“You’re very handsome, aren’t you?”
My body froze like a frog in front of a snake. Considering she was my direct superior in my past life, it was a natural reaction. She was the chairwoman of Daeil Group, and I encountered her the most, so my old habits surfaced unconsciously.
I swallowed my nerves by clenching my fists. However, in this life, she’s just an unrelated lady to me. No, maybe not entirely unrelated? Anyway, let’s not be intimidated.
“Thank you.”
“I understand why Yooha keeps looking for Hyun. Not only is he handsome, but he’s also great at playing the violin. Isn’t that cheating?”
“Mom, no, Mother—!”
Son Yooha’s cheeks flushed red. She jumped up and down in place, looking like a rabbit. Normally, she would have called her ‘Mom,’ but for some reason, she called her ‘Mother,’ which was quite cute. Im Hyera also tried hard to suppress her laughter at the sight.
“Have a great time. Chairman Yoo, I’ll see you again.”
Im Hyera bowed politely to the grandfather and moved away to greet other guests. The feeling was different from when I first met Chairman Wang.
By the way, young Im Hyera is a spitting image of adult Son Yooha. It’s surprising to see a blushing little girl grow up so gracefully.
Moreover, she transformed into the ice queen with charisma that no man in the company could match. Although it was something I already knew, it was still hard to believe. But.
“When will I grow taller?”
I knew that my height would increase dramatically in high school, but my short limbs were still unfamiliar.
At this rate, Son Yooha, who is three years younger than me, might surpass my height. What does she eat to grow so rapidly every day?
“Oppa, let’s go see that!”
Grandfather was busy talking with Chairman Wang, and Son Yooha dragged me around the gallery.
This was a place I visited every morning when I used to work. Im Hyera liked this place so much. I could navigate it with my eyes closed. But.
“Click.”
I felt stinging gazes. Just like the last banquet, the children of chaebols occasionally glanced at me.
The reason was simple. They came to connect with Son Yooha, the eldest daughter of Daeil Group, but since she wouldn’t leave my side, they saw me as a thorn in their side.
Kids, try to increase your charm like me.
“Are you Violinist Kang Hyun?”
At that moment, an unexpected person approached me. He had a young face but looked familiar.
“I’m Lee Sangjun from Daeo Group. Your performance last time was truly inspiring.”
Ah, I remembered who he was. But why is this kid, who must be just a high schooler, attaching the group name before his name? Old habits die hard.
“If you have time, may I escort Violinist Kang Hyun and the lady?”
He still had the habit of speaking like he had butter in his mouth since he was young.
In my past life, I knew Lee Sangjun. Ah, of course, it was one-sidedly through the news.
Unfortunately, the jurisdiction that took care of Lee Sangjun was the Eastern District Prosecutor’s Office.
“The white and black lines crossing the gloomy canvas were inspired by Vuillard. I think Im Hyera wanted to express a city made only of black and white in this painting. The eyes peeking through the gaps represent a cold observer pointing out modern society’s problems. Isn’t it an excellent piece?”
Oh my, he must have gotten a pamphlet from somewhere.
Lee Sangjun acted like a curator, explaining the artwork. Of course, to Son Yooha, not me.
Who wouldn’t be interested in a story related to their parents? Son Yooha was already listening attentively, her eyes sparkling.
“Well.”
At that moment, I stepped forward.
This painting was one of Im Hyera’s works that I often saw in my past life. One day, while staring at it endlessly, the chairwoman explained its meaning to me.
“It is indeed a great piece, but your interpretation is completely off. It’s not a gloomy canvas; it depicts a rainy day. The white and black lines are not from Vuillard but simply blinds covering a window. The eyes peeking through are not of a cold observer but of a woman longing for her hometown.”
It was entirely different from the description in the pamphlet.
Chairwoman Im Hyera said she painted it while studying in France, missing Korea. She said she felt homesick on rainy days.
The description in the pamphlet was prepared by the agency. At that moment,
“Hyuna?”
Huh?
“How did you know?”
I met eyes with Im Hyera, who was standing behind me.
The meal was not enjoyable. I could feel Im Hyera’s persistent gaze. She must have found it curious that I knew the interpretation of the artwork that no one else did. Although I claimed to have guessed, she wasn’t naive enough to believe that.
“So this culture was created from then.”
It was a meal prepared at the gallery’s annex. In my past life, Im Hyera always held a dinner at the annex after an artist exhibition, and it was no less impressive than a five-star hotel.
Famous chefs would come and effortlessly prepare everything from appetizers to desserts right in front of us.
Just like a banquet gathering three generations of chaebols, Im Hyera’s exhibitions under Daeil Foundation were famous. People even spent a fortune to get an invitation. In Korea, where connections are crucial, this place was like a gold mine.
“It’s been a while.”
I squeezed lemon and spread butter over the red fish soaked in oil. It was a typical French entrée, but the way of eating it was slightly different. I remembered how much Chairwoman Im Hyera loved traditional French cuisine.
It might seem greasy, but it was surprisingly mild when eaten.
“Have you ever been to France, Hyun?”
“Pardon?”
“You seem to know how to eat traditional French cuisine better than I do.”
For a moment, Im Hyera looked at me with a puzzled expression. As a result, both my grandfather and Chairman Wang turned their attention to me.
I almost choked but quickly sipped from a glass of water. Panicking in such situations is for amateurs.
“I learned it from a French violinist while I was in Brussels for a competition. That friend was an excellent cook.”
While my grandfather and Chairman Wang nodded in agreement, Im Hyera still looked puzzled. But what could she do? She couldn’t possibly track down every violinist who participated in the Queen Elizabeth Competition to verify it.
The meal ended, and the main event began. Everyone held a wine glass in hand and engaged in conversation. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that everyone here was waiting for this moment.
It seemed like everyone was moving freely, but they were actually greeting Chairman Wang in an orderly manner.
Of course, soon that spot would be taken by Chairwoman Im Hyera.
In my past life, there was a saying about Daeil Group: even though the management rights were held by the Son family, the financial reins were in the hands of the Im family. That’s how competent she was. Son Ilsung wasn’t afraid of his wife for no reason.
“This piece, by the way, is by Peter Lancher. The artist pursued surrealism, using various mysterious colors. The boy floating on the water reflects the artist’s childhood.”
Lee Sangjun had approached again. He continued explaining the artwork to Son Yooha, holding a coffee cup in one hand.
Seeing me holding an orange juice, he smirked as if he were an adult.
It wasn’t even funny. Knowing how his future would turn out, it was laughable.
Still, I should correct the wrong information.
“It’s not by Peter Lancher but by Peter Doig, and it wasn’t created in pursuit of surrealism. The boy in the painting isn’t a reflection of the artist’s childhood either.”
Peter Doig didn’t pursue surrealism. It was later revealed that he painted the picture while under the influence of drugs.
The painting depicted a boy skating on an icy lake while the artist was high.
Far from surrealism, it was the perspective of a drug addict. However, after this fact came to light, the value of his work skyrocketed, proving once again the unpredictable world of modern art.
“Hyun, you seem to have a lot of interest in modern art?”
Im Hyera, who had approached without me noticing, spoke to me, leaving Lee Sangjun speechless.
“Would you like to come to my company for a few days?” What was this about?
I headed to the gallery in a car driven by Mr. Kim.
I didn’t know why Chairwoman Im Hyera suggested I come to her company, but it was a welcome opportunity for me.
The reason was simple. It was because of middle school. Since it was compulsory education, early graduation was impossible, and dropping out would undoubtedly upset my parents.
Even though my body had shrunk, I couldn’t endure another monotonous school life. There were too many things to do during that time.
But seeing Chairwoman Im Hyera sparked a thought.
Daeil Foundation had a private middle school. If I could impress Chairwoman Im Hyera, I might be able to act more freely there.
“Mr. Kim, you can pick me up after lunch.”
After getting out of the car and entering the gallery, I saw the staff moving busily. A female employee, perhaps informed about me by Chairwoman Im Hyera, came out and led me to her office.
“Is Chairwoman Im not here yet?”
“Chairwoman? Ms. Im hasn’t arrived yet, so please wait a bit.”
Oh, right, she wasn’t a chairwoman yet.
But the office decor didn’t match her taste. It seemed the staff hadn’t grasped her preferences since she had just returned to Korea.
The young female employee brought tea and orange juice. She looked quite young, probably new to the workforce. I decided to give her a small tip.
“Excuse me. Ms. Im prefers warm green tea in the morning over coffee.”
“What?”
“And she dislikes anyone entering her office before she arrives. She might not say anything today, but don’t empty the trash can before she arrives next time.”
The young employee looked bewildered. It felt like a scene from “My Sassy Girl.” The subject was omitted, so it was up to her to understand.
Just then, Chairwoman Im Hyera entered the office.
“Hyuna, why did you come so early?”
I couldn’t say it was because of the habit from my past life. Whenever I met Chairwoman Im, I had to arrive thirty minutes early.
“I was worried I might be late.”
“You’re so good at socializing. I understand more and more why Yooha likes you. By the way, Ms. Mi Hyun, can I have warm green tea instead of coffee?”
The young employee’s eyes widened at the mention of warm green tea. I pretended not to notice and sipped my orange juice.
“Hyuna, do you have an agency or a management company?”
At this time, musicians didn’t have clear affiliations. Especially in Korea, known as the barren land for classical music. There were no agencies or management companies to care for them yet. Big companies’ sponsorship systems were just starting to take root. Of course, it was different abroad.
“No, I don’t.”
“Really? That’s great. By the way.”
What was great about it?
“Are you interested in movies? Actually, a French director friend of mine saw you playing the violin and was immediately impressed. I was planning to introduce you to him, but I never imagined Yooha’s favorite oppa would be you, Hyun. Do you want to take a look at this? Yooha said you’re very good at English, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
She handed me a proposal written in English.
It was for a movie titled “La Vie en Rose” by Director Jean-Pierre. It was about a Jewish prodigy boy with a passion for the violin amidst the turmoil of war, a deeply humanistic film.
It was a beautiful story about a single rose blooming in an oppressive environment. I remembered watching it in my past life.
Though it wasn’t a hit back then, it later became a must-see in lists of great music movies.
But why this?
“Director Jean-Pierre wants you to handle the violin dubbing for the main character in the movie. He was quite troubled because you didn’t belong to an agency. Of course, if simultaneous recording is impossible, they are willing to provide enough convenience to proceed with post-synchronization in Korea.”
“Pardon?”
