“Do you want a waffle?”
Anna found Sabrina fascinating. With her white hair and white eyebrows reminiscent of pure snow, and her turquoise eyes, it felt like rare Eastern gemstones were set beneath her brows.
Additionally, Sabrina was shy and reluctant to talk to others, which only made her seem more mysterious.
“Is it for me?”
“Yes, you kept staring at it. It’s pretty tasty.”
Anna accepted the waffle Sabrina handed her and took a big bite. As Sabrina said, it was quite delicious.
In fact, Anna was very curious about Sabrina. Chappelle was a place where the melodies of violinists resonated day and night, just like its nickname “The Dawn of Melodies.”
However, it was particularly difficult to witness Sabrina practicing. It was probably because she practiced late at night or early in the morning when others were not around and spent her remaining time reading and walking.
Given the situation, Sabrina became a target for those at Chappelle who liked to gossip.
“Maybe she’s not talented?”
“I’ve never heard of a violinist named Sabrina among the new talents.”
“Was she selected because of her unique appearance?”
Some even went so far as to say that Sabrina lacked skill because she didn’t practice. Sabrina seemed aware of the gossip about her but didn’t seem to care at all.
But Anna knew. She knew that Sabrina’s violin skills were extraordinary.
She had only seen Sabrina perform once, but the memory was still vivid, with the swaying petals and the fluttering wind feeling like part of the accompaniment.
Sabrina’s performance turned the empty garden of Chappelle into an orchestra stage.
“Is it good?”
Sabrina asked with shining eyes. Anna, her cheeks stuffed with waffle, nodded without realizing it.
“Sabrina, can I ask you something?”
Sabrina answered with a short nod.
“Why don’t you practice?”
“If you’re talking about violin practice, I do.”
“No, I mean, you practice much shorter than the other participants. And you don’t even use the practice rooms, you practice in the forest beyond the garden.”
“Anna, were you stalking me?”
“Oh, no. That’s not it.”
Sabrina gave a bashful smile, as if she didn’t mind even if Anna had been stalking her.
“I practice every day, thinking about what emotions and values to interpret the sheet music with on stage. And I listen to the voice of the melody every day.”
No matter how she thought about it, Sabrina was a unique individual. Anna suddenly remembered that Sabrina was a graduate of the Royal College of Music. Hyun was also an exchange student there, so they might know each other.
“Sabrina, were you close with Hyun?”
“Hyun? Are you talking about the judge Hyun?”
“Yes, Hyun was an exchange student there. You wouldn’t say you don’t know him, would you?”
At that moment, Sabrina’s eyes narrowed.
“Why are you asking about Hyun all of a sudden? Come to think of it, Anna, when you ran into Hyun in the practice room before, your eyes were intense.”
“Wh-what!”
“I was worried while waiting for you outside the practice room, wondering if you might jump on Hyun.”
Anna’s face turned as red as a beet. Sabrina found her cute and smiled lightly, then added.
“Hyun is the musician who listens to the voice of the melody the best among the violinists I know.”
“The voice of the melody?”
“Yes, Hyun knows what the violin wants the most. As if he’s having a conversation with the instrument.”
At that moment, a fresh breeze brushed against Anna’s cheek.
“Everyone, please pay attention.”
At the words of the French maestro Hugo, the attention in the conference room was focused.
“It seems that the Stradivarius ‘Lucia,’ which was originally prepared as a special prize for the winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, has serious defects and will need long-term repairs. Therefore, we have to choose one of the two newly imported Stradivarius from Italy.”
The Queen Elisabeth Competition, one of the world’s top three music competitions, not only awards a cash prize to the winner but also grants the special privilege of using a Stradivarius for four years.
Most considered the privilege of using a Stradivarius more valuable than the cash prize. After all, these instruments could cost anywhere from several hundred million to a billion won each.
“According to the rules, the host of the Queen Elisabeth Competition should select the Stradivarius to be provided as a special prize. However, due to the defects in the originally planned Stradivarius ‘Lucia,’ a new Stradivarius must be chosen. The host has requested the judges to select the violin.”
Of course, who would understand a violinist’s heart better than another violinist?
Moreover, since there were two options, they had to be cautious for the sake of the winner. Hugo scanned the maestros from various countries seated in the room and asked.
“Is there anyone among the judges who would like to go to Rome?”
Hugo’s question brought a deep silence to the conference room. For an ordinary violinist, the opportunity to encounter a Stradivarius might come only a few times in a lifetime.
But who were the judges seated in the conference room? They were maestros from various countries, and the instruments they already owned were comparable to the Stradivarius.
For example, Hirose already possessed the Stradivarius ‘Euphoria.’
“It seems that everyone is quite fond of living at Chappelle.”
Hugo nodded as if he had expected this. Chappelle, true to its name “The Dawn of Melodies,” was a sacred place for violinists.
Even for the maestros, they couldn’t easily come and go from this place unless they were invited as judges for the competition.
The reason they were immovable was simple. The judges wanted to gain musical inspiration from Chappelle, even if it was only for a few days.
“Then I will arbitrarily select two people.”
Hugo slowly looked at Kang Hyun, who was seated at the end of the table. Kang Hyun was visibly flustered but quickly erased his expression.
“Hyun, could you go to Rome on behalf of us judges?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you. And the other person…”
Hugo turned his head. The Russian maestro Viktor frowned, thinking it wouldn’t be him.
Living with an annoying rookie was already too much, and now they wanted him to fly to Italy? Ridiculous!
But.
“Viktor.”
Hugo’s wrinkled gaze fell on Viktor’s furrowed brow.
“Glenlivet.”
As expected of a fiery Russian, he drank whiskey shots even on the plane.
Despite having drunk several shots in a row, his face didn’t change color. Someone who didn’t know him might mistake him for a mafia underboss rather than a violinist.
Moreover, with his fierce expression and raised eyebrows, even the flight attendants found it difficult to take his orders.
“I’ll have water, please.”
Kang Hyun soothed his dry mouth with ice water and looked out the airplane window.
After taking a nap, he woke up to see Rome, the capital of Italy. He had visited Rome before with Son Yooha and Im Hyera.
The reason for their visit was simple. They were there to choose the Stradivarius given as a special prize to the Queen Elisabeth winner.
“I will guide you both. My name is Mikel.”
As soon as they exited the gate, a representative from Sotheby’s, who had been waiting for them, greeted Viktor and Kang Hyun.
Mikel, a Sotheby’s employee, had a sharp appearance that seemed more fitting for an FBI or CIA agent in a movie than an auction house employee.
With the addition of bodyguards, they drew the attention of people at the airport.
Once they boarded the car and left the public eye, Viktor remained silent. Kang Hyun, having no intention of conversing with Viktor, turned his gaze out the window.
“We have arrived.”
It was a large mansion operated by Sotheby’s. The spacious garden, reminiscent of an arboretum, and the interior of the mansion felt like a museum.
Although they offered to serve a meal first, Viktor declined Mikel’s hospitality.
“I want to see the Strad first.”
It was only natural. With a Stradivarius before him, who could eat?
Mikel, as if expecting this, nodded briefly and led the way for Kang Hyun and Viktor.
It was a room where humidity and temperature were meticulously controlled to ensure the delicate string instruments were not damaged. The room itself felt like an instrument storage room.
“These are the Stradivarius ‘Desiderio’ and ‘Baci di Dama,’ which we prepared to replace the damaged Stradivarius ‘Lucia’ as a special prize for the winner of the Queen Elisabeth Competition. We are truly sorry for the inconvenience caused by the damage to ‘Lucia,’ which necessitated bringing you both here.”
The two violins were carefully stored in glass cases. Translated from Italian, ‘Desiderio’ meant ‘desire,’ and ‘Baci di Dama’ meant ‘lady’s kiss.’
Even within the glass cases, they exuded an incredible aura befitting instruments that had absorbed centuries of history.
If instruments had souls, this would be what they looked like.
Thump, thump, thump.
Kang Hyun felt his heart pounding. It was a similar feeling to when he encountered the sacred instruments he owned. At that moment,
“Could we hear the melodies of the two Stradivarius?”
At Viktor’s question, Mikel hesitated for a moment before nodding.
The glass case opened, revealing the complete form of the two instruments. Although he seemed willing to play them, Mikel stated that he could only draw the bow across the strings once.
“That will be sufficient.”
Of course, it would be absurd to let a non-violinist play a Stradivarius.
Likewise, Viktor and Kang Hyun couldn’t stand up and play the Stradivarius themselves.
One of the unwritten rules of the Queen Elisabeth Competition was to grant the special prize of a Stradivarius that no one had used for at least ten years.
Zing.
Sweet and,
Zing.
Enchanting melodies caressed their ears.
Viktor savored the melodies as if tasting them. He wanted to jump up and play the Stradivarius himself.
At that moment,
“Something seems off.”
Hyun’s remark drew everyone’s attention. Mikel looked at Hyun in bewilderment, and Viktor glared at Hyun for interrupting his time. But Hyun, unfazed, continued.
“Could you draw the bow on Desiderio once more?”
At Hyun’s request, Mikel hesitated briefly before bringing the bow to the strings again. Viktor, still enchanted by the beautiful melody, relaxed his frown. But then, Hyun spoke with curiosity.
“Is it broken?”
What?
Viktor’s eyes filled with confusion. He couldn’t understand Hyun’s words. How could he say such a beautiful melody was broken? If anything, it must be Hyun’s ears that were broken. But Hyun firmly added.
“Or is it a replica?”
For a moment, Mikel’s pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
