“I don’t want to.”
The eyes of Chairman Wang, who had been eating makguksu, widened in surprise. It must have been because an unexpected answer came out of my mouth.
Grandfather also had a look of surprise flash across his face. He probably didn’t expect me to refuse so bluntly.
“Hyun, do you dislike studying music?”
“No, it’s fun.”
Complex emotions appeared in Grandfather’s eyes. He seemed unable to understand what I was thinking.
How is learning music? Of course, it’s fun. Compared to the previous life where I studied law in pursuit of power, it’s incomparable. But.
“It’s not the right time to study abroad yet.”
I didn’t feel like learning music in a foreign country right away. Hadn’t I vowed and vowed again to live a life without regrets?
In the previous life, I had never even had a proper conversation with Grandfather, but within a short month, I saw his true feelings. Even the guilt he harbored towards my mother.
I know that he has less than five years left to live. “Hmm, Hyun doesn’t seem to know who Hirose is.”
At that moment, Chairman Wang looked at me with a peculiar smile.
Hirose?
Of course, I know.
She’s the empress who left her mark in the world of violin. I listened to her performances of Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 and Stravinsky Violin Concerto so many times that my ears wore out.
I heard that her violin was once auctioned after her death, and the price was beyond imagination.
A violinist recognized not just in Asia but worldwide. But that’s all.
“It doesn’t matter even if she’s famous.”
I had no intention of studying abroad to meet a violinist I didn’t know personally. And.
“If she really wants to see me, she should come here.”
Doesn’t the thirsty one dig the well?
“Look at this cheeky kid. Truly something, something!”
Chairman Wang exclaimed in admiration as he looked at me. When I met his eyes quietly, he matched my gaze with his characteristic shiny eyes. As if to see through me.
“Haha. I can see why my granddaughter fell head over heels for Hyun.”
Huh?
The unexpected statement made my tensed body relax. Grandfather and Chairman Wang looked at each other as if having a silent conversation.
I wanted to read the story in their eyes, but there’s no way I could. They’re people with a hundred tricks up their sleeves.
“Old man, don’t forget our promise.”
“Son, do you think my memory is worse than yours?”
What are they talking about?
“Chairman.”
At that moment, Chairman Wang’s secretary cautiously approached the table.
The secretary lowered his head politely and, while listening to the secretary’s story quietly, Chairman Wang’s eyes suddenly widened. Soon, a deep smile spread across his lips.
“Chairman Yoo.”
Chairman Wang spoke to Grandfather and glanced at me. Oh, his eyebrows are arching as if something interesting is going on?
In the car heading to the mansion in Pyeongchang-dong.
Chairman Wang’s face was filled with a subtle smile, as if something amused him greatly. It was a stark contrast to the legendary stories I had heard in my previous life.
But I couldn’t even imagine how many masks he might be hiding behind that smile. No wonder Son Ilsung was most afraid of Chairman Wang.
“We’ve arrived, Chairman.”
At the driver’s words, I looked out the window.
The mansion in Pyeongchang-dong always felt imposing. It would later be regarded as the holy ground of Daeil Group.
Even though I should be used to it because of the music lessons, it still made me a bit uncomfortable due to my memories from the previous life. Who would’ve thought I’d be visiting this place so frequently?
“Oppa─!”
As soon as we entered the garden, I saw Son Yooha running towards us from beyond my line of sight. The secretary, who was standing behind, broke into a cold sweat and followed her immediately. It’s probably not easy to handle her; I feel a bit sorry for him.
Son Yooha stopped right in front of us upon noticing Grandfather’s presence.
“Hello, Grandfather.”
She greeted like a proper young lady. Grandfather, finding it cute, smiled and nodded.
Son Yooha quickly came to my side and clung to me. Is it just my imagination, or is she getting more interested in me as time goes by?
“Oppa, just now, some man came, and guess who he is……!”
Son Yooha tried to tell me something, but it was hard to understand her rapid speech in her excited state. However, Chairman Wang seemed to already know what Yooha was talking about.
What’s going on?
As we entered the mansion.
The secretary, who had followed Son Yooha, immediately guided us. Chairman Wang and Grandfather walked ahead, with Yooha and me following behind.
In the drawing room we arrived at after passing through a long corridor, someone was already seated.
“Huh?”
Who is that?
With graying hair, deep-set eyes, arched eyebrows, and a sharp nose, he had an incredibly sharp impression.
Though he was a foreigner, his face was familiar. Comparing him to the image in my memory, he seemed younger.
“Maestro, nice to meet you.”
Chairman Wang greeted the foreigner skillfully. Thud.
As soon as I fully revealed myself, the foreigner’s eyes widened. The cold eyes soon showed warm emotions. His thin lips curled up into a smile as he walked towards me.
‘Why is he here?’
Upon closer look, I could be sure. This man was undoubtedly Spencer, the renowned conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. Anyone interested in orchestras would know him.
How many times had I watched DVD recordings of his conducting in my previous life? I even watched his orchestra perform at the Barbican Centre, their home venue. And now, he was here.
“I really wanted to see you.”
He wanted to see me? Why?
At that moment.
The foreigner, Spencer, adjusted his clothes and extended his hand to me politely.
Was he asking for a handshake? His serious demeanor made my throat tighten. As his long fingers met my small hand.
“Hyun-ni Oppa.”
He hadn’t forgotten the Korean he learned.
Ziiing.
Park Sunyoung was playing with all her might. Sweat dripped down her back, but her bow and strings never ceased to meet. It was as if she believed she wouldn’t be able to play if not today, her performance was desperate and poignant.
Who would’ve thought a solo violin melody could express such heavy emotions? With her eyes closed, Park Sunyoung’s face looked like the protagonist of a sad love song.
Even after the performance ended.
Park Sunyoung didn’t lower the violin from her shoulder for a long time.
Sweat soaked her shoulders like rain, and her right hand holding the bow trembled slightly. How long had she been playing?
“Ha.”
She let out a sigh, releasing all the lingering feelings in one breath. ‘What’s the point of perfect technique if the melody is dead?’
The child’s voice was etched in her mind like a refrain. The problem she couldn’t figure out was identified by just one performance. It didn’t make sense, but what could she do? It was a reality, not a dream.
“Sunyoung, have you been playing all this time?”
At that moment, Park Sunyoung’s friend opened the door to the soundproof room and entered. Her face was full of shock, understandably so as she was the only one who knew that Park Sunyoung had been playing the violin since morning.
Park Sunyoung nodded briefly without saying a word. But her appearance was unusual. Her eyes were clear, despite having played for hours.
Park Sunyoung smiled as she lowered the violin from her shoulder. Although it was just one piece of advice, the child’s words.
“Let’s stop and go eat!”
Were enough to free her from the curse that tangled her mind like a skein of yarn.
“So, you flew all the way from England after watching my performance video?”
As Spencer and I conversed in English, Chairman Wang’s eyes gleamed. I had seen him converse with the crown prince at a previous banquet, but his native-like pronunciation was still remarkable.
Spencer seemed equally intrigued.
“That’s right. After seeing your performance, I left the orchestra and came running. Would you believe me if I said my heart raced like a girl’s on the plane?”
Despite it being our first meeting, Spencer was quite casual with me. Knowing his nickname, I wasn’t surprised. It would’ve been awkward if he had been formal.
For a moment, Spencer looked at me strangely.
“Have you ever lived in England?”
Oops.
When I was in the legal team of Daeil Group, I had stayed at the London branch. It was during a time when we were focusing on international business, so I frequently traveled between Korea and London.
Of course, the lawsuits were handled by those who graduated from overseas law schools, but I was the overall in charge. I had studied the legal system extensively. The accent must have stuck with me.
“No, I’ve never been outside Korea.”
Spencer swallowed his surprise at my pronunciation and nodded. Chairman Wang and Grandfather had already stepped back from the conversation, seemingly watching my conversation with Spencer. Only Son Yooha, who couldn’t understand the fast-paced English, puffed her cheeks.
“To be blunt, I couldn’t sleep for days after seeing that performance. No, to be precise, I kept thinking about it even while conducting the orchestra. It wasn’t even like that when I first saw a porn magazine.”
What is this guy saying?
What are you talking about in front of a child?
“Hyun, would you consider becoming a guest member of the London Symphony Orchestra?”
“What?”
My voice involuntarily grew louder. A guest member of the orchestra? What an absurd proposal.
But Spencer’s blue eyes revealed unwavering determination.
Did I hear wrong? I know how hard it is to become a member of an orchestra. Even as a guest member, it’s the famous London Symphony.
“Of course, you wouldn’t be able to join the orchestra immediately. You’d need the skills to back it up. But if you’re the person I saw in that video, I’m sure I’d place you in my orchestra.”
Spencer spoke decisively without considering if I was interested. His words were so outrageous that I was dumbfounded.
Chairman Wang and Grandfather were also visibly surprised by the conversation. At that moment. “Hyun, if it’s not too much trouble, could you play the violin here?”
Spencer grasped my shoulders with both hands. His gaze was so intense that I felt like I might be sucked into his eyes.
At that moment, Son Yooha, who had been listening intently, stood up abruptly.
“Violin?”
Son Yooha raised her voice and looked at Spencer with a proud expression as if to say she could understand English too. Spencer also nodded with a satisfied smile.
