“Are you saying you want to recruit me?”
The Indian man with thick eyebrows looked at Director Kim Sang-guk with a puzzled expression.
“To be precise, it’s not recruitment, but investment. As you know, VH Company is an investment firm.”
“I don’t know how you found me, but do you know that I’m still a university student?”
“Sanjay, we already know that you are in your final year at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, majoring in Computer Science and Engineering.”
Sanjay found it hard to understand the Asian man in front of him.
While the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, was a prestigious university often compared to MIT, he was still an undergraduate who had not yet graduated.
At that moment, Director Kim Sang-guk leaned forward and looked at Sanjay.
“Sanjay, have you ever thought about starting your own IT business?”
“It’s not that I haven’t, but…”
“Then it’s perfect. This is your chance to receive full support from VH Company.”
“W-wait a moment.”
Sanjay gulped down a glass of water to quench his parched throat. As he set the glass down, he looked at Director Kim Sang-guk.
“Do you think I’m some kind of Bill Gates? I’ve heard of your company’s reputation. You invested in the Austrian Calvin Pharmaceutical Company and achieved significant results. But I can’t believe that such a capable investment firm would want to invest in someone as insignificant as me. Honestly, I even suspect that you might be a fraud, not an executive of VH Company.”
Director Kim Sang-guk nodded briefly. It wasn’t the first time he had heard such words. Many young CEOs of venture companies were wary of him.
Of course, he was offering investment proposals with seemingly unbelievable contract conditions.
“The quickest way to verify my identity is to contact the headquarters of VH Company in South Korea. And we are offering you a fair contract.”
“A fair contract?”
“On the surface, it appears to be an investment without return, but if your business succeeds, the story changes. In short, VH Company is buying your future.”
The idea of buying the future made Sanjay’s Adam’s apple move prominently.
How much time had passed? Eventually, Sanjay stood up holding the documents and business card that Director Kim Sang-guk had handed him.
Director Kim Sang-guk knew that he would hear back within a week.
“I wonder what our CEO is up to…”
Director Kim Sang-guk thought of Kang Hyun while eating curry in New Delhi. Hadn’t it been months since he last saw his face?
All necessary business approvals and instructions were handled through emails and phone calls.
Wasn’t he bothered by the slow progress or dissatisfaction with the work? Not at all. Kang Hyun’s investment strategies and directives were beyond the realm of ordinary people. That’s why Director Kim Sang-guk stayed with VH Company instead of returning to the strategy planning department.
“Is the next stop the U.S.?”
It was hard to believe how he had gathered so much talent information. Hadn’t the true nature of the Austrian Dream Company been revealed?
Director Kim Sang-guk stood up for his next destination. What kind of talent would be waiting for VH Company’s investment in the U.S.?
“I guess I have to go buy the future.”
He liked the phrase “buying the future.”
- Producer Kim, it’s a hit!
The excited voice of the director echoed through the phone.
Producer Kim Da-hyun couldn’t help but smile. The initially edited teaser video had created a huge reaction nationwide.
Especially the scene at the end of the teaser showing Kang Hyun sleeping was a big hit.
- They’re already clamoring to extend it to three episodes. But will there be enough time for filming? It’s almost over.
Hadn’t a month already passed?
It felt like just yesterday that they arrived in London, but the last day of filming was fast approaching.
He wanted to ask for an extension of the filming period, but it wasn’t easy. It was doubtful that Kang Hyun’s agency or the Royal Academy of Music would allow it. But.
“Director, we have enough footage to produce three episodes. Don’t worry!”
Producer Kim Da-hyun’s voice was filled with confidence. And for good reason, having filmed Kang Hyun for the past month, he had experienced unbelievable moments more than once.
Kang Hyun’s musical talent was truly unparalleled. Even those who were not familiar with classical music would be captivated by his talent.
“Senior, everything is ready!”
At that moment, he had to end the call due to the assistant director’s voice coming from beyond the door.
As the phone call was ending, the director shouted, “Kim Da-hyun, fighting!” from the other end.
Producer Kim Da-hyun couldn’t help but chuckle at hearing such a cheerful remark from the director, something he never expected in his lifetime.
“Our destination today is the London Symphony, right? There will be many great scenes, so be fully prepared.”
“Of course. I’ve already prepared a few more tapes than usual. I’m already itching to start filming.”
“Don’t mess around.”
Producer Kim Da-hyun’s face was filled with excitement and tension that hadn’t been seen before.
‘It’s D-day!’
In a way, it was the climax of the scheduled filming during the short one-month period.
Wasn’t it the day Kang Hyun would visit the London Symphony?
It was fascinating to capture the orchestra’s appearance, not just his life at the Royal Academy of Music, but that wasn’t the main point. The current London Symphony had two legends waiting for Kang Hyun.
“Tommy, why are you so nervous?”
Tommy’s face was filled with tension. He couldn’t even respond properly to Sabrina’s question.
Upon arriving at the London Symphony Concert Hall, he took deep breaths as if all his freckles would fall off.
“Sabrina, this is my dream place.”
It wouldn’t be just a dream place for Tommy. Don’t many undergraduates at the Royal Academy of Music aspire to join the London Symphony?
However, for a novice with no experience to join the major London Symphony was harder than plucking a star from the sky.
“Is that so?”
On the other hand, Sabrina seemed uninterested in the orchestra. After all, wasn’t she the one who played her own music even after enrolling in the Royal Academy of Music? She had lived a life far from conventional musicians.
“Okay, everyone, let’s go in.”
At that moment, Kang Hyun took the lead and started walking. Tommy, Sabrina, and the filming crew cautiously followed behind. As soon as Kang Hyun entered the concert hall, he was met with the sight of the members preparing for rehearsal.
The conductor was none other than Spencer, the heart of the London Symphony.
The three of them and the filming crew carefully took their seats in the audience. The members were engrossed in rehearsal, seemingly unaware of Kang Hyun’s arrival. Spencer was no different.
How much time had passed after the tuning ended? As Spencer’s hand rose into the air, numerous instruments began to create a single melody.
The fact that instruments with different tones were harmonizing to create sound was so astonishing that Producer Kim Da-hyun couldn’t close his mouth.
Wasn’t it the London Symphony, known as one of the world’s best orchestras? If he hadn’t come to London to film Kang Hyun, he would never have been able to see their rehearsal scene.
When Spencer’s baton sharply cut through the air and the trumpet sound reached the ceiling.
At that moment, Spencer’s right hand drew a straight line in the air and clenched into a fist.
Instantly, all the members stopped playing as if they had been waiting for it. Spencer turned around and faced the audience.
“Hyun!”
Spencer called out to Kang Hyun,
“Do you know what went wrong?”
“Michael made a mistake at the beginning. It seemed like he wasn’t intentionally putting pressure at the end. Chloe, at the end of the second movement, your bow direction was different from the other violists. It was just for a moment, though. And lastly, Maestro, you reversed the direction of the baton in the third movement. That was too obvious.”
Kang Hyun solved Spencer’s riddle as if he had been waiting for it. Tommy and even Producer Kim Da-hyun were dumbfounded. Only Sabrina nodded in understanding.
Tommy continued to look at Kang Hyun with wide eyes. He couldn’t understand what the two were talking about.
But as time passed, the essence of the conversation became clear. Did Kang Hyun really point out all the mistakes made by the orchestra during the rehearsal?
At that moment, Spencer turned around with a rare smile.
“Your skills are still sharp.”
“Did you capture that scene?”
At Producer Kim Da-hyun’s question, the assistant director and the cinematographer swallowed their saliva and nodded.
Their eyes were filled with excitement. Of course, they had already captured a masterpiece scene right from the start.
But it didn’t seem like today would end with just this scene.
“Hyun, Maestro said he had to visit Austria briefly. He felt sorry that he had to go to Austria on the day you were coming.”
Spencer explained Kara’s absence to Kang Hyun. For a moment, a look of disappointment crossed Tommy and Producer Kim Da-hyun’s faces.
Of course, anyone interested in classical music would know the fame of the living legend, Kara. There weren’t many opportunities to meet a living legend up close.
“You two met at a concert before, right? Your names were Tommy and Sabrina?”
“Yes, Maestro!”
Tommy exaggeratedly bowed, and Sabrina also greeted Spencer. Spencer’s eyes showed a look of interest.
Hadn’t he clearly seen their skills at the previous concert? Like Kang Hyun, they were young prodigies.
“Maestro, I’m afraid my visit was too sudden. I came because I heard today was a day off, but I didn’t expect you to be rehearsing.”
“Today is a day off.”
“Pardon?”
Spencer looked at the members sitting in their respective seats on stage and elaborated.
“Hyun, everyone came to the concert hall even though it was a day off because they heard you were coming. Since we’re all gathered, we didn’t want to waste time, so we decided to rehearse. And I wanted to check if your conducting skills have diminished.”
The members were looking at Kang Hyun. They all had a warm gaze, like parents looking at their grown children.
It was only natural. The members of Kang Hyun and the London Symphony had formed a bond over a long period. Then.
“Why don’t you take the baton after a long time?”
Spencer suddenly suggested to Kang Hyun.
“The members are already prepared.”
Producer Kim Da-hyun tried hard to contain his surprise.
What kind of musician in the world could so easily receive the baton of the London Symphony? Even the notoriously proud members of the London Symphony were welcoming Kang Hyun.
His intuition was right. No, saying it was intuition would be an understatement.
When Kang Hyun smiled and took the baton, Producer Kim Da-hyun was certain that several masterpiece scenes would be born from the London Symphony.
