When I draw notes on the staff, my heart finds peace.
When countless musical ideas unfold into a single song through my long fingertips, my heart starts to flutter like a child strolling by a calm lakeside.
At that moment, as if causing ripples on the calm lakeside, my two hands sliced through the air.
Gang Hyun Symphony No. 2
My fingertips were as sharp as if they held a conductor’s baton. There was no need to use a synthesizer. The melodies of countless instruments rang out simultaneously in my head.
The six notes that decorate the beginning of the first movement were reminiscent of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, but richer and warmer like sunlight.
I gave instructions toward the invisible score. The sequence of notes beginning with the splendid tremolo of the strings was enough to captivate the audience.
Amidst the rising emotions, I could distinctly feel my pounding heartbeat and the single drop of sweat trickling down my forehead.
Before I knew it, the small room had become a concert hall.
It was my second symphony. In my mind, dozens of instruments and members were unfolding in a panorama as if they were alive.
Sweat scattered off my fingertips like droplets.
As the timpani’s sound grew, expressing a surging volcano along with my fierce conducting through the air.
“I’m telling you, it’s okay.”
At that moment, a voice broke the silence. My fingertips slowly curled up carefully.
The orchestra and audience in my head faded away with a sense of regret. My mother was arguing with someone over the phone in the living room.
When our eyes met, my mother showed an embarrassed expression.
“Son, I’m sorry. Was my voice too loud?”
“No, it’s okay. Was it that woman calling again?”
“No, it’s a different woman this time. Someone famous from Cheongdam-dong or something, who cares.”
It was a matchmaker. It must have been since I turned 20. Somehow, matchmakers would frequently call our Ichon-dong mansion.
They would even approach my mother at the market she often visited or the hair salon.
It might have been a first for my mother, but during my previous life as a prosecutor at the Western District Prosecutor’s Office, I had experienced enough of these things to be sick of them.
“Still, how could they ask a boy who just turned twenty to go on a blind date?”
“Exactly.”
“Son, you don’t have a girlfriend yet, do you?”
My mother’s eyes gleamed with curiosity like a young girl’s. I had received quite a few fan letters from female students after the royal performance in the UK.
There were also quite a few female students at Hankuk University who tried to approach me. It was quite different from my college days when I was nicknamed ‘the tough one’ and focused solely on the bar exam.
“Mom thinks Yooha is really nice.”
“What?”
I unconsciously raised my voice at that moment. Seeing me hiccup with a gulp, my mother gave a faint smile.
Chairman Wang looked down at the golden carps swimming in the pond. Their flawless scales and fins made their elegant forms stand out even more.
When he scattered the carp food, they swam up eagerly, vying for it. The largest golden carp among them was particularly noticeable.
“Its good appetite reminds me of you when you were young, Son.”
At the sudden voice, Chairman Wang turned his head swiftly. Without him noticing, his lifelong friend, Chairman Yoo, was standing next to him.
“You old rascal, you should at least make your presence known when you arrive. Are you trying to give this old man a heart attack?”
“I was watching so intently, I couldn’t find a chance to speak. Have you hidden a gold nugget in there or something?”
“Nowadays, just watching them brings me so much joy, what can I say.”
Chairman Wang and Chairman Yoo strolled through the garden, conversing. Both were over seventy, but they were remarkably healthy for their age.
They stopped in front of a pair of beautiful pine trees.
Just looking at the trees, which exuded beauty and elegance, gave off a peculiar atmosphere, as if they had been growing together for hundreds of years, facing each other like a connected couple.
“This tree was planted exactly when Yooha was born. It’s grown quite a bit now. Do you know what the tree next to it is?”
“What is it?”
“I planted it when I first met Hyun. Somehow, as they grew, the branches started facing each other, as if they were looking at each other.”
Chairman Wang shared with Chairman Yoo the conversation he had with Gang Hyun. The image of Gang Hyun, who had grown into a distinguished entrepreneur, seemed to shine even more compared to the golden carp and pine trees.
“Who would have thought he could persuade Beomjin like that? It’s almost as if he retrieved Dongju’s shares without any effort. Everything he says gets executed flawlessly. It’s simply astonishing. And he does it all so effortlessly.”
“Son, it’s been decades since I’ve seen you this excited.”
“Indeed, I’ve been in business for decades, but I’ve never met anyone like Hyun. As a businessman, his acumen and deep thinking make you ponder a lot. If Hyun had been the head of a rival company decades ago, I would have been quite tense.”
Whenever Chairman Wang and Chairman Yoo talked about Gang Hyun, time seemed to fly. After all, Hyun was a child who constantly revealed new layers like an onion. Then it happened.
“A matchmaker?”
Chairman Wang widened his eyes and looked at Chairman Yoo.
He never imagined that so many matchmakers would contact the twenty-year-old Gang Hyun. Moreover, wasn’t Hyun someone Chairman Wang had his eye on?
In his heart, he wanted to gather all the matchmakers from Gangnam and Cheongdam-dong and scold them harshly right now.
“Chairman Yoo, this won’t do.”
“What do you mean?”
“What do you think about holding an engagement ceremony right away? I never imagined Hyun would be so harassed by matchmakers.”
Chairman Yoo smiled at his friend.
“Have you forgotten that Yooha is still a high school student?”
“Well, in the old days, they would have been married at that age. An engagement ceremony should be fine, right?”
Chairman Wang and Chairman Yoo engaged in a fervent conversation as if they were holding a debate.
Chairman Yoo didn’t mind Son Yooha, but her young age was a slight drawback. He honestly wanted to take more time and think leisurely about such marriage matters.
On the other hand, Chairman Wang was extremely anxious. Yooha still had a few years before becoming an adult. In the meantime, who knows what matchmakers or other women might try to approach Gang Hyun?
After all, as the saying goes, you can understand the depth of the sea but not the depth of a person’s heart.
“In-law, wouldn’t it be a shame to close our eyes after only seeing their wedding?”
“What are you implying?”
“I mean, we’re still healthy, so wouldn’t it be a shame to die without seeing our grandchildren’s weddings?”
At that moment, Chairman Wang made an enticing proposal that caught Chairman Yoo’s attention.
“Don’t you want to see your great-grandchildren?”
Buzz.
On Kang Hyun’s shoulder, the Guarneri Fiore burst into melody. He was momentarily enchanted by the beautiful tune, like a blooming flower bud, but soon put down the Fiore and picked up the sheet music.
He was in the final stages of creating his second album. Kang Hyun was busy composing the sheet music for the final track.
“Hyun, do you have a moment?”
At that moment, Director Im Hyera came to see Gang Hyun. She was holding something in her hand.
He had weighed the offers from England’s EMA and Germany’s Deutsche, but in the end, he had to choose EMA, who had handed him a blank contract.
As Kang Hyun skimmed through the newly drafted contract, he was astonished.
“Director, is it okay to have such good terms? And isn’t the initial quantity a bit too much?”
“It’s slightly better than what Deutsche offered. And the initial quantity isn’t too much, so don’t worry. Sometimes, you’re very bold for your age, but in cases like this, you seem a bit conservative.”
Perhaps it was Director Im Hyera who was bold. Kang Hyun couldn’t help but be surprised by the amount and terms in the contract. They were conditions that were not lacking compared to those of a virtuoso’s album.
On the other hand, Kang Hyun thought he had an excellent supporter.
“So why are you suddenly adding a final track?”
“I had originally planned to add it. It’s a piece I composed initially but needed some refinement.”
“Refinement?”
Im Hyera couldn’t understand. She had heard the violin solo piece that Kang Hyun intended to add last, and it was excellent enough not to need any refinement.
But Kang Hyun thought differently.
“At that time, I composed it without fully understanding my feelings. Only after I found my true self did I understand the sense of alienation I felt back then.”
Kang Hyun looked down at the sheet music he had just been revising. The notes on the staff, which seemed to melt his excited feelings, were incredibly lovely.
Who could know that this sheet music was composed for a single audience?
Shhh.
Anna from Russia clenched her hand at the melody coming from the CDP. She had listened to Kang Hyun’s second album right after its release.
The composition of the tracks was diverse, ranging from concertos to unaccompanied solos.
Especially, Kang Hyun’s solo pieces were enough to shake a person’s heart, reminiscent of Niccolò Paganini’s Caprices and Bach’s Chaconne.
The final track, in particular, seemed to remind someone of someone.
Anna was seized by an inexplicable regret. She even wished that this final track was meant for her.
But even so, the beauty of the music was unchanging and captivating, deserving to be called the melody of the devil.
“That arrogant kid has grown tremendously.”
Alexei, who was listening to the album with Anna, twitched his cheek.
As the head of the Moscow Conservatory, he had met many geniuses, but none left as strong an impression as Kang Hyun.
Listening to Kang Hyun’s beautiful melody, Alexei curled up the corners of his mouth.
Gulp—
Kang Hyun’s second album reverberated in the London Symphony’s concert hall. The continuous flow of conflicting melodies and musical ideas chasing each other fiercely made the members gulp hard.
The young maestro, who had shown a perfect conducting performance at the royal performance in the UK, was now performing like a virtuoso.
With the much-rumored second album finally revealed, even the cold-eyed concertmaster, as well as Spencer, the heart of the London Symphony, showed a satisfied smile.
“It’s truly amazing.”
A teacup with flower petals was lifted. The eternal maestro Gustav’s wrinkled face was filled with overwhelming joy. Each track in the album seemed to lead him to a solo concert hall.
The regret of not being able to visit a solo concert due to his weak health was somewhat alleviated.
“Jascha Heifetz.”
Gustav softly called the name of his old friend and rival violinist.
There was a common story among the European maestros who had visited Korea on his behalf.
They all said that Kang Hyun’s solo playing resembled that of Jascha Heifetz.
It was not a lie. Even though he couldn’t see the performance, the moving bow and the vibration of the strings that resonated in his ears were beyond imitation.
Especially with the final track, Gustav couldn’t hide his smile. It was a kind and warm smile, like that of a grandfather watching his beloved child. Who would have guessed that he would include such a masterpiece?
The subtle trembling of the strings and the movement of the bow were evident even without seeing.
This piece was composed for just one person, one audience.
“A new era has truly begun, Jascha.”
The eternal maestro Gustav quietly spoke toward the sky.
