“Andrey has been surpassed.”
The Russian maestro Alexei’s forehead furrowed deeply. However, his deep eyes were still fixed on the TV screen. The way the left hand handled the strings and the right hand moved the bow felt like watching a painting.
Especially when preparing for vibrato, the child captivated the audience like a maestro at his peak.
“Hey, what was the age of the youngest winner in history?”
“The youngest was Andrey, a violinist from Russia. He was twenty-one at the time.”
Eva quickly answered someone’s question. Given the long history of the competition, countless geniuses had made their way to Brussels.
But now, Eva couldn’t close her mouth at the sight of the child on the screen. A young boy who seemed just over ten.
“How!”
A collective gasp of admiration erupted from everyone.
It wasn’t a typical interpretation of Beethoven; he was playing the sonata with his own unique interpretation. When the bow and strings caressed each other as if whispering love, sweaty hands clenched involuntarily.
When emotions were projected onto the strings, it seemed like cherry blossoms were falling, reflecting a spring day. Yes, it was the end of a poignant spring day.
Maestros had their eyes and ears captivated by the child’s sonata, as if enchanted.
At the end of what seemed like an eternal silence,
“Nationality, is it Chinese?”
Deng Lun, a Chinese maestro, asked hopefully. But he withdrew his gaze in disappointment at the subsequent answer. The maestros remained silent, withholding their words.
The sieve that had to filter through hundreds of people. Usually, they wouldn’t even listen to a single note played by newcomers.
They were the kind to spare no harsh criticism, saying the posture was displeasing, the first note was rotten like a bad apple, or claiming the performance was good but lacked emotion.
Yet now, they were lost in thought for over an hour.
“Does this make sense? This child has never participated in any competition other than this Brussels one!”
The child’s clean record, like a blank canvas, made the maestros doubt their eyes. Despite having such skill, there was no impressive competition record, and not even a teacher he had learned from.
Only then did they understand why Queen and London both showed immense interest in the child. If they hadn’t shown interest after hearing that performance, they both must have been deaf.
It was then.
“Can we listen to it once more?”
It was Deng Lun’s suggestion, seemingly representing everyone’s sentiments.
“There are a lot of foreigners.”
Foreigners were frequently seen inside the hotel.
It was a time when the era of sticking to the image of a tourist hotel was over. It could be said that a transformation into a full-fledged business hotel had begun. Of course, the peak would come years later.
It was a bitter moment, like chewing on an unripe persimmon.
“Mother?”
In the restaurant visited with grandfather, there were already familiar faces. Both very familiar.
My eyes widened at the sight of my mother in a formal dress and my father in a suit.
“Kang Seo-bang, it must have been hard coming here.”
“Oh, no, Father-in-law!”
Mother’s face was full of emotion. She must not have imagined that the word “father-in-law” would come out of father’s mouth.
Grandfather also patted father’s shoulder, clearing the long-held emotions.
A smile didn’t leave my face from the unexpected reunion.
“Hyun, are you happy?”
At grandfather’s question, I nodded like a child. It was something I couldn’t even dream of in my previous life.
“Kang Seo-bang, if you ever need my help in the future, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll help as much as I can. Are you interested in the chemical industry? Based on what you studied in college, it seems like a good fit for you.”
Please say you are interested, father!
The chemical industry, which is at the center of high value-added industries, will continue to develop endlessly.
Not only the base materials that become cash cows but also many areas of the 4th industrial revolution, including IT and bio-industries, benefit from it.
It’s not for nothing that large corporations are competing to jump into the chemical war. Furthermore, the unique new materials that Dongju Chemical will develop will soon become the source to withstand all upcoming challenges.
Knowing Dongju Chemical’s history in my previous life, I couldn’t help but lament. Dongju Chemical, which could have been a goose laying golden eggs, disappeared without a trace.
Anyway, if you make up your mind, I’ll help with all my might, father!
By the way.
“Why is it so noisy?”
A Western woman sitting opposite was raising her voice sharply. She was making excessive gestures as if she wasn’t happy with her situation.
That woman is causing a racket when we’re having an important conversation!
“Oppa! Is it true?”
Son Yooha clung to me with an excited expression, as if she would fly away any moment.
Oh no, I hope my neck doesn’t fall off.
Just like the ice queen she would grow up to be, Son Yooha’s limbs were longer than her peers. In contrast, I was short, but just wait a few years. I’ll grow exponentially.
“Hyun, it’s great that you can stay in Seoul!”
Park Sunyoung also couldn’t hide her joy. She seemed to be happy for a different reason.
Father couldn’t make a sudden decision on grandfather’s proposal. But I would somehow make sure my parents come to Seoul. It’s a chance to completely resolve emotional ties.
“By the way, Hyun. Did you send the tape to the competition?”
“Of course.”
Luckily, I had a video from the banquet. I hate tedious things.
But when will we hear from them? This is an age when the internet isn’t widespread, so there’s no quick news.
“They’re probably in the middle of the selection process now, given that thousands apply to the competition.”
That many?
It was more than I expected. But since it’s an international competition, it’s to be expected.
“Among them, only two hundred videos are selected for review based on resumes. The rest don’t even get a chance, so I was worried. You don’t have any credentials, so even a strong recommendation might not help.”
Of course, the Queen and the chief conductor of the London Symphony are unparalleled. No one can deny their reputation.
But looking at Park Sunyoung’s expression made me nervous. If I had known, I would have asked Gardener too.
‘Tsk.’
My mind wandered with various thoughts because of the nervousness.
“What happens after that?”
“From the two hundred, sixty are selected based on the tapes, and only they get to perform in Brussels.”
This is survival of the fittest. But somehow, it feels familiar.
In my past life, I passed the bar exam, which thousands, no, tens of thousands, aspired to. Not only did I pass with top marks, but I also outdid the top talents in the judicial training institute.
It’s a bitter memory that has faded over time.
“From the sixty, twenty-four are chosen, and after another third round, the final twelve remain. If you make it to the top twelve in the violin world, you can perform on the world stage.”
“Then, don’t those twelve compete?”
“Of course, they do. This is where it gets interesting.”
Park Sunyoung looked at me with intrigued eyes. Even Son Yooha was listening intently with her ears pricked up.
“In Brussels, where the Battle of Waterloo took place, there’s an isolated mansion called Chapelle. The twelve violinists stay there for eight days, and everything is broadcasted. They practice both assigned and free pieces.”
What?
This was new to me.
What is Chapelle, and what is this about staying together? And media appearances? This is more annoying than when the documentary team came to the judicial training institute. Back then, being the top student, I was pestered with interviews.
Park Sunyoung looked puzzled as she noticed my frowning face.
“Oh, and if you win the competition, you get to borrow a violin made by a master.”
I’m more interested in the military exemption. But Son Yooha stood up suddenly at the mention of the violin.
“Oppa! Let’s play it!”
Park Sunyoung looked puzzled at Son Yooha’s sudden words. I knew what Yooha was talking about.
Gulp, thinking about the illusion makes my throat dry. Can I even touch it? I hesitated a lot back then too.
But Son Yooha disappeared in a flash before I could answer. Oh, that ice queen.
How much time passed?
“Oppa, hurry and play it!”
Son Yooha appeared proudly with the violin that Chairman Wang had hidden.
Park Sunyoung was dumbfounded at the sight of the old violin case. I had no choice but to take the case from Yooha.
Damn.
My heart started pounding wildly again.
As I carefully took the illusion out of the case, Park Sunyoung’s eyes widened.
Having majored in violin all her life, Park Sunyoung wouldn’t be unaware of what instrument I was holding.
Someone once said, they would sell their soul to the devil just to experience the melody of a Stradivari.
Park Sunyoung looked exactly like that, swallowing her saliva. Thump, thump, thump.
Amid the pounding heart,
I lifted the illusion.
At that moment, the wildly beating heart calmed down as if it were a lie.
Ding dong―!
The housekeeper, who was cleaning the mansion in Ichon-dong, straightened up at the unexpected doorbell.
It wasn’t the time for the master to come home yet, and Kang Hyun should be at Pyeongchang-dong. The young couple had gone back to the countryside. Could it be that another child of the master was visiting?
Crossing the garden with curiosity, she went out the gate.
“There’s mail from overseas?”
The postman greeted her.
She took the mail but couldn’t tell who it was from. It wasn’t in English, and the sender’s address was written in unfamiliar squiggly letters. She thought it might be a mistake but wasn’t sure. It could be for the master.
However, the letter began like this:
“To the dear violinist, from Brussels.”
Normally, the letter would arrive to the sixty preliminary passers two weeks later. The sender was from Brussels, Belgium, and the letter was uniquely handwritten by a maestro.
