Between Coolness and Passion.
Suddenly, I thought of Kaori Ekuni’s book. Is there a better phrase to describe my current feelings? The heart that was beating wildly calmed down as soon as the violin touched my shoulder as if it were a lie.
However, it felt as if I was wearing nothing. It felt like I was showing everything to the illusion.
The illusion appeared cold and lonely as if it had been waiting for me.
It felt as if time had stopped for everyone.
Park Sun-young swallowed her breath and looked at me, while Son Yooha, who had been urging me like a country dog, gave me a cautious look with her round rabbit eyes.
I was the one who broke the silence. I pressed the silver strings that shimmered as if alive with my left hand. The bow gripped in my right hand was still sharp, as if it could pierce my lungs at any moment. Only then did Paganini’s words make sense to me.
When the black stem of the red resonance board caressed my cheek like a long hand.
I raised the bow.
Zing.
The bow and strings constantly collided, creating a melody. What movement was I playing?
Musical notes and symbols had long been forgotten in my mind. I had no clear thought of what piece to play. I just wanted to scold this impudent thing that had been waiting for a violinist for so long.
If I let my guard down even a little, it seemed like it would inevitably devour me. The burning heart was proof of that.
Was it Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, or Leonid?
The names of many masters appeared and disappeared within the melody repeatedly.
Park Sun-young was staring at me with her hands clenched tightly. It was to the point where I wondered if blood would come out. Even her eyes were shaking as if an earthquake had occurred.
Indeed.
Zing!
The bow and strings collided strongly, envying each other.
Sweat poured down my body like a torrential rain. The illusion was pouring out all the sounds it could, as if to show that it had been waiting for me for a long time.
Hold on, this is not the place for you to rampage yet!
Even the strong pressure of the bow created a cool and transparent melody.
“Ha.”
When the tip of the bow pointed to the floor again, I exhaled the breath I had been holding. The black stem of the red resonance board came down from my shoulder, as if regretfully.
Neither Park Sun-young nor Son Yooha could easily open their mouths. They were so shocked by what they had seen that their whole bodies were trembling.
I looked at the illusion carefully. It was still waiting for me, shimmering in silver.
Damn it, don’t look at me like that, you instrument.
If I had taken this out for the first time at a competition, I would have frozen and been unable to do anything.
“Hyun, what piece did you play?”
At Park Sun-young’s trembling question, I couldn’t answer. Because even I didn’t know. Only this thing would know the answer.
Was the beautiful and chilling melody the wish of many violinists, or the desire of a devil?
“What’s Brussels like?”
Hirose smiled faintly at Tanaka’s question.
Tanaka’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He was soaked in sweat to the point where he looked like someone who had just come out of a shower.
It was no wonder, as the queen in front of him was a national-level master, so it would have been strange if he wasn’t nervous.
“Brilliant, elegant, but filled with sorrow. Does that explain it?”
Tanaka didn’t understand. He understood the first two sentences, but the following sentence seemed out of place no matter how he thought about it.
Brussels was a place that any violinist dreamed of. There were countless violinists who aimed for Brussels from a young age.
“Mr. Tanaka, they say there is no birth without pain, right?”
At that moment, the queen’s eyes held a glimpse of the past.
“They look at the melody in the endless dawn. But like a faint dawn, they can’t grasp it. They can’t tell if they’re walking the right path or struggling in a ditch. They say only geniuses can head to Chapelle. But I don’t think so.”
Gulp.
“The ones I saw were all mad about the violin. Including myself, I guess. The term ‘melody of madness’ fits perfectly. Looking back, I wonder if there was ever a time in my life that was as beautiful but harsh. To the point where I felt sorry for the audience who could only glimpse the world through a short competition.”
Manager Goro looked down at his wristwatch. It was because the interview time was almost up. Tanaka didn’t miss that look.
“Ms. Hirose, what do you think about this competition?”
The queen had resigned from being a judge. There were rumors that the person who received the queen’s recommendation would head to Brussels. But most didn’t believe it, thinking it was a false rumor.
‘There wouldn’t be anyone who could meet the queen’s gentle yet endlessly strict standards when it comes to the violin.’
That’s what Tanaka thought. However, the queen showed a mysterious smile that she had never shown before.
“It will be Hyun’s time.”
Scrape.
Chairman Wang, who was trimming the landscaping trees, looked up.
“Old man, is that true?”
Chairman Yoo nodded silently. But there was an unmistakable joy in his eyes.
‘A truly talented person is indeed talented.’
Chairman Wang swallowed his surprise and put down the pruning shears. He hadn’t expected him to pass the preliminaries so easily. Moreover, it was one of the world’s top three competitions.
Someone was about to make their debut on a stage that many dreamed of.
“Old man, I used to think of musicians like these orchids.”
To Chairman Wang, musicians were like orchids.
They only bloom when carefully nurtured, maintaining integrity and loyalty. To achieve the flower language of pure beauty, they had to overcome countless hardships and their own battles. Perhaps that was why they were so sensitive.
“But Hyun is fascinating.”
Like a rainbow-colored carp reflecting numerous colors in the sunlight, that child had many different facets.
Sometimes like a child, other times extremely cold, and when playing the violin, hotter than anyone else. No wonder he was so tempting.
Chairman Wang had more confidence in his ability to read people than anyone else.
When he was running a large wholesale business in Hamgyongbuk-do, there were several times when he almost went bankrupt, but his ability to read people saved him from crisis each time.
It was no different when he set up Jeil Trading Company after moving to Seoul. It was a time when trusting people was the hardest thing to do.
Having lived through turbulent times, had he ever been so drawn to anyone?
Though he had aged on the outside, his judgment had only become sharper.
When he rejected Stradivari, he knew that he could never buy that child with money.
Chairman Wang took off his dirt-stained gloves.
“Father-in-law.”
As Chairman Wang quietly grasped his hand, Chairman Yoo pulled his hand away with a cough.
“Why are you doing this? It gives me goosebumps.”
Chairman Yoo knew well about Chairman Wang’s love for his granddaughter. Moreover, Chairman Wang was a friend he could trust for life.
Despite that, the reason he pulled his hand away was simple. He thought of his youngest daughter.
At first, he didn’t realize it, but every time he saw his grandchild, he realized how ignorant he had been to oppose the marriage.
“I don’t dislike Yooha either, but they have to like each other.”
If another chaebol family heard this, they would clutch their necks and collapse. No one in the business world would refuse a marriage alliance with Jeil Group. Moreover, she was the only daughter of Son Ilsung, who was marked as the successor. It was pointless to say more.
“Grandpa!”
Just then, Son Yooha came running towards Chairman Wang from a distance. She seemed to be hoping that Kang Hyun had come along since Chairman Yoo was there.
Chairman Wang looked at Yooha with a knowing expression.
“Yooha, you should greet this old man, I mean, Hyun’s grandfather, right?”
At Chairman Wang’s words, Son Yooha, who had been making a demure face, slowly bowed and greeted him. She was the epitome of a perfect lady. Seeing that, Chairman Wang glanced at Chairman Yoo.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to accept your granddaughter-in-law’s greeting?”
Screeeech―!
The airplane noise was deafening. First-time flyers anxiously looked out the large windows.
They probably didn’t know that a plane that lands with a loud thud is actually safer than one that lands smoothly like skating.
The scenery of Gimpo Airport was still unfamiliar.
“Hyun, you have to come back safely, okay?”
My parents’ faces were filled with worry as they saw me off again. They must have been taken aback by my sudden participation in an international competition, yet my mother had packed homemade side dishes and gochujang for me.
Grandfather, instead of making his usual joke about taking off his shoes, was smiling silently at me. It meant he trusted me that much. That being said.
“Grandfather, I don’t see Yooha?”
I had expected Son Yooha to come see me off. Spending so much time together, I had grown fond of her. I had even worried last night that she might cling to me at the airport, but it felt like a futile concern now. Is this why they say a woman’s heart is like a reed?
I barely held back a chuckle.
“Hyun, are you sure you can go alone?”
Grandfather asked me one last time, but my answer remained the same. There was no need for anyone to accompany me. The competition staff had said they would personally greet me.
Grandfather had seen enough of me to not worry much, but my parents were different. I forced a bright smile.
Mother, rest assured. Your son has flown more times than he has taken the subway.
“I’ll be back safe and sound!”
As I headed to the departure gate alone, I felt like a short-haired young man holding a draft notice and heading to the military base.
Ah, that doesn’t apply to me. I was a legal officer in my past life.
Flight attendants occasionally gave me curious looks as I walked alone to board the plane, but I had no time to care about them.
“Brussels, huh.”
The letter said this. They had sent me the letter fifteen days early and asked if I could come to Brussels as soon as possible if I had the time.
The urgency in their handwriting was evident. But why should I? There was no need to rush. There were no extra points for arriving early. Besides, it wasn’t my urgency but Brussels’.
Just as Kang Hyun completely disappeared from sight.
“Oppaaa―!”
A girl came running frantically from the other side of the airport. Her face was swollen, as if she had cried a lot the night before.
People around her worried she might fall. Behind her, Chairman Wang’s secretary was sweating profusely, struggling to keep up with her. The little girl was so fast.
