The audience was left speechless by the powerful emotions that struck their hearts.
Born into a conglomerate family, they were people who had grown tired of listening to classical music for their social hobbies.
However, they had no way to explain the whirlwind of emotions they were feeling now.
It was a short sonata, but it felt eternal, like a spring day that would last forever.
Clap.
At that moment, Son Yooha stood up and clapped. It was a rather loud sound for the small hands of a child. This was because the banquet hall was as quiet as if it were holding its breath. Perhaps they were all hesitating and hoping for another movement to be played.
But.
“Thank you.”
With a deep voice, the violinist,
And a piercing gaze that reached them, they realized that spring had ended.
A hint of regret lingered in the audience’s eyes, but soon, a deep sense of emotion welled up. Everyone was standing up, including the elderly founders. The sound of a standing ovation filled the banquet hall.
The gray-haired manager, who had been hosting, swallowed his surprise. It was because the notoriously stubborn conglomerates were all deeply moved.
“Have you ever learned the violin?”
In place of my grandfather, Chairman Wang asked me. Son Ilsung, and even Samuel Gardner, who couldn’t understand Korean, were looking at me.
The heavy gazes were burdensome, but perhaps because I had performed in front of so many audiences before, I felt rather indifferent.
“I haven’t had any professional training yet, Grandfather.”
Chairman Wang’s eyes widened. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand his reaction. In fact, even I couldn’t fully understand how I had performed such a piece. Who would believe that the violin moved as if it were conversing with my heart?
Even in this situation, my big uncle seemed more surprised that I called Chairman Wang “Grandfather.” How uncultured of him.
‘Chairman Yoo.’
Chairman Wang erased his surprised expression and looked at my grandfather. My grandfather had been silent since the performance ended, seemingly lost in deep thought.
Chairman Wang swallowed his admiration as he looked into the calm eyes of Kang Hyun. This young boy would bring a great storm to the music world in the future.
He didn’t know what it meant to reach the level of a master, but beyond musical technique, it was an emotional resonance he had never felt in his life. His old heart beat fiercely again, feeling a deep sense of regret he had forgotten.
‘My granddaughter has already fallen for your grandson.’
Son Yooha’s eyes were constantly on Kang Hyun, so intensely that even a sunflower looking at the sun wouldn’t be as hot.
“Look, Hyun oppa’s violin performance is amazing, right?”
A triumphant voice as if to ask if she was right. Admiration and joy mixed in her voice, making her look so adorable that I couldn’t help but laugh.
Who would have thought that the Ice Queen Son Yooha would become the mood maker? The world is truly unpredictable.
“Hyun.”
At that moment, my grandfather held my hand. It was warm, almost to the point of sadness seeping into his palm. He must have seen a reflection of my mother’s childhood in my performance of spring.
I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. Having lived a middle-aged life, I had never dealt with such situations before.
“Thank you.”
I wondered what he was thankful for. An emotion I had never seen before was reflected in the wrinkled corners of my grandfather’s eyes. He must be thinking of my mother.
Instead of a needless reply, I covered his age-spotted hand with both of mine. For the mother he missed.
Cicada chirping─
“Kang Hyun student, you’re already awake?”
The housekeeper lady came up to the second floor and saw me with a towel around my neck, having just washed up.
The banquet had continued late into the night, so I had gone to sleep quite late. The lady must have thought I was still sleeping. Truthfully, I wanted to stay in bed longer, but that cursed cicada made it impossible. It was charming only at first.
“I slept well, maybe because the bed was comfortable.”
“You could sleep more, but come down slowly for breakfast later. I made your favorite lotus root dish.”
A side dish my mother used to make for me all the time. In my past life, I wouldn’t even look at lotus root dishes, but now I can’t get enough of them. When I first returned to the past and took a big bite of a lotus root dish, I burst into tears. By the way.
Maybe because the air isn’t as polluted yet, the cicadas’ octave rivals Mariah Carey’s. It’s really ear-piercing.
“Father, are you planning to take Hyun to work with you again today?”
An uninvited guest was sitting at the breakfast table. My big uncle had stayed at the Ichon-dong mansion last night, using the excuse of looking after my grandfather, but the reason was obvious.
Last night received more attention than when I passed the bar exam on the first try in my entire life. Big uncle, who had become a barley sack, must have been anxious every time he felt my grandfather’s gaze.
‘Tsk.’
Instead of worrying about a much younger nephew, he should be honing his business skills. Not that he would listen even if I said so.
At that moment, my grandfather looked subtly at my big uncle.
“Why do you ask?”
“It seemed like Hyun was very tired yesterday. At his age, it wouldn’t be bad for him to stay home, eat something delicious, and rest well.”
Oh my, to think he would care about me so much. I almost cried from the overwhelming gratitude but exhaled it out.
Big uncle was transparent to the point of being see-through. I fully understood my grandfather’s concerns. If only he were as young as Yoo Jinseok, I would grab his hair and give him a good scolding. It’s a shame.
“Hyun is going to Chairman Son’s place today, so don’t worry.”
“What?”
Am I going there again? Big uncle seemed more surprised than when he heard I was going to the company. My grandfather didn’t elaborate further, and big uncle, with a look of astonishment, glanced at me. What can I say? I also don’t know why I’m going to Chairman Wang’s mansion. Did Yooha throw a tantrum saying she wanted to see me?
“Kang Hyun student, we’ve arrived.”
With the help of driver Kim, I arrived at the grand mansion in Pyeongchang-dong.
The high walls that always felt imposing. I understood why Son Ilsung would come here when his business wasn’t going well in his past life. The mansion itself exuded an indescribable aura. Could a place like this be bought with money?
“Welcome.”
An unexpected person greeted me. It wasn’t Chairman Wang, but Son Ilsung, the president of Jeil Electronics.
It was a weekday, so I naturally thought he would be at the company. In his heyday, he was known as a hard-working type who even gave up weekends to work.
Still, he was an old boss, so I straightened up.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“Haha, rather, I’m grateful you came. Yooha really likes you. She kept pestering to learn violin with you during this vacation. If Chairman Yoo hadn’t allowed it, this uncle would have been in trouble.”
Ah, the truth is revealed. No wonder Yooha must have thrown a tantrum.
I thought it wouldn’t be bad to learn the violin during this time. If I could experience my heart racing again, it would be truly exhilarating.
But to hear Son Ilsung refer to himself as “uncle” gave me goosebumps as much as when Yooha called me oppa.
“Oppa!”
Some things never change. Son Yooha, who I was wondering when she would appear, ran up to me with open arms.
At first, it was so awkward and unsettling to be treated so affectionately by the renowned Ice Queen, but what can I do? Dostoevsky was right. Humans are adaptable creatures.
“Yes, Yooha.”
“Oppa, come here quickly.”
Even though it hadn’t been a day since we last met, she seemed to have so much to say. I calmed Yooha, who was pulling my hand, and bowed to Son Ilsung.
Meanwhile, Son Yooha’s voice kept ringing in my ears. What does this kid eat to have so much energy? And Son Ilsung’s expression as he watched the two kids walk away was quite subtle.
“Teach me this!”
A math worksheet. Her skills had improved since last time, with questions more challenging than before. Since I had managed to solve the previous problems, I couldn’t pretend not to know. I suddenly found myself as a tutor.
I reluctantly picked up the worksheet. I might as well kill some time until the music teacher arrives.
“Yooha, did you understand?”
“Yes!”
Teaching her once, she absorbed it like a sponge absorbs water. At first, I thought it was just because she was smart.
‘She already knows it.’
Yooha knew how to solve the problems. She was trying to hide the fact that she already learned the formulas by pretending to learn from me again.
No wonder she would later become the famously prideful and stubborn president of Jeil Trading. She wouldn’t have genuinely asked me to teach her if she didn’t already know. Could she really like me?
“Try solving the last problem by yourself, Yooha.”
“Hmm, I really don’t know this one.”
She accidentally spoke her mind, but she quickly forgot about it. She was really cute like that.
But her competitive spirit was innate, and she was a born winner. When I said I wouldn’t help, she glared at the worksheet and started solving it with an intensity that was almost frightening.
How much time had passed?
“I solved it all, oppa!”
Yooha beamed and handed me the worksheet. Looking at the last problem, the eraser was worn down to the nub from repeated use.
Of course, it was the correct answer, but to think she focused on one problem for thirty minutes with such concentration at the age of eleven was unbelievable.
“Yooha, weren’t the problems difficult?”
For an eleven-year-old, the problems were excessively challenging. I know education is important in conglomerate families, but did they have to go this far? Seeing such intensity in a cute child, I wondered if this was why she became the epitome of cynicism later on.
“Dad said that the moment you give up, it’s over. So, he told me to hold on tight and never let go. Then, it will eventually become mine.”
Son Ilsung, what on earth did you tell your young daughter?
Could it be?
Yes, around this time…
Son Ilsung was competing for succession with his siblings. Chairman Wang held onto management rights until his death, weighing his children.
It was a literal war without gunfire, survival of the fittest, where the strongest would inherit Jeil Group. It was essentially an all-out war.
“Yooha, you don’t need to have everything.”
The era requires choosing and focusing. The old industries were declining, and new ones were emerging. Semiconductors were like that. Chairman Wang was a visionary in this regard.
He knew that clinging to everything would eventually lead to downfall. Even the most cherished things would become a burden.
“Not needing to have everything, huh.”
Suddenly, a voice caught my attention, and I turned my head.
There stood.
“That’s a good saying. Then, Hyun, what do you think is the most unnecessary thing for this old man?”
