“Do you remember the illusion?”
Hirose wore a faint smile. Lately, there had been an increasing number of people interested in Stradivari.
Tanaka, as before, had beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Though he had met the queen again, as always, she had a mysterious power that made people tremble.
“How could I forget?”
Antonio Stradivari always pursued endless melodies. He made violins with the same numbering and selected the best among them. Those that did not become the best had no choice but to disappear into a handful of ashes.
Someone once said that such an obsession with melody was proof of having sold one’s soul to the devil. The best instrument born from such an obsession was none other than that.
“Illusion and Ecstasy.”
Among the violins left by Antonio Stradivari, there was the only one with the same numbering.
Even he, who was said to have sold his soul to the devil, could not distinguish the melodies of the two instruments. They had such distinctly different tones.
“Several decades ago, there was a time when two Stradivari came out simultaneously at Sotheby’s. I was a rookie violinist back then. I spent a lot of money to see the Stradivari with the same numbering that I had only heard about in rumors.”
Tanaka gulped and his eyes sparkled. For some reason, Hirose felt like revealing the story he had kept hidden.
“Even though they shared the same numbering, the two instruments were completely different. They were as contrasting as summer and winter, day and night.”
If ecstasy was as hot as the blazing sun…
“In the end, the two instruments were auctioned to one person. He was an elderly gentleman. One day, he suddenly came to me and said this.”
The illusion was as cold as the deepening darkness.
“Violinist, with this Stradivari, create endless melodies from now on.”
Tanaka’s eyes widened. It was utterly unbelievable. Even though it was decades ago, the price of a Stradivari was beyond imagination.
Moreover, it was known to the public that the queen herself had personally won the bid for the Stradivari decades ago.
So what was the truth? Tanaka’s mind became confused.
“I still don’t know who that old gentleman was. I clearly faced him, but I don’t even remember what he looked like. However, I haven’t forgotten the promise we made back then.”
“Why did that gentleman give you the ecstasy?”
The queen’s eyes were clearly not lying.
“At that time, the old gentleman said this. Stradivari is an instrument that finds its owner, and he was merely a caretaker of Stradivari until then. You can dismiss all of this as a fairy tale if you like. It makes it easier to bear.”
Her white hair swayed. Like listening to a legendary tale, Tanaka was deeply engrossed.
“Then, what happens if the owner of the Stradivari doesn’t appear?” At that moment, Hirose gave a peculiar smile.
“It will turn into a handful of ashes.”
“Brother, please eat this.”
Did she watch a historical drama or something? I have fingers, yet she insists on feeding me with her clumsy chopstick skills. Moreover, her demure posture is quite amusing. Mother watched her with a smile.
“Son, is he going to keep filming?”
It seemed my mother was concerned about the filming camera.
I also felt somewhat uneasy, probably because a bulky man was holding a camera all day long. It must have been even more uncomfortable for my mother, who wasn’t used to filming.
The only one who didn’t seem to mind the camera was the ice-cold guy.
“PD-nim, until when are we filming today?”
“Sorry if it was uncomfortable. I just loved seeing your family’s harmonious moments. By the way, Hyun, if it’s alright, can I interview your mother and younger sister? I swear I don’t intend to bother them, so feel free to refuse if you don’t want to.”
Mother seemed surprised to see me conversing fluently in English. I had never spoken English in front of her before, so I understood her reaction.
By the way, Ria had mistaken Son Yooha for my younger sister. She probably thought it was a cultural thing in the East for a younger sister to take such good care of her oppa. This was giving me a headache.
I conveyed Ria’s suggestion to Mother and Yooha.
“I’d like to do it!”
“I’m fine with it, son.”
Son Yooha readily agreed, and Mother nodded afterward. They probably wanted to help me, and Ria’s eager eyes seemed to have played a part as well.
No matter how you look at it, she seems more like a celebrity than a PD. By the way, “Mother, what happened to my school?”
It’s almost time for the new semester to start.
“The principal came to our house himself.”
The principal?
“Grandfather had called him in advance, saying you might not be able to attend school for a while because of the competition. We decided to consider transferring schools slowly.”
Even without seeing, I could picture it clearly. The principal, who was always intimidated by the PTA president, was like that. Of course, if he knew who Grandfather was, he couldn’t help but be amazed.
“Son, and the man from Pyeongchang-dong sent a violin. Is it expensive? Many people came because of the violin, not just Yooha.”
The man from Pyeongchang-dong? Ah, since he had watched me grow up, it was understandable for Mother to call him an uncle.
Chairman Wang wouldn’t have sent Son Yooha alone, and with the Stradivari, many people were probably needed.
“Grandfather lent it to me just for the duration of the competition. I don’t know if it’s expensive.” I couldn’t bring myself to say it was worth the price of a building in downtown Seoul.
Crunch―!
William, a rising star from England, clenched his molars hard. It seemed like he might bleed at any moment. Cold sweat dripped from his face, running down his chin to the floor.
Despite his left hand holding the string and his right hand holding the bow trembling, he didn’t stop what he was doing.
He only stopped bowing when he could no longer lift his arm. “William, are you alright?”
Joseph, who was also from the Royal Academy of Music, couldn’t hide his surprise at William’s appearance.
William always gave a neat and precise impression, but how did he look now? His clothes were all wrinkled, and his hair was disheveled as if a storm had passed through. There was even a faint trace of blood on the tip of his nose.
“Do you think I’d fall here?”
What was he talking about?
William, who always had a high sense of self-esteem, had never looked down on anyone except himself, even in the Royal Academy of Music, where only prodigies gathered.
Moreover, he had boldly declared that he would prove himself as the most outstanding rising star in Brussels.
But no one rebuked him for it. His skills backed up his arrogance, and musicians naturally had to believe they were the best.
“William?”
Joseph called cautiously, but there was no answer. William’s eyes were already thinking of someone else.
It was a small boy, just a little taller than his waist. Moreover, rumors said he had only been learning the violin for a little over a month.
Was this how Niccolò Paganini, Jascha Heifetz, and Eugène Ysaÿe were in their childhood?
Even seeing it, he couldn’t believe it. The sight of the left and right hands playing freely without being constrained gave him goosebumps, and the unbelievable melody made his heart race.
“Do you think I’d become Salieri?”
William clenched his molars again. The reason his trembling arms were lifted was simple. Someone had ignited a burning fire in his dry wick.
Joseph wondered if he should forcibly stop his friend. The second round of judging was not far off. Then it happened.
“William. Your nose, your nose!”
Blood flowing from his nose forced him to stop playing.
The second round of judging was to select 12 out of 24 people.
The unique feature of the Queen Elisabeth Competition was that any genre of music was allowed for the free piece.
Mother’s eyes were filled with regret. The second round of judging was closed to the general audience.
“Mother, don’t worry too much.”
It seemed she was quite worried about her young son competing with strangers in a foreign country. She hurriedly smiled, probably thinking I might be nervous and flustered.
I’ll do well, Mother.
“Brother―!”
Son Yooha, who had now gotten used to calling me “brother” instead of “oppa,” cheered with her small hands, looking adorable. She finally started to look her age.
Even before that thought faded, Son Yooha ran over to Mother and clung to her. As expected of a daughter from a conglomerate family, she was skilled in social tactics.
Hagrid didn’t miss any of this and captured it all on camera.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
Due to the significantly reduced number of participants from the first round, each of us had our own waiting room.
Even at a glance, the old violin case and the filming camera, as well as Ria’s gaze, were all focused on me. She seemed to have many questions but did not disturb my time.
Having filmed the Queen Elisabeth documentary so far, she knew how sensitive violinists were before the competition.
Thump thump thump.
Even though I hadn’t taken out the illusion yet, my heart was pounding violently. It felt like the violin inside the case was clamoring to be taken out.
Hold on; I’ll help you show your true worth. Let’s harmonize properly today. “Number thirty-seven, please get ready.”
A voice came from beyond the waiting room.
Carefully, I took the violin out of the case.
Ria blinked at the black strings between the bright red resonator.
A violin with a spooky appearance, like the devil’s touch.
She might have seen it somewhere before, but she couldn’t immediately recall it. Hagrid, holding the filming camera, also tensed up at the appearance of an unusual violin.
Soft lights shining toward the stage illuminated me once again.
For some reason, I wasn’t nervous. Unlike last time, I felt no tension constricting my body; instead, my chest seemed to burn hotly.
It’s true that expensive things are nice.
When I return to Korea, I’ll have to get this thing from Chairman Wang somehow. After all, I know how to make money.
“Number thirty-seven?”
The judge calling out the numbers stopped for a moment.
Alexei, who had his arms crossed, uncrossed them and blinked in disbelief. Deng Lun was equally surprised; it seemed he was about to jump over the judge’s table.
Hagrid was alternating between filming the judges and the contestant on stage, swallowing nervously.
