“Checkmate!”
Chairman Wang’s face was clearly triumphant. On the board, the red chariot, cannon, and horse were still alive and well.
The red pieces were pushing the green ones as if deploying a military formation.
Without a doubt, Chairman Wang’s skill in janggi (Korean chess) was superior to his skill in Go.
“Son, have you been doing nothing but eating and learning janggi these days?”
“Old man, since I can’t beat you in Go, I thought I might have better luck in janggi. Should I give you a move back?”
“No need. Giving me a move back won’t suddenly make a genius move appear.”
As the winner on the board was decided, Chairman Wang showed a childlike happy smile.
It was understandable since he had never won a Go match against Chairman Yoo before.
Bringing the game to janggi might have seemed forced, but for Chairman Wang, who had a strong competitive spirit, there was no other way.
No matter how he looked at it, it was as if Chairman Yoo’s family was blessed by the Go gods.
“When Hyun returns, I need to beat him in janggi. That rascal always provokes his grandpa when playing Go, and it really gets on my nerves.”
“Beat Hyun in janggi?”
“Why, is he as good at janggi as he is at Go?”
“Hmm, I don’t know, but I doubt he’s bad at it. You know, Hyun is exceptionally smart.”
Chairman Wang’s face momentarily tensed. Of course, Kang Hyun’s Go skills had already surpassed amateur levels. If he properly learned janggi, he would quickly catch up to Chairman Wang.
It was then.
“By the way, how’s the company doing these days? What about Kang Wook?”
“That rascal is already being dealt with by Ilseon. The prosecution will soon launch a major investigation into Son Kang Wook. Ilseon seems determined to make it impossible for Kang Wook to recover this time.”
“It’s like sticking his head into a lion’s mouth.”
Not only Chairman Wang, but also Son Ilseon, did not let familial ties influence his business decisions.
Son Kang Wook had caused a lot of trouble. Leaving the company wouldn’t be an easy end for him.
“And, Yooha has disappeared in America.”
“Son, what do you mean?”
“Just as I said. She secretly boarded a flight to England during her holiday. She’s accompanied by bodyguards, so don’t worry. But it’s impressive that she managed to prepare a ticket to England with her allowance. Isn’t my granddaughter something?”
Chairman Wang laughed heartily.
“Or maybe my granddaughter’s husband is impressive?”
“Yooha?”
Hyun unconsciously called out Yooha’s name. He couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or if it was reality.
At that moment, Yooha suddenly hugged Hyun as if responding to his call.
Hyun had grown so much that he could now see the top of Yooha’s head. By her head, he saw the blue cubic hairpin that he had gifted her.
“Yooha, how did you come here without any notice?”
“Oppa, did you not want to see me?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just so sudden.”
“Oppa, I missed you, so I came secretly.”
Son Yooha had a mischievous smile. Hearing her story, Hyun felt both happy and a bit of a headache.
No matter how much she missed him, she should not have secretly taken a flight. But knowing Chairman Wang’s personality, there were surely bodyguards watching over Yooha from somewhere unseen.
Today, rather than scolding this audacious girl, it would be better to warmly welcome her. After all, she flew all the way here because she missed him, so how could he not be pleased?
“Oppa, is school life fun?”
“Yeah. University life in Korea was fun too, but I really like the Royal College of Music. There are so many excellent musicians here.”
“Do the professors give you private lessons?”
At Yooha’s question, Hyun hesitated for a moment and then nodded briefly.
The reason for his hesitation was simple. Hyun felt that the professors were somewhat intimidated by him during private lessons.
“Oppa, can you show me around the school?”
Hyun naturally nodded. It was a holiday, so the Royal College of Music allowed public access.
While some students had gone back to their hometowns, other families had come up to South Kensington where the Royal College of Music was located.
In the garden, children who seemed to be family members of the students were playing around. Hyun held Yooha’s hand and started walking.
Although students who recognized Hyun glanced at him, he didn’t mind. Today, he had decided to spend the day entirely for Yooha.
As they explored various parts of the Royal College of Music, Yooha’s face brightened, and Hyun felt a deep sense of happiness.
In both his past and current life, Yooha was the only one who made him feel this way.
Carrying his violin case, he led Yooha into the forest beyond the garden where Sabrina had once performed alone.
Since nobody would come here, it was like a private concert hall for her.
Yooha sat on a tree stump and became the sole audience to Hyun’s performance.
The sound of the flowing brook provided accompaniment, and the rustling leaves softly tickled their ears as Hyun’s subtle melody resonated.
How much time had passed?
It felt like only a short time had passed, but it was already getting dark outside.
Time flew by as they exchanged conversations and gazes that they hadn’t shared for a long time. When Hyun stood up to send Yooha to a hotel, she spoke.
“Oppa, I don’t have a place to stay…”
“What about a hotel?”
“I didn’t make a reservation. I just grabbed my passport and ticket and came here.”
What a reckless girl. But Hyun wasn’t too worried. He could book a hotel near the Royal College of Music immediately.
Moreover, there were surely bodyguards somewhere unseen. It was then.
“Oppa, can I stay with you tonight?”
“How is Hyun doing these days?”
At President Samuel’s question, Professor Bianca hesitated for a moment. It was not an easy question to answer.
“In group lectures, he stands out, of course. He answers the professors’ questions without hesitation and stays after class to answer questions from undergraduates. Because of this, undergraduate students majoring in violin have taken a great liking to him. The students who initially felt jealousy and envy towards him were all impressed by his performance in the recent concert.”
“And what do the professors think?”
“That’s a bit of a problem.”
It was an unexpected response.
“Is there some kind of problem?”
Professor Bianca nodded briefly and continued.
“Every professor who has given Hyun private lessons has said that they have nothing more to teach him.”
“Nothing more to teach? Aren’t they professors at the Royal College of Music? No matter how impressive Hyun’s career is, his years of experience and insight are far less than the professors’. Saying they have nothing more to teach sounds like they’re putting Hyun on a pedestal.”
“To be precise, it’s not that they have nothing to teach, but rather that they shouldn’t teach him.”
“Shouldn’t teach him?”
As Professor Bianca’s words continued, President Samuel’s eyes grew more intrigued.
“After having private lessons with Hyun, I understood what the other professors meant. When discussing musical values beyond violin lessons, it felt like Hyun already had a fully formed musical philosophy. A solid framework that we shouldn’t tamper with.”
“So you’re saying we shouldn’t teach him?”
“Yes, we’re afraid that our knowledge, based on our biases and experiences, might contaminate his future. Perhaps spending time with other prodigies like Sabrina during non-group lecture hours might be more beneficial for him. The exchange of ideas among such prodigies could be more valuable to Hyun than lessons from regular professors.”
President Samuel couldn’t hide his surprise. Professor Bianca, much like her close friend Spencer, was known for her strictness when it came to music.
She was even considered somewhat intimidating by undergraduate students majoring in violin.
“Still, isn’t it unreasonable to cancel private lessons just for Hyun?”
“President, you haven’t fully understood my point.”
Professor Bianca looked at President Samuel with calm eyes.
“The professors majoring in violin probably realized something during their private lessons with Hyun. That’s why they might be reluctant to teach him. They don’t want to impose even a speck of their biases on the mindset of a future maestro who will lead the violin world.”
Tommy was so happy these days that he could scream with joy.
Since entering the Royal College of Music, where musical prodigies from across the UK gathered, he had never been this happy.
Even getting scolded by Professor Albert made him feel oddly good.
“Tommy!”
Silver hair glistened in the sunlight as it swayed.
Tommy couldn’t hide his smile upon seeing Sabrina waiting for him in front of the cafeteria. His freckles seemed to dance with joy.
“Tommy, are you going to keep me waiting?”
“S-so sorry. I was going to come out right away…”
On a normal day, Tommy would have gone to the cafeteria for breakfast without even washing his hair, just wearing a hat pulled down low.
But Sabrina was waiting for him. He had washed his face thoroughly and even sprayed perfume he bought from a shop in downtown London.
He had ironed his clothes to remove any wrinkles, making sure he was perfectly prepared.
“I’m just kidding. I didn’t wait that long. But is Hyun not eating breakfast today?”
Now that she mentioned it, Hyun was nowhere to be seen. Of the three, Hyun was usually the most diligent.
He seemed to have no need for sleep, always waking up early in the morning to work on his compositions, which Tommy found astonishing.
After finishing breakfast with Sabrina and taking a short walk, Tommy headed straight to Hyun’s dormitory.
Since it was a holiday, the dormitory supervisor was not there, and few students were staying in the dormitory. Most had gone back to their hometowns.
Knock, knock.
Tommy knocked on Hyun’s door.
Huh?
No answer came despite repeated knocks. Normally, Hyun would have opened the door even before the knocking finished.
Had he gone somewhere early in the morning? Just as Tommy was about to think that, the door quietly opened by itself.
Tommy could see Hyun sleeping on his bed, covered up to his neck with a blanket.
He must have stayed up late writing music. As Tommy cautiously approached to wake Hyun, he saw something that made him freeze.
Oh my… god!
Tommy’s cheeks twitched, and his eyes widened. Under the blanket, a girl was sleeping soundly against Hyun’s chest.
