“Hoo…”
Dmitri, the concertmaster of the London Symphony, was exhaling heavily.
It wasn’t just the concertmaster. The other members looked as if they had been beaten to a pulp, with dark circles under their eyes.
Even Michael, who was famous for being talkative, had his dry lips tightly shut, sweating profusely.
“Thank you for following along on this journey so far. I am overwhelmed by emotions beyond just being moved by your passion. I will strive harder as your conductor to fully bring out your skills in the main performance.”
At Maestro Karas’ words, the members sighed in relief.
It had been over a month of continuous practice. The members of the usually proud symphony could not keep their heads straight in the face of Karas’ rigorous training, as if they were new recruits in the army.
Indeed, Karas was as great as her reputation. The members spoke of Karas like this:
“She has musical sense that surpasses the strings and tenacity and concentration that surpass even Maestro Spencer.”
To put it nicely, that was the gist of it, but to exaggerate, she was a “practice maniac.”
Someone even joked that if Maestro Karas hadn’t decided to retire, the members of the Berlin Philharmonic would have been the ones to decide to retire first because of the grueling training.
But the effect was immense. Although the members of the prestigious London Symphony had worked with many greats, none had raised their skills in such a short time as Karas had.
“For the next week, you will have individual practice and rest. You have been running non-stop, so you need some time for review, even if it’s short.”
“Maestro, review?”
“Yes, if you don’t review properly after a week, we will have no choice but to repeat the lessons.”
The members’ Adam’s apples bobbed simultaneously. They couldn’t repeat this hellish training again.
For a month, they had been devoted to the symphony, excluding time for eating and sleeping.
During rehearsals, Karas’ charisma was incomparable, not allowing a single dropout.
Though Karas was smiling faintly, the members tensed up even more at that smile.
“Maestro, are you going to Korea yourself?”
“Yes, I plan to go.”
“It would be great if you could stay with the members for the remaining time. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the members struggling so much.”
Spencer seemed to secretly enjoy this hellish training.
Indeed, because of his unhealthy shoulder, he often couldn’t even rehearse properly.
Karas had been filling that void significantly, so he was very grateful.
A normal guest conductor could never have achieved this.
At that moment, Karas spoke with a childlike innocent expression.
“It’s my comeback stage after deciding to retire. I want to give the ticket to Hyun myself. If it weren’t for that kid, I would never have picked up the baton again.”
Spencer nodded briefly with a smile, different from usual. He understood her feelings.
On the other hand, he had another thought. What kind of blessing from the god of music did Hyun have to be so loved by the world’s greats?
“It’s a palace, a palace!”
Teacher Deoksoo looked around the chairman’s office and burst into hearty laughter. It was an obvious comment. After all, it was the place where the head of Jeil Group resided.
Chairman Wang had a personality completely opposite to his grandfather. The office was filled with sophisticated furniture that looked valuable at a glance.
Moreover, the spacious area was like moving an entire department into one place. As Teacher Deoksoo said, it was enough to be called a palace!
“If I had known my student was living so luxuriously, I would have come down from the mountain and stuck to him sooner. This office alone is bigger than my house in Jirisan.”
“Sir, excuse me, but what did the executive just say?”
“What?”
“He clearly referred to you as Chairman, didn’t he?”
Moreover, didn’t the executives politely guide Teacher Deoksoo to the chairman’s office?
Those in the main lobby of Jeil Group’s headquarters all gaped at the sight, so how could they not be surprised?
The executives who guided Teacher Deoksoo were all so powerful and high-ranking that they were called the elders of Jeil Group.
Even if CEO Son Ilseon had come, they wouldn’t have bowed ninety degrees like that.
“You said you’re Hyun, right? You have a habit of asking obvious things again sometimes. Usually, people who are very suspicious use that kind of rhetoric. Were you a prosecutor or lawyer in a past life? Or did you dream of becoming a legal professional in the future?”
I was unknowingly taken aback. But Teacher Deoksoo shook his head as if it was a boring joke and added.
“Literally, I’m the chairman of Jeil Group now.”
“What?”
“It was a project that had been ongoing for several years. My student came to me in Jirisan, where I was farming, and asked me to take over his shares. I suddenly became the wealthiest person in Jirisan. My student must have predicted that he would either die or be bedridden due to unavoidable circumstances.”
As expected of Chairman Wang!
“I roughly knew it too. The second son had been showing bad signs for a long time. I wanted to shave his head and send him to a temple I know as a young monk, but he insisted that he wouldn’t do that even though he was his father. Either way, he said he was his blood. Tsk tsk. Even though he knew he was destined to be backstabbed, he still…”
“What are your plans for the future, sir?”
“You’re asking the same thing again?”
Teacher Deoksoo said, touching the orchid.
“You said you were going tiger hunting, didn’t you? Do you know why my student came to me, an outdated teacher farming in Jirisan, instead of his childhood friend or eldest son? Because I am the descendant of the best tiger hunters in Joseon.”
“Sir, this is no time for jokes.”
“Hey, I’m serious. By now, the tiger cub must be bewildered by the trap I set. He’d love to see my face right now, but he won’t dare to come. He’s wearing the bold mask of a tiger, but inside, he’s a petty and cunning snake.”
At that moment, Teacher Deoksoo’s eyes gleamed. Like a master hunter going on a tiger hunt.
But soon, his eyes softened again, like a kind old grandfather.
“By the way, can we order jjajangmyeon here?”
“…?”
“Jirisan doesn’t deliver jjajangmyeon. I’ll have jjajang, and you can have jjampong.”
Teacher Deoksoo had already picked up the intercom.
A unique person.
That’s the word that can describe Teacher Deoksoo. Even if you search the world, such a peculiar person is rare.
Throughout my past and present life, I’ve met many people, but I could never fathom Teacher Deoksoo’s mind.
“The ribs are really delicious.”
“Eat a lot, sir.”
“Then I won’t hold back. Ma’am, can I have another bowl of rice?”
Not only had he already become familiar with my grandfather, but he was also using the Ichon-dong mansion as if it were his own home.
The housekeeper looked quite surprised to see the old man already on his third bowl of rice.
If she knew he was almost a hundred years old, she would be even more astonished.
“Sir, is it really okay to stay like this? By now, Son Gangwook must be fully prepared. Rumors are already circulating in the stock market about a new chairman in Jeil Group.”
“Stock traders have always been loose-lipped, past or present. And it’s not just them; Kim Namcheon, who is called the king of the media, must be moving too. That guy has always been curious about me.”
“Kim Namcheon?”
“Yeah, the reason I lived as Teacher Deoksoo for twenty years was all because of him. He was more obsessed with me than the military regime guys. Anyone would think I owed him money and ran away. In the end, he couldn’t find me and wasted his time.”
“Why did Kim Namcheon try to find you, sir?”
“He must have wanted to elevate his fame and power like Son Ga did. Those who already have always want more. But he couldn’t threaten the head of Jeil Group, so he thought the money-loving Baek Gorae was an easy target. But Baek Gorae didn’t know my whereabouts, so he must have just lost money.”
I finally understood why Kim Namcheon had a connection with Baek Gorae.
But I was also curious. Why did the usually meticulous and rational Kim Namcheon search so desperately for Teacher Deoksoo? Did this old man really have such tremendous power?
At that moment.
“Burp, that was delicious. This place sure knows how to make ribs. I’d love to have two more bowls, but overindulging at my age would cause trouble.”
“It seems you’ve already overindulged quite a bit.”
“Hey, overindulging? When I was younger, I could eat a whole cow in one sitting. By the way, Hyun, get ready to meet an esteemed person.”
“An esteemed person?”
“I’ve studied fate and fortune-telling quite a bit while living in seclusion in Jirisan for the past twenty years. Today, you’re destined to meet an esteemed person.”
What kind of nonsense is this?
My grandfather and I looked puzzled, and the housekeeper approached and spoke to me.
“Kang Hyun, you have a visitor.”
My grandfather and I immediately looked at Teacher Deoksoo. But he was nonchalantly licking the sauce off his fingers.
What on earth!
“So, Hyun is caught up in a massive succession battle?”
The suddenly arrived esteemed guest, Maestro Karas, quickly grasped the situation.
How did she understand the situation so well as a foreigner?
Teacher Deoksoo explained it directly in German. His German was so fluent that you could mistake him for a native.
My grandfather looked worriedly at Teacher Deoksoo.
“Sir, forgive me, but is it okay to explain everything to Maestro Karas on your first meeting?”
“You really are his childhood friend, worrying so much. Since she’s here to meet Hyun, it’s polite to explain this much. And I’m not meeting her for the first time.”
“What?”
At that moment, Karas’ eyes widened as if she remembered something.
“Could you be the Eastern audience who always attended my performances? I thought you looked familiar.”
“Haha, it’s an honor that Maestro remembers me. I have a great interest in culture and arts, so even when living anonymously, I always flew out to see your performances. I’m a huge fan of yours.”
“I remember someone who always came to my performances. It’s been decades since you last came to my Berlin performance in ‘75, but you still look so healthy. It’s amazing!”
To think that Teacher Deoksoo was a huge fan of Maestro Karas.
No wonder he looked so healthy even at nearly a hundred years old. It was not that he had a youthful appearance but an old visage!
“Maestro, you said you have to leave Korea in a week?”
“That’s right.”
“Then it seems best for you to rest at the Ichon-dong mansion for the next week and then leave with Hyun.”
What is he talking about? Is he suggesting that I board a plane to London without seeing how Jeil Group’s situation unfolds?
I was very curious about Maestro’s comeback stage, but that didn’t mean Jeil Group’s matters could be ignored.
At that moment.
“Ha! No matter how you look at it, Hyun, you would have been successful in business too. You are so fortunate in the arts that all the world’s musicians will envy you. I understand your worries, but you can forget about Jeil Group’s matters. A week is enough.”
“Sir, what do you mean?”
“If it were Son Ilseon who killed his father and tried to take over Jeil Group, it would have been a difficult fight. Son Ilseon is a remarkable figure that even I would have trouble handling. But luckily, it’s Son Gangwook. He’s wearing a tiger’s mask, but he’s a cunning and sly person. He will choose a completely different path from his straightforward yet reckless brother. In the end, he’ll end up taking poison himself. I’ve already expedited the process by holding an emergency general meeting.”
“Please explain more clearly!”
“Hey, sometimes you seem smart and yet act clueless. Let me explain simply. Son Gangwook thinks he’s in a position of ultimate power, but it’s just a trap. A very powerful trap that can take him down in one blow. But he doesn’t realize it and just sat down comfortably.”
He said he would explain simply, but it seemed even more complicated. At that moment.
“Want me to explain even more simply?”
Of course. Teacher Deoksoo glanced at me and added.
“The tiger will die within a week.”
