Would obsessive-compulsive disorder patients be like this? The fingertips are as sharp as the tip of a gladiator’s sword at a crossroads, allowing no room for a single mistake, and the pupils move ceaselessly.
The charisma of the young conductor was astounding. His precision in conducting was as if measured by a ruler, and his innate talent in sight and hearing kept the orchestra members on edge.
With a single shallow breath, dozens of orchestra members created a seamless melody.
Crozis Elva (Iron Blood).
The members called him the Iron-Blooded Maestro. His fingertips were firm as if he were a general going to war, and his eyes gleamed endlessly.
And what about his skill? There were even rumors that he was the reincarnation of the world-famous maestro Maxim Ivanov.
The orchestra members focused their gazes on the conductor’s fingertips as if standing in the middle of a battlefield, tense and alert.
With his unrestrained conducting, the members’ breaths were caught in their throats.
Crunch.
At that moment, the conductor’s left hand cut through the air and clenched into a fist.
“We’ll stop here for today.”
With fluent Russian, the conductor turned and walked away. Only then did the members let out a sigh of relief.
If it had been like usual, he would have meticulously pointed out the mistakes and repeated the practice several times.
His precision was so exact that even the members who initially did not acknowledge the young conductor were immediately silenced; there was no doubt about his skill.
Hoo—
Baek Junghoon wiped his face with his long fingers. Along with the sweat, the tension fell away.
In his mind, he replayed the rehearsal dozens of times like a Go player reviewing their game.
The mistakes in the beginning of the first movement and the scherzo of the third movement kept bothering him.
He always pursued perfection, but it seemed there was always an invisible stumbling block.
There’s a saying that conducting can never be perfect. However, when he recalled this saying, a person came to mind harshly.
“Hyun.”
The young maestro who had conducted directly for the British royal family years ago. Until he learned conducting, he couldn’t realize how extraordinary Hyun was.
But as he learned conducting, he finally understood why so many maestros around the world were enthusiastic about Hyun.
Even though he had been on stage dozens or hundreds of times as a guest conductor, Baek Junghoon thought he still hadn’t caught up to the past Kang Hyun. That’s how remarkable the conducting for the British royal family was.
Baek Junghoon took out the score once again. The thick sweat and the calluses that blossomed like flowers on his palms testified to his effort. Hadn’t he stayed late into the night fighting with the score even after rehearsals?
Baek Junghoon was facing not only himself but an invisible opponent.
Like a child seemingly endlessly loved by the god of music. Therefore, he must have brought both joy and despair to numerous conductors.
Baek Junghoon grasped the baton tightly with his long fingers, as if groaning.
“Hyun, what do you think about this case?”
The eyes of the old professor looking this way were always sharp. They seemed infinitely keen, like an eagle eyeing its prey.
It was a famous case that spanned both commercial law and civil procedure law. Among aspiring judicial exam takers, it was an issue that was impossible not to know.
It was the famous question that appeared in the 1997 second-stage judicial exam and brought despair to many examinees.
“You can speak based on common sense. I’m not asking for a legal interpretation from someone who isn’t even a law student. Just speak comfortably without any burden.”
At some point, the law elective had become a debate stage between the old professor and me. The students looked back and forth between us with fascinated faces.
In the end, I raised the white flag. As my common-sense interpretation of the case flowed, the professor’s eyes filled with satisfaction and excitement.
It was probably because it was a question difficult to answer even for most fourth-year law students.
As the class was nearing its end, the professor habitually held me back.
“Hyun, you still don’t want to change your major? Your ability to interpret legal principles and understand arguments is too good to be wasted as a hobby. I’ve never seen a student who understands the study of law as well as you do.”
“Professor, I want to do music.”
“Ugh.”
At the mention of music, the professor closed his mouth. No wonder, my abilities as a violinist and conductor were already widely known in Korea.
Even so, the professor’s gaze was as regretful as looking at a separated lover. But would I go back to law, like in my past life?
“Oh, Hyun. You’ve definitely secured an A+ in this law class. I heard the professor rarely gives out anything above a B+, but you’ve overturned history. As expected of the top student.”
As I walked briskly, Kim Daewoo approached with a friendly smile.
As the department representative, he seemed to be getting bigger than when I first saw him, probably from being called here and there.
“Hyun, how about a drink with our classmates tonight?”
“No, I have another appointment.”
“Again? Hey, you’re like a celebrity among the classmates. It’s so hard to see your face. You haven’t been coming to class properly these days, but you always do well on exams. I’m going to get shot at this rate.”
I found myself busier than in my past life. Because of a single word from President Barbara, not only major corporations but even officials from the Blue House often came to see me.
Fortunately, the role had now been taken over by Manager Kim Sangguk. His complaints about needing more staff echoed like a refrain in my ears. It seemed the scale was growing beyond what I had expected.
At that moment.
‘He looks familiar.’
A foreigner was standing in front of the college building. His cold eyes and raised eyebrows reminded me of the scenery of Vladivostok at first glance. His frowning face looked remarkably like Alexei, the dean of the Moscow Conservatory.
The moment our eyes met.
Huh?
The middle-aged man with cold eyes walked towards me. His imposing figure was so overwhelming that even Kim Daewoo standing next to me swallowed nervously.
“Violinist Hyun?”
“Yes.”
“I am Maxim Ivanov.”
Kim Daewoo’s eyes widened at the fluent Russian. I was even more surprised by the name Maxim Ivanov.
Wasn’t he the world-renowned maestro? He was once compared to the Empress Karas of Austria, so great was his reputation.
However, in my past life, he had secluded himself in Russia, causing many classical music enthusiasts to yearn for him.
“A world-renowned conductor?”
The teacup with floating petals shook.
“Adam, it’s too mean to ask me that question. I’m too old to make that judgment.”
“If not the maestro, who else can judge?”
“Judging music is not my job but the audience’s. However, as you said, if I had to pick world-renowned conductors, I could confidently name a few.”
The eternal maestro Gustav lifted the teacup with his age-spotted hand. The wrinkles around his eyes recalled the past.
Indeed, Gustav’s life was nothing short of a textbook for modern classical music.
“Empress Karas of Austria, Maxim Ivanov of Russia, Christopher of Norway, and Wang Wei of China.”
“They are all maestros who are no longer active.”
“How can I evaluate active conductors? These individuals, however, were the best among those I met.”
It was high praise. After all, it was a compliment from the eternal maestro himself.
“The virtues of a conductor are persistence and patience. Many musicians wrestle with their instruments, but a conductor must harmonize with many members. Moreover, they must understand the characteristics of numerous instruments and even the small habits of each individual. It’s not an easy task to encompass all of that. Sometimes, it even requires letting go of oneself.”
“Letting go?”
“In the past, while walking the path of a conductor, I once sought out Professor Auer. Although I had already been turned away by him once, I didn’t mind. Where is the royal road in learning? Just like the day I was outperformed by Jascha, I sought out Professor Auer, drenched in rain. Only then did he accept me, saying, ‘You’ve finally let go of everything.’”
It was quite well-known that the eternal maestro Gustav had been taught by Leopold Auer alongside Jascha Heifetz in his youth. However, I had no idea there was such a hidden story.
Adam’s eyes sparkled as he continued with the next question.
“Maestro, is there a new conductor you are keeping an eye on?”
“Of course, young conductors these days grow remarkably fast. Compared to the past, I think they are on a different level. If Professor Auer saw those two, he would have applauded.”
The eternal maestro Gustav continued with a faint smile.
“Those two are intertwined by fate. One is a genius, and the other is a genius who watches him.”
“Two conductors?”
Back at home, I recalled Maxim Ivanov’s words. He had proposed that I conduct together with Baek Junghoon.
Two conductors on stage with one symphony, the idea itself was bewildering. I never dreamed that the world-renowned maestro Maxim Ivanov would come to Korea personally for his disciple.
“Baek Junghoon.”
The more I heard Maxim Ivanov’s words, the more unbelievable it seemed. He said Baek Junghoon appeared to be blocked by an invisible wall. Moreover, that wall was none other than me, which naturally concerned me.
In my past life, Baek Junghoon was the Iron-Blooded Maestro himself. Just being on stage with him brought tension, and his charisma overwhelmed not only the audience but the concert hall itself.
For such a person to feel a wall because of me.
“Hyun, are you busy?”
At that moment, Director Im Hyera entered my studio. Judging by the documents in her hands, it seemed there was an issue with work.
“Gramophone contacted us.”
“Gramophone?”
“Yes, they want you to attend the music award ceremony where they present the Album of the Year award. They were so insistent, sending letters and even calling.”
Since releasing my album, I had received invitations to numerous prestigious classical music events. But each time, I used my schedule as an excuse and never attended.
Of course, standing on stage and performing was one thing, but spending a whole day sitting and smiling at people wasn’t exactly appealing.
Moreover, wasn’t there something more important?
“I’ll think about it.”
“Alright, please consider attending this time. EMA’s representative Austin also said he hopes you can attend the Gramophone music event. It seems your reputation is well recognized among European musicians.”
Director Im Hyera wasn’t lying. As a musician and composer, I was receiving love calls from renowned European musicians. Some even came from Europe to seek my music.
But I didn’t give them my music every time. After all, each piece was like my own child.
Rumble.
After Director Im Hyera left, raindrops began to fall outside the window. As the night deepened, the raindrops grew heavier, enriching my musical ideas endlessly. As the notes on the staff paper were drawn like a painting, there was a knock on the studio door.
Knock, knock.
At this hour, the security guard was the only one still at work. Wondering what it could be, I got up and opened the door.
“Hyung?”
There stood Baek Junghoon, drenched from the rain, with a somehow teary look in his eyes.
