak nonsense as if it were the truth.
I wanted to jump up and say something, but this wasn’t the place for me to intervene. Grandfather’s eyes were not to be taken lightly.
“Those who can’t even answer simple questions properly, where do they get off boasting about the company!”
When Grandfather’s eyes, resembling a tiger’s, glinted sharply, the younger uncle immediately bowed his head. His face was drenched in cold sweat.
One should pick their battles, but this was reckless.
I wondered if the younger uncle had any learning ability at all. But.
‘I recognize this person.’
I noticed one of the executives standing behind the younger uncle. He was the man who caught my eye on my way to work. Now that I saw him, he seemed to be the younger uncle’s confidant, accompanying him even for simple approval documents.
Given that it was decades ago, even if I knew him, there was a high chance I wouldn’t recognize him.
“Chairman, I sincerely apologize for disturbing your mood.”
The younger uncle, like in an official setting, addressed Grandfather as Chairman and pleaded.
Because of Grandfather’s sharp gaze, and more so because he had to feel threatened by his nephew now, the younger uncle’s face was filled with humiliating cold sweat.
“Executive Jeon, why are you here?”
Grandfather didn’t even look at the younger uncle and directly asked the executive standing behind him.
“Chairman, I am in charge of the chemical new material development research. I thought you might need the approval documents for this research, so I came directly with Executive Yoo.”
The executive looked sly and shifty. He seemed to be around the same age as the younger uncle. My head felt itchy as if ants were crawling in it, feeling like I was about to remember something.
“Okay, you may leave.”
The younger uncle hurriedly left the chairman’s office as if he had received an eviction order. The back of his shirt was soaked, showing how nervous he had been.
“Hyun, I’m sorry. You saw a lot of things you shouldn’t have in the company today.”
Grandfather, my older uncle, and I were riding in a luxury sedan.
The older uncle seemed to have heard about Grandfather scolding the younger uncle and was extremely careful with his words. He knew that if he said something wrong here, he wouldn’t be able to attend the banquet due to Grandfather’s fiery temper.
“It’s okay, Grandfather. It felt like I was on a field trip, and I enjoyed it.”
“Enjoyed it?”
Oops, Grandfather’s eyes turned strange at the word “enjoyed.”
It felt genuine when Grandfather previously said it would have been better if Kang Hyun were older. But luckily.
‘The patriarchal tendencies are fading.’
Though only a short time had passed, I could feel Grandfather’s tendencies gradually changing. Of course, the uncles’ and aunts’ antics played a part in that.
Grandfather, who had led Dongju from the forefront for many years. It must have been obvious to him that his children, who were over forty, were conscious of their young nephew. How pitiful his children must have seemed to him.
“Beomjin, you know what kind of gathering we are attending today, right?”
Since we were outside the company, Grandfather softly called the older uncle by his name. The older uncle straightened his back like a student receiving a scolding. He had been severely reprimanded in the morning for not answering questions properly, so his body was tense.
“Yes, Father.”
“Good, conduct yourself properly.”
The older uncle’s Adam’s apple bobbed significantly. That meant he was very nervous.
“Chairman, we have arrived.”
At the driver’s words, I lifted my head to look out the window. I hadn’t realized it while talking with Grandfather, but this was.
‘Silly Hotel?’
It was the Silly Hotel I had visited to drop off the middle-aged foreigner before.
As soon as Grandfather’s car arrived, hotel staff, who looked more like managers than mere bellboys, opened the car doors.
This wasn’t an ordinary banquet. It was a gathering of the third generation of chaebol families.
The Silly Hotel staff were already busy as if they were on high alert.
There wasn’t a single ant in the corridor leading to the banquet hall. This was probably to ensure the privacy of the chaebol families.
‘Finally.’
I felt nervous. I was about to experience the legendary gathering I had only heard about in the group’s secret history.
Moreover, I wasn’t just an outsider but officially invited as a third-generation chaebol.
The world is truly unpredictable. In my past life, I pursued vanity but couldn’t even touch the threshold of this place, and now I was entering it so easily.
Plod.
While Grandfather remained unfazed, the older uncle’s face was filled with tension. He was probably afraid of making a mistake here and getting on Grandfather’s bad side.
When the hotel managers opened the doors to the banquet hall, the legendary gathering revealed itself.
“Chairman Yoo!”
Upon seeing Grandfather, Chairman Wang of the Jeil Group hurried over. His face was full of smiles, as if he had met an old friend.
Behind him was Son Ilsung, who bowed deeply upon seeing Grandfather.
Gulp.
I had met Son Ilsung in my past life, but I had never seen such a young Son Ilsung. Moreover, seeing Son Ilsung bow so deeply to someone was unimaginable.
Then, I noticed someone standing behind Son Ilsung.
‘Huh?’
It wasn’t an Asian. It was a Westerner with colored eyes.
He stood as if he were part of the Jeil Group, but it didn’t make sense. Why would a foreigner be at a gathering of third-generation chaebols?
Yet he looked familiar.
Just as Son Ilsung was about to introduce the Westerner.
“Young gentleman?”
