“Eden, it’s been 10 years since you last saw her, right?”
“Yes, Maestro.”
The teacup with floating flower petals shook slightly. A deep nostalgia was evident in the eyes of the eternal maestro, Gustav.
There are countless maestros who led the 20th century, but if you had to pick the most representative ones, it would undoubtedly be Gustav and Karas.
It was hard to determine the superiority between the two, but critics unanimously agreed:
“No one ever thought the Empress, who never showed her face to the world, would open her heart like this.”
If it weren’t for that incident, the Empress Karas would have been undoubtedly considered the best.
Not only audiences but many musicians still remember and await her.
Even Gustav himself once said that the pinnacle of the 20th century wasn’t himself but the Empress Karas, indicating how significant she was.
“I was also very surprised. I never dreamed that the Empress would go to Asia. I heard she invited Hyun to her mansion.”
“That’s truly surprising.”
A gasp escaped from Gustav’s mouth. Since his last conduct at Carnegie Hall in 1983, the Empress Karas seemed to have built a wall around herself. The last time he actually met her was 10 years ago, only having conversations over the phone since then.
“It seems Karas has developed an interest in Hyun.”
Indeed, Karas had suddenly contacted Gustav to ask about Kang Hyun. The rose that had been wilting away had contacted him with such a bright voice, something he never expected.
“It’s not surprising that the Empress would be astonished when she first meets Hyun. I still can’t forget my first encounter with him.”
He was the one who solved all the riddles in Brussels. He didn’t vaguely guess one or two but found all the mistakes in the score.
He will probably be remembered as the first and last contestant to solve the decades-long unsolved problem.
“Eden, the moment I saw Hyun, I thought he resembled Karas. Not because he played the violin from a young age, but because his boundless musical talent reminded me so much of Karas. I felt immense frustration when I first saw the fifteen-year-old Karas when I was thirty.”
It was quite a famous story in the classical music world that young Karas had sought out Gustav for guidance.
However, the mentorship didn’t last long. There were rumors that Gustav was jealous of her talent, but the reality was quite different.
“She had already mastered all my conducting skills within less than a year. She was a genius in a different sense than Jascha Heifetz. But when I see Hyun, I think of Jascha when he plays the violin and Karas when he conducts. Honestly, I feel like flying to Austria right now.”
It was nothing short of high praise. To an outsider, it might seem like an exaggeration.
But Eden Simeon couldn’t deny it. Kang Hyun was indeed an astounding presence.
The two of them were filled with curiosity about what kind of cantata would resonate in Austria.
Gulp―!
A loud swallowing sound echoed from the throat. It was only natural, as room ‘0703’ mentioned by the Maestro appeared right in front of his eyes.
The door seemed to exude a somewhat eerie aura.
Should I open it?
Human curiosity is all the same. It wasn’t out of contrariness, but he felt an unexplained urge to touch the doorknob.
Unlike other doors which had no room numbers, this door uniquely had ‘0703’ written on it.
The heartbeat sounded like a scene from a thriller movie.
As his long fingers slowly reached for the doorknob…
“You must not open that door.”
Suddenly, a hand was placed firmly on his shoulder. It was Maya, the Maestro’s secretary, who had appeared out of nowhere.
“I’m sorry, I did it unconsciously.”
“It’s okay. The Maestro is waiting in the dining room, so please follow me. I’ll guide you this time so you don’t get lost.”
Though he wanted to ask about the existence of room ‘0703’, Maya didn’t seem inclined to explain. After all, she was leading the way with her mouth tightly shut, occasionally glancing back at him to make sure he didn’t turn back towards the door.
Sizzle.
The table was set with a feast that was enviable. White rice, various Korean side dishes, and kimchi stew filled with pork completed the spread.
Son Yooha looked at him triumphantly.
As he took a seat and had his first bite, it was evident that her cooking skills were exceptional.
“Yooha, did you learn cooking while studying abroad?”
“I’ve been learning to cook since I was young. It’s my hobby!”
Who would have thought the Ice Queen had such a side to her?
Given her appearance and social status, one would think she had never touched a pot in her life.
In contrast, Im Hyera’s cooking skills were something he didn’t even want to remember. Once, she made ramen that was undercooked with broth like the Han River.
“Hyun is very lucky.”
“Pardon?”
“To have a future spouse with such excellent cooking skills. Yooha’s cooking impressed our chef so much that he wanted to take her as his apprentice.”
With the Maestro’s compliment, Son Yooha’s shoulders rose with pride.
The food was truly marvelous. If he hadn’t known Son Yooha was the cook, he would have believed it was made by a grandmother who had been making Korean food for years.
The Maestro seemed to enjoy Korean food as well, eating quite a bit.
Having come after a long flight, he was starving, but he didn’t expect the food to be this good. The kimchi stew was gone in an instant.
“I’ll serve the tea.”
The Maestro himself got up and tilted the teapot. The pinkish tea poured into the cup.
As they all raised their teacups to sip…
“Maestro, if it’s not too rude, may I ask you something?”
“Of course. Feel free to ask if you’re curious about anything.”
“When I first arrived at the mansion, you told me never to open the door to room 0703. I’m curious to know why.”
At that moment, the Maestro’s eyes closed gently.
As if contemplating for a long time, his eyes opened as the tea in the cup cooled. What he said next was unexpected.
“It’s because someone lives there.”
Chief Kim Sang-guk swallowed hard as he recalled the words of the executive.
Calvin Pharmaceutical, which developed a new cancer-fighting virus drug and made waves not only in Austria but around the world, was on the verge of disintegration.
“Management rights issues are everywhere.”
Calvin Pharmaceutical’s CEO had died, and his two sons were in a fierce battle for control.
The executives were eager to meet Kang Hyun because of this. The person who could sway the future of Calvin Pharmaceutical was essentially Kang Hyun, given his shares.
“Could Hyun have foreseen all this?”
Chief Kim Sang-guk shook his head. Even the most astute investor couldn’t predict this level of detail.
However, a sense of suspicion was budding in his heart.
This was because Kang Hyun had consistently succeeded in investments that seemed impossible, almost as if he could foresee the future.
This time was no different.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was sitting on a pile of money.
The two factions vying for control of Calvin Pharmaceutical would likely pay any price to buy Kang Hyun’s shares.
In situations like this, he needed to think calmly. The goal of an investment company is to calculate gains and benefits.
“What would Hyun do?”
As the head of the strategic planning department, Chief Kim Sang-guk had seen many talents.
But Kang Hyun was beyond comprehension. A typical investor would use the two factions to endlessly increase their worth.
However, given what he knew of Kang Hyun, it didn’t seem he would use such a method.
‘Is he going to become the youngest billionaire?’
It wasn’t an impossible notion. Even excluding Dongju, VH Company, which led the chemical industry in Korea, was growing at a tremendous rate.
Its profitability was so outstanding that there were rumors VH Company was founded by hidden masters who had come together.
Despite this, the man himself seemed to have no desire for wealth or fame, which was problematic. At times, he seemed almost detached from worldly matters. But the more he did so, the more money and fame came to him like a black hole. Almost like fate.
“The executives from the pharmaceutical company said that?”
“Yes, they seemed quite urgent. They seemed to want us to support the elder brother among the siblings. Apparently, the younger brother wasn’t interested in pharmaceutical development from the start.”
To think he’d hear such a story from Chief Kim Sang-guk.
There was a reason why the executives of Calvin Pharmaceutical were acting as if their house was on fire.
Indeed, disputes over management rights happen everywhere, regardless of the country.
“By the way, Hyun, why is this place so big? At first, I thought it was a palace.”
Since it was once the home of a grand noble in Austria, calling it a palace wasn’t wrong.
A room for Chief Kim Sang-guk was already prepared by the Maestro. Indeed, counting the empty rooms would require more fingers and toes than one had.
“By the way, Hyun, you introduced me as your manager?”
“It would be awkward to call you a subordinate. I’m here to study music, after all.”
“Ahem, that’s true. But what do you plan to do about Calvin Pharmaceutical? They seem desperate to meet you. The younger brother’s side will probably contact you soon too.”
It was an unexpected dilemma.
Any other investment firm would have seen this as a golden opportunity to raise their value and would have welcomed it with applause, but not him. Quite the opposite.
He was already concerned about resolving the management dispute at Dongju, and he couldn’t meddle in another company’s affairs.
Moreover, pharmaceuticals were a field he hadn’t even considered in his past life.
“Tell Calvin Pharmaceutical that until I express my willingness to meet, they shouldn’t contact me. If you speak firmly, they’ll be too scared to do anything.”
Chief Kim Sang-guk nodded as if he had expected this.
Indeed, what was urgent for him now was learning music from Maestro Karas.
After Chief Kim Sang-guk returned to his room, he found himself lost in thought for a while.
Knock, knock.
Someone was knocking. Though he said to come in, there was no response.
He got up and opened the door, but there was no one there.
At that moment, the thought of room ‘0703’ mentioned by the Maestro crossed his mind. Normally, he wouldn’t have given it a second thought, but today was different. He started walking even before his thoughts were complete.
How far did he walk?
“Found it.”
Maybe because he had been there once before, he easily reached the door marked ‘0703’.
Seeing the door, he unconsciously swallowed.
Hadn’t the Maestro mentioned meaningfully that someone lived beyond this door?
But he didn’t say who it was.
Normally, he wouldn’t have paid any attention. He would have shaken his head and turned back to his room.
Click.
The doorknob turned from the other side of room ‘0703’.
