“Anna, please pass the pepper.”
Chapel strictly prohibits the entry of outsiders. The 12 violinists had to take turns cleaning and cooking.
Are you wondering if there wasn’t enough practice time? Well, if someone saw us, they might think we spent all day cleaning and cooking. Moreover, all the violin masters unanimously said that long practice sessions are actually detrimental.
“Here, here it is.”
Anna carefully handed me the pepper shaker. Anna had misunderstood the scene where I was comforting William, who was crying like a child. It’s a good thing we cleared up the misunderstanding; otherwise, I might have been wrongly labeled as having different sexual preferences. I’ve always liked women!
“Hyun, what are you making?”
“Jjimdak, a dish commonly eaten in Korea.”
Anna looked at me with curiosity. It was understandable since the food made by violinists who had never cooked before was predictably simple. They were already sick of eating bread and bacon every day.
Watch closely, this is the cooking skill honed from my past life during study sessions.
“Wow, it smells really good.”
Anna smiled brightly, a rare sight, her eyes shining. At times like this, she looked just like a Russian doll. She must have been quite popular in Moscow.
As I added the soaked glass noodles to the simmering jjimdak, Anna’s eyes widened in surprise. There was nothing that Chapel didn’t have in terms of ingredients.
“Did you and Anna really make this?”
Jang Yan raised his eyebrows as he looked at the food. He looked like a monk who had attained enlightenment, almost as if he might pray before eating.
Others seemed equally astonished. Eric, from Northern Europe, was already drooling.
“This is amazing. Honestly, I was worried when you two said you were going to cook. I almost want to ask you to cook every time. The aroma itself is extraordinary.”
Joseph exclaimed in admiration.
“No, Hyun did all the cooking. I just prepared the ingredients,” Anna said in a small voice.
“Hyun, I thought your talent was only in playing the violin, but now it seems you should pursue cooking. How can your dish taste better than my grandmother’s? This red stew is truly fantastic!”
Eric exclaimed as he emptied his bowl repeatedly. He looked like a descendant of the Vikings. If we hadn’t stopped him, he might have eaten all the jjimdak by himself.
At that moment.
‘Huh?’
Something caught my eye. While everyone else was busy eating, only Daniel Brühl from Germany was frowning.
I wondered if the older guy was being picky about food, but it didn’t seem like it. He was struggling to eat the chicken.
“Daniel, have you been holding the bow all day yesterday?”
“Yeah, I must have practiced too hard. The pain is lasting longer than expected.”
It seemed like his hand was cramping. Holding the bow all day could definitely cause that. Moreover, the piece assigned to Daniel required skill in variations and fast passages, which must have been quite stressful.
These were people I had grown attached to over the past few days. Although they were my competitors, spending time together at Chapel had made me see them as companions in the endless pursuit of melody rather than mere rivals.
“Everyone, listen to me for a moment.”
Everyone’s attention turned to my voice.
‘Let’s show each other our assigned pieces.’
The saying that violinists are like sensitive flowers felt real. Only seven violinists agreed to my suggestion.
Interestingly, all three dark horses of this competition attended: Zhang Yan from China, Eric from Northern Europe, and William from the UK, who looked ready for an opportunity.
“I’ll play first.”
Perhaps because he had eaten a lot of jjimdak earlier, Eric, looking even larger, picked up his violin.
Like a scene from a music salon, we sat around and listened to his performance.
As one, two, three performances continued.
‘As expected.’
I was convinced. No matter how talented these young violinists were, they hadn’t yet perfected their posture. They were like Park Sun-young.
Of course, posture wasn’t the only issue in their performances. However, I couldn’t criticize every detail. It was a matter of their musical pride, and I had no intention of doing so.
“Eric, come over here.”
I climbed onto a chair and corrected Eric’s posture.
“What are you doing?”
Just like Park Sun-young, Eric looked puzzled. They had maintained a fixed posture all their lives. To them, the posture I corrected must have looked awkward. It was understandable.
I don’t know how I can see these things. The answers just pop into my head like simple arithmetic.
After finally correcting his large frame, I was a bit sweaty.
“Play that piece again.”
“What?”
Eric reluctantly nodded at my firm gaze.
“If you don’t like the posture, you don’t have to change it. Changing your posture right before the competition isn’t a good idea. But it’s good to know the posture that suits your body. We are people who pursue melody.”
The initial distrust was gone, and Eric’s face was now as flushed as when he ate jjimdak. The richness and harmony in the melody had changed.
Even a small change makes a noticeable difference to musicians.
Everyone watching was wide-eyed at this miraculous scene. Especially William, who seemed to think his time had come, met my gaze.
Everyone gulped at that moment.
“Me, me too, please!”
Anna stood up suddenly, and I smiled and quietly stepped down from the chair.
“Is Chairman Wang personally taking action?”
President Kim Jae-sun stood up abruptly. Holding the receiver, he looked like he was supporting a superior.
Kim Jae-sun’s wrinkled eyes repeatedly opened and closed in surprise.
“Quickly gather the directors.”
With a short command, not only the editorial chiefs but also the heads of the social, political, and economic departments were gathered. Their orderly appearance was no less than a military unit ready for action.
Kim Jae-sun scanned the attendees and began.
“Does anyone here know that Chairman Wang is heading to Europe?”
Everyone immediately knew who Chairman Wang referred to. Their newspaper had been owned by Daewoo Group before the media consolidation. Even now, the actual owner was no different. When no one spoke up.
“Chairman Wang is personally going to Europe for a young prodigy. Have you all heard of the Queen Elizabeth Competition?”
Kim Jae-sun raised his voice, as if he already knew.
“That young prodigy has made it to the final list in an international competition. Let’s see if anyone here knows about it. Raise your hand.”
Korea was a barren land for classical music. Few people took an interest, and the demand for classical music was limited to a specific class.
Moreover, it wasn’t their job to cover international competitions; that was for music magazines. But Kim Jae-sun had a different opinion.
“A young child is representing our country alone in a distant land. Is it acceptable for us, as journalists, to be unaware of this? Especially when Chairman Wang is personally taking action!”
National prestige.
“Sir, can we know the child’s name?”
The political chief, unsure why he was summoned, raised his hand. The reason was simple: he was the youngest of the chiefs.
Kim Jae-sun emphasized the four syllables, “national prestige,” and spoke again.
“Listen carefully, it’s Kang Hyun. Kang Hyun!”
The name Kang Hyun was etched in the minds of the journalists, along with the phrase “national prestige.”
Achoo―!
Damn, sometimes I sneeze for no reason. Is someone talking about me again?
“Hyun, are you feeling unwell?”
Mark, the supervisor of Chapel, looked concerned. I shook my head. Come to think of it, I hadn’t even caught a cold. Looking back, I wasn’t that healthy as a child.
“No, it’s fine. It must be the pollen.”
“If you have any issues, don’t hesitate to come to me. The most important thing for Queen Elizabeth is your health.”
Mark, who always seemed to have a new saying, was now familiar to me.
“Hyun, do you know Eden Simeon, the permanent conductor of the Belgian National Symphony Orchestra?”
Ah, I had heard of him. In my past life, he had conducted for Belgium his whole life. But by the time I got into classical music, he no longer held the baton. Mark seemed more pleased with my answer of “I don’t know.”
“It will be a meaningful time, Hyun.”
With Mark’s send-off, I arrived at Bozar Hall to prepare for the collaboration with the symphony orchestra.
Walking alone into the hall reminded me of the time I came with Alexei.
I wondered if the red curtains were still fluttering.
As I opened the door to Bozar Hall with anticipation.
Boom―!
A low clarinet sound was heard. That wasn’t the end. As the baton cut through the air.
Zing―!
The violin, cello, and contrabass melodies resonated. The sudden start of the symphony captivated my eyes and ears.
The red-haired conductor continued to conduct, unaware of my presence.
A series of breathless moments.
The deep, dark tone of Slavic music felt like navigating through the vast ocean in the pitch-black night.
The orchestra responded to the conductor’s fingertips, creating a fierce sound. Each member was highly skilled.
Perhaps because of my newfound talent, it felt different from when I appreciated the orchestra in my past life. Even swallowing felt like a sin.
Then.
At the conductor’s signal, the atmosphere changed.
Yes. The melody resonated like a warrior overcoming adversity. The rising joy gave me goosebumps.
Finally, the low tones erupted like a volcanic eruption, ending in a joyous finale.
I had stood still for a long time, but it felt like the entire performance had passed in an instant. My palms were sweaty as evidence.
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5.
After the conductor finished, he bowed to the orchestra and turned around. Despite the long time, it felt all too brief.
The red-haired conductor and I made eye contact. “Violinist, that performance was for you.” Just by looking at me.
“What did you feel while listening to the symphony?”
The pressure felt overwhelming. It wasn’t just because many orchestra members were watching me. It wasn’t because the sudden event made me freeze. The conductor’s piercing eyes felt like they were reading my soul.
Yes, I had felt this when facing Chairman Wang.
“In the second movement, the horn, in the third and fourth movements, the first violin and cello, and…”
At my firm answer.
“The direction of the baton was wrong when starting the first movement.”
