“Davno ne vizhilsya (Long time no see).”
The two people looked and felt almost like they were mirror images of each other.
Their cold eyes glimmered under their raised eyebrows, and the chill that flowed from their sharp noses was reminiscent of a Soviet-era portrait.
If someone who didn’t know them saw them, they might believe it was a meeting of mafia bosses.
“You met Hyun?”
The Moscow Conservatory’s director, Aleksei, asked stiffly, and Maxim Ivanov gave a short nod.
A mysterious curiosity appeared in Aleksei’s eyes. How would Maxim Ivanov, known for his rigorous and cold approach to music, evaluate the audacious young boy?
“The fact that you, who rarely move, flew all the way to Korea makes me realize how much the world has changed. Maxim, what did you think of Hyun?”
“It was irritating.”
“Irritating?”
Maxim answered without a moment’s hesitation, and Aleksei showed a puzzled expression at the unexpected response.
“Because I didn’t expect the person my only student admired to be so perfect.”
“It’s unusual to hear the word ‘perfect’ from you.”
“I heard his music through the video and album of the royal performance. I wanted to see his conducting and performance in person. Hyun was very welcoming to me, a foreigner, and readily showed me his studio.”
Maxim’s cold eyes seemed to reminisce about the past. It was his first meeting with Kang Hyun.
Kang Hyun appeared young, but his deep, unreadable eyes and aura exceeded Maxim’s expectations.
His fluent Russian and smooth conversation skills eventually made the usually reticent Maxim speak.
Moreover, how was his conducting and performance?
“I couldn’t hide my admiration. It felt like there was a grand orchestra inside his mind. When I saw his conducting, which shone brightly like the blazing sun, numerous melodies and musical ideas flashed before my eyes like lightning. Especially, the scores piled up like mountains were like pearls in shells, so what more can I say?”
Maxim’s eyes showed a rising excitement. But his voice, mixed with various emotions, flowed out like falling leaves, probably because of his student Baek Junghoon.
“Tchaikovsky admired the classical musician Mozart, and we grew up admiring such Tchaikovsky. If there is Rachmaninoff for pianists to overcome, then there is Niccolò Paganini for violinists. As long as we admire and envy these already deceased musicians, there is no problem. We may feel jealousy and envy towards these legends, but we don’t feel despair.”
Aleksei nodded in agreement. It was a relatable story. Even though they felt inferior to those who were already legends, they didn’t feel despair or collapse.
At that moment, Maxim, thinking of Baek Junghoon who went to Korea, said,
“But the important thing is that Hyun is just a nineteen-year-old boy.”
“Seoul Arts Center?”
There was no special reason why Baek Junghoon and I came to the Seoul Arts Center early in the morning.
Baek Junghoon seemed to be struggling with a severe slump. Looking at his dark circles, it seemed like he hadn’t been sleeping well, almost like those long-term students who keep failing the bar exam in Sillim-dong.
“I need to check your condition properly, hyung.”
Baek Junghoon was working as a guest conductor in Russia.
A guest conductor, as the name suggests, means a guest. It’s not easy to establish a rapport with the sensitive and emotional musicians of an orchestra in just a few meetings.
Especially, Russian symphony orchestras are known for their strong clannishness, not less than European ones, and Baek Junghoon had endured in such places for years.
His current lethargic appearance didn’t suit him at all.
“Kang Hyun-ssi!”
Just in time, the director of the Seoul Arts Center greeted me with a welcoming face. He had become an ardent fan of mine at some point. Thanks to him, it was easy to observe the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra’s rehearsal.
The director looked at Baek Junghoon with a curious gaze, for a simple reason. Baek Junghoon was tall and had distinct features. He looked like a model with his gaunt cheeks and long hair.
If someone remembered Baek Junghoon’s past appearance, they might be confused.
When the principal oboist played a long ‘A’ note, the members tuned their instruments in unison. Baek Junghoon and I took seats in the empty audience.
Soon, an elderly conductor came on stage.
How much time had passed? The rehearsal was excellent, living up to the reputation of being Korea’s top orchestra. At that moment,
“Hyung, do you think something was wrong?”
“Huh?”
“In the symphony that was just played.”
Baek Junghoon showed an unexpected awkward expression. It was understandable since it was not easy to identify mistakes from the audience, far from the stage, especially with unfamiliar members.
“In the beginning of the second movement, the cellist’s note was shaky, and in the third movement, the horn player didn’t perform the hand-stopping properly. They should have completely blocked the valve to produce a sharp metallic sound, but they didn’t. In the final movement, the conductor’s tempo was off. The conductor, who should act as a metronome, played in his own style instead of following the score’s tempo. It must be an old habit.”
Baek Junghoon looked at me with astonished eyes.
How did I know? I couldn’t tell you. At some point, as if seeing the answers to a problem, the out-of-tune notes never escaped my ears and eyes.
By the way, Baek Junghoon’s current state was far from the ‘Iron-blooded Maestro’ I knew.
“Let’s go up on the stage, hyung.”
“On the stage?”
“I told you, I need to check your condition.”
When I stood up from the audience, the elderly conductor and the members of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra greeted me with welcoming faces.
We had met several times while I was in Korea. I especially got along well with the principal conductor.
“Hyun, how long have you been sitting in the audience?”
“Not long. The symphony just now was amazing. I’m here because of what I mentioned yesterday. Is it okay?”
“Of course, it’s okay. How could I refuse a favor from someone who has helped our orchestra so much?”
It was almost like bartering. I had pointed out and fixed some issues in the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Now it was my turn to receive help.
I looked at Baek Junghoon walking behind me. It was time to see what kind of conducting the Iron-blooded Maestro would show.
“How is Hyun these days?”
Im Hyera opened her eyes curiously at Son Ilsun’s question.
“Hyun?”
“Yes, I heard he’s just going to school these days.”
“He’s likely to have another concert soon. Interestingly, he got a proposal for a collaboration. Journalists, who always catch wind of things quickly, are already reaching out to him. It’s surprising to hear you talk about Hyun, though.”
Son Ilsun usually showed little interest in Kang Hyun’s affairs.
However, Im Hyera had noticed that Son Ilsun’s interest in Kang Hyun had significantly increased since Barbara Tannenbaum had visited.
“By the way, those matchmakers keep approaching Hyun, so I had to give them a stern warning.”
“A stern warning?”
“Yes, so many people want to match Hyun with the descendants of large corporations, starting with Dongshin Group. If this continues, it’ll be a problem. So, I gave a warning in front of the ladies who gather. I told them if any matchmaker contacts Hyun about marriage again, Im Hyera of Jeil Group won’t sit still. They’ll probably be quiet as mice now.”
Son Ilsun showed a faint smile. Im Hyera had easily handled one of the biggest nuisances, the matchmakers.
Im Hyera was the only one among the wives of major conglomerate heads who was still actively working.
Even many executives would shy away in front of her.
“What does Yooha think about college?”
“Like we talked about before, I think it’s right for her to go to college in the U.S. and then start working at Jeil Trading in Korea. But why do you ask?”
“I think it wouldn’t be bad for her to go to college in Korea.”
Im Hyera’s eyes showed a peculiar expression. Her husband, Son Ilsun, who raised their children harshly like a lion throwing its cub off a cliff, was saying this. Then, Son Ilsun continued.
“Also, it wouldn’t be bad to hold an engagement ceremony with Hyun. Father wishes for it too.”
It seemed he had also begun to show affection for his son-in-law.
Achoo!
Was it a cold? Baek Junghoon looked at me with worried eyes. He should be worrying about himself, not me.
However, Baek Junghoon’s appearance on stage with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra was truly impressive.
“Hyung, you quickly got in sync with the members. Honestly, I was very surprised. I didn’t expect you to grasp the characteristics of the members so quickly.”
“When you work as a guest conductor in Russia and go through several orchestras, you naturally get used to identifying the members’ characteristics. Some Russian members, who dislike Asians, even intentionally play differently during rehearsals and performances. After experiencing that a few times, you naturally adapt.”
It was almost like a scene from a spy movie. Like a spy agent entering an unknown restaurant and instantly calculating the number of people and the quickest escape route, Baek Junghoon identified the members’ states and characteristics as soon as he stepped on the stage.
“But it seemed like you were blocked by an invisible wall. Even though you conducted perfectly, did you feel somewhat frustrated?”
“How did you know?”
“Your conducting was saying so. It felt like you were aiming for perfection but also mimicking someone.”
There was a noticeable difference from the Iron-blooded Maestro I remembered from my past life.
The Iron-blooded Maestro I admired showed an overwhelming charisma, aiming for perfect conducting, but now seemed to be imitating someone.
Now I understood why Maxim Ivanov had come to see me.
“Hyung, you have your own style. There’s no need to imitate other famous conductors. For example, the principal conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra changes the tempo according to his habit in specific parts. It’s unimaginable for an ordinary orchestra, but he does it because that’s his style.”
Baek Junghoon still seemed to not fully understand. It appeared he hadn’t yet discovered his own style.
I felt like showing him how the Iron-blooded Maestro I admired conducted.
At that time, Baek Junghoon was older and had much richer melodies and sometimes extremely sharp, like a seasoned veteran.
“What piece do you want to conduct together, hyung?”
“I thought it would be nice to conduct a symphony you composed.”
“A piece composed by me?”
Suddenly, the idea of composing a symphony for Baek Junghoon came to mind. If I could create a piece that matched the Iron-blooded Maestro, it might help him find his style. First, I should help him with his posture.
“Hyung, how about I substitute the orchestra with the piano, and you try conducting?”
“Here?”
“Why not? It’s just the two of us.”
Thanks to the chairman’s favor, we could temporarily use the concert hall at the Seoul Arts Center.
The concert hall, with over 2,000 seats, was empty, and only Baek Junghoon and I stood on the stage with a piano.
In the end, Baek Junghoon, after a moment of hesitation, nodded with a determined expression.
It felt strange to be guiding the Iron-blooded Maestro I admired in a past life, but both Baek Junghoon and I were smiling as I placed my hands on the piano keys.
