Dooong.
He presses the damper between chords. His long fingers move tirelessly over the keys, as if dancing madly to the notes written on the staff.
Accent!
For a moment, the strings scream as if thunder has struck. A melody filled with the fury of the entire body.
The thick beads of sweat dripping onto the keys prove that he’s out of breath.
“Ha.”
The hard piano bench feels soft. The fingers that should delicately press the keys feel heavier than ever. The temples throb, feeling like bugs crawling around.
The dawn of early morning seems to reflect his blurred mind rather than freshness.
Kwa-deuk.
His hands, gripping the piano keys, fall. The keys let out a bizarre scream, leaving an aftertaste.
Baek Junghoon was not satisfied with his performance. After winning second place in the Chopin Competition, his homeland praised him as the next great master to lead Korean classical music. But such exaggerated praise felt like it was suffocating him.
Baek Junghoon raised his palm and wiped his face. Cold sweat dripped down like raindrops.
Since childhood, he had longed to meet his idol. How eagerly he had awaited the meeting with Hirose sensei.
When the collaboration was decided, he was happier than when he won second place in the Chopin Competition. Finally, he could stand on the same stage with sensei.
But.
“You fool.”
A rebuke to himself.
He had made a mistake during the collaboration with sensei. It was a brief moment that the audience did not notice, but sensei did.
However, sensei, only momentarily flustered, covered the mistake with a flowing melody. This was possible due to the significant difference in skill.
He realized that the thoughts he had when the collaboration was first arranged were arrogant.
When he visited sensei’s waiting room after the collaboration,
sensei seemed to have already forgotten his mistake. He couldn’t bring himself to say sorry. The guilt and shame that filled his eyes were desperately hidden.
Because he was such a fool.
“I should apologize.”
Even if sensei had forgotten, it was right to apologize. The guilt weighing on his mind made his fingers heavy. Moreover, the collaboration was not over yet. He couldn’t cause any more trouble for sensei’s solo concerts.
As he resolved himself,
‘Therefore, that child is surely different.’ A scene popped into his head. “Who could it be.”
The child who captured Hirose sensei’s heart. After the solo concert, he had separately asked Gorosan, but the answer was that he didn’t know either. The fact that the child who stole the queen’s heart was in Korea was hard to believe.
But if it were true. “I want to meet them.”
Turbuck.
Yoo Jinseok was awkwardly entering the mansion in Ichon-dong. It was his first time visiting his grandfather’s house alone without his mother. He was so nervous that cold sweat formed on his back. He was scared of running into Kang Hyun.
The occasional gaze of his cousin resembled the eyes his grandfather had when scolding his uncles. Thinking of that still made his hair stand on end.
“Jinseok, did you come alone?”
The housekeeper lady looked at me curiously, seeing me alone without my mother.
I nodded briefly without a word and scanned the inside of the mansion anxiously. If it weren’t for my mother’s request, I would never have come alone.
‘Jinseok, I’ll follow you, so go in first. If grandpa is angry, secretly contact me, okay?’
Why is she making me do this?
Since my uncle got kicked out of the company, my mother had become noticeably anxious. Otherwise, she wouldn’t use me as a pawn. I didn’t like it, but I had no choice but to obey, fearing the consequences if I didn’t.
At that moment, the housekeeper lady spoke with a troubled expression. “Oh dear, there’s no one at the mansion right now.”
Huh?
What does she mean?
Exactly thirty minutes had passed. My mother, carrying food in both hands, entered the mansion.
Of course, the food was not made by my mother. But it didn’t matter; it tasted a hundred times better than her cooking, so grandpa would like it.
“Yoo Jinseok, you?”
My mother glared at me. Oops. I forgot to contact her. I relaxed after hearing that grandpa and Kang Hyun were not here.
At that moment, the housekeeper lady greeted my mother. Her face still showed confusion. It was understandable, seeing us taking turns visiting the mansion since morning.
“Miss?”
“Auntie, isn’t father in the study?”
My mother handed over the food to the housekeeper and seemed ready to move. But her steps halted at the following words.
“The elder is not at the mansion.”
“What do you mean? He didn’t go to the office today.”
She thought it was a good chance to earn points.
“He went out early in the morning with Kang Hyun.”
What?
“Where did they go? Pyeongchang-dong?”
The housekeeper lady hesitated at my mother’s pressing tone, then answered.
“They went to Japan.”
At the unexpected answer, my mother was shocked. But I felt relieved. It was a great chance not to see grandpa or Kang Hyun for a while.
“Hyun-ah, is this your first time on a plane?”
Grandpa asked with a kind smile. Of course, it was the first time in this life. In the past life, I flew as often as taking a taxi, but still.
‘Gimpo Airport.’
It was a time when Incheon International Airport didn’t exist. Around now, the site development for the airport in Yeongjongdo would be in full swing.
Gimpo Airport, which evoked nostalgia like the old Stella taxis.
However, I noticed more police officers in blue uniforms than expected. This showed that the impact of the KAL flight bombing incident still lingered even after several years.
“Hyun-ah, you have to take off your shoes when boarding the plane.”
Grandpa made an unexpected joke. His expression was so serious that it seemed he was determined to trick his grandson.
Well, no problem. If it makes grandpa happy, I can even take off my socks.
As the plane went voooom and took off,
grandpa grabbed my hand. He was probably worried that his grandson might be scared. I also squeezed his hand.
After declining the study abroad offer, grandpa suddenly chose to go to Japan. He didn’t bring a secretary, probably to avoid burdening his grandson.
There were many reasons, but the biggest one was probably to create memories as the vacation was nearing its end.
[Narita Airport]
Narita Airport wasn’t much different from the future.
Turbuck.
When I walked confidently, I felt grandpa’s curious gaze on my back.
“Hyun-ah, do you know Japanese too?”
Gulp.
I had made the mistake of walking confidently after seeing the sign. I thought of saying that I knew from the English written below the Japanese, but.
“Yes, I studied a bit.”
What’s the point of deceiving grandpa? In fact, my Japanese was also quite good.
When I left the Western District Prosecutors’ Office and joined the Korean residents in Japan, there were many scandals related to special treatment for former prosecutors, so I had to stay around overseas branches. Thanks to that, foreign languages became a necessity rather than a choice.
Grandpa’s eyes were filled with disbelief. But he soon smiled and patted my head.
“You rascal, you shouldn’t tease your grandpa. I bet you read the English below the Japanese on the sign, didn’t you?” Huh?
Before I could say anything, grandpa led the way.
No problem, I followed grandpa with a cheerful step.
Okura Hotel Tokyo, the Japanese hotel that Korea’s Silla Hotel modeled after. I heard Chairman Wang always stayed here when visiting Japan.
The hotel was elegant and filled with a sophisticated atmosphere. The ceiling was so high that I wondered how they cleaned the chandelier hanging up there.
“Hyun-ah, is there a place you want to go?”
I knew why grandpa chose Tokyo.
The biggest reason was Hirose, known as the queen, and the choice of Okura Hotel was probably because of Disneyland. It’s a place that excites any child just by hearing the name.
But I didn’t want to wander around that vast place with grandpa. I’d rather enjoy a hot spring bath than ride rides that didn’t suit my taste. And.
“Grandpa, there is a place I want to visit.”
There was exactly one place I wanted to go.
When I visited Tokyo in my past life, I never missed this place. The small ramen shop run by an elderly couple soothed my weary heart in a foreign land.
At that time, it was no exaggeration to say that I ate ramen for all three meals a day. The reason was simple. The sight of the elderly couple reminded me of my parents.
I was foolish in my past, unable to release the knot in my heart.
Coincidentally.
The elderly couple’s shop was located not far from the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall. Of course, it wasn’t on the main road, but deep in an alley, so someone who didn’t know might think it was a private house. There wasn’t even a sign.
“Hyun-ah, how do you know this place?”
I vaguely said I saw it in a magazine in response to grandpa’s question. Even so, grandpa was amazed by how I navigated the alleys as if it was my home.
As I lifted the noren, the curtain at the entrance of the restaurant, and stepped inside. “Irasshaimase.”
The gentle voice of a woman greeted grandpa and me.
It was a familiar face.
In the kitchen, I could see the still-young owner. I sat at the seat they guided me to without revealing my emotions.
When I skillfully ordered traditional ramen, grandpa widened his eyes. He seemed to recall the incident at the airport, which he had thought was a joke.
Slurp.
The ramen was as delicious as ever. As I drank the rich broth without hesitation, grandpa smiled. The owner lady also looked at me curiously. It was probably surprising to see a child enjoying such a strong taste.
As the broth reached the bottom.
“Hyun-ah, did you bring your wallet?”
“Huh?”
Grandpa’s eyebrows twisted in a peculiar way. “Wasn’t today supposed to be on you?”
I almost spat out the ramen in my mouth. Grandpa found my reaction cute and couldn’t hide his smile. At that moment, I slowly turned my head. Then, I cautiously spoke.
“Grandpa, do you want to make a bet?”
“A bet?”
Grandpa’s lips twitched at my sudden suggestion.
“Let’s guess the job of the person sitting over there.”
In the small ramen shop that could fit five or six people, there was one more customer besides grandpa and me.
From the posture, the movement of the fingers, and the habit of tapping the shoes.
As soon as I saw that person, I knew what their job was. As if drawing a picture in my head. Meanwhile.
‘What is this?’
