Tomi took a deep breath and assumed his posture.
He sat with his hips perched on the edge of the chair, straightening his back as if it were an old tree, and firmly supported the cello with his legs.
With his shoulders slightly lowered as if the sun were setting, he carefully lifted the bow.
In the past, Tomi had played while being caught up in stereotypes. He played as if he were following the musical symbols step by step, never abandoning his own subjective thoughts.
But now it was different. As Tomi’s intention flowed through his shoulders and reached the tip of the bow, old emotions were discarded, and the bow crossed the strings.
The emotions of the slowly rising melody began to fill the practice room as if they were dancing.
Tomi was smiling. He was playing without looking at the sheet music, only recalling the notes on the staff in his mind.
At that moment, as Tomi’s bow sharply crossed the strings, the cheerful dance movements that were like a waltz began to change abruptly.
As if feeling thirsty, the bow began to fiercely indulge in the strings.
His fingers pressed the strings sharply as if the spacing and relaxation had disappeared. But Tomi’s face was nothing but serene.
The bowing and his shoulders were more intense than ever, but the corners of his mouth were smiling.
How much time had passed? A gentle period was drawn in the midst of a splendid finale.
Had it been a concert hall instead of a practice room, it surely would have been met with cheers and applause from the audience.
It was then.
“Your bowing is quite smooth.”
It was Professor Albert, who had entered the practice room unnoticed.
“And your position changes are fluid, the marcato is excellent as if thunder is striking.”
Professor Albert briefly evaluated Tomi’s performance. Tomi couldn’t hide his surprise. Wasn’t Professor Albert known for his few words and notorious strictness?
Tomi had never heard such high praise from Professor Albert until now.
“But what piece is this?”
Professor Albert was curious. He thought it was one of Bach’s unaccompanied cello suites, known as the Old Testament of cello music.
But as the piece progressed, its nature resembled Beethoven’s cello works, known as the New Testament of cello music.
However, the structure indicated it was an entirely different piece.
“It’s an original composition.”
“An original composition?”
Professor Albert’s eyes widened. It was clearly an outstanding cello piece, enough to make his heart race as when he first heard Rachmaninoff’s cello sonata.
Even without accompaniment, it was this remarkable; adding piano accompaniment would make it even more extraordinary. Was it really Tomi who composed such a piece? At that moment, as if reading Professor Albert’s thoughts, Tomi spoke.
“Actually, it’s more like Hyun created the skeleton, and I added the flesh. Initially, I sought Hyun out to request an arrangement, but thanks to his help, an entirely different piece was completed.”
Professor Albert nodded purely. If it was Hyun, it was a plausible story. But Tomi, who could perform so well, was also impressive. Surely Hyun was a tremendous fortune for Tomi.
“Tomi, are you done practicing?”
After the practice session, Tomi met Sabrina. They were one of the officially recognized couples at the Royal Academy of Music. Though they never said they were dating, they were always together like a pair of mandarin ducks.
“Yeah, Professor Albert came to see me today. I didn’t even know when he entered the practice room. I played the piece I composed with Hyun, and Professor Albert was so surprised. Sabrina, you should’ve seen his face.”
“Was it that surprising?”
“It was my first time playing it today, and I was surprised too. I didn’t expect it to be this good.”
Composition and performance were closely connected yet entirely different fields. Even if the notes on the staff were the same, they could sound completely different depending on the performer’s disposition.
“Sabrina, what do you think of Hyun as a musician?”
“He’s incredible. I’ve never seen anyone as talented as Hyun. He was one of the few people at the Royal Academy of Music who understood my music. Of course, you’re one of those people too, Tomi, so don’t be disappointed. Hyun was just the fastest.”
“If you compare him to musicians recorded in history, whose talent would he be similar to?”
Although she couldn’t meet the figures in classical history, their talents were detailed in historical anecdotes.
Sabrina pondered deeply and then mentioned a great name from classical history.
“Is he Mozart reincarnated or what?”
Elnon couldn’t close her mouth, unable to take her eyes off the screen.
She had been very curious about the violinist named Hyun. Not only had Hollywood directors praised him endlessly, but even broadcasting executives were captivated by him.
She immediately contacted her manager to request video footage of the violinist Hyun.
Let’s see just how good he is.
How extraordinary must his playing be for people to praise him so highly?
Elnon’s curiosity didn’t last long. From the first DVD, she couldn’t close her mouth.
Was this boy even ten years old? He was confidently playing the violin in the finals of the Queen Elisabeth Competition.
The melody was so exceptional that it gave Elnon goosebumps even through the TV screen.
“What is this?”
As the videos continued, she was increasingly left speechless. Especially the conducting performance at the British Royal Concert was nothing short of a highlight. He wasn’t just showing his skills as a violinist but also as a conductor.
Despite the presence of the Queen of England and eminent figures from British political and business circles as the audience, he showed no signs of intimidation.
In fact, the much older and more experienced orchestra members seemed more nervous.
The boy holding the baton was no longer just a boy. He commanded everyone like a general on a battlefield.
Gulp―!
Elnon’s throat bobbed noticeably. The more she learned about Kang Hyun, the more amazed she became. Even for someone like her, who was unfamiliar with classical music, the performance videos were astonishing.
Elnon couldn’t help but be surprised when she saw Kang Hyun’s resume, prepared by her manager.
From being the youngest winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition to receiving love calls from the London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, and even performing at the British Royal Concert, the list was almost endless.
“Whew.”
It was a career that would be hard to achieve even for an experienced maestro, yet this young man of barely twenty had accomplished it all. It was then.
Ding-dong.
With the sound of the doorbell, there was a knock. It was Elnon’s manager, a burly man.
He had come to provide additional materials about Kang Hyun, as Elnon had requested.
“Elnon, I have quite a bit of material here. I even brought a documentary tape filmed in Korea.”
It was almost as if he had gathered an entire biography of Kang Hyun, his thick arms brimming with materials. But Elnon, as soon as she saw her manager, asked immediately.
“Palm, where is the violinist Hyun right now?”
“Pardon?”
“You must know his whereabouts, right?”
“Well, he’s known for not revealing his whereabouts, but oddly enough, there’s word that he’s attending Boss’s party today. It seems he has a connection with someone there.”
“Boss, as in the magazine? The one that sent me an invitation before?”
It was unexpected information. If it was Boss, it was one of the most prominent fashion magazines in America. Elnon stood up immediately without hesitation.
“A charity party, huh….”
Kang Hyun looked down at the invitation he had received. It was an invitation from the magazine ‘Boss’ to a charity event they were hosting to mark the end of the year.
Normally, Kang Hyun would have hated to attend such bothersome events. But hadn’t Director Im Hyera made a sincere request?
‘Boss’ had published many favorable columns about Kang Hyun, and they were expected to be connected in business terms in the future, so she had asked him to attend the party at least once. Moreover, since it was a charity event, it had a good meaning.
“Aww, I want to go to the Boss party too.”
“Yooha, you have to go to school.”
“Winter vacation is just around the corner, why do they have to have it so early!”
“But today you don’t have morning classes, so you get to go to school with oppa in the afternoon. High school students in Korea wake up at dawn to prepare for college entrance exams, you know?”
“I study until late at night every day too!”
Yooha’s lips pouted. Kang Hyun smiled faintly and adjusted his clothes.
He personally took Yooha to school. Before she got out of the car, he didn’t forget to pat her head.
Then he drove straight to the venue where the charity event was being held.
It was an outdoor party venue near Central Park. Perhaps because it was a charity event, the American party culture he knew seemed quite different.
“Hyun―!”
Editor Miguel of Boss widened his eyes and hurriedly welcomed Kang Hyun. He was so surprised that he even covered his mouth with both hands.
No wonder, Editor Miguel had sent numerous love calls to Kang Hyun. He had been dying to do a photoshoot with Kang Hyun as the model, even if it was just for one cut.
“I never dreamed you’d actually come. Mrs. Im did say you might attend, but to actually meet you!”
Miguel’s face was filled with excitement. And it wasn’t just Miguel. As soon as Kang Hyun arrived at the party, others started recognizing him and glancing at him.
Some even approached to greet him. Among them were famous Hollywood actors and models who had graced Boss.
“A senator is attending too?”
Kang Hyun clicked his tongue as he looked at the scale of the party. He saw several people who would later become prominent figures in America.
That bald, kind-looking man would later become a key figure in the White House. He recognized him easily since he had seen him often on the news in his past life.
It was then.
“Hy, Hyun?”
A voice that seemed to stutter out of nervousness called out, and Kang Hyun turned his head. At first, he thought it was someone drunk, but it wasn’t. The person was just so nervous in front of Kang Hyun that they stuttered.
Kang Hyun looked at the owner of the voice and showed a surprised and puzzled expression.
“Elnon Fox?”
It was Elnon Fox, the host of the Elnon Show and a famous American comedian. He never expected Elnon to know him.
“I’m a huge fan! Just call me Elnon!”
Contrary to her image, Elnon greeted Kang Hyun with a trembling voice. If someone who didn’t know saw this, they might think Kang Hyun was her first love, as she was so moved.
As they talked more, Kang Hyun realized how much Elnon knew about him. She recited his career achievements as if she had memorized them.
“I never expected you to attend the Boss charity event. I heard you don’t like crowded places.”
“It’s a charity event for children with cancer. Since it’s a party with a good cause, I had to attend. Plus, I have an important role in today’s event.”
“An important role?”
At Elnon’s question, Kang Hyun pointed to a stage set up on one side of the party venue and answered quietly.
“I’m performing. Actually, only a few people from the organizing side know about it. I’m telling you because you’re the host of the talk show I’ll be appearing on soon.”
Kang Hyun’s performance? Elnon felt her heart pounding already.
“Shall we go take a look at the stage together?”
It was then.
Oh…?!
As Elnon walked and talked with Kang Hyun, her foot twisted. At that moment, as her body leaned, Kang Hyun didn’t miss it and wrapped his arm around her waist. For a moment, Elnon’s blue eyes met Kang Hyun’s deep gaze.
‘He’s really irresistible.’
Elnon swallowed her saliva and brushed off her thoughts.
But staring into these deep eyes, she felt she could understand why this young Asian man was called an irresistible man not only in America but also in Europe.
