Park Sunyoung opened her eyes wide as she read the newspaper.
Why was her heart pounding as if it was going to burst, even though she was just reading simple print?
It felt as if the melody of that day was coming back from the photograph prominently featured on the front page of the newspaper.
The first time she encountered a Stradivarius in her life.
“Sunyoung, what are you looking at so intently?” At that moment, Park Sunyoung’s friend came closer.
“Oh, the Queen Elisabeth. Because of that, the school is in an uproar. They say the winner is 14 years old, and the professors are scrambling to find out who taught the violin to this kid. Some people were busy just trying to hold the violin posture correctly at 14, but the youngest winner ever?”
There was a saying that the beginning is half the battle. Initially, it was just to gain experience. Winning an award at such a prestigious competition was already impressive, but winning the grand prize left her speechless.
“He’s also handsome, and he’ll probably make a lot of women cry when he gets older. Anyway, being the Queen Elisabeth winner is causing a huge stir in the music department. I heard someone even submitted a proposal to the department head to invite him for a lecture.”
For students majoring in music, this award was perhaps more valuable than an Olympic gold medal.
There were countless students who aimed to play the violin with the Queen Elisabeth competition in mind, so there was no need to say more.
“I heard a rumor that he’s the third generation of a conglomerate family. By the way, Sunyoung, aren’t you also tutoring for a chaebol family?”
Of course, I am.
Initially, I taught him the basics with a relaxed mind, but at some point, he surpassed me.
It was to the extent that receiving guidance from Kang Hyun was better than getting private lessons from a famous professor.
It felt like he was pinpointing the lacking parts like a specialized tutor. Now, I even thought that maybe I should be the one paying for tutoring.
“Who is the real teacher?”
Who would he have learned from? Park Sunyoung swallowed her saliva.
Wearing a school uniform feels exceedingly awkward.
A suit I wore for decades would be more comfortable. This feels like a new employee wearing their first suit.
Thinking about when I will be done with being a student, I went down to the first floor where my mother was waiting.
“Son, are you ready?”
I swallowed my grumbling at the sight of my mother smiling brightly.
She was fixing my outfit. The fact that I had distanced myself from my parents for success in my past life still pained my heart.
Even my wife never properly fixed my tie. I wonder what she’s doing around this time now.
Do I miss her? Not a chance, not even a bit.
“I’ll be back!”
I got into the car driven by Mr. Kim and headed to the countryside. By the time we arrived, it would be just past lunchtime.
I was on my way to receive my last award. The reason was obvious; my face had been prominently featured in the newspaper. Before transferring to a school in Seoul, they probably wanted to take a photo.
I didn’t mind much.
I had to go down there once to say goodbye anyway.
-Daesung Middle School ‘Kang Hyun’ Queen Elisabeth Competition Grand Prize Winner-
Really fast. There was already a large banner fluttering in front of the school gate.
The sudden appearance of a luxury sedan made not only the security guard’s eyes widen, but I could also feel the gazes of the students playing soccer on the playground.
“Kang Hyun, congratulations. I never imagined you had such talent for the violin. The award ceremony will be held on the playground after lunch, so you can receive your award then. You can say a few words if you want. Also, local TV is here to cover it.”
I reunited with Kang Bongdu, the teacher in charge, in the teacher’s office. He still had that twitching square jaw. One of the few genuine teachers I had met.
The teachers in the office stood up from their seats to look at my face. Being featured on the front page of a newspaper was not something just anyone could do.
At that moment, the principal hurriedly approached from a distance.
“The pride of Daesung Middle School, student Kang Hyun!”
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
It was a time without an auditorium. Fortunately, the weather was cool. Some students were happy to watch the award ceremony instead of having classes.
Among them were Kim Daewoo, who still had chubby cheeks, and teacher Kang Hye-jung, who had introduced me to Beethoven’s symphony.
Their eyes still could not hide their surprise.
“Kang Hyun, could you say a few words?”
They wanted me to say something to the students.
Kang Bongdu looked at me with a worried expression. He seemed to think I was nervous, seeing the camera from the local TV station in front of me.
In fact, I just took a moment to catch my breath because I was overwhelmed with emotions. Who would have thought I’d be holding a microphone in front of the entire school?
“Ah, mic test.”
“Where is the golfer?”
Perhaps because the grass was dewy from the night, putting was exceptionally difficult. The passion of the two elderly men was impressive, as if they were in a golf tournament.
Did Chairman Wang’s wish reach the heavens? Eventually, the golf ball barely missed the hole. Chairman Yoo frowned at the sight.
“Mr. Son, you’ve improved a lot. How about a little bet?”
“You old rascal, trying to trick me again.”
Chairman Wang had once been completely defeated by Chairman Yoo in a game of Go. In fact, Chairman Yoo was a bit better at golf too.
If someone who knew Chairman Wang had seen this, they would have rubbed their eyes in disbelief. He was a man who hated losing to anyone. Chairman Yoo was licking his dry lips as if regretting something.
“Old man, how is Hyun’s father doing? Is he adjusting well to company life?”
“Are you talking about Kang’s husband? He’s a smart fellow, so I’m not worried, but he might find it difficult since it’s not his desired field. It would be good if he becomes useful soon.”
“Old man, if you really don’t have anyone to entrust, just hand over Dongju to me. Then I’ll take good care of it and pass it on to Hyun later.”
If anyone heard, they might think they were pawning items. Although it involved astronomical amounts of money, the two elderly men talked casually.
The scary part was that all of this was not just a joke, but entirely possible.
At the Gapyeong Country Club, famous for its beautiful scenery, the tall pine trees stood densely as if reaching the sky.
In a small resting place watched over by the old pines, a young girl was sipping orange juice, her cheeks puffed up.
“Grandpa—!”
Chairman Wang smiled at his approaching granddaughter.
It was Yooha, who insisted on coming to the golf course early in the morning. She was probably hoping Hyun would come too. Disappointed by the unfulfilled expectation, her face was full of sulkiness.
However, whenever she felt Chairman Yoo’s gaze, she acted like a refined young lady. Chairman Wang thought to himself that kids these days are really hard to understand.
“Yooha, you must have been bored waiting all by yourself. What can grandpa do for you?”
“Hmm, just grant me one wish!”
A wish?
Chairman Wang remembered the incident on the plane. Hopefully, she wouldn’t throw a tantrum asking for a violin again.
But he knew Yooha’s stubbornness of getting what she wanted all too well. After all, she took after Chairman Wang himself.
Just then, a hole came into Chairman Wang’s sight.
“If Yooha can get the ball into that hole in one shot, grandpa will grant any wish.”
A wish shouldn’t be easily granted. Chairman Wang had a long-held belief that one should know the taste of achieving something from a young age.
The hole wasn’t that far, but it seemed impossible for a child to make a hole-in-one with one shot.
But, as they say, blood doesn’t lie. Yooha immediately pulled out a junior driver.
“Her personality is just like yours, Mr. Son.”
Chairman Yoo laughed heartily as he watched the scene. It was reminiscent of Chairman Wang when he started the semiconductor business, preparing with a firm determination despite knowing it was an impossible task.
The caddy hurriedly prepared the golf ball. Their eyes were also filled with keen interest. It was then.
Swish!
Yooha swung the golf club smoothly. Just looking at her swing made one want to applaud.
“Oh, oh?”
But the trajectory of the golf ball was heading straight towards the hole. For a moment, the smile on Chairman Wang’s face changed.
“Hyun, grandpa is having lunch in Pyeongchang-dong, so let’s eat by ourselves.”
Mother and the housekeeper lady are still the best of friends. Ever since grandpa brought my parents to the Icheon-dong mansion, there has been no shortage of laughter. By the way.
“Father is having a hard time.”
I heard at the restaurant the other day that father majored in chemistry. Grandpa, who knows about my father’s past that I’m unaware of, must have brought him to Dongju.
Moreover, the position he was assigned to was not in research, but in administration. I understand grandpa’s intentions. He intends to eventually hand over the management to father.
“He is sleeping soundly.”
Father was lying down fast asleep in front of a large computer. The monitor was showing a report in progress.
It was a time when computers were becoming widely used, so preparing a presentation was necessary. However, the report looked rather shoddy. Given the lack of a proper format for reports in this era, it was understandable. But still.
Hmm.
It was somewhat expected. Father had run a laundry for many years. Although the content was straightforward with no unnecessary details, indicating he indeed majored in chemistry as grandpa said.
However, a report needs to have a visual appeal that allows the reader to immediately grasp its essence. This couldn’t be fixed by merely rearranging the layout.
I had decided to help with all my might.
Moreover, in my past life, I had written and received reports to the point of nausea. Usually, each company has its own style for reports, but it was too early for such things in this era. Even the early version of Hangul Word Processor was just rudimentary.
How to change this shabby report?
But to my surprise, as soon as I decided, my fingers moved swiftly. I adjusted the font size, style, aspect ratio, letter spacing, and line spacing.
I even moved awkwardly arranged sentences to make the original intent clearer. Great!
“Son?”
At that moment, father woke up, rubbing his eyes. His gaze alternated between my fingers and the monitor, and his eyes grew wider and wider.
Oops, I originally intended to explain it verbally, but I got so into it that I did it without realizing it.
Fortunately, I didn’t touch the content. To an outsider, it might look like a child’s prank.
“How, how did you do this?”
Father blinked several times as he looked at the monitor. He seemed astonished that I could handle the computer so skillfully.
Moreover, didn’t I enhance the visual clarity of the report? It had the same content, but it must have felt like looking at a different world.
There were computer classes springing up occasionally, but they wouldn’t teach report writing techniques. How should I explain where I learned this?
The format I created,
“I learned it in technology class.”
