Tak―!
The sound of placing the Go stone is loud.
“Master, won’t you return to Jirisan again?”
“You rascal. I can only rest easy after seeing you completely take over the Jeil Group. If I were to collapse again while staying here, would you make me come down the mountain again?”
“Hahaha. No, it’s not like that. I prefer being with you, Master, so we can play Go together like this.”
The black stone’s aggressive move in the upper left corner deepens the white stone’s dilemma.
The Go board is already filled with tension.
White tries again to find a breakthrough in the upper right corner, but Black doesn’t let a single stone live easily. It’s as if Black is reading all of White’s moves.
“How did your Go skills improve so much? In the past, even with a three-stone handicap, I could easily win.”
“If you play with a Go master every time, your skills are bound to improve.”
“Go master?”
“I’m talking about Hyun. That kid plays Go so well that no matter how hard I try, I’ve never beaten him. If he had become a professional player, he would have been a top-tier player due to his exceptional reading skills.”
With wrinkled fingers, Master Deoksu picked up a Go stone, his eyes sparkling as he scanned the board.
He placed the stone with such intensity as if splitting the board in two. It was a decisive move.
White eventually made a decisive move but was blocked by Black. Master Deoksu, who was once called the “Go Master of Jirisan,” shook his head. No matter how hard he tried, it was difficult to stop Black’s momentum.
“Sigh, neither Hyun nor you give any concessions in Go. By the way, when are you planning to proceed?”
“Master, what do you mean?”
“I heard that Hyun and your granddaughter are somewhat involved with each other?”
Chairman Wang chuckled. Master Deoksu always seemed to know everything.
He was known to see a thousand li (a traditional Korean unit of distance) even while sitting. It was then.
“If you don’t hurry up and hold the ceremony, someone else might snatch Hyun away. Especially that snake-like Kim Namcheon, who is surely eyeing Hyun. He’s even greedier than you are.”
“Kim Namcheon?”
“Yes, so how about holding the ceremony as soon as possible? At this rate, I might only get to taste a bowl of noodles on your ancestor’s memorial table after entering my coffin.”
“You say that, but you’re in better health than I am.”
He indeed looked as if he had eaten several wild ginseng roots from Jirisan. But anyway…
‘Kim Namcheon…’
Chairman Wang licked his dry lips, recalling Kim Namcheon’s snake-like gaze.
A very greedy man. He had even played the role of a collaborator during the Japanese occupation, so he must have done even more despicable things.
But would Kang Hyun really fall for Kim Namcheon’s tricks?
‘Not a chance.’
Chairman Wang slowly shook his head. In his view, Kang Hyun was even more shrewd than Kim Namcheon.
‘Wow?’
It was like a banquet hall. The long dining table was laden with all sorts of delicacies.
Anyone who saw it would think it was a feast, given the variety of the food.
The enticing aroma was also outstanding. It made one question who said British food was trash.
“Once a month, we have a lavish dinner like this. We call it the Golden Dinner.”
Tommy pointed to the fried fish and chips.
Meanwhile, the students’ gazes felt piercing. Especially the red-haired girl sitting across from me, staring intently at me.
Was she trying to make me choke on my food?
“Soon, the president will call your name, Hyun.”
It was just before the dinner started. After the feast was fully set on the long table, President Samuel, seated at the top, took a small teaspoon and tapped his wine glass. The clear sound quickly reached the arched ceiling and resonated.
“Good evening, everyone. I am President Samuel. Today is a historic day as we welcome our first exchange student in the history of our Royal Music School. It’s a significant occasion, so we’ve prepared more food than usual. Before we start our meal, let’s hear from our first exchange student in our school’s history.”
Samuel smiled and looked at me. Instantly, the murmuring surroundings fell silent. He even gestured for me to come up to the platform.
Step.
Amidst the focused attention of everyone, I walked up to the platform. Hundreds of eyes followed me.
Even the professors sitting at the long table on the platform looked at me with interest.
Samuel positioned me at the very center as if he had been waiting. Thanks to that, I was now receiving the focused attention of hundreds of people.
‘Well, this is something.’
Nervous?
Not at all. I had given lectures at the Moscow Conservatory before. I had conducted and played the violin in front of thousands of people.
Considering my past experiences, standing in front of an audience was something I couldn’t even count anymore.
“I’m Kang Hyun.”
I started with a brief greeting.
“I’m truly honored to be the first exchange student in the history of the Royal Music School. I assume that not only the students but also the professors are curious about me. Rather than introducing my career, I would like to take a short time to answer your questions.”
Surely, they knew more about my career than I did.
I wasn’t trying to be arrogant. I just thought it would be more effective to scratch their itch rather than giving a typical self-introduction.
“If you have any questions about me, please raise your hand. I will answer even the smallest details.”
What?
As soon as I finished speaking, there was a murmur. Yet no one raised their hand.
Nonetheless, I observed the situation calmly. The first person to break the ice is always the hardest. The question was who would pull the trigger first.
How much time passed? The red-haired girl who had been staring at me from across the table cautiously raised her hand.
It was then.
Swish!
As if fans were unfolding, students started raising their hands one after another.
“It’s been a while.”
The Stradivarius “Fantasia,” which held the dawn, was shining more brightly than ever. I hadn’t played it for a long time while learning conducting, hadn’t I?
Fantasia seemed just as pleased with my touch, with its silver strings gleaming.
Carefully lifting Fantasia onto my shoulder, I raised the bow.
Ziiing.
In the dawn, a clear sound resonated.
I wanted to play right there, but I couldn’t wake the students sleeping in the dormitory, so I smacked my lips and placed the bow’s tip on the ground.
Knock, knock.
Just then, I heard a knock as if on cue.
“Tommy?”
“I knew you’d be awake by now, Hyun! I knocked as soon as I heard the violin melody. Is that violin a Stradivarius?”
“Yes.”
“Wow―!”
Tommy’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Fantasia. His eyes were so wide open that I worried the freckles under them might fall off. Anyway.
“What brings you here so early in the morning?”
“What do you mean? I told you I’d be showing you around the school, didn’t I?”
“You’re giving a school tour this early in the morning?”
“Hyun, there’s a saying that the light of the Royal Music School never goes out. The students practice day and night without regard for time. Of course, playing instruments in the dormitory is prohibited. Even now, many students are in the practice rooms. Many professors have already arrived.”
Just as Tommy said, the students of the Royal Music School were as diligent as farmers at dawn.
As we left the dormitory building and entered the main building, sounds of instruments came from all directions, just as Tommy had said.
“Did you know you became a superstar among the students yesterday, Hyun?”
“What do you mean by becoming a superstar?”
“I’ve never seen a student get bombarded with questions like that. Eventually, even the professors raised their hands to ask you musical questions. And you kindly taught them as if they were students. It gave me chills. I’ve never seen professors listen so attentively to a student!”
Tommy exaggeratedly grabbed my hand and pulled me along.
It felt like he was trying to interlock fingers, which made me think again that I needed to maintain some distance from him. Foreign countries are more open about such things compared to Korea.
“Where is this?”
“This is a place where you can practice instruments. I’ve already prepared my cello! Actually, I’ve been a fan of yours for a long time, Hyun. That’s why I came early in the morning, hoping you’d listen to my performance at least once. I figured many students would want to play their instruments for you starting this afternoon.”
“I’m not a cello major. Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Of course!”
Tommy threw open the door to the practice room.
Huh?
Someone was already there?
“Professor Albert?”
He looked quite sharp, almost like a young Spencer. I remembered seeing him sitting next to Prince Samuel at the banquet yesterday.
But lively Tommy fell silent as soon as he saw the professor’s face.
“I was curious whose cello was out in the practice room so early, but I didn’t expect it to be yours, Tommy. I never thought you’d come to the practice room early in the morning. Usually, you move around late in the afternoon. And you must be Hyun?”
“Hello, Professor. I’m Kang Hyun.”
“Nice to meet you. Tommy, if your instrument is all set up, you should start playing. You have two eager listeners waiting.”
Tommy, looking nervous, sat down with his cello.
He straightened his back, holding the cello between his legs. His flat hand grasped the long bow in a textbook-perfect manner.
Albert, sitting with his legs crossed, watched Tommy.
Soon, Tommy closed his eyes to shake off the nerves, opened them, and started playing.
It was a series of sweet melodies. The grand yet delicate sound of the cello was so rich, it was almost an auditory delight.
Indeed, despite his mischievous appearance, Tommy was a prodigy to have entered the Royal Music School.
Tommy’s fingers moved vigorously as if dancing, and his bowing was as smooth as flowing water.
He played with such passion, it was as if he was giving his all.
If someone saw it, they might have thought it was the final stage of a competition.
After the performance, which felt as brief as a fleeting moment, ended.
“It’s still lacking, Tommy.”
Tommy’s face twisted. Professor Albert glanced at me and asked,
“Hyun, do you know what the problem is?”
I was almost a layman when it came to the cello, so why ask me?
But I nodded briefly. I instinctively knew what the problem was.
